Meet Me On Monday--I finally get to participate again!

This is one  of the first  blog hops in which I ever participated, and I have just not had the time to do it!  So now I get to do it again!  Here goes!

Questions: 

1.  What will your Christmas dinner consist of?
2.  Do you watch commercials or flip through the channels?
3.  How long will you leave your Christmas decorations up?
4.  What movie makes you cry every time you watch it?
5.  Do you have a Facebook?

1.  Seriously, I don't know.  Isn't that sad?  This Christmas has been weird for our family.  I don't know if we're having pork or beef brisket.  We'll see.


2.  I am  the channel flipper when it comes to commercials.  My daughter, on the other hand, can't seem to handle it without watching the commercials.  She forgets to go to the bathroom or do whatever she should do when a commercial she likes comes on!


3.  We didn't go all out with Christmas decor this year--we ran out of time.  Probably till mid-January.


4.  Oh,  goodness, this is easy.  There are two of them.  "A Tale of Two Cities" and "The Notebook."  Always guaranteed tear-jerkers for me!   But you're talking to the woman who cried over "Voyage of the Dawn Treader," "Return of the King," and "Toy Story 3!"


5.  Yes.  My user name is ruthhill74.  I have a blog page, but I have done nothing with it.  That  is something I know I need to do.  I used to keep up with my friends  and family on facebook.  Now I keep up with blogs and contests!

Solution Sunday--I'm Sorry, but...

We had another family blow-up.  Not physical, but emotional.  I know it may sound like these have become commonplace,  but they really do happen.

The best news for today is  that we may be switching to a new church come  January without my dad.  We'll  see what happens.

I am busy entering giveaways, and I am very tired.  I plan to participate in some blog hops the next couple weeks and  get going an stating very concrete goals.

Hope all is well  for you, my dear  reader!

Sporadic Saturday--Voyage of the Dawn Treader and More

All right, today has been a big day.  We went to see The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 3-D,  and I cried!  Yep, I haven't told anyone else till now.  There I was with my 3-D glasses with tears running down my face.  Why, you may ask?  The story is full of adventure, and it was very well-done.  I would highly recommend it to anyone except for families with very young children.  It could be frightening, and I don't think  children who were below first grade would get the meaning.  But why did I cry?

At the end of the movie--just like in the book--the weary travelers make it to Aslan's Country.  Those who understand C.S. Lewis's symbolism will know that Aslan represents Christ. So His country would be heaven.  The mouse, Reepicheep, has waited all his life to see this country.  But once you enter, you do not return.  And so he enters.  I cried tears of joy realizing that one day I would enter God's rest.

Now then, I really lost it when Aslan made this statement to Lucy:  "I am known by another name in your world.  You must learn my name there.  I brought you here so you could learn Who I was."  How my dear friend needs this message.  Martin does not know God, and I so long for him to know God!  So I cried.

As to other events, I lost a follower today.  I know that things are busy right now, and it is always disenheartening to see a follower leave.  I know there are many reasons.  I have not had time to think of any other giveaways.  I have been so busy lately that my blog gets neglected now and then.  I do apologize to my followers for that.  You are so loyal!  I know they say that blogging is becoming a thing of the past, but I don't buy into that.  I couldn't  imagine my life without blogging!

I plan this week to list another giveaway or two.  We'll see  what happens.  I do have a PR lead I have to follow up on that could be really good.  I just have no time!

Please be sure to let me know what I can do for you, my dear readers.  I want to meet your needs and minister to you.  I have no real social life apart from this, so I certainly want to do all I can to keep you as a reader.

I will be posting soon about what my Secret Santa got me.  I participated in two this year,and one still hasn't made it to me.  I am toying with the idea of sponsoring a Valentine blog swap, but I have to think of a theme. And I am not sure how many of you would be interested in doing something like that.  I have always loved the swaps I have been a part of.  But maybe we are just too busy!

Fortified Friday--It was easy during the summer!

I had no problem planning out meals and sticking to it this summer.  It is  so hard with school!

But I now have 2  weeks off. I have not decided on every dish we are eating,  but I have two blog posts from  elsewhere that have some great  recipes I want to try!

The first blog from which I am getting recipes is: Lamp Unto My Feet.  These sound like fantastic recipes!

I can't find the other one, but I definitely want to make these cookies!

So I will give you the update about the recipes from last week.  The soup was all right, but I loved the French Toast, and I truly enjoyed the curry chicken.  If you are interested, check out the post.

Thoughtful Thursday--A Sundry of Items

I was thinking tonight that I really need to begin dreaming big on my blog.  I don't have a whole lot of time tonight, but I am thinking that I need to set goals that may not even seem attainable.  God says He can do far exceedingly above all we can ask or think.  Maybe I need to actually take him at His Word!

On a different point, I was authorized by my dad today to buy my mom's presents for him.  It was nice to go on amazon with my my free 2-day shipping and find a bunch of stuff that added up to less  than 80 dollars!  I just love Amazon!!

One more day, and I get two weeks off.  We go off to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader on Saturday.  I am looking forward to having the time off!

I will be wrapping Christmas presents tomorrow and this weekend.  Hopefully I have most of my gifts purchased if not all!  I think I have gifts for my daughter all the way up through Easter!

Hope you are doing just as well!!

Well-Spoken Wednesday--"The Help" book review

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was on the waiting list for this book for almost 6 months.  When it came through, I have to admit that I thought I might not like it.  And if I would have based my review on the first 30 or 40 pages, I would have let it go.  I just couldn't connect with the story.  I really struggled with dialect of the black servants.  And I felt like I was thrown into the middle of the story with no background.

Around page 50, the character of Minny finally got my attention.  I was genuinely interested in what happened to her.  And then the very next chapter was Skeeter, the white woman who does so much good in the book.  I can only hope that if I lived back then, I would have been as brave as she was.  She did not back down, and she was willing to do whatever it took to change things.

There were some classic moments in this book that really drew me in--I am still talking about one interesting little pie recipe in the book.  And not all things in the book happen like you think they should.  There are moments that will outrage you and probably even cause you to cry.

I enjoy the way the author wrote the book.  She writes from the perspective of three people, I think.  And you can tell that the author knows much of what she is talking about.  And her note in the back of the book confirms this.  She grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, and the author herself had a black servant.

If you would have asked me last week about my rating of the book, I would have given it four stars.  I give it five because once I got into it, I really didn't like to put it down.  The author knows just when to switch over to a different perspective, and the reader has to wait to see what happens in that situation a few chapters later.

No sex is in the book--I like that.  There is some bad language, but the concept of true Christian faith is also in the book.  The women are strong, and the blacks are so willing to stand up for their rights in spite of the consequences.  In fact, some of them see it as a chance to have a fresh start.

If you enjoy historical fiction, this book would suit you.  If you have strong feelings about civil right and equal rights for women, you would like the views of this book.  If you like a good romance, sorry, this book really doesn't have that.  And if you come into this book with racist/prejudiced views, you will probably hate it as the woman who runs the town, Hilly, did.  It is definitely one that will stick with you!

View all my reviews

P.S.  Sorry I didn't post last night.  I intended to and only realized that I went to bed, I hadn't done it.  I even knew what I was going to write about!  I'll save it for another time.

Music Monday--Reminiscing

Well, I have been a fan of Sesame Street since I was about third grade or  so.  I'm sure you read that and  think that I meant 3 years old.  Nope.  I didn't discover Sesame Street nor Mister Rogers Neighborhood until I was around third grade.  I happened upon it on PBS.  I absolutely fell in love with Mister Rogers.  I still have an e-mail from him that I cherish.  It was hard when he died, but I know that he was a Christian--I am totally convinced.

Sesame Street brings up other interesting things in my childhood.  I checked out a record from the library called "Bob Sings."  It is no longer available.  But I see Bob McGrath of Sesame Street as my earliest voice teacher.  That  album was filled with beautiful songs, and I sang along, trying to match his voice.  Yes, he is aged now, but I still love to see him now and then with Sesame  Street crew.

I am posting one of his early songs from Sesame Street - Christmas Eve on Sesame Street.  I remember the first  time I saw this.  I stayed up late one Christmas Eve--I think  it was around 11 or midnight, and I loved it.  I had heard it on an album, but I hadn't seen it.  So here goes.  I guess I have a lot more I need to post from  my childhood, don't I?  You guys might really find me crazy once you read about my childhood dreams.  But they are a part of who I am.