What ever happened to smile…click…?

This week I feel like I have gone back to school – trying to learn how to make the computer do what I picture in my head. It is like an intensive course in a foreign language! Anyway, I finally learned over several hours last night how to include links in my post. (I know, you professionals must be shaking your head – tsk, tsk, tsk). Now I am moving on to learning how to use the digital camera (which I have previously scorned – after all. . .”I want REAL pictures so that I can scrapbook them!”), so that I can include pictures in my posts. So, I have now decided that digital pictures are a necessity.
Here are my challenges:
1. I know nothing about digital cameras (now, don’t laugh – dh bought one after Thanksgiving a few years ago, and then let it sit in the box for a year, because it intimidated him so!).

2. Dh (who now knows how to use one) is at work.

3. Ds-16(who, of course, knows everything about anything technical) is asleep and won’t get up to teach me!

Now all of this would normally be just a matter of patience on my part, however, I am feeling really pressed to learn so that I can post a new giveaway on my site which will (hopefully) include a picture! This giveaway is part of the Fall Ya’ll carnival over at Shannon’s Rocks in My Dryer site.

I, being a brand new blogger, am really excited about the opportunity to find readers, thus my haste in wanting to join the carnival, which will let people know that I’m here!

Sooooo, please check back often to see if I have learned my lessons and gotten the picture of my exciting giveaway posted! The deadline is Saturday… I think I might take my stuffed rooster from the kitchen (the one who really crows!) upstairs to visit my son now!

Blessings,
Nancy

Round Two!!

Okay, last week’s Vision Forum drawing is over, but now Kim over at Life in a Shoe is offering an even better giveaway than the last one! Same rules as last time – make out a wish list of Vision Forum published products out of the new and beautiful Vision Forum catalog. You can view the catalog here: Vision Forum . Here’s the “even better” part – choose $250. worth of products this time (rather than the $150. from last time)!!!
Post your wish list to your blog linking Vision Forum as well as Kim’s Post . Then just post a comment on Kim’s Post and that’s it! Please see Kim’s Post for all of the details.

Here is my EXPANDED wish list for the new drawing:

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God
The Coral Island (Ballantyne)
The Pirate City (Ballantyne)
How to Avoid the Destructiveness of a Wrong Self-Image
A Church in the House
The Adventure of Missionary Heroism
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
Wise Woman’s Guide to Blessing Her Husband’s Vision
2 Prairie Bonnets (pink and blue)
Just Like Mama Baby Doll Set (with carrier)

Go sign up now – she will be picking 3 winners!

Blessings,
Nancy

Check out my new family page!

I just posted a new page that tells about our family. Just click on the “My Family” link over on the right!

Also, thank you, Laura (my daughter!) for the wonderful new banner! You have taken us out of dullsville into gingham heaven! Good job!
Thanks also to Lisa at Original Country Clipart by Lisa for the lovely gingham background on the banner!

Blessings,
Nancy

Reformation Celebration

We are all resting up today from last night’s Reformation Celebration at church. It was a wonderful evening filled with food, fun, and encouragement in our faith. Everyone was dressed in medieval costumes and it was a splendorous sight! (I don’t think splendorous is a word, but it seems to really fit!) There was an abundance of food, mostly German type dishes, tables decorated with a harvest theme and candlelight to eat by. During dinner, a play was presented which depicted some of our ancestors in the faith and how God greatly used them, even though they were only one person, to make an impact for Christ in the world. It was very encouraging to me, as I sometimes (many times?) get discouraged by the ugliness in the world. The world today is so bent on calling evil good and good evil – but then, there is reassurance in knowing that God said it would be this way – which is a further reminder that he IS in control and is working out HIS plan. I was further reminded that writing my congressman CAN be useful!

Following the play, the kids were all set loose to attend the 15 or so booths set up all around the church. At each booth, they heard some aspect of the life of Martin Luther, played a game or made a craft which related to the story, and received candy and treats. I was manning (or womaning) the stain glass window booth. We made “stain glass windows” to represent the Castle Church in Wittenberg. We stuck colored tissue paper squares between two sheets of Contact paper, which resulted in quite a beautiful creation. I enjoyed seeing how each child had different ways of creating their “masterpiece”. Laura (13) was in charge of the Museum booth, which displayed artwork from the Reformation period. The children colored in a coloring sheet of a painting from that period in history. They then received a pencil and a small paint set as a prize.

After the booths ended, there was a costume contest and a concluding hymn – of course, Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”, which was very powerful, and moving. I could almost see Satan and his crew shrinking back when we all sang about his ultimate demise.

For those of you unfamiliar with it (which included me before this past week), Reformation Day is the celebration of the beginning of the Reformation of the church in the 1500′s, which began when Martin Luther nailed his “95 theses” to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church. The church in that day had become quite corrupt in the upper levels, and the priest would sell what they called “indulgences” to the people. These were slips of paper signed by the priest (or popes?) that gave forgiveness of sins. So, the people would buy them and then they believed that they had God’s favor as a result. It was another example of men believing that they could work for or buy their salvation from God. Martin Luther’s study of the Bible showed him that salvation was by faith in Christ alone, not by any works of our own. The words of Romans 1:17 rang in his head – “The just shall live by faith.” When he posted his objections to the practices and beliefs of the church, it started a flame which God used to change (reform) the church back to it’s Scriptural foundation.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening, enjoyed by everyone.

Blessings,
Nancy

Vision Forum Wish List

Kim at “Life in a shoe” is doing 5 give-aways of $150. worth of Vision Forum published goodies! To enter see the link to Kim’s post at http://inashoe.com/?p=402. You can check out the wonderful array of items for your wishlist at http://www.visionforum.com.

Here is my wishlist:

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God
The Coral Island (Ballantyne)
How to Avoid the Destructiveness of a Wrong Self Image
The Adventure of Missionary Heroism
Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
The Wise Woman’s Guide to Blessing Her Husband’s Vision

Hurry! The entry deadline is midnight tonight!(Friday)!!!

Blessings,
Nancy

Welcome!

This is my very first post on my very first blog – EVER! Please be patient with me, as I have a lot to learn about the technical world of computers. Any help you can offer me will be greatly appreciated!

I am looking forward to blogging here about life in our family of 11 (dh, myself, and our 9 wonderful blessings!), faith in God, crafting, cooking, life in the country ( or as dh says-the “quasi-country”-is that how you spell “quasi”? Is “quasi” even a word?), and anything else that might just cross my mind (what’s left of it…)!

Check back frequently to see if I’ve had time in all the excitement to sit down and write about it! I am looking forward to reading your comments and gleaning lots of helpful advice from you!

Blessings,
Nancy