Pray

Today, a dear member of the church body and a gifted worship leader here in Tennessee went to be with his Maker. Please be in prayer for his wife and their four children. He had been in a battle with cancer for almost a year, and the past little bit had been most difficult. He is now in a better place! But please been in prayer for his family during this painful time. Thank you.

In He who is our salvation,
Livvy

Cupcakes!

Last night, while Mom was teaching a class and Dad and Ev were at a Civil Air Patrol meeting, I was busy in the kitchen making cupcakes from our favorite cake recipe. They turned out really well, although after I frosted them and when I was transporting them from the table to the counter-top, five of them fell off, and I had to throw one away, because it landed right by the dog bowl.... They taste scrumptious!

Where does it go?

I just realized that today is June 23. You might ask why this is such a startling revelation. I have been out of school for a month, and yet I feel like I've gotten very little accomplished. True, I've tutored, petsat, cleaned, and gardened, but still.... Where is the time going?! There is only roughly a month and a half of vacation left!!!

Squash!

Today Mom and I picked some squash from our garden! We fried them with onions, and they tasted really wonderful. As you can see, one of the squash is actually two conjoined. I'd never seen such a thing happen with vegetables!

Fresh Organic Produce: Straight from the Backyard!

One of the big projects when we moved into this house ten years ago was a large garden, and for many summers, we've enjoyed fresh vegetables. This evening I went out and looked around, astonished by the beauty and amazed at how quickly everything is growing! This summer, Mom planted tomatoes, leeks, onions, peppers, zucchini, squash, lettuce, basil, thyme, rosemary, etc. Flowers too! Here are some pictures:


A black-eyed Susan....




Mild peppers.



Tomatoes that are getting larger every day!

Squash! It tastes great fried with onions.... YUM!

Hee hee II!

Well, the joke went well. I had one friend who believed me -she is only eight! I couldn't stop smiling/laughing though, so it wasn't the best joke I've ever played. My knee, thankfully, is doing much better, and today I was able to go swimming. :) Thanks for your animal suggestions; I appreciate them!

Hee hee!

As I hope you have noticed, in the "Welcome!" section of my blog, I tell you I'll try to get you to try new things, laugh, etc. This post falls in the "laugh" category, I hope!

Somehow, probably playing badminton on the front lawn, I pulled something across the back of my knee. After a few days of hobbling around and getting sympathetic looks from my family because of the noises I was making, I started putting ice on my knee, elevating it, and resting it. (RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation.) I also have wrapped it in an Ace bandage the last two days, and I have decided to play a slightly mean trick on some friends this evening. Our church group is meeting tonight, and when people ask me about my knee, I am going to say,
"I went to the zoo this week, and an elephant kicked me."
It is completely ridiculous, but I figure I'll try it! If you read this post this afternoon, please give me your animal ideas. Like "I went to the zoo this week, and a(n)_________ kicked me." Just put it in Comments. Thanks, and I'll let you know how it turns out!

~Movie Review - "Crossfire Trail"~

My mom recently joined Netflix, so we've been getting some interesting movies. We got one this week, Crossfire Trail, a western, which is about a man named Rafe Covington who promises his dying friend that he will watch over the dead man's ranch and his wife. What Rafe doesn't count on is that the town hotshot is also after the ranch and the wife. The movie ends in a showdown where the good guys ultimately win. After every book and movie I read/watch, I've been trying to assess/review them. I would give Crossfire Trail probably a 3-3.5 out of 5 stars. I think the main problem of the movie was the fact that they did not, in my opinion, develop the female lead enough, so it lacked some emotion. I would still recommend it as a good movie to anyone who enjoys relatively clean (we did need the "fast forward" button once.) westerns, where good triumphs over evil.

More Latin!

It's now been roughly three weeks since Ev and I started Latin, and since we are covering two chapters this week, I decided to make my own Concentration game. I ended up making two: one for his Chapter 5 words and one for his Chapter 14 words. We've had a lot of fun playing the games, although I've won every game, so Ev is not very happy about that. But he enjoys it more than flash cards, and it's the same basic principle! Tomorrow I am going to review everything he's learned so far before we move on. It is really nice to have a "student" with a brain like a sponge! I also encourage you; if you have a sibling that struggles in something you are good at, or if they just need a hand getting ready for next school year's classes, help them! It's a rewarding experience to watch someone you are helping get really good at something, even if you're just there to encourage them! (Here are some pictures of one of the Concentration games. I apologize for the blurriness.)

Grandma's Birthday Bash!

Yesterday my grandmother turned 74, and last night, we had a wonderful meal and a delicious cake. There were some interesting moments though, like when it started storming while the chicken was on the grill, then the food was almost ready, and she wasn't home yet (thankfully she made it home at the perfect time): things like that. But the cake was perfect. There is a traditional cake that has been made for four generations now: the cake is comprised of lady fingers, chocolate, eggs, and the usual pinch/dash of other ingredients. So Mom made that for Gram, and then I got out our nice dinner dishes. You know, the kind of dishes that have been passed down for years. It was a wonderful night, and "Happy Birthday, Gram!"

Improvements

As you have no doubt seen, there have been some major changes to my blog. If you notice anything that looks really horrible, or if you have any ideas on how I can make my blog better, please don't hesitate to tell me!

Puppy Baths!

Here it is! The promised picture of Tallie and Bono's bath time. Both washings were uneventful, with Dad holding each dog in turn while I vigorously scrubbed them from head to tail. After Big Boy was washed, he watched in fiendish amusement from his towel as Tallie submitted to being soaked, shampooed, and rinsed. Tallie was a lot more reluctant to be bathed, and I had to drag her along to the "wash stand."

~Tallie V~

I am sorry that I have been so remiss in updating you on Tallie's condition! Mea culpa! She is doing much, much better. She feels comfortable racing around, roughing with Bono, playing with toys, and taking walks. She is, however, still slower than she used to be on the steps. Some of that is probably her injury, and the rest, old age. So, that's the puppy update. More posts later, as today is.... Doggie Bath Day for Bono at least!

Remember Heartland Golden Rescue!

Hey, everyone! This is just a reminder to please keep voting for Heartland Golden Retriever Rescue! If you have no idea what I am talking about, just check my post for April 14, 2009 or go to the Heartland website link, located in my list of favorite sites. Thanks!

~Livvy

Summer Knitting

The yarn shop where my mom teaches classes has been doing a charity project this summer: preemie baby hats. It's actually a contest between this yarn shop and one in Alabama. At the end of the contest, the baby hats will be divided between UT and Alabama hospitals neonatal centers. So far, I've knit two hats, and I hope to make about four a week. If you're a knitter and would like to make some preemie hats, contact me in "Comments" and I'll give you the information. Below are some pictures of the hats I've knit so far: