Mexican Lasagne

BessedwithGrace hosts a kitchen carnival on Tuesdays. What a great way to get new recipes!

Mexican Lasagne
Serves 12

2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey
1 - 17 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup salsa
1 - 15 oz can Mexican style diced tomatoes
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 - 16 oz carton cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp oregano
10 corn tortillas
1.5 C. shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese

Brown meat stirring to crumble. Drain excess fat.
Add corn, salsa tomatoes, and taco seasoning. Simmer 5 minutes.
Combine cottage cheese, eggs, and oregano, mixing thoroughly.
Place 5 tortillas in bottom of lightly greased 13x9x2 casserole, overlapping to fit.
Layer in order listed, 1/2 of meat mixture, cheese mixture, 5 tortillas, and rest of meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 12.

Enjoy!

Morning

Lamentations 3:22-24
"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

Presenting The Sunday Morning Pancake

This gives a whole new meaning to the term "breakfast burrito".

Score!

We purchased most of her clothes last night. Here is a sample of one of her new shirts. King said, "She needs that shirt, no matter what the price is!" True. Her dad can fix anything. Now, I want a grown up version to reflect what my Father God can do...

Please send money:

Cash, checks, credit cards, gold coins are all accepted. My daughter has outgrown all of her clothes. Ok, not completely. She can wear one pair of pjs and her school uniforms. Nothing else fits. Not socks, not underclothes, not shorts, not jeans, not shirts. Nada. I have to go shopping this weekend and while I normally would love a shopping trip with my very best girlfriend, I am a teeny bit overwhelmed with replacing her entire wardrobe. At the very least, it sounds physically exhausting. And then I think of the financial pain I must endure. I'm feeling a bit woozy.

It's Been a Long Day ... G'Night

The time has come for me to gush forth in exuberant tones about my foam mattress. "What in the world?", you ask. Yes, well, I would have said the same thing before acquiring this horizontal delight.

No, I'm not a paid sponsor for Isoform. No, I get no benefit from my endorsement of this bed except for the tiny fact that I might encourage someone else to take the foam plunge and have nocturnal bliss. Ya'll, it's just that good.

As I said before, I was very skeptical. King assured me that we had 90 days and that was plenty of time to sleep on the mattress and decide if we liked it. Evidently, there is a "breaking in" time for these foam mattresses where they go from somewhat warehouse stiff to ... sheer delight. Not too soft, not too hard, just perfect. Ya'll remember the story of The Three Bears? Remember at the end of the story, Goldilocks tried the three beds and baby bear's bed was "just right"? Papa Bear's was too hard (Select Comfort) and Mama Bear's bed was too soft (spring coil), but Baby Bear's bed was juuuust right! As soon as she lay down, she fell fast asleep.

Yeah, you know it ... Baby Bear's was the foam mattress. I'm just sayin'.

Weight Loss Tips

A bit of background:
I'm the gal in the green shirt. I've always been the size of my tiny friend in the black shirt. That is, until Periodic Paralysis came into my life 10 years ago. As I have said before, I have two different types of paralysis episodes. For one type, I take Potassium Chloride to abort the epsiode. For the other type, I take sugar to abort the episode. I had the "sugar kind" for the first initial years. There's nothing like the process of laying in the floor paralyzed then eating sugar to abort the episode to pack on some pounds. When you repeat that process multiple times per day, every day ... you get dramatic weight gain.

My Periodic Paralysis is managed very well now and I can work on losing weight. (Previously, the moment my body got hungry, it would trigger a paralysis episode. Thus, it was a little difficult to burn the fat.) So, I had to come up with some creative tricks.

1. Eat every 2-2.5 hours.
2. Eat very small portions. I'm talking only what fits in an 8 oz coffee cup size for lunch.
3. Eat a fold-over sandwich instead of the double slice of bread sandwich. You'll cut about 40-80 calories simply by omitting that one slice of bread.
4. When eating a tuna salad sandwich, don't. Just eat your tuna with a few crackers and some grapes. Again, when you can omit the bread, you will save calories.
5. Eat only about 60-80 calories for snacks.
6. Use a saucer or child's plate for your meals. It's amazing how much easier it is to be content when your plate looks full than when you have a small portion on a huge dinner plate.
7. Eat lots of fruit and veggies to fill you up.
8. Trick yourself when your tummy feels empty and you want to snack. Drink tea or coffee or water or something to fill your stomach with less that 20 calories.
9. When eating out, eat the never ending salad beforehand (dressing on the side).
10. When your meal arrives, ask for a "to go" box and box up 2/3 of your meal.Listen to your body to find your satiation spot. For me, I unconsciously sigh when I am satisfied. If I stop at my "sigh" then 10-15 minutes later, my food has settled and I am completely satisfied. If I continue eating after my "sigh", then when my food settles I am full. (And I know my body is going to have to store that extra amount of food that I continued eating.)
11. Have a free day or free meal! Eat your favorite dessert once a week. (Just keep in mind that nothing is free in this world except God's grace. If it goes on your body, it must eventually come off.)
12. Love your body. It's reality. It's the tent you live in on this earth. If you are married, you husband hears how you talk about your body and over time, it can influence him. So, love that bod and teach the young women around you the same. For you are fearfully and wonderfully made!

This is how I look now. I'm not down to my skinny size anymore, but I'm fairly content where I am. I take medication that makes me gain weight and I have a life-altering medical condition. These two things mean I will always be different from my skinny self, but hey. I like the new me. That works for me! (Check out WFMW at Rocks In My Dryer)

You've Got a Friend in Mommy

Periodic Paralysis episodes make your body so tired and your muscles ache. It's exhausting. Princess has begun having multiple paralysis episodes every day. Thankfully, she is only weak and not fully paralyzed yet, but that doesn't change how her muscles feel after an episode. I am so very thankful that since this is God's plan for her that I was given the priviledge to walk the path before her. I am so thankful to have gasped for air, to have joints dislocated, hospital stays and multiple exercise EMG tests. I can walk before her, hopefully with grace, and know ... truly know how she feels. I don't want anyone to ever have Periodic Paralysis, much less Princess or King. But, since it is reality for Princess, I want her to know that just like Buzz Lightyear says, "You've got a friend in me".

And since this is the week of You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB2gPZRsz0Q

You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles
From your nice warm bed
Just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got troubles, well I've got 'em too
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
We stick together and we see it through
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
Some other folks might be
A little bit smarter than I am
Bigger and stronger too
Maybe
But none of them will ever love you the way I do
It's me and you
And as the years go by
Our friendship will never die
You're gonna see
It's our destiny
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me

C'Mon, Follow Me!

How about this new gadget? It's new to me anyway. I know there are a number of you who check this blog regularly because I can see you in my stat meter. Click on "Follow Me" on the right side under my Shelfari.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

As Princess says, this recipe is "easy peasy lemon squeezy". It makes two pot pies.

1 can chicken (rotisserie is better, but this is the easiest version)
2 small cans or 1 15 oz can Veg-All veggies
1 15 oz can corn
2 cans cream of chicken soup
splash of Fat-free 1/2 and 1/2 (about 1/3 C)
2 packages of 2 pillsbury pie crusts (let set 15 minutes from the refrig before use)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients except pie crusts. Separate veggie mixture into two equal parts. Lay one pie crust in pie pan. Fill pie pan with one of the veggie mixtures. Lay 1 pie crust over the top of the pie pan and pinch crusts together. Use sharp knife and make holes on top. Be creative! Bake for 40 minutes at 350. Turn broiler on for the last 2 minutes to brown crust. Repeat process for 2nd pot pie. Amaze your family and friends.

C.J. Mahaney - A Testimony to God's Grace

This is a piece of CJ Mahaney's testimony. He asks the question that echoes in my soul ... Why am I called? Why me? "Once and for all I do not know, but the response is intense gratitude..." Charles Spurgeon

Mark Driscoll on Predestination

In light of my earlier post about questioning God, I thought I would post this great clip from Mark Driscoll. This cuts right into the middle of Mark's sermon, so he is preaching with a raised voice. The story of his daughter's near death is profound. The story is about 1/2 way through.

I need to put a laptop in my bedroom. I think of the best blog topics right before sleep every night. Well, not every night, but many nights I think of something fun to write about. The next morning? Can't remember a thing.

Yesterday, however, I had a conversation with a friend about asking God "Why?". Here are some thoughts I have had regarding "Why?"

1. Asking God "Why" assumes you will be able to understand His answer
2. If you can understand "why", then you can understand the mind of God
3. If you can understand the mind of God, then you are not human
4. If you are not human, you don't need to ask the question "Why"

Basically, asking questions of God assumes that you can grasp concepts from the infinite mind of God with your finite mind.

I'm not saying it's wrong to ask "why". I do think it is unreasonable and we set ourselves up for disappointment. A three year old misses Daddy who is fighting in Iraq and asks Mommy why Daddy cannot come home. The mom can explain why, but the child is not equipped to understand the answer. That is a really poor example, but it reflects my perspective on asking God questions. I believe that God truly wants to tell us answers to many of the "whys" of life because He gave us the bible. The bible is His answer to our questions and the origination of many of our questions. The problem is when we read the bible and say, "Ok, now I want to know more." Well. We cannot understand "more". We cannot even understand the totality of the bible.

Take the issue of unconditional election, predestination, foreknowledge versus man's free will. Who on earth can explain the existence of these being true at the same time? I haven't heard anyone truly explain it without taking scripture out of context or applying a different meaning to the scripture. God says He foreknew, called, elected and predestined some for eternal life. We can wonder. We can guess. We cannot fathom how they can both exist at the same time, yet they do both exist. See below, noting that the emphasis is mine:

Romans 8:28-30 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. "

Acts 13:48 "When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."

Ephesians 1. Just read the whole chapter, but focus on the following verses:

"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ... In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory."

These scriptures must be taken seriously. We cannot explain them away. Yet, it is unfathomable how God allows us free will and at the same time has appointed some for eternal life and others for damnation.

In the end, we can ask God "Why" for any question we have, but we must remember 2 Cor 4:17-18
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Prolonged QT Interval?? Who knows...

This is all I have thought about today. My sweet Princess is experiencing some sort of heart rhythm issues which I think are related to her Periodic Paralysis. She has daily episodes of weakness, but no full-body paralysis. We are managing her PP as well as possible. We went to see the pediatrician today to begin some cardiac testing. We will know more as the days and weeks progress.

Biggest Loser

I watch one tv show in a 365 day period. That show is The Biggest Loser. I know, I'm a freak of society. I hate TV. It dictates my schedule, feeds me tidbits of information at a time and loads me up with a secular worldview. The only redeeming reason for a television is college football which is why we do not have the television hooked up the majority of the year.

Back to TBL ... I love biographies and this show is like an inspirational video biography. The determination and perseverance is so inspiring. Tonight is the kick-off. I wonder what will happen??

King and I are beginning a 6 week challenge for pushups and crunches. I will be working toward 100 knee pushups and 50 obliques, 50 upper and 50 lower crunches. My core is going to boot camp. When I have episodes, I will have to cease the bootcamp, but I will work toward this goal with the hope that I can keep my paralysis at bay.

Kipper

Tonight we were in Petsmart buying dog food. Princess loves animals. Loves 'em. She has two parakeets and a poodle. She wants to add 2 hamsters to the mix. Nay. The King says "No!" We'll see if the King persists.

We were reflecting on our animals while in Petsmart tonight (as we looked at the tiny hamsters). It reminded me of Kipper, our ragdoll. He is with another family now because we all developed allergies to the lovable little "pumpkin heart", as Princess says. He may be a "pumpkin heart", but there is nothing little about him! He is a serious dough boy and terribly lovable. Here's to you, you lovable little "pumpkin heart". May your new family love you as much as we still do!

Ike

I love a good thunderstorm, but sheesh. This thing takes up the whole Gulf of Mexico! We are not on the coast, so no real danger. I'll update as the weekend wears on...

A Stubborn Queen

It’s 3:00 a.m. and I can’t sleep. Very unusual for me, but I have a lot on my mind. I guess that explains it.

We are in a wonderful small group (6 families walking through life together, studying God's Word and loving each other like family). As our topic, we are reading and studying the book "Sacred Marriage". It's wonderfully challenging.

I really wish there was a You Tube of my life before Periodic Paralysis. I was fun and friendly Queen, but I was willful, independent, stubborn Queen. I never saw myself as I truly was. King would tell me each time I balked, “You are re-evaluating my decision and my leadership.” That left me indignant and angry. I was not! How dare he even say that? And even if I did re-evaluate, then what was the threat? If he was secure in his decision, what did it matter that I re-evaluated things before I decided what to do?!

(shaking head) There was no leading me in those days. King dragged me where he wanted me to go and I only went there if I wanted to go. It was ugly and sad for years. Well over a decade. Honestly and truly, I don’t know why he stayed with me except that he had no other option. He is too loyal to break his covenant and also, Christ equipped him to stay. The worst part, my friend, is that I continued this behavior long into my horrible paralysis years. (My Periodic Paralysis was triggered by my hormonal change when I weaned my daughter. For years, I had full body paralysis episodes all throughout the day and some nights. Some would last 5 minutes and some episodes would last 45 minutes.) Here the guy was dressing me and attending to my basic physical needs and I was basically telling him he had no authority in my life. By his very sacrifices on a daily basis, he had earned the right to be my leader, but I was too willful. I cannot tell you how many times I lay in the floor or on the couch or in some crumpled position, barely breathing and was doing battle with God. Over and over, repeatedly, God physically showed me just how much control I really had in my life. None. If we measure my control on a scale of 1-10 ... I had -5.

I really am at a loss to describe the change in my heart and direction over the years. God didn’t move a millimeter. His design is perfect and He will not budge in this area. I’ll sum it up by saying, God finally got my attention and my desire to live His way, not mine. This is still a constant battle. I was trained for years to push back against someone else controlling my life and my sin nature is powerful and strong. Praise God, the Holy Spirit is inexplicably stronger. The funny thing is this: King has never wanted to control me. He has only wanted to lead me and to do what God designed him to do.

If you are married, I hope you will learn from my mistakes. If you are not married ... please ... learn from my mistakes. Marriage is a beautiful picture of our relationship with Father God. He is a tender leader and He will only put up with so much before he disciplines. Been there, done that. I gotta say, it is immeasurably good to be disciplined by Father God. He is so loving and gracious and completely knows my limits. I never want 1 Corinthians 5:4-5 to come to pass for me...

"When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. "

Rather, I prefer Psalm 103:8-14

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

Small Town Football Games

Due to Hurricane Ike, we rescheduled our football game from Friday night to tonight. There's nothing quite like participating in football festivities. The corn dogs, nachos, frosty water bottles, squeals of children running with friends, and the clash of helmets and pads fill the air with the fun of small town football. The community of friends all watching out for each other and their children is endearing. New families are welcomed and given special name tags so we can welcome them with true southern hospitality. It's one of my favorite aspects of autumn. I love football. I love the fellowship of gathering around young men who are learning discipline and good sportsmanship. I love the smell in the air and the feeling when I am at one of these football games. I feel a part of Normal Rockwell's paintings and I find a certain twinge of sadness when the buzzer sounds at the end of the game. The cowbells are pack up, trash is gathered, kids are divided among families and we all wait again for the announcer in the pressbox to call us to attention for our next home game.

Worrying

A little background for our worry story:

I have been reading The Little Pilgrim's Promise aloud to Princess before bedtime. Just last night, we reached the halfway point in the book where the main character, Christian, makes it to heaven, aka The Celestial City. Along the main character's journey (pilgrimage), he has faced hardship, worry, learning to trust, fear, just to name a few emotions and struggles.

We live in a country setting with a creek that runs behind our house. We have our share of creatures. One morning this week, there was a cat fight in our front yard. I'm not convinced that the cats were domestic, but it was too dark to see them. Ever since then, Princess has been worried about the animals in the front yard. Tonight, we came home from our friend's house and it was dark outside. In a small voice Princess said something about being afraid of those cats outside.

I reminded her about Christian and how the King of the Celestial City wanted Christian to trust and not worry. To which she replied, "I'm not worrying, I'm just being practical."

Gotta love it.

Beauty in Difficulty

Sometimes life is thorny. It hurts. Don't sit still in the pain. Look for the end result:
James 1:2-8
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

If all of reality is found on earth, we are completely and utterly without hope. But our hope is not found on earth.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:20

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Luke 18:22

Give up everything to follow Christ. Persevere through trial. Store your treasure in heaven. It's thorny now, but the reward is priceless.

Blogging Meme

The Queen B did a fun meme today.

Here are the rules:

1. Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.

2. link back to the person who tagged you

3. link back to this parent post

4. tag a few friends or five, or none at all

5. post these rules— or just have fun breaking them

I started blogging to keep family updated on our life. I handle 100-200 business emails every day which doesn't leave me very much time for chatty emails. So, I thought, "I'll try this blog thing..." I am really glad I did because it turned into a family journal that chronicles our life. I have pictures, stories, musings and heartaches chronicled. The funny thing is that my SIL is the only family who reads my blog. Thanks, J!

I have learned some cool stuff during this blogging adventure! Like how to clean the mold out of my front loading washer, canning & cooking, how to motivate my daughter to be a responsible citizen, and that Katy loves me. But wait. I knew that before I started blogging. BTW, Katy is having her baby tomorrow morning! Pray for her and baby Sarah Grace!

I can spend waaaay too much time blogging and reading blogs. 'nough said.

My blogging has inspired my King. He is blogging for the company now so the employees know what the CEO is thinking. Fun!

My favorite item to share is that my blogging has encouraged and challenged my faith while connecting me to so many wonderful women of faith. Like the average bear, I love comments on my blog. I repeat to myself often, "If you want a friend, be a friend." That means commenting on other blogs. Ahem. So, I am training myself to comment on these other blogs that I so enjoy. The following women, among others, have truly challenged me this year. Check out their blogs:

• Sumi - who loves Jesus and witnessed her baby girl fly home to the King of Kings this year.
• Heather - who loves Jesus and witnessed her best friend and soul mate fly home to our Precious Redeemer this year.
• Lisa - who loves Jesus and authentically shares her walk with Christ ... both the highs and the melancholy lows. The girl loves chocolate and reading ... two of my favs.
• Lisa - who loves Jesus and brings Proverbs 31 into perspective

I'm tagging you, my friend. Write on your blog how blogging has affected you. Don't have a blog? Get one. I promise that you will enjoy the ride.

The Elegant Lady

Drama, I tell you. It's highly esteemed here at the palace. Why do math homework in regular clothes when one may recline on the setee in a formal gown? (Notice the sweet teddy bear peeking at Princess from the top of the sofa!) I love these days between childhood and adolesence. It reminds me of Luke chapter 2, "... Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

Power Tools and Football

It's been a good weekend for King. He went dove hunting last night and today is using new power tools. He's doing ductwork for the A/C, hanging mirrors and hooks for me in the hallway and running cable so we can watch college football on the projector.

I'm excited about my mirror and all, but gimme some college football! Woo-hoo!

Episodes and Princess

I didn't get to post yesterday because I spent almost the entire day in paralysis episodes. My sweet husband has helped make my office so accomodating to my health issues. I have a leather couch in my office, just 3 steps from my desk. I spent the day coming into and going out of paralysis and working in between episodes. Thankfully there were hardly any calls in the morning when the paralysis was at it's worst. Later in the day, when I had improved, the calls started pouring in. God's timing is perfect.

The episodes I have been having are "low potassium" episodes. My K+ (potassium) levels are not actually low in my body. They are low in my blood and high in my muscle cell . I have to manage the correct balance of K+ in the muscle cell. I really do not know what is causing all of these low K+ episodes. Treating the episodes is very tricky.

Princess also has these same type of episodes. There are several ways to determine the type of episode we are having and none of them requires a blood draw. Low K+ epsiodes affect our emotions differently than high K+ episodes. With low K+ episodes, we feel depressed and very sad. No one likes us, everyone hates us, we might as well go outside and eat worms. Ya know, depressed.

High K+ episodes make us feel A-N-G-R-Y. Like hormonal, PMS rage filled irrationality. Ya know, angry.

It really is interesting to "read" our bodies and learn how many different evidences there are for the levels of our electrolytes. Who knew?

I've had day after day of these low K+ episodes for atleast 10 days. This morning my K+ was low again. It's always a bit sad when Princess leaves for school, but on low K+ days, I just hate to see her leave. This morning it was especially hard because she is going home with a group of friends and I will not see her again until late tonight. It's at times like this that I want to keep her in a cocoon and never let her grow up. Wisdom prevails and she ventures off into her little world to learn, grow, be challenged, have her feelings hurt, laugh, tell secrets with girlfriends and generally live a full life.

If I listen to my body, I can learn what my potassium levels are like and I can take the necessary precautions. However, if I listen to my heart on days like this, I will surely be led astray. Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyone cure. Who can understand it?" Proverbs 28:26 "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered." So, it takes wisdom and self-control to allow life to be normal. Today Princess left for school, friends and football game. King will go dove hunting tonight. I will curl up with a book or a Jane Austen movie and eat comfort food. I will choose to rejoice when I feel sad. I miss my beloveds, especially when my K+ is low, but I know that our reunion will be sweet!

Pride and Prejudice

Over at "5 Minutes for Books" the topic is Pride and Prejudice. Alas. My heart flutters. I have been intimidated by Jane Austen for years. I thought only really brainy people read Jane Austen. Then, on a whim, I asked the King to buy me the complete and unabridged works of Jane Austen. We love to hit Barnes and Noble (aka The Library, as my toddler used to call it) on date night. This time, Jane Austen's complete works called out to me.


I read Sense and Sensibility first and finally got the hang of the language. I was right! Jane Austen is for brainy people, but those of us less endowed can still enjoy her works.


My next plunge into the Austen pool of verbosity came with Pride and Prejudice. I love these characters! I just wanted to shake some sense into Lydia and Kitty. I think being "boy crazy" is timeless. Mary is someone with whom I can completely relate. I'd much rather spend my time reflecting and thinking than traipsing off to a nearby town to gossip. And Mrs. Bennett! Where do I begin? Bless her sweet, ditzy heart. I think she truly loves her girls, but doesn't have enough good sense to value Lizzy's deep thoughts and Mary's reflections. It's all about superficiality with Mrs. Bennett: looks and boys. Jane is wonderful because she is beautiful and Lydia is beloved because she shares mom's penchant for a Red Coat.


As far is "first impressions" (as the book was first entitled), I don't think Lizzy's pride/prejudice struck me until 1/2 way through the book. I know, I'm a little slow. Watching Darcy's and Lizzy's characteristics being revealed is like watching an oceanliner turn about. It's a slow process. The passion displayed by both is really fun. I enjoy it because the King and I are so like this couple. King is not a prideful guy, but he is wonderfully passionate and strong in his convictions.


Some of my favorite lines:

Lizzy to Lady Catherine "Neither duty, nor honour, nor gratitude have any possible claim on me, in the present instance. No principle of either, would be violated by my marriage with Mr. Darcy."

Lizzy to Wickham: "But I think Mr. Darcy improves on acquaintance."

Lizzy to Mr. Bennett regarding Darcy: "I do, I do like him, " she replied with tears in her eyes, "I love him. Indeed he has no improper pride. He is perfectly amiable. You do not know what he really is; then pray do not pain me by speaking of him in such terms."

Mr. Bennett to Lizzy: "I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to anyone less worthy."

Alas!

Mr. Blogger is satiated. Finally. I can blog again.

So, I'm sitting here toying with the decision to post what I just read. It's so ironically funny, but posting about politics is sooo taboo. This is just funny though. I would shake my head at this regardless of who said it.

Let me preface this by saying that my logic sounds very much like this sometimes. I get caught in a loop and no one understands me. I have sympathy for this guy. I just hope he doesn't really believe what he said and can clarify what he really meant.

Ok, so I was reading the news and ran across this:
Obama: I Have More Executive Experience Than Palin ... Barack Obama contends that he is more experienced in executive matters than Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin because he has managed his presidential campaign for the past 18 months.

The rebuttal by McCain's spokesman: "For Barack Obama to argue that he’s experienced enough to be president because he’s running for president is desperate circular logic and it's laughable."

Now, I don't want to scoff at Obama, but really. The election is in 2 months! He's qualified to take on Putin and Amadenajad because he's been running for president? He can wrangle our economy because he managed campaign contributions?? Obama needs to be telling the American people some serious qualifications like ... I don't know ... actual change he has caused while an elected official. How about economic change he wrought? Any?

The sad thing is that Obama, the presidential candidate, is being compared to the other party's VICE presidential candidate. Lord, have mercy.

Hello?

Blogger ate my post yesterday. Three times. I decided to quit feeding the frenzied blog if it was so hungry. I mean, after three very long postings, you'd think the blog would be full, no?

Let's see if Mr. Blogger is still eating posts...