Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Great pictures!
Here's what we've been up to lately....
...working on our "new" house. It's a new old house. We found out the original part of the house, now what's the front of the house, was built in 1921! There's been 2 additions since then, but I don't know when. This room is at the back of the house. 
We're going to use it as our "family room" or game room. The walls are now yellow, and the wall right behind David in this picture now has gold stripes which I had fun painting on. The house now has a total of 4 bedrooms (or for us, 3 bedrooms and a game room) and two bathrooms. It's actually pretty roomy. We're having a good time updating it and fixing it up, but it is a lot of work!
We're going to use it as our "family room" or game room. The walls are now yellow, and the wall right behind David in this picture now has gold stripes which I had fun painting on. The house now has a total of 4 bedrooms (or for us, 3 bedrooms and a game room) and two bathrooms. It's actually pretty roomy. We're having a good time updating it and fixing it up, but it is a lot of work!The door behind David leads out to the decks which David's grandmother and mom built. There's another door to the same decks from the utility room, which is off the kitchen.
I'll have a plum tree and huckleberry bushes and a grapevine, and a garden spot and good ground for plants. It's on 2 1/2 acres, yea! I'm looking forward to learning all about "country living." I'm still pretty clueless -- but learning more all the time.
Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day today. We started Bible School, and the first day went well. It's "Game Day Central!" After Bible School the kids and I went to Mom and Dad's for me to work on VBS stuff (with Mom's help) and we put together a good Memorial Day meal at the last minute: I brought potato salad, squash and zucchini, green salad, and a watermelon, and Dad grilled chicken breasts and hamburgers. It was very yummy. And we have some leftovers!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Did You Know?
- Venetian blinds - which were actually invented in Japan - are known as "Persian blinds" in Venice.
- If you head directly south from Detroit, the first foreign country you enter is Canada, not Mexico.
- While science has been traditionally identified as largely dominated by men, women were responsible for inventing Bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers.
- More than half of the world's population -- that's over 3 billion people -- have never made or received a telephone call.
- The screwdriver was invented before the screw.
- Neglected plants will cry for help. When thirsty, they emit high-pitched sounds that are too high for the human ear to hear.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
King Herod's tomb may have been found
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070508/ap_on_sc/israel_herod_s_tomb
An Israeli archaeologist on Tuesday said he has found remnants of the tomb of King Herod, the legendary builder of ancient Jerusalem, on a flattened hilltop in the Judean Desert where the biblical monarch built a palace.
Hebrew University archaeologist Ehud Netzer said the tomb was found at Herodium, a site where he has been exploring since the 1970s.
Netzer said a team of researchers found pieces of a limestone sarcophagus believed to belong to the ancient king. Although there were no bones in the container, he said the sarcophagus' location and ornate appearance indicated it is Herod's.
The fragments of carved limestone found at the sandy site are decorated with floral motives, but do not include any inscriptions.
Herod became the ruler of the Holy Land under the Romans around 40 B.C. The wall he built around the Old City of Jerusalem during the time of the Jewish Second Temple is the one that can be seen today. He also undertook massive construction projects in Caesaria, Jericho, the hilltop fortress of Massada and other locations.
It has long been assumed that Herod was buried at Herodium, but decades of excavations failed to turn up the site until now. The first century historian Josephus Flavius described the tomb and Herod's funeral procession.
Herodium was one of the last strong points held by Jewish rebels fighting against the Romans, and it was conquered and destroyed by Roman forces in A.D. 71, a year after they destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
An Israeli archaeologist on Tuesday said he has found remnants of the tomb of King Herod, the legendary builder of ancient Jerusalem, on a flattened hilltop in the Judean Desert where the biblical monarch built a palace.
Hebrew University archaeologist Ehud Netzer said the tomb was found at Herodium, a site where he has been exploring since the 1970s.
Netzer said a team of researchers found pieces of a limestone sarcophagus believed to belong to the ancient king. Although there were no bones in the container, he said the sarcophagus' location and ornate appearance indicated it is Herod's.
The fragments of carved limestone found at the sandy site are decorated with floral motives, but do not include any inscriptions.
Herod became the ruler of the Holy Land under the Romans around 40 B.C. The wall he built around the Old City of Jerusalem during the time of the Jewish Second Temple is the one that can be seen today. He also undertook massive construction projects in Caesaria, Jericho, the hilltop fortress of Massada and other locations.
It has long been assumed that Herod was buried at Herodium, but decades of excavations failed to turn up the site until now. The first century historian Josephus Flavius described the tomb and Herod's funeral procession.
Herodium was one of the last strong points held by Jewish rebels fighting against the Romans, and it was conquered and destroyed by Roman forces in A.D. 71, a year after they destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
National Day of Prayer
“Today, prayer is still a powerful force in America, and our faith in God is a mighty sourceof strength. Our Pledge of Allegiance states that we are ‘one nation under God,’ and our currency bears the motto, ‘In God We Trust.’ The morality and values such faith implies are deeply embedded in our national character. Our country embraces those principles by design, and we abandon them at our peril."
-- President Ronald Reagan, May 6, 1982
-- President Ronald Reagan, May 6, 1982
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Young Americans Fear Family Break-up
(From Focus on the Family)
What do 16- to 22-year-olds fear most? The breakdown of the family tops the list, according to a new study.
In the first survey conducted by cell phone, New America Media asked 16- to 22-year-olds what are the biggest challenges facing their generation. Topping the list was breakdown of the traditional family, followed by violence and poverty.
Sandy Close, executive director of New America Media, said teens desire what they don’t have: stable families.
“I think what you see in this poll is a yearning for connection and I don’t mean technology," she said. "I mean by high-touch interaction, conversation, dinner at home, reliability, proximity and predictability.”
Ninety percent of those surveyed expect to be married and have families despite their fears.
“They assume they’re going to be married,” Close told Family News in Focus. “They assume they’re going to be parents. They assume they’re going to own homes, and they express a wonderful confidence.”
Laura Buddenberg with the Center for Adolescent and Family Spirituality at Girls and Boys Town said teens want “Till death do us part.” “The thing that’s frustrating for them and what comes through when we work with kids is that’s what they want, but they think it’s impossible to get,” she said. “Here’s the deepest desire of your heart, but everywhere you look it doesn’t seem to be coming true. You want it, but you have no idea how to get it. It’s very frustrating.”
Aleecia's note: The Bible and the church -- giving today's young people the tools they need to find the answers they're looking for.
What do 16- to 22-year-olds fear most? The breakdown of the family tops the list, according to a new study.
In the first survey conducted by cell phone, New America Media asked 16- to 22-year-olds what are the biggest challenges facing their generation. Topping the list was breakdown of the traditional family, followed by violence and poverty.
Sandy Close, executive director of New America Media, said teens desire what they don’t have: stable families.
“I think what you see in this poll is a yearning for connection and I don’t mean technology," she said. "I mean by high-touch interaction, conversation, dinner at home, reliability, proximity and predictability.”
Ninety percent of those surveyed expect to be married and have families despite their fears.
“They assume they’re going to be married,” Close told Family News in Focus. “They assume they’re going to be parents. They assume they’re going to own homes, and they express a wonderful confidence.”
Laura Buddenberg with the Center for Adolescent and Family Spirituality at Girls and Boys Town said teens want “Till death do us part.” “The thing that’s frustrating for them and what comes through when we work with kids is that’s what they want, but they think it’s impossible to get,” she said. “Here’s the deepest desire of your heart, but everywhere you look it doesn’t seem to be coming true. You want it, but you have no idea how to get it. It’s very frustrating.”
Aleecia's note: The Bible and the church -- giving today's young people the tools they need to find the answers they're looking for.
