Nov. 22, 2009 - Thanks!!
Hey, guys! Thanks so much for all the prayers (and hugs! ;)
As far as I know everything is fine now; he's on his way home so....? I don't really know much besides that. :P
But I want to really thank you all!!!!! :) :) :)
-Micah V
Nov. 22, 2009 - My Adventures in Musicland
Hello, friends and enemies of weheartmusic! Hope y'all are doing well!
SO, I just finished the most musical weekend of my life. It's REGION ORCHESTRA WEEKEND and it's my favorite of the year. You see, I auditioned for the All-Region orchestra (I'm in region 18, in case anyone was wondering) and MADE it, so I got to perform with the orchestra and it was SO much better than last year!!!! I DON'T have pictures *is sad* so you'll have to live with my descriptions. I met all sorts of people and instruments: a girl who plays the trumpet, a guy who plays the flute, and Asians galore. (To any oriental readers, take this as a compliment: Y'all are seriously good.) I met the bass clarinet (which is something like a saxophone, only a lot longer and maroon, not brass-colored) and played around with the rainstick (there is no description for this instrument).
I became acquainted with Gary Needham, our conductor, during practice on Friday. It was absolutely miserable outside on Friday, just saying. (We practiced Thursday from 7-9, Friday from 7-9, and most of the day Saturday.) He was absolutely amazing!! I LOVED every minute of rehearsal with him. He's from Allen, Texas, and he conducts regions across this great state, and he said we were some of the best. (WAHOO!!!) He's really funny too, I learned a lot of jokes from him. Who knew music could be so funny? He kept telling us, "Soon Hee Newbold is Korean, not Russian." (She composed one of our pieces, the one he was telling us not to rush.) I didn't get it until the third time. RUSSIAN! or perhaps this spelling will help, RUSHIN!!! Get it?? Here are some more jokes I learned from him:
What did the 0 say to the 8?? Hey, nice belt.
And now for the music jokes:
What's the difference between a bass and a violin?? The bass burns longer.
What's the difference between a viola and a trampoline?? You take off your shoes to jump on a trampoline.
Why do violinists put their cases in their windshields?? So they can park in handicap spaces.
This one I learned from Luke, our principal bassist:
What's the difference between a dead skunk and a dead conductor in the middle of the road??
There are skid marks in front of the skunk. (No one cares about the conductor.)
He never told a cello joke. I think they were relieved.
Anyhoo, our concert was absolutely fantastic!! I loved playing in it, especially Millenium (it's by Richard Meyer...YouTube it. You won't be disappointed.)
I learned so much about music. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Therefore, whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do it to the glory of God." (NKJV) And when you're a musician, it's so easy to do that. The notes on the page aren't the music. The music is everything around it, according to Mr. Needham. And he's right. It's everything you feel when you play it, or sing it. It's amazing to be able to take dots and lines on paper, and turn it into something that makes people cry, or laugh, or sing, or dance. Music is so much more than something you sing or play. Music is the highest form of praise we can give God, in my opinion. We are so privileged to take something dead and make it alive. Music is a living, breathing thing.
Music is what feelings sound like. And we can take that, and turn it into a living sacrifice for God's glory.
And that, my friends, is what it's all about.
Blessings,
~Tabby ♥♫
Nov. 21, 2009 - Please Pray...
Howdy! I hope you are all doing well!
But, I have a pretty big prayer request...
My 2 older brothers have been sick; one of them, Ethan [18], got better for a day or two but then got sick again. My mom says he probably has bronchitis. :(
Well, this morning, he got up and was all light-headed. Then, he got dizzy and passed out and fell! But nobody was near him... :( Well, when he fell, he gashed his eye on something and (we're guessing) fell back from the impact and hit his head on something else!
All in all, he has a cut above his eye, a bloody nose, and a lump on his head! And he's still sick!!! 
So my mom has taken him to a doctor, but as usual, this happened on a Saturday so he has to go, not to the doctor, but to the far away, expensive emergency center!! 
And another thing: My dad just worked extra to get a little extra cash and now he'll probably end up spending it all, and maybe more, today....
This day has had a pretty bad start!! :P
Please pray for my family not to lose heart!!
Well.... They're gone right now and who knows when they'll be back.... So, once again, please pray with me!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you!!!
-Micah
November 21, 2009 - I Miss Him!
This past week has been extremely hard for me. I lost my Great Grandpa, who I was very very close to. I can honestly say that he was THE best grandpa I've ever had. I am so thankful for the last 5 years of being able to grow closer to him, of course, it wasn't as long as I wanted, but I am very glad I had them. It was wonderful! It was wonderful to grow as close to him as I did.
Over the past 5 years, he really opened up to me about his WWII experiences which he hadn't shared them at all before. When I presented him the Armed Service album I made for him at his 65th anniversary, he was moved to tears. I knew that all the efforts and the sleepless night I spent on it was so worth it! Getting to know him was truly a blessing to me. I pray it was to him also. Since I did that for him and grew closer to him through it, I have a very important place in my heart for the armed service men. When we took him to the cemetery, they gave him a beautiful military salute with Taps and a 21 Gun Salute. I bawled through the whole thing. Knowing that his service was important to him, and that was so very important to me because of him. It was very hard to sit through for me.
Sitting in his funeral service remembering all the times we had together, the tears just flowed. We would color when I was younger and as I grew up, we would sit on his front porch and play cards. He taught me to play rummy, war, slap jack, and more. One of the last times he played cards he was 87 and got down on the floor with the Littles to play go fish with them. It wasn't easy for him to crawl on the floor but he showed his love to his family by doing it. He truly was a family man. That was all he was worried about: his family. He made it known that his family was all that was important to him.
I truly miss him. I miss his hugs. I miss his smile. I miss his playing cards. I now found myself crying when I pray because he is no longer on my list and it reminds me he is gone. I just miss him! But he lived a full and meaningful life. A life devoted to his family. I praise God that Grandpa knew our Savior and that I have the hope to once again see him on Resurrection Day. It hurts and its hard to have to wait for that day, but I know that the day is drawing close. OH, what a glorious day that will be!
Isaiah 25:8
He will swallow up death forever. Adonai ELOHIM will wipe away the tears from every face, and he will remove from all the earth the disgrace his people suffer. For ADONAI has spoken.
Revelation 21Love you, Grandpa!
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will no longer be any death; and there will no longer be any mourning, crying or pain; because the old order has passed away."
Please continue to pray for us and also my Great Grandma who is by herself now, and also for my Uncle Keith. It's been hard for them too.
©AmandaDixon2009
November 19, 2009 - Shameless Plug
Yes, this is a shameless plug on behalf of my familia...I'm sure y'all have heard that the Home School Blog Awards are going on... if not... they are. :) Well I would like to present to you where my votes are going...
My familia:
In the Best Homeschool Mom Blog, I'm voting for Walking Therein
In the Best Teen Girl Blog, I'm voting for A Pondering Heart
In the Best Teen Group Blog, I'm voting for Feelin' Feminine
In the Best Teen Guy Blog, I'm voting for On The Road To Manhood
In the Best Homemaking or Recipes Blog, I'm voting for A City on a Hill
In the Best Family or Group Blog, I'm voting for Gleaning the Harvest
In the Best Blog Design, I'm voting for Gleaning the Harvest
In the Best “Live-What-You-Believe” Homeschool Blog, I'm voting for A Dusty Frame
In the Best Variety, I'm voting for Penny Raine
In the Best Nitty-Gritty Homeschool Blog, I'm voting for Heart of Wisdom
In the Best Crafts, Plans & Projects Blog, I'm voting for Seven Sisters
In the Best Eclectic Homeschooling, I'm voting for Delightful Learning
In the Best Thrifty Homeschooler, I'm voting for Money Saving Mom
In the Best NEW Homeschool Blog, I'm voting for Delightful Learning
In the Best Geographical Blog, I'm voting for For the Time Has Come (Costa Rica)
In the Funniest Homeschool Blog, I'm voting for
I would sooo appreciate if you would take 5min or so of your time to go vote for these choices. The voting ends at midnight on November 21st which is Saturday, so hurry over!
And that is my shameless plug. :D Thanks y'all!
©AmandaDixon2009
Nov. 18, 2009 - Sleepy Sarah
I made this for the little girl that we have been babysitting lately. We don't have many toys yet for children. Unfortunately for all of you non-Ravelers out there, the pattern is only a free Ravelry download. Well, what are you waiting for? Go sign up for Ravelry, add the pattern, and make me your friend!
Copyright 2009 Defective Compositions
November 17, 2009 - Wordless Wednesday: Remembering...
Great Grandpa and Grandma on their 65th Wedding Anniversary 2006
Please keep our family in your prayers today and tomorrow as we go to Grandpa's viewing and funeral. It's gonna be REALLY hard for us. :(
©AmandaDixon2009
Nov. 17, 2009 - NaNoWriMo Day 17
Word Count: 30,842
As the leaves closed in around them they heard Blake's scream, "I'll get you Ainsley. I'll find you and your brats and hang each and every one from the nearest tree!"
Kira shivered, and urged her horse to go faster, realizing that she also was included in that statement.
So, how have I been doing with NaNo? Well I'm no longer as far ahead of schedule as I was a week ago. I am now only one day ahead, and trying to work my way up to more so I won't fall behind during Thanksgiving.
I've been surprised at how easily everything has been coming together, I haven't truly been stuck once. There was a day, or two when I had to stop and think about where I was going, but I never got that frantic writer's block feeling, I was just pondering. The other days I haven't written it was simply because I didn't feel like it, not because I couldn't.
I know November isn't over, but so far it's all gone incredibly smoothly. Maybe it's because I'm not crazy busy like a lot of my other friends doing it?
Whatever the reason, I'm glad my first NaNo hasn't given me to many challenges. Yet.
Nov. 16, 2009 - And the winner is....
Carol, of Three Little Ladies. She has won a free copy of SpellQuizzer. Thank you for participating and congratulations!
©2009 Adorning Grace
Monday, November 16, 2009 - Daybook: Monday November 16th, 2009
Outside my window… the sun is low in the sky, casting a beautiful light over the snow-covered fields.
I am hearing... the washer and dryer running, pages turning as the girls read from the book baskets.
I am creating… another flannel petticoat. I think this winter is gonna be cold!
A picture thought to share: Double Bubble Trouble
