My name is Christina and I am a 16 year old Christian homeschooler, the fourth of ten kids. Yeah, I'm different; I like the Lord of the Rings, but dislike Arwen intensely... I get along with my siblings... I like (gasp!) country gospel and southern gospel music and dislike the majority of contemporary... I think the word "cute" applies only to puppies and kittens-no exceptions... I read british comedy and enjoy it immensely... and I eat raw onions. On occasion, that is. Hope you like it, and tootely-pip! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:08:00 -0600 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:08:00 -0600      I finished Les Miserables last week! It finally got interesting, and I finished the last 463 pages on Thursday. Out of approx. 1463. I'm glad I read it, and it was interesting... but I'm not reading it again for a long, long time. Victor Hugh was a bit long-winded.      I shall return! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/651024/ Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:08:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/651024/ Against all odds, I have returned within a week. Ha. Betcha you thought I wouldn't make it!        We played our first hockey game of the year! Our backyard rink is still pretty bumpy, but quite skateable, and so far I've played two games.      You can't really appreciate ice-skating until you've skating on a home-made rink. Almost seriously. The bumps and holes and ridges and dips add an entirely new dimension, especially when we're playing hockey. Not to mention the snowbanks instead of walls.      As an example, I was hit by the puck about four times in one game above the waist, because the puck hits the bumps and just flies anywhere. Michael was laughing at me because at one point I saw the puck heading for me through the air, and I (duh) hid behind my hockey stick. Then to the surprise of us both the puck actually hit the stick and bounced off.     I did feel like a cartoon character, though.      Kevin (4 yrs old) was out on the rink while we were playing, so that got interesting. He is learning to skate still, so he'd wander all over the rink pushing a red plastic chair while the hockey game was going on all around him. He skated in front of the goal once, and my shot bounced off of his chair. Not fair...       Probably the most annoying thing about a backyard rink is that the puck keeps hitting the snowbanks. Then you have to dig them out, and if you're playing at night, that's no fun. Throughout the year though, you do get used to the bumps, and as they smooth out the puck doesn't fly high as often.        I would have written yesterday, but some smashing (not neccesarily in a good way) news hit the house, and I didn't. My favorite singer quit my favorite group-Guy Penrod quit the Gaither Vocal Band. Marshall Hall has dropped from the scene as well, and Mark Lowry, David Phelps, and Michael English have returned. (www.gaither.com) That, I'm sure, means nothing to most people, but to most who listen to my style of music, that's big news.        And, after a bit of thought, I send the Kreative Blogger Award on to Shayleen (pearlsandcoke). I realize I do not have the graphic, but I didn't know how to get it from Doggydiva24, so you can pick it up from there!      Fare thee well. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/645832/ Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:59:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/645832/      Hey, I'm on a roll. Wrote an entry three times this week...        I finished my science books this week. Yeahhhhhhh. No more (assigned) science until next fall. I think I shall probably start some independent research, though. Mom had me do some books (yeah, books as in plural. They were really easy reading though) by John Hudson Tiner, and I thought they were very well done. I just finished a chemistry one, and I think I want to look into that a little more on my own for the rest of the school year. That and physics.        One chapter on nitrogen really caught my interest-I mean come on, how much fun is it to read about how to make things explode? That's just plain interesting! I like little facts that they include in books; that sort of thing makes it that much more fun.  Like that nitrogen evidently is something plants deplete from the soil very quickly, and people put ammonia (nitrogen rich) in fertilizer to give it a boost. (And yes, in the back of my mind I'm thinking, "oh, I get it- that's how MacGyver made that bomb!").        And then splitting the atoms- that's neat. I want to invent cold fusion.          To change the subject, ever heard of the statement made by (pretty sure?) John F. Kennedy, "Ich bin ein Berliner"? It was while the Berlin wall was up and he was giving a speech. He made a mistake. How many of you know what that really meant?        He did NOT say (correctly, anyway) "I am a Berliner." That would be "Ich bin Berliner." According to my uncle, who knows this sort of thing, when you say "ein" it changes the meaning of the word coming after it. So, a correct translation of what JFK really said that day is(you ready?):         "I am a jelly doughnut."        Now that's just funny. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/642965/ Thu, 8 Jan 2009 15:36:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/642965/   ** I needed to get in the habit of posting regularly, but nothing interesting has happened since last time, so... here's a sample of what happens when I am bored. ** February 16th, 2009 Dear Sir:      Contrary to popular opinion, and the statement in your last business letter, I am not one of Santa’s little elves. Not meaning any disrespect, but it bothers me when people assume so. My name is Kasimir, and standing at 6’ 5”, I am one of Santa’s tallest elves. People who find out who my employer is tend to go by clichéd rumors. Maybe I’m touchy, but it really gets to me. Not that it has anything to do with the business at hand.      Our factory is much smaller, income-wise, than most people suppose. I admit that this year we have been slightly disorganized; we’re having a little trouble keeping up with the times.      Probably our biggest change this past year has been viewed as a somewhat extravagant expenditure, but is one we consider absolutely neccesary: bodyguards for Santa on Christmas Eve. This was not a hasty descision to make, whether or not the reports you seem to have heard agree. This was, as I have already stated, absolutely neccesary. His life has been threatened at least a dozen times just in the month before Christmas last year.      Apparently he has become too controversial to appear in public without some form of security. Everyone is angry: -          The ACLU insists he should switch from “Merry Christmas to all…”etc., to “Happy Holidays…” so as not to violate anyone’s religious rights -          The ASPCA issued a statement that, “[Santa] is a figure that saddens…”, and the PETA sent a number of threats because he uses reindeer to pull his sleigh -          Hillary Clinton almost had a heart attack during a phone interview with Santa when he stated he would continue to pass out switches to naughty boys and girls -          Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler each blame Santa for their problems, saying his example in using a sleigh instead of a new car has crippled them financially by turning away potential customers -          Al Gore has led a crusade against Santa because Santa gives out coal to naughty children instead of a renewable energy source -          “The New York Times” issued a report with unverified studies claiming that the ozone hole is directly linked to our activity on the North Pole’s ice caps -          Wall Street almost universally blames the sagging economy on Santa’s factory, claiming he draws jobs out of the USA -          Washington D.C. senators have been quoted as saying that, “[i]t is people like Santa Claus [who live too long] that are causing the Social Security system to crumble…” -          Six different fast-food chains are passing the buck to Santa when they get lawsuits about overweight patrons, claiming that Santa’s portly figure is the example that causes people to eat too much in imitation of him, rather than their food -          Cigarette companies cite him, in the same vein, as the bad example with his pipe that causes people to smoke, rather than their misleading ads -          Santa is also indirectly blamed for the Iraq War, because he did not leave Bush a lump of coal as a warning on Christmas 2001.      As you can see, this was an absolutely neccesary change for the one night the bodyguards were employed. We had no choice; this was not a “frivolous waste of money.” Even though our income is over $200,000 a year, nearly all of that is taken up by our expenses.      So very respectfully, Mr. Obama, I request that you reconsider our tax dues for this year.      Sincerely, Kasimir Sylvan      Kasimir Sylvan, PR Rep. of Kris Kringle ** I hereby copyright this** http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/641905/ Tue, 6 Jan 2009 10:39:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/641905/      Merry Christmas everyone! Wow, Christmas is coming up so fast this year, it'll be here before you know it... *offstage whispering*      Oh wait a minute, did I miss it? Oops, guess I'm a little late. Okay, take two: Happy New Year, everyone! Wow, it'll be 2009 before we know it... *more offstage whispering*      Heh heh, whups. come to think of it, I haven't been on in a while, have I? I guess I've had the misconception that if I vanish for a few days- *exasperated offstage whispering* - okay, a few weeks (or even a month or so) nobody will notice. Shayleen has caught me every time, though, so here I be.      So what haas been going on in my life since I've last posted?      Well, my little brother is taller than me. That one is still sore... He is one year and two weeks younger, and it is just not fair. Especially since he has started being right when I'm wrong (like when he told me last week not to walk on a certain section of ice over our pond and I decided to do it anyway. Hey, it looked like it was on a couple inches deep. Good thing it wasn't cold that day. He was thrilled later when he found out that I went through the ice.)      Christmas, obviously. That was fun. I'm still working through a bunch of my new books with great pleasure. Les Misrables has been temporarily set aside.       Classes have been over for the fall semester for a while. I'm not doing a full load, but it is still nice to get a break.      And then New Years! I figure this is a good time to start keeping up on this site. Figure on once a week; I'll try to be one at least that often, and if not you will get notice instead of me just dropping off thae face of the earth.      When I got on tonight I found I had been awarded by Doggydiva24:                        The Kreativ Blogger award.       Wow. I'm impressed! Thank you!      And one last thing; a tag, also from Doggydiva. It's the six random things tag- I think you're all familiar with the rules.      1. I get blisters if I snap my fingers too much. (Horrible, isn't it?)      2. I have no problem with changing the rules, questions, etc. from any tag I am tagged with. If I feel like it, them's the breaks.      3. I don't particularly like honey ham.      4. Between my two hands, I have a total of five double-jointed fingers.      5. My shoe size is generally a 10.      6. The longest (real)word I know is Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethylene (the unabbreviated form of DDT)      I have to go now- dinner time (honey ham). Anyone who wants to do the tag, consider yourselves tagged. If you're putting on your dark glasses right about now and hoping I won't remember your name, consider yourselves free from tags.      I'm sure there's a snazzier way to say that, but I'm in a rush. Bye.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/641139/ Sun, 4 Jan 2009 15:20:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/641139/      Have you ever noticed that there is a song for just about every mood? Maybe I'm just different, but I could pick about a half-dozen songs for almost every possible mood. I really like music; I sing with most of my siblings, and we have a lot of music.        I've been wanting to do this for a long time, make alist of a few different songs I like and why. So here goes: Feelin' Alright, Yeah I'm Doin' Okay This one gets its milage. If you like this song, you can't beat it- if you dislike it, well...   Forgive Me  Ooh. This one came on once when the player was set to random (shuffle). At the moment it started, I was mad furious at one of my brothers. You just can't be mad with that playing. I learned my lesson, and yes, I forgave him...   Glorious Impossible This is the best praise song I have ever heard. Hallelujah!   I'm Not Gonna Worry Everyone needs this one on once in a while.   Nobody Knows, Nobody Cares I can't be the only one who has these moods, right? I actually did put this on once, but about the time it got to the part, "'cept Jesus walking by my side..." I got sheepish and put on Life is Great and Gettin' Better instead.   Why Me This one I sat down to listen to- I wanted to hear a good answer. It starts out "Why me? What have I ever done to deserve even one..." and then comes the shocker I wasn't expecting: "...of the pleasures I've known?"      This last song caught me completely off guard. Pleasures? Wait minute! That's not what I was asking! The chorus goes: Lord help me, Jesus, I've wasted it so help me Jesus, I know what I am. Now that I know that I've needed you so help me Jesus- My soul's in your hands      This is a song that I, for one, really need as a reminder. When I want to ask why, this song always comes to mind, and my thoughts turn back to worship. Why me? The love of God- why me? By the time this song ran through, I would have been disappointed if it had turned out differently. It now is one of my favorites.      I can't think of anything I want to add to that. Good stopping point! Forget the rest of the list- maybe some other day! Fare thee well. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/617094/ Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:02:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/617094/ So, Obama is our president-elect. Whoopee. Not. I seriously disagree with many (okay, rephrase that to most if not all) of Barack Obama's policies. And morals. And ideas. And the obvious media bias. Etc., etc., etc. I think we as Christians and as Americans need to really start taking notice of what is going on in our country- yes, change is coming. But change isn't always good. Enough of politics. Sorry. :-) I have begin reading Les Miserables. So far it is interesting, but the size of the book is intimidating; I do hope I finish it before I misplace the thing and lose interest... I have to have started Austin's Emma at least six times, and each time I lose the book. By the time I find it I've forgotten what was going on. Don't you hate it when you put something in "a safe place" and forget where that place was? We just bought a few more soundtrack CD's from EH&SS(www.erniehaase.com, a sweet quartet). I'm looking forwards to getting those in the mail; singing is something we really enjoy. My brother sings bass, and found our recently that he can hit a double-low A. We have (oyyyyyyyyy) finished with our grapes. We have semi wild grapevines growing in our backyard, and this year Dad estimates that we picked about 100 pounds, out of which we made a lot of grape juice and ome jam, most of which we canned. That concludes our harvesting of the year. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/615973/ Fri, 7 Nov 2008 10:53:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/615973/ Note to MCCain Supporters: DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!      Yeah, I'm rooting for McCain. I don't think he is perfect (nooooooooooooooo way), but I think he holds a much better position on some important issues than Obama does.      If you're old enough to vote, please do so. It's just killing me that I'm not old enough to vote, but hey... I can pray!        And yes, I know I haven't been on in a while; I'm trying to sort out my time priorities, and we're getting there, but slowly... I'm trying :-)      I shall return... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/614379/ Tue, 4 Nov 2008 12:16:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/614379/      Well, I lived through my first Tests (yes, capital T) of the school-year; the college classes, that is. In history I didn't miss one, and I haven't gotten my English exam back yet. Those are the only two classes I am taking this year college-wise. My regular school is progressing normally.      Well, as normally as it ever has...      Today I went to wash my hands at the kitchen sink, and found out belatedly that Jesse had tied a rubber band around the handle of the sprayer, holding the handle down very effectively. He had positioned it just right, too, so when I turned on the water it really soaked me. As far as I know, Debra and I were the only ones who got hit, because Mom told us to take it off because she needed the water.      DId anyone watch the debate last night between Palin and Biden? We saw the tail-end of it; I thought Palin did okay, but it sounded a little rodericky (sorry, I don't know what the correct form of that word is) on both ends. Biden I thought was a little nasty. I definitely like Palin better; I think she did a much better job on her part thatn Biden did, even if he had been a little less down on McCain.      And yeah, I am rooting for McCain. I really wish the republicans had come up with a better candidate, but I think he is better than Obama on a significant amount of issues. Palin makes me feel a little better about it.       I guess that's all for now, folks... Fare Thee Well! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/599608/ Fri, 3 Oct 2008 15:26:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/599608/      We made cider yesterday! That was fun. I only remember doing it once before, so it was also somewhat of a novelty. We went swimming, and on the way back we picked as many apples as we could carry. That was fun.      The procedure is jump, grab a branch and shake it as hard as you can. Meanwhile Kevin, who has absolutely no idea that there is a method behind this madness bu who is also completely happy to be part of it, crawls around on the ground piling them up. Then we brought them home and crushed them in a big pan (we...um...accidently ruined the pan...not my fault this time!) and then we pressed them in an actual cider press. It was pretty good, we got over a gallon and a half in what we carried home with us.      That was our excitement of the week-so far.      Fare Thee Well! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/590428/ Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:00:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JoyInMySoul/590428/