[MtlMom]

Okay, it is definitely February.

How are you holding up?

[Mara's Mom]

*sigh*

I was working on a ginormous update while sending some private messages and getting caught up in some other threads and then I clicked something weird and when I closed it my window also closed, losing my ginormity forevah. That has not happened in a long, long time. That sucker was huge, too. *kick*

So.

Yeah.

How is everyone? *smile*

[sazahko]

*Randomly pops in*

Hi, Mrs. D.! =D

-Sazzy

[Ring of a bell]

Originally Posted by Mara's Mom

*sigh*

I was working on a ginormous update while sending some private messages and getting caught up in some other threads and then I clicked something weird and when I closed it my window also closed, losing my ginormity forevah. That has not happened in a long, long time. That sucker was huge, too. *kick*

So.

Yeah.

How is everyone? *smile*

I wish I could have read that email. You should roar, Mrs. D!

I am doing pretty okay. Not great, but pretty okay.

You are online, but you are not on G-Talk... If you are online now, and plan to be for the next...five minutes, you should get on g-talk. Yeah. You should. I think even Jesus agrees with me here.

[Mara's Mom]

Originally Posted by sazahko

*Randomly pops in*

Hi, Mrs. D.! =D

-Sazzy

Hi Saz! How are you? Pop in any time!

Originally Posted by Ring of a bell

I wish I could have read that email. You should roar, Mrs. D!

Okay.

*roar*

I am doing pretty okay. Not great, but pretty okay.

You are online, but you are not on G-Talk... If you are online now, and plan to be for the next...five minutes, you should get on g-talk. Yeah. You should. I think even Jesus agrees with me here.

I went to GTalk and you were gonegonegone. It was time for me to go to bed, but it would have been nice to talk for a minute or two.

~*~

Life should calm down a bit now. This is good.

I have a chocolate croissant craving right now.

Here are two things that I don't understand.

1. The insistence of some Christians to fight for their right or freedom to do certain things like cussing or engaging in certain forms of entertainment or wearing certain types of clothing, etc. I just don't understand it. Sure, legalism is not a good thing and that is what they sometimes insist they are fighting, but it rarely seems like a genuine concern.

What is interesting is that I rarely see the masses championing personal holiness over personal freedom. Give me my Sex in the City, but don't you dare tell me I should be in the Word everyday, you Pharisee. Someone enlighten me here.

2. This often goes hand in hand with number one: The challenge to quote a verse of scripture that says exactly what is being argued. Are they serious? Have they not read the Word? Seriously, how often is that done in scripture? I am pretty sure there is no verse that tells me not to use the f-word. Just like I'm pretty sure there is no verse that tells me it's okay. *blink* So what's the point of asking outside of an essentially meaningless debate tactic? Something which I think has no part in discussion amongst Christians.

And bottom line, it's frightening to me the thought of people really expecting to discern the Christian life that way. Do we really need everything spelled out for us? Are we not able to understand the spirit of what God calls us to?

Anyway, on a lighter note, I will be making Chocolate Cheesecake Triangles for the Superbowl party. The cancer left and a craving for chocolate took its place. Not even kidding. It's the craziest thing.

I need to make some soup today. I have homemade chicken stock. Chicken Tortilla would be good, I think. Especially since it's -20 with the wind chill today. I wish that I had a hot loaf of Small's bread to go with it.

I am still bitter about losing my ginormous update. *squeak*

[sazahko]

Originally Posted by Mara's Mom

Hi Saz! How are you? Pop in any time!

I'm doing fairly well, actually. Ripped my knuckles open at TKD the other night, and I've been insanely sore for the past week or so...but hey. I'm alive.

Here are two things that I don't understand.

1. The insistence of some Christians to fight for their right or freedom to do certain things like cussing or engaging in certain forms of entertainment or wearing certain types of clothing, etc. I just don't understand it. Sure, legalism is not a good thing and that is what they sometimes insist they are fighting, but it rarely seems like a genuine concern.

What is interesting is that I rarely see the masses championing personal holiness over personal freedom. Give me my Sex in the City, but don't you dare tell me I should be in the Word everyday, you Pharisee. Someone enlighten me here.

From my experience, when I see people behaving in this manner, it's because they want to do whatever they want and hide it under the guise of non-legalism. Then they say that if you try to stop them, you're being legalistic and a bad person. Usually, the people know that what they're doing is considered "wrong", but they just don't care enough to stop, so they find ways to try and get around it being wrong.

2. This often goes hand in hand with number one: The challenge to quote a verse of scripture that says exactly what is being argued. Are they serious? Have they not read the Word? Seriously, how often is that done in scripture? I am pretty sure there is no verse that tells me not to use the f-word. Just like I'm pretty sure there is no verse that tells me it's okay. *blink* So what's the point of asking outside of an essentially meaningless debate tactic? Something which I think has no part in discussion amongst Christians.

I personally hate this as well. And it really applies to any piece of literature, whether it be the Bible or a detective novel; it says what it says, not what you want it to say. Again, I think this falls under the mindset of "People tell me this is bad, but I think it's ok, so I'm going to find some vague justification for it and keep doing it".

And bottom line, it's frightening to me the thought of people really expecting to discern the Christian life that way. Do we really need everything spelled out for us? Are we not able to understand the spirit of what God calls us to?

Some people just don't get it. Personally, I'm not quite certain why that is. I don't know if they just never listened closely enough, or if they're intentionally ignorant. It probably varies from case to case.

Anyway, on a lighter note, I will be making Chocolate Cheesecake Triangles for the Superbowl party. The cancer left and a craving for chocolate took its place. Not even kidding. It's the craziest thing.

I need to make some soup today. I have homemade chicken stock. Chicken Tortilla would be good, I think. Especially since it's -20 with the wind chill today. I wish that I had a hot loaf of Small's bread to go with it.

I am still bitter about losing my ginormous update. *squeak*

Yay for food!

I'm very sorry you lost your ginormous update. Shall we mourn it with songs of sadness and ashes sprinkled upon our heads?

-Sazzy

[Smaller]

I am too bleary to think very straight and so instead of talking about how I don't understand what you don't understand I am going to ask frivolous questions.

How did your Chocolate Cheesecake Triangles turn out? They sound heavenly.

[MtlMom]

Originally Posted by Mara's Mom

Life should calm down a bit now. This is good.

Yes, good for you and good for us. We missed you around here!

I have a chocolate croissant craving right now.

I could probably say that at just about anytime, any day.

Here are two things that I don't understand.

1. The insistence of some Christians to fight for their right or freedom to do certain things like cussing or engaging in certain forms of entertainment or wearing certain types of clothing, etc. I just don't understand it. Sure, legalism is not a good thing and that is what they sometimes insist they are fighting, but it rarely seems like a genuine concern.

I don't understand it either. It's as if they can't see the forest for the trees. They get so caught up in trying to find specific scriptures to confirm or deny what they are trying to profess that they lose the big picture.

What is interesting is that I rarely see the masses championing personal holiness over personal freedom. Give me my Sex in the City, but don't you dare tell me I should be in the Word everyday, you Pharisee. Someone enlighten me here.

Wow. There it is. A big picture!

2. This often goes hand in hand with number one: The challenge to quote a verse of scripture that says exactly what is being argued. Are they serious? Have they not read the Word? Seriously, how often is that done in scripture? I am pretty sure there is no verse that tells me not to use the f-word. Just like I'm pretty sure there is no verse that tells me it's okay. *blink* So what's the point of asking outside of an essentially meaningless debate tactic? Something which I think has no part in discussion amongst Christians.

Exactly. *laugh* I should have read this before I started responding.
Just say THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO. No, I don't have a specific scripture in mind. I've read the whole thing and I can summarize. I'm smart like that.

And bottom line, it's frightening to me the thought of people really expecting to discern the Christian life that way. Do we really need everything spelled out for us? Are we not able to understand the spirit of what God calls us to?

We better not, because non-Christians and young Christians are watching us, and it is by seeing Christ living IN us that we can be used as His instruments, not by having "Christ" spewing from our lips while we act like idiots.

Anyway, on a lighter note, I will be making Chocolate Cheesecake Triangles for the Superbowl party. The cancer left and a craving for chocolate took its place. Not even kidding. It's the craziest thing.

I think this is an extraordinary trade-off.

I need to make some soup today. I have homemade chicken stock. Chicken Tortilla would be good, I think. Especially since it's -20 with the wind chill today. I wish that I had a hot loaf of Small's bread to go with it.

Mmmm... sounds good. I won't tell you what our weather is like here.

I am still bitter about losing my ginormous update. *squeak*

I know that feeling all too well. Just a few days ago I lost a long post in here. It doesn't happen nearly as often as it used to though.

I am thinking about the "invitation" that will go out to select west coast people about MtlFest weekend. Art has been helping me identify people who are within driving range *cough*sazzy*cough* of the gathering. I hopehopehope that we can get you and Mara here a couple of days before and/or a couple of days after, because I am greedy like that. I think I will create a draft with the facts, then send it to you and Small to give it personality. Hmm. That last part should have been a PM, I suppose. Oh well.

[canguru2]

Mrs. D! I just decided that your blog needed another pop-in. Those chocolate cheesecake things sound like triangles of ecstasy, and chocolate doesn't even like me that much.

You know how sometimes you mess your words up when you're tired? Do you ever actually type them out all mashed up, or is that just me? I went and typed "like thee matt much" instead of "like me that much", and I say things like that all the time.

[Small]

Oh, dash it. I don't have time to reply to your post concerning legalism, quoting scripture, and so forth.

But I bet I will, sometime, when my mind feels razor-sharp.

[Mara's Mom]

I am experimenting. Bear with me. *grin*

I think I did it.

EDIT: I did! I did! With a bit of help from Mara because computers don't hate her.

That is Zach with Mara in the first pic and in the last pic it is from left to right: Isaac, Ian with Mancat, Nate, Leo and Caleb. There isn't a pic of Tanner. I'll find one later. Them's the O boys.

[MtlMom]

Oh. my. word.

That last picture - those five boys look like so much fun! I bet you were exhausted. Have you recovered? Has Phoebe?

[Ring of a bell]

Hi Mrs. D, you are awesome.



That is pretty much all I have to say.

Next quarter, I get to take a class dealing specifically with Evolution and fun stuff like that! Hurrah!

[Mara's Mom]

I am going to do this as quickly as I can. *roar*

After I check some math...

andnowI'mgoodtogo.

Originally Posted by Ring of a bell

I want to hear this parody. I must hear this parody!

I will try to find this parody!

Dear Mrs. D,

Haldo. I miss talking to you.

Dear Nathan K.,

I talked to you in an email this morning.
Yes. Yes, I did. I will wait and see
if you talk back.

*sad days*

SNAP OUT OF IT, TOEKNEE! *slaps Toeknee*

Ima jis kiddin. *hug*

I will write a powm for you.

The Powm For Am Non-Sadness

Catch that rainbow
And do a dance
But please not in your underpants

Clothes are good
Clothes are pretty

Snag that firefly
Make him glow
That is why God made him, yo

Jars are for jam
Not bugs

Love,
Mrs. D

P.S. I did not steal that powm from anyone.

Originally Posted by Smaller

Ooooh...they sound magnificent. I'm imagining the green on yours as a really minty green but I can't think that it would match with your drink. Unless your drink was a really minty green. In which case everbody wins, I think.

They were normalish green. Kind of like grass, but not as green. My drink was kind of a limeish green. Which rhymes with Rhymish. HA.

I am needing to keep shutting myself up. *laugh* The hour is late and I keep wanting to say crazy, pointless things right here.

I vote that next time you just say them. *raises hand to vote*

It's like an Iowa branch of The Creators, and therefore I must hear it.

It ended up being more of a solo project for Zach. He was enamored with microphone. But some of the songs were scary. It's just plain true.

I think he might get a microphone for his birthday. [/whisper]

I hope you are sleeping happily right now, Mrs. D!

Okay, I'm not right now. Are you?

Originally Posted by MtlMom

Where is my post? *groan*

I guess I just nearly posted here yesterday. I have this bad habit of hitting "preview post" instead of "submit post". I wonder what I said...

I am sure it was brilliant and insightful, whatever it was.

Originally Posted by H.M. Murdock

Someday I am going to be all like, "Dang it, I need a D fix. So I am just going to call and be like, "Are the D women there? Put one of them on, please. No, it doesn't matter. Any of them." And I will have a conversation and stuff.

I am glad to know that there is such a thing as a "D fix" because there most certainly is such a thing as a "Jason fix".

And if it's Mr. D, then that's just as well, though I always get the vibe that he is annoyed at me.

He is not. Just so you know. He's just not very good at knowing he should be putting someone at ease. And he's not a phone talker. Except with me. *coo*

I will overcome it and make conversation. We shall speak of manly things- souffles, root beers, flip flops and biceps! It will be so manly that the phones will grow hair. Sincerely. It will.

And Mr. D will clip that hair and wear it around his neck in a heart-shaped locket.

But not today. Today I am going to take my first shower since Friday (don't worry; even I'm grossed out), eat food (I've been running on Sobe and tea since 5:30 this morning), clean my room and R-E-L-A-X. Then I will watch Battlestar Galactica at 10 tonight, and sleep, sleep, sleep.

I used to watch that show. Showers every day are a good thing, Jason. *smile*

Originally Posted by Small

I thought I'd replied to this post.

Thank you for doing so.

HI, SMALL.

Aha, Vindaloo Updates.

Thank you for reminding me.

Vindaloo Update:
February 6, 2007
Still no vindaloo. Though I might replace this week's lemon chicken with vindaloo now that I've been reminded.

To a lesser extent, it was equivalent to the dark humor that pervaded the boy scout camp where I spent two weeks as a 11/12 year old? The fact that most of the staff was insane, the conditions were bizarre, Reverend Tim was a waddling nightmare, and half of the other boys were creepy? Sort of a "Haha! How we suffer!" type of humor?

Sort of, yes. It's that phenomenon where people bond over a trying experience. WE ARE BETTER PEOPLE FOR HAVING LIVED THROUGH DUSTY POTPOURRI AND FUDGE THAT TASTED LIKE FREEZER. *throws fist in air*

Entirely. Flaunting anything gratuitously is dreadful. Flaunting just a little bit now and then is forgivable, I think.

There is a world of difference between flaunting and...shall we call it...a momentary flexing.

Oh, really? We must be somewhat similar thinkers, then. *chuckle*

I think has been established, though I use considerably less impressive language to express my thoughts.

Remember when you called that one kid an ignoramus? That was funny. [/whisper]

Ah. More like a "LET'S LYNCH THE SCOUNDREL, LADS!" Union-forming type?

Closer. A bit more like running games of Snake Eyes in an alley and sabotaging small businesses that don't sell your best friend's homemade spirits.

I THINK WHAT YOU THINK IS NULL AND VOID IN REGARDS TO AVOIDANCE OF THE QUESTION CONCERNING YOUR HERITAGE!

I KNOW YOU ARE, BUT WHAT AM I?

I knew it! [/cryptic pun]

Only because I gave it the okay.

I believe in honesty. *strikes pose*

Well, I believe that children are our future. *moondances*

It was irrelevent now that I've translated the entire song. Or. You think I have. *wink*

I will only drink out of that cup if you take a drink first.

I am back, Mrs. D!

I don't remember where you were then, but you seem kind of gone again. That's okay. Life is *blank* and life is *blank*.

Okay, it's all going downhill from here because I don't remember what you were replying to...BUT I WILL PRESS ON. Or not. I just saw how much there is left to do. And life beckons.

Stay sweet...BFF. [/glittery gel pen]

[SieSie]

Dear Mrs.D,
Your bean soup was delicious.
sincerely,
Sierra