You may have assumed I was dead. Perhaps, you thought my computer had been smashed or I had forgotten how to use the internet. Obviously, none of these things are true. I know this is a dumb, overused excuse, but the truth of the matter is, I’ve been busy. Very busy. And Facebook is just so much more convenient. It’s terrible really. Is it just me, or is our culture getting lazy? Instead of creating thought provoking articles, and writing witty posts, we simply explain what we are doing in 140 characters or less.

This has not been the sole accessory in my blogging demise. I laugh at a time when I said that my life was boring. Here’s what’s been happening since I’ve been gone! (In no particular order…)

1. I finally finished updating my website! *gasp!*

2. I earned 9 credits towards my English degree with College Plus. Studying takes up a LARGE chunk of my life nowadays.

3. I’ve gotten several blog designs underway. I can’t wait to finish them!

4. I spent days oohing and ahhing at the new fall and winter fabrics we’ve gotten in at ‘Thimbles,’ the little sewing shop where I work. Working also takes up a large chunk of my life.

5. I went ice-skating. Twice. The second time I fell on my head.

6. I found a really neat book at a yard sale: “Health Work for Girls: Household Hygiene, Personal Hygiene, and Home Care of the Sick” from 1926. So very interesting!

7. I made two matching dresses for my little sisters.

8. I bought an authentic 1943 Women’s Drill Coat from WWII. It’s pretty. And neat.

9. I’ve gotten rather far on knitting a green sweater for myself.

10. I was weak, and gave in to my urge to buy some beautiful fall fabric at Thimbles to match said green sweater for myself.

11. I learned how to play ‘Dutch Blitz.’

12. I ran a very successful garage sale. Well, sort of successful. We sure had a lot of junk left over.

13. I finished a baby quilt, a baby blanket, a stuffed animal, and a tag blanket for friends of mine who are expecting/just had their baby.

14. I got my very first taste of honey made by my very own hardworking honeybees.

15. I went a little overboard at the library, and checked out 17 books at once. They’re due back next week. I’ve read two of them.

16. I’ve been thinking hard and planning potential Christmas gift for family and friends.

17. I ate the best Italian food on the planet while listening to an accordion playing in my ear, and laughed at boisterous waiters who danced, and sang in Italian.

18. I’ve gotten hooked on Frappuccinos. If you try to tell me how many calories are in those things, I will plug my ears and say “la, la, la, la, la.”

19. I’ve become obsessed with vintage clothing. Oh, yeah. I was already obsessed with vintage clothing.

20. I’ve been planning a few surprises!

I would say that I will be sure to post more often from now on, but as soon as I say that, I won’t blog for months. So, I refuse to make any kind of commitment. But, I will try.

If I can convince my sweet sister to send me the pictures she took, I’ll post pictures of the projects I mentioned above.

Until next time,
Katie

During a very poor housing market, one would think it unwise to be moving anywhere. In the blogosphere, however, it’s quite different.

For one thing, the only packing that is required involves clicking “export” and downloading a file, logging on to the new blog and clicking “import.” It’s legions easier than going through and putting all of your worldly possessions into cardboard boxes, marking “FRAGILE” on the more breakable items, and driving them, sometimes cross-country, in the back of a moving van, where you arrive to find that your priceless china set has been obliterated. Blog posts aren’t that breakable. Neither are comments.

I’ve decided to move my blog over to the same server as my website, http://www.flibbypiedesign.net/. My blog is now, www.flibbypiedesign.net/blog. Easy enough, right?

I also have a new email address, katie@flibbypiedesign.net. Which will eventually take the place of my flibbypie at yahoo.com address. But I’m still working out the kinks… As of now, I can receive email, but I can’t send email. I’m working on it.

So here I am! Thanks for visiting me at my new blog!

February: “The Doctrines of Grace” by George S. Bishop

March: “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte

April: “Family Friendly Farming” by Joel Salatin

May: “How the Heather Looks” by Joan Bodger

June: “Famous Women of the Reformed Church” by James I Good

July: “Heaven” by Randy Alcorn

August: “The Mill on the Floss” by George Eliot

September: “Uniting Church and Home” by Eric Wallace

October: “Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences” by John Allen Paulos

November: “The Disappearance of Childhood” by Neil Postman

December: “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare

Other:

• “Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris
• “Beekeeping for Dummies” by Howland Blackiston
• “Family Driven Faith” by Voddie Baucham Jr.
• “Writing for College” by Sebranek/Kemper/Meyer
  
• “The Mission of Motherhood” by Sally Clarkson
• “Ladies Indispensable Assistant” Unknown Author
• “Feminine by Design” by Scott Brown
• “The Questioning Child and Religion” by Edith F Hunter
• “A Harmony of the Gospels” by A.T. Robertson
• “The Hidden Art of Homemaking” by Edith Shaeffer
• “The Princess Adelina” by Julie Sutter
• “How to Know the Birds” by Roger Troy Peterson
• “An Introduction to Poetry” by Jay B. Hubbell and John O. Beaty
• “Laundry” by Cheryl Mendelson
• “All’s Well that Ends Well” by Shakespeare
• “Much Ado About Nothing” by Shakespeare
• “The Doctrine of Human Depravity” by A.W. Pink
• “The One Hundred Most Important Events in Christian History” by A. Curtis, J. Lang and R Petersen.

Well hello there! Ever since I posted the reading list, I suppose I’ve been so busy reading that I’ve completely overlooked posting on my very own blog. Sorry about that. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with everything that I need to do, and want to do and I let things drop. I think I have too many hobbies. But which to drop? It’s an impossible decision.

But anyway. This week, my main focus will be the piano. I have two more weeks of piano lessons and then, I will be dropping lessons (while keeping up the playing, of course) and taking on my little sisters as students. Before I can finish piano lessons though, I have to join in on a rather large “concert exam.” My last official concert exam. But this is not going to be a normal recital. Far from it…

It all started back around June or July. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m obsessed with musicals. I had recently been listening to my new CD, the original cast recording of the Broadway Revival of South Pacific. I had been listening to it a lot, and singing all of the songs, and I even taught some of them to my younger siblings. One day I went into my favorite piano store to browse the sheet music section. All the new music is rather boring, and expensive so I went to my favorite area, the used music section. To my surprise, what did I find, but an old publication of the music to “South Pacific”, in perfect condition, for 50 cents! I bought it of course. I loved playing all of the songs. My sister Poppy enjoys following me along through my obsessions and had taken a particular liking to the score from one of the best and most famous songs, “A Wonderful Guy”. She decided to ask our lovely piano teacher to help her add it to her repertoire and brought her the book the next week.

The music had words. That was our mistake. Our lovely piano teacher looked at the music, and played it, and then decided that it wouldn’t be as effective unless someone was singing it. I have to agree with her. So, she fashioned an entire concert around this song! Oh how fun it would be! All of her students could pick songs with words, maybe from musicals, and then we’d all sing!

Don’t get me wrong, I adore singing. I also adore “A Wonderful Guy”, and I like to sing it… when I’m at home by myself. I’m even alright with singing in public, but A Wonderful Guy?! As much as I love the song, the lyrics are a little embarrassing. See for yourself.

This is a portion of the song, sung by my favorite singer. You get the idea.

Everyone else got to pick their songs knowing in advance that they were going to be sung. So we have an array of lovely tunes, “My Favorite Things”, “Matchmaker, Matchmaker”, “So Long Farewell”, etc. I have “A Wonderful Guy.” Oh joy.

But I digress. I’ve quite gotten used to the idea by now, and I love singing the song. So, if I can just keep a straight face during the “I’m in loves” I’ll be home free. We’ve even had a few rehearsals, so I feel much better about singing it in front of those who will be at the concert.

So, Poppy is playing “A Wonderful Guy” and I’m singing it. I am going to play “That’s How You Know” from Enchanted, with Poppy, Hannah Banana and MD-80 (these are three of my siblings) singing it along with me.

It’s bound to be fun.

That’s what I’m up to.

This is a fun little game, I was tagged by Elisabeth at In My Own Little Corner!

Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages)

2. Open to page 123.

3. Find and post the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people.

Alright then. A book close by me is “Poems for Patriarchs.”

Here are the fifth through eighth sentences on page 123. (Actually they are lines of poetry.)

“And the heavy heart of the mother
Was lifted all earth care above,
As He laid His hand on the brothers
And blessed them with holiest love.”

Now, I’ll tag:

MD-80
Poppy
Courtney
Lady Why

and anyone else who would like to participate!

My mother is depressed. She always gets this way when the cold weather starts setting in. It’s here. My dad and I both have colds. This also contributes to my mother’s hatred for cold weather – she also has a condition known as Spermatophobia… fear of germs.

I’m not a fan of germs myself, and I try to refrain from sickness as much as possible, but apparently the change of weather doesn’t agree with me.

Ah, well. The cold weather will be worth it on November 6th. One of my favorite days of the year…. Christmas Village day.