Random

You Are The Stuffing

You’re complicated and complex, yet all your pieces fit together. People miss you if you’re gone – but they’re not sure why.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

Over The Mountain And Through The Woods

My younger sister and I went in the woods yesterday for the first time since last spring or winter. We stop when the weather gets warm and go again after it freezes to kill the tics and send the snakes into hiding. We dressed in elf/ranger/whatever-you-want-to-call-it garb and took a bunch of pictures.

We had the following conversation:

Sister: *something about two dogs in the neighborhood that eat elves* “We’re not elves, though. We’re humans disguised as elves.”

Me: “Not exactly. We don’t look that elvish.”

Sister: “We’re humans disguised as humans.”

Makes tons of sense.

Mom, Laura and I went to a mountain today and walked for around an hour. I enjoyed it.

I’m rather tired now, so if I start rambling, or fail to make sense, that’s why.

We bought boiled peanuts on the way home. Yum.

I need to get ready for bed now.

Have an amazing rest of your life!

- WM

Twilight and More Shopping

I mentioned in my last post that the Twilight series is evil and yucky (though not exactly in those words). Here are a couple of articles to back that statement up, in case you want to find out more.

Brio’s review

Plugged In’s review

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We went out again today. While my younger sister was in art class, Mom and I went to the post office, Avon store (for hand cream and lip balm), and the library. I checked out a couple of DVDs and a book. One DVD is a History Channel program on the crusaders and one is a documentary on Ireland that looks interesting. I haven’t watched either yet. I noticed a book by Jack Cavinaugh. The author’s name sounded familiar, so I pulled it out and read the back. It also looks interesting, so I checked it out despite the fact that I have too many books to read at home to begin with.

We went clothes shopping afterward, but I didn’t find anything. I’ve thought about making some more medieval/Renaissance/fantasy clothes and wearing them all the time.

Have an amazing rest of your life!

- WM

Meh

It’s a little since this article was written before the election, but I’m posting it anyway. I’m copy & pasting it from someone’s note on Facebook.

Keep praying for America.

——————–

Mbijiwe Mwenda says we are being naive to ignore Barack Obama’s ties to a dangerous Kenyan politician.

Mbijiwe Mwenda is a voice crying in the wilderness—from the other side of the world.

The Kenyan pastor, founder of Glory Cathedral Church in Nairobi, does not have a voice on CNN or Fox News. But he has been warning Christians during a recent visit to the United States that more is at stake in the 2008 election than anyone supposed.

“Many Americans do not seem to realize the price that has been paid for your freedom,” Mwenda says. “I am afraid we are about to lose the America we have known in the past—the America that has been a hope for the world.”

Mwenda’s main concern: That Democratic presidential challenger Barack Obama has a cozy relationship with Raila Odinga, an avowed Marxist politician who now serves as Kenya’s prime minister. Obama, who made taxpayer-funded visits to Kenya in 2004, 2005 and 2006, campaigned for Odinga in 2006.

During public appearances in Kenya, Odinga introduced Obama as his cousin. But later a family member denied that claim, saying that Odinga and Obama’s father, Barack Obama Sr., simply came from the same village. Both Obama Sr. and Odinga are from the Luo tribe, Kenya’s third largest.

When Odinga ran for president of Kenya last year and lost by a slim margin, tribal violence erupted amid claims of voter fraud. About 150,000 people died (many were killed in machete attacks), hundreds of churches were burned and 600,000 villagers were displaced. The international community had to broker a peace deal, allowing Odinga to serve as prime minister while his opponent, Mwai Kibaki, was named president.

Today, Odinga hopes that Obama will win the White House on Nov. 4 to boost support for his bid to become president of Kenya in 2012.

Pastor Mwenda says he is amazed that Americans don’t seem concerned that Obama is tied to Odinga. He rattled off a list of facts that Charisma has verified:

· Odinga was trained in communist ideology in Europe and holds Marxist views. “He even named his son Fidel Castro,” Mwenda says.
· He has obvious ties to Muslim interests and even received funding for his presidential campaign from Libya. Although he officially claims to be an Anglican, Mwenda says, “[Odinga] has been very sympathetic to Muslims and some say he is a Muslim secretly.”
· Odinga fits in nicely with Arab leaders’ plans for Africa. When they convened in Nigeria in 2001, they released a statement indicating that Kenya is to play a key role in spreading Islam throughout southern Africa. Says Mwenda: “Odinga is a dangerous man. A dictator.”
· Odinga has promised to enact Sharia law in “Muslim declared regions” of Kenya—meaning that pork would be outlawed, women could not drive and crimes would be punished according to Islamic tradition.

So why did Obama campaign for Odinga? Independent journalists around the world have been asking that question since 2006. Paula Abeles of African Press International wrote in August: “Clearly Obama campaigned for someone who is corrupt, ruthless and has financial ties to terrorists. … Senator Obama’s actions—intentional or not—were in direct conflict with the efforts and interests of U.S. national security.”

Many Kenyans are proud that a son of Kenya has a shot at the White House. But Kenya’s evangelical Christians are less enthusiastic. Like Mwenda, many of them are also troubled that Obama’s paternal grandmother has publicly stated that she sacrifices chickens and pours libations daily when praying for Obama to win the election. “She has been doing this since the [Democratic] primaries,” Mwenda says.

“Something is about to go wrong in your country,” Mwenda warned me.

I know many people who read my column will assume I am only writing it to boost John McCain’s chances at the polls next week. Some of my critics have also assumed that I must have racist tendencies if I am not voting for Barack Obama.

They can assume what they want, but the truth is that I have made eight trips to Africa in the last seven years and it is my second home. I will return there in early 2009. If my situation allowed it I would move there permanently—I love the people, the culture and what the Holy Spirit is doing all over that beautiful continent.

This week I did my own informal poll of African church leaders in Nigeria and Kenya. What I found was that none of them support Obama. Like many American Christians, they are staunchly pro-life, they defend traditional marriage and they certainly do not support politicians who don’t take the threat of militant Islam seriously.

They have seen enough torched churches and amputated arms to know better. They have seen Christian children thrown into the bottom of wells to die. They have seen Shariah law cast a dark pall over whole regions. They have watched as Middle Eastern governments pour millions of dollars into their local economies to build mosques and infrastructure and to buy votes.

I asked Pastor Mwenda how American Christians should pray in light of this sobering information. He told me: “I am praying that Obama does not win the White House. It is never too late for God. We can turn the tide. We need to pray: ‘Our Father, Who art in heaven, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ We must not allow anything in this nation that is not in His will.”

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. Many people responded to his column last week, and to the column by Kimberly Daniels that he attached to his message. Daniels wrote a response to all who replied to her message.

For more information about the Rev. Mbijiwe Mwenda, go to rgmikenya.org. His new book America, Fear No Evil (Xulon) is available from online stores.

Source: Charisma Online

Charisma Online is a service of Charisma magazine and Strang Communications.

18th Birthday

Someone actually commented on my blog. Thank you, person.

I am an “adult” now. I can buy cigarettes, rifles, and shotguns. Of course, I have no use for any of that, so it doesn’t change much. I had fun at my birthday party. The brave among us (me and one other person) had whipped cream beards sprayed on. They didn’t stay very long. We had a contest to see who could spray the most whipped cream onto a spoon before it fell off. Laura M. had a pretty good technique – as soon as it looks like it’s going to fall off, spray a ridiculous amount on before it hits the paper towels on the floor. She won.

We talked, were crazy in general, listened to Grits and “The Hamster Dance” ( http://www.webhamster.com ), and watched movies (Iron Man, and Spiderman).

Mom surprised me with a store-bought cake. She wanted me to have a professionally-decorated one for my 18th birthday. It was fun, even though homemade ones taste better (it did taste good, though). Here’s a picture:

Have an amazing rest of your life.

- WM

Yodeling

Has nothing to do with this entry. But this is a good article:

http://www.christianculture.biz/music/Love_God_More.html

It doesn’t have anything to do with yodeling, either.

Aaah!

Okay, one entry. I wanted an outlet for my frustration with myself and for my disappointment. I thought I was almost done with French 1, and then discovered that I’m only about a fourth of the way through. I should have spent way more time on school last year, besides chemistry, and now I’m suffering the consequences. I really, really, really want to graduate at the end of this school year.

I’m done ranting now, at least on here :6: . Have an amazing rest of your life.

- WM

Blog Break

I probably won’t post again until October 1, because I need to finish up my 11th grade schoolwork by then and am trying to remove distractions. I might update my costume blog, but I’m not sure.

Have an amazing rest of your life!

- WM

Oops

I realized the day after I posted it that I spelled Shawn Johnson’s name wrong (Sean). I didn’t fix it because it had already been automatically imported to Facebook :p So, sort of because I was being lazy, because I would have had to delete it and import it again.

Here, have some pictures. It rained, so I photographed the grass. A bunch of hummingbirds (at least nine) were at the feeders, so I did the same to them. Sydney was lying in the sun, as she often does, so I took pictures of her, and then of Molly.

I edited them a bit on Paint Shop Pro 7.

Have an amazing rest of your life!
- WM

Sewing, School, and Sean Johnson

Hancock Fabrics has Butterick sewing patterns on sale for 99 cents through the 17 of August, so Mom took me there today since she needed to go out and do grocery shopping. I bought three patterns - a shirt that looks similar to the one Prince Caspian wears throughout most of the movie, a Robin Hood spin-off that I got for the trousers, and a cloak (the one Legossi makes her lined cloaks from) – along with some boning and bias tape. I discovered it’s cheaper to buy boning online (after I looked at the receipt. Mother payed for said items).

We went to Zaxby’s for lunch, and then on to Wal-Mart. I found some multi-purpose shorts that go down to my knees, some earrings to replace the ones I lost, and some sewing pins to add to my blunt, almost-ancient collection.

My sisters and I have been staying up late to watch Olympic gymnastics. We watched Americans Nastia Liukin and Sean Johnson win the gold and silver medals, respectively, for the women’s all around last night. The American women’s team placed second in the team all-around, and the American men’s team recieved bronze medals for the men’s version the night before last and the one before that (but not respectively; switch it around).

Yesterday, Mom made a list of the schoolwork I need to get done this year to graduate. I have to finish French I, geometry, history, and vocabulary from 11 grade (I slacked off while taking a chemistry class taught by another homeschooling mom who gave us, in my humble opinion, way too much homework). And for 12 grade, I have algebra II, astronomy, French II, history, vocabulary, and literature. I think that’s all.

“That’s all” is actually more than I would prefer, but that’s okay. It does mean I’ll probably end up putting aside the reading of fiction almost completely, so I’m not sure when I’ll finish A Tale of Two Cities. I read a little in the car today.

Speaking of things I need to do, house-cleaning is one of them.

Have an amazing rest of your life!

- WM