Samantha Pierce

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. John 15:13 (English Standard Version) This Jesus said to his disciples before he gave up his life not only for his friends but for his enemies as well. That's a tough act to follow.

I bought a paper shredded a few days ago. Yesterday dad and I set it up and started shredding stuff. Sophia immediately came over to see what was up. After a few minutes she started trying to put paper in the shredder herself. Ethan didn't like the noise at first but after a while the fun of sticking paper in the shredder was too much for him. He would run up, stick a piece of paper in the shredder, and run away as soon as the motor started. Meanwhile, Isaiah appeared to be occupied elsewhere and totally uninterested in the shredder. That is until we turned our backs. Dad and I turned back to the shredder to find that Isaiah had materialized from the other end of the room with a piece of paper in hand, and was succeeding at putting it in the shredder. Lucky for us we had turned it off. Unfortunately he figured out almost immediately how to turn it back on despite the fact that you have to push down on a button on the power button to get it to move. Dad and I realised that we'd

I didn't have time this week to find a quiz to post so I'm posting pictures of the kids instead. Sis 2 took these pictures of the kids when she visited last weekend. Bacon baby.  Sophia's got a thing for bacon. All of the kids do. I've started cooking the bacon in the oven because they kept trying to take it out of the skillet when I cooked it on the stove top. Smiley girl.  Smiley guy.  Say what?  Getting Isaiah to smile on camera is almost impossible. This is as close as Sis 2 could get.

Thunder snow is a rare event when a snow storm comes with thunder and lightning. I have now experienced thunder snow twice in my life time. The first time was during the winter of 1995-96. The thunder was so loud that it woke the whole neighbourhood. The local weather man even commented on it during the evening news. The second time I experienced thunder snow was about five minutes ago. It was relatively warm today (I went out without my coat) despite there being snow squalls off and on during the day. There wasn't much accumulation on the road. It started snowing maybe an hour ago and it looks like there's a few inches down already. When I saw the flash of lightning I thought that something had exploded on the utility pole at the end of our driveway but we didn't lose power. Then I heard a low grinding thudding noise. I thought a snow plow was crashing into the cars parked on our street. When I looked out the window and didn't see anything but snow falling I realised

I didn't get to listen to all of this interview yesterday but I did hear enough of it to know that it is something that men and women (especially husbands and wives) should listen to together and talk about with one another. It seemed particularly relevant to me because hubby and I had been arguing (yeah it happens) about some of this stuff yesterday morning. In Defense of Husbands A new book challenges stereotypes about husbands. Author Neil Chethik discusses what husbands really think about weddings, sex, housework, raising children, affairs and marriage.

Because I know that something like this would never (at this moment at least) happen. Historian Sentenced to Jail for Holocaust Denial British historian David Irving was sentenced to three years in prison on Monday after admitting to an Austrian court that he had denied the Holocaust, a crime in the country where Hitler was born.

Driving five hours one way to clean someone else's house for free.

I'm thankful for mom, dad, and sis 3 who showed up at dinner time yesterday and have been helping me clean every thing in sight since then. What are you thankful for?

Wading into a mud puddle, regardless of what you happen to be wearing, to retrieve a child. I thought I had a picture of this but I haven't been able to find it.

Isaiah has been scribbling a lot lately. I got him a box of chalk for the chalk board we got at Christmas. He loves to scribble on the chalk board. Isaiah doesn't seem to have a hand preference yet. His left hand seems to serve him as well as his right. Like most of the world's population I'm a righty. If Isaiah decides he's a lefty, how does a righty go about teaching a lefty how to write? If he turns out to be ambidextrous I'll still have to figure out how to teach him how to write with his left hand. Something tells me he's going to have an appendage in a cast some day and will need to know how to use both hands equally well.

Knowing and telling people the things they don't want to hear when they need to hear them. Not because you want to be right but because you want them to be right. Also known as speaking the truth in love. Folk tend to forget the love part.

These few items caught my eye recently. DNA tests contradict Mormon scripture . (Via Blogs4God .) While it was amusing to read about some of the special "revelations" that were needed to make some of Mormon doctrine more acceptable to non-white folk this episode got me thinking about how science affects Christianity. For me it doesn't except to elucidate some of the more puzzling happenings described in the Bible and to make others seem even more miraculous. This article also got me thinking about the long standing effort to make one of the Marys mentioned in the Bible over into Jesus' wife. It's interesting that so many unbelievers who actually acknowledge the existence of Jesus Christ enough to play match maker for him. Messy Christian blogs about the careless words of Christians in response to these words written by Brian McLaren of the emergent church movement: Frankly, many of us don't know what we should think about homosexuality. We've heard all si

Not buying fancy things for yourself/home because the kids will just break it all.

Waking up every two hours (asuming you ever fall asleep in the first place) to feed a hungry baby (note: one of the perks of breast feeding is that there is zero chance of you burning the house down because you forgot you were warming the baby's milk on the stove).

Updated You are an Iris: You are logical, analytical, dignified, and wise. You are studious by nature and may prefer books to people. You tend to be a serious person but are capable of making others laugh with your dry sense of humor. Friends always benefit from your advice. Symbolism: Over the centuries the iris has come to symbolize faith, wisdom, hope, and promise in love. Which Flower are You? brought to you by Quizilla (Via TulipGirl .) You are a good old-fashioned six-sided cube, otherwise known as a d6. Others know you to be plain, predictable, conservative, average, ordinary, and downright boring. You prefer to describe yourself as dependable, honest, practical and trustworthy. People usually know what to expect from you, since you rarely hold any surprises. You hate to make decisions, and if forced to decide, you'll always fall back on how it was done in the past. You always order the same thing at your favorite restaurant, and your jokes, while funny, are never too offe

Getting out of bed at 3:00 AM to: catch vomit (with a towel if you're lucky), wipe a runny nose, wipe a runny butt, cool a fevered brow.

Today I'm thankful for/that: Spring like weather. Of course the temperature will drop by like 30 degrees before tomorrow. My tulips, alliums, crocuses, and daffodils are alive and well under the snow (which all melted yesterday). Sis 1 and Sis 2 are coming to visit this weekend. Mom, dad, and Sis 3 will come to visit next week. Cute kids. Hubby. What are you thankful for?

Cleaning crayon/chalk/marker/unidentified substance creations off of the walls (after taking pictures for posterity of course).

(from reader Dark Star) Being willing to be a human punching/pinching/scratching pad. For moms this also includes having your internal organs poked and prodded by baby.

Cleaning the contents of a stinky diaper off of the walls, the furniture, the clothes, the bedding, the floors, the windows, the toys, and the small child, several nights in a row for several months until said child finally gets the idea that this isn't such a fun thing to do.

I'd get voted off the island right quick 'cause there are some norms in this society that I'm just not willing to conform too. THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for 6 weeks. Each kid will play 2 sports, and take either music or dance classes. There is no fast food. Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of "pretend" bills with not enough money. In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week. Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time. Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment. He must make one unscheduled, and inconvenient, visit, per child, to the Urgent Care (weekend, evening, on a holiday or right when they're about to leave fo

It's been a while since I wrote an update on Don Filiberto . Despite being found innocent and despite having the real perpetrator of the crime he was accused of committing jailed Don Filiberto remains in prison. It seems mostly because he will not pay the customary bribe needed to expedite gaining his freedom. In the mean time the prison ministry grows. The local Christian community is also looking for ways to minister to the prisoners once they are finally released. Please continue to pray for Don Filiberto and his family as well as the growing prison ministry.

Crawling out of bed to make sure everyone is fed and clothed and ready to go where they need to go when you feel like opening one eye requires more strength than you actually have at the moment.

Friday night Me: [to Ethan while he is drawing on a piece of paper] Ethan what is that? Is that the letter D? [It was a square] Sophia: Dee oh gee! Gog! [She bobbed up and down with excitement as she said this] Me: [thinking, are kids this age (16 months) supposed to be able to spell?] Good job Sophia! You spelled dog! She spent the rest of the weekend spelling the word dog and improving her pronunciation. She also tried to write it on the chalk board. She doesn't know how to write yet though. Tonight Hubby: [to Isaiah before putting him to bed] Say sorry to you sister for knocking her over those last 15 times. Isaiah: (garbled) I sorry. (garbled) I sorry. (garbled) I sorry. Hubby: [surprised that Isaiah actually responded] Good job Isaiah! [to me] Where did he get that from? Me: [completely awed by the fact that Isaiah actually said something that we could understand and that it was an appropriate response to a verbal command] I have no idea. [to Isaiah] Good job bud

Having the doctor's phone number memorized.

In light of the ravening mobs getting themselves all worked into a lather over these I decided to repost this item from two years ago. Funny how an ancient text so accurately portrays human failings. *********************************** Great is Artemis and Allah akbar Acts 19 28 When they heard this they were enraged, and cried out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 So the city was filled with the confusion; and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who where Paul's companions in travel. 30 Paul wished to go in among the crows, but the disciples would not let him; 31 some of the Asiarchs also, who were friends of his sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theater. 32 Now some cried one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander motioned wi

Not letting loose with righteous anger when you know you're right and the other person is wrong.

I was telling dad about the PBS special African American Lives (Booker Rising discusses the series here and here ) and the website African Ancestry in hopes of reviving my quest to leaf out the family tree. I was telling him all about the DNA testing that identifies genetic markers held in common with specific groups of people in Africa when he let lose with the information that he knew his mother's father's name. Well that just set me off. I got date and place of birth and death before I let him hang up. I also got my grandmother's mother's name out of him. Apparently Sis 1 looks a lot like her which means that Ethan looks like her because he looks a lot like Sis 1. Cool eh? Researching our family history has been a bit difficult (just about impossible) for me because my family immigrated to the States some years ago. All of the relevant documents about our family are in another country. The only way to do any meaningful research into our family history is for someo

Volunteering to be a human napkin.

Your Five Factor Personality Profile Extroversion: You have low extroversion. You are quiet and reserved in most social situations. A low key, laid back lifestyle is important to you. You tend to bond slowly, over time, with one or two people. Conscientiousness: You have low conscientiousness. Impulsive and off the wall, you don't take life too seriously. Unfortunately, you sometimes end up regretting your snap decisions. Overall, you tend to lack focus, and it's difficult for you to get important things done. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have low neuroticism. You are very emotionally stable and mentally together. Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly. Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure. Openness to experience: Your openness

Umm, I'll have to get back to you on this one. I've got to get everyone ready for a trip to the doctor's office. Update: (1:00PM EST) Well, we're back and I am thankful for/that: It's just a sinus infection. It's been two years since I've gotten sick enough to be on antibiotics. I get to take a five day course of medicine instead of the usual ten day course. Hubby got new tires for the car so now it doesn't wobble any more. It feels like a brand new car. The old worn out tires didn't get us into a car wreck. Hubby also got a new battery for the car. No more jumping the darn thing any time I need to go anywhere! Chocolate. (I forgot to mention this one last week.) Ethan's recent bout of gut trouble seems to have furthered his awareness of when he needs to use the bathroom. (It was hard not to laugh when I saw him running for the bathroom holding his bottom.) What are you thankful for?

Taking apart the pipes under the sink to retrieve some treasured item or to remove a not so treasured item that's clogging the drain.

Babies' Cells Linger, May Protect Mothers " Some scientists have proposed that when a woman has a baby, she gets not just a son or a daughter, but a gift of cells that stays behind and protects her for the rest of her life. That's because a baby's cells linger in its mom's body for decades and -- like stem cells -- may help to repair damage when she gets sick. It's such an enticing idea that even the scientists who came up with the idea worry that it may be too beautiful to be true. " I read about this on another blog some time back and thought it was pretty interesting. Here's to hoping that these cells are either helping or just hanging around enjoying the scenery. Motherhood has enough enemies without having to deal with the possibility that these cells leftover from baby may be responsible for certain diseases.

Does this mean that people won't hassle me about eating butter and bacon any more? Study: Lean Diets Don't Cut Disease Risk " A new study published in the most recent Journal of the American Medical Association suggests healthier diets don't necessarily lead to less chance of disease. The study followed more than 30,000 women restricted to low-fat diets, and concluded there was little or no evidence the diets led to lower rates of cancer and heart disease. " Heh. All things (well most things) in moderation is my motto. Seeing as how the human body needs fat to work properly (women's bodies in particular cease normal functioning when we drop below a certain percentage of body fat) I was always suspicious of the low fat diet craze.

Sticking your hand in the toilet to retrieve some treasured item.

The contrast between Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral and that of his widow Coretta Scott King is striking. Her's looks to be an extravagant spectacle where anyone who is anyone will put in an appearance. While I wasn't around for his funeral most Americans have seen footage of his coffin being carried through the streets in a simple mule drawn wagon. He had been violently taken from his family in his prime while fighting for freedom. She died in her bed surrounded by family knowing that her husband's dreams had, for the most part, been realised.

I've been watching the fiasco over these cartoons escalate. I've also been watching people try to make excuses for the rioting, the destruction, and the threats of murder and mayhem. As I process all of this information I'm really at a loss for words. How can anyone expect people to take the " religion of peace " claims seriously when they are making excuses for this definitely non-peaceful behaviour? How can anyone expect people to take the "religion of peace" claims seriously when rioting is considered an appropriate response to a political cartoon? I know others have made this point before but I think it bears repeating. As a Christian my faith is subject to ridicule every single day and from every quarter imaginable. Some people actually go out of their way to try to be offensive to my faith. When was the last time you saw a bunch of Christians burning stuff down and threatening violence because something offended them? We might say that we're

Putting your nose to a baby's butt and breathing deeply.

Birthday wishes to my old friend John M. If I had any embarrassing photos of you I'd post them but it seems you did your best work when there weren't any cameras around. Enjoy the big 3 oh old man! (Yeah, yeah I know I hit that milestone in a few months myself but you got there first.)

You scored as Deep Space Nine (Star Trek) . You have entered the dark side of the Star Trek universe. The paradise of Earth is far from you and you must survive despite having enemies on all fronts. But you wouldn�t have it any other way because you thrive in conflict and will know what needs to be done to take care of those around you. Now if only the Founders would quit trying to take over the galaxy. Deep Space Nine (Star Trek) 88% SG-1 (Stargate) 88% Babylon 5 (Babylon 5) 81% Serenity (Firefly) 81% Enterprise D (Star Trek) 75% Moya (Farscape) 75% Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda) 69% Millennium Falcon (Star Wars) 69% Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica) 69% Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix) 63% Bebop (Cowboy Bebop) 63% FBI's X-Files Division (The X-Files) 44% Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com I was kinda hoping that I would rate Serenity like Momento Moron . Oh well.

Emperor Mike of the Death Cheese... I couldn't make this up if I tried. Go here for details. Happy Friday!!!

Arrgghh! 'Tis Thursday again and time to be thanking the good Lord for all that I have, arrgghh! On this day I be thankful for/that: The babysitter. The parts of the house are cleaner than they usually are. Sophia may finally be transitioning to sleeping through the night. One of the warmest winters on record so far. The boys have only had one snow day this school year. By this time last year there had been three or four. A warm spring like day. We're going to the park when the boys come home from school. A paycheck. My family. Update Gardening, in Feburary, in USDA climate zone 5 . What are you thankful for? Arrgghh!

Tom Golisano announced today that he won't be campaigning to be the Republican candidate for governor of New York state. This leaves former Massachusetts Gov. William F. Weld and John J. Faso, a former State Assembly leader free to battle it out for the Republican nomination. Democrats seem to think that Golisano's departure from the field is bad for the Republicans. I was never a fan of Golisano so I don't see that as the case. Golisano Opts Not to Run, Reshaping Race for Governor Golly, Golisano won't run for gov NY-Gov: Golisano is Out