Samantha Pierce

Killer teddy bear behind deaths of 2,500 fish MILFORD, N.H. - A teddy bear has been implicated in 2,500 deaths. Of trout, that is. State officials say a teddy bear dropped into a pool at a Fish and Game Department hatchery earlier this month clogged a drain. The clog blocked the flow of oxygen to the pool and suffocated the fish. You Are a Margarita Jelly Bean Wildly optimistic and jovial, you know how to get through anything with flair. You have a certain "je ne sais quoi" that makes you an alluring companion. What Flavor Jelly Bean Are You? You Belong in the UK Blimey! A little proper, a little saucy. You're so witty and charming... No one notices your curry breath What English Speaking Country Are You? Well, I was born in a recently former colony of the Empire and now I live in another former colony.

Today I am thankful for/that: Isaiah kept his clothes on all morning. I'm about halfway done knitting my first sweater. Things are going well so when I'm done I'll start on sweaters for the kids. The new stove is here! What are you thankful for?

Happy first day of Fall! Bring on the pumpkins and apples! I've got a new stove coming and a good pie crust recipe. I'm ready for the season. Are you? We've got a norway silver maple out back that has been slowly turning a fetching shade of burgandy for weeks now. In the country there is wave upon wave of goldenrod flowering in the fields.

Your Taste in Music: 80's R&B: High Influence 90's R&B: High Influence R&B: High Influence 90's Hip Hop: Medium Influence 90's Pop: Medium Influence How's Your Taste in Music? (Via Dappled Things .) You Are 10% Redneck I'll slap you so hard, your clothes will be outta style. You ain't no redneck - you're all Yankee! How Redneck Are You? You Are 35% Left Brained, 65% Right Brained The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports. Are...

Updated Today I am thankful for/that: I am alive. I am a child of God, justified and sanctified. I am an American citizen living in America. My children are as safe as one can expect in this world. "Let's pray!" Spoken by Ethan at the dinner table a few nights this week. Last night we let him have at it. What a joy it is to hear your children pray. Update: Apparently Isaiah has been going around at school declaring "Lord Jesus!" His teacher is delighted because he's talking and she can understand what he's saying. Ethan playing with Sophia and letting her poke at him with the toy stethoscope. He even showed her where it was really supposed to go. I was able to change the date of Isaiah's CSPE meeting without much fuss (once I finally made contact with the person responsible for scheduling those meetings). The notice that the school district sends you about these meetings also tells you that they will hold the meeting to make decisions about your chi...

Hugo Chavez Harshly Criticizes Bush at U.N. Speaking at the United Nations in New York Wednesday, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez unleashed a verbal assault, calling President Bush "the devil." Is it just me or does the translator sound like she's trying not to laugh? I wish I had video of the UN staffer who looked rather amused as Chavez declared President Bush the devil and crossed himself during his speech yesterday.

I've been doing research into autism, dyspraxia, how the normal brain works, and how an autistic/dyspraxic brain works (or doesn't work). Traumatic injury to different parts of the brain can cause the same problems suffered by autistic and dyspraxic children. Compare this list of the functions of different parts of the brain and the problems caused by injuries to those areas with these descriptions of dyspraxia and autism. What is Developmental Dyspraxia? Developmental dyspraxia is a disorder characterized by an impairment in the ability to plan and carry out sensory and motor tasks. Generally, individuals with the disorder appear "out of sync" with their environment. Symptoms vary and may include poor balance and coordination, clumsiness, vision problems, perception difficulties, emotional and behavioral problems, difficulty with reading, writing, and speaking, poor social skills, poor posture, and poor short-term memory. Although individuals with the disorder may b...

Great, the world is not chaotic enough as it is. There seems to be a coup going down in Thailand. Thailand declares state of emergency (via Instapundit .) Thai Military Launches Coup to Remove PM Thaksin Thai PM calls state of emergency (Via Michelle Malkin .) Only in the 21st century would you see people calmly taking pictures of a military coup in their country with their camera phones.

I've been thinking a lot about sin and forgiveness lately. Why are we so willing to sin against God? Because we know that those sins will be forgiven. Why are we so unwilling to admit our mistakes to our fellow man? Because people are nowhere near as forgiving as God. More often than not you can expect to have you nose rubbed in your mistake by your fellow man. God doesn't rub it in when we make mistakes. We may have worldly consequences to deal with but we know that God will grant his forgiveness when we seek it. Before I go any further let me be clear about who and what I mean when I say God. I am talking about the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, triune God of the Bible. The Hebrews called him Elohim and Yahweh, among other things. I'm talking about the God who created heaven and earth and all things therein. I'm talking about the God who made mankind in his image and then sacrificed his son for our sakes after humanity spurned him and sought our own ruin. Karl M...

My life seems to be going in fastforward and slow motion at the same time. Still I am thankful for/that: The car wasn't moving when the deer hit. Ethan is really enjoying school despite the after school bus drama. Well it's mostly drama for me waiting around for half an hour to more than an hour for his bus to arrive. The school's only 5 minutes away. Isaiah didn't wreck the house while I was waiting for Ethan to get home yesterday. I made my first mitten! (Finished it while I waited for Isaiah to get home.) It looks pretty good for having made the pattern up myself. Now I'm working on the second one of the pair. Magic skinny black pants. The kind that take ten pounds off when you wear them. Autumn. Winter. Come January I may be rethinking this but right now I'm ready for the season to change. What are you thankful for?

As if a summer of expensive car trouble wasn't enough (the highlight of which was a tire falling off of the car) Isaiah just broke the door to our oven. He popped the hinges out of place. In the process of trying to fix it it came off completely. Now we're in the market for a new oven. I guess the bright side is that neither the stove nor the oven were in use at the time. Thanks to the internet I can at least shop from the comfort of my couch in my pajamas. Or make hubby do the shopping for me.

Sigh, back to school week. Anyway, I'm thankful for/that: Ethan and Isaiah are very happy to be back at school. Ethan started walking to school yesterday when the bus was late picking him up. Sophia seems to be fine with Ethan being gone for so much of the day as long as she gets to wait for the bus with him. Got the house clean. The downstairs anyway. God's forgiveness. No matter how big the mistake we can still receive God's forgiveness and the strength to suffer the consequences. What are you thankful for?

I heard it on the radio this morning, Steve Irwin is dead . Every time I sat still today I started to get a little misty eyed over the news. I'm still having a hard time believing it now more than 12 hours after first hearing of Steve Irwin's demise. It seems Steve died doing what he loved, getting up close and personal with creatures the rest of us wouldn't dare to go near. He was an entertaining and passionate advocate for wildlife. When I watched his shows I often shook my head at the sheer madness of what he did. I kept watching because he seemed to have a genuine enthusiasm for the creatures he was encountering. No one else could have pulled it off. I loved the way Steve kept his wife close by his side so much. It seemed that Terri was a part of his life and shared in his passion. Steve seemed to turn just about everything into a family affair. And everyone was his family. I really admired him for that. Steve Irwin will be missed. Other's blogging about Steve Irwin...

Frivolous Friday is back. What Veggie Tales character are you? Bob Take this quiz ! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code (Via Memento Moron .)

One day late but none the less I am thankful for/that: My new computer. So new, so fast. I'm trying not the drool all over it. My brother-in-law who did all of the computer shopping for me. He got me what I wanted at the price I wanted. Sis3. She went back home on Monday. She left her mark though. Sophia gave me Sis3's classic what-are-you-talking-about look. She even had the curl in her upper lip. It was hilarious. I found Isaiah in his bed last night, underneath the fitted sheet, without any clothes on. He seems to have finally gotten the idea that he's supposed to sleep in the bed (rather than under it) and underneath the sheets (rather than tossing them into the corner). Now if we could just get him to keep is clothes on The boys start school again next week. Part of me is relieved that they'll be out of the house for a few hours each day (giving me time to put the house back together). Another part of me is a little weirded out by the fact that Ethan will be starti...