My pastor has given Adrian and me nine sermons on marriage to listen to; it's a series by Tim Keller, PCA pastor from New York City. We've been trying to listen to one or two a week, and then discuss them over the phone. I highly recommend them, and I think I speak for Adrian too when I say that :-).
Tim Keller defines deep marriage oneness as coming from the process of two people journeying to a common horizon. For the Christian, this common horizon is heaven, and the journey together sanctifies. The whole series just oozes grace, but I especially like what Keller has to say about the sanctifying effects of marriage. He talks about how focusing on this common horizon and on sanctification can give a married person a vision of what God wants his spouse to become, and what they will be someday without the shackles of sin. And we should want others to catch that same glimpse of the beauty of this person.
Keller talks about the "glory self" and the "dross" in a person. The glory self is the person deep inside, the potential that God will bring to fruition in glorification. We get glimpses of this glory self in others sometimes, just as we get glimpses of a covered mountain when a wind blows away the clouds of fog for a brief moment. The dross in a person is the sin, the filth that God will slowly burn away through trials - and one of the ways He purifies people in this is by marriage. Marriage is a very sanctifying experience.
Now comes the part of one of his sermons that particularly struck both Adrian and me. Keller is speaking about dross and says that a non-Christian (or any spouse that is not Christ-centered, since Christians are not immune to self-centeredness) will look at the dross, the filth in his spouse and become disillusioned and discontented by his spouse, and say "I can envision someone better." This is why marriages end; one spouse wants to seek for someone who is better.
A Christian should look at his spouse, and not ignore the dross blindly. And he should say, like the non-Christian, "I can envision someone better." But the Christian should be envisioning his spouse as that "better" person, purified and sanctified; he should want the perfection that his spouse will become - the glory self that has been glimpsed - not chase after someone else's perfection. And he has the privilege of helping his spouse grow into that person. Wow. That is the promise, the beauty of the Gospel.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
My Sister is Awesome :-)
Hannah has been up in Quebec for 6 weeks (getting back in 3 days) studying at a university there. Glad it's her and not me. French is a beautiful language, but I cannot speak it, and my reading comprehension of it is limited. Anyway, so my mom just e-mailed Hannah asking her how her money was holding out for the trip, and this was her response (shared with Hannah's permission):
People think I'm careful with money, until they meet my sister :-). The funny thing is, she's been plenty social while she's been there too. It's not like she's been hiding in a closet. It just goes to show that you can have fun, with people, and do it cheaply :-D.
Hehe... funny you should ask about the money. First of all, let`s start of by saying that Dr. Chesnut suggested that we bring about $300 for spending money. At a recent meeting of our group to get stuff straight about the flight home and everything, he asked how that was doing for everyone. Every other person said that they had needed way more than that... about $700. You wanna know how much poorer I am after this trip (okay, so not including the actual price of the trip!) - including having to buy a couple textbooks, going on a $25 shopping spree to a Goodwill-type store near here, buying some bus tickets, eating out a few times, buying a lock for a locker, paying $10 every week to be able to take my lunches to school with me, various other small expenses, etc? I changed $20 of American money into Canadian money when we first crossed over and I haven`t needed any more since. As a matter of fact, I was able to give about $200 of `leftover´ money to the churches here who have blessed me so much. How, you might ask, if I only changed $20 at the beginning of the trip? Well, for our lunches, Dr. Chesnut gave us $45/week to buy them. The first week I bought lunches, but then I realized that if I made my lunches like I do at home, I could save money there. Mme Robillard provided me with bread and carrots and fruit and such to made lunches and I paid her $10/week. Also, there were a few times I didn`t end up eating supper with my family because I was invited elsewhere at church or they were out of town or something, and most of those times Mme Robillard gave me $10 per meal when that happened since she didn`t have to prepare it. Plus Dr. Chesnut gave each student $45 to buy the bus pass for the month of August here, but thankfully I didn`t need the bus pass since I walk to school, so I just used some of that money to buy a few one-time bus tickets that I`ve needed and pocketed the rest. Ah, how I love saving money! Yes, yes, I know... all in all we spent a lot of money for this trip. Just burst my bubble.And you probably didn`t want to know all those little details, but there you have them anyway. :-) So, yeah, my money is holding out just fine.
People think I'm careful with money, until they meet my sister :-). The funny thing is, she's been plenty social while she's been there too. It's not like she's been hiding in a closet. It just goes to show that you can have fun, with people, and do it cheaply :-D.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Lane and Sarah Keister on the birth of their third child! I can't wait to meet little Edmund, as well as all of the rest of them, in September :-). Lane explains their choice of names here. I just love the name Edmund :-).
When I marry, Lord willing, I'll have 13 nieces and nephews(!). Fun, fun :-).
When I marry, Lord willing, I'll have 13 nieces and nephews(!). Fun, fun :-).
Monday, July 23, 2007
Our Story
One of my pet peeves is wedding websites that have "coming soon. . . " permanently published as the couple's story of how they met. I'm a female, so I like details! I love hearing how a couple met :-). So I vowed quite a while ago that I would definitely publish a story of how I met my future husband, when the time came. Of course, now I also realize why that story so often doesn't materialize. Time just gets away from you! So finally, 7 months after we began our courtship and 3 1/2 months after our engagement, here you go. I think some of you definitely pieced most of this together, but I still occasionally get questions from people who have read my blog, and still aren't quite sure how Adrian and I met. No, this doesn't contain every single detail (that's known as "privacy" ;-D), but I hope it satisfies some curious brains:
I dabbled in internet forums and blogs throughout college, finally signing up for my own blog in fall of 2005, soon after graduating college. My purpose in doing so was two-fold: (1) to have an outlet for my love for writing, and (2) to meet like-minded young women. I actually vowed to my mom that my purpose was not to find a husband online. *laughs nervously* Ah, irony.
I had briefly interacted with Adrian before I started blogging myself, both on his blog (which he had recently started) and a few other blogs. He seemed well-informed, but that was about the extent of my impression. Oh, and he liked math and was reformed in theology; I thought that was neat. Through the next year+, Adrian and I blogged quite a bit back and forth, going in spurts of greater and lesser blogging activity. At first we started out very casual, before later moving to deeper and more involved conversations.
Adrian intrigued me. He was very knowledgeable on a variety of subjects, very interesting to converse with, and his awareness of God's grace permeated his posts and his comments. I thought of him merely as a friend for quite a while, but the more I got to know him, the more I realized just what a dear brother in Christ he was, and how well-suited he seemed for me. He made me laugh, think, debate; sometimes he made me furious! He challenged me to think. He competed with me in math and constructively critiqued my poems. We discussed literature and debated every topic under the sun. I even challenged him to a debate on whether his blog background should be changed to something more exciting and easy-on-the-eyes than black (bleck!); I won that debate handily, for the record :-). Actually, I've remarked to Adrian that it's rather infuriating that I seem to win the inconsequential debates, and he always seems to win the more weighty ones. Ah well.
As we got to know one another, I found it quite amazing - and amusing - just how much we had in common. I mean, c'mon! The guy was a bigger math geek than me! He loved classical literature :-). He had a great taste in music. We had similar views on marriage, children, family life. We had almost identical views on Biblical doctrines and practical outworkings of those doctrines. And the man oozed the grace of God. So I watched, and waited, and typed, and prayed. Meanwhile my family had kept abreast of our internet activities, and I think my mom had read just about every word Adrian and I had ever typed to each other, since all our blogging interactions were public :-). Adrian's brother Lane had also interacted a bit with me, on his blogs and mine.
On November 1, 2006 Adrian e-mailed me, "casually" asking if he could come for a visit to meet me and my family. He said the reason, of course, was to claim a prize he had won a while back, on one of my geeky math posts in which I had offered cookies to the solver of a ridiculously-hard math problem; Adrian had solved it, naturally, but had never claimed the prize. In all my smart-aleckness, I e-mailed back, telling him that if the reason was for the cookies, we could overnight mail those to him, and save him time and gas money ;-). The man takes teasing very well, you must know; he revels in it, in fact. Good thing, or I'd drive him nuts! Anyway, Adrian came and visited for 3 days in early December, and we had a grand time. We met for the first time in person on December 8th, 2006, at approximately 1:25 p.m. At the end of his visit, he asked my dad for permission to court me, and my dad granted it. I accepted when Adrian asked me as well :-).
So we began a long-distance courtship. We've been very blessed to see each other every month since our first meeting in December, even with 6+ hours of driving time between us the whole time. I flew to Minnesota to meet Adrian's parents in January, and then I drove to Louisville, KY in May, to meet more of his family. Adrian spent 10 days with our family over his spring break in March, and he also drove here in June for my brother's wedding. We spent Valentine's Day together in Blacksburg, VA, where Adrian was finishing up a degree in Mathematical Physics at Virginia Tech. My parents were able to drive with me to Blacksburg in July as well, and Hannah plans on coming with me to visit Adrian in August.
I also drove up to Blacksburg in April, over my spring break from teaching, and Adrian proposed to me at the duck pond on Virginia Tech's campus, at sunset the day I arrived. I recounted the proposal in a separate story, so make sure to read that as well. I hadn't found the man of my dreams, as I've told Adrian several times. My dreams of the man I wanted to marry were far too small. Adrian surpassed those dreams; God has a tendency to bless us far more than we can imagine or ever deserve. So on April 2, 2007, when Adrian C. Keister got down on both knees and proposed to me, I said yes to the man beyond my dreams.
On September 22, 2007 when, Lord willing, we are joined together as man and wife, we will sing a beautiful song of God's grace, love, and sovereignty - a hymn that Adrian first introduced to me almost 2 years ago. Only God knew at the time that we would one day sing it at our wedding. Great and unsearchable are His ways. God also has a sense of humor. Not only did I end up falling for an "internet guy" after all, against my firm insistence to my mom, but the young woman who named her blog "An Old-Fashioned Girl" certainly found her husband in a very new-fangled way :-).
Soli Deo Gloria
I dabbled in internet forums and blogs throughout college, finally signing up for my own blog in fall of 2005, soon after graduating college. My purpose in doing so was two-fold: (1) to have an outlet for my love for writing, and (2) to meet like-minded young women. I actually vowed to my mom that my purpose was not to find a husband online. *laughs nervously* Ah, irony.
I had briefly interacted with Adrian before I started blogging myself, both on his blog (which he had recently started) and a few other blogs. He seemed well-informed, but that was about the extent of my impression. Oh, and he liked math and was reformed in theology; I thought that was neat. Through the next year+, Adrian and I blogged quite a bit back and forth, going in spurts of greater and lesser blogging activity. At first we started out very casual, before later moving to deeper and more involved conversations.
Adrian intrigued me. He was very knowledgeable on a variety of subjects, very interesting to converse with, and his awareness of God's grace permeated his posts and his comments. I thought of him merely as a friend for quite a while, but the more I got to know him, the more I realized just what a dear brother in Christ he was, and how well-suited he seemed for me. He made me laugh, think, debate; sometimes he made me furious! He challenged me to think. He competed with me in math and constructively critiqued my poems. We discussed literature and debated every topic under the sun. I even challenged him to a debate on whether his blog background should be changed to something more exciting and easy-on-the-eyes than black (bleck!); I won that debate handily, for the record :-). Actually, I've remarked to Adrian that it's rather infuriating that I seem to win the inconsequential debates, and he always seems to win the more weighty ones. Ah well.
As we got to know one another, I found it quite amazing - and amusing - just how much we had in common. I mean, c'mon! The guy was a bigger math geek than me! He loved classical literature :-). He had a great taste in music. We had similar views on marriage, children, family life. We had almost identical views on Biblical doctrines and practical outworkings of those doctrines. And the man oozed the grace of God. So I watched, and waited, and typed, and prayed. Meanwhile my family had kept abreast of our internet activities, and I think my mom had read just about every word Adrian and I had ever typed to each other, since all our blogging interactions were public :-). Adrian's brother Lane had also interacted a bit with me, on his blogs and mine.
On November 1, 2006 Adrian e-mailed me, "casually" asking if he could come for a visit to meet me and my family. He said the reason, of course, was to claim a prize he had won a while back, on one of my geeky math posts in which I had offered cookies to the solver of a ridiculously-hard math problem; Adrian had solved it, naturally, but had never claimed the prize. In all my smart-aleckness, I e-mailed back, telling him that if the reason was for the cookies, we could overnight mail those to him, and save him time and gas money ;-). The man takes teasing very well, you must know; he revels in it, in fact. Good thing, or I'd drive him nuts! Anyway, Adrian came and visited for 3 days in early December, and we had a grand time. We met for the first time in person on December 8th, 2006, at approximately 1:25 p.m. At the end of his visit, he asked my dad for permission to court me, and my dad granted it. I accepted when Adrian asked me as well :-).
So we began a long-distance courtship. We've been very blessed to see each other every month since our first meeting in December, even with 6+ hours of driving time between us the whole time. I flew to Minnesota to meet Adrian's parents in January, and then I drove to Louisville, KY in May, to meet more of his family. Adrian spent 10 days with our family over his spring break in March, and he also drove here in June for my brother's wedding. We spent Valentine's Day together in Blacksburg, VA, where Adrian was finishing up a degree in Mathematical Physics at Virginia Tech. My parents were able to drive with me to Blacksburg in July as well, and Hannah plans on coming with me to visit Adrian in August.
I also drove up to Blacksburg in April, over my spring break from teaching, and Adrian proposed to me at the duck pond on Virginia Tech's campus, at sunset the day I arrived. I recounted the proposal in a separate story, so make sure to read that as well. I hadn't found the man of my dreams, as I've told Adrian several times. My dreams of the man I wanted to marry were far too small. Adrian surpassed those dreams; God has a tendency to bless us far more than we can imagine or ever deserve. So on April 2, 2007, when Adrian C. Keister got down on both knees and proposed to me, I said yes to the man beyond my dreams.
On September 22, 2007 when, Lord willing, we are joined together as man and wife, we will sing a beautiful song of God's grace, love, and sovereignty - a hymn that Adrian first introduced to me almost 2 years ago. Only God knew at the time that we would one day sing it at our wedding. Great and unsearchable are His ways. God also has a sense of humor. Not only did I end up falling for an "internet guy" after all, against my firm insistence to my mom, but the young woman who named her blog "An Old-Fashioned Girl" certainly found her husband in a very new-fangled way :-).
Soli Deo Gloria
Saturday, July 07, 2007
*hyperventilating*
I'm going to go through book withdrawal this summer! Not reading so much as gazing. I'm only keeping about 15 books out until the wedding, and I have 25 boxes packed and ready to take up to Blacksburg next week. Almost all of my wonderful theology books are packed. And literature! I packed most of my copies of Austen, Bronte, Shakespeare, etc. And *gasp* - I packed Anne of Green Gables! It seemed like such a heartless thing to do. But I only saved out the books that I think I will likely read in the next two months, and I felt like a traitor deciding she was not one of them. But if I'd saved her, I would have wanted to save out the other 7 Anne books, and the Emily books, and the Pat books, etc. *sobs*
My room looks really bare right now. This is strange!
This post is written in honor of Jessica Slagg :-), who I undoubtedly thought of while I was composing it.
My room looks really bare right now. This is strange!
This post is written in honor of Jessica Slagg :-), who I undoubtedly thought of while I was composing it.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Ramblings of a Bride-to-Be
When I registered this blog in late September of 2005 (my first post was actually not until October 2nd), the second post I wrote was a musing on the words "awesome" and "awful." Adrian commented to that post, his first (of many!) comments to my blog, and directed me to a hymn that demonstrates exactly what I was discussing, namely a misunderstanding in our culture of exactly what awe is, and what it means for something to be awesome or awful.
This September, Lord willing, almost 2 years after that blog exchange, we will sing How Sweet and Awful is the Place at our wedding. We wanted a solemn but beautiful hymn to open the service, and this one fit the bill! I love the old Irish melody and the words are simplify lovely and rich in meaning. I think it will be neat to sing this hymn, especially, because of our history with it :-).
Okay, so everyone wants to know more details about the wedding. I'll list some major ones, and feel free to ask for more details on comments. I'll probably oblige, assuming you ask usual questions. Don't ask me to post pictures of my dress, though :-).
So, our wedding is set for September 22nd, around noon or 1:00. My pastor will be officiating, and it will be held at my home church. Lane is the best man and Hannah is the maid-of-honor (those were really easy choices for us to make - hehe). Oh, and Lane's daughter (3 1/2) and son (almost 2) are going to be the flower girl and ringbearer (all the girls say "awwww"). We're Presbyterian geeks, er. . . traditionalists, so we've chosen to use the PCA BCO marriage service as the template for our service. The reception will also be at my church.
My church's sanctuary is in tones of green, so we chose burgundy, ivory, evergreen, and a medium dusty rose pink as our colors. Hannah and Ila will be in burgundy dresses, and Lane and James will have burgundy vests to match. Hannah's bouquet will probably be ivory roses with some really dark red roses mixed in, tied with a pink ribbon, and Ila will carry a flower petal basket with ivory rose petals. I'll explain my bouquet in a different post, as I haven't completely ironed that out yet :-), and it's a whole other explanation. I'll be in ivory for the sole reason that I don't want Adrian to think he's marrying a ghost, and I would definitely look ghostly pale in white!
Um, I'm not really sure what else people want to know, so if you're curious about something, feel free to ask :-). I'm sure I'll be posting more in the coming weeks.
Oh, and for those who are interested, we will be initially living in Blacksburg. Adrian has an internship there in a fiber optics lab (same type of stuff that his doctoral thesis covered). We're not sure where we'll end up more permanently, though, until he secures a more permanent job after the internship ends.
This September, Lord willing, almost 2 years after that blog exchange, we will sing How Sweet and Awful is the Place at our wedding. We wanted a solemn but beautiful hymn to open the service, and this one fit the bill! I love the old Irish melody and the words are simplify lovely and rich in meaning. I think it will be neat to sing this hymn, especially, because of our history with it :-).
Okay, so everyone wants to know more details about the wedding. I'll list some major ones, and feel free to ask for more details on comments. I'll probably oblige, assuming you ask usual questions. Don't ask me to post pictures of my dress, though :-).
So, our wedding is set for September 22nd, around noon or 1:00. My pastor will be officiating, and it will be held at my home church. Lane is the best man and Hannah is the maid-of-honor (those were really easy choices for us to make - hehe). Oh, and Lane's daughter (3 1/2) and son (almost 2) are going to be the flower girl and ringbearer (all the girls say "awwww"). We're Presbyterian geeks, er. . . traditionalists, so we've chosen to use the PCA BCO marriage service as the template for our service. The reception will also be at my church.
My church's sanctuary is in tones of green, so we chose burgundy, ivory, evergreen, and a medium dusty rose pink as our colors. Hannah and Ila will be in burgundy dresses, and Lane and James will have burgundy vests to match. Hannah's bouquet will probably be ivory roses with some really dark red roses mixed in, tied with a pink ribbon, and Ila will carry a flower petal basket with ivory rose petals. I'll explain my bouquet in a different post, as I haven't completely ironed that out yet :-), and it's a whole other explanation. I'll be in ivory for the sole reason that I don't want Adrian to think he's marrying a ghost, and I would definitely look ghostly pale in white!
Um, I'm not really sure what else people want to know, so if you're curious about something, feel free to ask :-). I'm sure I'll be posting more in the coming weeks.
Oh, and for those who are interested, we will be initially living in Blacksburg. Adrian has an internship there in a fiber optics lab (same type of stuff that his doctoral thesis covered). We're not sure where we'll end up more permanently, though, until he secures a more permanent job after the internship ends.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
We Have a Date
*throws confetti*
Lord willing, we'll be married on. . . Frodo and Bilbo Baggins' birthday. Kudos to anyone who knows what date that is off the top of your head. When we were looking at possible dates, I was the one who knew that. *proud look* Adrian must allow me to look exultant, since overall he clearly bests me in any and all Lord of the Rings trivia. He's read the books oodles of times, and I've only read the complete trilogy through once (some of the books and the Hobbit more than that).
I will post more wedding plans in the days (or weeks) that follow, as I know that female minds like details for these sorts of things ;-).
Oh, and for those who really don't want to utilize Google or Wikipedia, and just aren't LOTR geeks, our wedding date is set for September 22, 2007. Yay!
Lord willing, we'll be married on. . . Frodo and Bilbo Baggins' birthday. Kudos to anyone who knows what date that is off the top of your head. When we were looking at possible dates, I was the one who knew that. *proud look* Adrian must allow me to look exultant, since overall he clearly bests me in any and all Lord of the Rings trivia. He's read the books oodles of times, and I've only read the complete trilogy through once (some of the books and the Hobbit more than that).
I will post more wedding plans in the days (or weeks) that follow, as I know that female minds like details for these sorts of things ;-).
Oh, and for those who really don't want to utilize Google or Wikipedia, and just aren't LOTR geeks, our wedding date is set for September 22, 2007. Yay!
Saturday, June 23, 2007
A Bibliophile's Idea of a Good Saturday
The owner of this blog is currently gleeful because she picked up 28 George MacDonald books at a yard sale. . . for FREE. She will return to her regular (er, irregular and spotty) posting when she has finished rejoicing :-).
Friday, June 22, 2007
Life, in General
So, my brother is married. Yay! We all had a wonderful time. The wedding last weekend was beautiful, and it was so much fun to see lots of family friends. Of course, I was especially partial to the bearded fellow from Virginia :-D. I finished the quilt two weeks earlier than I needed to, which was a huge relief. Oh, and the wedding cake turned out nicely as well. I'll try to post some pictures of both soon. It is so nice for us all, I think, to now only have to discuss plans for one wedding. My poor mother was getting the two weddings confused ;-).
Next on my projects list is Hannah's maid-of-honor dress. She leaves for Quebec next Saturday (the 30th), and I'm determined that I will have her dress made before she leaves! It shouldn't take long. Then in early July Jessie is going to spend a few days with me and help me sew my dress :-).
I have been pleasantly surprised by a decent number of tutoring slots this summer. Tutoring is scarce during the summer, but I've had 6 tutoring slots each of the last two weeks, and have even more scheduled for next week. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to continue making some money, while giving me a goodly amount of time for sewing projects, etc.
This morning I'm off to smock with a few women from my church. This is our third or fourth meeting, and I'm so excited to be learning to smock, after wanting to all these years :-). It's a slow process, as I haven't been working on it much at home, but it's fun.
So, what is everyone else up to during these summer days?
Next on my projects list is Hannah's maid-of-honor dress. She leaves for Quebec next Saturday (the 30th), and I'm determined that I will have her dress made before she leaves! It shouldn't take long. Then in early July Jessie is going to spend a few days with me and help me sew my dress :-).
I have been pleasantly surprised by a decent number of tutoring slots this summer. Tutoring is scarce during the summer, but I've had 6 tutoring slots each of the last two weeks, and have even more scheduled for next week. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to continue making some money, while giving me a goodly amount of time for sewing projects, etc.
This morning I'm off to smock with a few women from my church. This is our third or fourth meeting, and I'm so excited to be learning to smock, after wanting to all these years :-). It's a slow process, as I haven't been working on it much at home, but it's fun.
So, what is everyone else up to during these summer days?
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Frugal Alternative to Registering For Niceties
Registering for china and silver used to be standard practice when a couple married. This has sort of fallen by the wayside of late, as fewer and fewer couples opt for traditional china and silver, instead choosing casual ware or more modern alternatives.
Well, I'm a traditionalist, so I still really like the idea of a household having a good set of china and silver. Adrian and I both hold a rather Puritan view of the Sabbath, but we'd like to celebrate it like a wedding, not a funeral. My mom grew up having a big Sunday noontime meal with china and silver every week, and that's the sort of tradition Adrian and I would like to establish as well.
Well guess what? China is expensive! And silver is more expensive! I would have been open to registering for china, even though about $80 per place setting is a really good price ($135 is a much more common price per setting), but I choked when I saw silver prices. New silver plated flatware easily can cost in excess of $300, per setting. And solid sterling silver is even more. *gulp* So I decided silver was a luxury we would pass by ;-). Multiply by 8, and that's a lot! Plus, considering Adrian and I would (a) like a lot of children and (b) like to be regularly hospitable to both couples and families with children, we figure 8 settings may not be very helpful in the long run.
Well, I'm a thrift store and garage sale nut. Two years ago I found a set of china at a thrift store for $20. It had 8 place settings (missing teacups) and a few serving pieces, and was in very good condition. (I might add here that buying used china and silverware is only really a good deal if it is in good condition! If your china is forming cracks under the glaze of the pattern - I forget what that is called - getting it for cheap is not a deal!) Anyway, so Adrian and I figured we could just find additional pieces of the same china pattern on E-bay or Replacements.com.
In addition, last Saturday I was out garage sale-ing with Mother Dear and Ashley, and I found a set of silver plate flatware, 8 place settings and several serving pieces, for $20! This was Oneida Nobility Plate, which is good stuff! A woman was selling off her grandmother's silver for a song, so I jumped on it. Then I headed to E-bay and Replacements.com to look at adding to the original 8 place settings.
I've discovered, by the way, that Replacements.com may often have a better selection (and it's an invaluable resource for finding the name of your pattern), but usually E-bay is way cheaper. Including my garage sale finds, I've bought (approximately) 16 place settings of my china pattern and 19 place settings of my silver plate flatware pattern for a total of only $300. That is an incredible savings! And that includes shipping and a silver-storing anti-tarnish box.
Now, the china place settings do not all have teacups and I am missing one soup bowl. But I do have 16 dinner plates, 16 salad plates, and 15 bowls. I would eventually like teacups and saucers (and a tea/coffepot), but it's really not on my list of high priorities. My original set of china came with 8 saucers, and I've since found 2 teacups on E-bay, so to get a true complete 16 settings, I would need 14 more teacups, 8 saucers, and 1 bowl, but as far as strict dinner china is concerned, I have pretty much 16 settings. And Jessie surprised me for Christmas with the sugar bowl and creamer for my pattern :-).
Anyway, that's my frugal rambling for the moment :-). Anyone else like to share thoughts along similar lines?
Well, I'm a traditionalist, so I still really like the idea of a household having a good set of china and silver. Adrian and I both hold a rather Puritan view of the Sabbath, but we'd like to celebrate it like a wedding, not a funeral. My mom grew up having a big Sunday noontime meal with china and silver every week, and that's the sort of tradition Adrian and I would like to establish as well.
Well guess what? China is expensive! And silver is more expensive! I would have been open to registering for china, even though about $80 per place setting is a really good price ($135 is a much more common price per setting), but I choked when I saw silver prices. New silver plated flatware easily can cost in excess of $300, per setting. And solid sterling silver is even more. *gulp* So I decided silver was a luxury we would pass by ;-). Multiply by 8, and that's a lot! Plus, considering Adrian and I would (a) like a lot of children and (b) like to be regularly hospitable to both couples and families with children, we figure 8 settings may not be very helpful in the long run.
Well, I'm a thrift store and garage sale nut. Two years ago I found a set of china at a thrift store for $20. It had 8 place settings (missing teacups) and a few serving pieces, and was in very good condition. (I might add here that buying used china and silverware is only really a good deal if it is in good condition! If your china is forming cracks under the glaze of the pattern - I forget what that is called - getting it for cheap is not a deal!) Anyway, so Adrian and I figured we could just find additional pieces of the same china pattern on E-bay or Replacements.com.
In addition, last Saturday I was out garage sale-ing with Mother Dear and Ashley, and I found a set of silver plate flatware, 8 place settings and several serving pieces, for $20! This was Oneida Nobility Plate, which is good stuff! A woman was selling off her grandmother's silver for a song, so I jumped on it. Then I headed to E-bay and Replacements.com to look at adding to the original 8 place settings.
I've discovered, by the way, that Replacements.com may often have a better selection (and it's an invaluable resource for finding the name of your pattern), but usually E-bay is way cheaper. Including my garage sale finds, I've bought (approximately) 16 place settings of my china pattern and 19 place settings of my silver plate flatware pattern for a total of only $300. That is an incredible savings! And that includes shipping and a silver-storing anti-tarnish box.
Now, the china place settings do not all have teacups and I am missing one soup bowl. But I do have 16 dinner plates, 16 salad plates, and 15 bowls. I would eventually like teacups and saucers (and a tea/coffepot), but it's really not on my list of high priorities. My original set of china came with 8 saucers, and I've since found 2 teacups on E-bay, so to get a true complete 16 settings, I would need 14 more teacups, 8 saucers, and 1 bowl, but as far as strict dinner china is concerned, I have pretty much 16 settings. And Jessie surprised me for Christmas with the sugar bowl and creamer for my pattern :-).
Anyway, that's my frugal rambling for the moment :-). Anyone else like to share thoughts along similar lines?
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Atlanta Bridal Fabric Source
Not sure if this will benefit anyone reading this, but I might as well type as not ;-). I've been having a horrible time trying to find the type of bridal fabric I want! I've spent hours online and at major fabric stores (Hancock, JoAnn, etc.) with no success. I want an ivory satin with some sort of a subtle, same-color design, either embroidered or a jacquard fabric.
Anyway, through a chain of sources, someone recommended Gail K. Fabrics to me, reportedly the best selection of bridal fabrics in Atlanta, and now I believe them. I have never seen so many bridal choices, or different trims for that matter. So, I'm a very happy girl today, since I finally found my material. Big load off my mind. If anyone is near the Atlanta area and wants an incredible selection of fabrics, go to Gail K. Fabrics on Cheshire Bridge Rd in Atlanta.
Oh, and a lot of Hancock Fabrics stores are going out of business, and mom and I stopped off at the one near us, while we were in that area, and I found a beautiful tiara for 70% off. It's the same store where I got the maid-of-honor and flower girl fabric for 60% off. *smiles* I love saving money.
Anyway, through a chain of sources, someone recommended Gail K. Fabrics to me, reportedly the best selection of bridal fabrics in Atlanta, and now I believe them. I have never seen so many bridal choices, or different trims for that matter. So, I'm a very happy girl today, since I finally found my material. Big load off my mind. If anyone is near the Atlanta area and wants an incredible selection of fabrics, go to Gail K. Fabrics on Cheshire Bridge Rd in Atlanta.
Oh, and a lot of Hancock Fabrics stores are going out of business, and mom and I stopped off at the one near us, while we were in that area, and I found a beautiful tiara for 70% off. It's the same store where I got the maid-of-honor and flower girl fabric for 60% off. *smiles* I love saving money.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
An Interesting Effect
Don't anyone have a heart attack that I'm posting only days after my last post ;-).
So, I had an interesting effect while grading one of my students' finals. Let's see if anyone can figure out this paradox. Names and actual grades changed to protect the innocent ;-).
So, I have a student who we will call Sally. Sally was hovering on the C/D range before the final exam (70-79 is a C). She had just less than a 70 before the final exam, but rounded to the nearest whole number, she had a 70 average and was passing with a C.
Enter final exam. Sally's final exam score was higher than her previous course average (so more than a 70), but her final exam made her course average drop below a 70, rounding to a 69 as the nearest whole number. So her final course grade was a D.
So question: how did this happen?
So, I had an interesting effect while grading one of my students' finals. Let's see if anyone can figure out this paradox. Names and actual grades changed to protect the innocent ;-).
So, I have a student who we will call Sally. Sally was hovering on the C/D range before the final exam (70-79 is a C). She had just less than a 70 before the final exam, but rounded to the nearest whole number, she had a 70 average and was passing with a C.
Enter final exam. Sally's final exam score was higher than her previous course average (so more than a 70), but her final exam made her course average drop below a 70, rounding to a 69 as the nearest whole number. So her final course grade was a D.
So question: how did this happen?
Thursday, May 24, 2007
A New Page
. . . And so the pages in my life continue to turn. Yesterday I proctored and graded my final exams for Heritage Classical Study Center, marking a new phase in my life. I'm no longer a mathematics teacher, though I am still a tutor. I'm done with lesson planning, classroom management, writing tests, and grading homework. Hopefully, of course, since I don't know what the future will bring. But I'm moving towards the roles of homemaker, wife, and Lord willing, mother. I'll be tutoring through the summer and probably through the fall as well, but it won't be my main occupation anymore. I loved the opportunity I had to teach at Heritage, but I'm excited about moving into a new role :-).
Adrian and I are hoping to marry this fall, though that is not set in stone yet (what is set in stone in this life?). We will keep everyone updated when we are able to decide anything with more certainty. This summer, besides tutoring, I have two quilts to finish (one by June 16th, for my brother's wedding), a wedding dress and veil to make, a maid-of-honor dress to sew (for Hannah), and some miscellaneous other projects. I think it would perhaps be nice to actually complete a granny square afghan I have that is begging to be sewn together. I love hand-crocheted afghans! And maybe I'll be able to get started on curtains for our apartment. We'll see :-). Once we have a date I'll be sure to share more about our wedding plans and such, since I know many of you are curious!
Many life changes coming this way :-). My brother marries next month, and we are excited to have Stephanie as a sister-in-law :-D. Hannah is gone most of the summer break in foreign countries. Right now she is in Mexico through early June. Then she leaves again in late June to spend several weeks in Quebec for study abroad, back in mid-August to begin her senior year at UGA. My mom will be taking my place at Heritage in the fall, teaching classes there once a week (homework session one other afternoon, as well), instead of teaching home schoolers independently as she has done for years. My dad has the summer off, something he has only done one other time in my memory (usually he teaches summer school or a college summer semester), and I think he'll enjoy the break :-D. It'll give him more freedom for Ben's wedding and travels in the next few months. I'll be sewing, and sewing, and sewing. And planning wedding stuff, and visiting Adrian.
Times are changing, but God is good :-).
I hope to have time for more blogging this summer, though we'll see! For now, I hopped on here briefly while I cooled down from my morning workout, but I better hop in the shower now so I can get started on some more piecing for Ben and Stephanie's quilt!
Adrian and I are hoping to marry this fall, though that is not set in stone yet (what is set in stone in this life?). We will keep everyone updated when we are able to decide anything with more certainty. This summer, besides tutoring, I have two quilts to finish (one by June 16th, for my brother's wedding), a wedding dress and veil to make, a maid-of-honor dress to sew (for Hannah), and some miscellaneous other projects. I think it would perhaps be nice to actually complete a granny square afghan I have that is begging to be sewn together. I love hand-crocheted afghans! And maybe I'll be able to get started on curtains for our apartment. We'll see :-). Once we have a date I'll be sure to share more about our wedding plans and such, since I know many of you are curious!
Many life changes coming this way :-). My brother marries next month, and we are excited to have Stephanie as a sister-in-law :-D. Hannah is gone most of the summer break in foreign countries. Right now she is in Mexico through early June. Then she leaves again in late June to spend several weeks in Quebec for study abroad, back in mid-August to begin her senior year at UGA. My mom will be taking my place at Heritage in the fall, teaching classes there once a week (homework session one other afternoon, as well), instead of teaching home schoolers independently as she has done for years. My dad has the summer off, something he has only done one other time in my memory (usually he teaches summer school or a college summer semester), and I think he'll enjoy the break :-D. It'll give him more freedom for Ben's wedding and travels in the next few months. I'll be sewing, and sewing, and sewing. And planning wedding stuff, and visiting Adrian.
Times are changing, but God is good :-).
I hope to have time for more blogging this summer, though we'll see! For now, I hopped on here briefly while I cooled down from my morning workout, but I better hop in the shower now so I can get started on some more piecing for Ben and Stephanie's quilt!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Ready to Have a Baby?
I really appreciated Sherrin's post on readiness to have children. It struck a definite chord with me :-). I hope you enjoy!
Now off to pack to see Adrian for the weekend :-).
Now off to pack to see Adrian for the weekend :-).
Monday, May 07, 2007
Blogging Buddies and a Cute Baby
Yay! Ashley posted pictures of our meeting with Becky from Saturday :-). It was so much fun to meet Becky in person! She's just like she is online. She also brought along Katherine. *grin* That child is absolutely a doll! I got my baby fill for a little while :-).
Ashley and I drove down to Newnan to meet up with Becky, her mom, and Katherine. We had lunch at Ruby Tuesday's and then hopped over to Starbuck's for a while as well. We had a good time chatting with each other, just about anything that came to mind. Good companionship is a blessing from God :-).
Hehe. I just realized. Jessie, didn't you and I first meet at a Ruby Tuesday's also? I hadn't thought of that. How funny! Anyway, so that makes three blogging friends I've met in person. And Adrian is the only one I didn't first meet at Ruby Tuesday's. He's also the only one I plan to marry. *wink*
Ashley and I drove down to Newnan to meet up with Becky, her mom, and Katherine. We had lunch at Ruby Tuesday's and then hopped over to Starbuck's for a while as well. We had a good time chatting with each other, just about anything that came to mind. Good companionship is a blessing from God :-).
Hehe. I just realized. Jessie, didn't you and I first meet at a Ruby Tuesday's also? I hadn't thought of that. How funny! Anyway, so that makes three blogging friends I've met in person. And Adrian is the only one I didn't first meet at Ruby Tuesday's. He's also the only one I plan to marry. *wink*
Friday, May 04, 2007
Short Update
Okay, I figure I might as well post something, to appease the masses, or at least the remaining three or four who still check my lonely blog. Hehe. Besides, Adrian posted something yesterday, so I feel guilty.
I'm doing fine, just busy. My tutoring will end (except for a few homeschool students who will continue through the summer) on May 22nd, and my class finals are May 23rd. Until then, I'm snowed under. Today I'm trying to finalize my final exams, preparing for a giant trip to the copy place, and writing up keys to the finals, grading papers, planning for next week, etc., in preparation for a quick trip to Louisville with Adrian, to meet his brother Arne and family. Yay!
Oh, and I'm so excited! Ashley and I are going to drive to western Georgia tomorrow, to meet up with Becky for a few hours! Yay! That makes the third blog friend I'll get to meet in person (Jessie and Adrian being the other two).
Okay, now for a quick riddle. It's really not terribly exciting, trust me. I was talking with Adrian last night and said to him that I felt like the nagging wife in the Proverbs. To what was I referring? Amusing and serious answers are welcome. Just be nice.
I'm doing fine, just busy. My tutoring will end (except for a few homeschool students who will continue through the summer) on May 22nd, and my class finals are May 23rd. Until then, I'm snowed under. Today I'm trying to finalize my final exams, preparing for a giant trip to the copy place, and writing up keys to the finals, grading papers, planning for next week, etc., in preparation for a quick trip to Louisville with Adrian, to meet his brother Arne and family. Yay!
Oh, and I'm so excited! Ashley and I are going to drive to western Georgia tomorrow, to meet up with Becky for a few hours! Yay! That makes the third blog friend I'll get to meet in person (Jessie and Adrian being the other two).
Okay, now for a quick riddle. It's really not terribly exciting, trust me. I was talking with Adrian last night and said to him that I felt like the nagging wife in the Proverbs. To what was I referring? Amusing and serious answers are welcome. Just be nice.
Monday, April 16, 2007
For those wondering. . .
Praise God, Adrian is fine. We have been fielding numerous e-mails and phone calls today, from concerned people telling us they were praying and hoping Adrian was fine. Please pray for the students and faculty of Virginia Tech, as they deal with this tragedy, and that God will be glorified even in this great sadness.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
A Side-by-Side Comparison
The greatest (because it's so awful!) movie proposal in all of cinema, in my opinion, is Darcy's first proposal to Lizzy, a la A&E. That scene is absolutely delightful. Hehe. Here is the approximate text:
I much prefer this version:
What do you think? I rather think the second proposal is a great improvement, and terribly romantic. Especially if delivered on both knees, at sunset, by a duck pond, in a circle of stones under a cluster of trees. Now really, what girl could ask for a sweeter proposal? :-D And of course, really the more important detail is who is doing the asking. To complete the lovely scene, one must assume that the man doing the asking is the woman's man of her dreams. Just imagine in your mind's eye that he's sweet, sensitive, godly, handsome, intelligent, well-read, full of God-given grace, and wonderful in uncountable other ways, perfectly suited for the woman in question. Now that would be a romantic proposal. Why didn't Austen think of that?
In vain I have struggled; it will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. In declaring myself thus, I am fully aware that I will be going expressly against the wishes of my family, my friends, and I hardly need add my own better judgment. The relative situation of our families is such that any alliance between us must be regarded as a highly reprehensible connection. Indeed as a rational man I cannot but regard it as such myself, but it cannot be helped. Almost from the earliest moments of our acquaintance, I have come to feel for you a passionate admiration and regard, which despite all my struggles has overcome every rational objection and I beg you, most fervently, to relieve my suffering and consent to be my wife.
I much prefer this version:
In vain I have struggled; it will not do. My feelings can not be expressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. In declaring myself thus, I am fully aware that I will be going expressly according to the wishes of my family, my friends, and I hardly need add my own better judgment. The relative situation of our familes is such that any alliance between us must be regarded as a highly commendable connection. Indeed as a rational man I cannot but regard it as such myself, but it cannot be helped. Almost from the earliest moments of our meeting, I have come to feel for you a passionate admiration and regard, which despite all my encouragement has only added to all the other rational reasons we should be married; and I beg you, most fervently, to relieve my suffering and consent to be my wife.
What do you think? I rather think the second proposal is a great improvement, and terribly romantic. Especially if delivered on both knees, at sunset, by a duck pond, in a circle of stones under a cluster of trees. Now really, what girl could ask for a sweeter proposal? :-D And of course, really the more important detail is who is doing the asking. To complete the lovely scene, one must assume that the man doing the asking is the woman's man of her dreams. Just imagine in your mind's eye that he's sweet, sensitive, godly, handsome, intelligent, well-read, full of God-given grace, and wonderful in uncountable other ways, perfectly suited for the woman in question. Now that would be a romantic proposal. Why didn't Austen think of that?
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