Woo Hoo! 21!!!

Happy 21st birthday, Ashleigh!! What a huge week-- 21st birthday today, and taking the State Boards on Thursday. Whew!
We love you Ashcakes and wish you the happiest birthday ever.

Our Crazy English Language

You know, I keep hearing more and more complaints from people everyday about having to deal with someone who doesn't speak English. It's understandably frustrating having to deal with someone in a service field that you can't communicate with, and I've done my share of complaining as well! But did you ever stop to think how HARD it is to learn our language?

I work in the office of a private Christian school, and one of our teachers gave me an article to read about our language, and it began with this poem:

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
but plural of ox became oxen not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice;
yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet,
and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
but though we say mother, we never say methren!

The article went on to say, let's face it - English is a crazy language! We have so many screwy pronunciations that can mess up your mind.... for example:
"If you have a rough cough, climbing can be tough when going through the bough of a tree."
or
"Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present."
or
"The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert."

We should be grateful that we grew up speaking English and don't have to learn it as a second language. All the people who ARE learning it probably think we should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane!

She did it!!!

Another milestone....Ashleigh graduated today from Cosmetology school, 11 days shy of her 21st birthday! We're so proud of her; she really seems to love what she's doing and is very good at it. She will be taking the State Boards for her license on the 31st, so keep her in your prayers.

Her retro Hollywood starlet

hairdo was done by her friends!

Clocking out for the last time

Bryan giving her a cupcake-icing-kiss

Ash & her biggest fans

Yay for Scottleigh!!!

Happy Birthday to YOUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!
Hope you have an AWESOME birthday little brother!


"Just when I thought you couldn't get any dumber, you go and do something like this......AND TOTALLY REDEEM YOURSELF!!!!!" ~Harry

Love ya Cotty T. Hup!!

Happy New Year!

Sometimes I really wonder why I let my wonderful cousin Stacy talk me into starting a blog. I'm a horrible writer, so many of my posts have pictures instead of insightful thoughts! And as far as insightful thoughts go, well, let's just say that there seems to be a permanent drought in the area of original thought in my tiny little brain! :-D

BUT... I am a great copier!! Yep! A regular little Xerox machine, I am. I have made some awesome scrapbooks...using other people's ideas and designs! I keep a book of design ideas that I have seen and love, and refer back to it often. Sometimes I do tweak the designs a bit to make them my own, but not usually! I just find something that fits my needs and copy it exactly. Is that wrong????

So, staying true to form, I have some New Year thoughts to share. They're not my own of course, but they're good! (compiled from various sources)

• Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
• Read more books and watch less T.V.
• Trust in God but lock your car.
• In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don't bring up the past; and fight fairly--no name calling!
  
• Remember that NOT getting what you want is sometimes the blessing.
• When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
• Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
• Call your mom and dad.
• Spend time alone with God each day.
• Smile when answering the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
• Do all you can to create a tranquil, harmonious home.
• Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
  
• Pray. There's immeasurable power in it.

Wishing all the best to you in 2008!!!