I won't even begin to describe how late this is, and I apologize profusely for the aforesaid tardiness in getting back to you all but I hope that you will forgive me and--now that the Christmas rush is over--I hope to correspond with increased regularity.

Well, how's that for a run-on sentence! Oh, it feels good to be back! My family and I had a wonderful Christmas, but New Year's was a little under the weather as we all had intermittent versions of the dreaded flu--but not the stomach flu, which--to quote our beloved Kylie, is something to be thankful for. I will tell you what Christmas was like in a moment, but first I would like to post our family picture for the various friends that reside at HSB. [Warning: Prepare yourself for the tall alien in a red dress who dares to call herself Mariel!]

Left to Right: Me (13) , Elizabeth (7), Mommy, Emma (5), Daddy, Corny (10 or 11 in February), and John (8 or 9 in February) 

I must say, my siblings look very nice in that picture, though that was before Spiderboy got his hair cut. *gasp* You should have seen the difference. Both my parents look good in it, contrary to my mother's belief that she appears large in this photo.

I. Don't. Think. So.

Oh, I am so very blessed with my family! My father is the strong, persevering oak, gentle rebuker, handyman, willing explainer, godly example and humorous comedian; my mother is the supporting vine, beautiful, self-sacrificing, wise teacher, my understanding confidante, and God is so real to her! My sister, the lovely Cornflower, is my giggly, tell-secrets-at-night confidante, comedian extraordinare, partial tomboy, and smart computer-lover; John is the silly, I-like-to-do-all-kinds-of-things, thoughtful and delightful brother, and the little girls keep us entertained with their sparkling and unique personalities. I love my family!

Our parents and relatives were very generous this year, and as such there were many wonderful surprises waiting for us under the tree.  Still, all this put me in mind of Jesus, the First Gift. If he had not come as a small, human baby, what would become of us? Just take a moment and think about that.....if Jesus had not come, there would be no resurrection, if there were no resurrection, there would be no interception from Jesus for us to the Father. We would have no hope, for we sinful, weak, self-important people cannot keep God's Law but break it repeatedly, thereby securing eternal punishment for ourselves. But God, in His breathtaking mercy, sent His Son--His only begotton Son--to take our place. Why? Because He loved us. I ask you; what have we ever done to deserve this love? I know I have done nothing. So what am I trying to say? I am reminding myself that Jesus is the "Reason for the Season".

In light of that amazing fact, I will describe to you our Christmas Day celebration--well, I think I'll have to do that later as it is time for dinner, but, once more, it is SO wonderful to talk with you all again!

God Bless You, and may your New Year be guided by Him,

~Mariel~

 And here is the tag from Daddy's Lioness:

:

you've just been tagged by DaddysLionesshere are your questions: 1.How many brothers do you have? One 2.How many sisters do you have? Three 3.Can you whistle? Yes 4.Do you like "Silly Songs with Larry"? It's cute. 5.How often do you wear black? Not very often. 6.Do you like to wear black? It's not my favorite, but I like it. 7.How about pink/purple? Not extremely. 8.What is you favorite veggie? Probably corn or garbanzo beans. 9.How often do you lose your hairbrush? About once a week. 10.How long is your hair? Just about one-and-a-half inches higher than my elbow.

That was fun! Thank you again! (I am very sorry that it took so long!

Warmly,

Mariel

Apologies. Why elaborate when everyone knows what I am going to say? I am very sorry that I have not responded to you all and been absent for a lengthy period of time. Honest!

Now, one thing; are any of you positively intrigued by the use and anatomy of words? For I am and always have been. My mother and I have had long discussions on simply the sound of one word or the placement of another! They fascinate me, therefore when I find a book which marries the perfect word with the perfect sentence and then the perfect paragraph, it is devoured. So you can imagine the happy thoughts that go through this girl's head when she does her Total Language Plus curriculum which combines literature, vocabulary, spelling, grammar and critical thinking skills all in one! No, if you are wondering if this is an advertisement, you are wrong. I merely wish to share an enjoyable assignment I had with regards to the vocabulary portion in one of my lessons. You see, I had to use my vocabulary words, plus the ones from the former unit in sentences--and I could use more than one word per sentence! This was shaping up to be a pretty fun part of my lesson! Now, I will underline the words that were part of my vocabulary for that unit, and I leave it up to you to decide whether these are well-used or not.

1. (this first sentence is not the most--well, you can see for yourself, but I'm putting it last)

2. I was aghast at the burgeoning fracas the zealots were causing.

I love this one! (above)

3. It has been almost a fortnight since Rhoda was christened and baptized.

4. As Amos donned his tallith and stepped out the door, he gently fingered the mezuzah, then joined the other men and boys in phylacteries.

5. Justin was baffled; what had his cousin been thinking?

There is a connection between this sentence and the one below it; number six. "Justin" is describing "Bertha" in his mind.

6. Bertha had blue-black curls down to her waist, a flowing dress of dazzling white, with a multi-faceted amethyst brooch fastened to her collar which set off her vibrant complexion--she was beautiful!

7. A rancid stench emitted from the mangy pauper, suffocating the delicous odor from the lentils.

8. His hunger was interminable, yet he was forced to be finicky, restrained by the manacles of his fast.

9. Samuel anointed David, the conqueror.

Again, a connection:9-10.

10. His cohorts stood by, the auxiliaries in the rear.

11. His arm a cubit long, and quite muscular. 

So there you have it! What do you think? Do I have a future as an authoress? Just kidding--it was fun to do! Oh, and about that last sentence....well, all right, here it is:

12. Only an infidel would dare to blaspheme the name of our Messiah in the synagogue!

Good words, bad meaning. This is NOT implicative!

I look forward to hearing your probable humor in the replies! In the meantime, I would like to thank WillowTree10 for awarding me the Beautiful Blog award created by her! I am going off to bed, so I will award five deserving people in my next post! Here is the banner, and many many thanks!

  Beautiful!

Now goodnight, dear bloggers! Sleep well.

Warmly, and with much love,

~Mariel~

Today is the day! Today is the day! I've waited a whole year and it's finally here! Alphameticasmicdociousogger! Oh, my. Do you know, I was trying to find a word that fit, and my brain automatically triggered some meaningless twaddle to express some unknown emotion supposedly classified as 'joy' but.....pardon me. This is so unlike myself....

I am blessed with a generous family! My wonderful, devoted, sel-sacrificing, simply spiffing parents gave me my favorite "holdable" gift--books! Ever heard of H. Rider Haggard? King Solomon's Mines, Pearl Maiden, The Brethren, or Lysbeth? Those are written by him and he is a fabulous writer! Anyhow, I had PM and TB and my parents gave me Lysbeth! They also gave me Christy by Catherine Marshall, my sweet brother gave me Jason and the Argonauts retold by Felicity Brooks and a handmade card with a special message just from him. :+) As did my caring sister, again with a handmade card. My parents also gave me an embossed leather journal, as I had spoken of my wish to write in a "official" old-fashioned diary--it was beautiful! My grandparents, great-grandparents and great-aunt/uncle also gave me gift cards for Target, Borders and cash--which I haven't spent half of yet! Thank you, Lord, for my family!

Now, I would like to express most sincere thanks for the wonderful friends and friendships I have here at HSB--I am SO very grateful for you all, and for the warmth, encouragement, comfort and inspiration you have given me! God Bless You All!

My plans for this year are:

1. Continue to grow and serve the Lord more fully.

2. Keep a record of all the movies that I watch in a year, and judge my screen time from that!

3. Cultivate my relationships with family, siblings and friends.

4. Be able to offer God something at the end of this year of my life.

Love from Within,

~Mariel~ 

Ah, so here we go: my brilliant sister got these awards up for me, though, of course I would have figured it out myself....right? Oh boo-hoo, I am SO incompetent when it comes to HTML, that it almost hurts me to see my sister rattle it off--I'm kidding, of course!

Oh, do you know, my birthday is in almost two weeks! (The 25th) I will be thirteen! A teenager! And that is NOT a bad word! It is how it's used. I am excited, but not because I'm entering my teens, or because I get presents, or because us children get a school holiday on birthdays, though I look forward to those things very much, but because I get to have another year to serve the LORD! And my wonderful friend Jocelyn remembered and acknowledged it on the VirtuousMaidens blog! Oh, she is so sweet! Still, with the big one-three, comes the exclusion of all those reduced price ranges for ages 6-12 when you go to a resturant! Oh, well. That's the only thing to lose, so look on the bright side!

Ah, yes, and before I pass it off as "okay" I would like to formally, officially and sincerely apologize for my HUGE absence and 'same-old entry'. Goodbye to "Regular Blogger Reputation"! I could at least say, "I'm sort of busy at this time, so I won't be able to get back to you for a while..."! I'm sorry.

Oh, and for the record, before anybody starts looking up to me as a role model, may I say what I struggle with? I struggle with laziness--no really! I don't even--well, I've already started so I might as well let it all out--sweep the floor everyday, I don't load the dishwasher everyday, I certainly don't make my bed everyday, and our (Corn's and I) laundry hamper is a joke! I am NOT a good example of a helpful daughter, and some girls my age could even run their own households! I'm turning thirteen on the 25th, and "turning a new leaf" is harder than ever. What do I have to offer Jesus at the end of my twelfth year of life??? A bedroom that hasn't been vacuumed for weeks? Irregular reading of the Word, and even when I do, I barely think about it for the rest of the day? Sure, some verses stick and remind, but that's rare. Guilt at seeing my friends at church who do their jobs regularly and are diligent on a regular basis? And usually, they do it because they want to! Whereas me, when Mommy asks me to clean the bathroom, rage and "It's not fair!" churn inside of me.

I pray consistently for God to change me, but I've started to wonder--especially after this week's sermon from our pastor--do I really expect God to do all the work? Yes, and why shouldn't I? The Bible says that we need to surrender ourselves to Him and He will change us, right? Note to self: Excuse me, Mariel, but haven't you noticed that the Bible also says, "We must decide to follow Him?" God isn't going to spoonfeed us/me. Do I expect him to? Yes, of course, I can't do it. Pardon? God gave you free will, and when you get mad at your siblings or at your mother, that is your choice. In the same way, we need to choose to listen to God, to allow him to sculpt us. Sure, I want him to change me, no question, but we have to ask, is wanting always doing? No, it is not. I. Must. Allow. Him. The sooner I realize that, the better. Thank you, Bloggers. You are all SO encouraging!

Oh, and next post will be about the "Nice Matters" award, that Kylie gave me. And what she said about me almost made me cry! I love you, Kylie!

Love from Within,

~Mariel~

  I know it's about time I posted, and this is the last day of the contest too! Short on time, I can only tell you all that I have been busy-very busy. Here goes; let's see if I can make a tribute that is even remotely accurate.

A Tribute to my Dad

--------------------------------------------------

I love my dad. I don't see any other better way to begin. If you asked me why, I could spew forth pages, but as we don't have that, I will name as many as I can and hope you get the same impression I do. I am going to divide this into three parts:

--------------------------------------------

(A) Why I Love Him

(B) What He Has Done For Me

(C) What I Can Do For Him

--------------------------------------------

(A) Why I Love Him

Because he loves me. And he showes me that he loves me. He is always ready for a hug and he takes time to explain difficult subjects. He needs to reprove me often, but he does it in a gentle yet firm manner that pierces a lot farther than yelling ever could.

He is always there to protect my heart, and I know I can tell him pretty much anything (same with my mom) and when I did have feelings for someone once (not anymore, thanks to God) I was able-because of the bond of trust that we had-to tell him through Mommy about it. He is very careful about what we watch on the television also (movies and shows) and we have a TVGuardian on those very grounds!

He is the kind of father who will take you out if only for some special time together. Here, let me give you an example; say you were going to a baseball game with him or something along those lines, and you didn't really know the inner workings, plays and positions of the game-he would explain all those things to you, and point them out too-just so you would be able to enjoy the game with him!  

He works very hard at his job, and sometimes it is overwhelming to him. And still, he has that much patience that if he comes home to a messy house and bickering children, he just shrugs his shoulders, takes command and tries to make Mommy's burden lighter by stopping the bickering, and ordering a "House Rescue" which is what we refer to as cleaning up the house, then asking Mommy what he can do to help. That is what I call long-suffering!

 

If he sees me crying during a movie (which I usually try to hide, crying that is, not from him, just in general) then he will often come over, sit next to me and rub my leg. He is the kind of dad who doesn't make a big deal out it, he just offers a little comfort.

(B) What He Has Done For Me

He has inspired me and shown me what a real man of God is, and he is what I want in my future husband. He has shown me many things technological-one of his specialties-and while I don't think I could build a computer at the moment, thanks to him, I know enough to get around. :+)

He has taught me so much, and frankly, I would know only half the things I know now if not for him!

 

(C) What I Can Do For Him

 

I can show him what a true daughter can be, I can be his ray of sunshine when he comes home, I can tell him about what my day was like, I can make him laugh. I can show him that I care about what he has to say, I can show him that when I apologize, I mean it.

I can be a comfort or a burden, a joy or a pain, an optimist or a pessimist, a good listener or a brush-off. "If you love me you will do what I command you." I will show my father that I love him by listening, learning, and doing.

I love you, Daddy!

Love from Within,

~Mariel~

P.S. I wrote most of this on the fourteenth, but we had to go somewhere so I didn't finish it, but still, you don't have to be in a contest to write a loving note about your father. You should be lifting him up in ways like this every single day. (Sorry, Jocelyn. I would have been on time! I will still say I wrote this on the 14th though, because--technically--I did!)

Greetings, faithful readers. I trust I find you all in good health, spirits and disposition. I would like to acknowledge (at long last) the awards which kind blog friends have bestowed upon my humble blog. To make this introduction rather monosyllabic, yet appreciative, I would like to thank my friends, the lovely Rose, the gracious Willow, and the roguish () yet charming Ryann for their wonderful sweetness in honoring my blog and I. You three are delightful!

  Rose awarded me this, and I am honored to receive it!

Now it is my duty and pleasure to bestow this award upon five people who, I feel, really deserve this honor:

Underthesky: Because she's my mother, and glad am I that it is so.

Eric: Because he deserves it, and also because he truly has a purpose.

Mrs. Suarez: Because she has a purpose worth noticing, because children should be schooled at home.

Paul: Because his purpose is to be him, and that is a purpose in itself.

Myrtle: Because on her personal blog she has all the awards I have to offer, so I gave it to her on her other blog. Love you!

  This was awarded me by Willow, and it is a pretty addition to my blog! Thank you!

Underthesky: Didn't I say? She deserves it!

Frodo and Legolas: They are extremely intelligent and thoughtful girls; I can always reflect on their posts! Also, they already had the 'Blogging With a Purpose' award, or I would have given them that too!

Mrs. Novak: She has a beautiful blog, and she is very sweet and gracious; I owe her many thanks for multiple favors. Mrs. Novak, this is sort of like a thank you present for publishing me, and also for being so patient!

Chloe, Lois, Rachel and Hannah: These girls probably write some of the mot reflective entries I have ever seen! They really care about what they write.

Mrs. Igarashi: I think we all know why she is reflective--love you, Mrs. Igarashi!

 And guess who awarded me this little doozy....that's right! RedHeadRyann....you rock, girl!

Cornflower: She's my sister, I love her, she deserves this, and she rocks!

Kylie: This is the only award of these three that she doesn't have, and as the giver, I am delighted to do it! She has been a wonderful friend since we met, and we even had a comment conversation while we were both in our pajamas!

Grace: She writes excellent movie reviews, she responds very promptly, and she is the only person I know who lives in Israel! "It's a small world after all....."

Jess: It seemed a fitting award to give her, and she is a great girl! Hope you enjoy this, Jess!

Lady Rachel: This was also the only award out of these three that she did not have, (popular) and her blog was one of those that would fit. She is very smart and a grand writer!

Well, I would like to congratulate all those that I have chosen, and I am proud to have you as my friends!

Farewell, dear Readers!

Love from Within,

~Mariel~

P.S. Cornflower has a new post, and could you possibly stop by? She would love that! Thank you. 

Our new kitty, Caspian. Pictures as promised. :+)

Isn't he adorable?

Mariel

  Since, quote: "my fans" have been waiting for a new entry (I really do need to catch up--unfortunately for me, because that means I have been lazy again....) I have decided to make one and--to tell the truth--I have a lot of news! But, as there is so much to write, and also because my sister is ahead of me on entries even though she *never* gets on [] I have decide to break up the news into different parts, and besides that, I want pictures with some of the news that are not ready yet. So let's see, where to start.....

Well, since I can't think of anything without pictures at the moment, I'll just answer a tag and then see what Data Control has found in it's files. It'll be probably VERY well thought out and intelligent! :+)

Oh, and this tag is copied from a comment by We the Peeps, so, quote:

it just so happens that i have a tag for you too!
1. what kind of books do you like to read? ex. adventure, horror, romance, etc.  It depends, I have never read horror stories, believe it or not I have never ead Jane Austen (though she is on my list) and adventure books? Sure, I'll go with that.
2. do you like comedy movies? frankly, i don't know a person who doesn't. Yes, I like them, when they are NOT filled with bathroom humor (Example: The Wild) or, silly, quote-on-quote, *funny* lines.
3. why do you like the color red? It came up anonymously, I wanted to change my favorite color [colour] from pink and red popped up! 
4. when are you going to tag me again? (hee! hee!) Get lost, you pest! How about a tagback! Nah, nah...
5. do you want to be anything else besides a writer when you grow up? Or a mother, maybe?
6.have you ever wondered if you might not go to heaven when you die? if so, you're not alone. Yes, I have--many times! It IS good to know I'm not alone!
7. that's all for now, bye! Why?
P.S. lets see if you can guess who this is from...
i'll give you a hint, we have never met in person,
but then again, that's not much of a hint, so here's another one. you've seen a picture of me on my blog. come to think of it, you've seen a bunch of pictures of me! Right, I wonder if it's--no it couldn't be!--Wait!--it is! It's We The Peeps! Ta-da!

Well, that was very fun! Rather enjoyable, I must say! Oh, dear.

  May I begin my thought-out post now? Thank you. No, don't make fun of me, I am just at a loss for a way to open it! Soooo, I have to resort to the too-widely-used opening in which it sounds as if someone's going to say "You know?" very soon. [Example: "I just couldn't think of anything, you know?"]

I have been very sick this past week. Yes, I had a chest cold that was nasty! I'll describe it to you here, if you like.

  You see, it all began with a regular stuffy nose, only it was runny too. So I was sniffling for most of the time, but, it turns out, that the sniffles lodged in my air pipes! Therefore, I started wheezing, and it was rather hard to breathe. My breathing rate became faster and unsteady, and I coughed regularly. My mother suggested a hot shower--as hot as I could take--to open up my passageways. I took one and, yes, it made me feel a little better but it certainly didn't do the whole job! She gave me some tea, she bought me some menthal coughdrops, which helped some, but not enough. Nights were even worse. It took me a long time to get to sleep, and when I did, my body worked desperately to get air, taking short, quick breaths.

So finally, Mommy called Kaiser Hospital and asked if she should get an appointment or get into ER (Emergency Room). They pulled her through a, quote, "slough of questions" and then she asked me whether I wanted to wait for an appointment, or if I wanted to go to ER. I said I would prefer an appointment. So, she got me an appointment for 9:00 a.m., the same day, by the way. We arrived early, the first people there, and waited a few minutes for a lady doctor while watching a short film "The Toy Soldier" that came before "Toy Story". She took me into the examination room, looked at my eyes, listened to my heartbeat, etc. etc. She then pronounced me with asthma symptoms, but not asthma. Did I meantion that she was EXTREMELY delightful and respectful? Well, she was.

  A few minutes afterward, another woman came in, saying that she had gon searching for me because she did not get my room number! She had looked in the bathroom, in the halls, etc. It was quite funny. She took Mommy and I into the "Procedure Room" (I took careful note of what it was called) where she gave me a nebulizer--but not before she gave me a gramm cracker and some canned applejuice since I had had no breakfast that morning. The applejuice was gross. I like it cold, and this was not very cold and it was not good. I told Mommy so after she left (the lady). When I came away from the nebulizer, they gave us a certificate for a pharmacy with the inhaler I needed and the pills. We got them at the pharmacy and she stopped by Macdonalds to get something for us, but I told her I didn't want anything.

"Why not?' she asked.

"I just don't feel like it right now."

"Well, how about a glass of orange juice?"

'Yeah, okay!"

So she bought it, and as we were driving out of the block, Mommy noticed a store for used books that she had never seen before and she asked me to read the hours sign. I started to gurgle it out to her but then she burst out: "If you're going to throw up then do it out the door!" I opened the garage door and did, moaning to Mommy that "I told you I didn't like that applejuice!" Yuck.

  Bleh. So after that episode, we went home and found out that Daddy had a "Candid Camera" DVD on. They are SO FUNNY! The people DO tend to use the Lord's name in vain, unfortunately, though. Example: "Oh my ---!" And now, I am on steroid pills. But I do not have to use the inhaler anymore. Thank the Lord I got better though, because we are going to the SCOPE conference tomorrow!

Also thank the Lord that I have sucha wonderful mother! She told me she was really anxious about me the whole time. When she smiles--that smile full of love, caring, and motherly compassion, I really do think she is the loveliest person in the world. Prettier than any model or actress, she has the shining light of inward beauty in her face when she smiles, that wonderful, genuine smile.

God Bless You All! And thank you for listening to my, er, detailed account of my bout of sickness.

Love from Within,

~Mariel~

P.S. Mommy is going to see Shrek the Third with her very good friend! What a treat!