Big Life Questions! ;)

These are some things that I sometimes wonder about:

If a teacher taught, why can't a preacher have praught?

Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

Is it wrong to go inside a store through an exit door? (I do it all the time)

If big dogs have little dogs, and fish have little fishes,
Then why can't sinks have little sinks instead of dirty dishes?

Who named the pine-apple? It is not made of pine, or apple!

Will you really be federally prosecuted if you cut the tags off of your mattress? How would they know?

What ever happened to that letter I purposely left in the magazine on the plane? Did anyone ever read it?

If I made a time-capsule, or a ten-year letter, would I have the fortitude never to read it till the appointed time? (Wait. I may have written one and stuck it in my hopechest....I can't remember! :D)

Will anyone ever find my detailed journals when I am dead and gone and treasure them as I would someone else's from the 1800's or something?

Are the floor plans to government buildings as available as Ben Gates and Riley Poole make them seem in National Treasure? Was all that made up?

-Rachel ;)

Ball Preparations :)

"Bed, bed, I couldn't go to bed,

My head's to light to try to set it down,

Sleep, sleep, I couldn't sleep tonight,

Not for all the jewels in the crown!

I could have danced all night,

I could have danced all night,

And still have begged for more.

I could have spread me wings,

And done a thousand things,

I've never done before....."

Around here, we love dancing. And we have a pet peeve: DANCING WITHOUT MUSIC!!!!!!! You really will end up gallumphing if you don't have some sort of something to help you go along gracefully! :) But since most of the time we don't like having to drag a c.d. player into the front yard, we just sing the music. True, we sound choppy since it is hard to keep a steady voice, sing "The Port Royal Gallop" and do a polka all at the same time, or to dance the "Ship's Cook" and sing "The Maid That Sold Her Barley", but we do it all the same! Waltzes are easier- Sarah and I simply start into "Ten Minutes Ago I Met You" from Rogers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella".

"Ten minutes ago I met you,

I looked up as you came through the door-

My head started wheeling

You gave me the feeling,

The room had no ceiling or floor.

Ten minutes ago I saw you,

And you murmured a `how do you do?'

I wanted to ring out the bells

And to....(I forget the words)"

It's alot of fun really! :) So, another thing we have been doing, (and this for brushing up before the ball) is asking eachother for a dance, and practicing accepting and refusing partners graciously. Sarah finds excessive amusement in dumbfounding me. Last night, she came up and said, "Do you have a partner?", with an air of expectant gallantry. I modestly said, "No." and then, instead of asking me, she walked away!!!!! I didn't know what to say, and pretty soon she fell on the ground laughing at me. We are constantly quoting the scene from "The Sound of Music"

"Leisl, who are you dancing with?"

"Nobody..."

"Oh yes you are!"

"May I have this dance?"

"I would be delighted young man!"

The reason we are practicing refusals, is because we have decided that we don't want to do the Waltz (the Spanish waltz is fine) or the Polka with any young men except for Daniel or Matthew. They are rather close-ish dances to do without some embarassment and uncomfortableness on the girl's part at least. Yes, Sarah is quite a clown about it all- she has set up every swingin' scenario you could imagine- she went down on her knees and asked me, she grabbed my shoulder and asked me, she tapped me on the shoulder, she bowed, she chased me around on her knees like some very short and scary man....she really is very inventive. You know me! I make an elaborate bow to Sarah and ask her for a dance in the most correct and pretty language. But when she asks me, she pretends she is chewing on a straw and says, "Ya' wanna dance?" What would we do without personalities?

All around our house we are buzzing about the ball. Last night I set to putting a French tuck (by hand- reenactor fashion you know ;) into my skirt with as much goodwill as any young woman ever has when preparing her finery for her first ball. I only hope that I get asked to dance, because I would rather dance with a blind mule than sit and watch people doing it when I can't! The King's Daughter and I have already pledged each other that if we both are left to dry-rot along the side, we'll dance with each other! :) Well, I had better go! -Rachel

P.S. Thank you Eric and Charity for becoming our 31 and 32 followers!!!! :) We hope you enjoy reading this blog and continue to visit and comment!:D

I Can See You! ;)

Hey guys! This is Rachel- recently I've been thinking about something. First of all, I think it is safe to say that I am a pretty observant young lady. Whenever I go somewhere, I spend half my time watching the people around me. My personality is definitely a people person, even though around strangers I am bashful to an irritating point. I know that I could carry on a perfectly intelligent conversation, but I can't ever think of how to begin. Okay. That is getting off on a rabbit trail. Anyway, I meant to say that although I am an obsevant person, I have never yet mastered the art of reading people's faces and eyes as everyone else seems to do in books:
" When she entered the room Cynthia sate by her dressing-table, just as she came up from the drawing-room. She had been leaning her head on her arms, and seemed almost to have forgotten the tryst she had made with Molly, for she looked up as if startled, and her face did seem full of worry and distress." -Wive and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
So, if I came into a room with a young lady sitting there, I would maybe perceive that she was surprised, but would I be able to term that it was full of "worry and distress"? And could I label what feelings were in someone's eyes, or notice when their color changed? I think now I can if I want to. For the past few weeks, Sarah and I have been making it a point to look people in the eyes when we speak to them, and to notice the emotions therein. (We don't do it all the time, but for fun sometimes) Also, I have been more closely observing the emotions in various people's faces. It is an amusing sport, and sharpens your wit and understanding. It is greatly amusing to me! And soon I'll get a prime opportunity to practice my newly gained prowess as a "people observer". ;) We are going to the ball, and I will get my fill of seeing crowds of people! ;) Not really though, I don't want anyone to think I'll be studying them. I just like to be able to label what I see if I want to! :) Anyway, it is an entertaining thing to think about and observe, and one that has been beneficial to me in understanding others' moods and emotions. It may sound boring, but it is actually fun! -Rachel

As My Wrists Slide Off The Desk and My Hair Sticks To My Neck...

It is hot. I thought May Day (at least according to all the poets) was supposed to usher in the coming of Spring? Around here, it ushered it out. Today is a full-fledged summer day. I am typing slowly because my wrists are sliding off the desk, and my fingers are sticking to the keyboard from the heat. Our A/C downstairs is broken, so it was an adventure hosting 85 people with only fans on. My face is beet red. And according to my built-in barometer, the the temperature is awful (mid 90's) and humid to beat the band. In case you are wondering about my barometer, it is more correctly termed "my hair". :)Right now my little curls around my face are standing in "spurks" out the sides of my head, and super crazy. You can always tell the weather by my hair, which is irritating because it has all the inconvinience of curls but is only wavy-ish. I felt this morning like there was fire through my veins it was so hot!!! I know I'm complaining. Sorry! But crumbs! The younger ones are playing in the sprinkler. I am half-tempted to join them! :) But seriously- not even the boys at church wanted to play volleyball because it was hot as blazes!
So, moving on to subjects that are less sticky and pink and sunny..... I am reading "Wives and Daughters" by Elizabeth Gaskell and am loving it. A very sweet and simple story with a heroine that bears imitating! Molly Gibson is so humble and sweet and feminine! I love her! On another subject, we are all excited about the ball, and praying that it doesn't rain! Well, I am on duty to watch the kids so I'd better say adieu, and Abigail, has our mutual friend interrupted your cool slumber yet? ;) -Rachel

Dreams of Matrimony ;)

I love having dreams! Unfortunately, I don't have that many anymore, but when I do, they are certainly sure to be a doozy! Throughout my life my dreams have mostly centered around cougars, bears, kidnappers, or getting married. The last catagory is the most amusing. I dreamt the other night that one of my friends was getting married to a man named "Bob Parsons". This man came from England. His profession? A Partridger. Which, her father explained to me, is exactly what is sounds like: a man who kills partridges. Her father had objected to the marriage two years before, since he wasn't sure if one could make a living and support a family if he was only a "partridger". But I suppose dear Bob had shown himself faithful, and had bought Joanna a perfectly hideous ring. It took up half her hand and was made of huge purple flowers with gaudy false diamonds in swirls around the side. I found myself falsely praising it's beauty....hmmm.
Then there was that time years ago when I dreamed that I had to marry a young man who had allergies, and looked like Mr. Incredible's boss. Dad was forcing me to marry him, and then, on the wedding day, had me in tears because he wouldn't change out of his painting shirt and stop fixing Mama's bed that for some reason had fallen apart.
Another time I dreamt that I was on a really boring honeymoon in Hawaii where all we did was drive up and down hills covered in palm trees and hibiscus in a stuffy car while Mama and Dad followed a bit behind in a convertible. Strange huh? Well, this was rather a dull post, but I must go do Saturday chores to prepare for church! -Rachel