Accurate vs. Precise, OR Well, but Wrong.

Recently my dad was talking about the difference in being precise or being accurate. An architect can be very precise in his measurements, down to several hundreths of an inch, but if he's a foot off from where he should be measuring from, his very precise measurement is precisely inaccurate! On the other hand, someone else can be not quite so precise as the first guy, but yet have a more accurate measurement, if this guy started from and ended at the right places, though he may only measure in one-inch increments.

All that to say, I just realized that there are several things that I do that are accurately imprecise. Things that I do "wrong", but well:

- For example, I type very quickly and with good accuracy, but I don't type "the way you're supposed to." I just don't do the asdf, jkl; thing right. In fact I don't use my pinkies at all, except for my left pinky, whose sole purpose is to press "shift." (Poor little right pinky never gets to do anything!)
- I also don't write cursive correctly. My "cursive" is neither print nor cursive, yet contains elements of each.
- Another thing that was recently brought to my attention was that I don't tap my fingers correctly. You know, like when someone is tapping their fingers because they're impatient. (But I would never be impatient, of course... Just so you know.) I start from my first finger and end on my pinky, whereas everyone else in my family starts with their pinkies and ends on their first finger. Oh well, what can I say? I remember having to teach myself how to even do it my way! [You may not know, though you should, that I am very uncoordinated, (though I've improved somewhat) so it was a big deal to me several years ago that I couldn't tap my fingers in a run like everybody else! What I failed to notice was the order in which they were tapped...] So now I can only do it wrong. I would have to force myself to relearn it, if I wanted to, to do it "right."
- I also never fill out forms in the right order. I skip around and come back to things, and check over what I've done to see if I missed anything. I've found that when I have to write receipts in our book at the library that I jump all around the page, filling out first one section, then another, but yet I do it in my same mixed-up way every time. Once again, I am being, though accurate (it all gets filled in), very imprecise (it's done crazy-like).

This tendency to be accurate, but not precise, may have something to do with my learning style. I think I'm classified as a Concrete Random... But a lesson I've learned from noticing these tendencies is how important it is to learn something right the first time. It really doesn't matter mcuh how I type or write or fill out forms or tap my fingers, I know. But in more serious areas of life, it is important to learn something the right way, the first time. It's always harder to re-learn something when you've first learned it incorrectly. So kids, listen to your parents and learn to do things the way they say to, and even more importantly, learn your spelling words right the first time! ;-)

A very little ado about nothing in particular

I just had to let all of you know that I've finally gotten my "to read" blog roll on Google Reader down to just three, read it, three, posts!! Whoo-hooh! And really, it's only one-and-a-half, since I've read parts of two of them, and all of one of them, and I'm saving the latter for a reference to sermons I am wanting to hear. So celebrate with me, dear bloggers, I'm catching up!

Also, I have been meaning to update my sidebar with a link to my family's photo website on sermonaudio.com.

And, just one more thing. More pictures for you. Though I had intented on writing a post about what I did for my birthday, it hasn't happened yet. But I will quickly mention that my co-workers threw me a party Thursday, and you can see the pictures here. My pictures start with the one of a sign, which was placed right at the entryway. The next is of the beautiful cake they bought me!
But be sure to check out the other pictures in the album, if you have the time... Of the six of us librarians, all of us are hitting "zeros" within a year. Poor Karen, she's a "2"... So my boss kicked off the zero celebrations, turning 50 in July (we made her an office for her birthday! You have to remember that I work at a very small county library in the middle of nowhere. Country librarians don't get their own offices. Even if every other boss in the system has one. Sorry, not in our "town"! Poor Jan.), then another co-worker friend turned 40, and she's a big Steelers fan, so I made her a "jersey" from poster board, and then there's me. Up next is one of the other part-timers, turning 70 in December, and after that, there's the other full-time lady, turning 60 in January. So we've got five consecutive decades covered here at the library, except for 30. Though with all of our relatives taken into consideration, we can cover the whole range from 0 - 80! I love my library and co-workers! : )

And you thought Raw Spinach was dangerous!!

With all this news coverage about the dangers of raw spinach and e. coli, I thought it good to remind you all of another health danger, so common in our polluted lives. Be sure to read the following article (but don't take me too seriously) and check out the website linked at the bottom.


Should I be concerned about Dihydrogen Monoxide?

Yes, you should be concerned about DHMO! Although the U.S. Government and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) do not classify Dihydrogen Monoxide as a toxic or carcinogenic substance (as it does with better known chemicals such as hydrochloric acid and benzene), DHMO is a constituent of many known toxic substances, diseases and disease-causing agents, environmental hazards and can even be lethal to humans in quantities as small as a thimbleful.


Research conducted by award-winning U.S. scientist Nathan Zohner concluded that roughly 86 percent of the population supports a ban on dihydrogen monoxide. Although his results are preliminary, Zohner believes people need to pay closer attention to the information presented to them regarding Dihydrogen Monoxide. He adds that if more people knew the truth about DHMO then studies like the one he conducted would not be necessary.
A similar study conducted by U.S. researchers Patrick K. McCluskey and Matthew Kulick also found that nearly 90 percent of the citizens participating in their study were willing to sign a petition to support an outright ban on the use of Dihydrogen Monoxide in the United States.
Why haven't I heard about Dihydrogen Monoxide before?Good question. Historically, the dangers of DHMO, for the most part, have been considered minor and manageable. While the more significant dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide are currently addressed by a number of agencies including FDA, FEMA and CDC, public awareness of the real and daily dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide is lower than some think it should be.
Critics of government often cite the fact that many politicians and others in public office do not consider Dihydrogen Monoxide to be a "politically beneficial" cause to get behind, and so the public suffers from a lack of reliable information on just what DHMO is and why they should be concerned.

Part of the blame lies with the public and society at large. Many do not take the time to understand Dihydrogen Monoxide, and what it means to their lives and the lives of their families.
Unfortunately, the dangers of DHMO have increased as world population has increased, a fact that the raw numbers and careful research both bear out. Now more than ever, it is important to be aware of just what the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide are and how we can all reduce the risks faced by ourselves and our families.
What are some of the dangers associated with DHMO?Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment.

Some of the known perils of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:

Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities.
Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage.
Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects.
DHMO is a major component of acid rain.
Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns.
Contributes to soil erosion.
Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.
Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits.
Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.
Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions.
Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere.
Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect.
What are some uses of Dihydrogen Monoxide?Despite the known dangers of DHMO, it continues to be used daily by industry, government, and even in private homes across the U.S. and worldwide.

Some of the well-known uses of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:

as an industrial solvent and coolant,
in nuclear power plants,
by the U.S. Navy in the propulsion systems of some older vessels,
by elite athletes to improve performance,
in the production of Styrofoam,
in biological and chemical weapons manufacture,
as a spray-on fire suppressant and retardant,
in abortion clinics,
as a major ingredient in many home-brewed bombs,
as a byproduct of hydrocarbon combustion in furnaces and air conditioning compressor operation,
in cult rituals,
by the Church of Scientology on their members and their members' families (although surprisingly, many members recently have contacted DHMO.org to vehemently deny such use), by both the KKK and the NAACP during rallies and marches,
by pedophiles and pornographers (for uses we'd rather not say here),
by the clientele at a number of bath houses in New York City and San Francisco,
historically, in Hitler's death camps in Nazi Germany, and in prisons in Turkey, Serbia, Croatia, Libya, Iraq and Iran,
in World War II prison camps in Japan, and in prisons in China, for various forms of torture,
during many recent religious and ethnic wars in the Middle East,
by many terrorist organizations including al Quaeda,
in community swimming pools to maintain chemical balance,
by software engineers, including those producing DICOM software SDKs,
in animal research laboratories, and
in pesticide production and distribution. What you may find surprising are some of the products and places where DHMO is used, but which for one reason or another, are not normally made part of public presentations on the dangers to the lives of our family members and friends. Among these startling uses are:
as an additive to food products, including jarred baby food and baby formula, and even in many soups, carbonated beverages and supposedly "all-natural" fruit juices
in cough medicines and other liquid pharmaceuticals,
in spray-on oven cleaners,
in shampoos, shaving creams, deodorants and numerous other bathroom products,
in bathtub bubble products marketed to children,
as a preservative in grocery store fresh produce sections,
in the production of beer by all the major beer distributors,
in the coffee available at major coffee houses in the US and abroad,
in Formula One race cars, although its use is regulated by the Formula One Racing Commission, and as a target of ongoing NASA planetary and stellar research.


One of the most surprising facts recently revealed about Dihydrogen Monoxide contamination is in its use as a food and produce "decontaminant." Studies have shown that even after careful washing, food and produce that has been contaminated by DHMO remains tainted by DHMO.
What is the link between Dihydrogen Monoxide and school violence?

A recent stunning revelation is that in every single instance of violence in our country's schools, including infamous shootings in high schools in Denver and Arkansas, Dihydrogen Monoxide was involved. In fact, DHMO is often very available to students of all ages within the assumed safe confines of school buildings. None of the school administrators with which we spoke could say for certain how much of the substance is in use within their very hallways.



For more important information about this potentially deadly substance, be sure to click here!

On being twenty

Some of my favorite quotes:

"Diana and I are thinking seriously of promising each other that we will never marry but be nice old maids and live together forever. Diana hasn't quite made up her mind though, because she thinks perhaps it would be nobler to marry some wild, dashing, wicked young man and reform him. Diana and I talk a great deal about serious subjects now, you know. We feel that we are so much older than we used to be that it isn't becoming to talk of childish matters. It's such a solemn thing to be almost fourteen, Marilla. Miss Stacy took all us girls who are in our teens down to the brook last Wednesday, and talked to us about it. She said we couldn't be too careful what habits we formed and what ideals we acquired in our teens, because by the time we were twenty our characters would be developed and the foundation laid for our whole future life. And she said if the foundation was shaky we could never build anything really worth while on it. Diana and I talked the matter over coming home from school. We felt extremely solemn, Marilla. And we decided that we would try to be very careful indeed and form respectable habits and learn all we could and be as sensible as possible, so that by the time we were twenty our characters would be properly developed. It's perfectly appalling to think of being twenty, Marilla. It sounds so fearfully old and grown up."

from Anne of Green Gables, chapter 30

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Lady Catherine: Pray, what is your age?

Lizzy Bennet: With three younger sisters grown up, your ladyship can hardly expect me to own it.

Lady Catherine: Miss Bennet, you cannot be more than twenty, I am sure. Therefore there is no need to conceal your age!

Lizzy: I am not one and twenty.

Pride and Prejudice, A&E

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And the most-oft repeated remark to me about my being twenty, after hearing that it's my birthday and how old I am:

"Oh, I got married when I was twenty."

Yes, I know. *sigh* Thanks for reminding me of my old-maidenhood. : )

SUPRISE!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear Jessie!
Happy birthday to youuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!

Yes, yes, I hacked your blog….. but it was for your birthday, so you’ll forgive me right?

Anyway, Jessie is turning 20 today! Boy, the time sure flies. I remember when we were little, and now she’s out of her teens already!

Well, I’ve never written a post before (and considering I don’t have a blog, that makes since) so I’ll quit before I mess anything up.


Oh, and Jessie? I won’t make it a habit to hack your blog and put up posts without your permission. I promise.

~Katie

I've been diagnosed

I've been tested and the results came back positive, that I am: :: L I Z Z Y ::
You are Elizabeth Bennet of Pride & Prejudice! You are intelligent, witty, and tremendously attractive. You have a good head on your shoulders, and oftentimes find yourself the lone beacon of reason in a sea of silliness. You take great pleasure in many things. You are proficient in nearly all of them, though you will never own it. Lest you seem too perfect, you have a tendency toward prejudgement that serves you very ill indeed.
Take the Quiz here!

Susan (Jane), you were right after all. I guess that makes you my older sister!

O Thou in Whose Presence

O Thou, in whose presence my soul takes delight,
On whom in affliction I call,
My comfort by day and my song in the night,
My hope, my salvation, my all!

Where dost Thou, dear Shepherd, resort with Thy sheep,
To feed them in pastures of love?
Say, why in the valley of death should I weep,
Or alone in this wilderness rove?

O why should I wander, an alien from Thee,
Or cry in the desert for bread?
Thy foes will rejoice when my sorrows they see,
And smile at the tears I have shed.

He looks! and ten thousands of angels rejoice,
And myriads wait for His word;
He speaks! and eternity, filled with His voice,
Reechoes the praise of the Lord.

Dear Shepherd! I hear, and will follow Thy call;
I know the sweet sound of Thy voice;
Restore and defend me, for Thou art my all,
And in Thee I will ever rejoice.

Tune: Davis
Author: Joseph Swain, 1762-1796
Musician:Freeman Lewis, 1780-1859

Friday Fotos

(Sorry for the poorly alliterated title, but it was either that or "Phriday Photos", and I settled on the former...)

I have a bunch of pictures I keep meaning to post on, so my efficient (or wannabe) mind says, Just do them all at once! So I am, and here they are.

Here's the 5-year-old birthday girl! Hannah said she especially wanted "the other Hannah, Susan's Hannah" to see her pictures : ) It's hard to believe she's 5 already! I still remember my fifth birthday party... *sigh* Mine had Barbies and Mickey Mouse, her's has Emily Dickinson and "kitchen" supplies! More to come on my "misspent youth"- and my remedy for it- later. ; )

And here she is again, getting smothered in kisses from her Mommy and Papa. Poor thing, so many people to love her, and only two cheeks!

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Here's a batch of foccacia bread I made a while back. I used spelt flour, and I topped the loaves with olive oil, kosher salt, and oregano. Yum! I saw one of these (made with white flour, of course) selling for $2.00 at WalMart. I haven't done the cost-comparison yet, but I'm almost positive that I have less than that (or $2 at most) in both of these, total. I'll compare the costs when I post the recipe for you here.

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This is what I came home to one day recently after working at the library. I don't know what was going on in my room while I was gone, but I'm thinking it probably had something to do with Matthew and Hannah! It made me think of the picture from The Cat in the Hat... (And I wish I could say that "their" presence accounts for the all of the mess on the bookshelf, but no, sorry, I have to take credit for about 90% of it. The movie hanging off the edge is from them, though...) What are you supposed to do with great big hardcover books that don't fit on your shelves?? Any suggestions?

And finally, here is the strangest mushroom I've ever seen in my backyard. I think (after a very long, hard search) that it's called the Boletus Illudens. I'm curious to see if it glows (it had a faint glow outside) but I can't find my black light bulb... *arg* I just had it!

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"Leave the sewing to the women!"

(I hope you recognize the title as a line from a song in Disney's Cinderella... the mice are singing while they make up her first ballgown. ; ) The next line, sung to the boy mice, is, "You go get some trimmin'!")

I know some of you like to see what I sew all day long, so here's a few pictures of what I've been doing within the past week. Business has been slow, so I'm using this time to get some things done for myself and my family!

Hannah turned 5 on August 30th (sorry I haven't put a post up for her! She said she especially wanted Hannah G. to see her new birthday dress and her birthday pictures, so I'll have to put up a few for you, Hannahs!) and I took her to Hancock's to pick out fabric for a new Sunday dress. I love the tucks around the waist! And the ruffles are made from an old gingham shirt of mine. I stained the front of it (years ago!) but kept it anyway because I knew I'd use the fabric sometime. And here it is. I also added some decorative buttons on the bodice, and they were given to me in a big chest of buttons from my Mamaw.

Hannah's 5-year Birthday Dress

This jumper is made from a skirt I made my mom a year or two ago, and she has "ungrown" it. : ) So I took it apart, and using the scraps from when I made the skirt the first time, plus the skirt itself, I came up with this. It's a "magical growing dress," as I said to Hannah. The straps button in the back, to the bodice, and there is extra room on the strap to move the button down as she grows. But not only that, there is hidden length in the hem! You know that if you just undo a hem and press it back out, there is going to be a crease from the oringinal hem. Well, here's the solution for that (at least for little girls!): Turn under the unfinished edge of the dress, and go ahead and stitch it down once (about 1/4" will be turned under). Sew rickrack around the lower edge of the dress, centered along the line where you intend to have the first hem length be (a few inches above the actual edge). Then, (here's the trick) flip up the long hem to the inside, along the stitching for the rickrack that you just sewed down. Now you should see just the points of one side of the rickrack from the outside, and inside you see all of the rickrack. (Does that make sense? See the picture below. You can click on it for a larger view.) Now blind-hem that extra deep hem (mine's about 3-3 1/2") to finish it off. Next spring, when you want the dress to be longer again, undo the blind hem stitches, turn down the extra length, and now the rickrack is going completely around the outside of the dress a few inches from the bottom, and you see all of it. Now just make a small, new hem, either blind or stitched. Voila!

Hannah's Jumper, made from a skirt my mom "un-grew"

And finally, here is my "I Love Lucy"(so Katie says) half-apron I finished recently. My friend came over to sew with me, and we decided to make aprons. She gave hers to her grandmother (and I didn't get a piture!). I used a Butterick pattern here, and as always, I didn't follow the rules exactly! It called for ruffles above the pockets, but I'm not a very "ruffly" kind of girl, so I just did a contrasting band. Then I used baby rickrack, in a matching navy blue, along the pocket edge and above the bottom ruffle. The white fabric (tone-on-tone print) I got as a remnant from WalMart, the navy fabric (with little white dots in a diamond pattern) was given to me by aforesaid Mamaw, and the rickrack is from my great-grandmother who donated some of her sewing supplies to me. (I love grandmothers who sew!)

My retro apron

Current and upcoming projects are nightgowns for the girls, a jumper for my mom, and cute khaki corduroy overalls with a little lion applique on the front bib pocket for Matthew. (You can tell I'm excited to start that one ; ) )

What about you girls? Any fun projects for you lately?

The Color Purple

I snagged this from John's page. What color purple are you?

I think it's ironic that lilac is my next-to-favorite color. I'd like to hear you guess what you think my real favorite color is! Go ahead, leave me a comment!

You Are Lilac

You are a very innocent and pure person. Ethics matter to you. Your friends consider you a great listener, and you often play therapist to your friends. You are good at drawing out truths in conversation, however painful they may be. Non judgmental and patient - people feel like they can tell you anything!

What Color Purple Are You?