We're back from Memphis!

My husband and I took a small vacation these past few days with some of my family. My younger sister is moving to Memphis, Tennessee, to go back to school. She and my parents were moving all her furniture into her new apartment so Ragan and I decided to tag along! Here are a few pictures from the past few days. I'll try to post more later.

A church in Memphis

The ducks inside Peabody Hotel

The Hard Rock Cafe

 Inside the Hard Rock Cafe

The Pink Palace

 Inside the Pink Palace

My husband and me

The Big Sunflower

Yesterday I got a ruler next to the big sunflower just so you could see how big it actually is!

And this picture just came out very nice! I'm very impressed with myself on this picture! : ) I love the sun shining through at the bottom of the photo!

Have a good weekend!!

Sunflowers make me happy!

I just love our sunflowers!! I am so glad we planted them! Our red and orange ones are beginning to open up by the house. They are beautiful! Every time I see them, I get in a better mood!

Did you know:
- a sunflower's head can grow to be as big as 2 feet across and the plant itself can be as tall as 18 feet?

- the sunflower is the state flower of Kansas and the national flower of Russia?

- the sunflower is not just one flower, but a cluster of tiny flowers called florets? The yellow petals are actually protective leaves that cover the center of the head while it is growing, and the brown center is composed of a mass of hundreds of flowers, all growing individually.

- remains of sunflower seeds found in archaeological digs in North America date them as nearly 3,000 years old?

- in the past, stems of sunflowers were used inside life jackets?
(facts taken from http://www.sunflowerguide.com/facts-about-sunflowers.html , http://www.hotfact.com/facts_about_sunflowers.html , and http://sunflowerfestival.tripod.com/sunflower_facts.htm .)

 A few sunflowers have more than one sunflower head coming off the stem.

And this is one of the really big ones. It may not look that big in the picture, but it's the tallest and the biggest sunflower head that we have. I'll have to put a ruler up to it and take a picture so you can tell how big it really is!

Am I a Prude?

Here are a few things I found on Dictionary.com:
"noun: a person who is excessively proper or modest in speech, conduct, dress, etc.


Origin: 1695-1705; French prude a prude (noun), prudish (adj.), short for prudefemme, Old French prodefeme worthy or respectable woman.


World English Dictionary
prude
- n - a person who affects or shows an excessively modest, prim, or proper attitude, esp. regarding sex


Word Origin & History
prude
1704, from Fr. prude "excessively prim or demure woman" (also an adj.), first recorded in Moliere, from O. Fr. preude "good, virtuous, modest," perhaps an ellipsis of preudefemme "a discreet, modest woman," from O. Fr. prou de femme, fem. equivalent of prud-homme "a brave man" (see proud). First record of prudish is from 1717. Prudery first recorded 1709."


And here's a bit more I found from Wikipedia:

"A prude (Old French prude meaning honourable woman)^[1] is a person who is described as (or would describe themselves as) being concerned with decorum or propriety, significantly in excess of normal prevailing community standards. They may be perceived as being more uncomfortable than most with sexuality, nudity, alcohol, drug use or mischief.

The name is generally considered to suggest excessive modesty, and is hence unflattering, often used as an insult by people who do not share the moral standards of the "prude". A person who is considered a prude may have reservations about nudity, participating in romantic or sexual activity, drinking alcohol or consuming other drugs, or participating in mischief. These reservations usually stem from, or are at least justified by, moral beliefs. Actions or beliefs that may cause someone to be labeled a prude include advocating or practicing abstinence, advocating prohibition, advocating censorship of sexuality or nudity in the media, disapproval of being nude in public, avoiding or condemning public display of affection, or exhibiting unusual levels of discomfort with sexuality, alcohol, drugs or mischief.

The term is generally used in a relative sense. For example, one may be viewed as having relatively liberal standards regarding sexuality and drug usage compared to the overall population in which one resides, but compared to a smaller, specific subculture, one may appear to be unduly conservative and thus be labeled a prude because one refuses to participate in more illicit behaviors.

In historical contrast, the word prude was originally a noble compliment. Traditionally, it was usually associated with wisdom, integrity, usefulness, and profit. Even in present day language, it forms the root of the word prudence, meaning "sound judgement in practical affairs". "

So am I a prude? Yes. Is there anything wrong with being a prude? Not at all. Why am I having mixed feelings about being called a prude? Because I'm pretty certain that the person who called me this did not mean it as a compliment. Even though technically being a prude is a good thing, who wants to be insulted? 

Yes, I am modest. 

Yes, I am conservative.

Yes, I disapprove of being nude in public.

Yes, I am uncomfortable being around people who drink excessive amounts of alcohol. 

Just because I have different beliefs and values than you doesn't mean I enjoy being insulted, even if you are using a word that technically should be a compliment. I am not pushing these beliefs on you. Why insult me or make fun of me because of my beliefs? 

Anywho... that's just what's been on my mind this morning. What do you think? Are you a prude as well? 

The Cricut Expression 2 is coming to Creative Memories!!

I'm so excited about this!! Check out the flyer below to see what all is included in this wonderful bundle!! The E2 will be available October 2011!! Let me know if you are interested!!

Something New

This past weekend I was able to make a few cards. And I have to admit, the first card with the green is my favorite! Ragan and I have been so busy lately, I haven't been able to do much crafting. If you look around the blog, you'll also notice a few other new things. I've added a few pages of recent and past projects of mine. Hopefully, I'll be adding more soon. Enjoy!

We have a bed!

Well, we've always had a bed, but never a bed frame with headboard and footboard. But we do now!! And I love it!

However, our bed is a full size bed, and the frame is made for a queen size bed. So.... we have a little bit of extra space. But we found something to fill it! 

We also got another washer and dryer. Our washer quit measuring the water level. It would always fill up to the top. And the dryer would never stop running. We always had to open the door to make it stop running. 

AND, one more thing... : )  Our sunflowers by the house are beginning to bloom! And the are getting so tall!

We are suppose to have some red and orange sunflowers too, but none of those have bloomed yet. Hopefully they will soon!!  Have a good day!

Pretty Sunflowers!

Have a good weekend!

Desktop Calendar

I'm finally happy with a picture of our sunflowers for the desktop calendar! : ) Click here to download the calendar for your desktop! Remember to click the photo first before downloading, or you will be downloading the entire album as a zip file. Let me know if you have any problems! Enjoy!

Problems viewing blog?

I've changed a few things on my blog lately. If you have been receiving an email of my recent posts and have tried to click the link at the bottom of the post to view the actual blog, it may have taken you to the old blog which is no longer available. You can still view the actual blog by going to beingmrsmccann.blogspot.com . Once you get to the blog, sign up to receive the blog by email by using the form to the right. Hopefully the links will get sorted out soon.

Have a good day!

First Book from Booksneeze

I got my first book in from Booksneeze!

It's called God's Love Letters to You: A 40-Day Devotional Experience by Dr. Larry Crabb. Here's the back cover of the book:

What if you had a letter from the Lord of the Universe, written specifically to you with unique insight into who He is and what He has planned for you? What if you could enter into a real conversation with the God of the Bible? 

WELL, YOU DO. AND YOU CAN.

The greatest love letters of all time did not come from the pen of a playwright or the mouth of a poet. They weren't formed on warped sheets of music or with t he quills of romantics. These letters come from the Word of the Almighty God.

Based on 66 Love Letters - Dr. Larry Crabb's intimate conversation with God - this devotional experience offers the chance to completely change the way you think about love.

Give yourself forty days to fall head-over-heels in love with the Savior who calls you by name and welcomes you into a sweeping, incredible relationship with Him. Discover the language and story of true love as it was originally intended - personal letters from God to you.

Dr. Larry Crabb is a well-known psychologist, seminar speaker, Bible teacher, author, and founder/director of New Way Ministries. He is also Scholar in Residence at Colorado Christian University, is visiting professor at Richmont University, and serves as Spiritual Director of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
www.newwayministries.org

After reading the book, I'll be posting a review so remember to look for that! Have a good day!