Visit from Grandpa and Grandma

"Mr. Bennet missed his second daughter exceedingly; his affection for her drew him oftener from home than anything else could do.  He delighted in going to Pemberley, especially when he was least expected." -Pride and Prejudice Chapter 61

Attempts at enlarging my mind

Lately I've been lamenting how much our society has lost the art of language.  Everyone is so casual in conversation, which is fine but unexpressive.  I feel like a moderately educated person from a past century would have a far greater usable language than someone from today.  That trend will only continue thanks to teenagers too busy texting to pay attention in school--SO when I picked up a classic Jane Austen novel recently, I had a dictionary nearby so that when I came across a word I couldn't confidently define even if I understood the general meaning, I looked it up and wrote it down in the book.

Here's my list:

Superciliousness-haughtily contemptuous

Pedantic- a person who makes a display of his learning

Indignation- anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy or mean

Complaisance- self-satisfaction

Insipid- lacking in taste or savor; dull, flat

Strictures- hostile criticism

Intrepidity- characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance

Entail- to limit the inheritance of property to the owner's lineal descendants or to a class thereof; to include or involve as a necessary step or result.

Regimentals- military uniform

Disconcerted- confused, upset

Tete-a-tete- a private conversation between friends

Imputed- to credit a person or a cause (usually unjust)

Ragout- a highly seasoned meat stew with vegetables

Panegyric-a eulogistic oration or writing

Precipitance-extreme or unwise haste; rash

Celerity- speed, rapidity

Expostulation- to reason with another especially in dissuasion

Alacrity- cheerful readiness

Propensity- intense natural inclination

Propitious-favorably disposed

Laconic- sparseness of words; terse; concise

Importune- to urge or beg with troublesome persistence

Veneration- to regard with reverential respect

Mercenary- serving merely for pay or gain

Prudent- cautious, discreet, sensible

Avarice- excessive desire for wealth

Spleen- spite, malice

Pales- stake or picket of a fence

Palliation- to ease without curing

Profligate- completely given up to dissipation and licentiousness; lewd

Invectives- an abusive expression or speech

Dilatory- delaying, tardy, slow

Copse- thicket

Paddock- and enclosed area for pasturing or exercising animals

Cogent- having power to compel or constrain; convincing

Obstinate- fixed and unyielding despite reason or persuasion; stubborn

Simper- smile in a silly manner

Prodigious- exciting wonder; extraordinary in size, enormous, tremendous

Rapacity- excessively greedy or covetous; ravenous

Diffidence- unconfident in one's own abilities

Shift- trick, scheme

Hermitage- a secluded dwelling

Tacit- expressed without words or speech; implied, indicated, but never expressed

Decorum- conformity to accepting standards of conduct; propriety

Brook- tolerate, bear

Shades- woods

Sagacity- of keen mind, shrewd

Missish- of miss; fail to understand

Impertinence- rude, saucy

Assiduous- steadily attentive, diligent

Obsequious- humbly or excessively attentive (to authority); fawning, sycophantic

Vulgar- offensive to good taste or refined feelings

Arrear- a state of being behind in the discharge of obligations

Phew!  So how'd you do?  Remember, I couldn't confidently define ANY of these words, so if you knew 10 I'd say you were quite impressive!  (I lettered in English in high school by the way) 20 or so would be awe inspiring and 50 or more would require a bow, or maybe some obsequious behavior!!

I will break a record in November!!

I had a realization the other day.  I have been pregnant every other November for the past 6 years (ouch!!) and this November I will break that pattern, yay!!

Nov 2002 Not pregnant

Nov 2003 Very pregnant with Carter

Nov 2004 Not pregnant

Nov 2005 Newly pregnant with Will

Nov 2006 Not pregnant

Nov 2007 Pregnant with Brianna

Nov 2008 Not pregnant

Nov 2009 Will definitely NOT be pregnant

Pretend that . . .

Yesterday Carter was playing with his friend Mason and I overheard them playing and picked up on a few things that just made me smile and value the innocence of children.  I think I understand the scriptures better when watching my kids play.  That whole 'peace and joy and good will to men' thing seems to be so easily understood when thinking about a child.  They will do anything to please someone else and always have the best views of other people.  

While Carter and Mason were playing I heard Carter start to pray and sweet little Mason offer his amens to Carter's prayer.  They also used the phrase "Pretend that . . ." quite often.  I remember using prayer in my play as a kid and also using the phrase 'pretend that.'  I distinctly remember riding my bike in the driveway in Kanesville thinking "Why do we say 'pretend that'?  It's such an unusual thing to say.  Why don't we say flat out what we are pretending to be?  Why don't we say imagine? Why not say let's pretend?" 

It's odd that Carter is old enough to remember these types of things as an adult or that I remember being Carter's age.  It gives a new perspective to being a parent and a new perspective on my own parents. I wonder how Carter views me . . . 

Will and the Pepper

Yesterday I was making enchiladas for a new neighbor family and cut some chilies from my garden to sprinkle on top.  William, who has always enjoyed a wide variety of foods, looked at the pepper and asked if he could have some.  I told him no, it was very hot; he could smell the top of the pepper but he shouldn't eat it.  He sniffed it a few times and then took a nibble.  "I like it Mom!!" came the ecstatic reply; okay, I thought. 

He nibbled on it for a few minutes and then started running circles around the house crying because his mouth was hot.  I dropped what I was doing and ran to get him a glass of milk (kind of laughing to myself) and he felt better after the milk so I start changing Brianna's dirty diaper.

Just as I'm up to elbows in poop, Will started running circles and crying again so I offer him some ice cream thinking cool, plus milk, plus sugar should do the trick.  

I leave Brianna screaming diaperless on the floor (heaven forbid I should be beyond her eyesight in her needy separation anxiety stage) and run to the kitchen.  Halfway to the freezer I see a bowl of yogurt on the table and start shoving spoonfuls in Will's mouth but he's disappointed it's not ice cream so he howls louder.  Now it's a competition between Will and Brianna to see who can best scream for Mommy's attention.

I get the ice cream for Will as Brianna dejectedly crawls/screams searching for me.  He happily eats his ice cream while I scoop up Brianna and finish her diaper change, happy that she didn't make any messes on the floor amid the crisis.  As I soothe Brianna, I look up to see William nibbling on that pepper again.  

That little stinker only got a piece of bread for his burning mouth.