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Editing Giggles

1/25/2016

It is a happy thing to say, but the director's interview worked out!! In the process, I got a chuckle out of a variety of "things" and I figured I would share them will you in the hopes that you would get a laugh out of them too!

First off, my hair. Editor's hair is common enough...but it's particularly bad when I have it parted down the middle and it's not overly securely pinned in place.

Secondly, two screen shots I took. One was to demonstrate a face you never want to see addressing you and the second was just down-right funny--particularly as the video froze in that position for a minute or two while the audio just kept ticking along as pretty as you please.

I look like an absolute grouch....I was a little tired and wasn't *really* in the mood to shoot the interview, but I did it anyway and actually got going after a while. :]

Ah, yes...rabbit face. Daddy said it was kind of cute. :D

I need to get the disc ready to burn again. :)

I also got the three rompers cut out for the custom order and I think it's going to be REALLY wrinkly to work with. Hopefully, my customer is good with that because she's the one that wanted taffeta. :)

I kind of think I will hold off until tomorrow to start stitching. I'm feeling awfully tired now and the weather is overcast big time.

Racheal

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Take Four

1/23/2016

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Among the profitable and/or semi-profitable things done by myself this day was the fourth go 'round on the Cow Cavalry's Director's Interview. I sure hope it came out this time...

By the way, have I mentioned that I have otherwise completed The Florida Cow Cavalry? Well, I have. :)

I'm not overly enthusiastic feeling at the moment because I am feeling very tired and rather like just curling up and ignoring life for the rest of the day. I don't suppose the on and off ache of my right hip is helping much...I can't even say that I'm overly hungry... ("Quick, take her temperature!")

Oh well...thus is the boring announcement of an exciting fact. :)

Cheers y'all...

Racheal

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Musket Echoes

1/21/2016

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Or, random findings on the War Between the States that I find interesting. If you don't care for such random things, don't bother reading this! :)

The Army of Tennessee, at the Battle of Atlanta. Hardee had one Corp, comprised of four divisions. Of those, one was commanded by Major General William B. Bate. Bate's Division comprised three Brigades--one of those was the Florida Brigade under Brigadier General Jesse J. Finley. The Florida Brigade had the following regiments: 1st-3rd Florida Infantry (Captain Matthew Strain), 1st Florida Cavalry (dismounted) and 4th Florida Infantry (Lt. Col. Edward Badger), 6th Florida Infantry (Lt. Col. Daniel L. Kenan), and 7th Florida Infantry (Lt. Col. Robert Bullock).

For explanation of why that interested me, note first the 4th Fl. Inf. Co. K of the 4th Florida was originally (if I recall correctly) the 20th Florida Militia--which was the unit that my g-g-great grandfather was commissioned Lt. Col. of in 186--2, I believe it was.

Secondly, take a look at that last one, the 7th Fl. Inf. I had three great-uncles (at least) in that regiment. Two were the sons of my g-g-great grandmother from her first marriage, before she married the Colonel (see previous paragraph). Both were killed in Kentucky, and I think, quite likely, without going back to check, dead by the time of the Battle of Atlanta. The third, might not have been there either due to being detailed to collect cattle. He was one the Colonel's sons.

Here's the line-up for the Battle of Nashville, Dec. 10, 1864: http://www.civilwarhome.com/confederateornashville.html
Did you know that General Bernard Bee had a brother? I didn't...his name was Hamilton Prioleau Bee.

Here is an interesting fact: Fort Benning, Georgia (home of the paratrooper school--Hooah!), is named after Confederate General Henry L. Benning. The most interesting part of that is that Benning was an ardent secessionist. Now why would the Federal government name a post-WBtS's military establishment after a very ardent secessionist and slavery proponent? Don't both of those go against what the Federals claimed to be opposed to?

This man here (Theodore W. Brevard) is the son of the man whom Brevard County, Florida is named after! Being a Floridian by both heritage and choice (regardless of not being born there or even currently residing there), I always get a wee bit excited when I bump into such random factoids... ;)

I am going to hazard a guess that General John Calvin Brown of Tennessee might have been born into a Presbyterian family....

I just like this picture. I like the pose. He looks rather proud of his pretty wife and she seems content, though maybe tired of staring at the camera (a feeling to which I can relate with our slow-witted digital.)

Now how's THIS!! Remember Robert Bullock from the first paragraph, the man in charge of the 7th Fl. Inf.?? Well...guess what, he ended up a general!!

Ah...thank-you for putting up with me. :) I got all the way through the "B's" in Generals in Gray today. I'm actually not really researching the generals so much as their wives--for my next film project. There is no way, of course, that I could cover them all, but I've found a few interesting ladies with enough information (probably) to work with, so I'll just keep plowing through here and then decide which of the general's ladies will make the final cut....

You may get a similar post at some other date in the future, so hang in there! ;)

Racheal

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A MLK Jr. Day Thought-Process

1/18/2016

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I find it interesting...today is MLK Jr. day. 53 years ago, the man, and many others were fighting for equal rights for blacks and desegregation.

Now...I just saw the other day where the black students of a university were calling for SEGREGATION. Interesting...

I kind of have to ask--who are the racists in this case? Why have Americans, regardless of their skin pigmentation, allowed politicians to bully and cow them into these white/black lines? Why am I supposed to feel "white guilt" just because 150 years ago my grandfather owned slaves? Scripture says that the sin of the father is not to be visited upon the children (assuming that slave holding is sin). I hold no hard feelings against black people...they, like myself, are created in the image of God with a soul. They are sinners no worse than I.

Why have we allowed ourselves to be pitted against one another in a battle of race? We are all one race even if our skin is different hues.

Why do we allow the socialist to use this race/class warfare to drive wedges and split the country?

On one front I miss my old church in Florida...we were a "mixed" congregation. The blacks and the whites got along famously. I still burst into laughter any time I think of brother Andre's huge, contagious smile and equally big laugh. We were family and that is how it's supposed to be.

So why do we--even in the church, cower and tremble? We need to stand both with and against people of color the EXACT SAME WAY we stand both with and against those of our own pale skin. When righteousness is done, they need to be encouraged, when evil is done, they need to be discouraged--just like white people...or Latinos or Asians or Indians...you get the picture. Each of us is held to the standard of God's Law. That's the only thing that should really separate people, do they, or do they not strive to obey Him?

It's not about color, it's about faith in Christ Jesus. We can only have unity in families, in nations, in neighborhoods, in churches through a unified desire to live unto the glory of God.

Thus concludes my Monday's sermon....

Racheal

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Life Update....

1/15/2016

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Since the last time I wrote on here, I actually started a post and finked out half way through it. I think part of it was that something needed to happen before I could finish the post and by the time it did...I had completely lost the writing bug. So...here's life this week.

Etsy Store #2 (Rompers by Racheal): I was contacted by a lady who wants three outfits of this style for her not-born-yet triplet grand-babies. That required a sizing down of the 6 month-sized pattern to newborn...which resulted in this as a test run:

I think that I need to take a little fullness out of it yet. At anyrate, she wants them in cream taffeta--so I ordered some off the internet. It got here yesterday and it is closer to khaki (okay, the color is "sand" but it looked cream in the photo!) I wrote her this morning and have yet to hear back...if it's good with her, I'll order the ivory from the same place (the material feels nice). It won't affect her costs any...BUT as I try to please my costumers, I'm sitting tight until I hear yea or nay from her. And that "Sand" taffeta...I'll find something to use it for! :D

Etsy store #1 (Granddaddy's House): I had negotiated a sale of some C-7 lights...and as it turns out, I had miscounted the number of sockets on the one strand and now I'm really embarrassed and though I contacted her immediately about the mistake yesterday morning, I have not heard hide nor hair from this person yet...so I have lights waiting to be shipped and payment already in my account.

So, on the Etsy front is has been a rather interesting/embarrassing/slightly frustrating couple of days. Hopefully, I'll hear back from both of them by tomorrow morning so I know what to do!!

I have also been tracing off the six vintage patterns I acquired round about Christmas time. I ended up with carpet burned knees yesterday thanks to that. I finished up today (standing at the ironing board!)

I started the day out in the shop, but was really feeling rather cruddy (partly due to an awful cramp in my upper rib-cage that still isn't completely gone--it sure made breathing painful), but after lunch and two cups of coffee I perked up a little. I've been feeling TIRED all day though too--I'll blame a good half of that on the rain. ;)

All in all though, this week has been full of sewing and sewing related things. Maybe...just maybe...I can finish up the red-check overalls tomorrow!! Now that's an idea...I started them before Christmas!

Racheal

Oh yes...and before I forget...I started a "sewing blog": Stitchery Dickery Dock. WHY??
Um...partly because I wanted to do something a little different looks-wise and there is NO WAY that I'm going to change the theme of this blog. I'd kick myself from here to the ditch if I did.....I love this theme. (Besides, there might be an odd-ball or two out there who would like to read about my sewing, but not the rest of my fascinating life? ;D)

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Chapter 22: Biblical Law, Part 2

1/10/2016

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Y'all thought I had forgotten all about Authentic Christianity, didn't you? Well, I haven't. It just that with a change in churches, we're gone most of the day and by the time we get home, I'm frequently exhausted. Today, however, we are snowed/iced in (and church was cancelled anyway) so I re-opened the book where I had left off. There is still a wide expanse of reading left in this chapter and I really probably didn't read over much...but then I discovered that I cannot locate the PDF version of the book(s) which I generally copy and paste from for my blog post recap, so I'll have to type it up which will take twice as long...so here goes...

We open up with Question 93: What is the moral law?
The moral law is the declaration of the will of God to mankind, directing and binding every one to personal, perfect, and perpetual conformity and obedience thereunto, in the frame and disposition of the whole man, soul and body, and in performance of all those duties of holiness and righteousness which he oweth to God and man: promising life upon the fulfilling and threatening death upon the breach of it.

First clause then, the moral law is the declaration of the will of God to man:

The presupposition of Christian ethics is that God has revealed His will to mankind which is to be the standard and rule of man's moral actions and thoughts. This verbal revelation or declaration of the will of God is God's moral law written in the Bible....The point is that Biblical Law is Gods Law; it is God's revealed will in words and sentences which God spoke to Moses (ad the prophets and apostles) and which Moses (and the prophets and apostles) recorded under the inspiration of the H0ly Spirit, so that Biblical Law is the revealed will of God for mankind. (538)

We have learned in our study of the Catechism dealing with God's perfections that God is His perfections. Evert Divine perfection is identical with God's Being...Whatever God is, He is completely, simultaneously, consistently, perfectly and eternally...Therefore God's Will is one with God's Being. (539-540)

It is for these reasons that the law of God is called the testimony of the LORD (Ps. 19:7), because it testified to God's character of which it is a written description. Being "the transcript" of God's holy character and will for mankind, it is a perfect guide for all thought and behavior: "The law of the LORD is perfect" (Ps. 19:7).... (540)

Moving on then to the next bit, the directing and binding of everyone to obedience:

"We are not autonomous. That is, we may not live according to tour own law. The moral condition of humankind is that of heteronomy: we live under the law of another. The specific form of heteronomy under which we live is theonomy, or the law of God." 38. Sproul,Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, 17-18. (541)

Because God our Creator, Sovereign and Redeemer DIRECTS all His image-bearers to live according to His revealed will, it is humankind's BINDING DUTY to submit to and obey that divinely revealed will. (541)

Therefore, obedience to Biblical La must begin with saving faith in Jesus Christ, for our obedience to the Las is not accepted with God outside of Christ (Rom. 8:1-4). Even after we become Christians, our obedience is not accepted by God because of any inherent qualities in it, but solely because of the merits of Jesus Christ in whose grace we stand before God (Rom. 5:10). (543)

(1) Our believing obedience to God's Law must be personal. That obedience God requires of us must be preformed by us. It cannot be done by another in our name or on our behalf....Furthermore, the obedience which Christ has performed for us, does not exempt us from our obligation to yield sincere obedience to God's law. (543)

(2) Our believing obedience must be perfect. The same obligation Adam had in the beginning--to yield perfect obedience to God, remains in force today, although we are not able in this life to perfectly obey God's Law. This is not to imply that we obey the Law as a Covenant of Works; rather, we obey it as the rule of obedience for our lives motivated by love for Christ for saving us from our sins. (544)

To be perfect our obedience must be from the heart and not merely external...Furthermore, perfect obedience is universal obedience, i.e., it does not pick and choose which moral laws of God it will obey...And, as we have seen it must be evangelical obedience, arising from faith in Christ, performed not to merit God's favor, but rendered out of gratitude and the desire to please God. We must not attempt to perform i in our own strength, but in the power of the Spirit and all our obedience must be rendered with a proper sense of our imperfections. (544-545)

(3) Our believing obedience must be perpetual, "without backsliding from God, or the least remissness in our duty to Him..."

(4) Our believing obedience must be in conformity and obedience to the revealed will of God in the Bible. Obedience to God is obedience to specific commands given by God in the Bible. (545)

Continuing...the demand of conformity to God's law in the frame and disposition of the whole body:

Obedience to God's Law is obedience of the whole person, soul and body, External obedience in the behavior of the persons body without the involvement of a sincere heart is condemned by Christ... (547)

"God is not satisfied with outward forms of religion. He has not only ordered man's material existence but as also created his inner life and soul. He is therefore the rightful Lord of man's spiritual life, and for this reason man must serve Him in an inward and spiritual manner through purity of heart, devotion, love and holiness." 51. Norval Geldenhuys, New International Commentary on the New Testament: Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans [1951] 1966), 341 (547-548)

However, although obedience to God must originate with the heart, it nevertheless will include the body and physical behavior. (549)

Carefulness and strictness in our outward behavior is the manifestation of carefulness and strictness in our inward, spiritual and mental frame of mind and disposition. In other words, obedience must be obedience of the whole person, otherwise obedience is hypocrisy. (550)

Following next is the demand of conformity and obedience in performance of all duties of holiness and righteousness due to God and our fellow humans:

Catechism Q. 93 makes the point that the Law of God binds everyone, and especially Christians, to obedience in the performance of all those duties of holiness and righteousness which he owes to God and man. Holiness describes the nature o our relationship and duties to God, and righteousness describes the nature of our relationship and duties to other human beings. (551)

We are righteous when our actions and dispositions toward other human beings, in the various relationships we have with each other in human society, are in careful conformity to what God commands us regarding how are to relate to one another in love and justice. (551)

The Magnificat and the Benedictus make clear that the salvation Jesus brings is COMPREHENSIVE. Because the effects of sin are comprehensive, salvation from sin is comprehensive. (552)

Finally for this question is the promises and threats of the God's law:

Question 93 concludes by saying that the Law of God promises life upon the fulfilling of it and threatens death upon the breach of it. (556)

This promise of life upon obedience and threat of death upon disobedience are generally referred to as the sanctions of the Law...Sanctions are the Law's teeth, without them laws are mere suggestions...As Puritan Anthony Burgess picturesquely states it: "The tame horse needth a spur, as well as the broken colt." 67. KEvan, The Grace of Law, 187. (556)

The reasons for these curses and blessings annexed to God's demands is that even in the believer much sins remains, and he needs many "goads" to keep him on the straight and narrows...And "[i]f we have respect to all the commandments, and labour faithfully to keepe them...then shall wee constantly enjoy all those blessing and graces which God hath promised to his righteous servants." 71. John Dod, quoted in Kevan, The Grace of Law, 189. (557)

God's promised rewards for faithfulness to His Law are all of grace, far more than we deserve...."The reward is bestowed 'for the faithfulnesse of the Promiser, not for the desert of the worke,' and thus it is that 'the Lord will richly of His free grace reward these workes with glory and happinesse in His Kingdome' although 'the strength of our title stand upon God's free gift [John Downame]." 72. Kevan, The Grace of Law, 190 (557-558)

After having said that God promises certain blessing to those who obey His Law, it must be understood that the true believer, while he enjoys God's blessings at heart, obeys God's Law because He loves God. (558)

At the same time the believer does not dismiss all love of divine and gracious rewards as if such love was evidence of a "mercenary spirit". There is nothing unchristian about hoping for a promised reward from God. (558)

I only got through one more catechism question before I quit reading. So here it is, Q. 94:
Is there any use of the moral law to man since the fall? Although no man, since the fall, can attain to righteousness and life by the moral law; yet there is great use thereof, as well common to all men, as peculiar either to the unregenerate or the regenerate.

There are three sections in this section, a) the use of the Law before the fall, b) the non-use of the Law since the fall, and c) the great use of the Law since the fall. I'm going to run the quotations from these three into one long string...

A] Before Adam's fall into sin, the Law of God was the means by which Adman would obtain unloseable life and indefectible holiness... (559)

B] Since the fall of the human race into sin, human beings cannot attain to unloseable eternal life and indefectible holiness by means of obedience to God's Law--a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus. The reasons that eternal life is through faith in Christ and not by obedience to Law is explained in Romans 8:3: "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did, sending His own Son." The Law of God commands and condemns but it cannot forgive justify, remove the condemnation of sin nor destroy the tyrannical power of sin over the sinner. It can promote and guard life once given to the believer by grace; but the Law cannot give life. It is impotent to justify or regenerate or liberate from sin because of the depravity of spiritual deadness of fallen man's sinful nature. (560)

C] Although life and righteousness cannot be attained by the Law of God since the Fall, yet there is great use thereof to all human beings without exception. ...
First, it is possible to apply the Law of God unlawfully.
"[T]he law becomes anything but good to those who misuse it. It becomes a burden too heavy to bear....Christ delivers the sinner, not from the spiritual obligations of God's holy Law, but from the evil that he has brought upon himself by his misuses of the Law. Man's fundamental abuse of the Law is to put it into opposition to Christ for justification, and to regard Law-keeping as an alternative ground of acceptance before God. 77. Ernest F. Kevan, The Moral Law (God's Law) (Pennsylvania: Sovereign Grace Publishers, 1963), 16.
Second, when the Law of God is applied lawfully it is of great use to everybody. ...
Third, the Law of God and the Gospel of Christ are in full agreement. Disobedience to the Law of God and the unlawful use of God's Law are both contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God....
In fact the Law of God has a variety of functions in the life of the human race. It offers abundant blessings and has a wide range of practical uses. This multi-functional nature of God's Law is important to bear in mind when we consider that "the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ....But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor," i.e. God's Law (Gal. 3:24-25). This verse, often used wrongly to show that the Christian is no longer under Biblical Law, speaks of only one of the many functions of God's Law. (561-564)

And there you have it. Still a long way to go in this chapter, but some progress made!

Racheal

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A Completion, Etc.

1/4/2016

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I finally finished my second pair of personal "kilt hose". Next time maybe I ought to just make a regular ol' pair of knee socks. Anyway, though I finished these, they won't be going up as an example of my work on Rebel Gray due to the embarrassing extent of mismatch in the pattern. However, I'll let you look at 'em here and remind the world again that dropping 'extensive' projects in the middle for months on end is not necessarily the wisest. (And by the way, photographing the rear of your own calves is rather an interesting job...)

The toe decreases didn't come out the same...

The fronts at least came out identical. I even got the cuff "right", not counting the shorter (and thereby tighter) cables on the one. The accidental ribbing mistake on the first was purposely mirrored on the second, so that is cool.

(I probably *was* standing a bit pigeon-toed with my right foot. I have that tendency.)

Of the two rear pictures, this one was better. I obviously didn't get my 'seams' quite straight (in addition to having to twist to get the picture), but you can tell how the ribbing down the back "somehow" didn't match....and neither did the decreases. Of course, I confess that when alternates a decrease round with a non-decrease round, one can get a little confused and loose their place...

In other "interesting" news...I actually sold two pairs of socks last month. I'm putting a new pair on the needles this evening.

Also, I went to the Goodwill with Mama on Saturday and came home with a red wool tam...

It can be worn to church or for 1940's reenacting. Double win. ;)

A new pair of (used) shoes...

I think, if I stretch these 5 1/2's out a bit more (I normally wear a 6 1/2) that I could actually wear these for reeacting too. I wore them to church yesterday which is an all-day affair and lasted alright. I took them off for a bit during choir practice and then wished I hadn't because the alteration of angle made my hip scream at me...

And a picture frame.

Now I can have my sailor 'boys' out. ;) (These handsome gents are now 94 and 92...if they haven't had birthday's since I saw them in September.)

In addition to all that excitement, Daddy put new shelving over at the shop so the hanging racks came home, which means that I got to take that ungainly (and increasingly tippy) double rack out of my room and return to a single clothes rack. It's amazing what an extra six to ten inches does from room space!

And...well...I'm hungry and have gotten all my killers in today (yes! first time in DAYS)...and I got quite queer feeling after lunch like I did on Christmas after taking a double dose of the parasite killer. I can't really explain it, but it is almost as though I can 'taste' the stuff in my ears. I was a bit dizzy and my eyes weren't focusing straight. Still, I got the dishes done!

Five more minutes and I can have a snack... ;)

Racheal

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Editing Giggles

Racheal

Take Four

Racheal

Musket Echoes

Racheal

A MLK Jr. Day Thought-Process

Racheal

Life Update....

Racheal

Chapter 22: Biblical Law, Part 2

Racheal

A Completion, Etc.

Racheal

The Middle Kid

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