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Messages - MariaE

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1
General Life / Re: You took forever to use a gift: Do you tell them?
« on: February 25, 2019, 09:20:38 am »
Absolutely let them know! If I give somebody a book, I absolutely don't assume they'll read it right away, and I'd love to hear their opinion on it, even if it's years down the line (especially as I usually give books I've read myself and think the recipient would like - I love hearing whether or not I'm right!).

... of course, if you took forever to use a gift and ended up NOT liking it, then maybe just keep it quiet ;)

2
General Discussion / Re: Gratitude Month
« on: November 27, 2018, 10:11:32 am »
21: A TREASURE I AM THANKFUL FOR
This is a hard one... I think I'd have to say the diary we found in my Grandmother's desk after she passed away. It was an account of her and Granddad's courtship, from their first meeting til their 1 year anniversary. Such a treasure to find and get to read!

22: A MOMENT FROM TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR
The 22nd was just a regular Thursday in Denmark. I can't remember anything special happening.

23: A TEACHER I AM THANKFUL FOR
I've been blessed with many awesome teachers, but I think the one I am most thankful for is the teacher I had during our first stay in NZ back in 1990. Getting a new student who hardly spoke a word of English can't have been easy, but she did an amazing job making me feel welcome and helping me with all the daily tasks. I've kept in touch with her ever since, and love meeting up with her.

24: A PROMISE I AM THANKFUL FOR
God's promise to be with us always :-)

25: A CHALLENGE I AM THANKFUL FOR
I've had a few challenges at work this year which have really taught me a lot. I'd stagnated a bit with my old tasks, but have recently been put on a new project which is a LOT harder than I'm used to, but I'm finding I'm able to rise to the challenge.

26: AN ANIMAL I AM THANKFUL FOR
None... I like animals well enough (and would definitely consider myself a cat person), but have never been close enough to any one animal to be thankful for them.

27: A FRIEND I AM THANKFUL FOR
My best friend through the past 22 years. I'm thankful for her specifically and I'm thankful for our friendship and that it has lasted for so long :-) Especially since we lived half a world apart for most of those 22 years. She's recently moved from NZ to the UK and I couldn't be happier!!!! :-D

(And since I won't be online much the next few days...)

28: A GOAL I AM THANKFUL FOR
Whenever I finish gift knitting in time for the deadline I've set myself ;)

29: A THING IN NATURE I AM THANKFUL FOR
New Zealand bush. It is the most gorgeous place on the world. I am very thankful for having seen it "up close and personal" on several occasions.

30: A MOMENT FROM YESTERDAY I AM THANKFUL FOR
Getting to see my best friend again! (see #27). We try to see each other several times a year now that there's no longer 30'ish hours of travel time between us, and I'm spending a long weekend together with her :-D

3
General Discussion / Re: Gratitude Month
« on: November 20, 2018, 05:18:09 am »
15: A MYSTERY I AM THANKFUL FOR
Okay, this prompt is just weird. None I can think of.

16: SOMETHING HAPPENING TOMORROW I AM THANKFUL FOR
The 16th was Friday - a Saturday with absolutely no plans whatsoever :-D

17: A SACRED SPACE I AM THANKFUL FOR
My church... whether that's the church I grew up in, the church I visited in New Zealand or the church I'm currently attending. I feel at home in each one, no matter if I'm currently active in that church or not.

18: AN ACT OF KINDNESS I AM THANKFUL FOR
This must be back in 2000 or somewhere around there. I had just moved away from home and funds were a bit low, so though I needed a new pair of boots, I'd decided to wait a few years and just make do with what I had. One day my grandparents came by to visit, and Grandma handed me 500DKK (~US$100). A couple from their Bible study group had quietly given Grandma the money, telling her that they'd felt called to help me out with new winter clothes. Now, I had NOT told Grandma that I was in need of new shoes, and certainly not that I didn't have enough money for them, so this was God's provision. And I am so thankful that my grandparents' friends were open and willing to be used like that :)

(Obviously I immediately sat down and wrote a thank you letter to them, and the boots lasted for a long, long time, with me thinking of them every year as I put them on.)

19: A BOOK I AM THANKFUL FOR
So many! "Famous 5" for getting me interested in chapter books in the first place, "Baby-Sitters' Club" for helping me learn how to read English, "Anne of Green Gables" for getting me online and into fandoms, "Harry Potter" for getting me further down the rabbit hole and causing me to start a blog, "The Yada Yada Prayer Group" for breathing fresh air into my faith... and those are just first few novels that spring to mind!

20: A TRADITION I AM THANKFUL FOR
Many of my childhood traditions, but as few of those have lasted into my adulthood, I thought I'd pick a new one instead and say Dewey's Readathon :) We've turned that into a family tradition, spanning generations. I come from a family of bookworms, and we've really taken this and made it OUR thing - I love it, and it's something I look forward to for months in advance every time :)

4
General Discussion / Re: Gratitude Month
« on: November 15, 2018, 08:33:29 am »
Catching up :)

1: A MEMORY I AM THANKFUL FOR
My years spent in New Zealand (1990 and 1996/1997). Especially the latter as it was the year I discovered myself and realized that I actually like myself. I made many friends for life that year, and my BFF is still my BFF these 22 years later!

2: A COLOR I AM THANKFUL FOR
Green in all its many shades.

3: A FREEDOM I AM THANKFUL FOR
The freedom that free healthcare and free education has given me. I've spent months in the hospital due to a wacky infection, and didn't have to pay a dime for it, and I have a Masters degree with no student debt at all. I used to take that for granted, but not so any longer.

4: A TASTE OR FOOD I AM THANKFUL FOR
Any food I don't have to cook myself! ;-)

5: A SONG I AM THANKFUL FOR
I can't limit myself to just one song, but I am thankful for Hillsong. They've written a number of songs that speak to my heart.

6: A PLACE I AM THANKFUL FOR
New Zealand. It holds a very special place in my heart.

7: A GIFT I AM THANKFUL FOR
I'm going to assume physical gift - a home made quilt one of my friends made for me last year as a surprise. I've always dreamed of having a quilt of my own, but quilts are hard to come by in Denmark, and getting one from the US would cost an arm and a leg. One of my online friends knew this (she reads my blog where I'd mentioned it once or twice) and made me one!! I was blown away. The quilt itself is gorgeous, but the thoughtfulness behind it moved me to tears.

8: A FAMILY MEMBER I AM THANKFUL FOR
All of them :-) I am thankful for a very close-knit family who both love and like each other.

9: A SIMPLE PLEASURE I AM THANKFUL FOR
Reading and knitting. Both bring me joy and help me recharge.

10: A POSSESSION I AM THANKFUL FOR
All my old journals. I started journaling regularly at age 14 and have kept all my old journals (though some of them are rather cringeworthy) and enjoy reading back and being reminded of old memories.

11: A GIFT FROM GOD I AM THANKFUL FOR
Two years ago my sister was healed from fibromyalgia. A true miracle and an amazing blessing.

12: A PIECE OF ADVICE I AM THANKFUL FOR
From my aunt at my sister's wedding: "When you fight - and you will! - remember that it is only the issue that is up for debate - never your marriage."

13: A SMELL I AM THANKFUL FOR
New Zealand bush. Impossible to describe, but anybody who's been there will immediately recognize it.

14: A LIFE LESSON I AM THANKFUL FOR
It is not rude to say no! After having been diagnosed with stress a few years back, I've had to learn to say no to things. It's hard, as I'm both non-confrontational and a people-pleaser, but it's been so important to learn.

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General Discussion / Re: The "Unpopular Opinions" Thread
« on: August 28, 2018, 03:46:21 am »
I think puns are funniest when they happen accidentally. Such as when a French friend commented that making bread was "such a pain".  ;D
I completely agree with that. Or when they happen organically. But I remember some threads on the Board That Shall Not Be Named (TM) that just degenerated into people making one bad fish pun after the other and... just... gah!! There are similar posts on Not Always Right once in awhile, and I always skip right by those.


Oh, another unpopular opinion: whipped cream and icing should always, always, always be made from scratch. It is the height of laziness to get either out of a can. (Although I'll allow that there are exceptions for whipped cream. But icing? Never!)

6
General Discussion / Re: The "Unpopular Opinions" Thread
« on: August 28, 2018, 01:00:19 am »
I absolute hate puns. Once in a blue moon I'll hear one that I find slightly funny, but most grate on my nerves like nails on blackboard. Lowest form of wit indeed - I completely agree.

7
General Discussion / Re: The "Unpopular Opinions" Thread
« on: August 13, 2018, 12:45:05 pm »
I quite like book covers with pictures from the movie/TV series.... but only if I like the movie/TV show. I'm biased like that  :D

(E.g. my favourite Anne covers are those from the TV series).

8
Suggestions / Re: The "See List"
« on: July 30, 2018, 08:50:15 am »
I'm actually really glad the list is public. It'd be far too easy to abuse it for trolling purposes otherwise.

9
Books / Re: What are you reading?
« on: July 30, 2018, 07:50:31 am »
I have not. But I liked his style- so I may read more of his books.

I really like Lars Kepler. Curiously, I was introduced to them when they appeared in a mystery panel at a librarianship convention I attended in 2012!!!

I've only read those two by him. I tried "My Grandmothers Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry" but gave up after 100 pages - SO dull!

I really like Lars Kepler too! Have read all but their newest book... but it's standing on my shelf at home, so it's just a matter of time :D
(To anybody who's confused - Lars Kepler is a pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team - thus "them")

10
General Life / Re: Condemning voters
« on: July 27, 2018, 02:10:06 am »
gorplady, your post applies to everyone, not just Americans.  :)

Absolutely! Just ask people from the UK and their experiences re. the Brexit vote.

11
Books / Re: What are you reading?
« on: July 26, 2018, 02:35:33 am »
Last book I read was A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.

Very heartwarming- with quite a few hilarious bits.

Have you read "Britt-Marie Was Here" by him? I liked that one even more :)

12
General Discussion / Re: The "Unpopular Opinions" Thread
« on: July 20, 2018, 12:15:30 am »
I love flying - even long hauls. I love going to and being in an airport, knowing I'm about to get on a plane. I love take-off and landing. I love guilt-free time to sit and read, knit or watch movies. Depending on the airline, I even like the inflight meal! (Singapore airlines, I'm looking at you).

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General Discussion / Re: The "Unpopular Opinions" Thread
« on: July 13, 2018, 03:30:29 am »
Licorice and chocolate do not mix. Neither do licorice and nuts... or licorice and ice cream. This trend of putting licorice in everything has gone too far!


14
General Discussion / Re: The "Unpopular Opinions" Thread
« on: July 12, 2018, 04:26:58 am »
I WISH socks with sandals was a more acceptable look. I have several pairs that are comfy as and look totally cute with a dress or skirt, but I get cold toes so easily, and am absolutely miserable without socks on any but the very hottest of days (case in point, it's currently 25C+ and I still wear my lovely warm woolen slippers at home to keep warm), so I hardly ever get to wear them :(

15
General Discussion / Re: The "Unpopular Opinions" Thread
« on: July 11, 2018, 12:48:36 am »
I have never liked Brad Pitt in anything I have ever seen him in. I just don't get his appeal.

Same. I just don't find him good-looking. At all. Same with Ryan Gosling, Leonardo DiCaprio and Orlando Bloom.

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