by Roseanna White | Jun 9, 2014 | Word of the Week
While we were in the doctor’s office on Friday, we were musing about the biohazard symbol…and wondering what it meant and how it came to be chosen. So thanks to the wonders of smart phones, my hubby looked it up. 😉
I’m just going to quote directly from the source on this one.
“We wanted something that was memorable but meaningless, so we could educate people as to what it means.” In an article in Science
in 1967, the symbol was presented as the new standard for all
biological hazards (“biohazards”). The article explained that over 40
symbols were drawn up by Dow artists, and all of the symbols
investigated had to meet a number of criteria: “(i) striking in form in
order to draw immediate attention; (ii) unique and unambiguous, in order
not to be confused with symbols used for other purposes; (iii) quickly
recognizable and easily recalled; (iv) easily stenciled; (v)
symmetrical, in order to appear identical from all angles of approach;
and (vi) acceptable to groups of varying ethnic backgrounds.” The chosen
scored the best on nationwide testing for memorability.
Interesting, eh?
I’m fond of this one, LOL. Basically a drawing of a shout, it’s just a warning or hazard sign–a rather generic one, used in Europe when a specific hazard doesn’t fit. So you might see it on a road, for instance. Though apparently some places insist on a description sign posted under it so people know what they’re to be exclaiming about.
And finally…
The skull and crossbones is a rather universal symbol for poisonous material. But because it’s also on the Jolly Roger…and because playing pirates has become so much fun…in the U.S. the good ol’ skull is often replaced with Mr. Yuk, because they’re afraid the above will actually encourage children to play with it. Go figure!
And sheesh, what a bleak post, LOL. But hopefully as interesting to you as it was for me! Now go out and have a hazard-free day. 😉
by Roseanna White | Jun 5, 2014 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
Reality and our minds’ eyes very rarely agree. Depending on the type of person we are–and the situation–we tend to see things in extremes. As either terrible or grand, though it’s really somewhere in between.
Right now we’re doing some remodeling of our old house. And as I fill trash bags with all the stuff I didn’t want to take with us when we moved, I see that old house as something like this:
Which is ironic, because in my brain, my house should look something like this:
But as I grumble and pack and strip wallpaper and scrub and carry boxes until my back screams at me, I can hear that whisper in the deep places of my heart. The one that says:
I gave you a roof over your head.
I gave you heat in the winter, even if you had to build it by hand in the stove.
I gave you air conditioning in the summer, even if you had to put it in your window.
So many of my children don’t have that.
I gave you the means to buy all this stuff you now deem garbage.
I gave you enough, always enough.
More, I gave you plenty. I gave you bounty.
And I am shamed. And I have to pause and thank Him for providing. For always making sure what I have is sufficient. For the luxury I live in as an American. And I need to learn that what I make of those blessings is up to me. It’s mine to say no when someone offers what I don’t need, what will only clutter things up. It’s mine to say thanks for what I have. It’s mine to take care of it all and be a responsible steward.
I load all those boxes and bags into the back of our old clunker minivan that we bought for a song last year. And you know, sometimes I’m almost embarrassed to be seen in that thing. It’s not sleek and stylish. It’s not filled with cool features or storage compartments or the latest technology. It literally clunks every time we go around a turn. I often look at that old thing and see this:
when what I want to be driving is this:
Then I hear that voice again.
You prayed to somehow
have a van but no extra debt.
I you a van with no
debt.
I gave you wheels.
I gave you storage
space.
I gave you extra seats
for hauling around nieces or friends.
I gave you this to
keep you from spending money that I knew you wouldn’t have.
I took care of you
with this old machine.
And I remember how I knew, knew when the offer for the van came, that the Lord was preparing
us for changes. I knew, when I saw Him taking burdens of debt from us, that it
was because we’d have to be free of it—which meant financial change on the
horizon. And I thank Him again for taking such tremendous care of us.
So I scrub that old carpet. My husband crawls under it or
leans into the hood to fix what’s broken. My kids scrabble in with all the love
for that old clunker that they would give a shiny new car.
In April when I was on my writing retreat with my best
friend, we listened to a couple workshop MP3s from past conferences. The
amazing Susan Miesner said something that I found both hilarious and true. That
she doesn’t know why they call them “royalty reports.” Because when she opens
them up, she never feels like a princess.
For most of us, that is so, so true. I look at where my
books fall in the scale, and I realize I’m not at the top. I’m not a
bestseller. I’m not an award winner. In this business, it’s so, so easy to get
discouraged when we compare ourselves to others. But oh, how well I know the
whisper on this topic!
Your words are
reaching My children.
You’re telling the
stories I plant in your mind.
Publishers invest in
you.
Readers email you.
I gave you your
dreams.
I am humbled, and so very grateful. I praise Him for this
opportunity, and I put my nose to the grindstone and work as hard as I possibly
can to be faithful to this blessing.
But then…then there are the times we all know so well. The
times when we look in the mirror.
I’ve always been oddly confident in my appearance. I
honestly don’t know why. I’m not a super model by any stretch, my body is far
from perfect. I can no longer fit in those size 2 clothes I still had in the
back of my closet. I’m not willing to spend hours each day exercising or give
up the foods I most love. So yeah, my figure has changed over the years. It’s
not exactly what I want it to be. I still have a bump on my nose, and my
complexion hasn’t been clear since I was 10. But I’ve always thought it’s more
about how I feel than anything. So I make sure I feel great in whatever clothes
I buy. I’ll change my outfit five times even on days I’m not leaving the house,
because I need to feel right in
whatever I’m wearing on a given day. I like to think I carry myself with
confidence that people notice more than my actual assets or flaws.
I don’t always like the reality that looks back at me in the
mirror. I get self-conscience when I’m stuck wearing clothes that don’t make me
feel like a million bucks. I hate it when makeup won’t cover the flaws. Or when
an adorable outfit in the store doesn’t fit.
But I know that God doesn’t see that either. I know I’m His
daughter, precious in His sight. And it’s that whisper that matters most. It’s
what He sees there that is so very important.
I want Him to look at me and say:
You have a spirit that
seeks me.
You answer when I
call.
You love despite the
risks.
You feed those who are
hungry.
You clothe those who
are naked.
You nurture even when
you hurt.
You forgive when it’s
tempting to cling to offense.
You sacrifice when I
ask you to.
You teach your
children, My children, to love Me.
You speak the words I
ask you to speak.
You seek My reward
above man’s.
You are My daughter—well
done, faithful servant.
If that is my goal, if that is my achievement in life, then
I’ve lived a life worthwhile. And then it doesn’t matter what I wear or what I
drive or where I live. It doesn’t matter what I have or what I don’t. It doesn’t
matter what others say, though I still pray they see Him in me.
What matters is that, in His eyes, I’m more than the sum of
my parts. Because I have Him in me.
Masnion photo credit: Werner Kunz via photopin cc
Rusted car photo credit: GOC53 via photopin cc
by Roseanna White | Jun 4, 2014 | Remember When Wednesdays
I have less than a month until The Lost Heiress must be turned into my editor at Bethany House. And though I’m distracted with moving, I’m also excited. Especially as my hubby reads the manuscript and says lovely things like “When did you get so good at nuance?” and “You really pulled off making her seem French this time around.” and “You know, the crazy thing is that I don’t feel like I’ve read this before.” (even though he’s read about three different versions of it. Ahh… 😉
So as I work on my final round of pre-turning-it-in edits, giving extraordinary amounts of attention to every…single…line, I find myself occasionally going back to my Pinterest board for the book for a little inspiration.
And I realize I don’t have nearly enough fabulous fashion pictured there. 😉 I mean, there are quite a few…but not enough. Never enough!
Hence the challenge. You need a distraction, right? Well here you go. Spend a few minutes looking up Edwardian fashion for me, and you could win books, books, and more books!
Here’s how it works.
1.) Search for Edwardian gowns/dresses, between 1910 and 1913
2.) Go the Facebook events page (click here) and post your link
3.) Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win a stack o’ books!
What books, you ask? Fabulous question. See, as I was stacking my oh-so-beautiful shelves on Monday…
…I discovered that I somehow ended up with duplicates of quite a few amazing books. So rather than take up precious space on my shelves, I’m giving away the lot! There will be ONE WINNER (because I can barely get one box into the mail, much less 8) of this lot, which includes:
A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman
Heart’s Safe Passage by Laure Alice Eakes
A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes
The Master’s Wall by Sandi Rog
To Die For by Sandra Byrd
The Blue Enchantress by MaryLu Tyndall
Surrender the Dawn by MaryLu Tyndall
So get searching, have fun, share (you can do this once a day!) for the next week, and maybe you’ll win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Roseanna White | Jun 2, 2014 | Word of the Week
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A place at which I love to hang out… Seascape by William Trost Richards, 1901 |
I looked this word up the other day to make sure “get the hang of it” would be an appropriate phrase to use in a book set in 1911–and discovered that there are a plethora of hang uses with surprising elements!
The one in question dates from 1834–and was a primarily American use of the word for a great many years.
But it was the verb usages that surprised me. The “teen slang” sense of hang that means “spend time” dates from 1951–which is about what I’d expect. But did you know that hang out is from 1811?? I had no idea it was so old! And hang around, meaning “idle, loiter,” is from 1830. Another one that was way older than I thought!