Long time, no posting!!

Wow! It's been months since I last posted! Been quite busy and not getting to the videos I want to do.

I do have some news though... I've started college!! Woohoo! Nearly 50 and just starting college, can ya believe it? Ha ha! I am in ASL Basic 2 just before starting my ITP (Interpreter Training Program) and going for my Associates degree in Sing Language Interpreting. My first class was fantastic! Great fun with a great Professor. I can't wait till next week! And ........ I'm not the only Grandma in the class! Ha ha ha!

I do have a few sign projects lined up... if I can just get to them... I want to sign "The Old Rugged Cross" - I have a country music singer/friend who is going to record the song for me so I can sign to it. I also have a request for a tutorial video for the song "No Envy, No Fear", and then maybe a few other requests. I'd better get crackin'! LOL

I'll hopefully post more soon...

God Bless!

ASL "Mansion Over the Hilltop" (PSE)

This video is my addition to Brittany's Worship & Praise Sunday!

This is in memory of my Dad, who graduated to Heaven in 2005. This song was a favorite of his, and mine as well.

I added the PSE to the title because my signing is I guess, more of a Pidgin Signed English, than true ASL. But, I think with a song that's okay, since I'm trying to convey the words of the song as closely as I can. I hope you enjoy it. :O)

God Bless,

Lyrics:

I'm satisfied with just a cottage below
a little silver and a little gold
But in that city where the ransomed will shine
I want a gold one that's silver lined

(Chorus)
I've got a mansion just over the hilltop
In that bright land where we'll never grow old
And someday yonder we will never more wander
But walk the streets that are purest gold

Don't think me poor or deserted or lonely
I'm not discouraged, I'm Heaven bound
I'm just a pilgrim in search of a city
I want a mansion, a harp and a crown

(Chorus)

ASL "How Great Thou Art"

This video is my addition to Brittany's Worship & Praise Sunday!


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I've wanted to sign this song for a while now. It took me 5 tries to do it with out messing up too bad. Ha ha! It's such a beautiful old hymn! One that I've sung many, many times growing up in church. And I love that I was able to do it in Sign Language. It's such an expressive language. I'm just learning and I hope you enjoy it. And yes, this is the same song that was playing in the background of my previous video (see previous post). I love this hymn!

Thanks to ktloveland on YouTube for his "how-to" video on doing the signs for this song. I changed only a couple signs to what I normally use, but it's very close to what he suggested.

Now, if I can just remember to adjust the focus on the camera...... Ha ha!

God Bless,

Lyrics:

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

(Chorus)
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

(Chorus)

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

(Chorus)

A Little About Me

Okay, I'll periodically update this to keep it current. Here's a little bit about me & mine....

I've set up a blog to share my passion for learning American Sign Language. http://myhandsspeak.blogspot.com/ I find the language so beautiful and expressive! It's fascinating. I've known the manual alphabet since I was a young girl and read a book about Helen Keller. The book had the manual alphabet in the back and I've always remembered it. Now, I've decided to learn much more! I've been learning to sign songs, and I'm sharing the videos of that on this blog. Now I just need to get more practive in actually conversing in ASL. I have also started college to become a Sign Language Interpreter! I've started attending a church that has an active Deaf ministry as well.

I have another blog highlighting my crocheting and other little "stitches" of my life. http://crochetstitches.blogspot.com/

I'm married to a wonderful man, my hubby John, who is a Christian Apologist. We have a website that features a downloadable highlighted Bible with commentary, pictures, quotes, and more. It's cross-referenced and color-coded by subject matter, such as Science in the Bible, Spiritual Truth in the Bible, Biblical History, and even shows you where we get our Bible and which translation is the most reliable (and yes, there is a difference!) Our website is EternalAnswersMinistry.org. His blog is also linked from my blog, Eternal Answers Ministry (Blogger) We have seen so many blessings through this ministry and every day God gives us both the strength to do what He wants us to accomplish. Check out my article, A Little Miracle from God about a very special set of circumstances that happened to us, and was so clearly the hand of God working in our lives that we just have to share it!

We have 3 children; 2 boys and 1 girl, and 1 granddaughter. God has blessed us with a wonderful family and opportunities to pursue His will in our lives. Our oldest son, and daddy to our granddaughter, is 28. Our second son is 15, and our daughter is 14. We homeschool the two youngest. Every Friday or Saturday night we have "family night" where we watch two old sitcoms (such as The Honeymooners) followed by a good family movie, or once in a while a movie that has to do with what the kids are studying. For instance, we watched The Right Stuff since they were learning about the 1960's and the beginning of space travel, the Apollo missions, etc.

Our daughter is teaching herself to draw Japanese Anime', loves crafts, art, reading, writing and plays the flute! She also is a HUGE Jonas Brothers fan. I enjoy their music as well and we share a lot together through this interest. She will tell you that I'm obsessed (LOL), but I'm not. My "Jonas Brothers" was the Bay City Rollers in the 70's. Both groups have similar fun, pop/rock kind of music that I really enjoy. Okay, okay, I WAS obsessed with the BCRs at the time - literally wallpapered my room with their pics and posters, had every album, knew every lyric, knew all the facts about each member of the band, etc. Oh boy, what fun I could've had if we had the internet and YouTube back then! LOL! My daughter and I both keep track of JoBro television appearances and fun, new videos of them that we send to each other. I have to say, I enjoy that the most - the fun that we share together with this music. When I was a teen and into the Bay City Rollers, I wasn't able to share my "obsession" with my mother since my mom wasn't at all into that kind of music, so she really didn't get what I was so excited about. Now though, my daughter and I can share that fun! I love it! And I totally understand her excitement. :O) And now my daughter is learning a little ASL with me.

Our 2nd son is very much into military aircraft, paintball, and medieval weaponry. Wow! Hard thing for me to get into, but I do try. He's also into programming 3D animation and computer graphics and has created some amazing things! My husband understand's that stuff better than I do... I think it's a 'guy thing'. LOL! I do love to watch the aircraft; we live near an airport (though I don't at all want to fly in one, they are fun to watch.) Our son amazes me that he can look at any plane flying in the sky and immediately tell me what kind of aircraft it is! He knows his stuff! And speaking about the Bay City Rollers, I had the chance to totally embarrass him in the grocery store the other day. LOL! Well, isn't it a parent's prerogative to embarrass their kids once in a while? *wink* The song "Saturday Night" by the BCRs came on over the loud speaker and I, of course, got all excited and started to sing along (quietly) and dance (a little). He just wanted to crawl away, but I grabbed his shirt sleeve so he couldn't go anywhere. LOL! Gosh, I love those moments.

Our first son, and oldest, works in sheet metal. He is a wonderful Daddy who loves snowboarding and sometimes paintball. We don't get to get together as much as I would like due to our conflicting work schedules but we talk on the phone regularly. He has blessed us with an adorable little 4 year old granddaughter who is just such a joy!

Well, now you have a little "peek" into who I am. :O)

God Bless!

ASL "You Raise Me Up"

This is my first try at recording myself doing a song in American Sign Language. I just love the language. It's so beautiful and expressive.

And I absolutely love this song! I hope you like it.

Here's the lyrics:

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up... To more than I can be.