~ Weezer ~

There's a new angel in heaven ~Jasmine

2011-10-31T11:00:00.000-04:00

This little girl and her family are members of my church here in Augusta. 2-year-old Little Baby Jasmine lost her fight to a cancerous brain tumor. I've never seen such courage!

Jasmine Isabella Uhl

October 29, 2011

Grovetown, GA – Jasmine Isabella Uhl, precious daughter of Jodie and Stephanie Uhl, went to be with the Lord on Saturday, October 29, 2011.

A Private Celebration of Life service for family and friends will be held on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at Quest United Methodist Church with Rev. John Kenney officiating. Following the service, a public balloon release held at 11:30 AM on the lawn of Platt’s Funeral Home, 337 N. Belair Rd., Evans, GA.

Survivors include her parents, Jodie and Stephanie Uhl, one brother, Jacob Alexander Riggle, maternal grandparents, Irene Schmidt of Accord, NY, Rafael Power of San Juan, PR, paternal grandparents, Mike and Pam Uhl of Crawfordsville, IN, and many loving aunts and uncles.

Pallbearers will be Roberto Matos, Mike Uhl, Jodie Uhl and Mark Romanelli

The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Monday, October 31, 2011 from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM.

If so desired, memorials may be made to Quest United Methodist Church Children Ministries, 4020 Washington Rd., Martinez, GA. 30907 or the Georgia Health Sciences Children’s Medical Center, 1446 Harper Street, Augusta, GA 30912.

Please sign the guestbook and send condolences at www.facebook.com/JasmineUhl

or http://www.plattsfuneralhome.com/

Meet Me On Monday 103111

2011-10-31T00:59:00.000-04:00

Meet Me on Monday

1. My current weather is _______? Really!!? I was going to say COLD until I saw Java's post. It's 59 here at midnight. Clear with a lovely quarter moon. I guess I don't have anything to complain about, except that when it gets below 70 down here in Georgia, I start to freeze.

2. What is your favorite sound? The sound of small children laughing. Or trying to sing a song they haven't heard before. My whole life seems perfect when they're happy enough to laugh out loud.

3. What is the worst flavor of ice cream? I don't like any kind of ice cream that has something hard or lumpy in it. Nute? Nope. Any kind of little chips? Nope. But it's hard to find anything that I like any better than Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla.

4. What magazine do you look for when you are stuck in the waiting room? Okay. Don't laugh. I like Sports Illustrated. I used to have my own subscription but since I cancelled it, I feel like I'm getting behind on the big games.

5. What is your favorite condiment? I'm a big cream cheese fan. Even tonight, I had a sandwich on a bagel with cream cheese instead of mayo or mustard. It was pretty good.

We've got one team. One more to go.

2011-10-15T23:48:00.000-04:00

The Texas Rangers defeated the Detroit Tigers in six games to advance to the World Series. The final score of the final game was 15-5, with Nelson Cruz the MVP.

Now. It's on to Milwaukee to see if the Cardinals can take the Brewers. Right now, the Cardinals are up 3 games to the Brewers' 2 games.

I'm voting for the Cardinals in that match-up.

Thank you for another day

2011-10-15T17:17:00.001-04:00

This has been one of those days where all I feel like doing is raising my hands to heaven and thanking God.

What a glorious day.

The weather has been perfect.

The blue of the sky has been the most perfect blue.

The green and yellow of the trees has been the most perfect colors. The blues, greens, and yellows that only a true and wonderful God could create. What a wonderfully perfect day.
The air has been clean and clear, the wonder of everything apparent and visible.

Thank you, God, for the gift of being able to live through this day in the best ways possible.

Thank you, God, for loving me enough to offer me one more day in your presence. A day like today surely confirms that You are present.

(Above photograph of nephew, Michael, taken in Morocco)

Weezer

Bless the little children

2011-10-14T12:25:00.000-04:00

Jesus loves me, This I know.

For the bible tells me so.

Little ones to Him belong,

They are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

The Bible tells me so.

I got a phone call this morning from Jessica and my granddaughter, Leah. Not unusual, really, except that I'm no at home in Augusta but at my folks' home across the state in Columbus. I love hearing about the latest Leahism.
What did I hear from my little Leah this morning? She said to me, "I have Jesus in my heart, Weezer." That sweet little voice told me that she had asked Jesus into her heart and He was there. What could be more precious than that!! She's only two and a half years old and she knows that all she had to do was ask Jesus into her heart and He would be there. She knows that she is loved by Jesus.
We as adults try so hard to understand all that there is to know about our Lord and Saviour. We read, we study, we question. And it's all so simple. All we have to do is ask for Him to enter our heart, to ask Him to be a part of us and all that we do, all that we are. And He's there.

Weezer

Where does time go?

2011-10-08T11:49:00.000-04:00

Hilton Head
Photo by Weezer

My daughter recently re-launched her blog and it started me thinking about mine. This old, old friend that I once was so loyal to. That 'thing' where every photo I took, every witty clip I heard, every new song I encountered was put to thoughts of how I could incorporate it into my blog. I didn't realize how much thought it takes to keep a blog going. Once your thought processes are diverted and taken into another direction, it's very much like reinventing another life. You just don't think about it. When I logged in to here, after having to look up my pasword, I found comments from many old blogging friends. I was missed by many of you and I thank you for wondering about me and my where-abouts.

It's been ten months since I've posted anything on here. Over those ten months there's been a lot of growth, a lot of scares, a lot of water over the dam, as they say. Two of my daughters have hit that 30th-or-more birthday and one is very close. My four granddaughters are all over the age of one, with Cadence Rose turning one this last July. I've hit the huge mile stone of 60, though I don't feel it, my body reminds me daily that I'm there. My parents have scared me on more than one occasion with their own health issues. I made a second mission trip to Belize last April and plans are being made for my third trip this next April. I've rejoined my diet center and have lost 30 pounds.

God has tested me and spoken to me like never before. I'm closer to Him than I ever thought possible. I'm taking classes at the church School of Theology, learning and becoming more and more acquainted to my Heavenly Daddy. I'm involved in a Tuesday morning Bible study and have made friends. I actually have friends. It's been more years than I can count since I've been able to say that. How wonderful it is to have people in life who are openly and willingly able to tell you that you're loved and cherished!

Having said all of that, I'm going to tell you that I'm going to get back to all of you. Honestly, I've been gone so long that I have to relearn how to manage this. Maybe I can get Jessica to help me update it. I'll be back soon. I promise. And thank you for wondering about me and caring.

Monday Morsels 012411

2011-01-24T10:59:00.000-05:00

Did you see that California is going to spend $1.1 million toinstall lifesaving buoys over a fast-moving canal along the US-Mexico border because immigrants are drowning while trying to sneak into the country illegally?   A debate over the lifelines has presented a moral dilemma for those in thre decision-making population: Is it acceptable to do nothing when immigrants are dying the the water? Or do lifesaving devides lull the immigrants into a false sense of security that they can conquet the channel whiole giving them extra motivation to enter the country illegally?
They're also installing 1,414 bilingual signs on canal banks that read, "Warning: Dangerous Water".

Jack Lalanne has died. He was 96 years old. I remember seeing him and his wife on one of the info-mercials for his juicer and he said that dying would ruin his reputation. I also remember sitting in front of the television back in the 50s and watching him. All he used for his exercise program was a chair and a jumprope. WOW!

He was a man ahead of his time. Rest in Peace, Jack.

Have you seen Secretariat yet? You should. Take your children. Yes, it's a predictable movie and we all know how it ends, but it's fascinating to know the history of how things were playing out in the background. The relationship between Secretariat and his owner is sweet and touching.
Really. Go see it. No bad words. No bloodshed. We saw it at the cheap movie theater so it may be gone already. Like Jack Lalaine, I remember watching him on the television. This was way back in 1973.

The atheists are at it again. A California lawyer (Michael Newdow) s making a charge to have "In God We Trust" removed from our money.  He thinks it 'violates the constitutional separation of church and state." He's also challenging the phrase "So help me God" in the presidential oath and the Pledge of Allegiance ("one nation under God").
(from an article in the Augusta Chronicle)
As God is my witness, I will not ever remove these things from my life. I'd suggest Mr. Newdow move to  another country, but I know that God is everywhere and he cannot be free of Him by just removing His name from sight.   Mr. Newdow is a minority in his thinking. Right? (This is my opinion.)

I recommend......

2011-01-20T18:53:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid I didn't like Cheerios. They were just too healthy looking and who would want those unsweetened circle thingeys when Tony Tiger is available.

But now, as an older 'kid', I've found Cinnamon Burst Cheerios. WOW! I like them even better than the honey nut cheerios. And these are great added to a cup of yogurt for breakfast or a snack.

Don't confuse these with the Apple Cinnamon Cheerios. I think these are better!

And then for snacking, I found these new Special K
Cracker Chips.

They like a cross between a rice cake and a cracker. Really crunchy and you feel like you've had something worth spending the eating time on. I only saw the sour cream 'n' onion flavored but I understand they've got sea salt, too.

Aging Boomers

2011-01-14T00:49:00.002-05:00

I don't know how many of you are of the AARP age, but the cover of their bulletin this month says that Baby Boomers are hitting the age of 65 at a rate of 8,0000 a day. I'm not there yet, but I'm getting closer and closer.

In the same issue, there's a list of 50 new words and expressions that have become bona fide entries in the dictionary. I don't know about you, but it's getting harder and harder to understand some of the language today. I don't always know when to take it seriously or if people are making it up as they go along. I've even at times thought I was having some serious hearing problem and misunderstanding words.

Here's a few of them. You might want to write them down for future reference. I know I won't remember them but at least I can stand and nod like I know what's being said.

automagically

(adverb) automatically in a way that seems magical.

bargainous

(adjective) costing less than expected

big media

(noun) primary mass communication sources, e.g. TV and the press

bromance

(noun) close platonic male friendship

buzzkill

(noun) person or think that has a depressing effect

chillax

(verb) to calm down and elax

cougar

(noun) older woman who dates younger men

frenemy

(noun) friend with whom one has frequent conflict

matchy-matchy

(adjective) excessively color-coordinated

meme

(noun) image, video, or phrase passed electronically on the internet

microblog

(verb) to post very short entries on a blog

own

(verb) to utterly defeat or humiliate

rock

(verb) to do something in a confident, flamboyant way

staycation

(noun) vacation spent at home

truthiness

(noun) quality of seeming true

turducken

(noun) roas of a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey

Do with these what you will. It cleared up some things for me. There's more but these are the major ones I've had questions about.

Prayers, please

2011-01-13T00:45:00.001-05:00

My brother, Tommy, has been diagnosed with Achalasia, a rare disorder of the esophagus. It occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (muscle) doesn't relax properly to let food enter the stomach. He is going to be going to Atlanta for them to do botox injections by scope, hoping to relax the muscle. He was to have it done this past Monday but the weather caused them to postpone. Prayers, please, that this procedure will work and that he won't have to go through surgery.

Tommy's mother-in-law, Katherine, has been diagnosed with a reoccurence of skin cancer on her face. She has already had all the radiation she can have from prior treatments so she'll be having plastic surgery (February 1, I think) to remove the cancer and for grafting. She's also having trouble with her back and not getting any relief from her chiropractor.

My aunt and godmother in Cincinnati, Margie, had a CT scan done today to rule out dementia. Though they are trying to rule it out, it's a better diagnosis than what I've been thinking. She has two daughters (my cousins) living in the area with her and they have had to assume a lot of responsibility in her care and appointments. My uncle has had a seizure disorder and now has hearing and vision loss. Aunt Margie is my mother's younger sister.

Also, the friends and families of the victims of the Tucson shooting. And yes, even the shooter. Such sadness around that whole situation.

First a little leak, then........

2011-01-13T00:10:00.001-05:00

you get a plumber that you think is a good one because he's done a good job in the past. You get a little nervous when you realize that he's using a sledge hammer to remove the tile around the faucet that's leaking.

Now there's a big hole in the bath.

Then because you trusted him, you give the tileman that he recommends a chance. But you decide not to go with that tileman because he doesn't seem to understand the concept of giving an estimate......and if you could get one from him, you probably wouldn't be able to understand him.

So, you get in touch with the contractor that designed and built your deck a few years back. He comes, looks, and smiles. (Can't you just hear the dollar signs clicking away?)

The tile on the walls in the bathroom had been cracked and damaged (oh, from the sledge hammer) and it would be best to go ahead and replace it all.

So that's what we've been listening to. Workers here to replace all the tile in the bathroom because of a leak in the faucet that turned out to be something beyond a do-it-yourself man.

Be sure you know who's attacking your walls with a sledge hammer. There might be an easier way. Which we found out later.

Oh. The first plumber guy was here in August. Time certainly goes by quickly when you're having

fun.

Evil and Satan exist

2011-01-12T16:06:00.000-05:00

I've been greatly bothered since the day of the shooting in Tucson, especially after I saw the photograph of the young man that committed such horrible acts against others. I saw that face and the first thing I thought, even said out loud, was, "Those eyes are so soulless and full of evil". I am so fearful of how there are so many who take the law of both our land and our God into their own hands, thinking that they are sincerely doing the right thing. It's scary that they honestly think that they are entitled to do as they please. What kind of future do these people have? Here and after.

There's an editorial in today's paper here in Augusta "How to explain utter evil". Of course, since I've been thinking such things about not only Jared Lee Loughner, but all those who are scheming and planning some plot to horribly destroy others. Let me share just a bit of this editorial with you:

"Evil exists, and a few are possessed by it. C.S.Lewis said that evil isn't an absolute, it needs good. It's a parasite that rides on good.

G.K.Chesterson offered an explanation for evil we may not want to hear, because it places blame where we like it least: 'Men do not differ much about what things they will call evils; they differ enormously about what evils they will call excusable.'

We tolerate, even promote, may things we once regarded as evil, wrong, or immoral. And then we seek 'explanations' for an act that seems beyond comprehension. Remove societal restraints on some evils and one can expect the demons to be freed to conduct other evil acts.

The fault, as Shakespeare wrote, 'lies not in our stars, but in ourselves.' Once tolerated, evil grows like the 0paraasite alluded to by Lewis. It inevitably and predictably leads to other evils, such as the tragedy in Tucson."

(by Cal Thomas - Augusta Chronicle; Augusta, GA)

Today, the devil roams the earth like a lion, looking for lives to destroy. He despises us because we remind him of God. We are made in God's image, and every time he looks at us, it reminds him that he lost the battle. Satan was an angel in heaven, but when he tried to rebel against God, God quickly kicked him out of heaven. (Isaiah 14: 12-15).

The good news is that when we give our lives to Jesus, He gives us power over the enemy - power over darkness, over sin, and over temptation. God gives us authority over the enemy so that we don't have to live in fear of Satan. When we give our lives to Jesus, we can live with great confidence in our ability to rebuke the devil and keep him away from ourselves and those around us. (from Extreme for Jesus: a promise book by Ron Luce)

What a different kind of life Jared Lee Loughner would have lived if he had been introduced to the God who would have loved him. We must introduce our young people to God and teach them that right truly is right and that wrong will cause them a life of misery. They must suffer the consequences of evil and wrong actions.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purity your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4: 7-8)

Outdoor Wednesday 011211

2011-01-12T01:18:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer

And here are MY snow pictures, taken in my back yard.

Courage

2011-01-11T15:06:00.000-05:00

I was reading part of an accompanying book to my Bible study yesterday. It guided me to think of a recent time or person when something or somebody made me happy -- really happy.

Of course, I started with all the expected things, like all my granddaughters and my daughters and husband and....... Then I looked over to a table where I have an old family Bible opened to Psalm 36: 5-6. Standing at the head of the open Bible is something that some very new but very dear and special friends gave me for Christmas. It's a Willow Tree figurine that's titled 'Courage'. They (Eric and Sherry) were with me when I went to Belize in November and and Eric was behind me, pushing me up the Mayan ruins. He was there with me when I made it to the top and stood victorious, Rocky-style, claiming my victory. So when I received this from them, it was not only a gift of love but it was a token of recognition from them that I had accomplished something that was very big to me.

Psalm 36 says that God's love extends even to heaven. It's that big and bigger; that wide and wider; and that high and higher. The greatness of God's love is far beyond anything we can imagine or measure. And it is a love that will last far beyond our own being here on earth.

That love makes me happy and keeps me secure in a feeling of warmth. The gift I received from my dear friends was an extension of that love and I will hold it and them as a sign of that forever.

Dear God, thank you for good friends, old and new, who are living in your love and go beyond themselves to show that love to others. These signs of love remind me that your love is everlasting. Amen

Book Review: "Out LiveYour Life" Max Lucado

2011-01-03T02:52:00.004-05:00

Max Lucado is one of my favorite writers. He writes to me and seems to know just how to get a point across to me. This book, however, was a bit more difficult for me to get into. At first I kept checking to make sure it truly was a Lucado book. I put it down for a while, did some reading on another book, and then went back to it. My initial impression was wrong. My thinking was wrong.

As I read, I found that once again he was writing to me. I found that I was totally ignoring the subtitle of "You Were Made to Make a Difference". Being one who constantly lives with the question of IF I'm doing what I can do to my full potential, Max gave me the insight that I am not alone in my thinking and that it is not a new idea or question..

I read this just before making a mission trip to Belize. Before reading, I was wondering just what it was that I was going to be expected to do while there. Through Lucado's writings, I was able to see that everyone has a talent of some sort that will make a difference somewhere. He makes the claim that everyone is to be held accountable to do their part in showing, teaching, and living the unconditional caring and love that Jesus showed, even these years later. Times may change but our purpose and potential does not.

I encourage anyone to read this book or any others of Max Lucado. I sit with pen in hand, marking borders and referring to scripture.

((I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com bloggers program for book reviews. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated financially for my review. The opinions are my own.))

Meet Me on Monday (Jan 3 11)

2011-01-03T02:24:00.001-05:00

I'm back, Java.

Questions:

1. Do you have any New Year's resolutions?

Someone else asked me this earlier and I told them that I had decided that I was happy with my life path from last year so I'm going to stay the course. I'm working too hard to keep up with what few goals and plans I have already. I don't want to set myself up to fail again. But........we did join the YMCA and I've been going to work out more. I guess that's a little something.

2. What food item are you craving right now?

I've been really, really wanting a hotdog. I haven't had one since before Christmas but I've been so consumed with trying to get ham and the fixin's out of the refrigerator that I just can't feel good about cooking them yet. Maybe in a day or two.

3. When is your birthday?

I'm glad you didn't ask what year!!

4. What were you doing an hour ago?

Watching the Seattle Seahawks play the St. Louis Rams on TV. I'm a Seahawk fan but we don't get them televised on down here very often. I guess I'll get to watch them get their butts beat next week. They'll be playing New Orleans.

5. Last thing you cooked?

Spiritual Sunday ~ 'Chosen Generation'

2011-01-02T15:35:00.000-05:00

There are just some days when you feel like God is trying to get your attention.

This morning I was awakend by my clock radio to Chris Tomlin's 'Chosen Generation'.

As I cranked my car to head to church, there it was again. 'Chosen Generation'.

Got to church and guess what the first song was that we sang! 'Chosen Generation'.

And then.....

John was preaching on his Three Wishes for the church community for the new year. He said to me (I take some of John's sermons very personally) that being the chosen generation, we need to

"DREAM BIGGER...

and do something you simply couldn't do without God.

God has unlimited vision and sees unlimited potential in all of us. There's more to our spiritual life than trying to keep our heads above water. It's hard to dream big when that's our only goal."

So, once again, as I knelt in prayer at the altar, I asked God, "Even though I feel like I've dreamed big dreams and ventured way out of my comfort zone with my trip to Belize and offering myself up as a lay person, 'Am I where you want me to be, doing what you want me to do? I hear you trying to get my attention but what next?"

I share 'Chosen Generation' with you.

Start your year off with 'True Grit'

2011-01-01T10:25:00.002-05:00

Westerns have always been my favorite genre of films. I grew up in the age of 'Rawhide', 'Wagon Train', 'Have Gun, Will Travel', and 'Bonanza'. I was in love with Clint Eastwood's 'Rowdy Yates' and Michael Landon's 'Little Joe'.

Back in 1969 a western was released that starred John Wayne and Glen Campbell. It was a big success at the box offive if for no other reason than it starred John Wayne. But let me tell you. The 2010 version of 'True Grit' is a movie not to be missed. If you haven't seen it, run and see it before it leaves the theaters. It's an extremely funny and entertaining movie. I know now that when it comes out on DVD or Pay Per View, I've got to make sure my dad sees it. Mister and I saw it last night and we've both already said that we'd be willing to see it again. And I've got to have the Sound Track CD!

There's no sex! Only about 3 or 4 curse words but you'd expect that from a dirty ol' cowboy marshall. They are appropriate for the characters and not spoken for the sake of adding vulgarity. Of course, there's the expected shoot 'em up, cowboy violence. This movie has stood the test of time. Jeff Bridges is a wonderful Rooster Cogburn. And Matt Damon is a very likable Texas Ranger LaBouef.

The end of another year

2010-12-31T11:20:00.001-05:00

Encouragement for 2011

God is for you.

God loves you.

God will guide you.

God will not fail you.

God will be with you.

God will provide for you.

God will bless you.

God will give you rest.

God will strengthen you.

God will answer you.

God will uphold you.

God will keep you.

Happy New Year to all of you. My faithful and dear blogger friends. How blessed I am to have all of you in my blogging life.

I don't make a habit of making resolutions for the new year but one thing I hope I will be able to commit to and hold to is that I will resume my faithfulness to my blog and to all of you. You have been such a positive influence in who I am and how I think that I want to reacquaint myself with you. So look for me to return in full force. You know. When you get away from this for a while, it's difficult to get your mind set to write and compose. So I'm already thinking and I'll be back.

It's supposed to be 68 degrees here in Augusta today. The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day for the last of 2010. I can't help but to think about all the people who are experiencing either the flooding or the snow in areas of our country. My prayers are with those people who are experiencing such horrible conditions that they have no control over. I can't even imagine what they're going through.

Anybody doing anything exciting tonight? We're not. Probably just go out to dinner somewhere and maybe catch a movie. All in all, Q U I E T is what we're hoping for. We've invited the girls and their families to come and maybe watch the ball drop in Time Square on TV. That's enough. I'm content to sit and watch all the football bowl games. Alabama plays Michigan State tomorrow so that's a must for me and Mister. Him being an alumni of Alabama, you know.

Well, the day carries on and so must I. I hope all of you have a great day as we wind down one more year. 2011 will bring us things we can't imagine. I'm sure of it.

Happy New Year to all of you.

Be safe in whatever you do to celebrate.

See you next year.

Weezer

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

2010-12-23T00:19:00.001-05:00

'Twas the night before Christmas and out on the ranch

The pond was froze over and so was the branch.

The snow was piled up belly-deep to a mule.

The kids were all home on vacation from school,

And happier young folks you never did see-

Just all sprawled around a-watchin' TV.

Then suddenly, some time around 8 o'clock,

There came a surprise that gave them a shock!

The power went off, the TV went dead!

When Grandpa came in from out in the shed

With an armload of wood, the house was all dark.

"Just what I expected," they heard him remark.

"Them power line wires must be down from the snow.

Seems sorter like times on the ranch long ago."

"I'll hunt up some candles," said Mom. "With their light,

And the fireplace, I reckon we'll make out all right."

The teen-agers all seemed enveloped in gloom.

Then Grandpa came back from a trip to his room,

Uncased his old fiddle and started to play

That old Christmas song about bells on a sleigh.

Mom started to sing, and first thing they knew

Both Pop and the kids were all singing it, too.

They sang Christmas carols, they sang "Holy Night,"

Their eyes all a-shine in the ruddy firelight.

They played some charades Mom recalled from her youth,

And Pop read a passage from God's Book of Truth.

They stayed up till midnight-and, would you believe,

The youngsters agreed 'twas a fine Christmas Eve.

Grandpa rose early, some time before dawn;

And when the kids wakened, the power was on..

"The power company sure got the line repaired quick,"

Said Grandpa - and no one suspected his trick.

Last night, for the sake of some old-fashioned fun,

He had pulled the main switch - the old Son-of-a-Gun!

-anonymous

A local editorial

2010-12-18T00:56:00.001-05:00

Do you read the editorial and opinion section of your newspaper? I don't usually. So many times when I start to read something from there, it's either way too far over my head, I don't know what they're talking about, or someone is just letting off steam that needs to be contained. However. The other morning I had read through the entire paper and still didn't feel like getting up and getting started around the house. I found this local article. It speaks such honesty. I wish I was the kind of person with the courage to express thoughts such as this. I'm not, but I so agree with his message. I thought I'd share it.

Preserve nation's Christian principles

     Ever since America was established by its Founding Fathers (who, by the way, were Christians), just about every political, religious or loony individual and/or organization has attempted to change it to suit their own concept of what it out to be, or destroy it altogether.
     During my 80 years, I have seen many changes some of which I am proud of because I believe they made America more Christ-oriented. What I don't like is seeing our government giving in to non-Christian principles, under the guise of "being fair to everybody".
     I read nothing in the Constitution that even hints America must be changed to protect or promote the rights of those who want to overthrow or "remake" it. I say they are welcome here, but if they don't like a "Christian America", then go somewhere else - but don't try to make America into that "somewhere else".
     I am convinced the American citizens are partly to blame for the loss of some of our freedoms. I believe, from the beginning, any time the authorities demanded or moved in to dismantle a christian symbol, ebvery business and house in the town or city should have erected one in front of their place. They couldn't have put everybody in jail.
     Itg is too late to start? Only true Americans can answer that. Today, when someone bids me 'happy holidays", I answer, "No -merry Christmas". If everyone would do that, at least that's a start.
     Merry Christmas to everyone.
J.F Rodgers
Clearwater, S.C.

And Merry Christmas to you, Mr. Rodgers.

It's called CHRISTmas

2010-12-17T11:58:00.000-05:00

A friend's visit

2010-12-17T10:03:00.000-05:00

I had a friend visit me this morning. He arrived early, sat down with me, and chatted for a while about how things were currintly going for me in my life. After very carefully and compassionately listening to all that I had to say, he stood up, walked over to me, leaned over and gently held me for a while.
After reassuring me not to worry, that everything would work out for me and be just fine, He asked me if Iknew of anyone else who could use a visit from Him. I immediately thought of all of you, my friends.

I gave Him your names and He knew where you lived. He gave me another reassuring hug, thanked me, and I walked with HIm to my front door. He told me that He was on His way to your place.

I asked him to bless you and yours with peace, happiness and abundance.

Say a prayer and then pass Him on to bless others as I sent him on to bless you. Our assignment is to spread love, respect and kindness throughout the world.

Have a blessed day and touch somebody's life today as hopefully I have touched your life.
(from an e-mail. Original author unknown)

While You Were Sleeping by Casting Crowns

2010-12-15T16:05:00.000-05:00

Oh, how I've had trouble getting into the 'decorating for Christmas' mood. I love Christmas and what it stands for. Since my return from Belize with all the images I have still embedded in my memory, it just doesn't seem right. The timing isn't right. So, I've been thinking of it as decorating for a 'Happy Birthday, Jesus' party. My little granddaughter brought my thinking back to reality.

And just this morning, I heard this song on the radio for the first time. It truly was a shockwave back to the real reason for Christmas.

Happy Birthday, Jesus.

Greater things are yet to come

2010-12-02T11:07:00.000-05:00

A different world

2010-12-01T11:58:00.000-05:00

I was watching Wheel of Fortune the other night and a gentleman on there won a $8100 trip for two ..... to Belize. I wondered immediately where it is in Belize that three nights would cost $8100. I was less than 48 hours back from a mission trip to Belmopan, Belize and all I could think was that of what I saw there, an entire village could be bought for that amount. $8100 in American money is $16,200 in the Belizean currency.
I got home late on Saturday and since then, the images of what I saw in Belize have stayed in my mind. Because of that, you'll probably hear about it for days to come. I came home with over 1100 photographs and feeling like I have been dropped into a world so full of so much. I've seen images on television of children wanting nothing more than to be able to go to school and have some food to eat. There really are places in the world, including our own America, where those children live. I'm aware of each time I turn on the faucet at the sink or flip the switch to turn on the lights.
Some of us became very emotionally attached to a family of three generations living in a grass-thatched hut. My first encounter with them was as patients at one of my clinics. The grandmother is 65 and having medical problems that required me to refer her to an OB-GYN. Her husband is still living but has his own problems medically. The next generation, the mother and the father, are unemployed. Father had an appendectomy eight months ago and has had complications with an infection. None of the four children attend school because they can't afford the $65 a year for each to attend.
Their home was severely damaged by that hurricane that hit Belize. They're sleeping on a packed mud floor (except for the grandparents, who sleep in hammocks). They wash their clothes and bathe in a tiny pond about a hundred yard from their home. They get their water from a water hole another hundred yards in the opposite direction. Here's what I saw when I visited their home.

Where they get their drinking water.

Where they cook their meals...inside the hut.

Water for washing clothes and bathing

Their home

At one point I was feeling almost embarrassed by all that we have. But one of my team said that we're not to feel embarrassed by what we have, but to use it to the good of others if possible. They have so little that it takes very little to make them feel loved. They're not a country without their problems, but the people I met were very warm and loving.

I can't help but to be moved by what we saw. When I left there, I didn't feel like I'd been on a vacation by any means, but I felt like I'd been there to do a job. And I did it. Now, I'll start getting ready to go back in April.

I've sure missed all of you. We had people posting on the church blog but I wasn't familiar with the laptop computers so I didn't post from there.

It's good to be home. Really it is.

Departure on Saturday morning at 4:00am (November 20 2010)

2010-11-18T15:53:00.000-05:00

The air in the church last Sunday was electric. The commissioning service was wonderful as the entire congregation sang and cheered in sending us off. Never did we expect that we would be able to put together a 32-member team for our inaugural trip. We're broken up into six smaller teams (worship, children, construction, medical, women and admin). My Medical team is made up of myself (an RN), one LPN, an EMT, a dental tech, a hospital orderly, and a Vet tech. No doctor. We're quite a mixed-bag of experience so we should be able to pin-point any unexpected problems. We're calling this a bandaid mission since there were no medical people that went in the recon trip last March. There's no one on my team who has been before.

I'm so excited I can hardly keep still. Of course, there's still the little matter of packing for a week in the tropics. The dress code down in Belize is pretty strict so we're all having to be careful with our wardrobe. I'll be able to wear my scrub top in the villages when we go in for our health clinics so that will at least be familiar.

I wanted to give all of you the link to the blog site that will be maintained while we're gone.

http://questbelize.blogspot.com/

There's already the logo (like that one above) posted. There's some older photos there from the recon trip that was taken last March.

If you follow Face Book, you can check updates for the Group:

Quest Church International Missions

I don't do Face Book so I don't know what's involved in getting to that site.

Please continue to pray for our entire team. This is going to involve a lot of contact with the Belizean people. There's a church being built there and they have taken our church's name. We are The Quest Church and they have become The Evangelical Quest Church. What an honor to have our little church expand to such heights.

I've done a few posts to let you know what's going on each day and what my activities will be. Of course, when I get back, there will be lots and lots of photos.

God's blessings

Hope for safe trip.

Weezer

A Beautiful Saturday

2010-11-13T11:19:00.000-05:00

Oh, my sweet, sweet friends. I can't believe it's been 2 months to the day since I had the surgery on my ankle after that freaky fall in the backyard. I have great news to report. I am now able to walk independently. No crutches. No horrible black boot. No wheelchair. Nothing. God has surely been working to heal me. Your prayers have been heard and felt. The surgeon was amazed that everything looks as good as it does. He had expected to keep me in the boot for a few more weeks but when I sheepishly admitted to him that I had been trying it out on its own without it, he said that things were great. Not just good, but GREAT!

I'm now sporting 13 screws and 2 plates in my ankle. It's still a bit swollen looking but it feels great. Still a bit weak and achey after several hours on it but all in all, I'm so thankful that things have progressed as they have.

You may have noticed that I've got a mission trip posted on my sidebar. This time next week I'll be headed to Belize with my church, leading a medical team. Satan has tried diligently to keep me down and from making this trip. Early in September I had the problems with an abcessed tooth that weakened me. Then on September 9th I had my fall, followed by surgery on the 13th. Then I had an infection in what we had thought was another tooth but turned out to be an infection that settled into my jaw bone. During intubation for my surgery, they had scraped inside my mouth and exposed the bone. At one point the pain was far worse than the broken ankle and the swelling kept me from eating.

My co-lead on the medical team has had her own medical problems and is unable to make the trip.

But....

the Grace of God has healed me and I'm still going to Belize. All that I've gone through in the past two months has me anticipating great things from this trip. God wants me to go.

So...

for now, I'm making final preparations for the trip. We will be gone over Thanksgiving and I ask that you continue to pray for me and the team. We will be taking teams for construction, women and children, and a worship team, which my daughter, Jessica, is co-leading.

Tomorrow at both services at church the inaugural missions team will be commissioned as we ready ourself for our final destination of Belmopan, Belize.

All of you have been so faithful. It has been very difficult to maintain my communications with you over the past couple of months. I make a promise to you that I will be back in full force soon.

A short but sweetly positive update

2010-10-12T01:01:00.000-04:00

Hello, all my dear friends. My heart sings each time I check in and see that you have not only been checking on me, but praying and leaving warm fuzzy comments.

The ankle continues to mend well. The outer incision looked a bit ooky for a little while but I think it's going to be fine. Not beautiful, but it's closing and healing. I go back to the surgeon on Friday and I'm really, REALLY, hoping that he'll let me start putting some weight on it. So far, I've been in a most hideous, very large boot. It doesn't go with anything in my wardrobe and it's very difficult to coordinate black velcro with accessories.

The mouth issue is also doing better. What happened there was that fortunately it wasn't a bad tooth after all, but exposed bone from the surgery intubation. I've been on antibiotics and it all seems to be getting better. You know how quickly mouth wounds can heal. I'm hopeful.

Thank you one and all for sticking by me with your thoughts and prayers over the past month. As soon as I can sit here at the computer without having to worry about this huge boot, I'll be back more regularly. Stay close and I'll do the same.
Weezer

Still alive but definitely not kicking very high

2010-10-05T03:23:00.000-04:00

OH, my goodness, how I've missed all of you. I thought I'd take just a moment to let all of you know that I feel all the love and prayers being sent in my direction.

The ankle is mending well. I've had the stitches removed (11 inside ankle; 16 outside ankle) and I'm now in a boot though I still can't bear weight yet. How wonderful it is that they aren't going to put a cast on. When I asked about it, they said that they would if they felt like I wasn't going to behave. Believe me. I'm behaving.

The real problem has been my mouth. Remember that I had an abcessed tooth removed sometime back in early September before I did the break-the-ankle thing? Well, now I've gotten some sort of infection in another part of my mouth. My theory is that it was something that I got in surgery. Since surgery, I've had one of those horrible ulcer-like places in my mouth and I just suspected that it had occurrred during surgery. Long story short (like I could), I've had an infection in my mouth that has been more unbearable than anything I've endured with the ankle. Just when I thought I could get away from some of the pain medication this mouth thing flared up. There's doctor appointments this week so hopefully I'll have something more positive to report.

Please know that I think of all of you. Wonder how all your etsy shops are going. How are all the kids and grandkids adjusting to being back at school. How are all the wedding plans going? 10-10-10 will be here real real REAL soon. Any more dog runs up north?

Please stay in touch. I"ll be doing better about checking on all of you. I"ll be watching.

12 hours to go ~ Feeling the love and prayers

2010-09-13T02:18:00.000-04:00

I've read and reread your loving kind remarks and they have all lifted me up so so so much. You, dear friends, are such a wonderful testimony about how love and prayers can be extended to even those we don't see on a daily basis. What a wonderful thing it is!
12 hours to go and I'll be getting this thing fixed. I'm not doing too badly but I have to admit that the surgery will have to be a relief.
I'll be home sometime on Tuesday and will be back with you as soon as I can sit comfortably on this old chair. Right now, it's Vicodin (that's the pill I couldn't remember) time and off to bed. Nothing to eat or drink until much, much later.
(While you're lifting me up in prayer, can you please lift up two of my daughters . They both have strep throat. That and trying to care for small children while ol' Weezer's lame as an old plow mule. I'm not much help to them but trying to take care of myself now.)

Love and beautiful days to all of you,
Thanks more than I can express,
Weezer

Prayers, please

2010-09-12T01:23:00.000-04:00

Okay. I've been away for a few days. Since Thursday. Where am I? I'm sitting, under the influence of Darvocet, high dose Motrin, and some other pain med that starts with a 'Z', I think.
What happened? Last Thursday afternoon, after taking Mister's car to be worked on, we came home and with full intention of having a nap. I had had Leah all morning and this poor ol' Weezer needed a nap!
We got home, I went out to turn the water on in the back yard. And while checking to make sure the sprinkler was hitting the bushes that needed it most, I think I stepped on the garden hose. It rolled under my foot and I lost my balance. All I could think of at the time was that I couldn't land on the garden wall or it would break my hip. I must have planted my foot and thus bent it in a direction it wasn't meant to bend. I knew immediately what I had done. BROKE MY ANKLE! There I was, laying on the ground in the back of the yard.
Mister has a hearing deficit and as I drug myself to the back door, I alternately yelled his name, drag, drag, drag, yell. Drag, drag, drag, yell. I knew he wouldn't hear me. All the while my poor dog, Grace is getting upset because she thinks I'm yelling at her.
I got to the door, opened it, still laying on the ground. Finally got Mister's attention.

To shorten this a bit since I need to take some more medicine, we called 911 and got an ambulance. Got me to the hospital, they x-rayed and reported that my ankle is a mess. Now, what further complicates this is that this is the very ankle that I broke back in 1994, so I'm still sporting some screws and plates from that accident. They splinted the ankle after reducing (setting) it and sent me home. Saw an orthopedic surgeon on Friday.

Scheduled for surgery on Monday at 2:00pm. Looks like there's three fractures and of course, it's going to require removal of the current hardware and placement of some new stuff.
So, I tell you all of this to let you know that I'll be back as soon as I can be. Surgery will be on Monday and I'll stay one night in the hospital, coming home on Tuesday.
I'll check back in with you as soon as I can. Did I say that already? I think so.
Please stay with me and know I'll be anxiously looking forward to getting back.
Hugs to all of you,
Weezer

National Grandparents' Day is tomorrow

2010-09-12T00:51:00.000-04:00

National Grandparents Day is a secular holiday celebrated in the United States on the first Sunday after Labor Day. It is celebrated in the United Kingdom on the first Sunday in October.

I tell you about it today in case there are some grandparents you need to recognize and didn't know about this national holiday.

The official flower of National Grandparents Day is the Forget-me-not.

Information from Wikipedia.

Videos from YouTube.

You Capture ~ Signs

2010-09-09T09:36:00.000-04:00

Hosted by Beth

This week's challenge: SIGNS

This is the sign at the Phinitzy Swamp in South Augusta.

It probably doesn't need much explaining why I love this. Dragonfly!

The end of another wonderful day.

"Red sky at night,

Sailor's delight"

Hmmm. You've got to wonder.

A sign to me that a very dear friend

died of a horrible accident a few years ago.

Riverwalk Augusta

Savannah River

Happy Birthday, Weezer's Haven.

2010-09-09T01:04:00.000-04:00

This marks the 4th birthday of Weezer's Haven.

In September 2006 I decided to take my daughters' advice and start a blog. She was having such positive results with hers and my other daughter had moved 3 hours away. It seemed like a good way for everyone to stay in touch.

It was difficult at first. Well, not just at first. I often felt frustrated and not very artistic in what I posted. It took me a long, long, LONG time to get where it just didn't matter if anyone read what I wrote or saw the photographs that I'd taken. The blog was for me. It was for me to keep in touch with my daughters.

Although on some level I still think that....that my blog is for me. But I also do it for YOU. You keep me posting, writing, photographing.

It's a different world, this blogging thing. As far as I can tell, it's different from the Face book thing or the ~~Twitter~~ Tweeter thing. It must be since I see that there are so many who do all of it.

I have become a blogging addict. I am often times here typing away when I should be doing other things. But I'm happy to confess that I still get things done besides my posts to you. Not always in a timely fashion, but things do get done. After I get a post typed out.

Two of my daughters no longer post to their blogs but I continue. It's my own little world that I can share with so many people that I've come to know and care about.

Thank you for staying with me. For sharing your life with me as I share my thoughts, dreams, and life with you. All of you are special.

Awareness Wednesday (on Thursday) 090910

2010-09-09T01:02:00.002-04:00

Thank you, Holly.

Recently I was going through some old copies of my Guideposts, readying them for recycle to the hospital waiting rooms. I found an article, Living With Depression (The Healer), in the January 2010 issue. I know I had read the article when I had received the magazine, but it didn't impact me like it did in re-reading it this time.

The opening paragraph of the article, written by Therese Borchard of Annapolis, MD is this:

"I was trying to pray when it happened. Desperately. Dark feelings I'd been holding back for days like some terrible tide, feelings of worthlessness and exhaustion, overcame me. I forced myself to keep reading the Psalm I had in front of me, but all I really wanted to do was give up. Just close my eyes and never open them again. Anything to make this unnameable despair, this sadness beyond sadness I couldn't seem to shake, go away."

In so few words, this lady has been able to capture the utmost feeling of living with clinical depression. At the time, she was kneeling in her walk-in closet to hide from her children. She didn't want to upset the children and didn't want to alert her husband that she was again, having all the negativity and darkness take her over.

Friends, I can do all manner of research and come up with clinical explanations and descriptions of depression. But this hit home with me and nothing has explained the situation, the darkness, the isolation as well as this. I, too, suffer from depression. There are many who don't see it in me. There are those who do and don't understand. Whether you believe in the clinical diagnosis of depression or not, it exists for those of us who suffer with it.

This particular lady got help she needed from staff at John Hopkins and is now leading a life where she has more control over her situation. In addition to the clinical depression, she found that she also suffered with bipolar disorder, explaining why she had such varied changes in her moods. She says in the article, "I learned that depression is no one's fault. It's not a personal or spiritual shortcoming."

Fortunately for this particular victim, she has a wonderful support system in her husband and her children. They have seen what the depression and bipolar disorder can do to her and believe.

Outdoor Wednesday 090910

2010-09-08T13:52:00.000-04:00

Hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer

Leah May

Sensational Haiku Wednesday ~ Belonging

2010-09-08T02:02:00.000-04:00

Photographs by Weezer

Fitting in somewhere.

Comfortable in my skin.

Not wanting to roam.

Knowing who I am.

Certain of my destiny.

Living in the light.

Would you like to do Haiku, too? We'd love to have you join in! Haiku is simple. It is 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.

For more great Haiku, please visit Jen at You Know...that Blog!!

Next week's theme: Food

Post-It Note Tuesday (090810)

2010-09-07T00:52:00.000-04:00

Post-It Note Tuesday

is now being hosted by

Only Parent Chronicles

Tuesday Tunes ~ Then (Brad Paisley)

2010-09-07T00:42:00.000-04:00

Hosted by Chrissy at Life's Not Always Fireflies and Hummingbirds.

I do love me a good ol' country love song.

Enjoy!

Monday Morsels 090610

2010-09-06T00:01:00.004-04:00

It's been 10 months since I quit.

Fly Your Flag Today

A truly great series of commercials about Fatherhood Involvement.
This is my favorite. (from YouTube)

A child's greatest period of growth is the month after you've purchased new school clothes.
(from the Augusta newspaper)

How 'bout just a little kiss.

(clipart from bing.com)

The Braves are digging themselves a hole they're not gonna be able to climb out of. But I still keep wearing my shirt and watching them.

Spiritual Sunday ~ Roses and Thorns

2010-09-04T23:27:00.000-04:00

ROSES AND THORNS

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully, and before it
blossomed, he examined it. He saw the bud that would soon blossom and also
the thorns. And he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant
burdened with so many sharp thorns?" Saddened by this thought, he neglected
to water the rose, and before it was ready to bloom, it died.

So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth grow amid the thorns of our faults.
Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects. We despair,
thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water
the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it
to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past
the thorns and find the rose within others. This is the characteristic of
love, to look at a person, and knowing his faults, recognize the nobility in
his soul, and help him realize that he can overcome his faults. If we show
him the rose, he will conquer the thorns.

Our duty in this world is to help others by showing them their roses and not
their thorns. Only then can we achieve the love we should feel for each
other; only then can we bloom in our own garden.
-- Author Unknown

(from eMail Ministry)
(above rose photo by Weezer)

Thank you, Charlotte and Ginger, for hosting Spiritual Sundays.

Down by the Station

2010-09-04T01:42:00.000-04:00

And then please read yesterday's post if you haven't already.
Weezer

More than just a face

2010-09-03T01:07:00.000-04:00

image from Frayed Lotus @ Belief net.com

My friends, I'm going to do something a little different this Friday morning. Rather than do my usual blog hopping to make new friends, I'd like to put my focus on Y O U - the friends I've already made.

In making contacts through my reader, I'm finding there are ~~many several~~ many who are feeling low, down, in a dark place. Some of you are.............

sending children off to school after an active summer and are feeling lonely or isolated;

over-whelmed with all the roles you are playing in just getting through life;

having difficulties remembering who your real self is;

battling the darkness of your own personal demons;

experiencing the role reversal of having ill or aging parents;

battling your own personal illnesses and having to face your own mortality;

feeling the passage of time by the end of summer approaching and fall so close;

employed and miserable while others are unemployed and miserable.

If you see yourself in any of these situations or you 're in a situation where you need a little extra help, some love from someone to let you know that you're cared about, pray this prayer.....

Lord, you know my heart and deepest conflicts. I long to be used wholly for You, but sometimes life trips me up, and I get ambushed by my own humanity..by others' humanity. But "whom have I on earth beside Thee?" Father God, remind me that my life is broken without Your touch. You can be bigger to me than my failures and weaknesses. Remind me that you long for me too, so that You may touch me and heal me. My eyes are ever on You, Lord, and in this I take refuge. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Maybe you're feeling pretty good about things in your life and have a firm grip on your circumstances. If that's your case, please pray for those who aren't so fortunate:

Lord, you created us with a capacity for friendship ~ and how we need it in life's ebbs and flows! May we learn from Your example how to be a real friend: to be inconvenienced to care about what our friend is going through, to be there for them. Life can be lonely and hard. Thank you for being a abest friend to us by giving Your very life ~ the greatest test of friendship ever. I lift up to your any who are saddened on this day for one reason or another. I know You can hear their cries and can east their pain. And Lord, may I show by my life that I want to be Your friend, too. In Your name, Amen.

I just want everyone to be more than a face or an image on someone's follow-me list. There is a real person with a real story attached to each and every one.

Prayers from or inspired by "The Comforting Presence of God" by Nancie Carmichael.

Peace, Hugs, Love, and Harmony,

You Capture ~ Outside (page 2)

2010-09-02T18:13:00.000-04:00

These somehow got deleted out of my You Capture when it posted, so I'm doing a page 2.

Moth at 10 o'clock on 4 o'clocks at 4 o'clock am.

4 o'clocks at 4 o'clock in the morning

You Capture ~ Mornings

2010-09-02T12:26:00.001-04:00

Hosted by Beth.

Want more details?

Here's the link. Click the button.

Next week's challenge: SIGNS

Outdoor Wednesday 090110

2010-09-01T01:31:00.001-04:00

Thanks to my Souther Daydreamer Friend, Susan

for hosting Outdoor Wednesday

All photos taken by Weezer (Nikon D40)

Sensational Haiku Wednesday ~ Secrets

2010-09-01T01:10:00.001-04:00

Hosted by Jenn.

Secrets

I hear them talking.

Things they don't want me to hear.

Whispers, quietly.

They don't know I'm here.

Giggling softly. I hear them.

Sister to sister.

Next week:

Belong(-ing)

Remembering Chuck

2010-08-31T02:37:00.000-04:00

In September 2006, the hurricane season had been especially hard on the southeast. The winds had been high and many and the rains came in deluge. One morning Mister, in his morning walk to get the newspaper, found a little baby bird lying on the ground next to the driveway. Not wanting a neighborhood cat to get it, he picked it up and carried it to one of the flower pots on the patio. That's where I found it. In the flower pot sitting on the picnic table on the patio.
It was a tiny little thing, that bird. And as is my nature, I brought it in and tried to get it warm. Fed it some bread mashed up in water and waited for it to die. But it didn't. Before long, it was off to the pet store to see if I could find something that this little thing would eat. We hand mixed the food and every two hours we fed it with an eye dropper. It grew feathers. It grew!
One day I was holding it in my hands, it sitting up on my fingers, and my Mister said, "Hi, Chuck". The name stuck. With the first egg that she layed, being the smart folks that we are, we discovered that Chuck was really a girl. But the name stuck.
She became a part of the family. She made trips with me over to my folks' place across the state, riding in her little cage. Sadie was still alive then and loved Chuck. And Chuck loved Sadie. But Sadie loved Mister's shoes more.
Today I went in to feed Chuck and she was curled up in the corner of her cage lifeless. She lived six years longer than any of us thought she would. She was a wonderful pet. Sadie's been gone a year and a half. Maybe Chuck has flown to heaven and is with Sadie now.

Tuesday Tunes ~ Your Hands (JJ Heller)

2010-08-31T00:32:00.003-04:00

Post-It Note Tuesday (083110)

2010-08-31T00:17:00.000-04:00

Hosted by SupahMommy.

Thanks for introducing me to Post-its.

Meet Me on Monday 083010

2010-08-30T01:30:00.000-04:00

It's time for Java's Meet Me On Monday.Here's this week's questions:

1. What is your favorite kind of potato chip?

This didn't take much thought. I'm from the "Betcha Can't Eat Just One" generation. It's the classic Lay's for me. I've tried the other flavors, but nothing goes with a good ol' PBJ like the classic.

2. Do you make your bed everyday?

Well, here's the story on that.

A few years back I had a skin condition (called basal cell carcinoma) and while I was being treated for it, I got in the habit of not sleeping under covers. And to this day, I still sleep with just a light blanket over me. So all I have to do when I get up is fold up the blanket. I sleep on top of the comforter.

3. How often do you go to the hair salon?

Do you mean a beauty shop? I've never been in a salon that I know of. I'm not even sure we have them in Georgia. But I go to the beauty shop every three weeks.

4. What do you dip your French fries in?

And that's all I've got to say about that.

5. Do you shop with coupons?

I try to. Sometimes I've got them with me. Sometimes I don't I do try to shop on Senior Citizen day. That's a big help. And we use Sam's Warehouse........splitting things with the daughters.

Monday Morsels 083010

2010-08-30T00:45:00.035-04:00

"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." - 19th Amendment
90 years have come and gone since the amendment that grants women the right to vote was officially ratified by Tennessee, the 36th and last state needed to make women's suffrage official, on August 18th, 1920.
-Matt O'Shea (Guest writer at Beliefnet.com)

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you.
- Dale Carnegie

This has nothing to do with anything. I just found it somewhere and liked that face.

This year, August has 5 Sundays, 5 Mondays, 5 Tuesdays, all in one
month. It happens once in 823 years.
I probably will miss it next time!

Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.
- Marianne Williamson

Photo by Weezer

Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest.

~ Mark Twain

Anyone who is indifferent to the well-being of other people and to the causes of their future happiness, can only be laying the ground for their own misfortune.

- Dalai Lama

Happy Birthday, Jessica

2010-08-29T13:48:00.000-04:00

Today is our middle daughter's birthday. Just last night Mister and I were sitting and remembering where we were 29 years ago. It's still pretty vivid in my memories.
May I encourage you to visit Jessica's website and read her account of living to be 29 years old. She has a wonderful way with words that she didn't get from me. And if you don't want to read it, at least go and see what dear ol' Weezer looked like 29 years ago.

Spiritual Sunday ~ Good Morning

2010-08-29T00:34:00.001-04:00

Spiritual Sunday is hosted by Charlotte and Ginger.

GOOD MORNING

When I say good morning I mean to say:

G-od

O-ffers us His

O-utstanding
D-evotion to

M-ake us
O-bedient and
R-eady for a
N-ew day with Him.
I-nspire others please, and
N-ever forget
G-od loves you!

-- Author Unknown
from E-Mail Ministry

A Drum Roll Please- 100 followers

2010-08-28T03:50:00.000-04:00

A very big

to each and every one of you for making me feel like my blog is something that matters.

It was just about six months ago that I would want so badly to put something on my blog but I didn't feel that it was anything that mattered. It wasn't even important to me so I would just scout around and see what others had to say.

Before very long, I met Polly and Michelle and Kim,

and of course, Angelia (who I found because her name is spelled the same as my daughter's),

Deidra, Kayla

and then Java.

Through Java I found that there was a group of bloggers that were involved in something I hadn't heard of: Blog hops

I thought, "What the heck" and got involved. Through hopping from one blog to another, I found most of you. You have given me a reason to speak my mind, a reason to think.

And most of all, a reason to feel like someone really cares.

For all of you. And I do mean ALL OF YOU.

I have created this special blog award.

It's through your willingness to reach out, to MEET AND GREET,

that I have a new set of friends.

And because of YOU, I have reached 100 followers.

Never in a hundred years would I have guessed that a

Purple Cow

would be my 100th.

Please accept this and pass it on to those who follow your blog, giving you a reason to post.

Those who make it all worthwhile.

With gratitude that can't be measured,

Thank You.

Deep Questions ( Another TAG)

2010-08-28T02:12:00.000-04:00

If you're not really interested in reading all the words here, (and not everybody will) please go to the end of the post to see if I've tagged YOU. If you're not interested in participating, leave me a comment and I'll pick someone else. Okay? I won't be offended. It is a time-consuming under-taking.

Well, you guys. I've been TAGGED again. This time from my friend Carol the Gardener. And trying not to be someone who steps down from a challenge, I'm going to take on her 8 Deep Questions. And guys, these folks can really come up with D E E P Q U E S T I O N S. But don't worry. If you know anything about me, you know the answers aren't equally deep. So, here I go.

Peace.

World Peace.

Oh, I'm sorry. For just a minute I thought I was running for Mrs. America.

On to the serious stuff.

1. What do you think was the most important lesson your parents taught you?

There's many life lessons parents pass on to their children and we just don't know it at the time..or appreciate it. But I learned UNCONDITIONAL LOVE from my folks. I really screwed up lots when I was growing up. Everything from setting the backyard on fire (with my brother's help) to marrying the wrong man the first time around. And through it all, they were right there. I can't remember them ever telling me, "I told you so". They let me learn my own lessons and were right there waiting for me, loving me all the time.

2. Do you think you can be in love with more than one person?

I'm guessing you mean as in couple love-love. I don't think so. That's not the way God planned it. One love + One love = a couple.

It is possible to love friends, family, your dog, the lady at the Walmart. But it's a different love. It's not an emotional, deep-in-the-heart love. It's not a love that is binding for the rest of your life. It's not that Unconditional Love. There's no real commitment involved with that kind of love. There's no pledge of forever and ever amen.

Does that make any sense?

3. What is your favorite kind of music?

Who is your favorite singer?

It would probably be easier for me to tell you what I don't like in the way of music. I listen to everything from Contemporary Christian to Classical.

I like acoustic guitar but don't like saxophone.

I like piano concertos but don't like chamber music.

My favorite singer? I absolutely love Josh Groban. What a cutie. And he can sing McDonald commercials or the ABC song and I'd buy it. What's not to love?

4. What is your favorite memory of your Grandparents?

I have a special memory of each of my grandparents, but in particular I remember one from both my MaMaw and my PaPaw. These were my mother's parents. My MaMaw was one of the first scrapbookers. When we would go to visit or stay with her, we kept scrapbooks. One thing that we collected in our scrapbooks was match book covers. I wish I knew where all those old scrapbooks went.

And with PaPaw, it was stamp collecting. I still have my old stamp collecting album that he helped me start back in........long time ago.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be and why?

This question is similar to another question I answered in an earlier set so I'll give the same answer here. "Definitely on a beach somewhere. I love Tybee Island and St. Simons Island on the coast of Georgia."

I'm just a beach kind of person. I love the mountains, too, but I don't think I could take the cooler weather that much. I love the warmer climate, actually the hotter the better for me. I truly believe that I'm meant to live near the water.

6. What is your favorite color?

Hmm. This is a little harder. It really depends on what I'm considering. Being a redhead, I have to be careful about what hues of color I wear. I really love pinks, light yellows, and peachy corals for my clothes. I can't do reds unless it's a blue-red. I wore a lot of green when I was growing up. These days, though, I'll wear anything that makes me look thin.

7. Why did you start blogging?

A little while back my oldest daughter and her family moved up to Greenville, South Carolina from here in Augusta. She had never lived more than a few miles from me. My middle daughter started blogging about that time and we thought, all of us, that it would be a good way for us to keep up-to-date on what was going on with everybody.

It's wound up with me being the most active with my blog. I don't know exactly when she moved but I've been blogging since September 2006, off and on. All the girls use Facebook to keep up with their friends.
I like blogging where I can meet new folks. It's been very therapeutic for me. What had once been just a contact with the girls, then my journal, and now, it's my contact with the outside world pretty much.

8. What is your favorite meal?

Hands down, a good bacon cheeseburger. I love the Smokehouse Burger from Ruby Tuesdays. But then again, who can resist pizza. My favorite? Pizza Hut Pan Pizza with Pepperoni, black olives, and onions.
Goodness. I think I could eat either of them right now, even if it is 1:30 in the morning.

Okay. I know there's lots of words here and I hope that if you spent the time reading it all, it was because you were really interested in more stuff about me.
Now I'm supposed to come up with eight people and eight questions of my own.

My questions:
1 and 2. Did you grow up in the city you're currently living in? If not, what brought you there?

3. Do you know how to ride a bicycle and how long has it been since you've ridden one?

4. Do you have any old, real records? Of who?

5. Do you prefer to write with a pencil or a pen?

6. When was the last time you mailed a letter or card ( a real snail mail letter) to someone that wasn't related to a bill?

7. Do you prefer McDonald's french fries or Burger King's french fries?

8. Do you play a musical instrument?

TAG.
Beyond the Kitchen Window
Kat's Confessions
Nanny Kim
Everyday Rurality
Coffee Slut
The Pondering Princess
So Many Memories
The Chacogirl

There you have it. All done. That was fun.

Something Wacky for Saturday

2010-08-28T00:24:00.001-04:00

There's been a lot of pretty serious stuff exchanged the past few days. I've been feeling a bit
under the weather so I thought I'd just lighten things up a bit.
Enjoy. Who hasn't heard 5 Little Monkeys.
Okay. Everybody sing along.
Here we go.........................

Boost My Blog Friday

2010-08-27T11:43:00.000-04:00

I was just checking in with my dear friend at Design It Chic and saw that she's got a Blog Booster.

She has given me some wonderful idea on inproving the look of my blog.

I just thought I'd give it a go. I'm so so so

addicted to this blogging thing.

Jessica told me it would happen. I hate to tell my daughters that they're right.

But........

So here I am. Gonna make some connections with some new folks.

OH, I still love all the old folks. Oh, so much.

But there's still plenty of room in my Google Reader for more addresses and connections.

Venus aligned with the moon

2010-08-27T10:03:00.002-04:00

How brilliant the full moon has been this month. In another night or two, it'll start waxing (or is it waning)? I can never keep that straight.

(Okay. I looked it up. It'll be waning ~ getting smaller.)

Two night ago the sky was as clear as it could be. The moon had not yet cleared the pine trees over the house. And there, to the east, just out from behind the trees, was Venus. It was the only thing bright enough to be seen in the glow of the full moon.

If you haven't been outside after dark in the past few nights, you MUST get out tonight. The moon has been so bright and clear and Venus is almost perfectly aligned with it. Tonight it should be absolutely perfect.

If you look at the moon, in all its glory, and you see one 'star' that shines louder than the others, that's probably the Evening Star.......Venus.

Follow Friday....40 and Over (082710)

2010-08-27T02:27:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Teresa at ♥Too Many Heartbeats♥

for being recognized on Java's Follow Friday blog.

She is in the #2 position so be sure to go pay her a visit.

I think I say it every week, but I can't believe it's Friday already.Where's the time go?Are you a blogger over 40? Yeah, welcome to the club!
Please join in the fun and get to know your fellow bloggers!!
This is an amazing way to find other bloggers with common interests and also a great way to build your 'followship'.

You Capture ~ Outside

2010-08-26T19:47:00.000-04:00

Thanks, Beth, for hosting this.

I look forward to posting my photos every week.

Just this morning I got Mister to go walking with me on the Augusta RiverWalk. Our weather has been so nice lately, and I needed to get away for a bit.

And just to prove I was really there, and that I really do exist....

Voila! A seldom seen photo of

Next Week: Mornings

A Little Game of Tag

2010-08-26T19:20:00.000-04:00

Well, my Southern Style friend has issued me a challenge. She says that she discovered that one of her blog friends pulled her into a little game of tag!!! Like her, I don't often do this kind of thing, but it seems like fun. And what the heck! It's another way of getting to know folks. So here goes.

Here's the Tag Challenge questions:

1. If you were allowed to only read one book for the rest of your life ~ what would you choose?

Well, of course, my first choice would be my Bible, in extra large print. But for the sake of being different, knowing that probably 99.5% of the folks doing this would say it, I'll offer you my second choice ~ The Book of Virtues (A Treasury of Great Moral Stories) by William J. Bennett.

I would hope that I'd have enough of the Bible in my memory bank to sustain me for the rest of my life if I couldn't refer to it again.

2. Imagine you are on death row, and it's time to pick your last mean ~ What would it be?

A Smokehouse Burger from Ruby Tuesdays. I'm gonna go out in style. Almost 1500 calories and grams of fat. They can keep the fries though. I'm watching my carbs. Smokehouse Burger* Topped with aged New York cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, tangy barbecue sauce, and crisp onion rings.

3. If you had to do it again (or do it for the first time) ~ what type of wedding would you have?

Well, since I've done it twice already, and both times I had a big wedding, in a church, with the poofy white dress and veil and lots of flowers and everybody I knew on earth there, IF (and I'm here to tell you that I don't plan to do it again) I were to do it again, it would be small wedding in my backyard. Early morning. Me in a softchiffon flowy dress. Me, 30 pounds lighter than now. He, white shirt and khaki pants. Both barefoot. Azaleas and Bradford Pear trees blooming.

4. If you could live anywhere in the world ~ where would you choose and what type of dwelling would you live in?

Definitely on a beach somewhere. I love Tybee Island and St. Simons Island on the coast of Georgia. Big enough for the family to come visit but small enough to be beach-chic. Lots of shells and driftwood for deco.

5. What are your thoughts on organized religion?

Now, that's a hard one. Can I just say that I learn a mighty lot when I attend organized services. But, I don't feel that it's necessary for Christian growth. The material for religion goes back way before we were here. It's subject to different interpretations depending on individual needs or past experiences. Gotquestions.org says "A dictionary definition of “religion” would be something similar to “belief in God or gods to be worshipped, usually expressed in conduct and ritual; any specific system of belief, worship, etc., often involving a code of ethics.” In light of this definition, the Bible does speak of organized religion, but in many cases the purpose and impact of “organized religion” are not something that God is pleased with.

So.....

6. Describe your most embarrassing moment!

When I was pregnant with one of the girls, I went for a regular checkup. I'm thinking it must have been my oldest daughter since this story involves panty hose. I got undressed, had my exam, and while redressing, I noticed that my panty hose were missing. Looked for them. Couldn't find them. I don't know what I thought had happened to them, but I finished dressing and left. As I was getting into my car, there were my panty hose. Hanging out the leg of my pants. I had put my slacks on and drug the panty hose out the bottom.

7. What are you most proud of?

I'm proud of my Mister. Proud that we've been able to sustain a happy and loving relationship for over 31 years. And from that has come three daughters and four granddaughters.

8. Finally...who would be your arch nemesis and why??

Satan causes me such problems. I am constantly having to tell him to leave me alone, to let me be a friend to myself. He causes me to self doubt and be anxious when it's not called for. I know, I know. Everyone deals with this but when you're already prone to self ridicule and being an introvert, it's easier for him to come to rest right there....right there on my shoulder.

I'm so glad that's over. I didn't know how in depth it was going to be. But those are really great questions.

Now. I get to challenge some of you by.......TAG!

The challenge goes to:

Some Wonders of Life

I Made It Through the Rain

Keep Me in Your Heart for a Little While

You know. If there's anyone who would like to do this, go ahead. Someone just might need or want something to post about. I'd love to ready anyone's answers.

"What it was, was football" (1953)

2010-08-26T00:13:00.001-04:00

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I've been thinking about this monologue since I saw that Andy Griffith was featured in the AARP magazine recently. When I was growing up, we had a record that had this on it.
I hope you'll get a laugh or two out of it. And you don't have to know anything about football to think it's funny.

(from YouTube)
Andy Griffith's famous 1953 stand-up monologue about college football. It has become one of the most beloved comedy recordings of all time.

The illustrations used in this video were drawn by George Woodbridge, a Mad Magazine artist.

Outdoor Wednesday 082510

2010-08-25T01:56:00.000-04:00

Thank you, Susan, for hosting Outdoor Wednesday.

Sensational Haiku Wednesday - Future

2010-08-25T01:10:00.000-04:00

Beyond their seeing.

Full of curiosity.

Seldom what they dream.

Mothers of redheads?

Writers of dreamy novels?

Leaders of our world?

Where will it take them?

Our mind's eye full of vision

of what just could be.

Next week's theme: Secrets

Tuesday Tunes ~ Beautiful, Beautiful

2010-08-24T03:05:00.000-04:00

Thank you, Chrissy. I love this idea.

Beautiful, Beautiful by Francesca Battistelli

When I found Chrissy's blog with this idea for a weekly post, I loved it. And immediately I thought of about a half dozen songs that I want to be sure to share with you. This is the first one. You can join us and go to Life's Not Always Fireflies and Hummingbirds to join the link.

"Tuesday Tunes is a chance for me to share my love of music with my blog readers! Each week, I'll post audio or video of a song that has special meaning to me, along with the lyrics! Hopefully you'll be as moved by the song as I am!" (from Life's Not Always Fireflies and Hummingbirds)

Post-It Note Tuesday 082410

2010-08-24T02:17:00.000-04:00

Thanks, Supah.

Supah Mommy is selling the rights to Post It Note Tuesday.

Click on this link to see information about the sale.

Meet Me on Monday 082310

2010-08-23T02:51:00.001-04:00

Thanks you, Java, for getting us all together on Mondays.

Questions:

1. What is your favorite kind of doughnut?

I love Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I'm a sucker for that glowing red "Hot Donuts Now" sign. Which variety? The plain glazed, the blueberry cake, and the apple filled. Oh, gosh.

2. How often do you pray?

Everyday. Sometimes all day.

3. What is your favorite kind of music?

I listen to a lot of different kinds. From Contemporary Christian to Country Western to Broadway tunes to Classical. I especially like acoustic guitar.

4. What do you order when you eat Chinese food?

I usually just get the vegetable fried rice. For some reason, I don't trust the kinds of meat that goes into Chinese food. I especially like white sauce. I don't know if that's Chinese or something else. But give me a bowl of white sauce and I can eat just about anything.

5. Would you rather snowboard in the winter or swim in the summer?

Let me say that I don't do much in the winter. I'm just not a cold-weather sorta gal. Nope. I'll swim or garden or run or bicycle in the summer. I'm usually doing my best to keep my blood pressure and temperature up.

Monday Morsels 082310

2010-08-23T00:01:00.013-04:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

There's a full moon out this week. Be sure to get out to see it.

Another comment found in our Rant&Rave column of the newspaper:

PRAYER SHOULD BE KEPT in schools.

If they do get prayer thrown out, the school every morning should say: "We will now have two minutes of silence for you to pray to the god of your choosing. If you do not have one, please be quiet and think on the monkey theory."

(from Frayed Lotus @ belief.com)

My Prayer Box

2010-08-22T01:03:00.000-04:00

I have this little box I keep all my prayer requests in.

If I have offered you prayers and/or blessings, you are in my box.

These medallions were a gift to me from a family of one of my patients when I was still working

at the Children's Hospital. They have a permanent place in my box and I think of that patient every time I open that box.

Keeping my box, holding it in my hands each day, I am certain that I don't forget anyone.

Prayer is important to me.

People count on it and rely on the results.

It is my communication with my God. I know He hears.

****

I lovingly place my prayers in Your hands, God. I have declared my intentions with a whole heart, and now I release them so You can fulfill them. I recognize that manifestation is a glorious co-creative process in which I do my part and You do Yours. I trust You to take care of what I cannot, and I give up any sense of anxiety, resting secure in the comfort of Your strength. I offer my visions to the magnificent, invisible power that brings forth healing in miraculous ways. I let go and let God.

~from "Handle With Prayer" (Alan Cohen)

Spiritual Sunday ~ I pay attention.

2010-08-22T00:00:00.003-04:00

I'm discovering that the more I study, read, and learn from my Bible and daily devotions, the easier (and more natural) it becomes to find analogies in everyday life.

This morning I had Grace outside. From way in the distance I could hear a solitary 'honk! honk!". It was that throaty sound that Canada geese make in flight. I could hear them and after several minutes I saw them. They flew right over my head, over my yard, heading for the pond just three blocks from here. They were beautiful. Forming that v-shaped pattern that identifies geese from other winged beauties.

(Photo from Wikipedia)

I stood and watched as they hurried overhead, counting them as they made their way north. 13 of them. One loudly giving commands with the sounds of authority. The other 12 following suit, broken into two lines of six each, maintaining formation, and following....following. All except one. The last goose on the left staggered behind. Hm, I thought. Just like Jesus and the 12 disciples. One leading the way, and 12 following, with one breaking off from the group on his own.

What does it mean? I don't know that it means anything, but when things bring Jesus to mind, I pay attention. When I can relate what happens in the course of an ordinary day to Jesus, I pay attention.

"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about?

It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world.

It wouldn't be half so interesting if we knew all about everything."

--Lucy Maud Montgomery

Thanks to Charlotte and Ginger for hosting Spiritual Sundays.

Friends in Need

2010-08-21T12:18:00.000-04:00

I have some friends who are in need of some special love and attention. They're going through some bad times and can't see beyond them to how beautiful their lives can be if they will just trust.

I rely heavily on you, my blogger friends. We all probably know more about each other than friends who meet face to face on a regular basis. We really spill our feelings and emotions into our posts, knowing that others will only read it if they're truly interested. Unlike a face to face encounter, where the person on the other side of the table could possibly feel that they're a captived audience.

I love y'all and I need every one of you. Truly. I would be deeply hurt if I found that something had happened to you that kept you from me here. Each of you adds something new and different to my days.

We all want to be understood and know that there's really and truly someone cares. I try to understand and I really care.

If I tell you that I'm praying for you, feel 100% positive that your name is lifted up to Jesus daily.

If I say that I've wondered how you are and if things are going all right because you haven't checked in, then I truly have wondered.

Jesus knows all the nitty gritty about us. Every little detail, good or bad, right or wrong, happy or sad. He knows and He still loves us. We don't have to spill forth all the details to him. In order for us to be understood by our eartly acquaintances, it's different. We have to actually tell them what's going on. We risk rejection or being misunderstood, but that's what we need to do. How else will things come into clarity if everything isn't brought out into the open. It can be quite therapeutic to talk it out. Not to hold it in, but to actually put thoughts and ideas out onto the air.

I'm inspired by the writings of Nancie Carmichael. I'm right now going through her abook "The Comforting Presence of God". Many of my thoughts here were inspired by things I've read from her book.

She says, "I can be part of others' healing by having the courage to respond to the honest feelings they express. Once I have done that, I can pray for them more fervently." I pray for many in general terms but to know more details, prayers can be more specific.

A prayer from the book:

Give us the courage to be open with others---to receive Your love and grace from them as we see and speak the truth about ourselves. And then, Lord, to offer healing and garace to others by offering them our presence and our prayers.

Amen

James 5:16

"Confess your faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed."

Bless you.

This post was inspired by the writings of Nancie Carmichael.

Pet Blogger Hop 082110

2010-08-21T02:21:00.000-04:00

Back in January we reached the one year mark of our sweet Sadie going over Rainbow Bridge to be with Jesus. I posted on remembering her then. And I'd like to re-run that post here, now that I've found the 'Life with Dogs' blog.

Please click here.

Sadie Vanessa

Time Capsule

2010-08-20T00:17:00.001-04:00

April 1946

July 1953

September 1951

You Capture ~ In the Kitchen

2010-08-19T14:33:00.000-04:00

Hosted by Beth at I should be folding laundry.

Mister and I have been married over 31 years.

The kitchen I have has been my kitchen for almost 25 years. Early in our married life, my PaPaw and my Diddy (that's Daddy to those of you north of the Mason/Dixon line and west of the Mississipi River) did a lot of wood working in PaPaw's shed. So many of the things I have in my kitchen were made by their hands. And because of that, they will be a part of my kitchen until .....

Coffee cup rack made by PaPaw and Diddy

and the napkin holder. The spoon holder was my Grandmother's.

Many, many years back I found some shelves in a catalog. I cut the picture out and sent it to my Diddy. Toldhim how many I wanted and POOF! I had my shelves. I still use them for all my ceramic bowls, which all functional and not just for show. I love pottery.

Spice rack made by them.

You know how you just sort of start collecting things. Well, somehow we started collecting shot glasses. I found that they were great for saving little things like shells or some sand from a beach.....that kind of thing. I've always wanted a stained glass window in my kitchen. Instead of going that route, my Mister made me a shelf top put in the window and it gives the same effect as a stained glass. We get the afternoon sun to that part of the house and they sparkle.

And if I'm in the kitchen, Grace is in the kitchen.

Next week's challenge: Get outside!

Can I please, please give another award?

2010-08-18T11:43:00.000-04:00

Linda at Linsueray

I bought the most gorgeous tote from her Etsy shop. And it has

dragonflies on it! She is also making me a smaller version to match.

Great craftsmanship; high quality.

Yoli at Apron Senorita

I have got to get one of her fancy aprons before the fall holidays.

Christine at Digital Corner

Amazing ideas for scrap booking photos.

Laura at Paring Down

Crafty, chic projects

Belly Charms

Wonderful jewelry for pregnant women.

And mothers and grandmothers (pregnant or NOT).

I bought a wonderful Belly Button charm from her.

Jessica at Punk Rock Momma

Home-made baby items

Becca at Makin' It

Hand knitted items and cloth diapers

Do you know how many really talented, crafty people there are out there?

I've been checking and it's amazing. I've actually bought from some of them and I'm so impressed at the quality of work that's displayed in these crafts.

Once upon a time I would have considered myself crafty, but then it was the day of decoupage. Everything that you could stick paper to was glazed and crackled. It was just one step up from gluing macaroni to paper plates.

But these are real artists today. You can find just about anything you could want.

Outdoor Wednesday 081810

2010-08-18T02:45:00.000-04:00

Hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer

Awareness Wednesday

2010-08-18T00:43:00.005-04:00

(Awareness Wednesday is hosted by Holly at Diamond Potential)

I suffer from panic or anxiety attacks. That's just one of my issues and the one that I fight the hardest to overcome. Though by definition a sufferer can sometimes go to any length to avoid places where attacks happen, it's not always that predictable. I have never been diagnosed to be an agoraphobic, but all the tendencies are there. During my lifetime, to suffer from such irregularities was just something that wasn't discussed. It didn't have a name, wasn't talked about, and certainly not made public or open to anyone outside the immediate family. Along with the panic or anxiety disorders come depression. And the depression is usually followed by a fear or lack of interest in even leaving the house. It's not uncommon for me, during a really bad time, to not even leave my yard for several days. I have avoided visiting with friends. I have made up excuses for not going to something that I've committed to, only to not have the strength or courage to even open the door and step out. Most recently, I was to go to the second meeting of my Bible study group on Tuesday mornings. I was up, dressed, had my lessons done, keys and pocketbook in hand, and could not......could NOT...get out the door to get in my car. If I'd made it to the car, I would have been okay. But those few feet from the yard gate to my car seemed like a deep, dark pit that I just couldn't get over.

Agoraphobia and/or panic/anciety attacks occur twice as often in women than it does in men. Why? Well, it could be just that women are going to be more likely to seek help and manage the situations with medications or coping mechanisms. Men, however, are more likely to mask the problem with alcohol to avoid having anyone find out about the disorder.

Men are more less likely to understand what is taking place in a spouse or female friend, often attributing the antisocial behavior associated with this to either hormones or.....yeah, that monthly thing.

(More next week)

I'd like to pass this Award of Awareness on to

my daughter, Jessica, who has so beautifully documented her problems of

agoraphobia and depression on her blog at Adjusting to the World.

And also to Kim at Stuff Could Always Be Worse

Kim suffers from MS and shows incredible strength and courage in dealing with

her illness.

And then there's Terry at My Journey with Candida

She is healing from digestive tract candida.

And you, Java, for raising attention to Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

Jessica at Punk Rock Momma

Asperger Syndrome and ADHD

Sueberry at Sueberry Lane

Asperger Syndrome

To these ladies, please link up with Holly, who originated this award, and see her reasons for starting this Award of Awareness.

I know I have others who have causes and I will make every effort to acknowledge them in future posts.

Sensational Haiku Wednesday - Free Style

2010-08-18T00:29:00.001-04:00

Hosted by Jenn at You know...that blog.com

The basics:

Haiku is simple!

It is 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (a great way to use your fingers!)

I took "Free Style" to mean that we could use any subject. If I'm wrong, this is going to seem strange.

Photo taken from the 15 worst haircuts for a mug shot.

A little bit here.

A little snip over there.

The perfect haircut.

++++++++++

Tomahawk choppers.

Large white A's on dark blue caps.

Our Atlanta Braves.

++++++++++

Next week's topic: Future

Comfortably

2010-08-17T01:50:00.000-04:00

Y'all. Have you seen this? I love these commercials normally, but this one is hysterical. Turn up the volume and listen to the words. I guarantee you'll like it.

Post-It Note Tuesday (81710)

2010-08-17T00:27:00.002-04:00

Hosted by Supah Mommy

Meet Me on Monday (Aug 16 10)

2010-08-16T01:05:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the 10th edition of "Meet Me On Monday!"

It's time for Java's Meet Me on Monday blog hop.

Questions:

What is your favorite dessert?

Oh, I love me some cheesecake. I'll eat it without any topping but I love it with fresh strawberries. They've got to be fresh, though. None of that sauce or jam stuff.

What do you wear to bed?

Every year for Christmas I buy everybody matching pajamas. Last year they were multi-colored striped pj's and that's pretty much what I've worn most recently. And all the older pj's come out when it's cooler weather. I love to wear oversized t-shirts but no bottoms. We have sheets of that t-shirt material and the two combined makes it kind of like sleeping in velcros.

Do you get regular manicures/pedicures?

No, no, no. My fingernails are so tough that it takes forever to have a manicure done. Sometimes they have to use a dremmel tool on them just to cut them. And my feet are.......well, gosh awful. So I keep them hidden. I think the last manicure I had was for one of the girls' wedding.

Did you play any sports in high school?

Back in the olden days girls just didn't get active in sports. Cheerleading was the most any did. One year we did sneak and have a tag powder-puff football game. (I graduated from high school in 1969)

Do you have an iPod?

Surprise, Java. But I don't have an iPod either. The most technical thing I've got is one of the first MP3 players that came out. I still use my Walk Man CD player.

Monday Morsels

2010-08-16T00:34:00.003-04:00

Just some miscellaneous thoughts and drivel to get the week jump-started.

Do you have a Rants and/or Raves section of your newspaper? We do and though I try to avoid that column, sometimes something will catch my eye:

JUST TO BE CLEAR, I am an animal lover too.

Cows, medium rare; pigs, bbq'ed; birds, fried; dogs and cats spoiled.

Posted in the Augusta Chronicle by Roadkill.

Have you tried the new Townhouse Flatbread Crisps?

They're unbelievable. I found mine at Walmart. They're really, really good

with cream cheese....either plain or salmon.

Why do manufacturers have to individually wrap tea bags?

And these are WalMart brand.

To the woman behind me in WalMart:

Please teach your son that it isn't nice to point at old ladies' feet, laugh, and then say, 'Yew!"

I'm sorry. I forgot to change my shoes before I went out.

Spiritual Sunday ~ "I Think Myself Happy"

2010-08-15T00:47:00.000-04:00

(Photo from Frayed Lotus @belief.com)

"I Think Myself Happy"

The first minister of the first church was the apostle James. He was familiar with living a life of trials. He said when we fall into the midst of difficulties, our faith is tested in order to produce patience. Trials are a test of our faith.

In order to avoid letting our reactions and emotions control our lives, we need to take the authority over our feelings and choose joy as our dominant emotion. As the apostle Paul stood on trial for crimes he hadn't committed, he began his defense with, "I think myself happy."

Today, so many people are facing hardship of various degrees. In each of these situations how much different would their lives be if instead of letting the negative control them, they chose to adopt Paul's philosophy of "I think myself happy". If it's a situation that can be controlled, make the necessary changes and move ahead. If the situation is not of their doing, out of their control, a more positive perspective (that of thinking themselves happy) could (would?) return control over an important aspect of their life ~ ruling their emotions.

The Bible tells us to walk by faith. Not once, but four times. The quality of life is a reflection of the quality and strength of our faith.

"If you fail under pressure, your faith is not very great." (Proverbs 24:10)

"Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything." (James 1:2-4)

(This writing was inspired by chapters from "What to do on the Worst Day of Your Life" by Brian Zahnd)

Charlotte and Ginger host Spiritual Sundays.