Merry Christmas!

A friend of mine pointed out that the word Holiday came from the base "Holy Day" and embraced both secular and religious holidays. That just started me thinking how easily we can move away from the personal relationship with God to the ritual, or religious traditions .... and celebrate the day, without regard to the One Reason it all began.

  Will there come a day when we will be discouraged from flying the American flag on the fourth of July, America's Birthday, because some may find it offensive? Will it become known as "Unity Day" to "celebrate" our new diversity? I have a personal history and relationship with America and that would not be acceptable for me.

  My personal relationship with Christ leads me to celebrate Him on this day set aside for just that. Everyone can choose to celebrate, or not. I just don't believe others should "hijack the true meaning of Christmas" and take away our rights to celebrate it as it is, just because they do not see it.  

I know some believe it is a "pagan holiday" and that we should not participate.  I don't know any of these pagans of which they speak.  I love celebrating the birth of Christ.  Is a celebration of Christ's birth scriptural?  Well, God threw the very first "Birthday Bash" for his Son.  He lit up the sky, sent out special invites to foreign Kings, commissioned the angels to deliver a message for the Shepherds ..... and they all attended. 

 The time of year and the fact that we do not know the exact date is of little importance to me.  What others celebrate this time of year, I cannot control.  God became a man, taking on human flesh.  I celebrate the babe in the manger as well as the man on the cross.   It is only a small part of God's timeline, I know, but history and my life will never be the same.  First, because He came.  Secondly, because He died and rose again.

I say to those who find Christmas offensive, figure out what you believe and make your own special holiday ..... celebrate to your heart's desire. But hands off Christ's Birthday celebration. If Angels, Shepherds and Kings celebrated it with joy, I will too! 

Heaven still delivers ...

I love to say Merry Christmas!

  This gift that God gave us over 2000 years ago when His Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us .... it still delivers. He knows right where we live. (O:

 

 

Cookies .....

God help us. The American people, I mean. We are like the little boy who reached into the cookie jar and grabbed so many cookies that he couldn't get his hand back out. We can get mad and curse the cookie jar, saying it's too small. Of course that is an option. Or, we can understand that maybe we don't need all of those cookies after all and take only what we need. Our appetites are in contr...ol of us. We are slaves to the things we want.....and we know it. We are loosing the things we need, trading them off for what we want. We can't have it both ways. On Monday, the results of our vote will speak more of the character of the American people than the man they vote into the Oval Office. There is no perfect man for president and even if there was, he would have a heck of a time doing his job, because he has to answer to us ..... the American people. The real reason there are no cookies in our mouths is because they are all stuck in our hands, which are still stuck in the cookie jar. So, we need a president who is willing to hand feed us......cookies.

Oh Me ......

Oh me.  I am such an optimist, even when I shouldn't be.

  Today I found a lone bowl of oatmeal in the back of my refrigerator and there was a lot going on inside that bowl!  Not quite as nice as the crystal garden experiment the kids and I made last month though ......

My first thoughts were, "Well, at least I am eating real food."  It is not just a bowl of chemicals that will eventually become hardened and fossilized over time, like some of those fast food fries we have been hearing about lately. 

This is not justification for being sloppy or a reason for doing it again soon, but it is sort of true .....  
And,  I promise I won't do it again. (until next time)   (O:

The Lovely Sandwich

I posted this on my kitchen cupboard and my son says he thinks it is sacreligous. What do you think? (O:

    "These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto Him: A proud look, a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood. An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief. A false witness that speaketh lies, he that soweth discord among brethren and finally ....

 THE LEAVING OF DISHES IN THE KITCHEN SINK WHICH STILL HAVE FOOD ON THEM AND ARE NOT READY TO BE PUT INTO THE DISHWASHER.

   I'm pretty sure that God actually intended to add that last part and besides, if you count it all up, there are six, no seven things God actually mentioned in the opening passage.  The dishes part makes eight. So, it does look a little suspicious, kind of like something our government would pull ........ but my son just made me a wonderful sandwich with whole wheat bread, provolone cheese and two whole cherry tomatoes in it, for which I am extremely grateful.  The two cherry tomatoes really were whole, by the way.   

Thank you Lord .... and thank you, Sean.  

Missing my boy mostly just all the time.  (O: 

Why Forgive?

Choosing to retain anger and bitterness towards someone eats us up and makes us sick..... while the perpetrator of the offence goes free. Why do intelligent people take punishment upon themselves, rather than to let it go, and forgive? Forgiveness is not weakness or we would all do it. Forgiveness is not giving a pass to the other person. It's giving a pass to ourselves ..... to heal and go on.

Rambling ......

What I want.... is not to be confused with what I need. And what I need .... is not always what I want. God places Himself in front of us sometimes, not to bring us distress, but to save us from it. Personally, on this side of the election ...... Obama's win troubles me. I think back on the old testement story, where the children of Israel insisted on having their own King. The Lord said, "But I am your King." Seems He wasn't good enough for them though ...... all of the other nations around them had "real kings" and they wanted to be like everyone else.

Israel's Kings took them in many directions, some far away from God, but their hearts did not have to follow where it was not their desire to go. As this nation continues to ignore the God of the Bible, looking for answers and salvation elsewhere, it will suddenly find itself where it doesn't want to be and wonder why. Many will see and admit that their new god is actually Greed.  Materialism is their new savior.....and their lives are directed by Irresponsibility.

Greed, Materialism and Irresponsibility. This is the Unholy Trinity too many of us serve today. We have become greedy, irresponsible, stuff junkies. Ouch, that hurts but there is no use in denying it. What we don't have, quite often is not because we didn't have the money to buy it. Rather, it's usually because we already spent that money somewhere else and we can't spend it twice. We resent having to pay for priorities although a day without food, clothes, a place to live, a warm shower, heat or airconditioning would not be our ideal either. So we beg, borrow or expect others to provide for our habits and take care of us.....and this is how we loose respect for ourselves.

We do it to ourselves. So, we buy more stuff we can't afford....to make us feel better now. It never really works though and we loose more self esteem, become angry and envious and see ourselves as victims of other people's behaviors and actions ..... when it is really our own choices and refusal to deal with out own attitudes and behaviors that have brought us to this place.

Ok, at this point I am talking about me. I am preaching to a choir of one. Maybe one day, when I can figure out how to get my act together I can write a best seller ..... though, I think it has already been written and it is called the Bible. Until then, I will just go back to the directions and manual I came with.

When I stand before I God, I won't have to answer for the sins of the rich ..... how or where they got their money, or why. I will be responsible for how and where I got mine and what I did with it. That's the scariest part! Greed and irresponsibility is wrong, whether practiced by poor or rich. The governments's enabling of this irresponsible spending and promoting the thinking that "we all deserve what ever we want" is pure dysfunction.

More people are becoming takers now than givers, but that is not because the givers don't want to give. It is because, taking, has become too easy. Many have become discouraged in working and having their wages hijacked ..... deciding entitlement is the way to go. Therefore, many will depend on a few to take care of them until one day ...... we will have to come up with a new politically correct plan: How to make something out of nothing and still keep everybody content. We will all be poor and happy then ...... I think.

How Should We Then Vote?

If you are a conservative, Christian American, as I am....you are probably wondering about the presidential candidates we have set before us.  I see passion, I see talent, I see dedication.... I see politicians, each pretty much successful in their own right.  None of them perfect, but hey, at least they were willing to "throw their hats in the ring" and run for office.  That's more than I can say for myself. After all,  I prefer to just sit on the side lines and judge.  Yeah, I added that last part because, I notice the pride, greed and arrogance in others, especially those who fall under the label of "Politicians", but I generally don't notice it so much in myself.  Nope.  (O:  I excuse myself by saying, "Well, they are being paid to mind my business...."

Americans have great expectations for the man they elect to be president.  The hardest of all is their demand that the candidate they chose needs to be able to save them from themselves.  They become very disappointed and discouraged to find out that their newly elected president can't save himself from himself, let alone anyone else.

I am reading a book, "Between A Rock And A Grace Place" by Carol Kent.This is how it begins:

"If you picked up this participants's guide, it no doubt means you are someone who is living in the middle of circumstances you wish were more favorable."

Then, it goes on to say:

"One day when I was struggling....my sister emailed me a verse from the Bible....Romans 9:33.  (Eugene Peterson's rendering from The Message)"

"Careful!  I've put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion,
     a stone you can't get around.
  But the stone is me!  If you're looking for me,
     you'll find me on the way....not in the way."

Furthermore, Carol writes:

"It has now been more than a decade ago, right in the middle of my life, that I ran into a huge boulder, the likes of which I had never encountered on my lifelong walk with God.  It could have been my stopping place, the point at which I lost not only some of my most cherished dreams but also my faith....and passion to go on.  Instead, I found out that the rock in my path represented not an obstacle but an opportunity to encounter the living God in surprising, sometimes astonishing ways.  As I have learned to "press into" the Rock in the middle of my hard places I have learned that I am actually in a position of safety, refuge, and grace.....

"If you too feel caught in one of those tight spots that seem unusually difficult, if not unbearable, I pray that you will come to realize that the pain of being in this place need not cause you to lose hope.  If you press into the Rock instead of trying to get around it, you will discover a surprise far better than a birthday or a Christmas gift.  On the road that is your life right now, you can find a new way of thinking about your circumstances, as well as an astonishing experience of grace, tailor-made for you.  As you encounter God on the way....not in the way....you may come to know Him as you never have before."

So, what does this message have to do with politics?  Plenty.  How many times have I ignored the TRUTH inside of me, trying to manipulate the outcome of something I feel is very important.  I feel it is my public duty to go against what I know within my heart of hearts is wrong, and vote for a more sure thing.   As if God is not in control?  As if He does not know what is going on and does not have a plan????

Many times I have voted for someone....not because I felt that they were the best choice.... they were simply the one with the most chances of winning.  And boy, I betcha God was really proud of me then.....since, if I (and thousands of others) hadn't of compromised on what we believed to be right and true..... who knows what might have happened?
Yes, we saved the day there, didn't we....or did we just postpone, put off or extended some grief and problems that we could have avoided if we had of been true to our God and to ourselves?

 This Rock that we have to deal with, what is it?  As hard as we try to get the right man in office that will save us from ourselves and give us a good life......it won't happen.  If we think that we have to manipulate and compromise our beliefs and value systems to get what we want, then we need to consider where our base is.  Because, in the end ...... what we want now ...... can bring us disasterous results later.

  What I want.... is not to be confused with what I need.  And what I need .... is not always what I want.  God places Himself in front of us sometimes, not to bring us distress, but to save us from it.  Personally, on this side of the election ...... Obama's win troubles me.  I  think back on the old testement story, where the children of Israel insisted on having their own King.  The Lord said, "But I am your King."  Seems He wasn't good enough for them though ......  all of the other nations around them had "real kings" and they wanted to be like everyone else.

 Israel's Kings took them in many directions, some far away from God, but their hearts did not have to follow where it was not their desire to go.  As this nation continues to ignore the God of the Bible,
 looking for answers and salvation elsewhere, it will suddenly find itself where it doesn't want to be and wonder why.  Many will pray to a God they don't want to believe in because they need help.  He will hear them and answer ..... but they probably still will not want to hear what He has to say......




  

Well, when you're working with kids, they say to "never let them see you sweat". In other words, stay calm, even when they are not cooperating. I had an opportunity to test this strategy the other day. Me and my two little charges, age 6 and 8 went to the grocery store and the 8 year old wanted to stay in the car....did not want to go in. I knew I couldn't agree to that so I just calmly said, "Well, we can't go in without you but what the heck, this is as good of place as any to spend the afternoon....I figured he wouldn't like that because he was having a lot of fun at home and that is why he fought going out to begin with. His sister just happened to have her Barbie along and I said,"Good thing you brought your doll so that you will have something to play with." I stretched out on the seat like I was settling in for the long haul. I figured he would soon be tired of this and want to go in, but, low and behold, I had a bag of Lego's in the

 back that I had forgotten about. He opened them up and started playing....I'm thinking O man! So, his sister likes to sing opera and it drives him nuts. I suggested that she entertain us with her singing and she obliged. He ignored her. So, I joined in with "God said to Noah, there's going to be a floodie, floodie......" (song). Then, while sitting in the driver's seat, I taught sister the "Father Abraham song" with all of the hand waving and marching accompaniments. He watched with interest while I wondered, "What next?" So, I said, "Well, here we go....I'm going to count backwards from 10 to 1 and the first one out gets a prize." Of course they both got out by 3 and I was relieved to get on with my day. As I herded my 2 little charges across the parking lot, I just happened to notice an older gentleman sitting in a pickup just across the way (Guess I had been too busy singing and marching -- in seat -- to see him)....he had this GREAT BIG smile on his face, as if he had seen it all. LOL. I had to laugh with him, it had to look pretty funny from where he was sitting! Well, the kids each got a tatoo for their reward.....I had to threaten to call their Dad at the checkout counter before leaving, but we made it home. And the dog ate the trash and emptied the plate of biscuits I made for dinner. Amen. I mean, THAT'S ALL. For one day, at least. |O:

In everything give thanks .....

Ah, blessed ADD and so glad to know that I am not alone! I used to think it was driving me crazy .... but I just put crazy to work for me in writing Children's books and working with kids. I don't know who gave me my gray hairs, me or them ..... but life is never dull!  (O:

Once Upon A Time ......

......  there was an ornery ole sea captin' whose Daddy named 'im, Lawrence Bartholomew Johnson.  Friends an' Mateys were allowed ta call 'im  Captin' Bart, BUT OWNLEE IF THEY SAID IT WITH RESPECT!  Now, Captin' Lawrence Bartholomew was a pirate an' a good one at that .... well, he wasn't exactly good, but he was good at what he did.  And that, my friend, was bein' bad!

A good pirate sails the seas with vengence an' whenever he comes upon another pirate ship, he raises the jolly roger flag.  This means, "Surrender....or else!"  Somehow, when the canon's stopped roarin’ and the balls stopped shootin’,  it was always Captin' Lawrence Bartholomew’s ship that sailed away with the loot!  To keep all of 'is stuff,  the ole captin' had a huge room down below the deck, where all of 'is treasures and loot was stored.

One day, 'is first mate Sully said, "Captin' Bart, what you gunna be doin' with all that stuff?"

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr", said the Captin', That be me own business an' you jes' pay it never mind!"

So, the Captin's treasure room grew bigger and bigger ..... and fuller and fuller!

"Don't ye think ye have enough stuff now, Captin'?" asked Jacob, 'is second mate, after coming back from another sucessful raid.   Ole Lawrence Bartholomew just gave 'im the evil eye and payed 'im never mind!

  Pretty soon, the treasure room grew so full that it began ta take over the whole ship!  There was no room left fer sailer’s quarters!

"Don't ye think we have enuff Captin'?" asked his third mate, Aloysius.  Can't we be sortin' through some of this here stuff and see’in what ye have?  Me thinks we can be sharin' it with some of our pirate brothers who aint been so lucky!" he said.

"Lookie here," said the Captain.  "This be my stuff and I be deciden' what to do with it.  Ya hear?

Well, what they began hearin' were creakin' and crackin' noises comin' from boards all over the ship.  Seems, the weight of the Captin’s cargo was jest too much!  But the stubborn old man paid it never mind,  en jest kept on addin' more and more loot!  Sailors began packin' ther bags en leavin'….. because there were no more room for them ta sleep!  Only his dog and loyal first mate, Sully, stayed behind.

"Captin' sir," said Sully one day,  "this here ship be sinkin' soon,  Davy Jones' locker be it’s destination!”

“It be my ship,” said Captin' Lawrence Bartholomew, “and ye be minden' yer own business!”  That is all he said.

The day arrived when the Captin' found a note from 'is friend.  It read, "I be goin' now sir”,    And it  was signed, your First Mate, Sully.

“Go, then be on yer way,” shouted the stubborn ole man, waving his arms in the air.  Now, Captin' was all by 'imself except for 'is faithful ole dog, Dawg.  Dawg stayed close by and never left 'im.   This was the first time the ole captain 'ad ever felt a feelin' of bein' alone.  Fer the first time he got ta thinkin' …. “Hmmmm”, he said.   Maybe 'is friends were right!

Then it happened.  I really don’t like ta talk much about this, but thanks be to God that it 'as a happy endin'!  It could have been so much worse!  A big crack appeared across the ship’s helm and poor Dawg fell into the ocean and nearly drowned!  Sorely devastated, the ole Captin' sat down ta think.  His sailers were gone, his friends were gone an' now ….. he 'ad come so close to loosin' his faithful dog, Dawg.

 Sully, his first mate 'ad taken' a job repairin' ships and workin' with orphans on a little lighthouse island back home.   Captin' wanted to go visit im, but he was jest too darn proud ta admit it!  Well, one night, that choice was made fer 'im.  The wind rose so strong that it nearly ripped off the sails from 'is ship.  The sky was black – not a star dared ta shine!  All captin' could do was hunker down an hold 'is faithful dog, Dawg close,  while he tried ta steer 'is ship away from the terrible storm.  But the storm followed im!

Then he saw it.  A very bright light in the distance.  Captin' Lawrence Bartholomew followed that light an found it was the lighthouse from Lighthouse Island where 'is friend an first mate Sully lived.  Sully was takin' care of the lights that night and when he saw 'is old friend’s ship he prayed ta God, asking Him ta bring Captain Bart’s ship safely ta shore.  God answered Sully’s prayers an the tired ole ship finally came into harbor an found a safe place ta rest.  The weary ole Captain and 'is dog, were surprised ta see their good friend Sully comin' out to meet em!

Next day the sun rose as though nothin' had ever happened.  The people of the island came out ta see what the storm had done.  They all hugged each other tightly an promised ta help each other rebuild.  Seems there was a problem though.  They needed money ta buy supplies an the people of Lighthouse Island were very poor.

Ole Captin' looked around.  The people’s faces were sad but they were speakin' words of hope an encouragement ta each other. One small girl, in particular,got his attention.  Handing out scones, she made sure every one had something to eat!

"God bless you," she would say!

    "Mighty peculiar," the Captin thought to 'imself.   Imagine, loosin all of yer stuff.  Just the thought made  Captin' shudder.  He looked over at 'is ship and then he had un unexpected idea.  He 'ad all the stuff right there on 'is own ship that the people needed to rebuild.  The ole Captin' smiled a smile so deep that it tickled 'is toes and wiggled 'is ears!

Walkin' over to 'is ship, Captin' Lawrence Barthalamew went straight ta 'is room full of loot.  Then he began bringin' it all out an settin' it where the people could see.  He motioned to 'is old friend Sully fer help. 

“Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr”, said the Captin', with his head hangin' low.  “I be ashamed te be looking at ye all today.  Ye see, this here room full of loot which I be offerin' ya to keep …… I be a wonderin' if there be somethin' in there that be yours already!  Captin' snorted an' wiped his cheek.  I be wantin' ye all to take what ye need now and use it ….  an the coins an treasure will be used fer buildin' a new school an a hospital fer this here town. 

“Captin Lawrence Bartholomew Johnson, Sir”, said the little girl with the big heart, “When I grow up, I want to be jest like you.”  The ole Captin' pulled on his beard, puzzled by what the little girl 'ad said.

"What be yer name Lassie?"  he inquired.

"Haley Blue," replied the little girl, rosy cheeks smiling. 

“Don’t you see it?” said Sully, “It doesn’t matter what ya were or what ya did in the past.  What is important is, who ya are and what ya be doin now!” 

Captin' Lawrence Bartholomew knelt down and looked into the little girl's eyes.  A salty ole tear rolled down 'is cheek.  Everyone watched to see what would happen next.  Little Haley smiled as the ole Captin' reached into 'is torn pocket and pulled out a handful of pearls.  “These be yers” he said as he fastened them 'round her neck.

“Thank you Captin' Lawrence Barthalomew Johnson sir,” she said with a smile and the ornery ole sea captin' smiled back and said, “Call me Captin' Bart ….. jest, call me Captin' Bart!”     

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   I Love This!

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   How To Make Rolled Sugar Cookies With Kids ......

   
   1. Start out with a clean kitchen (because it's going to get a lot dirtier.)
   
   2. Put 2 cubes of butter in mixing bowl and let them come to room temperature. (Snowy days are nice, but they tend to make for colder rooms and hard to cream butter). Consider the microwave .....

   
   3. Answer the doorbell and find your son, shivering in the snow. Beside him is... his dog Frankie. They have been nice enough to walk over and deliver your cell phone. Ask them in to thaw out a little, but the thought of having two dogs in the house at the same time is not good! Fix him hot chocolate, tie plastic bags around his feet and send them out the door. Make note to get boots .....

   
   4. Allow Child Number One to measure flour into separate bowl. Try to overlook immense amount of flour in places it doesn't need to be. ( That would spoil the moment.) Don't get busy and look away, trusting that you will end up with the right amount of flour ...... add baking soda and and set aside.

   
   5. Watch helplessly while children measure out the white powdered sugar ..... it's even in the air now and "It's beginning to look a little too much like Christmas".... in here. Not to worry, we are making memories and I will clean tomorrow.

   
   6. Keep your "Dr. Phil On Raising Children" close at hand. Have the chapter on teaching kids to cooperate and work together, bookmarked. Also, having taken a class on speed reading is helpful at times like this .... SOLVE THE PROBLEMS AT HAND.

   
   6. Whew, glad we made it through that! Start the "rolling" process and watch the children's faces as they cut out their favorite shapes. On the sly, secretly slip a bit of cookie dough in your mouth. If they ask for some say, "There's raw egg in there honey and I don't want you to get sick".

   
   7. Turn on the oven light so that they can peek while the cookies bake. When cookies come out of the oven, set them way up high. The kids I trust, the dog I don't. Put colored frosting in a zip lock bags which have a corner snipped to pipe frosting out of..... decide that is too much of a hassle and pick up some professional cake decorating tools from the store. Have spaghetti and meatballs for supper.

   
   

   8.  Don't loose sleep over the mess you will be cleaning up tomorrow ..... hey, you will need all of the rest and energy you can get!

You know ......

........  the first thing I see when I get onto my facebook home page, under update status, is that question, "How are you doing Sharon?" It's as if they know something ....... and it doesn't help that I have a guilty conscience right now. You see, last nite in a dream, I rolled a friend's baby pig down a hill (by accident, mind you) and since the poor little thing (bless it's heart) survived t...he tumble, I wasn't going to say anything. I tried desperately to rescue it but my efforts were hampered by the fact that I was running in slow motion!

It all took place at a convention I was attending and several of my facebook friends were there. I have this friend who is a wonderful and kind Grandmother (Hi Kay!) and she was in attendance ..... pushing a baby buggy with a precious, newborn pig in it. (O: Well, she left her baby pig with me for a short while and during that time I became aware that the hotel I was staying in was having a $500 drawing. I learned that the number which would have been my entry in the drawing was on a tee shirt that was supposed to have been given me at the time I checked in ..... but it wasn't. So, I was on my way back to get it.

 This is when it happened. I stopped for just a second, let go of the handle and the buggy tipped over and that poor little guy rolled all the way down hill. Naturally, I panicked .... fearing for the little pig's life and my own as well ( knowing that if Kay ever found out what happened, I would be in BIG trouble!) I gently lifted the little traumatized pig to my shoulder and softly sang to it, "Rock a bye baby ....." and I knew it was going to be ok because it began to purrrrrr! I did notice a few scattered angel feathers along the way, so I knew someone was watching out for us both! Whew! At that time, I could see that everything was going to be ok and decided not to mention this to Kay......

Of course, this doesn't have anything to do with the little pig, but later on (in the same dream) I also decided to go somewhere and chose to take a shortcut down a dark alley. Bad judgement. I knew I shouldn't have done it but .... you know how it is. Well, I had hardly started out.... and these two really scary hoodlems appeared in front of me. One of them was holding a really big silver spatula. I thought, "Oh no, why did I do this." I figured I was a gonner. Then, I figured, "Naw!" So, I started making a lot of noise, grabbed the spatula and the hoodlem holding it by the neck and started dragging him down the alley toward a cop, that thankfully, appeared up ahead. I swear, this guy was crying huge tears ..... I almost felt sorry for him. His loyal sidekick just followed along, with a look of great distress on his face. Yeah, I did that! (O:

Now, you may wonder what would cause me to have such a dream as this ..... and here is my conclusion: too much time online! (O: Yes, of course, Kay is my Facebook friend and I am aware that she loves kids... not sure about the pig thing though. Yesterday I saw a post of the world's smallest elephant. It was a precious newborn and they were having to watch it very closely because of complications. Then, I had seen a YouTube video which was discussing items a woman may carry in her purse....one item mentioned was, a spatula? The purring pig had to be my cat who was sleeping on my head. Finally, I ordered a tee shirt for my son in law for Christmas and it didn't arrive, so we had to call and inquire about it's status. 

Did the baby pig survive? Yes. Did I win the $500 ? I don't know ..... I woke up before the actual drawing took place. Did the hoodlums go to jail? I sure hope so. Did my son in law ever get his shirt? Yep, he did! So, I felt all that was left to do was to apologize to you Kay and to say that I am very sorry for what happened when your little pig was left in my care ..... especially because my job is being a nanny! (O: Please don't tell one me!

Only a child could realize this ..... as a teacher at a Christian School, I was always trying to make our "Creative Writing" sessions fun. Homework was another thing that I tried to make interesting ..... since we all know, IT'S A BUMMER! This one nite, I sent home an assignment asking my kids to write a short paragraph describing what it would be like if, while they were at home .... the telephone rang, they answered ..... and it was Jesus. How would that make them feel? What things would they like to tell Him and what do you suppose that He would say? As I was reading over the results, I came to this one page ..... it only had one sentence, but that one sentence said enough to make me stop and do some serious thinking: I would say, "Jesus, why are you calling me on the telephone when you can talk to me in my heart?" The profound faith and wisdom of a third grader! (O:

Are we seeing the start of an epidemic far more lethal than any flu season could bring on us? It started in Washington D.C. around the United States Capital and is spreading rapidly. It is triggered by fear, but here is the thing I don't understand: Each new year before the anual flu season shows up they begin studying the newest strain and trying to find a vaccine for it. Some refuse to take ...the vaccine and that is their choice .... seems that in order to develop immunity to the flu, a small amount of that bug has to be introduced into our systems, in order to strengthen our bodies against that fight. It is good that folks are able to make that choice for themselves though. On the other hand, our government is telling us that we are in grave danger of being gunned down and in order to protect us, they will be taking away our guns. That's a little like telling us that a very nasty strain of the flu is coming our way, but not to worry ...... there would be no shots or vaccinations offered this year. That little bit of "the bug" each shot introduces into our systems for the purpose of strengthening our immune systems against that flu ..... is just too dangerous! Now folks, I am not a fan of flu vaccines or guns, I just know that it's our choice to make, not Washington DC's. Our best defense, I think, against a criminal is and always will be, a gun of our own.

Rest in peace, whatever you were that I just washed down the garbage disposal ...... my Son has been moved out now for only 12 hours and I am cleaning out his room. I feel a bit like a murderer, I know it was still fighting for life. I should know what it was, I probably cooked it! (O: