Lergic Reaction

Today in Sunday School
while handing out graham crackers
covered with peanut butter:

Me: "Anyone allergic to peanuts?"

Kate: "I am."

Me: (While panicking and imagining myself
having to tell her parents what I've done
while frantically trying to find an epipen!)
"Oh my goodness!...give me that back!
Go wash your hands RIGHT NOW!

Kate: "...ok..."

Kate:"Teacher, what does 'lergic' mean?"

...hmmm...

Me: "Katie...do you eat peanut butter at home?"

Kate: "Yep...I love peanut butter."

Me: "Yeah...that's what I thought.

I love Christmas!

I love Christmas!
I know sometimes this is not popular...
But I can't help it.
I love everything about it.

When everyone is saying,
"We haven't even had Thanksgiving yet!!"
I'm secretly thinking,
"Hurry up Thanksgiving,
Christmas is coming!!!"
Not that I'm not thankful!
I just can hardly wait.

Things I love about Christmas:
Not in order, by the way,
just as they come to me...

1. I love the fact that you can tell others
about Jesus without them even realizing you are.
People are way more tolerant of your witnessing
during Christmas season.

2. I love all the sparkly lights!
They just cheer me up, somehow.
When the kids were little we would drive
through neighborhoods and look at lights.
It's free! Which is one of the reasons we did it!

3. I LOVE Christmas carols.
Not during the rest of the year...
but I can start listening to them before Thanksgiving.
They're such happy, hopeful songs.
Songs of the awaited Saviour of the world.
Who would not want to sing about that.

4. I love that families get together.
(Whether they like it or not!)
My family growing up never focused
on the things we didn't agree on...
We focused on our love for each other.
It's OK if we don't have the same opinion about something.
Let's enjoy each other.
So far I have had at least one or two kids
around at Christmas.
I'm thankful for that.
I told Russell the first year that we
didn't have any kids coming...
I want to spend Christmas in Manhatten!
(Don't ask...it's a long story)

5. I love all the decorations!
I love putting them up...
I love looking for new ideas on the net...
(my new favorite site: Craftgawker.com)
I love seeing them in someone else's house...
(so I can steal the idea next year)
and I LOVE opening my Christmas chest
of decorations and seeing all the stuff I love!

6. I love shopping.
Now this for sure isn't popular!
But I love seeing all the weird people...
and normal ones, too.
The music playing in the stores...
Buying things for people I love...
(Figuring out the perfect gift)
Everyone is usually joyful and happy.
Russell and I love Black Friday.
Always have.
All the commotion and noise and activity.
(Not in Wal-Mart though)
This year we were sick...
Had to shop online.
Not near as fun.

6. I love all festivity
of a Christmas Program.
I love knowing people will come out
to see a Christmas Program when
they normally will never come out to church.
I love knowing they are hearing the gospel...
and, just maybe, it will change their life forever.
Like it did mine.

7. I love the anticipation. Getting everything
ready. Making gifts, planning menus, making lists.
I even kinda like the stress. I work well under
pressure, so it pushes me to get things done.

8. And most of all, I love the fact
that someone loved me enough to leave
his kingdom, come to this wretched earth...
and die for me so I could spend eternity with Him.
What a wonderful Saviour we have!

So even though Christmas is very commercial,
it doesn't have to be in my heart.
It's a time of joy, anticipation, and Thanksgiving,
and a celebration of the Christian Life!

If you don't like this season...
that's OK...but likewise let it be OK
that I love it!

Addie

Yesterday was my oldest son's Birthday,
so I thought I would remember some of
the things that make him Adam:

We had friends that used to make furniture.
They made us a beautiful lamp...
Winnie the Pooh and all the Pooh characters.
It was really beautiful!
When I was in the bathroom...
For maybe 2 minutes...
I realized I couldn't hear him.
(With Adam, that always meant something bad!)
He had climbed up on the dresser
and with his little cobbler hammer
absolutely cracked it to pieces.
Our friends never spoke to us again.

When my Aunt came to visit...
he decided to sample her makeup.
One at a time, all over the wall.
Mentholatum, lipstick, etc.
The room smelled like Mentholatum forever.
It was great during cold season!

Once we were getting ready to take
Aaron to a Dr. appointment.
"Adam, we are getting ready to go,
get on some clean pants."
So he begins to take his pants
off OVER his tennis shoes.
(Tennies were huge back then)
"Adam, that won't work, you have
to take off your shoes first."
"No, I have a good way!"
"Well, you better hurry, cause I'm going."
So he gets his pants down around
his shoes...and gets them stuck.
They wont come down or up.
"Adam, hon, I gotta go. Go down
with Grampa at the other house."
As I drive off, I see in my rear view
mirror, Adam running down the drive,
crying, with his pants dragging behind
him, still stuck on his shoes.
My Dad still loves to talk about that one.

Or the time he decided to paint his model
on a wobbly 6" wide library table...
in our new home...
over our new carpet...
with red paint!
You know what happened.
An hour later with the
emergency carpet cleaning people...
it looked almost as good as new...
...almost...

 Or when he made fake blood...
smeared it all over himself,
dripping out of his mouth...
and came up to me crying.
He almost wound up really bleeding
after that one.
(Although, he might want to consider
a career in makeup!)

I speak of all the funny things,
and all the things he did wrong.
But there were so many wonderful times
in between.
We learned to be Mommy and son together.
Neither one of us knew what we were doing.
He was the guinea pig...the one we tried
everything on first.
...sorry, son...
But just so you know...
We are very proud of you.
And thank our God for the day
you were born.
(Well, I thank God for the day after
you were born! The day you were
born I'm pretty sure I was telling your
Dad that this was never happening again!)

Anyway, we Love you.
Keep serving God...
And raising your family for His glory!
And make memories of your own!

Lazy Kirra

There's nothing like a soft warm kitty
when you're sick.

They come up on the bed...
look at you with sad eyes
as if to say, 'I'm so sorry you're sick...I love you.'
Then they snuggle those little warm, fuzzy bodies
right on in...purr so contentedly,
putting you to sleep...

Realistically, they're saying,
'Wow, I'm glad you're sick,
now I can sleep all day without looking lazy.'

It's OK...I just lie to myself
thinking they actually care about my well being.
And besides, who else in the house
wants to lay with me all day when I'm sick?
Answer me that???

Percy Did it!

You know, when your kids leave home...
it's really hard to find someone to blame everything on.

It's either you...or him.
That's pretty much all you have.
Well, you could blame it on the cat or dog...
but that's grasping at straws.
After all, everyone knows the cat
didn't leave her shoes in front of the door!
Kitties don't even have shoes...
and if they did they would be really tiny...
and cute...
OK, sorry...rabbit trail...


So you have to be very creative.
"Sunny, why don't you come over and visit.
We'll do something really fun!"
"JJ, could you come and stay in the house
for a couple of days while we go out of town?"
"Al, are you guys coming to visit this week?"
"Adam and Heather, why don't you bring
that sweet little baby over so we can love on her!"

They don't realize
you're doing this so you can blame
them all next week
for your discrepancies!

Then, it's...
"Who broke this?"
"I don't know...probably JJ,
he was here!"

"Who left the milk out?"
"It was Sunny!
She LOVES milk."

"Who made a mess in here?"
"Al and Lizzie were here!"

"What happened to all the cookies?"
"Heather happened to the cookies."

So, today, Russell gets in the frig and says...
"What happened to the frig?
I had it all organized a couple of days ago.
At this point, I must confess...I never, never put stuff
back in the frig in the same spot.
I'll come close...but it's pretty much
all about, cram it in wherever it will fit...
and it doesn't even really have to fit.
As long as I can close the door...I'm happy!
Never mind that the next time
someone opens the door
the ketchup commits hari kari!
(You just gotta make sure you're not the next someone!)

He gets very upset when I don't keep the frig organized.
So, I was so glad we had a visitor this weekend.
I could happily say,
"Sunny did it!"

For the Love of Christ

We need God's Word.

It has Power!
Real Power!

It has the Power to make us love Jesus Christ.

You know when you read the word,
and you feel so close to Him...
like you can almost reach out and touch Him?
And you love Him all the more.

That's the Power of God's Word.
To make us love Jesus Christ even more.
And then all the other things we do
will flow out of that love for Him.

But we try to do things for Christ
without spending time in His Word.
Good things...Sunday School, Witnessing,
Being a good wife...etc.
And those are great!
But if they are not coming out of our love for Christ.
They are worthless...fleshly activities.

One time while complaining to Mrs. Bemis about
feeling like I was going through the motions in my life...
regarding church, ss, witnessing, etc.
She asked me, "Why did you start doing those things in the first place?"
"Because I loved Jesus Christ." I replied.
"Then that's what you need to do again." she said.
How is it possible that I had forgotten that?

Why did God call David, 'a man after mine own heart'"
Because he loved God so much! He wasn't perfect.
he didn't necessarily wear all the right clothes...
talk the right talk and do everything perfectly
all the time.
He loved God.
That set him apart from every other man on earth!

Everything we do must flow out of our love for Him!
Not because we HAVE to...
Not because Pastor expects us to...
That's Religion!

But the Power of God's Word is
to make you love Him so much
That you ache to do things for Him.


Anything else is...nothing...
and there will be no rewards for that on Judgement Day.

Grama Musings...

 Seeing my baby with his baby...priceless.

What I used to think:  I'm not picking that baby up...
     there's nothing wrong with him and he just wants to be held.
What I think now:  There's no reason for that sweet little thing
      to be sittin there crying when I'm right here!

Conversation at the breakfast table:
Adam: She kept us up most of the night!
Dad: This is an adventure!
Adam: Somehow I thought my adventure would include
gold and swords...not diapers and poop!

Watching a little baby...
turn a young couple
into responsible parents.

Even when shes not here,
I can see her little face...
in my minds eye.

Fighting over who gets to hold her.

Conversation overheard at Penneys:
"Step away from the baby section!"

Hondo

OK, I gotta admit...
I'm not really crazy about this
first book of Louis'.
Maybe he hadn't reached his stride yet.

Not a lot of killin'
Not a lot of fightin'
You know, all the reasons
you read Louis!

But it wasn't bad...
just not as exciting as some of his others.

It's about a cowboy
(They're all about cowboys in case you've never read him)
named Hondo Lane.
Louis describes him like this:
"He was a big man, wide-shouldered,
with the lean hard-boned face of the desert rider.
There was no softness in him.
His toughness was ingrained and deep,
without cruelty, yet quick, hard and dangerous."
He pretty much describes them all the same
but with different adjectives.

Hondo Lane while escaping Indians and
working for the government (army),
runs into a lady and her son living on their own
in the desert.
Husbands a loser, hasn't been home in months,
she figures he's dead.

Hondo stays in the barn one night,
falls in love with her,
leaves to take care of business...
and then in the end comes back for her.

I could go into more depth...but that's
pretty much the gist of it.

Good lines though:

"Patience at such a time was more than a virtue,
it was the price of survival."

"Women always think every man that comes along,
wants 'em."

"The big dog had been away on some business of his own.
From the tuft of fur at the corner of his jaw,
the business had concerned rabbits."

"Handsome woman like you, walks with her head up,
ought to kiss a man before she dies."
(Yeah...there's a truth)

"Under a quiet sky, a planet turned,
and horses ate, and men slept,
and death waited for morning."
(This is typical Louis...love it)

"Wealth is important only to the small of mind."
(You tell it, Louis!)

"Partly they learn, partly they die."

"I got to float my stick same as you."

And the very last line of this book:

"And beside him a woman held in her arms a sleeping child...
a woman who would be there with him,
in that house, before that hearth."

You can learn other languages, too
Varlebena means forever in Apache.

That'll come in handy if you ever meet an...
...forget it...

Things I'm Thankful for Today

1. Fresh jam

2. Faithful friends

3. Video of Elyse that Sunny sent me, squirmin' and squealin'.
     (Elyse, not Sunny)

4. Video of Heather changing a diaper...
     (Priceless... couldn't happen to a nicer girl!)

5. A husband that helps me clean the kitchen

6. A black cat...cuddling close

Sugar, Sugar

Today I made grape jelly.

Now, I'm not a fan of making jelly
or jams or canning things.
I feel like I HAD to do it when
the kids were little...
why should I have to now.
I'm a grown adult.
I shouldn't have to do stuff I don't want to do, right?

But I was given a bunch of grapes,
and didn't want to be unproductive,
so I juiced them and made jelly.

Russell was in the kitchen...
...helping...
sort of...
I use the last of my sugar and sit the jar
on top of the dishwasher. I ask,
"Is there room in there for this?"
while continuing to work on the jelly.

...quiet...

I notice the silence...
"The sugar jar, is there room in there for that?"

...quiet...

"yeah...I guess..."

10 minutes later I open the frig to
get butter so the jelly doesn't foam too much...
There sits an empty sugar jar on the
top shelf, in all its glory,
right next to the milk!

Thank You, My Beloved

Things I am thankful for today:

A new, beautiful granddaughter.

Sunshine on a Birth Day.

A clean house.

A child that is living the life you taught them.

Hot coffee on a cold morning.

A new, beautiful granddaughter.
(Did I mention that already?)

Hope.

How God meets me in the morning.

How the fog lies over the mountains,
only to give way to the Sun...
like sometimes burdens and heartaches
lie over my heart...
only to give way to the Son.

Thank you, my Beloved.
(Song of Solomon)

Wise Advice

When I was preparing to have my first baby,
My Mom gave me her best advice...
"Don't yell, the nurses hate it!"
Me: "Is that it? Is that all you have?"
"I can't put that in the baby book, Mom!"

Mom: "Sorry, when I had you kids,
they wheeled me into a room, put me to sleep,
and when I woke up, they said,
'Here's your baby!'
That's the way to have babies!
Kinda like going to lunch,
but getting to bring the leftovers home."

OK, she didn't say that last part,
I added that cause that's what it seems like to me.
You go, take a little nap, you wake up,
and for your reward, you get to take a baby home!

Just seems too easy.
Seems like if you don't suffer...
You don't deserve that baby!
You gotta work for the good things, right?!

So, now, what are they doing?
They're giving epidurals so you don't
have to feel anything!
What on earth is with that?
Might as well just go take a nap
and come home a winner!

Why am I thinking all of this?
My daughter-in-law is getting ready
to have her first child.
I don't know how she is going to handle it.
All I know is...

"DON'T YELL, THE NURSES HATE IT!"

Supplemental Health

I take supplements

I have to...
my son works at Super Supplements.

He loads us up every couple of weeks.
Things I've never even heard of.
For every body part and function.

Every morning, Russell and I
dutifully walk into the kitchen...
open all our little bottles...
and start popping pills.
Takes like 30 minutes!
(Well, it feels like it, anyway)

And I think I feel better...
Or maybe I just feel better
cause I know I'm taking things
that are good for me...
(like grass, sticks and gravel...)
you know, a psychosomatic thing.

Either way, I do feel better.
I'm glad that my kids worry about my health
and want me to be healthy.

He probably just doesn't want to
take care of me when I get old and sickly.
So, this is like a preventative thing.
Keep me healthy as long as possible...
BEFORE THEY STICK ME IN A HOME!
(I'm yelling, in case you can't tell)

He even brought Strider some
'good for you treats'.

Now, Strider will eat anything.
Seriously, anything!

Well, except celery. He hates celery.
You throw it to him, he catches it,
and once he realizes what it is
he drops it to the floor, never to acknowledge it again.

He'll even eat ice cubes.
But not celery.

We have found something else he doesn't like.
Organic treats. 

He caught it, dropped it,
...stared at it...
Then, looked at us like,
"WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS?"
"Try it Stridies, it's good AND good for you!"
"GAG ME!"

"If we have to take this stuff, Strider,
then so do you! NOW EAT IT!"

I have to admit I have never seen strider
so close to food without losing himself
in a moment of sheer pleasure.
I think this was more like sheer disgust.

We love you anyway, Al!
Not sure about Strider,
you'll have to ask him yourself! 

Louis L'Amour

So, I'm reading all of the Louis L'Amour books
in order as he wrote them.

I've decided I would give a short synopsis of the story.

Then I would write my favorite one-liners.
Louis has tons of them.
And that's one of the reasons I love reading him.
Great lines.
So, I'll focus on that.

First book on the way!

Stay in the Battle

"The great difference for a soldier
who is engaged in physical warfare
is that they have a light at the end of the tunnel,
so to speak.
They have a tour of duty,
a predetermined time to serve;
and a set date in which they will get out of the war.

On the other hand, the spiritual soldier
has no such date as he sits surrounded,
infilitrated, and outnumbered.
The true soldier will look up and say,
as one noted American hero said,

'Alright, they're on our left,

they're on our right,

they're in front of us,

they're behind us...

they can't get away this time.'

You see, it is all how you look at war,
do you want to retire and grow old?
Or, do you want to stay in the battle and win?
Hey, air support is on the way -
the fast movers are coming to drop their payload.
Hang tough for just a few more battles
and the war will be over."
                                              - from the miss. letter of Mike Roberts

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places."
                                                          Eph. 6:12

I want to stay in the battle...

And we WILL win thru Jesus Christ!

My Obsession with Mrs. Perfect

I received a message in my inbox today
from Martha's site.

It was called "Organize Your Sheets".
(see April blog - 'Martha, Martha')

I shouldn't even have opened it...
I did...
I couldn't help myself.

There is that HATED video of someone
folding fitted sheets.
And a photo of a cupboard
full of perfectly organized
sheets.

But this one is a little different.
After she folds them...
She hides them in the pillowcase.
Of course, she doesn't call it 'hiding'.
She calls it 'tucking'.
In my house, it's hiding!

I'm excited! I'm going downstairs
right now to hide all my pathetically folded sheets!

Thank You, Martha!
I know you read my blog and thought
this up just for me!

I love you, Martha!

"Deathipedia"

You know, I just can't help myself...
When someone talks about an actor or actress
I have to tell them what they died of.

Not new actors,
cause I don't know any of them.
But from the 70's back.
I know how they all met their end.

My kids get upset with me
Me: "Yeah, she walked out on her husband,
became an alcoholic and died lonely and poor."
Random male child: "Thanks for that, Mom."

Kinda morbid, I know.
And I try not to...
But its there in my head...
then slips down to my mouth...
and I have to let it out.
They have a right to know what
happened to this person.
Even if they don't want to know!

And if we're watching a movie...
I can't wait til its over...
They HAVE to know right away.
Their life could depend on it!
Another random male child:
"The chase scene on 'Bullit' is my favorite."
Me: "You know Steve McQueen died of cancer
in Mexico after having tumors removed from his neck?"
Random male child: "That's gross, Mom!"
Me: "But, the good news is, he got saved before he died!"
Moral: Don't go to Mexico to have neck tumors removed.
And if you do, make sure you're saved first.
Now, tell me that's not helpful?!

And if I don't know how someone died...
My Mom most certainly does!
It's kinda been passed down,
this 'Deathipedia thing.'

And God forbid the person was a God hater.
Then not only do they have to know how they died,
They must also understand all the moral implications
of blaspheming the God of the Universe.
There are some names my kids will never utter
cause they know they will have to hear the story again.

I want to make sure they don't forget...
After all, it must be passed down.

What Could be Better?

People keep telling me
that being a Grandparent is so much better
than being a parent.

I can see that to a certain extent...
All the joy without having to worry about
really screwing up your kids.
After all, that's Mom and Dad's job.
(Not screwing up the kids...just worrying about it.)

All I ever wanted to be was a Mom.
I never cared about a career or lied to myself
about what great things I was going to accomplish
in the workaday world.
I have wanted to be a Mom for as long as I can remember.

When I was about 9
the doctors all told my Mom
that I would never be able to have children
so she might as well take care of it now...
(why do the words spay and neuter come to mind?)
But she never felt that it was her decision.
I felt terrible that I couldn't have kids...
cause I loved being a kid and didn't want to grow up.
So, if I had kids...I could always stay a kid.
(I was 9, OK? 9 year olds think dumb things like that!
and Peter Pan probably wasn't a great help either).

Then when I was 13 my Mom had my little sister.
I loved her so much that to think of never having
children was even more painful now...
after having experienced what it was like to have a
baby around. A 2 yr. old around. A 6 yr old around...

Then when I was 18 we found a new doctor
who scoffed at what the other doctors said.
"Only God decides who has children, not men!"
I had hope again.
6 years later, I had my first son...
seventeen months later, my second son...
5 years later, my third son.
(Yeah, I know, gets monotonous).
But I loved every stage they went through.
Their sweet smell, their soft skin, their first smile.
Every new development was monumental to us!
My kids never had terrible twos.
Not because they weren't terrible
(believe me, I can remember quite a few terrible things).
But every stage was fun times!
We hardly ever had babysitters
because we enjoyed being with our kids.
We played, we laughed, we had fun.

You know how when some people get old
and they live in the past and don't know
what's going on around them.
Well, I don't particularly want that to happen to me...
but if it does, I want to live in the happy times,
when the kids were little...
playing with Legos,
listening to stories about a little boy
named Tiger who lived in the woods,
hugs, kisses and runny noses,
and 'I love you forever, Mommy'.
when love was fierce and protective.

Not that times aren't happy now...
they're just not as simple as they were then.
And I guess I haven't really adjusted to
not having kids at home.
Although, I have to admit, quiet can be nice also.

How can anything be better than that?
I know all you grandparents are thinking...
"She'll see..."
And I'm sure I will.
But for now, I can't imagine what could be better...

(But check with me next month, just in case!)

10 Lists

I love lists.

I guess it's because of this overpowering
desire to be perfect...
(no laughing!)
I guess I feel if I can get all my thoughts
on paper, color coded, in order-
Then all I'll have to do
is follow the list, crossing off as I go...
and I'll finish everything-
and be perfect!

Of course, it hasn't worked yet...
but I'm an eternal optismist.
Someday it will work...
and I'll be perfect!

I love nothing more,
that to sit down with paper and pencil
and put my thoughts together.
Think about all the neat things I'm going to do...
and how I'm going to do them.
So I can be perfect!

This is October.
I currently have 10 lists going.
One for Thanksgiving:
we're going to my Mom's so I only have
to concentrate on a food list -
well, a food list and, of course,
a grocery list.

Then I have a new Grandbaby coming,
for which I am ETERNALLY grateful...
(Thank you, Lord)
So, I have a list of the things I want to get
before she gets here,
(did I mention she's a girl!!! That's a
big deal for a Hoover).
and, of course, I have to get a little area
ready for her here at the house
for when she comes to visit.
(Don't worry, Aaron, your room is safe.
At least for the time being...until another grandbaby
comes along and then we'll have to talk!)
Plus, I actually have another list of things I
want to make for her- crafty like stuff.
That's separate from the other list cause who knows
when I'll actually get to them.
Probably not til I'm perfect.

And then there are the Christmas lists...
One for big time housecleaning things,
one for decorating,
one for food (not only for Christmas Day,
but also for the 6 days that I'll have
visitors from Canada).
Technically, those are 2 lists, but they are on
the same page.
And of course the grocery list.

Plus I have a list for the ladies Christmas Party.
It's going to be at someone else's house...
(Thank you, Lord for small blessings!)

 So, you would think with all those lists to keep me straight...
I'd be perfect...or, at the very least, REALLY close!

A verse comes to mind:
Ps. 37:37 - "Mark the perfect man,
and behold the upright: for the end
of that man is peace."
I find that trying to be perfect, is anything
but peaceful...

So then, another verse comes to mind:
Ps. 18:32 - "It is God that girdeth me with strength,
and maketh my way perfect."

All my trying is in vain...
God alone can make me perfect...
because of Jesus Christ,
in Jesus Christ,
thru Jesus Christ,
and for his wellpleasing!

It's not about me at all...

Gal. 3:3 - "Are ye so foolish,
having begun in the Spirit,
are ye now made perfect by the flesh?"
And, of course, the answer to that is, "No,
the flesh will never make me perfect!"

I better go write that down...

Better yet, I'll make a list...

Weird!!

Do you ever think about weird things?

I know you do, so don't even think
about denying it!

Like who was the first person
who saw an artichoke
and decided to eat it.

Number one, they are ugly.
I would immediately think,
"Bet those are poison".
Just by looking at them.

How would you even know
how to cook them.
I wouldn't even want to venture a guess
how to cook one if I didn't already know.

Who was the first one to say...
"OK, if you just scrape off the bottom of the leaf
with your teeth...then its good."
Who would think of that?

"And see all those little hairs?
Just scrape them off and eat whats
under them."

Now that I think about it,
they were probably starving...
Waaaayyyyy too much work,
with very little payoff!

Supermarket Rage

I have a friend who wrote a blog
called "Road Rage".

All I could think of the whole time I was reading it
was how I feel when I'm in the supermarket.

I love crowds.
The mall, a parade, a flea market...
but not in the grocery store.
I want to do my shopping and get out.

Some grocery stores are not too bad...
others are terrible all the time.
I won't mention any names.
(See Adam, I didn't mention Waaa.....never mind)

What really bothers me I guess
is that some people shop like
they are the only ones in the world.
Totally oblivious to anyone else's needs.
The world exists for them.

Their cart is on one side of the aisle
and they are on the other side
so as to totally block the whole aisle.
And then they sit there, deep in thought
over canned tomato paste.
There's people on both sides
(trying to be nice and not ram her cart
because of her insensitivity!)
They don't care about everyone else's tomato paste contemplations!

I don't know why that bothers me...but it does.
How can they not know we are there?
Helloooo??

I am now officially getting irritated...
forgive me Lord.
Deep breaths...in...out...
This is not a big deal...in...out...
This person probably doesn't know the Lord.
So I need to be nice...be a good witness.
I must overcome the urge to knock her cart
into next week!

Then there are those who have possessed children.
(I'm not saying possessed by what...)
Screaming on every other aisle.
(Usually the one you're on)
A common thing coming out of Aaron's
mouth when he was little was,
"That boy needs a whoopin' Mom"
Yep, even a 5 year old knows what that kid needs.
But not the Mom apparently.
Then, lo and behold, they get in your
checkout aisle.
Personally, I think this is God's idea
of teaching me a lesson for being
impatient.

I'm trying, Lord...
"Great peace have they which love thy law,
and nothing shall offend them..."
"Great peace have they which love thy law,
and nothing shall offend them..."
OK, that ones not working...let's see...
Phil. 4:8 - think on positive things...
not negative...
puppies, ice cream, babies (not screaming ones)
flowers, the beach,
a new grandchild...

...the lady that got saved last week,
the Lord's mercy on my life...
where I was and where I am now,
His goodness to me that I don't deserve,
but He gives it anyway cause He loves me
unceasingly!

Yes, God is good to me.
Even when I am insensitive.
Even when I think the world revolves
around me.
Even when I'm taking up the whole aisle!

"Be ye holy; for I am holy"
I'm trying, Lord...
don't give up on me.

3 cents...or sense...

We paid $3.67 for gas today.

On the way home we passed another gas station:
$3.64.

Russell: "Doggone it! I paid 3 cents more!"
Me: "How many gallons did you put in?"
Russell: "12!"
Me: "Honey...that's 36 cents. I can dig that
out of the couch for you when we get home."

'Til the Storm Passes By

In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face,
while the storm howls above me, and there's no hiding place;
'Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry,
keep me safe til the storm passes by.

Many times Satan whispered, "There is no need to try,
for there's no end of sorrow, there's no hope by and by;"
But I know Thou art with me, and tomorrow I'll rise
where the storms never darken the skies.

When the long night has ended and the storms come no more,
let me stand in Thy presence, on that bright peaceful shore;
In that land where the tempest never comes, Lord, may I
dwell with Thee when the storm passes by.

'Til the storm passes over,
'Til the thunder sounds no more,
"Til the clouds roll forever from the sky;
Hold me fast, let me stand
in the hollow of Thy hand,
Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by.


We sang this song yesterday at church.
Verse two is so true to me.
Satan tries so hard to show me all the sorrows
of this life,
He tries so hard to show me my sin
and the wickedness of my heart...
(Like I didn't know that already).
Soon I find a little black cloud
floating over my head,
threatening rain.
But if I turn the page on the story of my life
to the last page...
I'll see me...
standing in His presence on that bright peaceful shore.
In that land where the tempest never comes...

Expensive Tastes

I have a problem...

I have expensive tastes.
Yes, I know, you cringe at the thought!

Just think how my husband feels while
shopping for me.
He knows if he gets anything from Wal-Mart
I probably won't like it...
(although I will act like it's the best thing I've ever received)

When we go into a store...
I immediately gravitate towards
the most expensive item in the store,
and absolutely love it!

There could be a whole 100 ft. long
rack of dresses...
and I would love the one
that you have to take out a second on the house for.

I don't look at the price tags.
It's not like I try to pick the most expensive thing.
It just comes natural.
I can't help it apparently.

And it's not just clothes...
Furniture, cars, jewelry.
I'm thinking maybe my Mom and Dad
must have adopted me from some rich people.
You know, like the Queen of England!
Yep, that would explain everything...
the expensive tastes, the need to be bowed to,
the funny wave...dumb hats...and the incessant
desire to 'ride to hounds'...yeah, never been
able to explain that one.

So, next time you see me -
you can call me "your majesty"
and kiss my hand.

Masonese

So, I spent the week at my sister,
Michelle's house and her husband,
Mike, along with Mikey and Mason.

Yeah, I know, lots of M's.
I talked to her about that...
she didn't listen!

While there...
I learned a new language.
We'll call it Masonese,
because it is, after all, his own invention.

It is Monsoon season there,
so there was lots of lightling and funder.

We looked at pictures
of his cousits on the computer.
That would be his Mom's
sister's kids in case you
don't understand Masonese.

In the evenings sometimes
they have Halloweenas
out in the yard that eat
the plants...
so Mom has to get the shubbel
and dig them up.

One of his favorite animals?
That's right...you guessed it...
Jagwaters!

And he loves to go marshmallow camping.
That's where you sit in the backyard
with blankets and roast marshmallows!

Holy Rockamole!

9/11

Many people are sharing
what they remember of 9/11.
Where they were, what they were doing, etc.

I don't know why others do this...
But I would imagine it's their way
of keeping the memory of these people
alive.

That's why I'm doing it
for all the children that are growing up
without a Mommy or Daddy
For all those that unwillingly sacrificed
those they loved.
For those who willingly sacrificed
their lives for others on that day.
For those whose lives have
changed forever.

But I can't help but think
of the One who willingly sacrificed
Himself  for everyone on earth.
And provided, thru His sacrifice,
entrance into Heaven and eternity.
So that no matter what happens
on this earth...
No matter what tremendous sorrow
we must go through...
We can always have hope...
we always have somewhere to turn.
This life isn't forever...the sorrows
and hurts we go through will not
last forever.

Someday soon the Saviour will come
and take us to a place of endless joy...
and not sorrow.
Of endless peace...
and not pain.

"Even so, come Lord Jesus."

Car Wash Obsessor

I've noticed recently...
that when a guy cleans a car
it's just like when I clean my house.

I like everything perfect.
I mean after all... we live there.

But a car...
really...
You only sit in it...
Well, and occasionally sleep...
hopefully not at the same time.

We were in Boise a few weeks ago
and Russell decided he wanted to get the car clean.
OK, to me that means going to a car wash,
buying the cheapest wash,
and then driving off
while letting the sun and air friction
dry it.

It does not mean that to my husband.
To him it means
buying the most expensive wash,
going to the vacuum center...
(never even knew there was something
called a vacuum center),
and taking everything out of the car
including seats, I might add,
and spending every last quarter, dime, nickel
to power an industrial grade sucking machine
(almost sucked my skirt right off...
...major moment of panic!)
to suck every last particle of dust
from every inch of the car.

And he's into it too!
Laying on the ground
so as to be able to see every speck of dirt.
I'm like, "C'mon honey, I'm bored...
I wanna go to Starbucks."
"You can't possibly be done with your
side of the car yet." he replies
"I can't?"
"No, you can't!" says he.
So then I had to act like I was vacuuming
for another 20 minutes.
(That's when I almost got sucked
into the industrial grade sucker!)
That's what I get for acting busy
when I'm really not.
That's a sin apparently...
(Now I know how the kids felt.)

My only question is this...
How can a guy that doesn't care about
the state of the house...
("The house looks fine, hon,
make me some cookies..."
"The boys bedrooms look fine...
we're gonna go play some basketball")
Care so much about something
you spend so little time in????

Can anyone answer me this?

Must be the Mars/Venus thing again.

Curses!

Without a Trace of Doubt

You know what I love about God?

When a little kid prays about something,
God answers it right away often.

He knows that the child won't remember
if he answers it tomorrow or the next day...

So often he will answer it right away.

A few months ago
Molly and I prayed for more kids in children's church.
That very morning we had 5 extra kids.
She was beside herself.

This morning I prayed with Camden and Katelyn
for more kids in Junior Church.
We had 3 extra kids.

God is so good with children
to build their little faith.
Or maybe he answers their prayers quickly
because they believe without a trace
of doubt.

I think I can learn from Molly, Camden and Katelyn.

Seek God!

I have a new goal...
Actually it has been my goal for 31 years...
But sometimes I forget...

To seek God.

Yes, I'm saved and love
Jesus Christ and try to the best
of my ability to live for Him,
Him alone.

But I get so busy
in this life,
often doing things that I know make Him happy.
Reading, praying,
service at church,
being a good example,
loving others,
telling others about Him,
etc. etc.

And don't get me wrong...
those are good things
and definitely SHOULD accompany salvation.

But sometimes I need to sit back,
and remember the joy of my salvation.
Think about how Christ took this poor
sin sick soul and changed her life and her destiny...
forever...forever...

Think about all He has done for me
throughout all these years I have been with Him.

Think about how Wonderful He is...
How beautiful His creation is...
how powerful He is...
how he can answer prayers in the blink of an eye.

Think about all the promises he has made me.
All I have to do is have faith...
And I will always have peace,
and hope,
and joy,
and love.

Think about how unworthy I am
to be the recipient of His Great and Powerful Love.
To truly realize in my heart the truth
of the fact that He will never, never leave me.
No matter what goes wrong in this life...
He will always be there for me...
He will always uphold me...
He will always wipe away my tears...
and make my life worth living
as long as He wills me to be here.

Why do all the endless things in my life
Get more focused attention than He does?

So I'm gonna try to set aside one day a week
to do nothing but seek Him.
I probably won't be able to do it
on the same day each week,
as things change so rapidly.
But I'm gonna commit it to Him
and give it my best.

I'm gonna sit out on the porch,
with my Bible and a Hymnal.
I may not read,
I might just think about His great works.
I might meditate on a favorite verse...
I'm not making any plans...
I'm going to let the Spirit lead.
I'm going to just seek God!

Being Stupid

You ever done something,
and then felt like an idiot after?
OK, I know you have!
And if you insist that you haven't
everyone knows you're lying!

Today, as I was walking over to church
I was looking down,
(probably reading my Bible,
I'm real spiritual that way),
yeah...let's go on...
Anyway...

JJ was visiting
with his truck...
and in the back of the truck
were 2 big metal bar thingys
hanging out...right at my head level!

So as I was walking by, being very spiritual,
well, walking by, anyway
I ran straight into the metal bars.
Yes, both of them.
One hit me right about the hairline,
the other on the forehead.

No, I didn't cuss,
I'm a Christian.
What I actually said was,
"OWWWWW!"
Really loud
so the whole world would know I was HURT!

Then I realized that this could be misconstrued
as losing control.
So I immediately looked around to make sure
no one was looking...
SAFE.

By the time I got to church
Homer was smiling at me.
"What happened?"
"Nothing!"
So then I had to tell everyone
so I made sure
they heard the story MY WAY.
After all, Homer might make me look like an idiot!

So, I told it in a way, that made JJ look like the bad guy!
After all, it WAS his truck and his bar thingys,
and he DID park it right between my house
and the church!
So, yeah, it was pretty much JJ's fault!
Anyone can see that!

Pastor's School

I've been at a Pastor's School this week.

No, it's not where you learn how to be a Pastor.

It's where Pastor's and their wives steal away to
to get encouraged by other Pastor's and their wives.

The schedule is great:

Breakfast at 7:30
followed by
Preaching
(or spreaching if you're a girl...don't ask),
from 8 in the morning until 12:00
with coffee breaks in between.
(And I do mean coffee - Starbucks!)
Then they feed you
and you're pretty much free in the afternoon.
I take that as an excuse to nap and shop
in that order!
Then you come back at 7:00
for more preaching!
It's wonderful.

Some people think that sounds boring...
but we love it.
To hear from God...who doesn't want that?
Must be the same reason people don't come to church.

Today Mrs. Mark Rogers spoke about suffering
among other things.

John 12:23 - "The hour is come,
that the Son of man should be glorified."

She said some good things:

Satan is doubling his efforts on Pastor's
weakest link...
his family.

When you are suffering, perhaps it's because
The Lord can show Himself best through
your suffering.

Someone once said,

The Lord gives Christians
the same troubles as the lost,
so the world can see the difference.

I want the world to see
that I'm different!
I might lose everything,
but I'll never lose Christ,
and therefore,
I'll never lose hope!

I have the Victory, through Christ!
I'll win the battle, through Christ!

Beautiful Life

Life is beautiful today...

The sun,
the warmth,
the new haircut,
the Godly women I can learn from,
the laughter of a friend,
the breeze, softly blowing the hair from my face,
the heart of my husband,
the hope I have in Jesus Christ...
so that even though tomorrow
may not seem beautiful,
like today does,
even though the cares and sorrows of this life,
may try to overwhelm my soul,
hope will always spring anew in my heart
because of who He is!

"And hope maketh not ashamed; 
because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost
which is given unto us."
 Rom. 5:5

Thank You, Jesus, for my Beautiful Life

Fashion Statement

So, we left home today for yet another trip.
This time to Meridian, Idaho for Pastor's School.

As we're on our way into Starbucks
I look into the window of the store next door
and realize that I'm wearing this cute little blouse
that I got from a thrift store the other day,
but forgot to take off my sweater thingy
(I call it that cause it is kinda beyond description).
The problem:
My cute little blouse is red and pink and white,
and my thingy is mustard yellow
and kinda dingy (pronounced dinjie)
around the arms cause I wear it lots,
and apparently don't wash it too often!

I look like an orphan, as my mother used to say!
Nothing derogatory against orphans...
If you are an orphan, I'm sorry...
Come to my house and we'll adopt you!

Anyway, I remark to my husband that I match beautifully!
He looks at me and says,
"I'm probably not the right person to judge that."
(Very true statement!)
My son and I have actually refused to be seen in public
with him on various occasions.
He goes on,
"You know what I say...colors are meant to be splashed together!"

Yep, that pretty much sums up his ideas on fashion...

Good thing I came along to rescue him...

The Sun/Son

This morning as we were sitting outside,
enjoying the sunshine,
Which, by the way, we don't normally see
during other parts of the year,
My husband said,
"The sun is beautiful this morning!"
"Yep, it is", I replied.
He said, "The sun is beautiful every morning!"
"I wouldn't know, we don't see it every morning."
I remark, being the eternal optimist that I am.

"It's always shining somewhere,
but the clouds get in the way.
But it's there nonetheless." says he.

"The Son of God is sure wonderful today!"
he says.
"Yes, He is." I agree.
"He's wonderful every day,
but sometimes it's hard to see
cause we let the clouds get in the way.
But He's there nonetheless, being Wonderful."

What a lesson!
He's there.
It may be hard for us to see Him
because we let the hardships of life cloud our view.
But He's there nonetheless.
What a comfort to know
that He's there
and He's Wonderful
no matter what I'm going through.

That's how my Sunday morning started out.

Thanks hon!

Buttery Salmon

I don't do this very often...
as a matter of fact I have never done this...
but since I have only had a blog for a few months
that's understandable,

anywhoo.....

I found this recipe that is soooo good,
I have to share it.

Now if I spend 4 hrs on a meal
I expect it to be spectacular.

But when I have a recipe
that only takes 5 minutes to prepare...
and 10 minutes to bake
I'm thrilled when it turns out perfectly delicious.

That's what kind of recipe this is.
It takes maybe 20 mins. from start to finish
and it's good enough for even the president...
well, lets say former president.
(We won't go any further with this topic of conversation!)

I got this recipe from Mark Bittman.
He's my favorite chef of the hour.
(I say this cause I change often)

If you don't have his book,
"How to Cook Everything"
you seriously need to get it.

It's a serious cookbook.

I'm not gonna write the whole recipe out...
just gonna explain how to do it. Super easy!


Salmon Roasted in Butter

Turn oven to 475 degrees.

Put 4T of butter in roasting pan
and put it in the oven while it preheats.

Take your salmon and salt and pepper it good.

Take the pan out of the oven after the butter has melted.

Put salmon in the pan flesh side down.

Put in oven for 5 mins.

Turn salmon over and add whatever fresh herbs
you love. I added thyme and chives.

You can even add some freshly ground Parmesan cheese
if you like.

Put it back in the oven for 3 - 6 mins.
depending on the thickness of your salmon.

Take it out and enjoy.
So simple and easy and rich!

Enjoy!

My Father's Child

The Lord showed me something today:

"But love ye your enemies,
and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again;
and your reward shall be great,
and ye shall be the children of the Highest:
for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
Be ye therefore merciful,
as your Father also is merciful."

So, when people dont treat me right...
I should treat them with love and do right to them.
And I already knew that, of course...
What Christian doesn't know that?
But oftimes, there isn't a lot of motivation on my part.

But what He really showed me
was the next part:

If I act like that, people will begin to say,
"She's acting like her Father."

That's what I want, more than anything.
To be like my Father!

Shopping?

We went into town yesterday for my Mom's Birthday dinner.















There's my weird family - Mom, middle right.

Since we got into town early
we figured we would do a little shopping.

There were 3 men in my car -
So, this is their idea of shopping...



















This is my idea of shopping...




















Their idea...




















My idea...
















Get the picture?

Not that I don't enjoy an occasional stroll
through the hunting stuff...

But it's always the same.

They head over to the ammo...

I check out all the shoes I can't afford...

I go see if they are done...
still checking out the ammo.

Then I go look at all the sports clothes
...I can't afford...

Go over to see if they are done...
Still checking out the ammo.

So, I go check out the pistols
...all of which I can't afford...

I see the guys baseball caps
jutting up above the ammo aisle.
Well, Aaron's is jutting
I take it on faith Russell is over there with him
considering he really isn't tall enough to jut.
(Is that a word?)

I wander over to the shotguns...
Looking for the one I want...
...that I'll never be able to afford...

I wander over to the ammo aisle
and they are still over there discussing ammo!
Rows and rows of little boxes all different colors
Vying for their attention.
What on earth could they possibly find to talk
about for 30 minutes over the ammo boxes?

Then.............................

We leave without buying any ammo!

Whatever...

City Mouse/Country Mouse

So, the reason I call my blog "City Mouse, Country Mouse"
is because I have lived so many places in my life
and have enjoyed them all.

There are things I love about the City,
And there are things I love about
living in the country.

I love the desert,
the mountains,
and the ocean.

I live in the country now,
and love it.
I love having animals
and land
and room to breathe.

I love looking out my window and seeing
Sawtooth covered with snow.
When missionaries come they always say,
"Wow, you really got it tough here..."
The Lord has really blessed us
with a beautiful place to live.
And I'm very thankful for that.

I grew up in the city and have great memories of it.
Believe me, I know all the negatives.
But we were happy.
I had a great childhood
full of loving adults.

I love being able to run 2 blocks down
and get milk.
(I am now 45 mins from milk, and
if I can't have my milk, I get very grumpy)
I love being downtown and seeing
the street musicians and putting
money in their hats along with a tract
and hopefully be able to tell them
about how wonderful Jesus Christ is.
I love the lights and all the weird people.

But I've learned...
it's not about the place.
It's not about where you live.
It's about being where you know God
wants you to be.

It's about finding joy in the blessings God gives you.
Not the blessings you work out for yourself.
We don't always get to live where we want
or do what we want to do.
Sometimes God takes us on a different path.
Sometimes He wants to see if you are
willing to put yourself last and Him first.

That's where true joy is!
Being where He wants you to be...
Doing what He wants you to do.

Give up what you love...
for what He loves.

The Wonder of Your Love

If I could be an artist,
I would paint you up in colors,
And my easel would be this ol' heart of mine.
Grey would be your garden place,
Silver tears upon your face,
And red would be the wonder of your love.

From a song by Pat Terry

Full House

My house is full!
Literally...

Since we have been home from Florida
my house has been full
one way or another.

Aaron is now home from college.
(YAY)
Alex and Lizzie moved here...
stayed here for a few days
(with 2 cats and 4 kittens)
My brother Blane stayed for a few days
(He cooks for his rent)
Adam and Heather come for an occasional slumber party...
Brother Lutrick was here for a week and a revival...
We had missionaries from Puerto Rico and Spain.
Not to mention a young guy who we all know
and love (who will remain unnamed),
who can't seem to remember where he lives.
And this has all been in one month!

So, now I have to make extra food...
Wash extra clothes...
Make and remake beds...
Vacuum constantly...
AND keep the cats away from each other
all at the same time.

So even though its lots of extra work...
I wouldn't have it any other way.
I love having those I love around me.

If my house was perfectly clean all the time...
It would mean there was no one around to mess it up.
I really like having an orderly and clean house
But I adore my family
and am so thankful for them
and that they are all around me.
And next year we will add a little girl to the group.

So if you come over and my house is a mess...
You'll know I'm happy to have a full house

And if I'm not happy...
It's because I don't have a reason for
a messy house...
I'm just lazy.

Louis L'Amour Blogs

You know that lady that made every recipe
in Julia Childs Cookbook...

Well, I've decided I'm going to do that also.
But instead of making Julia recipes...
I'm going to read all of my new
Louis L'Amour book collection
in order...one by one.
Then I'll blog what I especially
like about them.

Hondo is first.
I have technically already read that...
But since I am going to blog on this
I'll read them over and in order.

So when I'm done...
You'll know.

Dentist Office Conversation

"So, you're gonna have to have that wisdom tooth pulled."

"Why?"

"Well cause it could get food and bacteria in there.
Then you'll have to have it pulled."

"So, I should have it pulled because I might get a cavity
in there and then will have to have it pulled?"

"Yep."

"Well, how about we wait til that happens, and then
have it pulled."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hygenist to Dentist:

"2 and 3 Lingual"
(I'm guessing at this word.)

"Yes, I agree."

Is this some special Dentist language?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"We love it when you and Mr. Hoover come."

"You're so funny!"

Not really sure how to take that considering
we weren't trying to be funny.

Love

You know what I think people
don't realize?
You have to love people.

You don't have to make them be like you...
You don't have to be who they want you to be...
You don't always have to give them your opinion...
You just have to love them.

If people know you love them
they will listen to what you have to say.

No one was ever changed by
someone else's self righteousness.
Love is what changed the world.

"For God so loved the world..."

Boy Mommy/Girl Grammy

When I was pregnant with my first child
I was certain I was going to have a girl.
After all, my sister was a girl...
why would I have a boy?

When Adam was born
I was in shock.
I told Dr. Waldman,
"But, I don't know what to do with a boy!"

"You do the same things you do with a girl."
"But, I don't know what to do with his little thing
when I change his diaper???"
Panic welling within me!!!

So when I was pregnant with the second one
which, by the way, was ridiculously close to the first one,
after I was done crying...
(You'd have to have known Adam as a one year old!)
I knew it would be a girl.
After all, my sister was a girl...
and I had already had one boy.
Certainly I wouldn't have another one.

When Alex was born
I was a little less shocked.
Perhaps a little disappointed
that I didn't have a girl.
But he was healthy and happy,
and I was thankful for that.

When I got pregnant with the third child,
I did not even consider having a girl.
I just assumed it would be a boy.
All Hoovers are boys...
and mine are no different.

I love boys
and have since come to grips with the fact
that I was a boy Mommy.
And I'm good with that.

When my daughter-in-law first said she was pregnant
I told her she was gonna have a boy.
"Don't even expect a girl."
"It'll never happen."

There she is

But secretly inside, I was hoping beyond hope
for a girl.
I long to buy frilly, lacey dresses.
Pink...anythings!

Today we found out that Feather is gonna have a girl.

See ya later...
I'm going shopping!

How Did I Forget How to Fly

I read something beautiful today.
From the site www.aholyexperience.com

"I used to fly; I remember this.
How to unfold winged hope
and enfold the wind
in free falling trust."

"I remember thinking the sky
all empty space.
This can make a sparrow brave."

"I remember thinking that the wind
 and faith were enough.
How did I forget?"

"How is it possible-
that fear can make you forget
how to fly?"

"How do you remember joy
when some life sliver
pierces through your wild pulse?"

"How does a small sparrow in a wide world
extend the brief span of her wings
and let go...
to climb higher."

Wished I would have written that.
I love it...
It speaks to me today.

Sometimes in the midst of earthly troubles
I forget the joy I once knew...
I focus on the circumstances of life...
Instead of the wonder of God.

She goes on to say,
that the world's not meant to be a mirror,
where I focus on myself.

Instead it's a clear pane of glass,
that we look through
to see God high and lifted up.


How did I forget how to fly?

$5 Glue

So I bought this broom
at a store that will remain nameless
because someone I know and love
works there, and I don't want to dis his employers.

They had 2 brooms that looked identical.
One was $5 and one was $10.
I checked them out thoroughly,
because I'm such a thorough shopper,
and found that they were the same.

So naturally, being the thrifty housewife that I am,
I bought the $5 one...Duh...

I now know the difference between the two:
I can sweep exactly three times
before the head begins to swirl around
worse than the little girl on the exorcist.
(Sorry, flashback to before I got saved!)

Apparently, someone at the factory had a great idea:
"Hey, know what we should do?
Let's sell two of these exactly alike.
One with glue and one without.
And the cheapskates that don't want to spend $10
for a broom will buy the $5 one
and wish they would have got the $10 one!"

Yep, that's me, the thrifty housewife cheapskate.

Wish I would've bought the $10 one!

Kids

Me: (While telling the story of Jonah) How do you think you
would feel if you were in the belly of a whale all by yourself?

Katelyn: I would be lonely and miss my Mommy!

Camden: Me too. I wouldn't like it!

Me: I think I would be scared and cry!

Candace: (Looking straight into my eyes, while touching my face)
I wouldn't be afraid if I was with you, Mrs. Hoover.

melt...melt...

That's what I like about kids.
Kids aren't afraid to say they love you.

And if they don't like you, they tell you.

They don't act like your best friend
and then talk about you to everyone who will listen.

They're brutally honest...to a fault...

But, I'd rather be honest to a fault...
than be a hypocrite...to a fault.

Dad

Once there was a lady and a little girl.
All alone.
They had each other and it was good.
But someone was missing.

The little girl spent much time in the hospital.
With the lady by her side.
And it was ok cause life is good, regardless the circumstances.
But someone was missing.

Then one day the lady met a man.
Who came into their lives...
and changed everything.
Everything which had been good...
now was better.
And no one was missing.

The little girl learned how to fish.
She learned how to eat different kinds of foods.
She learned corny jokes which were stolen from Laurel and Hardy.
She learned what it was like to have a Father
who loved her even when she was bad.

So one day when she was told about the Heavenly Father
she had a point of reference.
She understood the love of a Father...
because she had experienced it in her life.

Thanks, Dad, for being a good example of love!

I love you. Thanks for saving our lives!

The G/C Gene

How is it that boys just naturally know about...

1. cars

2. guns

I don't ever remember my husband
sitting down with them and teaching them these things.
I remember sitting them down and teaching them spelling
for hours on end...
and they still can't do that!

When did they learn these things.
I've been with them every hour of their life...
(Well, except when they went to men and boys campout with their Dad)
Maybe that's what they do at those campouts.
They have intense workshops on guns and cars.
OK...that's a scary thought.

Maybe they call each other on the phone, secretly
and share gun facts...discuss car modifications.
(I've heard them use this word in car conversations, so I know it's OK).

It's like it comes with the package.
A boy has an inborn knowledge of these things.

I noticed this last night.
We were watching a western with the guys and JJ.
These bad cowboys tried to kill a good cowboy.
Couldn't see their guns...
Yet, every guy in the room knew what they were using
based on the way it sounded.

How is this possible?
Am I missing something?
Apparently I'm missing a g/c gene
that boys are born with.

God knew they would need this knowledge
In order to protect...
and...uh...well...drive fast?
Not really sure how that fits in.

I guess I'll just have to rest in the fact...
that guys are born with these inate abilities...
for some reason or another...

which escapes me completely!

Beware of Cat

We have a serious relationship problem in our house!

Our middle son, Alex, and his new bride, Lizzie
have moved here from Pensacola.
By here, I don't really mean Heron...
No one moves to Heron if you actually plan to work for a living.
Disability...yes
Retired...yes
Independently wealthy...yes
(we fall in this category, or course)
But you don't move here to work.

They are staying here for a couple of weeks
Until they can move in with my older Son and his wife.
The problem lies with the fact that they brought their kitties.
And on the way here, one of the kitties had kittens...
in the hotel room...on the bed.
(If you want to know which one so you don't accidentally stay there, let me know)

Our Queen Cat is Kirra.
She's the boss.
If she doesn't like you,
she'll make life miserable for you.

She doesn't like our daughter-in-laws
cause they took her boys away.
She will sit outside their door and hiss at them
if they try to walk past her.

She doesn't like our new kitty, Percy
cause he had the audacity to come into this house
and expect love.
(And food, of course...that might be the root of the problem, actually.)

Now, if you can be of some use to her -
Like giving her food...
a warm place to sit...
someone to sleep with at night...
well, then she will tolerate you.
But if you come in her house with nothing to offer her...
You're on the hit list!

And NOW...there are 6, count them 6, other cats in the house.
And also 2 guys and their 2 wives.
(And you know how she feels about them!)
Everyone walkin' around, talking, making noise, moving furniture around.
Generally living their lives...ignoring her!
And in her house, no less!

Poor Kirra. Life can indeed be hard sometimes!
I've explained to her that they won't be here long.
I've explained that she is very special and we love her best.
She doesn't care...she's out for blood.
If you come to our house...BEWARE OF CAT

Pet Peeve

You know what really gets me?

Whenever I go to change my sheets
I can never find pillowcases that match my sheets...
AND I can't find matching pillowcases at all

I quit asking about socks disappearing in the dryer.

And now THIS!

I am quite obviously linen challenged.
I can't fold fitted sheets...
I can't find matching pillowcases...
This is most assuredly the reason some people I KNOW
Don't use sheets!
You know who you are!!

They can't face the fact that they are also linen challenged!
Linen losers!

How to Walk With God

Wanna walk with God?
Here's how:

Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.
He that back biteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

Now you know!

Raising Boys

Raising little boys,
is a totally different experience
than raising little girls.

Not that I have any experience raising little girls.
I can only view them from over the 'boy' fence.
And believe me, it looks different!
They are playing...
The boys in my yard are not playing.
They are either trying to kill something,
trying to destroy something,
trying to kill each other,
throwing balls through the window to see what happens,
trying to kill each other,
tying their little brother up and cramming him in the dog house,
seeing who can come closest to hitting each other with their BB guns,
trying to kill each other...Oh, did I already say that?
I guess it's first thing I think of when I think of
little boys playing in the backyard.

I am exaggerating a little, of course...
I had the BB guns put away in a locked cupboard!
And they did one time tape their little brother up with duct tape.
I don't know what bothered me more...
The fact that they would do that...
Or the fact that he was enjoying it.
And where was I while this was going on??

You know the poem:

What are little boys made of?
Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails
That's what little boys are made of.
Very true...
And often, they have also sampled many of these delicacies!

Raising boys is not for the faint hearted!
Are you listening, Heather???
(This is for my daughter-in-law who probably thinks she's gonna have a girl, but will be sorely disappointed!)
Raising boys is an adventure!
It's amazing what they can think up when left on their own.
(Which I don't suggest, but happens occasionally when Mom is sick)

Adam decided to make fake blood, spread it all over himself, and start crying like he had been hurt.
He was hurt by the time all was said and done!

Or the time Alex got one of my nylons, put it over his head to scare the fire out of his little brother.
What he scared out of him was definitely not fire!
.
If I had the opportunity to go back and change things...
I wouldn't.
I feel special because I have had all boys.
I've become tougher.
When you have boys, you learn that certain things are not such a big deal.

Like when they give their little brother a worm to eat...
Or when they spread mentholatum all over the wall...
Or when they light a firecracker in a pat of butter on the back porch to see what will happen.

There are so many great things about boys.
When they come in from outside, muddy, torn clothes...
Smelling like they've been riding on the back of the wind...
(I love the smell of a little boy who has been playing outside)
Excited about the snake they found, or the fort they made.
Knowing that all these things, all these activities are making a man out of a boy.
After all, I fell in love with a man who was once a boy.

"Fair Blows the Wind"

I love Louis L'Amour books.

I am not a fan of western novels.

I love old westerns on TV.
When I was a kid my Grama and I
would watch westerns together.
It's one of those sweet memories I have of her.
The other would be watching bullfights from Mexico.
But I don't want PETA knocking down my door tomorrow morning...
So we won't discuss that one!

And I love reading...always have.
Emily Dickinson wrote:

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away.
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

The thought of sitting with a good book
is absolute bliss to me.

But not westerns.
Who wants to read about a bunch of guys
Not taking showers, not brushing their teeth,
Spittin' (you gotta say it like that in a western),
and killing people!
(Other than the killing people, it sounds like my house)

When my Pastor years ago told me that every boy
should read Louis L'Amour...I was shocked.
So I determined to read some of them
to make sure they were OK for the boys to read.
(Not that I didn't believe my Pastor...but...well...I didn't believe my Pastor)

The first one I read was 'Fair Blows the Wind' and I was hooked.
I couldn't read them fast enough.

I've learned many truths from them:
You never skyline yourself when running from an enemy.
Take off your cowboy boots and put on your moccasins when sneakin' around.
Coffee is only worth drinkin if it's blacker than the sins of the devil himself.

And there are such great lines in his books:
"Have faith in God, but keep your powder dry."
"When you go to a country, you must learn how to say two things:
  how to ask for food, and how to tell a woman you love her. Of these
  the second is most important, for if you tell a woman you love her,
  she will certainly feed you."
"The water does not flow, until the faucet is turned on."
"Victory is won, not in miles, but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground,
  and later, win a little more."
"The way I see it, every time a man gets up in the morning he starts his life over.
  Sure the bills are there to pay, and the job is there to do, but you don't have to
  stay in a pattern. You can always start over, saddle a fresh horse and take
  another trail."

I could go on and on.
Such great one liners.
All my guys love reading them.
We share quotes from them.

Mark Twain said:
"The man who does not read good books has no advantage
  over the man who can't read them."

I have acquired an entire collection of Louis L'Amour books.
And I'm absolutely thrilled!
I feel like I've been given a vast fortune!

Anything that can take me far away...
from the stresses of life,
and set me upon a horse
in the middle of a canyon,
where I can feel the wind in my hair,
and smell the smoke from a far off campfire...
IS a vast fortune...
...in my book...

The Toilet Trailer

I've been on vacation for 3 weeks:
One week for our middle son's wedding,
One week for getting the car fixed,
   (We won't discuss this)
And one week visiting Russell's Dad and his wife.

We saw a lot of things on the road.

But nothing compares to the joys of Montana.

For instance...

Two days after we got home
our local hardware store was having
their Customer Appreciation Day.

They have it every year...
It's always lots of fun!
Especially since good friends of ours own it.
And another good friend works there.
So we get to visit with them and with a lot of people
from town.

They have barbecued hot dogs, hamburgers,
chips, sodas...
as well as lots of great deals.
Drawings, raffles, etc.
Real down home 'America'.

This year everyone was discussing the
trailer outside.
Even the kids...
Aaron: "Have you been to the trailer yet?"
"Gotta check it out...pretty cool!"
Me: "What's in it?"
Aaron: "Gonna have to see for yourself!"

So I went to the trailer,
full of anticipation!
Maybe it's free food...
Or candy...
   (I love candy! Skittles are my favorite
     in case anyone wants to know.)
Maybe it's Interior Design ideas...
MAYBE RACHEL RAY IS IN THERE DOING A COOKING DEMONSTRATION?!
Now I'm really excited!

As I ascend up the stairs,
the first thing I lay my eyes on...
is a toilet.
As I ascend up a little higher...
I see another toilet...
and another...
and another...
and another.

Toilets! the entire trailer
is full of toilets!
Seriously?!
This is what everyone is talking about?!

WHERE'S THE SKITTLES FOR GOODNESS SAKES?
(And I'm thinkin' even if there were Skittles, I probably wouldn't
 wanna stick them in my mouth.)

So I turn right around,
and go in search of my husband.

His first word to me was...
"Have you been to the trailer yet?"
"Yes, it's full of toilets!!!"

"Let's go check it out!"
"Did you hear me? It's full of TOILETS!"
"Yeah, let's go check it out!"

I'm missin' something here.
I can't understand what everyone is so excited about.

So, I play the dutiful wife and go to the 'toilet trailer'
with my husband.

There are two guys in there
ready to tell you everything you ever wanted to know
about their toilets.
And I noticed there are also sinks in there.

That makes it a little better...I guess...

This toilet uses less water...
If you normally have high water bills
this would be the one for you.

This one has a padded and heated seat...
Kinda neat, I guess...Don't know how important
that is to me...but I guess if you plan on spending
a lot of time in there...
this would be the one for you.

This one has a new modern design!
OK, now we're getting somewhere.
It doesn't have the big bolts on the floor
that you have to clean around.
It has clean, smooth lines.
And when the lid is closed, it looks
like a spaceship.
Kinda like the Starship Enterprise.

Wonder if Captain Picard has one like this?
I'm havin' a good time now.

My husband:  "C'mon honey, we gotta go."
"Noooo, I haven't seen everything yet!!"

Oh. My. Goodness!
A sink that turns on with a touch!!!
When I've just been squishing up hamburger
for meatloaf...
I don't have to get the faucet handles all greasy!
When I come out from the garden
and my hands are all dirty...
I won't have to worry about getting everything muddy!
After I have helped Beverly Crusher with some very complicated surgery...
I can wash my hands with just a touch.
(Gotta know about 'The Next Generation' to get that one.)
I have to have that sink!

20 minutes later...
with pamphlets in hand,
we're walking out the door.

I see a friend of mine, just arriving.
"Hey, you been to the trailer yet?"
"No."
"Gotta check it out. Pretty cool!"
"What's in there?"
"Gonna have to see for yourself."

Yeah, we know how to have a great time in Montana.
Ought to join us!