For His Service

I decided to help my students make a special gift for their parents. .. They would make Salt-dough ornaments to hang on their trees at their homes.  Normally, I have my students make the ornaments one day, I take the ornaments home and bake the ornaments for 2 or 3 hours at 250 degrees, or until the ornaments are all dry. Well, good old Pinterest had a recipe where you can make the salt dough and then microwave it  for "2 to 4 minutes".  2 to 4 minutes instead of hours...great! And,the children can paint them that day..and take them home!  Since I am still on crutches with a broken leg, I need to have less to have someone else carry.   I went into the school's kitchen with the children and had them measure and mix the 4 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt and    1 and 1/2 cup of water.  All went well as we formed dough balls. Each child rolled out his/her dough and cut out a shape that he/she chose (trees, teddy bears, stars, hearts, etc). Next, we ...

Now, this is just a 30 seconds video.  In it...the little Boston Terrier bounces himself off this ball and tumbles (I really don't think that is what he intended to do).  He clearly loves this ball..and loves this type of exercise. After 3 1/2 years of running, I have my first injury.  A stress fracture in my left foot... Hurts like a dog. :) (Pun intended).  Anyway, I am going to have to find a new exercise to be excited/ enthusiastic about for awhile... One that doesn't require much of my left leg.  I guess Yoga???  Any other suggestions...

What does it take to be a friend? Friendship isn’t easy. Why? Because we are inherently self-centered and prideful.  We want our way and we don’t ever want to be seen as wrong.   Then, Christ reaches down in our sin and rescues us.  So, we have the Holy Spirit which enables us to reach down when a friend is hurting, is stuck in some kind of sin, or just isn’t being fun to be around.  Sometimes HE calls us to do hard things for a friend..without much of a thank you.  Sometimes He calls us to be Mike to our Sully.   If you for some weird reason have never watched, Monsters Inc, then you won’t get the reference.  But for those of you who have watched Monsters Inc, you know that Sully is so focused on one thing…that he fails to consider Mike’s feelings and fails to consider how his actions will affect Mike.       Near the end of the movie, we see Mike’s great service of love for Sully.  He displays his cu...

Just for laughs...funny.... (Filmed in GA..posted by Bob Smiley on Youtube/ the comedian on the right).

 Madeline had an opportunity to bucket feed a horse that needed to be hosed off (he doesn't sweat so he can't cool down otherwise).   He enjoyed his meal while enjoying the cooling spray of water...  As you can see from the photos, he likes to pick up his food and swish it in his mouth...like a fine wine. :)    Madeline ended up with a good bit on  her.   As I looked at these pictures , it made me think...that is what REAL friendships look like.   When we try to help a friend, we sometimes come out smelling worse or looking like a mess.  Sometimes, we need friends that will just go in the trenches with us...not enjoyable...not pretty...but necessary. Sometimes,  meeting a friend's need is not what our flesh desires and we aren't "fed" or built up by the experience.   Sometimes, it just calls for us to be selfless and take the muck to help them through. Sometimes we end up looking like the bad guy...

John-Michael decided to have a little green ... (it washes out within a day or two). I went for pink.  My pink will wash out in 6-8 weeks.   Just enough time to get through John-Michael's MRI appointment and his appointment with his NF specialist in late June..early July.   The pink    is just a little reminder to have fun and not be gloomy in  all of the"what if's" ...  Why?  Because I have a Savior who holds all of my days... all of John-Michael's days.   He is faithful to us.  It doesn't mean that we ignore what we see and what we experience.  However, we trust that God will use all of this for good.. (Romans 8:28).    Even yet..... We have noticed three new "bumps" on his arm.  Please join me in praying that these are not tumors.  I fight not to waste my time and energy yearning for a different set of circumstances.  .    ...

High Maintenance?  Maybe... but I think everyone would say that they need to know someone cares when we are going through a hard time or just a plain scary time.  In this video clip, a husky is nervous  about a car ride.... perhaps it is the driver..LOL.. or just being in any car..  Either way, the dog is only calmed when she holds "hands" with her owner.  So, who do you have in your life that you can reach out to... send a note..an email... a phone call... or even just reach over and give them the old "hand squeeze".  (You will only get that if you are a church-goer.. LOL)... Let people know you care.   ..one of the greatest callings. John 13:34 A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are to love one another. John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 15:12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I h...

Enthusiasm isn’t anything that I ever have a problem with having…. Some would say that I tend to be overly enthusiastic about many things.   I can often focus on something sooooo much… that I dwell on it until I achieve it.   Sometimes this is very helpful…other times…not so much. So what is enthusiasm?     Enthusiasm is   a very interesting word. It is actually formed from two Greek words: en = in, theos = god.    Therefore   enthusiasm literally means "God in". For the     believer, this is a very important life message. Whatever we do, if we feel that God is in the effort, how great an effort is then possible! Is this Scriptural?        "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…"- enthusiasm (Ecclesiastes 9:10). By what means do you generate enthusiasm?    First, since Christians are "indwelt by God", the first source of energy for a task is knowing that God wants you to do ...

Anita Renfroe...wise and funny lady.... enjoy.... Job 12:12 Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old. (NLT) Job 28:28 Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom , and to depart from evil is understanding. (NKJV) Psalm 37:30 The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. (NLT) Psalm 107:43 Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD. (NIV) Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. (NIV) Proverbs 1:7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (NLT) Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. (NIV) Proverbs 4:6-7 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. (NIV) Proverbs 10:13 Wis...

Serious posts lately... serious hurts with the people around me..   So what do we need to recharge?  Prayer, God's word, and Laughter...  . There are 42 references to laughter or words that mean laughter in the original language in the Bible.   Here are just a few:     Proverbs 17: 22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,   but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 15:13- 13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful,  but heartache crushes the spirit.  Psalm 4:7   -     You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.         Philippians 4:4       Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.   I do think Laughter is the BEST medicine.  Tim Hawkins is one of my favorite comedians...    Enjoy a laugh on me...well at least on YouTube....

http://www.inhonoroftheking.blogspot.com/view/timeslide#!/2011/04/itsitsa.html Do you remember this post?  Back in April, our other Mini-van carried its last kid.  The dealer would only give us $500 for it..and  he would not have even given us that much if it had not had new tires... Sad...but true.  We bought this van... with 30,000 or so miles..     My ownly hope is it lasts 10 years...and that I  then get to have a fun, sporty little car... built for at most.... four people ... LOL... in the meanwhile...I will fake it, like these parents... Enjoy...

I can't believe I washed my cellphone.  I had it in my husband's bathrobe..and I was wearing his bathrobe when I decided his bathrobe needed to be cleaned.  I forgot that I dropped my cellphone into the bathrobe pocket,..and yep...threw it all in the washing machine.  I remembered as the load was spinning out... 20 minutes in the washing machine..what to do?  I goggled it...and found the most effective thing to do was take out the battery, the SIM Card, and dry it with a paper towel..then, throw the entire thing  into a ziplock bag with rice... leave in over night. IT worked!  I will let you know if the phone continued to work.... so far..texting, photos, and the answering phone calls..works just fine!  Thank goodness for google! Now, where is my ipod?  LOL.......

I don't have a cat, but I do like cats.  I grew up with always having cats around... they are funny little things.  If you haven't seen "Simon's Cat" on YouTube...there are MANY funny videos about.... Simon's Cat. Check them out...

I fell in love with Koko the Gorilla over 20 years ago when I read the book about Koko to my students,  in a book called, Koko's Kitten (Scholastic Press, ISBN 0-590-44425-5 ). The book tells of how Koko, the sign-language speaking gorilla... befriends a cat that she names (through sign-language)  "All Ball" ....because he has no tail.  Koko mothers and cares for the cat until All Ball escapes from Koko's cage and is hit by a car. Later, Patterson, Koko's caregiver and teacher signed to Koko that All Ball had gone, Koko signed “Bad, sad, bad” and “Frown, cry, frown, sad.”    In 1985, Koko was allowed to pick out two new kittens from a litter to be her companions. The animals she chose, later named "Lipstick" and "Smokey," were also Manxes like All Ball.  Well, Koko is now 40 years old and looking at getting a new pet.   See her here with Robin Williams and a new kitten.  I think she would rather have a tickling, Robin Williams...

Tim Hawkins...one of my favorites... Tim Hawkins.... to make you laugh... laughter goes a long way in healing.... Enjoy... http://www.timhawkins.net/   to see more by Tim Hawkins...

Anita.... she is a riot!!!   I have had days like this.... "you go hide and I will come find you...."...just to get an alone minute.   Oh...just to go to the bathroom without a 3 to 4 foot companion... LOL... Enjoy.....

Arguments!  Always based on at least one of you..maybe both of you being selfish and self-centered...we have had a few of these... :)

Well, it isn't quite summer, but it is hot!  It is well into the 90's..but just 10 days ago the high was in the 60's.  Welcome to late spring... summer around the corner! John-Michael made a funny joke today.  He has really been into riddles lately. He said, "What city do you always loose things?   We said, "What?"  He said, "Lost Vegas"...   It was funny because he didn't know about gambling and loosing money. :)

Anita Renfroe's new salute to moms. I love how she says "when you were expecting..this ain't what they told you to expect".  Funny!  I also love how she says, "if you are messing with my kids, you straight up messing with me." 

http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/g.html (This graphic came from this website) Countries that use daylight saving time and those that do not). Why was daylight saving time started? It just makes mommies and children fussy for a few days or weeks. Why can’t we choose a time and stay with it? The sleepiness must cause car accidents, burnt meals, typing errors, marital arguments, etc. LOL What is the history behind it? Here is what I found. The American law by which we turn our clock forward in the spring and back in the fall is known as the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Benjamin Franklin was the person who created this idea in an essay titled "An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light” which was first published in the Journal de Paris in April 1784. However, nearly 100 years later, in 1907, William Willett, an Englishman, suggested it again. When Willett passed by homes where the shades were down, even though the sun was up, he was spurred to write a pamphlet ...