Friday Feast #158
Wanna Play?AppetizerWho is the easiest person for you to talk to?
Any of my girlfriends... I can't name just one... but you can tell girlfriends ANYthing! I think I should clarify that though... because when I was young I avoided girlfriends altogether... they were much too catty and full of drama, and therefore I really didn't want ANY and my friends were mostly male or I just hung with family. But age brings SO many great gifts!!! And girlfriends "of an age" are WONDERFUL!!!
SoupIf you could live in any ancient city during the height of the quality of its society and culture, which one would you choose?
Ancient? Sheeesh! Just how far back do we have to go for that??? LOL! I have really never had ANY desire to live in a time of the past... I would HATE living back in like Elizabethan times with those long heavy dresses and having to always be covered from here to here! (I'm a shorts and tank top girl!) I wouldn't really want to live back in the Roman Empire either... gladiators and all that... ew! Noooo... I don't think ancient times are for me at all! About as far back as I want to go is maybe the 1920's - 1940's -- you know ... back when HATS were all the thing!!!
SaladWhat is the most exciting event you’ve ever witnessed?
Oh, I knOw what you're lookin' for here! You want to know if I was THERE when man walked on the moon! (well I wasn't!) But I guarantee you, that if I HAD been, it still would not have been AS exciting to ME as watching each of my children come into the world! The birth of a child HAS to be the most exciting event EVER!
Main CourseIf you were a celebrity, what would you do for a publicity stunt?
You mean I'm NOT a celebrity? *shock!* Riding through car washes on top of the vehicle isn't good enough??? Pft! Gimme a break!
DessertWhat do you consider the ideal age to have a first child?
Oh! This is an interesting question! I actually had TWO first children -- and I think they both might have come along at the perfect time! The first was born when I was only 18 years old (and at least to my face, she seems to be convinced that I was and am the.perfect.mom...) when I had ALL the ENERGY in the world to be a mother! And that counts for something! It really does! In many ways I DO think I was a better mom at 18 than I was later in life! But not in all ways...
My next first child came along when I was 30! Followed shortly by two more! While I did not have the same energy and exuberance to put into motherhood at 30, by that time I had a lot more knowledge and experience to offer! However... court is still out on whether THAT makes for a good parent! My younger kids are not AS sure that I am perfect! And I'm not either! I think that once we have seen life from "both sides", maybe we OVERparent a bit... There is such a fine line between doing it all right, and completely botching the whole works!
But honestly... I guess the BEST time to become a parent is when God sends you a child! :)
This was a really GREAT round of questions this week - don'tcha think?
Labels: Friday Feast
Middle Name Meme...
Scrounged this one up over at Naomi's place the other day... Honestly, I don't think I've ever participated in a harder meme! I thought it was going to be a piece of cake ... but it was a challenge!!! Here's the rules!1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.2. You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.C- Children. Most specifically, my Children. From the time I was just a wee little girl, the only job I ever wanted to have when I grew up was to be a Mommy. It is the job title that I have enjoyed the most in my life and the job I have valued the most and been the most proud of. God sO blessed me with 4 beautiful, healthy, and for the most part, happy children. They have not had perfect lives... He tests them, and they test me, and He tests me... and we get through it all! But I would not give up ONE single solitary day of being Mom to any one of them! I adore those young versions!L- Literature. I love to read! I do have a tendency to get "hooked" on a certain type of book for a looooooong period of time though... and when that happens I really have no interest in ANY other type! I went through about a two year period of reading nothing but the classics. Hubby and I both spent about a year reading nothing but Louis L'Amore westerns! LOL! Then it was cozy mysteries... another couple of years doing that! Right now, you know... it's all spiritual stuff! But it has to be sOMething! I usually have two or three books going at once -- in various parts of the house!A- Art. Creativity is a huge part of me. I'm NOT an artist like my dear Naomi, Queen of Her Hill! But I must be creative in one way or another on a regular basis - whether it is drawing, writing poetry, making crafts, sewing, crocheting, photography, graphic arts... anything! I love to try new things too! In addition to that, I LOVE art galleries and art gardens and viewing other peoples art in almost any form! I have many many MANY favorite artists - some famous - some not so famous! I love pottery and sculpture and ancient art and new wave modern! And musical art too! I appreciate almost any kind of music! Any thing from DaVinci to homespun! I just love it!R- Road Maps. Yea... Road maps are very important to me. Because I have a horrible sense of direction and get confused easily - especially in BIG cities! Did I ever tell you guys about the time I got lost going from Minneapolis to St. Paul and ended up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin? True story! I was living in St. Paul when I first graduated from High School, and I had gone to Minneapolis on a job interview. This, of course, was waaaaaay back before Google or MapQuest, but I had gotten very clear, concise directions to get to my interview. And the interview went well ... as a matter of fact, I ended up getting the job! However... as so often is the case - especially when dealing with getting in and out of major cities, following the directions in reverse does NOT always work! Somehow or another... ??? ... I missed the road most traveled! But I didn't realize it! For a long time. I was probably absorbed in listening to the radio and not really noticing that I'd been driving for well over an hour for what really should have been about a 20 minute trip! Of course, I was from Maryland - so that fact that nothing looked familiar didn't faze me either! No doubt I thought surely I would see something familiar any minute now and then I would soon be home! Well... what I ended up seeing was a big green sign that said "Oshkosh 20 miles" or something like that! Now even 18 year old me was smart enough to know there is only ONE Oshkosh! Oh Dear LORD, what had I DONE??? LOL! I got off at the next exit and stopped at a gas station. Made that guy's day, I tell ya! I don't think anyone's ever laughed so hard in their life! (well, maybe my chiropractor when I did the sommersault on my bed...) Needless to say, I was a little late getting home that night! Dinner was cold when I walked in the door! But ya know what? It taught me a lesson! YEP! It did! It taught me NEVER to panic when I get lost in the Big City! Cuz you can NEVER get sO lost that ya can't get out of it! Believe me... E- E... e... e... eskimos? No... elephants? no... well - it was the first word I learned to spell as a child... but no.... envelopes?... mmm... maybe... I do like mail... good mail anyway. Hmmm... E? Golly - what GOOD starts with E??? My friend Erlene! She does read my blog... but she never comments - shame on her! *waves to Erlene!* Ahhhh! Education!!! Wow! How could I spend 11 years as a substitute teacher and not realize the importance of education in my life! Or lack thereof...? Yes. Lack thereof. That would be the ticket. Do you know, that 6 days shy of my 50th birthday, I still sometimes regret not getting a college education?! Even thoooough... 6 days shy of my 50th birthday... I still don't know what I want to BE when I grow up! I wasted high school. Utterly and completely! I guarantee you, any morsel of knowledge that I have today I have either taught to myself - OR... I learned by teaching others... when I subbed! Good thing I started out in Elementary school and worked my way up - huh? Tis true. Somedays I would come home from a hard days work at school and be totally amazed at what I had learned that day! (I was also amazed by how much more fascinating I find the subject matter at "my age" than I did at 16!) And the main thing I learned from that was how little is expected of the people who are temporarily teaching our children when the "teachers" are unavailable! *nods* Think about it! It's scary! Don't spend too much time thinking about it though -- unless YOU are prepared to become a sub - cuz they're hard to come by and the schools are pretty desperate! But sometimes, when I was in the classroom - watching what I would now consider "lazy" students (the ones who are sO like I was when I was in school) fall asleep in their books - I often thought that maybe we have this whole education thing backwards! Maybe we should just send kids off to work when they're twelve... and then when they decide that they are in jobs going nowhere and they decide they want an education, then we should send them to school! Hmmmm... imagine an entire student body of students that want to be there... Boggles the mind! I think I need to stop in to my old stomping grounds and see what my friends think of this idea! LOL!Since I wasn't actually tagged with this one, I'm not going to do any tagging either! If you want to do it - let me know! I'd love to read it!Labels: meme's
Wordless Wednesday... not in my yard...
Another Meme (not sure what it's called though)
I found this meme over at Gram's house the other day... and now today is it's lucky day! LOL! I traced it back as far as I could but couldn't find a name for it - so I'm calling it the Random Meme!
Accent - Now, you knOw I don't have one! I'm from Maryland!!!I Don't Drink- beer. Ew!Chore I hate - Does "all of them" count? No? Okay... how about "MOST of them"? Oy! If I have to pick just one... I guess it would be... um... scrubbing the bathrooms! Or grocery shopping... or vacuuming... could be ironing (well no... it couldn't be ... I DON'T do that one...)Pets - 4! We have Jewl, our black lab. And then Kitty, Freedom, and Missy -- our 3 cats!Essential Electronics - Coffee Pot, computer, camera, and washing machine/dryer ... in that order!Perfume - Red Door is the favorite!Insomnia - Not so much... used to be a problem but not since I lost weight.Job Title - Fitness Technician ... yea ... RIGHT! (who are they kiddin'?)Most Admired Trait - Pft! I dunno! Some people say I'm funny. Some THINK I'm organized... I don't know how I've pulled that one off! The Curves members think I'm "inspirational"... I don't knOw what other people mOst admire about me!Religion - LutheranSiblings - Too many. *rolls eyes*....Time I wake up - Varies. To go to work I get up at 5:15. If I'm not working, I sleep until I'm rested - which is PAST 5:15!!!Unusual talent/skill - Unusual? Can't think of a thing!Vegetable I refuse to eat - I'm trying to think if there IS one... I've never had Okra or Collard Greens... but I haven't "refused" them... I'm thinking I would not turn down a vegetable. (but don't even try to get me to eat raw fish or meat!)Worst habit - Hands down, it has GOT to be procrastination!!!X-rays - a few. Lungs, knee, shoulder, jaw...My favorite meal - Seafood, Ceasar or Chef salad, baked potatoe w/sour cremeLabels: meme's
The Name Tag Meme....
Made for me by Hootin' Anni!
(can also be found on my sidebar!)
Oh THIS one is a dOOzy! My good buddy,
Hootin' Anni, tagged me for this one -- and actually I thank her kindly for doin' it! I had SO much fun making these tags! Soooooo here's the rules -- but I have to tell ya, I'm BREAKING the rules! I'll explain in a minute!
Write 8 of your blog friends' names in a unique way and post them.
You must write the blogger's name that tagged you,
then add 7 others. Be creative.
Well, I know that a good many of the folks I made name tags for do NOT make graphics... so I do not EXPECT anyone to make a tag back for me - nor to even pass tags on to friends! If they have the know-how and want to, fine ... I just don't want anyone to feel like they NEED to. I did only because I DO make graphics and I had fun! So... since Anni was the one that tagged me, I start with the name tag I made for her...
Labels: meme's
The Rest of the Trip...
After we left wine country, we headed back down the road. Down the big road... you know! As it got later in the day and we started to get hungry we started thinking about where to stop. We decided to just stop and have an ice cream and keep heading down the big road for awhile! I was remembering a place that I've passed on the way up every time. A BBQ place on the North side of the road. It sits waaaaaay up on a hill and overlooks the Susquahanna River, and it looked like a FUN place! But I couldn't remember exactly where it was... So we kept driving... and driving... and driving... (like the energizer bunny, huh?) ... Finally Dennis was worn out, and so we pulled off at the next exit. But there wasn't a THING to be found there! Not a hotel, and not a restaurant! LOL! Imagine it! Tiny Town, USA! So, I took over driving... and we started thinking it was a good thing we'd had that ice cream! But round about dark time... low and behold... I said "Honey... I think we're gettin' close! I think there's a light up ahead ... and over on the left, up on a hill... " and sure enough! ...
... We were there!!!
Of course, by then it was dark and so the view wasn't much! But the place was looking festive! And the food was GREAT! We both got the Calorie Galore Special which included an open face pulled pork bbq sandwich, coleslaw (with apple in it! Mmmm!), the best durn homemade baked beans IN THE WORLD, and a corn bread muffin. I don't usually eat ANY of that stuff... but man, I gotta tell ya - it was GOOD! If you're ever travelin' north on 11/15 somewhere near Shamokin look for Skeeters - up on the hill! And if you happen to get there on a Sunday, you'll find LIVE entertainment! WE had to settle for each other.... oh well!
Having now STUFFED our bellies, we were ready for a hotel... instead we found a motel... I don't usually care as much for motel's - but this one was real cute... so I even took pictures!
#65... home away from home!
We sleep in a waterbed at home ... so when we saw
this High Rise model I just laughed! Not only was it
so high you couldn't just sit down on it -- but I had to
get a
running start to get IN to it!
LOL!
I also kinda liked the little chandelier in the
"sitting area".
It was cute!
(as motels go...)
Okay! I'm a SNOB!
sheeeeesh!
The next morning we headed back down the Big Road. We knew we wanted to go to York, because it jusssssst so happens that the Harley Davidson Vehicle Operations Facility is located there. And it's only like 2 miles off the beaten path of the Big Road. I had checked on-line before we left home to find out about tours, and was lead to believe that tours had ended for the season on Aug. 18th - but was also lead to believe that there was a museum that we could still nose around in! Never mind that that information was WRONG on
both counts! LOL!
It was perfectly open... and tours were still happening!
But the museum is in the process of being re-located to Milwaukee - back to the original Harley plant. That's okay ... we'll hit Milwaukee some other time! So... what exactly goes on at the Vehicle Operations facility? Well... the manufacture of tour bikes - that's what! Yea! The BIG BOYS! Honey's Harley is a BIG one, and it was manufactured here! So... this was cool! Now, you are NOT allowed to take photos inside the manufacturing plant... I doubt it has as much to do with security as with not flashing lights in employees faces while they are working extremely powerful equipment... yea! But basically, the tour takes you through the entire facility and shows how they make various parts - including the fenders, the tanks, the kick stands, and several others. For Dennis and I this was really REALLY neat - because I used to be, and he still IS a sheetmetal worker! Of course, we did (and do) duct fabrication, but metal is metal, and many of the tools are similar! As a matter of fact, I used to run the plasma arc (laser) cutting table when I worked there - and one of the stops on the tour showed the holes in the rear fender being cut out with a different variety of the same kind of laser. So, to ME that was a lot more fascinating than it would be to most of the people on that tour! As a matter of fact - when we got to the "assembly" part of the factory, the tour guide made the comment "At last, we're to the part you all CAME for!" ... and Dennis and I both thought "nuh-ungh"... we enjoyed the manufacturing part MUCH MORE than the assembly part! Heck ... Dennis has disassembled and assembled the things in our garage a million times! Nothin' new there!!! LOL! But it is true that
most of the people who tour
are most interested in seeing the assembly!
Personally, I LOVE factory tours of any kind! Just seeing how different things are made, to me, is fun! The Harley tour is "free", and if you get the chance, I recommend it! But let me just warn you now ... there's no "free samples" at the end!
Darn! We sure woulda liked to take this home!
(it matches my hair!!!)
Wolfgang Candy Co.
(isn't it cute?)
When we were exiting the highway to go to Harley Davidson, we had seen a little sign for a little candy factory... and we thought well, that would be cool too! But by the time we got done at HD (2:00) the last candy tour had just started and we didn't have time to get in on it. We decided to go ahead over anyway and just get some candy. Awww heck! We were IN the neighborhood!
When we got there, they told us they were having a warehouse sale and asked if we'd like to look around in there. Well... yea! But we discovered that the stuff on sale looked a little ... um... suspect. We decided that if it was sO old they were takin' it off their shelves, that there was a good chance we didn't really want to "go there"... if ya know what I mean! (it probly still tasted fine... but... well... okay, so now I'm a candy snob too? ...)
We just went in to the little shop, and got a bit of this and some of that, and some stuff for the kids! For REAL - it WAS for the kids! Ask 'em! We brought it home! (well... most of it!)
All in all, I'd have to say it was a pretty sweet trip!
Sunday Seven ...
Sunday Seven is a meme designed to give thanks for the BIG or little things in our life. The "stuff" that makes up life... the happenings of your week. God blesses us in SO many ways each week - it's really good to stop and think about it! Gives ya just a weeee bit more appreciation ... reminds you to praise Him! If you would like to play along, make your list and stop by HERE to let them know!
1. We got Krysti safely delivered up to New York to her college. She is settling nicely, meeting lots of new friends, having a ton of fun, and so far misses nobody! :) This is all good!
2. Dennis and I have had a lot of time "together" this week. Of course, the travel time up to NY and back - but the kids left at home have been busy, and we've had some quiet time together HERE too!
3. We have been blessed with some rain this week! We can still use mOre - but we have had some! And that more MAY be coming today! We hope!
4. We are so thankful that our Derek, despite his stupidity, is still with us, and that only his car and the telephone pole are suffering. I'm so thankful that it was a telephone pole he hit and not another car! God really does love that boy - even when it doesn't seem like it!
5. WE have decided that tomorrow is THE day that we are both getting back to seriously losing weight! Enough is enough!
6. The new music director at church is being sO welcomed by the whole congregation! I am so happy! I can't wait to get there this morning to see what he will have for us today!
7. Today begins the new Sunday School season. The late service moves back to 11:00 a.m. to allow room for Bible studies at 10:00. I'm joining one focusing on the Sermon On The Mount, and I'm excited about it!
Labels: Sunday Seven
One of Our Little Side Trips ...
PHOTO HUNT is below this post!
Traveling up to Keuka Park on Wednesday, we passed a LOT of beautiful scenery. It's all wine country up there, with rolling hills and of course the lake (Keuka Lake) which the college sits on. It's all just gorgeous. So Dennis and I decided that once Krys was settled ... or sooner ... we would head out and explore a little! We decided to hit one of the wineries. The one we went to was
Hunt Country Vineyards.
First we went into the tasting room, and I tried 5 different kinds. A couple of reds, and a few whites. ONE of the whites (Late Harvest Vignoles 2005) should be sold in a soda bottle! It is sold as an after dinner wine -- but honestly - it would rot your teeth! I was glad I was only given a wee sip! The reds were a little too spicy for my taste... and a little too dry. But the other whites I tried were pretty good. I bought a bottle of Vignoles 2006 - a pretty little blue number! LOL! It calls itself fuity and spicy -- but it's mORe fruity - less spicy and I liked it! It's not open yet. I might just save it!
After my tasting adventure (Dennis doesn't taste - he's all about beer!) we asked for the grand tour! It started here...
... with the grape harvester! Whoooa! Now THAT's a tractor! (if you're into that kinda thing... which Dennis is!) I forget how many grapes or pounds or bushels or whatever it does a day - but it's a LOT! It picks 'em, sorts 'em, spits out the leaves and the stems and tosses the grapes into that "little" box on the side! When the box gets full they cart it away and put on an empty and get on with the program! I knew when I saw the tractor that this was a
much larger operation than
our little winery up the street!
I should have known it when we pulled into the driveway and I saw the miles and miles and miles of rows of grapes! Honestly! They are grapes for as far as the eye can see! And at the beginning of each row is a rose bush. Why do ya suppose that is? Well... I'll tell ya! It's because roses are so susceptible to blights and molds and such! Blights and molds can wreak disaster in the wine business - so they plant a rose at the beginning of each row, and if the rose starts to ail, they get right in there and take care of that row of grapes!!! OUCH! Did ya feel that new wrinkle in your brain?
This is the grape's next stop. Grape and all his buddies get tossed into the machine through a hopper, and this one smooshes 'em up, grinds 'em up -- the red ones get the skin and everything ground down to nothing - the white ones leave the skins and seeds behind. (it's actually the skin from the red grapes that gives red wine it's color!) From here the grapes (which are now just juice) go....
... here for the 1st filtration process ... which gets all the seeds, skins (white wine), and any left over yuk that might have managed to get tossed in from the field... (adds flavor!)
Then here for fermentation.
From here the wine (it IS now wine) goes through about g'billion filtrations - really - you can't even begin to imagine how many times this stuff gets filtered! It's crazy! NASA thinks they invented micro-filtration -- but I'm pretty sure some vineyard did - LONG ago! So... after it's well filtered it then goes ...
... into the oak barrels to sit and rest
and get goooood! And when it IS good...
... it goes to the bottling room! They weren't actually bottling anything when we were there - they had just bottled the day before and so it was going through major cleaning and a few little repairs this day - but this very nice gentleman was more than happy to stop what he was doing and show Dennis and I the whole process anyway! (sans wine) And I'm going to share with y'all a little secret he told us! Screw on tops and synthetic corks are BETTER for you and for the wine than real corks! And they are cheaper too! But the consumer's are snobs and think if their wine doesn't have a REAL cork then it's CHEAP wine! LOL! I just LOVE knowing that fact! The real corks actually cost the vineyard about 50 cents each! That's crazy! (and you know by the time they get to US they are costing at least a dollar of the price of that bottle of wine!) And the corks can actually SPOIL a bottle of perfectly good wine, because they sometimes carry their own fungus - that then gets passed into the wine while it's sitting on the shelf. Sad... but true.
So, from the bottling room it gets put straight off the
the conveyor belt into the box -- which goes into the
storehouse until it's ready to be shipped to the
retailer.
And there you have it!
The Life of a Grape In Wine Country.
I think I'll save the rest of our trip for tomorrow...
this turned out to be more than I thought it was!!!
Saturday Photo Hunt... HAPPY!
Join the
blogroll. Visit participants.
These Two...
Are just sO darned happy
to be together
again!
Labels: Photo Hunt
Friday Feast #157...
Wanna Play?AppetizerSay there’s a book written about your life. Who would you want to narrate the audio version?
Barbara Walters... with as much drama and flair as she could muster.
Soup
Take the letters from your favorite kind of nut and write a sentence. (Example: Perhaps every avenue needs understanding today.)
Oh dear... here goes...
Pie Is Satisfying To A Chef Halving Iced Onions.
Salad
If you could go back in time and spend one week in another decade, which decade would you choose?
The Roaring 20's!!! (with hats galore!)
Main Course
Name a song that brings back memories for you.
Pft! Just ONE??? Ummm... Annie's Song by Anne Murray always reminds me of my pregnancies...
Dessert
Do you prefer to wash your hands in cold water or warm water?
Definitely warm water - actually HOT water. My family complains all the time because I run HOT water when I'm washing the dishes and cleaning up - and if they come in for a quick wash, it's always too hot for them! Labels: Friday Feast
Nothing EVER Goes Smoothly....
Here she is! In her dorm!
That is HER bed
(with purple, green & blue squares)
This is roommate, Stacy
That is HER bed
(with purple, blue and green squares!)
LOL! So alike... and yet SO different!
Very cute though!
Both girls lunching in the Dining Hall...
and
Krysti setting up her desk!
We left her content and happily putting things away and setting up housekeeping! She's SO excited to be there ... and for us to be gone!!! LOL!
Dennis and I left and had a very enjoyable little "side trip" which I will tell you about on Saturday. It was great fun! UNfortunately, before we even made it home, we got news of the next disaster in our lives...
Derek's done it again... and this time it's totaled!
Thankfully, HE is okay.... and no one else was involved.
He hit a telephone pole this time. *sigh*
So Long... Farewell...
We're celebrating Family Style tonight...
and then leaving for New York around 3:00 a.m.
... so I'll see you guys probably on Friday!
Be good!
Mixed Blessings???
Krysti leaves for college in less than 36 hours. On Friday, Krysti's car broke down. About 6 hours ago we got the news that she has a cracked engine block! It would cost us about $3,000 to fix it. And they probably could NOT get it done in 36 hours. And the car itself is not worth that much... *sigh*
Soooooooo... about 5 hours ago Krysti and I went car shopping. The first lot had NOTHING for under $12,000. UGH! The 2nd lot had nothing under 20K... We only HAVE 3 lots in the county! Lucky for us, the 3rd lot had 2 to choose from. Both in th 7K range... (still more than we've got!) Luckily we have great credit! Here's what she will be driving to school....
It's a 2002 Buick LeSabre ... and it's clean!
Fully loaded... leather interior...
even fanny warmers...
Way better than what I drive... *sigh*
Soooooo... of course we're thankful that if the car was going to break down, it did it BEFORE she got to New York... cuz had it happened say 72 hours from now, that really woulda stunk! This stunk too... but only about 1/2 as much!
Boats on Mondays... Why Not? ... ???
Oh good grief... what CAN'T be a meme??? The A-Team Cruisers are a silly bunch, and our good buddy, TorAa has come up with this plan! Boats On Mondays ... Why Not? Yea... Why not? I don't see me doing this every Monday... but I'll humor him for a week or two! LOL!!! (I do live right near the water after all... I have plenty of boat pictures...) :)
Since WE don't personally have a boat, we just watch them and drool over them from afar! This one happened past while we were enjoying Easter dinner last year... I rather liked how the flag pole was just growing up out of the water! LOL! We only drooled slightly over this boat, because while we certainly wouldn't scoff if someone wanted to give it to us... (ha!) ... our taste runs just a weeeee bit larger if we were to be paying for it! (and hit the lottery!) *g*
Sunday Seven...
Sunday Seven is a meme designed to give thanks for the BIG or little things in our life. The "stuff" that makes up life... the happenings of your week. God blesses us in SO many ways each week - it's really good to stop and think about it! Gives ya just a weeee bit more appreciation ... reminds you to praise Him! If you would like to play along, make your list and stop by HERE to let them know!
This week I am just going to be thankful for 7 random things...
1. My sense of humor! I honestly don't know where I'd be if I couldn't look at life from the funny side of things. Sometimes you either have to laugh or cry... I'm thankful that mOst of the time I am able to laugh!
2. Auto mechanics (yep) and a husband who always has a different idea than I do! Honestly... I know... sOMetimes this can be a real nuisance! But SOMEtimes it can be a very gOOd thing! When things start to go wrong, I'm good about thinking of a couple of solutions... but sometimes I don't like ANY of my solutions. Fortunately, men do NOT think like women ... and as much as I HATE to admit it ... sometimes his solutions are better. (ugh! Did I really say that???) LOL!
(remind me to tell him I said that...)
3. My twins finally figured out that they LIKE each other! I knEW it would happen one day! I always said it would happen someday! Of course they waited until 3 days before one of them is moving out... Mmmm hmmm... you got it ... they're gonna miss each other! Go figure...
4. Acrylic nails. (okay... I'm allowed a superficial moment occasionally!) I bit my nails for the first 40 years of my life. The past (almost) 10 years I've had "fake" nails! I like them! Without them my nails are short and stubby if they exist at all! But fake nails keep my hands looking pretty and make me feel just a little more feminine... (and that's saying something... cuz feminine is not my strong suit!)
5. A. New. Music. Director. At. Church. Whoooooooo hooooooooo! You have NO idea how happy I am about this! I haven't met him yet -- but I know he's gonna be awesome! I have prayed and prayed and PRAYED for a new music/choir director ... and I didn't pray for just ANY ol' music director! I prayed for an AWESOME music director! This week the email came announcing him! He has awesome credentials and I just knOw it's gonna be GOOOOD! I'm so excited!
6. I'm thankful for good, inspirational books to read until I drift off to sleep at night. I'm finding I like this kind of reading before bed better than "stories"... they sort of send me off to sleep in a good frame of mind, and somehow I think I sleep better. Of course, good "stories" are still required reading for my pedaling efforts!
7. Did I mention Dennis thinks Pastor Paul is "cool"? I am soooooooooooooo thankful! ;)
*** Just a little post-church update ***
GOD. IS. GOOOOOOOOOD! Our new music director IS awsome! I just have to tell you guys... when I was praying for him, I was VERY specific in my prayers! I asked the Lord to send me an "awesome" director - and I asked Him to make sure our new guy was familiar with Matt Redman's music!!! The very first song he played today was Blessed Be Your Name... and then after service, he did a little private concert for me of 2 or 3 more Matt Redman favorites!!! ~~God is Good~~all the time~~all the time~~God is GOOD!!! Whoooooooo hooooooooo!!! I am just on cloud NINE! The only place better to be than my church would have to be Heaven itself!!!
Labels: Sunday Seven
Saturday Photo Hunt ... Two
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Well... I racked my brain trying to think of something unique and different for this topic... but when you HAVE a set of these, it's really the ONLY thing you think of for TWO! And since my brain was starting to hurt, I decided to just go ahead and GO with it!
My Twins... Circa 1989
Krysti & Derek
And a few months later...
Derek & Krysti
She leaves for college on Wednesday.
He interviews for the Carpenters Local next week!
Awwww... what the heck...
HERE they are now...
Right before graduation in May.
Derek & Krysti
Labels: Photo Hunt
Friday Feast #156
Wanna Play?Appetizer
Describe your laundry routine. Do you have a certain day when you do it all, or do you just wash whatever you need for the next day?
Oh, my laundry routine is EXCITING! First, I gather it all up into one great big pile, and then I sort it out into smaller piles - you know - whites, colors, jeans, delicates, towels, etc... then I open the lid of the washer, choose the correct cycle for the pile I'm washing, start the water running, pour in a capful of detergent ... sometimes TWO if I'm feeling BOLD (or dirty)... then I let the washer fill about 1/2 way, and then I drop the pieces of laundry in, one at a time, so they get thoroughly saturated and aren't all clumped together. Then I shut the lid and let the MAGIC begin! And it's SO much fun that I do it EVERY day!!!
Soup
In your opinion, what age will you be when you’ll consider yourself to truly be old?
ROFL! Ohhhhhhhh that was 3 years ago! But now I'm Young-Again! And I plan to stay this way!
Salad
What is one of your goals? Is it short-term, long-term, or both?
Well... I DO still have the goal to remove 70 more pounds from this body... and ... um... at the rate I'm going right now, I'd say that it is a loooooooong term goal! You did only ask for ONE goal though...
Main Course
Name something unbelievable you’ve seen or read lately.
The only thing I can think of is some of the beauty that God has placed in this world for us! Some of the morning skies he gives me on my way to work... or things like the Grand Canyon... the ocean... things like that, to me, are just unbelievable! I wonder HOW can such beauty really exist?! But then... I guess all things are believable.
Dessert
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how happy are you today?
Hmmmm... well... I just woke up and my day has barely started... the coffee is GOOD, so I'll give it a 10 so far! Nothing has messed it up yet! (should I come back later and revise???)
Labels: Friday Feast
Wanna Play?
