Archive for the ‘Gerneral’ Category

  • My Subscribers

    Date: 2010.08.01 | Category: Gerneral | Response: 0

    Please register as a user on my blog if you intend to leave comments. Please do not register if you intend to leave spam.

    If you have registered, please select a user name that I will be able to associate from your user name and your email who you are.

    In approximately 7 days, I will delete those users I do not recognize.

  • Bad Days Come and Go

    Date: 2010.01.27 | Category: Gerneral, Twins | Response: 0

    My tag line is “great stories, obvious advice, interesting thoughts. “  Now this post isn’t great or interesting but it’s obvious:  Bad days come and go.

    Yesterday I had a bad day.  I woke up and heard some conversation between the girls and I thought, Oh this is going to be a great day.  I relished the moment.  And then, everything went “south.”  Not that the South is bad.  Maybe I should say everything went “north.” At any rate, everything whirled around to the polar opposite in a New York Second.

    What had been a 12 second  joyful exchange turned into a twelve hour session of bickering, fighting, and yelling STOP  marathon day.  Mid Day we escaped to the library, and even that wasn’t a distraction that was long enough to overcome the sour mood.  I tried to imagine a way for myself to escape and I couldn’t see a way out.   Everything I tried with the girls only continued the downward spiral.  Unfortunately, I got snagged into the undercurrent in my attempt to rescue them.  So the whole day progressed poorly. Food, naps, music, chores, scolding, correcting, admonishing, encouraging, candy, all were in vain.

    Today however is a new day.  Today is so good in fact that the bitter cold temperatures seem to have no effect on anyone’s mood.  yesterday was bad, and it is history.  The bad day came and went and didn’t linger like the storm that caused Noah’s flood.   I’m not re-hashing all the badness of yesterday.  It’s over and done with.  I prayed over today and asked others to do the same for me.  Today is a new day — one of positive interaction, playing games, Dressing Barbi dolls, completed school work, and ballet.

    Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it’s called The Present.

    Thank you Lord for this gift of today.

  • 4th of July: a reflection

    Date: 2009.07.05 | Category: Gerneral, Holidays, House, personal | Response: 1

    We awoke to a “northern” Fourth.

    I grew up in Memphis, TN. There are 3.5 seasons in Memphis: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and “Winter”. Winter, without snow and without plummeting temperatures, is the half season. The extremities of summer make up for it. Summer begins in May and ends in October.

    I have lived “up North” since 1998. There are only 2 seasons up north: Winter, and road construction. In some northern areas, Spring doesn’t gloriously bloom its heart out, but merely lets you know things are changing because of the ubiquitous mess and mud. Summers are cool; ACs can be superfluous; temperatures “soar into the 80s.” Autumn, if the rain comes at the right time, explodes with its final burst of red and gold before the Great White Blanket settles over earth and sky for the next 6 months. Mandatory survival items are long underwear, heater, fireplace, kerosene lantern, a bucket of thawed water, beef jerky, and a full length down coat with flip-top mittens.

    While Winters up north can seem unsurvivable, Summers down south can feel oppressive, except for a few accoutrements which provide temporary release. I remember enjoying standing in front of Grandma’s window AC after playing outside. She’d offer a drink of cold “warter” which somehow tasted colder than it seemed possible. I’d enjoy long gulps of cold water, cooling me from the inside out. Then I’d dart out again, with admonitions not to slam the door, and play on the leaning tree.

    I also remember the ceremony of making homemade ice cream. The “freezer burn” headache that ensued was painful yet the fun family times of listening for the motor “to stop” is something that I just can’t explain. Waiting for the ice cream to cure seemed like an eternity.

    My first remembrance of a Northern Fourth still fills me with disequilibrium. We were camping, which brings me out of my comfort zone enough, and it was cold. We sat around a fire, drinking hot chocolate. We wrapped ourselves in Mexican blankets. We did not prepare home made ice cream, and we did not eat ice cold watermelon, and we did not yearn for an AC. I still get that discombobulated feeling when I recall that first Northern Fourth. To me, it was No Fourth At All. I felt like we should be decorating a Christmas tree.

    Our evening celebration of the Fourth this year included the usual “northern” attire, Jeans and a sweatshirt, and introduced a “new” tradition: S’mores. We walked down to the Gauthiers, whose backyard is situated so that we could watch the neighborhood’s fireworks. We could see the ones at both ends of the power lines, the ones behind their property and the ones across the street. We enjoyed a great campfire, and of course, lots of roasted marshmallows and s’mores.

    I still think that the Fourth should be celebrated in shorts and a tank top with the AC blasting and the ice cream maker grinding away. I miss fireworks over the river. One day, I hope that we return to the sultry South. I’m sure that I’ll then long for the ways of the North. Perhaps I’ll don my sweatshirt and stand in front of the blasting AC with a bowl of ice cream in one hand and a cup of hot cocoa in the other.

  • Stupid themes

    Date: 2009.06.29 | Category: Gerneral | Response: 0

    Apparently this theme is best viewed in Firefox and IE 7 doesn’t load this theme properly ! bummer since most of my readers use IE.

  • Back in Business… Now to Review

    Date: 2009.06.26 | Category: Gerneral, Preschool, Youth Ministry and Discipleship | Response: 0

    I have uploaded a new “Theme” and now my site is back in business. Please comment if you have any trouble accessing/loading this site.

    Now for reviews:
    1. on my blogroll you will see a link for “olive plants”. If you are homeschooling I would highly recommend that you follow this blog. My friend Dawn does an excellent job helping “newbies” like myself get organized and started. I just want to say thanks for the link to the forms, Dawn! Please Keep Posting!

    2. Creation Museum. Totally awesome. Must See. http://creationmuseum.org/whats-here/exhibits/
    I don’t know what I was expecting. I certainly wasn’t expecting a little rusty trailer or uninsulated warehouse with some curling posters on the wall. But I also wasn’t expecting to be “Wowed” with the high quality animatronics; digital video; “awesome, interesting and really cool” planetarium (quotes from the twins during the presentation); Noah’s Ark decorated restaurant; beautifully maintained gardens; bibliophile’s dream for a bookstore; and pristine restrooms. We arrived at 10:30 am and left at 1:45 pm and I felt completely rushed. We allowed the children to keep the pace since we also had a deadline on the back end of the visit. I would recommend a full day devoted to this museum. It is completely worth the money. If your children are older, then go ahead and purchase the 2 day pass. Really.

    3. KOA Louisville South. Clean. Quiet. Family Oriented. Working AC in 90+ degree weather. Good slushies (which were free with our “deal”). I actually had fun Kamping in a Kabin. The beds weren’t painful. The kids had fun. We loved the bouncing pillow, the pool, and cooking over the campfire. Rob did a great job making sure I didn’t have to do “too much work.” Thanks, my dear Prince, for making Kamping Fun!

  • NYR update

    Date: 2009.01.15 | Category: Bible Study, Gerneral, House, Preschool, hobbies, personal | Response: 0

    I am working diligently on my NYRs.

    I have mopped the kitchen 3 times this year and mopped the upstairs bathroom twice (#8).  I have been vacuuming 2-3 times per week (#7), and have concluded it may be time to replace all the flooring in this house! I have also done some more research on how to market my new online business, lexiraedesigns.etsy.com (#6)  Saturday I will attend a preschool open house at the public library, and  gather more information on #4.

    I’ve also started reading through the book of Proverbs again, one chapter per day, or 2 if I’ve missed a day.  In today’s chapter, 15, I noticed the repetition on heeding correction.  I also noted a repeated theme on wealth/poverty in my reading thus far.  So if you’re wondering what God thinks about global economics, read through Proverbs.   Here’s a sampling of what you will find, from the NIV biblegateway.com:

    1. Proverbs 3:16
      Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
      Proverbs 3:15-17 (in Context) Proverbs 3 (Whole Chapter)
    2. Proverbs 8:18
      With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.
      Proverbs 8:17-19 (in Context) Proverbs 8 (Whole Chapter)
    3. Proverbs 10:15
      The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
      Proverbs 10:14-16 (in Context) Proverbs 10 (Whole Chapter)
    4. Proverbs 11:28
      Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
      Proverbs 11:27-29 (in Context) Proverbs 11 (Whole Chapter)
    5. Proverbs 13:7
      One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
      Proverbs 13:6-8 (in Context) Proverbs 13 (Whole Chapter)
    6. Proverbs 13:8
      A man’s riches may ransom his life, but a poor man hears no threat.
      Proverbs 13:7-9 (in Context) Proverbs 13 (Whole Chapter)
    7. Proverbs 14:20
      The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.
      Proverbs 14:19-21 (in Context) Proverbs 14 (Whole Chapter)
    8. Proverbs 18:11
      The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.
      Proverbs 18:10-12 (in Context) Proverbs 18 (Whole Chapter)
    9. Proverbs 18:23
      A poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich man answers harshly.
      Proverbs 18:22-24 (in Context) Proverbs 18 (Whole Chapter)
    10. Proverbs 21:17
      He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.
      Proverbs 21:16-18 (in Context) Proverbs 21 (Whole Chapter)
    11. Proverbs 22:1
      A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
      Proverbs 22:1-3 (in Context) Proverbs 22 (Whole Chapter)
    12. Proverbs 22:2
      Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.
      Proverbs 22:1-3 (in Context) Proverbs 22 (Whole Chapter)
    13. Proverbs 22:7
      The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
      Proverbs 22:6-8 (in Context) Proverbs 22 (Whole Chapter)
    14. Proverbs 22:16
      He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.
      Proverbs 22:15-17 (in Context) Proverbs 22 (Whole Chapter)
    15. Proverbs 23:4
      Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.
      Proverbs 23:3-5 (in Context) Proverbs 23 (Whole Chapter)
    16. Proverbs 23:5
      Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.
      Proverbs 23:4-6 (in Context) Proverbs 23 (Whole Chapter)
    17. Proverbs 24:25
      But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.
      Proverbs 24:24-26 (in Context) Proverbs 24 (Whole Chapter)
    18. Proverbs 27:24
      for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.
      Proverbs 27:23-25 (in Context) Proverbs 27 (Whole Chapter)
    19. Proverbs 28:6
      Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
      Proverbs 28:5-7 (in Context) Proverbs 28 (Whole Chapter)
    20. Proverbs 28:11
      A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.
      Proverbs 28:10-12 (in Context) Proverbs 28 (Whole Chapter)
    21. Proverbs 28:20
      A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
      Proverbs 28:19-21 (in Context) Proverbs 28 (Whole Chapter)
    22. Proverbs 28:22
      A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.
      Proverbs 28:21-23 (in Context) Proverbs 28 (Whole Chapter)
    23. Proverbs 30:8
      Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
      Proverbs 30:7-9 (in Context) Proverbs 30 (Whole Chapter)

  • OOPS, making comments.

    Date: 2009.01.13 | Category: Gerneral | Response: 2

    I think I just marked someone’s comment as spam when I should not have done so.  If that were your comment, please accept my apologies.  I was quickly spamming all of the trackbacks from drug companies, and I must have got clicker happy on the mouse.

    That being said, I do appreciate knowing who reads my blog and what you think about it.  So make your comments and I will try not to spam you.  Registering as a user/reader on this blog will not increase your spam email either.   If you are finding me after “quite a while” please send me a separate email  explaining who you are along with a link to your blog.