30 Days Of Christmas In Love

Readers:  This is a series. For Days 1-16  see previous "30 Days"
posts.















Day  17

He  is  Thrifty.

One of my favorite blogs is titled  "The Cheapskate Mom".

It is written by another blogger mom who is always able to share various nifty, thrifty ideas with her readers. My husband, however, could have written the book on being "THRIFTY".  Otherwise Known As:  CHEAP! He has SOOO  many  tricks up his sleeve,it's almost embarrassing.
But he is not entirely to blame for his obsession with  bargaining and scrimping and saving . His Father

was known for his thrifty ideas like: splitting one roll of toilet paper into two for double the wiping, and coasting his car into a parking space to save on gas. My husband is not nearly this cheap, but he can haggle the pants right off of  a haggler! His thrift tricks are not just relegated to monetary  ventures though. If there is a waiting line somewhere....you'd better believe he'll find a way around it. If there is a back-up in traffic....he's finding his way through like a bird-dog on its  prey! But at least  I KNOW that we won't be waiting in line at the bank when that rainy day comes that he's been saving up all of those scrimped pennies and dimes for!

                                                

   SCRIPTURE  OF  THE  DAY

  The rich and the poor have this in common:

        the Lord made them both.

              PROVERBS  22: 2                            

30 Days Of Christmas In Love (Continued)

Readers: See Previous posts "30 Days"
for Days 1-15











Day 16

He is a GREAT Uncle.
My husbands nephew is being raised in a single parent home. Unfortunately, there is not a father in this boys life. So in many ways my husband has taken over the male parenting role for his nephew. Before I entered this post this morning my husband was sitting at our kitchen table trying to figure out how to attach 6 patches to his nephews Boy Scouts uniform for him and attempting to put a hem in the bottom of his uniform pants too. You might wonder why my husband was doing this instead of me....he is stubborn that way sometimes! Believe it or not, I think he actually enjoys doing things like this. It may sound funny, but I am sometimes jealous of my own children for having such a great Father! But I am touched by his devotion both to his own children and to his nephew.

Scripture Of The Day
But you Yourself have seen trouble and grief, observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands. The helpless entrusts himself to You;
You are a helper of the fatherless. PSALM 10 : 14

30 Days Of Christmas In Love (Continued)

*First... I must tell my readers that the image used in this post (although a little grainy) is a digital photograph (taken by me) of an old picture of my own mother in Santa's lap at the age of 6. Isn't it awesome! She passed away in 1997 before I married my wonderful Husband.

*Readers: This is the half-way mark for a "30 Days" series
on the reasons that I love my husband.
For Days 1-14 see previous "30 Days" posts.


Day 15

He Still Looks Good at 50.

My husband celebrated his 50th Birthday today. O.K. well...
maybe he didn't exactly celebrate it....because ....well you know....he's a "senior" now. But lemme tell you...
He looooooks maaaaavelous!!
No gray in that, still full, head of hair he has. No Dunlap Syndrome. For those of you who haven't heard of this...it's the condition some men have where their belly has done lapped over their breeches so they can't see their toes. He doesn't even need the bi-focals .....yet. But...of course..
he got 3 pairs of them as gag gifts at his 50th birthday surprise party. But you can bet there won't be any shuffleboarding by my guy anytime soon!

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY
Do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit
who is in you, whom you have from God?
1 CORINTHIANS 6 : 19

30 Days Of Christmas In Love (Continued)

Readers: This is the continuation of a 30 Day series on "the reasons I love my husband". I am not gushing about him for the sole purpose of making anyone jealous, but more as a sort of self-imposed penance to balance out all of times when I have felt the need to vent about him in my blog. For those of you who are married...you should know....this is not as easy as it might seem! But I am finding it more fun to write than the complaints.

For Days 1-13 see previous posts "30 Days"

Day 14

He Drives The Carpool.

Now this is actually almost comical. We have 7 children in our carpool....yes I said...7.
Two of them are our own children. But when they are all present there is a Kindergartner, a First grader, a second grader, 3 third graders and a seventh grader. You can imagine the noise!!!
Luckily we take turns driving the route to the school and back...a 20 minute drive each way....with three other families. So it works out to only 1 day per week, sometimes two.
And ever since our third child was born last year, my Super-Dad husband has taken over this role of driving the carpool when it is our turn. If you knew my husband and the fact that he is just a tad-bit impatient and HATES to wait in lines of any kind....you would see how this is both comical & amazing!

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY

I waited patiently for the Lord,
and He turned to me and heard my cry for help.
PSALM 40 : 1

Lemonade Award

This award was passed to me and I wish to thank Being Me whose blog
http://mothersalways.blogspot.com is always like a breath of fresh air.

The rules are as follows:
1. Thank the giver of the award and link their blog.
2. List 5 things about yourself
3. Link 5 new recipients and notify them.

***************************************************************************************
5 Things You Never Wanted To Know About Me
(but I'll tell you anyway)

* I highlight the brunette hairs on my head now to hide the gray ones coming in*

* I HATE folding laundry!*

* I am a fan of Nicholas Sparks novels.*

* My favorite t.v. shows: Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Flash Forward.*

* I love my Honda Pilot (I know...it's a gas guzzling...not-so-"GREEN" SUV...but I love it!*
*************************************************************************************
5 New Recipients

* Tamara- Mad Boastings Of A Cheapskate Mom @ http://proudtobecheap.blogspot.com
(for being such a fun site to browse)

* Ali-Thoughts From The Written Universe @ http://thoughtsfromthewrittenuniverse.blogspot.com
(for always giving an interesting read)

* Prayers Go Up, Blessings Come Down @ http://prayersgoup.blogspot.com
(for thinking of so many with your blessings and prayers)

* Daily Doses Of Mama Drama @ http://mamaswithdrama.blogspot.com
(I just love the title! But it's always fun to read your posts too)

*John Deere Mom @ http://johndeeremom.blogspot.com
(Great photos and stories)

30 Days Of Christmas In Love (Continued)

Readers:
This is a series which began just before Thanksgiving and will end on Christmas. It is a sort of self-imposed penance. To see
Days 1-12 Please read previous posts "30 Days"


Day 13

He is a Thinker.

My husband knows a little bit about A LOT of things.
He is one of those people who is really good at "JEOPARDY". He follows the news and the world markets, religiously. So he is always knowledgeable and well informed on most things. He likes to quote statistics and probabilities and things of that sort which I guess can seem kind of nerdy to some. In fact most of his friends and even some relatives pick on him for this, but I find it endearing.
I think that they are all just jealous!

Scripture Of The Day
This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.
PSALM 139: 6

30 Days Of Christmas In Love (Continued)

Readers: for days 1-11
(See previous posts "30 Days")

The reasons I love my husband......

Day 12

He is Old Fashioned.

My man was born in the 1950's but one might almost think he was from a different era.
He has some very old fashioned principles and beliefs. For starters what I am doing right now...
the whole "computer" thing....he doesn't get it, doesn't want to learn about it, & just generally can't stand it. Most days he would like to throw our laptop in a river....I'm not kidding! I am afraid that one day he will do it. He hates everything about them. And while I am not exactly a pro in the modern technology realm, I can at least usually work my way through these things.
My husband, however, would much rather rely on books and newspapers as his source of information. He would rather waltz than boogie or break-dance or whatever dances they do these days. If we are on a formal "date night" he remembers those good old fashioned gentlemanly manners like standing when I excuse myself from the table and holding my chair or holding the door open for me. And if someone else is in need of assistance my guy is the one you may see helping them. This is yet another reason I love him.

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY
if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity;
leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.
ROMANS 12: 8

Circle Of Friends Award

I received an award from Andrea, whose blog "Arise 2 Write" @ http://arise2write.blogspot.com is always a GREAT read. What an honor!

As I understand the rules, I am supposed to list 5 things that I like to do
and then pay it forward (so to speak).



MY 5 Favorite Things To Do
1. Travel to places that I have never been to before.

2. Spoil my children (in a good way) with all the things that I never had.

3. Eat Sushi.

4. Stay in pj's on a rainy day watching good old movies with yummy snacks.

5. Play tourist in my own home town on a date night with my hubby.
************************************************************************************** New Recipients

*Arlee @ http://tossingitout.blogspot.com

*Julie @ http://47andstartingover.blogspot.com

*"Alice In Wonderland" @ http://thewondersofalice.blogspot.com

* Noelle @ http://asgodintended.blogspot.com

*Sannita @ http://livingartwork.blogspot.com

30 Days Of Christmas In Love (Continued-And The Plot Thickens)

Readers: For Days 1-10 (See previous posts "30 Days" series)


Day 11

Martha S. aint got NOTHIN on my guy.

As I am typing, it is 10pm the night before my youngest childs 1st birthday . I know at this point many of you are finding it hard to believe that my guy is real, but he is in the kitchen right now baking a cake for the party tomorrow. This has been his special gift to each of our 3 children
every year on their birthdays. He bakes and decorates their cakes. Now..... are they perfect? No. But they are the best cakes in the world to the kids of course! He always asks them how they want their cakes made...and what type... white or chocolate?Color of icing, etc.? And then he tries to oblige to the best of his ability. Over the years he has become quite the pro at this.
The thing that I find the most endearing about this labor of love of his is the fact that he is not overly fond of desserts himself. But he can sure bake a mean cake! And...as Martha would say...
"That's a Gooood Thing."

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY
Love must be without hypocrisy.
Detest evil; cling to what is good.
ROMANS 12: 9

30 Days Of Christmas In Love (The Gushing Continues)

Readers: For Days 1-9 ( See previous posts--"30 Days")

Day 10

He Doesn't Act His Age.

My Hubby turns 50 this week. But you'd never know it by his looks or his behavior.
He really doesn't look much over 40. And he is like the energizer bunny! He never stops! Some of this is due to what I am sure today would be diagnosed as ADD-HD.
But I just love the fact that he is always ready to go & see & do just about anything.
When I was a kid my own Dad didn't care much about "playing" with me or doing fun things like going to the park, or the fair etc. I always thought it was due to his age. But my husband has shown me time and time again that the old saying
"You're only as old as you feel" is very true!

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY
Teach a youth about the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22: 6

Overjoyed To Be "Over The Top"

O.K. This is just a brief respite from "30 Days" of gushing about my Wonderful Husband. I was passed this awesome award by Christie Jolu whose blog "Tales from my head" @ http://christiejolu.blogspot.com
is always a great read!





The rules as I understand them to be are simple:

1. Post the award in your blog.

2. Thank and link the person & their blog who gave the award.

3. List five awesome bloggers to receive the award.

4. Notify the recipients.
*************************************************************************************
NEW RECIPIENTS

1. "White Dove" @ http://ibwhitedove.blogspot.com

2. Andrea--"Arise 2 Write" @ http://arise2write.blogspot.com

3. GAIA---"Journey Of A Single Mum" @ http://journeyofasinglemum.blogspot.com

4. Peggy--"Little Things In Life" @ http://tyme2spare.blogspot.com

5. Dayne--"Coach Your Mind" @ http://coachyourmind.blogspot.com

CONGRATULATIONS!!

30 Days Of Christmas In Love (Continued)

Readers:
(For Days 1-8 , See Previous Posts---Same title)


Day 9
He turns the page.

By this I mean he never stays angry for long.
We have always had the type of relationship where we, fairly often, have small squabbles over the little things. Hardly ever do we have huge arguments and never over anything serious like
money, child rearing, or religious beliefs. No..... we disagree about things like....how to properly load the dishwasher, or how much laundry is too much at one time in the washer or dryer.
But when I get mad....I tend to want to raise my voice and throw a fit, while he usually remains somewhat calm & collected....NATURALLY! Which, of course, just makes me all the madder!
And I can stay mad for hours after we have a disagreement. He...on the other hand...is already
on to some new topic as if nothing occurred. While this infuriates me in the moment.....I also love it about him, because..... if he threw a fit and stayed mad too...I am sure we'd never get anywhere together.

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY
A fool gives full vent to his anger,
but a wise man holds it in check.
PROVERBS 29: 11

30 Days Of Christmas In Love (continued)

For anyone who is reading this post .....you must read the previous post, first--same title---"30 Days Of Christmas In Love".



I love my husband because.....


Day 8
He is MAPMAN.
My husband has a very Very inquiring mind. He also has a photographic memory when it comes to remembering directions. Put those two things together---and---Whatta Ya Got?--*MapMan*
EVERYwhere we go, he has his face glued to a map....learning every little detail about the surrounding area for a hundred miles or so. Now....the upside of this is that we are hardly ever "lost". But it also has a few drawbacks. Many people, upon arriving at their intended travel destination, like to kick back....relax a bit....lay by the pool...or maybe get a massage.
NOT my MAPMAN! He's already rented a car, got a map(of course), spoken to half of the locals to find out the best sights to see, and seen half of them before most people have unpacked their belongings. And what I love so much about this quality of his(even though I don't get to lay by the pool sometimes) is that there is never a dull moment!


Scripture Of The Day
Happy is a man who finds wisdom
and who acquires understanding,
PROVERBS 3: 13

30 Days Of Christmas In Love

O.K......So...Yes I am now feeling just a little bit guilty about my last post which was
for me nothing more than creative venting, but for my readers may have seemed
more like a barrage of negativity towards my loving husband.
Therefor I have decided to balance the scales, so to speak. Over the next 30 days before Christmas I will write at least one reason for each day that I love my hubby.

Of course I have one small snafu in my plans already, we are
leaving today to spend Thanksgiving in a place where there is no signal for my computer.
Soooo...I guess I'll have to think of & share the first 7 reasons in this post. But will share the rest, daily ,on my return. And here goes...................

I Love my husband because.....

DAY 1
He is a softie.
(Let me explain) When we first met, the umpteenth remake of the classic love story "An Affair To Remember"was in theaters..this one I believe titled "Love Affair" with Annette Bening & Warren Beatty. We had both seen the movie. And then one night the old original version was playing on the television. So...we watched it. Only he was watching from his
home (300 miles from where I lived) and I was watching in my home. So of course it played out like a scene from yet another classic romantic movie, "When Harry Met Sally". Because during the commercials we would call each other on the phone to compare notes on which we liked better, the original or the remake.
And at the end of the movie when Nicky Ferrantie ( Cary Grant) opens the bedroom door of
Terri McKay (Deborah Kerr) and spies the portrait hanging above her bed, thus proving that she
of course had a "very good reason " for not meeting him atop the Empire State Building, .....
I spoke to my honey on the phone and ....Yes, you guessed it.... he was crying!
He still does...cry when watching sappy movie scenes, or at weddings, and of course at the birth of each of our children. That first time though was when I knew... he was a keeper!

Day 2
We have A LOT in common.
We were both raised in the south under similar circumstances. The main ingredient: dysfunction.
We both were children of divorce.Luckily we are both committed to rising above our pasts and giving our children the stability neither of us had.
Both love music(all except rap) & arts. Both love traveling. Both spontaneous types. Obviously both enjoy good movies. Both Love Sushi--this is important!

Day 3
He is generous.
He will quite often leave a very large tip to someone who has provided a service just to brighten their day. He gives his time(not just $) to charitable causes. He gave up 6 0r 7 Fourth of July
holidays with his own children, to volunteer at a summer camp for children with cancer. He spent a week each time taking these sick little ones for boat rides. Of course most of them would want to be pulled on tubes behind the boat, which would make him a nervous wreck every year,
because most of them would have medical devices & tubes connected to their torso's which were NOT supposed to get real wet!
Also a few years in a row he was a "Secret Santa". He spent the wee hours of the night before Christmas anonymously delivering presents to children who had recently lost a parent.

Day 4
HE COMPLETES ME.
I know,I know. Sounds corny. Tom Cruise aint got nothin' on my man though!
He honestly knows ALL of my likes and dislikes and knows what I want...BEFORE..I want it.
He finishes my sentences quite often & steals the thought from my brain before my mouth can say it.

Day 5
He is a GREAT DAD.
He spends lots of time teaching our children lots of things. He teaches them math by asking them questions which inspire them to solve mathematical equations. He is good at this. He finds creative ways to help them learn. He will take them out to play ball or ride bikes. He lets them steer the boat--which they just LOVE--when water is smooth & traffic is slow. He gives them all the attention they desire and need ,mixed with just the right amount of structure and direction.

Day 6
He Pampers Me
He gives me just about everything a girl could want(within reason).
A nice faithful husband, a nice place to call home, lots of clothes, lots & LOTS of shoes---of course, jewelry, a nice car to drive...ok it's actually a gas guzzling SUV,but the best thing he gives me is the ability for me to raise our children without working outside of the home.

Day 7
He is a fantastic cook.
He actually cooks more than and better than me. This was the clincher for me when we were dating. One year for Thanksgiving he cooked for me. And I meeeaaan COOKED!!
See I was a flight attendant who had to work on all holidays. My holiday meals were always spent on the run either in an airport restaurant, a Cracker Barrel somewhere, or worst of all...
on the plane! So one year he invited me to fly to his hometown to eat Thanksgiving Dinner with his family. As I devoured the scrumptious meal with every one of my favorite dishes....even my favorite dessert...at first I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, but then as I looked around I noticed he wasn't eating much and neither were any of the others. Why? You might ask.
Well as it turned out, they had all eaten their Thanksgiving dinner much earlier in the day.
But because I had to fly in so late after working.....this wonderful man had prepared this entire meal, by himself, JUST FOR ME! And he and his family sat and ate again, just for me. So that I wouldn't dine alone on Thanksgiving. Can you imagine? What a gem he is!!

STAY tuned for more to come....after THANKSGIVING.

Scripture Of The Day
Marriage must be respected by all,
and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge immoral people and adulterers.
HEBREWS 13 : 4

Does The Thought Count Any More?

In this post I would like to share with you a much debated issue, which has been an ongoing
source of tension for my husband and me. It occurs with every birthday and anniversary, as well as on Valentines Day, Father's Day, & most of all at Christmas. It goes something like this....
when these occasions approach, as any loving wife would do, I try for weeks before-hand to figure out just the right gift to show my husband that he is loved. Actually, I usually give several smaller ones as opposed to just one. Perhaps this is due to the fact that in my own childhood presents were often scarce, due to financial hardships. So I like to shower my loved ones with presents on special occasions. But over the years it has gotten increasingly difficult to give anything to my husband.
He pretty much has just about everything ,"materially" speaking, that he wants, except maybe a 70 ft. Trawler boat. And so he just tosses things aside after opening them, usually. Doesn't even pretend to be excited or surprised or even interested in whatever the gift may be. Oh sure...he smiles and says thank you, but 9 times out of ten the gift goes unopened, unused and evidently unappreciated. He even told me last year that he would rather I only give things which have some "special" emotional meaning behind them, like a collage of pictures of our kids, or a picture I have painted, or a CD with his favorite music..... you get the idea. And YES I know that it is better to give something from the heart with personal time invested to create it. But it is also much MUCH harder to do than to purchase some bobble or trinket from a shop somewhere.
And this is where we have a problem.
My hubby has a double standard. He LOVES to give....not so much- to receive! He has spoiled me over the years with wonderful gifts....all bought in stores, of course. Clothes, jewelry, gadgets, my favorite fluffy socks & pj's, and even a new car(3 times). And B_E_L_I_E_V_E me.....I love being spoiled....in a good way!
My problem is compounded too by the fact that his birthday....falls just 2 weeks before Christmas! Last year, after he had tossed aside his birthday presents without bothering to take them out of the store packages. My feelings were hurt for the umpteenth time and I was actually considering just giving him a letter for Christmas that year. I spent hours awake at night thinking about the letter's contents, and of course seething more and more with each composed word. The letter explained how I felt that while it is a great thing to be blessed with a giving nature, It is actually...I feel...just as important, maybe even more so, to be able to receive. Otherwise, how can we truly RECEIVE our heavenly Father's love if we are not able to do so with others?
What did he think of this heartfelt present? You may wonder.
Well....of course.....his loving wife never gave it to him. And...Yes....I am taking a good gamble that he won't read this post! If he does....what can I say....LOVE YOU HUBBY!! :)
SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY
Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning.
JAMES 1: 17

In A Skinny Minute

So I was watching t.v. this morning and in between all of the stories about or advertisements for "Twilight", they touched on another topic in the news....Kate Moss' statement on her preference to be "skinny". And all of a sudden there is all of this feigned shock and disgust that she may be influencing young minds with such a statement. Well.....EXCUSE ME....but who do they think they are kidding? The press and media have done nothing in the last 30 years but propel the idea that any woman wearing anything greater than a size 2 is pudgy and sizes 4-6 downright FAT.
After that I guess we're all apparently grotesque! I have had to struggle for years now to stay in my size 6 jeans. And I can fit in them alright, which isn't half bad if you consider the fact that my youngest child is not yet a year old. But like many who are in denial, truth be said...I am really a size 8. I was size 6 when I was 18. I have had 3 kids.....and have gray hairs sprouting from my scalp....but I am made to feel ,by the pressures of the material world we live in, that I'd better keep a small waist. And then you have to worry whether or not your husband is gonna trade you in for the newer SKINNIER model. O.K., well I don't think that I need to worry so much about my husband, but I have several friends who are dealing with their straying spouses mid-life crisis.
I think that I touched on this in an earlier blog post but, I watched a YOU-TUBE clip a few months ago which was appropriately titled "Evolution" it had been posted by Dove.I believe it was part of their campaign to help change the way women see themselves. Kudo's to Dove !
The video focuses on a model who is being prepped for a photo shoot. And in the beginning she has 0 make-up on her face. She is just an ordinary looking girl, has some freckles on her nose and a zit or two. Probably wouldn't turn many heads if you saw her walking down the street. They brilliantly capture, in time-lapse format, every detail of the miraculous transformation of this young woman. Which includes hair extensions,added by a professional stylist, of course, a perfect ton of makeup,followed by touch-up after touch-up to expertly erase any imperfections and add just the right amount of 'beauty' which hadn't been given by God. By the end of the video she is what many would consider striking and some might even say...gorgeous. With 0 flaws. The final scene as the camera pans away shows the finished product, a full size Billboard...not Times Square I think...but just as well could be. There are plenty of them there which began just like this one. (To view the video clip use this link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

I just wonder what we are saying to our children? My son is 6 and is as thin as a rail, but worries that his belly is too big. I know that there are health risks to being overweight. But I don't think this is the reason for this skewed sense of what is considered attractive in our society. I can't say enough good things about a company like Dove who is willing to go beyond the norm to create real change, important and needed CHANGE!
As for people like Kate Moss....Go EAT!!!!

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,
but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.
Proverbs 31: 30

BLUSHING

If You could see me now....my cheeks are red. I cannot believe that yet another one of my awesome and very faithful followers has again nominated me for this award.
I am sending my most sincere THANKS for this award to:
aynzan "Musings of Mom2Four" at http:aynzan.blogspot.com/

As with every award there are rules to be followed:

* Thank person who gave you the award.
*Copy award.
*Post it in your blog.
*Tell us 7 things that your readers don't know about you.
*Link 7 new bloggers as recipients.
*Notify winners of award with comment on their blog.
*Keep being awesome.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7 Awesome Blogger Nominees

*A Book With A View* http://abookwithaview.blogspot.com/
*Because It's Family* http://becausefamily.blogspot.com/
*Girl Talk* http://aimee-girltalk.blogspot.com/
*Making A Change* http://makingachangeonestepatatime.blogspot.com/
*Politics, What?* http://politicswhat.blogspot.com/
*The Choir Girl* http://thechoirgirl.blogspot.com/
*Writing4Heaven* http://writing4heaven.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7 Things You Still May Not Know

*Purple is my favorite color
*I am a fan of Audrey Hepburn films
*My mother resembled Ms. Hepburn in her 20's
*I hate to have to blow my nose when I am sick
*I have been on 5 of the 7 continents on Earth
*I get embarrassed to pray aloud
*I pray every day that I will break the curse of bad genes in my family
and live long enough to have grandchildren!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY
Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly
and the pride of sons is their fathers.
PROVERBS 17 : 6

Twilight

What on Earth is all this hubbub about Twilight? I went for a power walk with a girl friend yesterday and she was telling me about how she had noticed all of these soccer moms reading
this book. O.K...... they were actually baseball moms but you get the idea. I told her that I had seen some preview for a movie coming out soon about werewolves or vampires or some silly thing like that. And she informed me that it is actually a sequel and that I should rent the first movie and MUST SEE this new release when it comes out. I said "Okeedokie". End of subject. I had no intention of course of renting the movie and could take or leave the sequel. But then I turned on the radio this morning and the topic of conversation on the local morning talk show.....Twilight (the book series). They had a male listener on who was telling how his wife had read the series and was nagging him to do so. And he had laughed inwardly, knowing that he wasn't gonna be caught dead reading some chick-flick worthy book. Then he was at work recently on a construction job site, and was surprised to see all of these big burly, MANLY men reading and talking about....Twilight. He said they were actually taking turns on their lunch break reading the book aloud to each other! What a sight that must have been!
Well.....I return home from dropping the kids at school and the t.v. is on with a morning show and ...YES ...you guessed it...they were talking about Twilight ! I have never been one to crumble under peer pressure but I don't wish to be one of these stodgy people who turns their nose up to anything they are unfamiliar with either. My dilemma though is... do I rent the first movie and make my friend happy or do I buy the book and read the series first? You know what they always say about the book being 100 times better than the movie. Any Opinions?

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY
Listen! I am telling you a mystery:
We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed,
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
1 CORINTHIANS 15: 51

SLEEP BEAUTIFUL SLEEP

Is it just me? Or is anyone else out there
SERIOUSLY deprived of sleep?
My husband and I both share this problem.
It is amazing to me at our ages that we manage to make it through most days. I mean....We aren't
spring chickens anymore. My husband can qualify for free checking in a few years and I will
have the dreaded "M" word to look forward to.
Menopause.....there I said it!
And between the two of us, we maybe get 8 hours of sleep on a GOOD night.....4 for him.....4 for me. We have different reasons for our sleep
issues though. My problem is almost a year old, sucks on a binky, and wakes me up to swig milk from a baa-baa several times each night! OK....She's not a "PROBLEM" but her inability to sleep through the night for almost a year now......IS!!
My husband on the other hand can't sleep because.........
.LET ME COUNT THE WAYS.......
1. His back aches
2.He started watching t.v. and then couldn't fall asleep
3. He was reading a book too good to put down
4. The neighbors dogs were barking
5. Someone was having a party two houses down from ours
(WE ARE AN ACRE from the house next door)
6. and my personal favorite....HE.....heard the baby cry.

So needless to say when HE wakes up each morning complaining about how TIRED......HE...is....
I just want to scream!!!!!! If I didn't have to wake up with the baby e-v-e-r-y night I would be sleeping like.....a baby! YEAH what a silly phrase that one is.
WHO SAYS BABIES SLEEP SOUNDLY?

I have seen all of the stories in the news about how "MILLIONS of Americans" have trouble sleeping. Although I find it hard to believe that sleeplessness is just an affliction on this continent. I am sure the Britt's and Aussies and everyone else is counting sheep too!
What do people in countries without sheep count? I wonder.
.
AND...YES .....BELIEVE ME.....I know that sleep deprivation is unhealthy over an extended period of time.
The good news is......I think....we may be be turning a new leaf. For the last two nights......
I have been blessed with a full nights sleep!!! The baby F_I_N_A_L_L_Y slept!!!!!
I am a NEW woman! Now I just need to figure out how to get my other baby....my hubby....
to sleep. STAY TUNED!

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, PROVERBS 6: 10

THE WAY IT IS

If you came to my site today because you were passed an award by me. First let me say......

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!


I was passed the "FROM ME TO YOU" flowers award two times this week AND now the Superior Scribbler Award for the second time. That's 2 awards 4 times in 1 week! WOW!

If you were passed the "FROM ME TO YOU" flowers award...see the post "Speechless"

If you were passed the "Superior Scribbler" Award....scroll to bottom of this post.


[ Thanks to " Better Man" at http://becomingthebestpersonicanbe.blogspot.com/
for the "Superior" award!]

If you are not here about anything to do with an award, but you get all fuzzy and warm inside
just thinking about things like that and you are really curious to know
7 THINGS ABOUT ME THAT READERS STILL DON"T KNOW

then you too need to scroll to my last post "SPEECHLESS".

BUT IF YOU DON"T CARE ABOUT ANYBODY ELSE'S STINKIN' AWARDS AND JUST WANTED A GOOD READ..............YOU MUST SEE THE POST PREVIOUS TO "SPEECHLESS" called "DIARY OF A GRUMPY GROWNUP".

SORRY.....BUT THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS : ) .........AND NO..... I'm NOT GRUMPY!!! TODAY.

*******************************************************************************************
As a recipient of the Superior Scribbler Award there are rules to be followed as always.



Superior Scribbler Rules :

*Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass the Award to 5 most deserving Bloggy friends.

*Each Superior Scribbler must link to the Author & name of the blog from whom he/she received the Award.

*Each Superior Scribbler must display the Award on his/her blog and link to this post which explains the award.

*Each blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler award must visit this post:
http://scholastic-scribe.blogspot.com/2008/10/200-this-blings-for-you.html

*************************************************************************************************
5 MOST DESERVING BLOGGY FRIENDS


* "S. K. SAINI" at http://sksainitheauthor.blogspot.com/

* "R.A.W." at http://readingartandwriting.blogspot.com/

* "Reflections OF A Chocoholic" at http://petitepralines.blogspot.com/

* "Tales From My Head" at http://christiejolu.blogspot.com/

* " A Child's Dark Memories" at http://darkmemories-happy-go-lucky.blogspot.com/