Family Fun Fotos

THIS PHOTO HAS BEEN DELETED PER THE REQUEST OF THE SUBJECT

Carly Jo

CassiJo and ShelbyJo play fighting
ShelbyJo
Uncle Joe cooks burrrrriiiitos! (and home made salsa!)
Who does she think she is??
Cassi Jo falls asleep before our picnic
The Joe Family Picnic
conjoined grapes....a twofer
I love love love my yardsale old fashioned picnic basket!
Some local girls soak up the warm sun on the "sprinkle pad" at the park.

Monday Schmonday

Go to this blog. It will blow you away to see the writings of this husband and new father facing the illness of his wife and his premature daughter. Go take a look and take tissues! I was blown away by all the comments and emails he said he has gotten. God is good and the world wide web makes our world seem so much smaller doesn't it? Please remember him and his family in your prayers.

Yesterday Uncle Joe got to put all his CSI skills to work. We were sitting in the swing out back after working on the back yard laughing that ShelbyJo (the dog) found the Bubble Yum bubble gum I had thrown in the yard and was chewing it. In a few minutes we saw her gag up and well, being the investigator he is, UJ wanted to know what exactly made his baby-girl-dog get sick. I'll just leave it at that because I just will. I thought my stomach was a little tougher than that, but apparently not. I am a vomit weinie!

I have some lovely tulips to plant in the side yard flower bed and I am excited to go get more. I love tulips. They are so pretty and cheerful. I also have some violets and I need a safe haven for them to grow. We have a neighborhood full of cats who apparently were taught that a flowerbed=litterbox.

I had a great and busy weekend. I worked some, relaxed some, shopped a bit, picnic'd with the family, mowed the yard, tackled the laundry monster in the laundry room, and had a nice visit with my Mom (Mum: for Ponder)

We are planning our trip to Denton, Texas for the Denton Jazz Festival in a couple of weeks. I am looking forward to that in the biggest way! I love getting away from town for a while and being in a place full of my favorite things: sun, music, crafts, food, books and Uncle Joe. It will be a great 48 hours! Who wants to come??

Pictures of our weekend will follow.....I just gotta get them downloaded.

Ten Gallons of Fun

Today, a gentleman came into the medical clinic where I work. I work the front desk and had my head down filling out some paperwork when he arrived, just after I got back from lunch.

"How can I help you?" I asked without immediately looking up.

I looked up to see a real live cowboy wearing a black 10 gallon hat, a foo manchu moustache and small round glasses.

For a split second I thought he might be a joke, but soon realized he was the real deal. He looked like he had just finished filming a western movie and stopped by for an exam. He was very nice as you would expect a real live cowboy to be.

I had to get a copy of his drivers license for his chart and I wasn't surprised to see what was under his 10 gallon hat .......a 10 gallon head.

I maintained composure and did not make one comment about his hat. It took a great amount of self control, but I did it.

He made my day. :o)

April Fool's by CassiJo

Dear mom Im going
away for the summer

Love
Cassidy
(crying noise)*
Faith
Joe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*this is where she cries*
She told me she is going to live with G-Mom. I am going to miss her.

He Actually Puked

On the season premier of Hell's Kitchen, Chef Gordon Ramsay actually vomited after trying a disgusting dish of scallops, venison, caviar and white chocolate! OMG!

This is going to be a great season. There are several interesting characters that will keep us entertained as Chef Ramsay puts them through the grinder.

The women kicked the men's booties....this time.

Covert Photos Part II, Peanut's Bday Cake and Neon Vomit

CassiJo enjoys a piece of birthday cake at Peanut's Party
Wow! CarlyJo really looks tan in the black lights!
Covert preggers photo of Leslee :o)
Cassi getting ready to skate to Another One Bites the Dust.
Peanut, Leslee's daughter, turning 8 yrs old right before your eyes.

Below, neon vomit.

As you can see, Carly has gotten taller, Leslee smaller ('cept for her tummy) Peanut is a peanut and Cassi is pouting. Me? I am just fluffy! We had a good time visiting with Leslee, Peanut and her family. (Leslee looks just like her mom!) Leslee's brother got a work out walking around the rink with his son who was learning to skate and wouldn't lift his feet. I think he walked around the rink about 800 times. Cassi got out there and had a great time. She skated her little heart out. When we walked in she said," MOM where are the rails?" She didn't even realize she didn't need them til she got out there. They played a game called "Dead Bug" and we finished the afternoon off with The Hokey Pokey. A fun day with Bloggie Friends I must say......maybe next time you can come!

My Easter Babies

No matter how big she gets she will always be my baby! (She would not cooperate so this is the best picture I got of her.) I loved the outfit and Lord knows we had enough grief and stress picking it out. She FINALLY listened to me and tried something different than she would normally chose and it looked SO cute on her! Blue is definitely her color :o)
This is what the girls did while had a post-lunch nap. Cute huh??
Here is a sweetie pie girl with all her new brothers and sisters.

Resurrection Day

This time of year amazes me.
This day especially amazes me.
Our Saviour amazes me.
He knows me and he knows you.
He wants to hear from me
and He wants to hear from you.
He died for me and He died for you.

I was directed to a beautiful video by Brad Paisley and Sara Evans, featuring scenes from Passion of the Christ. Please take a look and give thanks with me that our Saviour is ALIVE and preparing our home in Heaven.

Happy Easter!

Covert Photos

I was out driving recently and saw this house. I am pretty sure they love yellow, aren't you??

Flying Boogies

Today after taking a nice leisurely, hot bath I decided to put some lotion on my freshly shaven legs. I went to the cabinet over the commode and reached up to pump the container. However, I did not remember that it had been a while since I used this particular lotion and it had dried and made a lotion-booger on the nozzle. When I pressed it (and hard I might add) the lotion could not come out properly and came spewing out the top of the nozzle. Lotion came flying at my face at tremendous velocity. Me, being BatWife, used my bat-reflexes and dodged the lotion bullet heading toward my eyeball laughing the whole time. It did manage to hit my cheek and neck and I remained unharmed and very soft.

Happy Spring!

Happy First Day of Spring!

I will be celebrating this wonderful day
by
working at a computer all day
face to face
with
very sick people.
(don't be jealous)
Now go plant some flowers or something

The Toothbrush Story

I recently bought a new toothbrush pack for mine and UJ's bathroom. (btw why is it a TOOTH brush when we brush our TEETH?)

I got a pretty purple one for me and a nice green one for Joe. Well the youngest daughter was NOT going to have her daddy have a prettier toothbrush than her so she claimed the green one, leaving Joe to fend for himself, buying one for himself. It was a nice hot pink Coalgate one. Very stylish.

Every morning I brushed my teeth with my nice new and improved toothbrush and sometime later in the day UJ would brush his with his reddish-purple (in his words) one. Every night after a bath I would stand in front of the sink to dry Cassi's hair and we would chat.

Sometimes our hairdryer would get dusty and need to be cleaned off.

Cassi grabbed a toothbrush nearby that was not in the proper toothbrush holder. "Whose toothbrush is this?" I asked. "No ones." she replies as we proceed to brush off all the dust that collected on the sucky part of the hair dryer. The toothbrush is visibly dirty and we put it in the drawer to be used again in the future. You never know when you will need a cleaning brush.

Little did I know that CarlyJo ALSO had a need for a small brush with which to clean with.

UJ to Carly after missing his tb for a day or two: "Have you seen my toothbrush?"

Carly: "It it kinda reddish?"

UJ: "Yes it is."

Carly" I think that is the one I used to clean the toilet stool."

Hopefully it was AFTER we dirtied it cleaning the hairdryer.

Poor UJ he has Tidy Bowl breath now.

Ponderations

Today I took Carly and part of her herd of giggling girl friends to the movies. You have seen the movie window? A large plexiglass window with a hole to push your money through.....

WHY? pray tell me, do grown people LEAN DOWN to talk through the hole?? The clerks can hear you perfectly without directing your whole head to speak through the hole. It was quite a sight to see a grown man hunched over talking through the hole.

On a different note: I talked to THE STANKIEST MAN IN THE WORLD today. He came in to the medical clinic and addressed me with the stinkiest breath I have ever smelled. (It smelled like dirty hiney mixed with onioney morning breath with a hint of B.O.) It was early in the day so you know he went to bed stinking. He must have a serious case of olfactory fatigue because he smelled so bad I had to hold my breath to keep from retching right there in front of him. He also had his hands wrapped around my desk and all I could see was his dirty fingernails. They were like the talking stain commercial.....it was all I could see and think about. His dirty hands on my stuff. I made an excuse to back up and hand him his paperwork. When I saw him coming to turn it in I made some copies, turning around away from the olfactory smellification. He was treated and went on his merry way with his medications and we were left to desmellify the office. (after everyone left for lunch)

It is getting ready to storm here and UJ is wanting to watch lightening on the porch. I think I may go check it out. Maybe I can steal a kiss.......

Ummmm YUCK?? I think.

Tonight I made my almost-famous chicken salad. Well, actually it was fruit salad with a little bit of chicken. I got a little heavy handed on the fruit. (Mix a large can of chicken with: Granny Smith apple peeled and chopped, a handful of raisins, a handful of white grapes cut in half, and a small bag of your choice of nuts either walnuts or almonds, mayo and or MiracleWhip to taste)





Anyway on with the story. We ate our Aunt Jo's Almost Famous Chicken Salad on toasted Wheat Berry bread. Yummy.





For a quick and easy dessert I picked up a quart of strawberries , strawberry glaze and short cakes. CassiJo cut up the strawberries and stirred in the glaze and we waited with bated breath to eat them.

I let Cassi plate up her shortcakes and she said:

"Mom what is this on here? Strawberry SLIME?"

Spring Forward Came Back and Hit Me in the Bootie

I hate springing forward. It always kicks my bootie for the first few days and/or weeks.

This was especially hard because I had a 4am wake up call this morning to serve breakfast to the soldiers at Camp Gruber.

I kicked myself out of bed and made it to the restaurant by 455am just in time to jump in the truck and go. My dad, Art was there patting his foot and looking at his watch laughing. They all thought I forgot to set my clock forward.

We arrived and had everything ready at 530am and I had a feeling this group of soldiers was NOT going to make it to such an early chow time on "going home day". I was right. My first clue was all the beer bottles laying around the chow hall. There were some groups that came on in and ate, but for the most part we had dribbles of soldiers all morning. We are only obligated to stay one hour so we packed some to-go boxes for any sleepy heads and got back home.

I fell asleep on the couch and when CassiJo got up she helped herself to the left over biscuit and sausage I brought home for her and CarlyJo. THat kept her quiet while I snoozed a bit until time to go to church.

Now I am very sleepy and ready go to bed early. I want to talk UJ into heading there with me but I doubt I will be able to compete with Hell's Kitchen Marathon on Fox Reality TV channel. He is newly addicted to Gordon Ramsay's shows.

Uno

With one word answer the following questions:

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? handsome
3. Your hair? reddish
4. Your mother? organized
5. Your father? diligent
6. Your favorite thing? sleep
7. Your dream last night? absent
8. Your favorite drink? DietPepsi
9. Your dream/goal? Travel
10. The room you’re in? Cluttered
11. Your ex? distant
12. Your fear? rejection
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? home
14. Where were you last night? Blockbuster
15. What you’re not? skinny
16. Muffin? yum
17. One of your wish list items? car
18. Where you grew up? Oklahoma
19. The last thing you ate? corn
20. What are you wearing? pj's
21. Your TV? CSI
22. Your pet? hairy
23. Your computer? overworked
24. Your life? ordinary
25. Your mood? cheerful
26. Missing someone? Many
27 Your car? Maxima
28. Something you’re not wearing? lipstick
29. Favorite Store? bookstore
30. Your summer will be? Hot
31. Ever dressed as Mama Cass with your partner as a ham sandwich? huh?
32. Your favorite color? red
33. Last time you cried? February
34. What are you working on? computer
35. What last made you laugh really hard? Joe

Wherth My Glatheth??

Or.....why you doh't leave your camera laying around near your 13 year old. :o)

My pretty little cross-eyed, camera kiping beauty, CarlyJo.

My Mug

Here is my current ugly mug with CassiJo. We were goofing off with the camera while the car washed in the automatic car wash. We had just gotten back from the library (to explain the dvd). Aren't her brown eyes pretty??

I don't look quite the same as my avatar any more.....and that was only in July of 2006! There is more of me! Ahhhhhh!!! More of me to love! I am currently trying to ummmmm give back some of the poundage that found me in the last year and a half. Must be all those good meals UJ has been cookin' up after watching Food Network. That and my current job function requires me to sit at a computer most of the day . Although, I have been filling in at the front desk until we find someone to replace the big quitter that left us a couple of weeks ago and I am up and down hundreds of times a day, walking across the office at least 800 times ....that has helped me a bit believe it or not. :o)

Are You Kidding Me?!

Am I wrong in my bewilderment of this article?

In short, a pedophile alleges that the school district he worked for "enabled" him to engage in lewd acts with minors. What the heck?? How dare he cast blame on the entire school system! Am I wrong??

I think HE is solely responsible for his actions. He sought out the minor children and used his position as a teacher to prey on them. No one but him planned these encounters. No one but him did the things he did. Does he really think that any respectable human adult,( much less a teacher, who is bound by morals and by law to keep childrens best interest in mind,) would allow him to create opportunities for this type of behavior??

No one but him will pay for these MULTIPLE horrible acts against minor females. He will be spending the next 6 years in prison , just where he should be. I am sure he will find remorse there.

Shame on him.

I also feel so sorry for this man's wife. What a horrible thing to try to get over. I don't know if she and their children have remained in our area or not. Hopefully she has family to return to. She will need their love and support as she tries to regain some sort of "normal" in her life.

Hopefully the girls involved have sought counselling and are being treated to help them understand all this. These acts will leave scars on them that will shape the rest of their relationships. They may not even realize the impact that this man and his abuse will have on them until they are adults and are able to look back at their lives and decisions with hindsight. I have a friend who suffered every sort of abuse a person can suffer. It is hard to see some of the effects it has on her still to this day. I see some of her behavior and attitudes are a direct unconscious response to the things she endured. Abuse is not over even when it is over. His stupid actions have destroyed many lives here.

My New Favorite Song

Here is my new favorite song: Everything, sung by my friend Michael.

Who wouldn't love to have this song sung to them?

This one is great too.


Then again, this one started it all for me.........oh yea, there are a lot of good feelings associated with this song. ;o)

More Free Stuff!

Dear Friends,

I will be making all my masters Bloggy Friends your choice of a scarf, cup cozy, or a lap blanket from all the hair I shed . The Lady Who Lives Here vaccuums it all up every couple of days and has been weaving it into yarn. Believe me there will be enough hair for all y'all, so place your orders now!

Love,

ShelbyJo

I Can Afford FREE!!

Thursday night since Carly was in Texas (see below) I decided that Cassi and I should have a Mommy Date night.

I got a gift certificate from my brother for my B-day to Chili's so we went there and had fun. Cassi even took her reading book in and finished her reading homework! What a kid!!We left in time to dash over to Sally's Beauty supply for some girl-supplies ie: nail polish! and get to a movie just in time.

We wanted to see Hannah Montana in 3-D but there was only one showing per night at the local theater and it started at 5pm! Yikes! I didn't find that out til 5:05 when I looked up the showing times online. Cassi was a little sad but was quickly convinced to go see something else. I wanted to see Spiderwick Chronicles, but she said it was too scary for her. I wasn't willing to gamble on it and have to leave the movie or have nightmares so we settled on:

I wasn't thrilled to go see a Christmas movie in February, but it turned out to be a really cute show.(Plus I had a gift certificate for movie tickets, so again FREE won me over!) Did you know the Chipmunks are 50 years old??!! I remember watching them when I was little, and who hasn't heard the Christmas album??

We had a great night and I came home with money (60 whole cents) in my pocket and a happy (but tired) little girl.

I heard from Carly several times during the evening and she was on top of the world seeing her three fave young men in the whole wide world:

NICK KEVIN & JOE JONAS

One of the gal pals from her herd of friends invited her to go to Texas to see the J-Bro's in concert! How lucky is she?? They stayed at the Embassy Suites and had a ball! They skipped school two days and got to do a little bit of shopping. I am a tad jealous! haha!! (no scolding us for letting her skip school for this! we picked up homework and believe you me, she will pay for it! she says it is worth it though. we'll see......)

Soooooo, a FREE FUN night for me and Cassi and a bucket-o-fun for Carly! (Uncle Joe just stayed at home and enjoyed the peace and quiet and relished not having to fight for the remote.)

I had an early rise to serve the soldiers breakfast, so I am off to have a snooze before supper. ;o)

Have a great weekend! I hope your Saturday weather is as nice as ours! It is sunny, but windy and beautiful. Maybe I will go have a nap in the swing outside.

Failure Schmailure

Did you know that Babe Ruth, the man who hit the most homeruns in baseball was also the man who had the most strike outs?? People remember his success, not his failure. Where would he be if he didn't strike out all those times?

Kinda makes a strike out seem not so bad doesn't it?

Keep swinging!

Do you ever feel like you have a magnifying glass on you? Like your faults and flaws, real or imagined are huge?

How can you un-magnify these things and put them back in proper perspective?

Strike Two

The pukey/dookie virus strikes again!! Two of the four business office staff called in sick today. We are glad they kept their germified, snottical, vomititrocious selves at home. WE DON'T WANT TO BE SICK TOO!

Ginger

No, I am not talking about the character from Gilligan's Island.



I am talking about the spice.
I am trying a new recipe today for Ginger Chicken. It is from Rachel Ray, or Wachel Way, as Cassi used to say. I had to modify it just a bit since I couldn't find sesame oil at the local grocery store. I can't imagine why our little town wouldn't have more use for sesame oil!

I don't know how this will turn out. I am sure that UJ will be able to doctor it up if need be. I'll let you know how it turns out. :o)
Update: the dish was not very good. edible but not something I would do again, or if i did i would use exactly what is called for in the recipe. i had to use ginger juice instead of minced ginger and it made it too watery and the flavors drained off. that and UJ wouldn't even eat it. i ate it alone......

**********************************

In other news, Carly will be leaving for the Jonas Brothers concert on Thursday. I know she is looking forward to seeing them. I hope they have binoculars so she can see them up close.

***********************************

My pastor Danny, his wife,Teresa and several congregation members are in Israel right now. I would love to see that area of the world someday, but I doubt it will ever happen. I will have to see it via Google Earth. haha. I am sure they will all be fired up when they get back. I am looking forward to pictures and stories. There is never a dull moment when Teresa is around anyway so for her to be coming back from such an awesome trip is very exciting.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled and less boring blogging. ;o)

Stay Calm....On Second Thought...PANIC!!

Today when I arrived at work to man the check out desk at the clinic, the phone was ringing off the wall. All lines lit up and Beverly and I were frantically answering calls, scheduling appointments and placing sick callers on hold while Karen checked people in.

Then........three of the five nurses on staff came to the front desk and interrupted me on the phone to tell me they have they flu. They were promptly sent home and we were left to deal with the day.



I am proud to report that we made it through the day, thanks to creative management, good attitudes, one x-ray tech/lab tech/fill-in nurse and a firm answer of "NO" to the hundreds, ney thousands of phone-calls we received.



It seems our area has been hit with a killer respiratory virus AND a horrendous pukey/dookie virus that has been terribly hard for our patients to shake. Our office is full of feverish, snotting, coughing, pooping and puking people all day every day. I have bought stock in Lysol, and expect to be a millionaire or at least a hundredaire by the end of the week.

This is a real live picture of the pukey/dookie virus that is plaguing our peeps. Pretty u-g-l-y huh??

The Smell of Music

Two days ago as we were driving home from Nana's, Cassidy in usual form was singing. Carly and I noticed at the same time that she was singing: "I can smell the music........."

Maybe she can.

Barefoot Contessa

I love to watch Ina Garten on Barefoot Contessa on Food Network. I love to hear her soothing voice and watch her cook simple yet elegant recipes for her husband, her florist, her gardner, her friends daughter, her best friend, practically everyone she knows.

I love it that she loves to cook for those she loves. She is very thoughtful in her food choices and always makes something wonderful.

I want her to be my friend and cook for me someday.

P.S. I love chocolate.

Happy VD

Today is Valentines day. I don't have the money to buy Uncle Joe this cool guitar, so I will just give him the picture to look at. A picture is worth a thousand words right?? I wish it was worth a thousand dollars then I could get it for him. He needs another guitar. Pretty soon our garage will be a studio and he can hang them on the walls like Ted. :o)

I am sick with fever and all the respiratory stuff everyone else has had. I managed to go this far without getting sick, and one day at the front desk at work put me right in the line of fire....er actually it was coughing and snotting and breathing down on me with germy breath. Carly is feeling much better I am happy to report. She missed three days of school this week.

I am very sad I can't get any Valentine kisses from UJ. I don't want him to get sick with this so I will stay away from him. (*too bad for him! ;o) heehee

Anyway I am feeling glassy eyed now so I will go dose up with Tylenol and go lie down some more.

Stop the madness!

I have to put my two cents worth in on this subject: Britney Spears.

I haven't really kept up with her since the office's subscription to People Magazine expired some time back. I hear little bits and pieces on what little news I watch and see her face on the tabloids while waiting in line at Walmart or the grocery store, so all this may be off the mark, but it is after all MY opinion. :o)

I really feel sorry for this young woman. Her life is splattered all over every entertainment magazine for the whole world to inspect and critique.

Yes she has made some terrible judgements and has outlandish behaviour, but WHY ARE WE PAYING MONEY TO SEE IT? That is what I don't understand. Let the girl to to Starbux for pete's sake! What is the big deal about following her around 24/7?

When will we stop buying these magazines that exploit her silly antics?

When we stop making pictures of her worth thousands of dollars, maybe she can settle down and get the help she desperately needs!

She is on a dangerous road here and I really do fear for her life. She may bring some of this on herself for all I know, but the photographers that are swarming her car and following her all over creation are creating a dangerous situation. Soon I fear that her name will be said in the same sentence as Princess Di's for the same reason. We hounded her to death. Why?Because we are revelling in someone else's pain and misery. It is just shameful.

Shame on us.

One is NOT the Lonliest Number

Our Sunday School teacher gave us this list some time ago. She has taught us that numbers and names mean a lot in the Bible. Today I want to share the number list with you.

Let me preface this by saying I don't know where the list came from, but in our studies so far, I have found it to be spot on.

one- unity

two- union, division, witnessing

three- resurrection divine completeness and perfection

four- creation world

five- grace or God's goodness

six- weakness of man, evils of Satan, manifestation of sin

seven- completeness, spiritual, perfection

eight- new birth, new creation or new beginning

nine- fruit of Spirit, divine completeness from the Lord

ten- testimony, law and responsibility

eleven- judgment and disorder

twelve- governmental perfection

thirteen- depravity and rebellion

fourteen- deliverance or salvation

fifteen- rest

sixteen- love

seventeen- victory

eighteen- bondage

nineteen- faith

twenty- redemption

twenty one- exceeding sinfulness of sin

twenty two- light

twenty three- death

twenty four- the priesthood

twenty five- the forgiveness of sin

twenty six- he gospel of christ

twenty seven- preaching of the gospel

twenty eight- eternal live

twenty nine- departure

thirty- the blood of Christ, dedication

thirty one- offspring

thirty two- covenant

thirty three- promise

thirty four- naming of a son

thirty five- hope

thirty six- enemy

thirty seven- the Word of God

thirty eight- slavery

thirty nine- disease

forty- trials, probaiton and testing

forty two- Israels oppression and the Lord's Advent

forty five- preservation

fifty- Holy Spirit

sixty- pride

sixty six- idol worship

seventy- universality, Israel and her restoration

one hundred- God's election of Grace, children of promise

one hundred nineteen- resurrection day, Lord's Day

one hundred twenty- divine period of probation

one hundred forty four- the Spirit guided life

one hundred fifty three- fruit bearing

two hundred- insufficiency

six hundred- warfare

six hundred sixty six- number of the beast or anti christ

eight hundred eighty eight- the first resurrection

one thousand- divine completeness and the glory

Here are two easy illustrations: David slew Goliath with 5 smooth stones.

5= God's goodess and grace. The world was created in 7 days by God. 7= completeness and spiritual perfection.

The next time you are involved in a Bible study or sermon, remember these and prove them. I would love to hear of your illustrations!

Isn't It Great?

I was in Walmart today to buy a birthday gift for a little girl down the street. We have gotten into the habit of entering through the garden area of the store. It seems we can find a better parking spot, the line to enter the store is usually not very congested and we can usually get out fairly quickly.

Today was not a getting out quickly kind of day. It seems everyone had the same idea I had and there were several people in line ahead of us and apparently there we were there during lunch because there was only one checker for a while.

So as I waited in line I was looking around at all the couples. I was amazed that there is someone for everyone. The older lady that I observed coming in was a little vertically challenged and seemed to have some deficiencies in the make-up skills department. (either that or she was a former circus clown.) She had her husband following her close behind. He apparently liked the way she looked. The red-neck gals I see coming to Walmart in their pajamas and slippers....they have someone whose boat they float. The tomboyish girls who love to play sports...they have someone who appreciates that. The brainy girls catch the brainy guys. You get my drift.....

Somewhere out there is your mate. Someone whose boat you will float, whose fancy you will tickle. Someone who will love you for just who you are. Someone who will think of you first thing in the morning and the last thing before they go to sleep. If you have that mate already go give them a squeeze and a take-my-breath-away-kiss and just walk away, leaving them wondering what has gotten into you. If you are still waiting for that mate, then get to Walmart! You never know who you are going to run into there, literally and figuratively!

Ain't love grand??

Akanbou

Hmmmm what does that mean you ask??

Go find out and get back to me.

The Hands I Miss

This photo came in an email from a friend and reminds me of when my Nan passed away in Oct 2005. I was on my way home from the hospital when I got the call that she was fading fast and I had better hurry back. I rushed home to get my family and let Uncle Joe drive me back to say good-bye.

I remember listening to Casting Crowns, Praise you in this Storm and Lifesong up there. I cannot hear those songs today and not think of Nan.

We arrived and when the elevator door opened my dad was there to receive me and give me the news. We were too late. I of couse wanted to see her....and very specifically her hands.

I loved her hands.

They were very gentle and soft. I saw those hands many times play praises at church, make my favorite cookies, try to teach me crochet,and dig in the soil to make a fabulous flower and vegetable garden. (those efforts are still evident in the yard now!)

Those sweet hands made thousands of the most delicious meals for our family and taught me to make chicken and dumplins, our family favorite. (I don't make them as tasty as her, but at least I tried!)

I know thost hands spend thousands of hours folded in prayer interceding for me and my family. I think that is what I remember most. She took us to Sunday School , just around the corner from her house when we were little children. We sat on the "Amen Row" until it was time to go to class. Used to peek at her during prayer and see hands folded at her mouth praying earnestly. She was never distracted and I know that she reached Heaven.

Another thing that is very prominent in my mind is the sweet wedding band that she wore. It was a thin gold band with apple blossoms on it. She had worn it so long that most of the blossoms were worn away. That meant something to me.

I have two precious pictures of my babies grasping her fingers. Fingers that would play with them in the floor just like another little child. She adored all her great grand children. I am so glad they got to know her and will have memories of her.

The hands of a woman are special. I look at my hands and wonder what is in store for them? Hopefully a long full life of them giving loving touches, exacting correction when necessary, making the best oaties ever, tickle scratches, foot rubs, work and lots of hours folded in prayer....and....maybe someday I will look down and see old wrinkled hands and smile.