guess what time it is?

New Year's Resolution time! Are you going to make a resolution or are you making a resolution not to make new year's resolutions? By the way just the word resolution seems to roll off the tongue weird. It is not a word that comes out of the mouth so readily and willing, such as the word chocolate does. See chocolate is a great word! Personal opinion anyways! Happy New Year everyone!

this is what spreading holiday cheer means

ok a stupid thought but I will share......

I have never seen a menorah at the store with a bunch of names on it during Hannukah with what the child/person/family may need or want for that holiday. I am definately all about giving year round and I am not trying to make any behind the scene statements here. Like I said it was a "stupid" thought. See, when I have lack of sleep and many things on my plate my mind wanders. This time when it wandered back it brought this with it. :)

Got to thinking

What woman in her third trimester is going to want to ride a donkey and travel all the way to be counted for tax purposes. Now, if I get some of the history or parts of the story wrong, then you will have to just forgive me. Seriously though think about this situation. Mary had perhaps stirred up conjecture in the village that she was either not faithful to Joseph or had "premarital" sex. I am not sure if the women had to go with the men and be counted, so why not just stay home with family and have the baby in comfort around those that love you. I am thinking that a ride on a donkey was better than the whispers and looks that Mary endured while she did her daily routine. I even think that Joseph was maybe starting to doubt in his thinking. He had to hear the whispers and he may have even started to think that the angel appearring was just a dream. After the long hike to Bethlehem, tired, dirty, hungry, and definately aching, all they wanted to do was get a room and rest. But it was not to be so. I think I would have cried. Finally, when they do settle in to what is a dry cave like structure and give birth to a beautiful baby boy; God removes all the doubt and shepherds show up and say that angels have appeared to them, telling them of the Messiah. WOW! God was in control all along. He knew that all would be ok even if Mary had to make the journey so close to her due date. Even if there was no room at the inn. Even if doubt hung in the air between the couple. In the middle of all this God was at work. He knew the whole time that all was well. We just have to trust and obey. We need to rely on Him and I don't care what day of the year Jesus was born because I rejoice in him always. However,I am going to celebrate Christ at Christmas! We are going to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and I wish everyone a Merry CHRISTmas.

now this is getting into the spirit of home decor for the holidays

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/45390/wizards_of_winter/

holiday eating tips

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet
table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see
carrots, leave immediately.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of
gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out
of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano.
Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to
control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party
is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like
frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position
yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them
again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of
each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one
pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the
mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean,
have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the
party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention.
Reread tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the
corner.

man of the house

MAN OF THE HOUSE
The husband had just finished reading the book, "MAN OF THE HOUSE"
He stormed into the kitchen and walked directly up to his wife.
Pointing a finger in her face, he said, "From now on, I want you to know that I am the man of the house, and my word is law!
I want you to prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I'm finished eating my meal, I expect a scrumptuous dessert afterwards.
Then, after dinner, you are going to draw me my bath so I can relax. And when I'm finished with my bath,guess who is going to dress me and comb my hair?"
His wife replied: "The funeral director would be my guess."

A woman repeated a bit of gossip about a neighbor.Within a few days the whole community knew the story. The person it concerned was deeply hurt and offended. Later the woman responsible for spreading the rumor learned that it was completely untrue. She was very sorry and went to a wise old sage to find out what she could do to repair the damage.

"Go to the highest place in the community," he said, "and drop the feathers of a pillow into the wind." Although surprised by this advice, the woman did what she was told.

The next day the wise man said, "Now go and collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them back to me."

The woman went into the community, but to her dismay, the wind had blown the feathers all away. After searching for hours, she returned with only three in her hand. "You see," said the old sage, "it's easy to drop them, but it's impossible to get them back. So it is with gossip. It doesn't take much to spread a rumor, but once you do, you can never completely undo the wrong."

I got my tickets for a Saturday show, while Kota is at kid's craft day at church! woo hoo! soo excited!

We survived another one whew!

This past weekend was the Christmas dance and yes we survived it, along with many other parents of teens. The thing that made it more interesting this year (or should I say stressful) is that all the kids can drive on their own. In his sophomore year, Nicholas went in a Limo and the freshman year, Vincent, me, and another set of parents drove the kids to dinner and then to the dance. The decisions to make-should we allow them to caravan to Ann Arbor? NO! Should we let him go to Ann Arbor? NO! Should we let him drive the Expedition if he stays in the area???? You won't believe it but YES! He drove himself and his date to dinner in Adrian, then back to the dance, and then took her home. He said he had a great time and they all looked so handsome and beautiful! But so glad it is over.............until prom (just 4 months away!)

CHRISTMAS DANCE

oh my

This morning on the way to work I was flipping radio stations and came across some morning show that was discussing the appropriateness of allowing children to swear/cuss. The look on my face was one of shock and disbelief. What were they thinking. Their reasoning was that words really are not strong and have no depth to them. Besides who said it was wrong to use these words. Society is the one who said they were bad when they really are just empty words voicing anger or hurt. Then some callers called into the show and stated that they allow their child who is eight to swear at home but it is not allowed in public. ok so now eight year olds are able to differeniate what is ok at home and in public, and they are able to control themselves enough not to do this at school. I thougth nothing else could shock me but I admit it this one did.
I believe some soap could do the trick-for the kids and mostly for the parents!

video of the day

check out this website and view their video"Baby got Book"

http://www.whiteboydj.com/babygotbook.html

look beyond the packaging

With Christmas giving around the corner I thought this is great. Especially when we do not get what we want.

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car.

Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.

Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.

Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day.

Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the
Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt 7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?"

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

Author Unknown

ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL AND A DOLLAR BILL

One day, a one dollar bill and a hundred dollar bill got folded together and began talking about their life experiences.

The hundred dollar bill began to brag:

"I've had a great life," he said. "I've been to all the big hotels, Donald Trump himself used me at his casino, I've been in the wallets of Fortune 500 board members, I've flown from one end of the country to the other! I've even been in the wallet of two Presidents of the United States, and once when Princess Diana visited the US, she used me to buy a packet of gum."

In awe, the dollar humbly responded, "Gee, nothing like that has ever happened to me, ...but I have been to church a lot!"
AUTHOR UNKNOWN

quote for the day

Yeah, life throws you curves, but you learned how to swerve.
These Days by Rascal Flatts

May the ugliest dog R.I.P.

Sam the world's ugliest dog has passed away.

I wonder what dog will win next year. And yes this dog is a pure bred of some chinese sort. Would you pet him? He reminds me of that movie gremlins!!!

prayer request

My cousin Hannah is 16 and her best friend died yesterday at a swim practice at school. Her name is Mackenzie and we request peace and strength during this sad time for the family. Thank you for all your prayers.

Howell High Swimmer Dies after Collapsing at Practice
By The Associated Press
November 22, 2005

HOWELL, Mich. - A high school swimmer collapsed at practice and later died, authorities said.

Mackenzie Watts, 15, was taking part in a series of noncompetitive relays that were part of the team's end-of-season practice when she became ill Monday.

An ambulance was called and medical personnel tried to resuscitate her using a defibrillator, but she died later at St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital in Howell, Superintendent Chuck Breiner told the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus.

School officials were unsure what caused the teenager's death or whether she had a pre-existing heart condition like Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer, who collapsed Monday night at Joe Louis Arena but was revived with a defibrillator.

Breiner said Watts, a sophomore, recently had the flu. She had earned her second varsity letter during the swim season.

"She was the hardest-working kid in the pool," said Zachary Kasprzak, her coach on the Howell High School team.

Kasprzak said Watts, who specialized in freestyle distance swimming, was a natural leader who quickly earned respect from the upperclassmen. He was considering her for captain of next year's team, a rare appointment for a junior, he said.

The team was celebrating a winning season with some fun relays when the incident occurred, Kasprzak said.

Fellow sophomore Elia Perry described Watts "as a friend to everybody."

Grief counseling was available at the school's media center.

Howell is located about 60 miles west of Detroit.

God must have a sense of humor!

This is Thanksgiving week. A time to be cooking, preparing for meals, and spending time with the family. However, it is very difficult to be cooking and preparing meals when you have no fridge! I think that God said to himself on Saturday.....hmmmmm... I think Michelle needs some more fun in her life so I am going to allow her fridge/freezer to go out. Yep, that is real fun. Had to throw out all the food cause it must have happened Saturday night and did not find all the ice that was melting coming out of the door ice maker until Sunday on our way to church. Could do nothing then but throw towels down on the floor. Came home at 2 after dropping all the shoe boxes off and ended up throwing 99% of the stuff out. Now I am waiting for the repair guy to come ( more $ spent thanks since it is the holiday gift giving season $) and I pray that he has the part so that I can go and get some groceries and cook and prepare meals, especially since it is Thanksgiving. Oh God I know you are smiling down on me right now teaching me some kind of lesson, but next time could you do it when there is snow on the ground (put my stuff outside) and after the holidays. January would have been perfect!
OH OH a side note-my warranty runs out Dec. 1, 2005 so God must have known what he was doing. Just so happens that I don't think the part we need is under warranty. ;)

does it matter???

This weekend we saw J.K. Rowlings' 4th novel put on the silver screen. I have read all the books thus far and I have to admit I was disappointed in the movie this time around. I am not sure if the director read the book and am surprised Rowling approved the script. Key characters and story lines were eliminated. Not sure what spell they used to do this with but I am disappointed and I am now left wondering how this will affect the next movie, Order of the Phoenix. I do understand that the book was over 700 pages and it would be impossible to fit in a 2 1/2 hour movie. But I wonder if it was more about the almighty $$. Vincent does not read the books so he thought the movie was great. The visual effects I applaud, but I was left wondering about next time. Yes I admit that I will probaby buy the dvd when it comes out. But this is why I always prefer the books. Dakota had just finished this book and was surprised that the movie left out so much. He did add though that the movie was awesome! There was lots of humor in the movie so perhaps the director was trying to show us the characters more? Spoiler warning-there was no Winky, Dobby, Ludo Bagman, Bertha Jorkins, or S.P.E.W. Less classroom time with less magic and a professor choses to throw chalk at a student rahter than pull out his wand. Longbottom did not give the gillyweed to Harry and the Quidditch World Cup was not given a chance at all. Nor did they touch Rita Skeeter being an animagus. What a disappointment! Oh well. I could probably go on much more about nothing, but I will leave it here!

operation christmas child

The spirit of giving.....

What is the deal with Wal-mart????

Okay in the media there has been a lot of mention of Wal-mart lately! Did you know that there is a movie out about Wal-Mart? A movie for good-ness sakes, and they have some showings in the Toledo area for anyone interested or you could buy it on dvd for $12.95. I also understand that you can host a showing in your church, home, or town hall?!?!?!? For those of you who did not know this week is Walmart watch week or something like that!?!?!??! With the movie being the start of changing Americans and the way they shop and think about Wal-Mart. There are even websites about Wal-Mart and their evil ways. I read one email about all the crime, drama, and suspense that goes on in Wal-Mart World. Like that only happens at Wal-Mart? I shop there occassionally, personally I prefer Meijer for their produce dept. (hated it when they were remodeling), but is there something to all this media attention thing with "wally-world" as some like to call it? I am not sure I guess I would have to do some research and I am not sure if I really have the time to do all that! If other people would like to educate me then please feel free to do so. Until then we will have to wait and see what happens at "where the world of low prices get lower"!
http://walmartwatch.com/
http://www.walmartmovie.com/they have a trailer clip of the movie
http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/
a quote from this webpage
Wal-Mart is not just the world's largest retailer. It's the world's largest company--bigger than ExxonMobil, General Motors, and General Electric. The scale can be hard to absorb. Wal-Mart sold $244.5 billion worth of goods last year. It sells in three months what
number-two retailer Home Depot sells in a year. And in its own category of general merchandise and groceries, Wal-Mart no longer has any real rivals. It does more business than Target, Sears, Kmart, J.C. Penney, Safeway, and Kroger combined. "Clearly," says Edward Fox, head of Southern Methodist University's J.C. Penney Center for Retailing Excellence, "Wal-Mart is more powerful than any retailer has ever been." It is, in fact, so big and so furtively powerful as to have become an entirely different order of corporate being.http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html

I love the season!

Today we had our Thanksgiving Luncheon for Thursday school. Such a success. The kids did some songs for the parents and guests. Soooooo cute with their hats and Indian bands with feathers. We had many different kinds of soups, chowders, and chili's. YUMMY! Then we had a pumpkin dessert. I am exhausted and I am sure all the other helpers and teachers are too! Thanks for feeding my hubby by the way, so I did not have to make him lunch when I went home. He helped clean up and got a meal a win-win situation for sure! Can't wait till Sunday for more fellowshipping when we share another Thanksgiving meal together as a church family. :)

Enjoy!

My dad just spent 6 weeks in his home town in Macedonia. When I was looking at the pictures I recalled the bible mentioning Macedonia. I thought it was cool to show some pictures of where people in biblical times may have walked.

the best week ever!

Last week I celebrated my anniversary and it could not have been planned any better. When you want the kids to go away and spend the night somewhere it just does not happen. Both my kids were gone for the day on Saturday, Nicholas to the UofM game and Kota to a cousin's house. Then both kids were asked to stay the night with the people they were with during the day. I surprised my hubby on Friday night (actually Saturday morn 1:30 am) when he got home from work with a special dinner. Then Saturday we spent the day together going to specialty shops around the area and in Ann Arbor. Then to dinner and Coldstone for dessert. Came back to town rented two movies and watched them. On Sunday we went to lunch after church in Dundee and then came home and took a nap :) Then on Monday (in honor of veteran's day Ford gives you a day) my hubby had the day off and it was so nice to have dinner as a family. ahh it is so great to spend time with family. can't wait for the holidays!

accident or intentional only God knows

We need to becareful! Water and electricity don't mix!
WACO, Texas (AP) -- A pastor performing a baptism was electrocuted inside his church Sunday morning when he adjusted a nearby microphone while standing in water, a church employee said.
The Rev. Kyle Lake, 33, was stepping into the baptistery as he reached out for the microphone, which produced an electric shock, said University Baptist Church community pastor Ben Dudley.
Water in a baptistery usually reaches above the waist, said Byron Weathersbee, interim university chaplain at Baylor University.
Lake was pronounced dead at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, nursing supervisor Pat Mahl said. The woman being baptized apparently had not stepped into the water and was not seriously injured.
Pastors at University Baptist Church routinely use a microphone during baptisms, said Jamie Dudley, the wife of Ben Dudley and a business administrator at the church.
"He was grabbing the microphone so everyone could hear," she said. "It's the only way you can be loud enough."
About 800 people attended the morning service, which was larger than normal because it was homecoming weekend at nearby Baylor University, Dudley said.
Lake had been at the church for nine years, the last seven as pastor. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, a 5-year-old daughter and two 3-year-old sons.
At a remembrance attended by about 1,000 people Sunday night at First Baptist Church, Ben Dudley told the UBC congregation that they would move forward as a church.
"I don't know how, when, why, where or what's going to happen, but we will continue as a church in the community because that is what Kyle would have wanted," he said

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND!

This weekend is my anniversary! I have been married 12 years and we have been together 18 years. God really knew what he was doing when he hooked us up together! oh and what a cute ring bearer! I wonder who it could be hee-hee?

veterans day

remember our fallen, our protectors, and our freedom fighters
Romans 13:7
Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

let us honor those who have served and are serving. Thank you!

church bulletin errors

Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services
The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
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The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."
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Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
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Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands.
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The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.
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Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
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Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
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Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
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For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
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Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
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Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.
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The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: "Break Forth Into Joy."
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Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
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A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
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At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
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Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
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Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
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Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
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The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility
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Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
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The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
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This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
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Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
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The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
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Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
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The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
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Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
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The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge-now - Up Yours.

what love means.......

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca- age 8


"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4


Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5


"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6


"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4



"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7


Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8



"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)



"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)


"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7



"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6



"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8


My mommy loves me more than anybody .
You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6




"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5



"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt."
Chris - age 7



"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4



"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren- age 4



"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an image)
Karen - age 7


"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8


And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge.
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
"Nothing, I just helped him cry"

something that is annoying me right NOW!

Why do all former presidents go by "former president __________, and Mr. Bill Clinton is referred by the media and others as President of the United States or President Clinton. It is just annoying to me. Hello people he is no longer president! Yes he should be respected, but let's call him former president or whatever and quit addressing him as PRESIDENT please. Thanks I feel better now!

quote of the day

Each person must live their life as a model for others Rosa Parks, May she rest in peace

trick or treaters?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

quote for the day

Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you are saying." Ralph Waldo Emerson

October has flown by. Can't believe that I blinked and it will be November next week. Tomorrow is Kota's birthday party and it is going to be a costume party. We figured we would get the most wear out of the costumes and not just wear it once for trick or treating. However, I think the party has bitten the parents. We have been decorating fiends. We have 13 tombstones in our yard and we set up tiki torches and tables and got a fog machine. The walls of the garage now look as if they are old, peeling wallpaper with mona lisa aka medusa picture and some other accessories. Kota did not want gross looking food so we are keeping it simple with pizza, finger jello, chips, cake, and ice cream. But we do have a mad scientist lab that has gross stuff in jars. hee hee! He is so excited for Saturday night! It will be fun! hope everyone else has a great weekend too!

Joke of the day!

A married couple in their early 60s were out celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary in a quiet, romantic little restaurant. Suddenly, a tiny yet beautiful fairy appeared on their table and said, "For being such an exemplary married couple and for being faithful to each other for all this time, I will grant you each a wish.""Oh, I want to travel around the world with my darling husband" said the wife. The fairy waved her magic wand and - poof! - two tickets for the QueenMary II luxury liner appeared in her hands. Then it was the husband's turn.He thought for a moment and said: "Well, this is all very romantic, but an opportunity like this will never come again. I'm sorry my love, but my wish is to have a wife 30 years younger than me."The wife, and the fairy, were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a wish...So the fairy waved her magic wand and - poof! - the husband became 92 years old.
hee hee hee!!! :)

15 minutes of fame??????

Nicholas just got his sports illustrated mag in the mail and left it on the kitchen counter. Well I started to flip thru a couple of pages and low and behold their is an article about the Pacer vs. Piston Brawl. (I know it happened a while ago, but it is sports history) Well, for those of you who don't know my hubby and oldest son went to that game. So I started to look at the pic that they had and guess what .....Vincent is in the top right corner of the picture that is in sports illustrated. what a surprise! The above picture is the pic in the mag but they cut out Nicholas. You can find him above in the big afro. Vincent has his face covered cause he was busy snapping pics of the incident. You can see how close they were to all the action. The above pic I found on a website that is cited below. If anyone happens to have the mag I would be interested in having it. Thanks!
http://www2.indystar.com/special/nbabrawl/theincident/

someone had a lot of time on their hands

Gotta try this it's cool....Here is a math puzzler so unbelievable that it will stump you. I would like to know who came up with this! Give it a try.

1. Grab a calculator. (you won't be able to do this one in your head)
2. Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT the area code)
3. Multiply by 80
4. Add 1
5. Multiply by 250
6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number
7. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again
8. Subtract 250
9. Divide number by 2

Do you recognize the answer?

*sigh*

NO TIME FOR BLOGGING FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS! SEE YOU ALL SOON THOUGH! :* (kiss)

poor teens?!?!?!?

I just spent several hours observing teenagers hanging out at our local mall. I came to the conclusion many teenagers in America today are living in poverty. Most young men I observed didn't even own a belt; there was not one among the whole group. But that wasn't the sad part. Many were wearing their daddy's jeans. Some jeans were so big and baggy they hung low on their hips, exposing their underwear. I know some must have been ashamed their daddy was short, because his jeans hardly went below their knees. They weren't even their daddies' good jeans, for most had holes ripped in the knees and a dirty look to them. It grieved me, in a modern, affluent society like America , there are people who can't afford a decent pair of jeans. I was thinking about asking my church to start a jeans drive for "poor kids at the mall." Then on Christmas Eve, I could go Christmas caroling and distribute jeans to these poor teenagers. But here is the saddest part . . . it was the girls they were hanging out with that disturbed me most. I never, in all of my life, seen such poverty-stricken girls. These girls had the opposite problem of the guys. They all had to wear their little sisters clothes. Their jeans were about 5 sizes too small! I don't know how they could put them on, let alone button them up. Their jeans barely went over their hipbones. Most also had on their little sister's top; it hardly covered their midsection. Oh, they were trying to hold their heads up with pride, but it was a sad sight to see these almost grown women wearing children's clothes. However, it was their underwear that bothered me most. They, like the boys, because of the improper fitting of their clothes, had their underwear exposed. I never saw anything like it. It looked like their underwear was only held together by a single piece of string. I know it saddens your heart to receive this report on condition of our American teenagers. While I go to bed every night with a closet full of clothes nearby, there are millions of "mall girls" who barely have enough material to keep it together. I think their "poorness" is why these 2 groups gather at the mall, boys with their short ripped jeans from their daddy, and girls wearing their younger sisters' clothes. The mall is one place where they can find acceptance. So, next time you are at the mall, doing your shopping, and you pass by some of these poor teenagers, would you say a prayer for them? And one more thing . . . Will you pray the guys' pants won't fall down, and girls' strings won't break?
I thank you all,

Grandma

another parental milestone....more like a hurdle or speed bump!

My sweet son of 16 went on his first double date last night! oh the parental unrest I have in cutting the aprons strings a little bit more. I just got used to the idea of him driving and not even a week later we have this. I know I am not the only one dealing with this stuff and I knew it was going to happen. The only difference is when it did happen I wasn't fully ready. Is there any way to be ready for something like this anyways! Well I know he is planning on taking her to the movies next Saturday. Just the two of 'em. Thank goodness he is doing the matinee special (4-6 p.m.) I feel I don't have so much to worry with there being daylight, yeah right! I must give him some credit though in his choice of ladies. His "girlfriend" was on homecoming court this fall, she is adorable/beautiful, she comes from a good family, and most important she goes to church!

baking a cake

A little boy is telling his grandma how "everything" is going wrong. School, family problems, severe health problems that he knows of, etc. Meanwhile, grandma is baking a cake. She asks her grandson if he would like a snack, which of course, he does.
"Here, have some cooking oil."
"Yuck", says the boy.
"How about a couple of raw eggs?"
"Gross, grandma!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe some baking soda?"
"Grandma, all those things are yucky!"
To which grandma replies: "yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! God works the same way. Many times we wonder why he would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and eventually, they will all make something wonderful!"

try it!

www.liquidgeneration.com/sabotage/pumpkin_carve.asp

festival of beards????

quote for the day!

People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care.
- unknown

recouperating!

My house is a mess and we are sooo tired from the whirlwind of activity. I need to be off to finish cleaning my house and finish putting all the party stuff away. This morning we put together a surround sound system with ps2, vcr, dvd and stereo system for Nicholas. It was set up into his room and I know he will be excited when he comes home from football. have a good week all and on to prepare for the next bday party. Kota is having a costume birthday party at the end of the month!

Here is Nicholas at the Michigan game and then later at his bday party with some of his friends. Maybe I will post more pics later :)

*Side note* i am having so much fun with this new computer. I get to down load pics, make videos, slide shows, record movies onto dvd's, and the best is that I can burn a music cd in just 5 minutes or under. Awesome (until I have a glitch) lol!!!!

lil brown jug!!

http://www.gophersports.com/history/mfball/LittleBrownJug.asp?sport_id=mfball

Nicholas and Vincent went to the Michigan game today. It was a birthday present to Nicholas. His tia (aunt) Sally bought his ticket and we just bought Vincent's. What a surprise when last night after Tecumseh won their homecoming to present Nicholas with tickets to UofM's homecoming for today! He was stoked to say the least. Then tonite when he comes home he has his 16th bday party with friends and family!
Yesterday, Vincent went and took him to the sec of state's office and got him his license. Then Vincent had Nicholas drop him off and he (Nicholas) drove to school. The life of a parent is a nail biter for sure. Nicholas then came home after school with a friend and then went to subway. (I did not have to take him or drop off football equipment-amazing) Then off to the game. After the game there was a dance and Nicholas called (with his bday present-a cell phone) and asked if he and friends could go to big boy's. We said yes so he drove there and then home around 12:30. I think I have now been officially entered into parenthood of a teenage boy! Not looking forward to all the gray hair that will come with it! ;)

HAPPY 16TH BIRTHDAY NICHOLAS!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!

tres amigos-feliz complianos!!!

This lovely trio all have October birthdays in the same week. Which is this week! Amazing!!!
TODAY IS ALI'S BIRTHDAY! EVERYONE NEEDS TO GO TO HER BLOG ( you can find it on the links on the side- Ali de Espana) and wish her a happy birthday from the USA!
aLi- happy birthday and it is awesome that you and Kota can share some birthday hours because of the time difference. May you have a special 20th bday and God bless you with many more!
Hey and guess what? Today is Sally's bday too!!! Another amazzzzzing person. Did you know she is 29 and holding!!!! LOL LOL
October is the best month! MUAAAAAAAAAAAK :*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

THIS WAS YOU 10 YEARS AGO AND THIS IS YOU TODAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

did you know?

I married my high school sweet heart.
Have been married almost 12 years, together 17.
He is my soul mate.
Don't ya just love the pic of him from the 80's!!!!
My favorite color is orange.
My favorite food is whatever I don't cook-seriously!
My favorite flower is yellow rose with pink edges.
My favorite season is fall.
My favorite holiday is Halloween a close 2nd is Christmas.
My dream is to travel the world.
My favorite shows are Survivor, CSI and Amazing Race!
I prefer a book to a movie.
My favorite books to read are drama/mystery.
Favorite drink is tea hot or iced!
I took french in high school and it did me no good cause my inlaws speak spanish?!?!?!?!?
I used to work in the pediatric dental field.
I have attended Washtenaw Community and U of M! (maybe i'll finish)
I attend the church of Christ (for the past 16 years)
I love my boys!!! ...................

he did it -he did it!

Well the most nerve racking thing I have ever done so far is over. Nicholas taking a road test and me sitting in the back seat and not able to say a word was THE WORST! When we were done and the instructor mentioned where he picked up a couple of points he then says congrats you pass. As soon as he said that, I was able to move and breathe in the back seat. Imagine an hour of not moving, breathing, or saying Nicholas you needed to ........... or Nicholas what is the speed limit here? The instructor said, "it wasn't bad at all, was it?" All I could do was take my hands and wipe my sweaty palms on the back on Nicholas' head rest and tell him thank you. The instructor actually chuckled when I did that. My word was it stressful. I even asked him if he had either a good blood pressure reading or if he was on meds? I had an instant headache and I think Nicholas is a good driver! Imagine if he wasn't. Just glad it is done, that all of my prayers were answered and that a hedge of protection surrounds Nicholas' car daily. Next step official license when he turns 16!!!!!

TGIF

It is football friday (tecumseh plays tonite).......then it is football (that is what the europeans call soccer) for Kota saturday morning, then it will be football (mi vs. state) saturday afternoon and then it will be girls powder puff football saturday evening (Nicholas is a coach). Then guess what??????? ............................ There is BOXING on Saturday NIGHT! whew thank goodness. Not sure if I could have taken any more football in those 24 hours! ;)

I am sick. I have been fighting a funk for the past week and it has finally struck full force. However there is no slowing down. The kids and schedule cannot stop. I hope that I will recoup quickly! Off to have a cup of tea. Yummmmmmm!

road test----watch out!

This weekend Nicholas will be taking his road test for his driver's license. I pray he passes for a couple of reasons, 1. I don't want to schedule another one, 2. I don't want to have to pay for each one ($45) and 3. I don't need more gray hair! I cannot believe that next Friday he will be 16 years old. amazing. He is having a sixteenth birthday party with all his friends and family next Saturday. His actual birthday is homecoming and I hope they win!!! God Bless you Nicholas!

movies I have to see this fall/winter

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Narnia-the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

I do watch movies but I do not go to the movie theater a lot. These are definate going to the movie theater movies.
Usually I wait for movies to go out on dvd and then rent them. I am such a cheapskate :)

LOST???

I watch the tv show lost on Wednesday nights. And I love it! The suspense and the drama and the mystery. watched it since last season. And I know of a couple of other people who if they did not watch it last time are "highly addicted" to it this time. Why are we so able and willing to set out time each week for a tv show about lost people and we are not willing to go out and spend an hour of our time witnessing to those that are really lost! hmmm not sure if it is our comfort zone, our sphere of people around us (they all already go to church), or laziness! I don't care what church they go to as long as they have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior! I want them to have the same peace that I have, even when there is pressing times in my life. Well I must be off to go and help save some lost.

IF NOTHING EVER CHANGED, THERE WOULD BE NO BUTTERFLIES!

In your times of deep despair,Do you feel there is no hope?
As the darkness closes in on you,Do you feel you cannot cope?
As you struggle on through every trial,Do you say "When will it end"?
As you cry yourself to sleep at night,Do you wish you had a friend?
When your body's racked with aches and pains,Do you feel you are alone?
When you think about the future,Do you fear the great unknown?
There is someone who really cares,And He hears your every cry.
His arms are reaching out to you,And on Him you can rely.
When things close in around you,He sees your fear and doubt -
He wants to hold you in His arms,And He will never cast you out.
As you stumble through the darkness,He will be your guiding light.
He wants to wipe away your tears,For you are precious in His sight.
Reach out right now to Jesus,And let Him take complete control -
He'll take that heavy burden,And He'll touch and make you whole.
He's reaching out His arms to you,And He wants to be your friend.
Let Him take you in His loving arms,For His love will never end.

How can I still be at peace?

Today I received news that could have taken the wind out of my sails, but it didn't. I think the enemy is gearing up for another attack on our home front. Lots of news that haven't been so positive have reached our home lately and yet we have not let it take away our joy or our focus. It is amazing when I think about it, but then I think that I should not be amazed. God is awesome and he takes care of all our needs. That is what he is doing now. He has given us peace, joy, ability of discernment, and words to encounter the situations we need to! If it weren't for him we would be a mess.

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave.
Psalm 16:7-10

you know you are a mom when.....

1. Your feet stick to the kitchen floor.....and you don't care.
2. When the kids are fighting, you threaten to lock them in a room together and not let them out until someone's bleeding.
3. You can't find your cordless phone, so you ask a friend to call you,and you run around the house madly, following the sound until you locate the phone downstairs in the laundry basket.
4. You spend an entire week wearing sweats.
5. Your idea of a good day is making it through without a child leaking bodily fluids on you.
6. Popsicle’s become a food staple.
7. Your favorite television show is a cartoon.
8. Peanut butter and jelly is eaten at least in one meal a day.
9. You're willing to kiss your child's boo-boo, regardless of where it is.
10. Your baby's pacifier falls on the floor and you give it back to her, after you suck the dirt off of it because your too busy to wash it off.
11. Your kids make jokes about farting, burping, pooping, ect. and you think it's funny.
12. You're so desperate for adult conversation that you spill your guts to the telemarketer that calls and HE hangs up on YOU!
13. Spit is your number one cleaning agent.
14. You're up each night until 10 PM vacuuming, dusting, wiping, washing, drying, loading, unloading, shopping, cooking, driving, flushing, ironing, sweeping, picking up, changing sheets, changing diapers, bathing, helping with homework, paying bills, budgeting, clipping coupons, folding clothes, putting to bed, dragging out of bed, brushing, chasing, buckling, feeding (them, not you), PLUS swinging, playing baseball, bike riding, pushing trucks, cuddling dolls, roller blading, basketball, football, catch, bubbles, sprinklers, slides, nature walks, coloring, crafts, jumping rope, PLUS raking, trimming, planting, edging, mowing, gardening, painting, and walking the dog. You get up at 5:30 AM and you have no time to eat, sleep, drink or go to the bathroom, and yet...you still managed to gain 10 pounds.
15. In your bathroom there is toothpaste on the light fixtures, water all over the floor, a dog drinking out of the toilet and body hair forming a union to protest unsafe working conditions.
16. You buy cereal with marshmallows in it.
17. The closest you get to gourmet cooking is making rice crispies bars.

WOO HOO ANOTHER EXCITING THING ABOUT FALL!!

GUESS WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME TONITE!

you guessed it! at 8 o'clock i will be watching the new survivor series.

other shows i am waiting for this fall: CSI (the regular Las Vegas), Amazing Race, and Law and Order ( I like any of those but prefer the original and SVU)

highlights of my week-just for the past 2 days!

1. Spent an hour and a half on the phone with computer people to answer a simple question about my virus protection and my computer.
2. I really don't like voice activated phone answering systems. Got two of them yesterday. Took 10 minutes for them to figure out I just wanted to talk to a LIVE-REAL person.
3. Laundry. Dishes............ Let's just say house work and still we are not done.
4. Homework.
5. Got groceries and I spent 30 minutes in line just to check out.
6. Partylite meeting. (did dinner with that as a bonus)
7. Took my dad to the airport.
8. Got Gas! found it in Saline yesterday for $2.77 but then today in Adrian I got it for $2.70. $30 bucks at each stop and still not full.
9. Took back auto parts to auto zone.
10. went to Schneider's junk yard and got a hood latch for nicholas' car. (anyone ever go there it was kind of different I have never been to a junk yard before.)
11. stop at spotted cow and got 2 footlong chili cheese coney dogs for lunch. (one for me and one for hubby)
12. typed up meeting minutes.
13. preparing for Thursday school and sunday bible class. (still not done on both)
14. watered plants outside.
15. took trash to curb and recycles.
16. set Kota up with a wallet and school id and money (he says he feels older now)
17. paid some bills

So why is it that I feel I have not done anything in the past 2 days!

its a hot one!

It is hot today and not sure if this is a start to an Indian Summer or not. But I love fall. I love the colors, cider, halloween, the crunching sound of leaves, and tired sore arms from all the raking. HEE HEE! I am anxious for fall. Football, harvest time, cooler evenings, pumpkins, and bon fires. Both my kids have their bdays in the fall and we love the time of the year. I am looking forward to homecoming too. Well as my temp today say 91 F, I will have to wait till tonite for cooler weather.
oh and prayer request. my dad is going back to europe for about 6 weeks, so pray for safe journey and everything is well. thanks

what a deal!

the boys' new phones
my new phone
I am all about getting a deal! We were getting Nicholas a cell phone for his 16th birthday, and since I got a coupon for him in the mail that ended soon, we went ahead and got it now. I did as much research as possible about phones and the plans to go with them so we would not get talked into anything when we went to the store. I ended up upgrading my phone to this sweet little number. a slider.

They bought my old phone back from me, plus I got $150 rebate, so it only cost me $20. It is a camera phone like my other one but it zooms. So cool. also I did not want the flip phone anymore, personal preference and I just did not like it.
Then Vincent ended upgrading his to a new flip phone and we got Nicholas the same one. Kind of like a buy one get one free and those were cheap too cause we got rebates. Then I had a coupon for waiving activation fee for Nicholas' line, coupon for free 100 text messages each month for 2 years, 5% discount on bill for renewing contract,and the new plan is more minutes and is gonna be cheaper than our old plan cause Vincent works at Ford. Discount on our bill again of 23 % (not sure why it is that odd amount-but who cares) each MONTH just for being a Ford employee! That rocks! I did not know that so anyone else out there might want to look into employee discounts.
I love sprint!

A child's ten comandments

1. My hands are small. Please don't expect perfection whenever I make a bed, draw a picture or throw a ball. My legs are short. Please slow down so that I can keep up with you.

2. My eyes have not seen the world as yours have. Please let me explore safely. Don't restrict me unnecessarily.

3. Housework will always be there. I'm only little for such a short time. Please take time to explain things to me about this wonderful world, and do so willingly.

4. My feelings are tender. Please be sensitive to my needs. Don't nag me all day long. (You wouldn't want to be nagged for your inquisitiveness.) Treat me as you would like to be treated.

5. I am a special gift from God. Please treasure me, holding me accountable for my actions, giving me guidelines to live by and disciplining me in a loving manner.

6. I need your encouragement and your praise to grow. Please go easy on the criticism. Remember, you can criticize the things I do without criticizing me.

7. Please give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself. Permit me to fail so that I can learn from my mistakes. Then someday, I'll be prepared to make the kind of decisions life requires of me.

8. Please don't do things over for me. Somehow that makes me feel that my efforts didn't quite measure up to your expectations. I know it's hard, but please don't try to compare me with my brother or my sister.

9. Please don't be afraid to leave for a weekend together. Kids need vacations from parents, just as parents need vacations from kids. Besides, it's a great way to show us kids that your marriage is very special.

10. Please take me to worship regularly, setting a good example for me to follow.

Jesus loves the little children...........

Hmmmm for the football season?????

http://gprime.net/video.php/blowdarts

it is official!

I am now officially 35 years old and as of midnight tonite my birthday weekend will be over!! It was great and thanks to everyone in my family for making it special. :*mmmmmmmuuuuaaaaaaaakkkkk!

UPDATE ON MY GUY!

Yes it was a somber night as the Indians got the tar beat out of them. Score 33 to zippo! Anyways-for those of you who saw my son get laid out, here is his update. He has a stinger.

Definition: A burner, also called a stinger, is a common injury in contact sports, especially football. The exact mechanism of the injury is not well understood, but a burner is thought to be due to either stretch or compression, or a combination of both, of the brachial plexus. The brachial plexus is a network of nerves that has just exited the spinal cord. These nerves travel across the shoulder and into the arm. Symptoms of a burner are sudden pain and tingling extending from the neck and down the arm into the fingers. Most often burners are transient injuries, but they can be serious if they are persistent or recurrent. If a player has recurrent burners, he or she should be removed from competition until evaluated by a physician.

At least the tingling sensation in his arm has finally faded and he now is just very stiff. Him and I admit that the guy laid him out very nicely. It was a nicely executed hit. Nicholas was very mad that he could not play very much since he had another neck injury on Wednesday. Then when he got the injury right before half time he only went back in once more and that was painful for him. Better luck next time, there is a lot of ball left in the season. Thanks for all the inquiries, all that I ask is that everyone prays for no injuries this football season for all the players. I have already had one trip to the ER and I don't want to go again.

Oh and did you guys know that two former UofM football players were at the game last night. They talked to the team a bit before the game. Nicholas worked with one of them and his uncle that works at the University asked him to come for the guys. Pretty cool, huh.
GO BLUE today!!

it's that time of the year!

It is my birthday weekend. That's right you heard me right, I did say weekend and not just day. I guess i should just switch it to birthend. LOL. It is kind of funny since Vincent and I have been together and my Birthday lands on Labor Day weekend, I always tell him that it is my birthday weekend. So starting tomorrow morning I (we) are celebrating. Seriously though, my bday is on the fifth and I will then officially turn 35! The only sad thing about that is then I won't be able to tease my sis any more cause we won't be the same age. ( we are 11 months apart)! Ok well it is after midnight so I am off to start celebrating. :)

right or wrong?

How do we know if we are making the right or wrong choice/decision? Sometimes it is hard for me. Yes there are times when I pray about a decision and then there are times when I have no time I just got to make the decision spur of the moment. This past week there has been a lot of decision making and it is soooo hard. For example, I was informed by my son that he is not a little kid any more and that he is practically an adult and he wanted to do something that so far, the house rules don't allow. Our instant decision was to follow the house rules but after thought and remembering when we were that age we actually sat down and discussed this house rule and changed it for Nicholas. He is going to be sixteen and some rules do need to be adjusted but man it is sure hard. I guess good open lines of communication is the way. We told him that if we say no and he can actually present a reason why it should be changed that we would take into account his reasons. But not any pouting or attitude, especially if the answer is still no. His car will be going on the road starting this weekend so watch out everyone LOL! And for all us parents out there let's stick together and help one another out. If you see my kid doing something he probably should not be doing, tell him and/or inform us. Have a great labor day weekend! I know I will! It is my bday WEEKEND! That's right since my bday is sept 5th, I choose to celebrate all weekend. LOL LOL! Why else do we have it off! Ciao!

price of gas?

Seriously though, has the price of gas changed any part of your routine or how you manage your pocket book. I definately don't like the price, it is costing me a fortune for the Expedition and we now have three vehicles.....but we are still cheaper than most countries. Got to always try to find the positive side. Besides when the gas comes down in a little bit to let's say........$2.89 then we will be all saying yeah that is more like it. That price is better than what we are paying now.

This is my varsity football player (aka "hairball" for the moment.) If you can check him and the other Indians out this Friday against Adrian. It will be an awesome game since about 7,000 are expected in attendance. It is "the" game since the Maples are our rivals. Go Indians!

I wish you all enough!

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

BUSY!!!!

Golly jeepers.....who would have thunk that one could get so busy. Haven't been on the web now for at least 4 days!
updates for the past week!
took the last of Vincent's relatives back to Texas, school has started, all school supplies are bought, new shoes on the kid's feet, getting ready for Thursday School underway, football started, soccer started, Happy Birthday to my sister and brother. We all celebrated this past weekend, and she is the same age as me until I have my bday in sept. too cool. Watched the season finale of the 4400 and the dead zone. Laundry done, dishes done, house clean, homework done, all that is left is for me to get my groceries. New preacher came to try out, Get together at Callis Acres. Football game and tail gate party. Whew all in 4 days! I am sure the rest of the week will be more of the same. ciao!

FYI

This friday! Tomorrow-is THS's first football game at 7 p.m. here at home. Come on out and root for the Indians. We play Airport and may there be no injuries and all goes well. Congrats to Bronson for being chosen as a Captain! It is going to be parents night which will be cool cause Vincent and I get to walk down onto the field with our son. (Well that is the way they have done it in the past anyways). Then they announce the parents and the players. woo-hoo! Go Indians!

the madness continues........

We have .net, .com, .org, and what ever else. Now we are going to have .xxx! What is this you might ask. It is a pornographic domain for the internet. This is a move to help make the internet a more family friendly environment. I do use parental filters and my computer is in a room that has a lot of parental traffic so that I can control what the computer is being used for. We can and should do something about this. Go to this website and state that you don't want this to occur on our internet. We all need to take a stand and do what is right!

http://www.afa.net/activism/IssueDetail.asp?id=175

gracias!!!

Thank you to all that have sent condolences to the Gonzales family. Please continue to pray for all of them. Many thanks to those who came and stopped in at the funeral home, it was great to see you all even though it was an event such as this. We all have peace in knowing that she has been reunited with her husband and together they are with Jesus! Thanks again and let us all continue to let our lights shine so that others may know this peace and they may be able to go to heaven too.

hmmmm???

I was looking around for entertainment for Nicholas' 16th bday and came across this guy. I wonder if I should hire him.
http://gprime.net/video.php/entertainingmidget
or if I should get this girl.
http://gprime.net/video.php/headgirl

a mom's life part III

http://gprime.net/video.php/dontspendyourlife

Will or Bill?

Why is it if your name is William you then become Bill? Embarassing but true I thought if your name was Bill then your full name was Billiam. I learned when I was a senior in high school that was not the case. I had a friend named Bill and when they called him up for his diploma at graduation they said William *******. My mouth was like what the ....? I thought his name was Bill. That is what I told the gal next to me. Thankfully she was a friend and explained and we had a silly laugh. I just thought it was common sense.
William = Will
Billiam = Bill
that's it and that makes sense!

Music in the park

It is so cool to live where I do. Right downtown, I can walk to whatever, the post office, bank, bakery, church, the football games, baseball games, parades, the park, any restaurant on the boulevard, and the best part is on thursdays (third one of each summer month) I get live music in my backyard. That is because Adams Park is right behind my house. You know the one with the fountain at city hall! Now that softball is done I can sit with a lemonade or ice tea and listen to the sounds of music. It is so great and I love it! Tonite is good ol' rock 'n roll. :)

She is now "Dancing with the Angels"

In Memory of Vincent's aunt Ida Gonzales-
We are all saddened to hear of her passing. August 17,2005-Amen

Dancing With The Angels-Monk and Neagle

Memories surround me
But sadness has found me
I’d do anything for more time
Never before has someone meant more
And I can’t get you out of my mind
There is so much that I don’t understand
But I know

Chorus:
You’re dancing with the angels
Walking in new life
You’re dancing with the angels
Heaven fills your eyes

Now that you’re dancing with the angels

You had love for your family
Love for all people
Love for the Father, and Son
Your heart will be heard
In you unspoken words
Through generations to come
There is so much that I don’t understand
But I know

Chorus

Bridge:
We’re only here for such a short time
So I’m gonna stand up
Shout out
And sing Hallelujah
One day I’ll see you again

got me thinking?

Vincent is doing a lesson on persecution and it got me thinking. Is being persescuted a bad thing if we live here in the states? I really don't think so. So what if someone calls me a Jesus freak, or a bible thumper. I have even been called brain washed before. Would I rather have a "good" life of the American dream where I spend all my time at a job and not with my family. Would I rather spend on all my pleasures on the big adult toys (not saying that those things are bad-Vincent loves four wheelers and his SUV)and miss out on the first step, the first word, their first school crush, their first everything! The results of having the good life of an American dream is STRESS, WORRY, A VOID, EMPTINESS. But what about an abundant life as the bible talks about? What does it cost me? My time, my heart, my love, my obedience, my money, my wordly reputation, my life (perhaps if I lived else where, physically too). I have to spend my time and money anyways so don't you think I would rather spend it for an abundant life. It will give an excellent exchange. It does give an excellent exchange. I will and do get peace, joy, and an eternal life in a mansion where my kids can play football in the living room. That is the perfect life and I am blessed!

thee inspirational song for me today-an oldie but a goodie!

HOLD ME JESUS- RICH MULLINS

Well, sometimes my life just don't make sense at all
When the mountains look so big
And my faith just seems so small

So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace

And I wake up in the night and feel the dark
It's so hot inside my soul
I swear there must be blisters on my heart

So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace

Surrender don't come natural to me
I'd rather fight You for something I don't really want
Than to take what You give that I need
And I've beat my head against so many walls
Now I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees

And this Salvation Army band is playing this hymn
And Your grace rings out so deep
It makes my resistance seem so thin

I'm singing hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace

You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace

why did I have to mention free time in an earlier blog???

I guess it was cause that was going to be my only free time for a couple of days. Busy is the word for the past couple of days. Last Friday we spent our afternoon in the ER with a football injury (what else). Saturday was driver's ed for my injured guy in Ann Arbor then some grocery shopping. Sunday was back for more driver's ed. Then cleaned house, church, and dinner with friends (that was free time). Today was the circus with Kota and a friend. Which was cool!

can't wait for this movie!!

Lord of the Beans coming this fall-- I am excited it sounds like a good one!!
Next VeggieTales episode is an epic tale.....

There's one bean to rule them all in the next all-new VeggieTales adventure, coming October 29 to Christian stores on DVD and video (November 1 everywhere)! Lord of the Beans tells a VeggieTales story like no other.

The story follows the fantastic journey of a wide-eyed Flobbit named Toto Baggypants (Junior Asparagus), who inherits a bean with amazing powers from his Uncle Billboy (Archibald Asparagus). Young Toto learns that he has been given an extraordinary gift -- but what is it for?

From the Mountains of Much Snowia to the Razzberry Forest, through the Blue Gate and to the Land of Woe, Lord of the Beans teaches kids a memorable lesson about using the gifts God has given them.

The new show also features Wynonna singing an original song, "It's About Love." And in a bout of complete silliness, Larry the Cucumber -- dressed up like Elvis -- sings a special edition of "Silly Songs with Elves!"

free time

Now that the kids are older it is easier to have a little bit of free time. Lots of it is done in the car since I taxi them and their friends a lot. Today though I am meeting a childhood friend for lunch. When I think about it I am amazed. We have been friends for 29 years. Yikes and WOW! I was in her wedding and she was in mine. Pretty cool. Well off to lunch!!! Food and good company, what more can a gal ask for.

what is this new technology?

It is the jerk-o-meter. That's right boys and girls new technology, new software to help us be more socially aware. It will analyze speech patterns and voice tones on a scale. If you are not paying attention when talking on the phone, a message pops up that says "don't be a jerk" or "be a little nicer". Now if you score higher on the scale your message might say "wow, you are a smooth talker". Telemarketers are interested in the jerk-o-meter and others say that maybe it will help them in their relationships. It could alieviate arguments by making people more attentive since they are being monitored.

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20050811/D8BTP3NG0.html

IF I KNEW

If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say "I love you,"
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.

There will always be another day
to say "I love you,"
And certainly there's another chance
to say our "Anything I can do?"

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you'll surely regret the day,

That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear

Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.

a mom's life part 2

stop it or I am going to take you home right now.
That's it! We are going home.
Give me a kiss.
I need a hug
Make your bed.
Clean your room.
Set the table.
I need you to set the table!!!
Don't tell me it is not your turn.
please move your chair in to the table.
Sit up.
just try a little. You don't have to eat it all.
Stop playing and eat.
Would you watch what you are doing?
Move your glass. It is too close to the edge.
Watch it!
More, what?
More, please. That's better.
Just eat one more bite.
You don't always get what you want. That's life.
Don't argue with me. I am not discussing this anymore.
Go to your room!
No, ten minutes are up! (for the game systems I say this alot)
One more minute! (to be in the car for church)
how many times have I told you, don't do that?
Where did the cookies go?
Is your homework done?
Stop yelling. If you want to ask me something, come here.
STOP YELLING. IF YOU WANT TO ASK ME SOMETHING, COME AND ASK ME.
I will think about it.
Not now.
Ask your father.
We'll see.
Don't sit so close to the television, it's bad for your eyes.
Calm down.
Calm down and start over.
Is that the truth?
Fasten your seat belt.
Did everyone fasten your their seat belts?
I'm sorry, that's the rule. I'm sorry that's the rule. I'm sorry that's the rule.

*sigh*

It is over, it is done, and it was bittersweet. Softball is done for this year. I love softball and watching everyone. I love yacking with the gallery of people in the "stands". I will miss it all. Not only that, but I do not get to see many people now, that I used to see on Sunday mornings. Because of softball I was able to see them 3 times this past summer. I know we will schedule time for each other in our busy lives but I still miss everyone. Everyone did an awesome job and it was definately great fellowship! Congrats to St. E's for taking first. After the game everyone went to Basil Boy's and continued in that great fellowship. What was funny is that we then moved it to Family Frosty after that. Perfect way to cool down from a long hot day! Til next softball season........

first time with my guy.....

well, we are up and running with our newest family member. Yes, our newest family member is going to be a guy. I am the only gal in the house now as it is so why should that change. We had a little bit of a struggle trying to name him but we did it none the less. It took me less than an hour to get everything hooked up including the cable tv. Not bad for a girl I say. Imagine my surprise when a screen popped up asking me for a name for my computer. I was serious about naming him, but I did not think I was going to be pressured into it by my computer. Anyways, Kota was with me and I showed him that the computer really wanted a name. We tossed a few around and both came to the same conclusion of what he his name should be. (It is definately not a metrosexual name but I think Dell could be LOL)
ARE YOU READY?
LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE FAMILY....

GONZO