How Green Is My Pasture - Tips, Tricks and Helpful Hints Learned from Life

Bible - Story of Isaac and Rebekah

2011-02-27T13:11:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking about some things all morning. It involves the story of Isaac and Rebekah and sons. For years I have wondered why Rebekah knew by God's direction when she was pregnant with Jacob and Esau what there destinies would be and why Isaac was not agreed with her. Is it possible that she either did not share this information for one reason or another or that she did share the information and Isaac chose to ignore it.

I find it interesting that you see no account of Isaac praying for the mate that should be his. You do, however, see the servant who was to come home with Isaac's mate praying for God's direction in the matter. There are accounts of Isaac praying to God but it seems that there is nothing recorded about questions about his wife and his children. Could this have been the disconnect that caused all the problems both for Rebekah and for the children.

Just wondering????

Is this an example of what happens to a marriage where both man and woman are not praying about the marriage or praying together concerning the marriage?

Where Do I Find God?

2011-01-18T09:56:00.000-05:00

This morning a question was posed on MyLot.com, a blog site that I like to participate in. It was "Where Do You Find God or Do You?" The following was my reply:

I find God in the quiet times as I have time to reflect and think.
I find God when I read the Bible for myself and ask Him what it means.
I find God when I speak the Words of the Bible over myself, especially the things that I know I cannot do of my own accord like control my mouth.
I find God when I see nature and all that has been created.
I find God when I ask for help even in the simplest of things like what color to paint a wall in my house. As I praise Him for being the Architect of the Universe and the Artist of nature, He comes up along side of me and points me to even a simple paint color.
I find God when I struggle at my job and cannot find an answer. If I get quiet and ask Him for help, the help comes but many times I do not recognize it then. Sometimes it takes me years to recognize that the answer came and was a perfect answer.
I find God in my weaknesses, like when I struggled with dyslexia for 50 years. It turned out that as I prayed for help, God gave me the help I needed even though I did not know I was dyslexic. I found later that what God had taught me day by day was actually written in a book of how to teach dyslexic students many many years later. His answers did not stop there as He led me to a doctor who worked with my eye muscles (vision therapy) and I no longer suffer from dyslexia.
I find God when my heart sings for joy or cries in pain. His joy and His comfort have encompassed me many times. At one point in my life when filled with grief, His love so overpowered me that I cannot explain the beauty of it in human words.
I find God when I take my eyes off the turmoil around me and fix my heart on Him and His goodness.
I find God as I reflect on all that Jesus did for me on the cross and the sacrifice He and God the Father made just for me.
I find God as he provides for me everyday (many times I have to ask Him to point that out to me because I am too blind to see that on my own).
I find God as he directs me to those who should be in my life. I do not have to "save" them, I only have to love them and that is work enough in itself.
I find God when I ask Him to help me to see someone through His eyes and not through my own. Over a period of time I find that my heart is much more tolerant of even the most unlovely person, a person that would usually drive me right up the wall.
I find God when I ask Him to guide me to the Church I should be in. He did that on two separate occasions and now He has guided me to be at home for this season.
I find God when I pray for someone who has hurt me for God to bless them and He does.

No matter where I am, if I am willing, God is there with me but I usually have to ask Him to make that clear to me because I have a hard time knowing that without His help.

UNITED STATES SENATE BILL S510 - What can we do...

2010-11-22T17:12:00.000-05:00

You can contact your senator and representative and tell them you are opposed to the bill. Don't feel bad if you do not know who they are. You can just google "who is my United States Senator."

I spoke to Debbie Stabenow's office this morning (my U.S. Senator). I called the local office and left a message that I had some questions on a Senate Bill. I did not want to leave specifics because I wanted a call back. I have found with other government officials if you are too specific, you get sent to email, voice mail, etc. and it's very hard to talk to a real person.They called me back this morning.

Debbie Stabenow's representative was very courteous and informative.

I asked why this bill does not include cleaning up the FDA, USDA, and habitual violators on Corporate or Company Farms that are owned by large companies.
I also asked why there is no language in this bill to inspect imported foods from other countries.
Then I asked why it centered around the small farmer, individuals, etc.
Also, I asked why there needs to be a bill like this when the USDA AND FDA have not taken care of the problems they are already in charge of. For instance the egg scare. This farm had multiple violations for safety prior to the egg recall and nothing was ever done by any of the agencies.
I also think that we need a law in this country to see what and who funds our senators, representatives, and all elected officials. I stated this as a statement and not a question.

There were no answers given to these questions but I believe this is only the beginning of what we need to ask. The representative in Debbie Stabenow's office gave me a website (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:S510:) to go to so that I could read what is going on with this bill and what the wording of the bill is. You can get all sorts of information on the actual bill. I would first look at the person who drafted that bill and call their office. There are also 20 people listed who co-sponsored the bill. Why not call them too even if they are not your representative and tell them what you think.

In the meantime, my prayers are that no evil against this country and it's citizens will prosper. That God will give our government officials wisdom, integrity, and boldness to do what is right in the face of opposition and that they will be blessed as they follow righteousness.

Finally listen to this You Tube by Dr. Coburn (Senator) from Okalahoma. It is a bit long (the link is part one of his speech to the United States Senate) but is well worth the listen. He does an excellent job on this subject:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddz58kpAl_Y&feature=channel

For part two of the senator's speech, click on the next following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VRRX-7-IKA&feature=channel

Bible - Why Don't I Enjoy Reading the Bible

2010-11-17T15:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, after much thought and a conversation with a relative, it seemed as if an answer came. Why is it that reading the Bible can be very discouraging? It seems that if we, as Christians, were honest - most of us would agree that we find the Bible hard to read because it makes you feel like you just can't live up to what is written in it. To put it simply - it makes you feel like a crappy person.

Why does this happen? This usually happens because at some time in our past we have found that we fall short in an area. For me it was how I use my speech. What I say to others and even to myself. It seemed that when I opened the Bible, there was always a harsh scripture about how we talk. Another point for me was trying to figure out how God could be so good especially after living life and seeing all the heartache in this world not to mention what we as Christians do to one another.

How can we be set free from this terrible feeling? First we must understand that God really is love. We need to search the scriptures for God's true identity (His love). There are good books on the subject. Start to ask God to show you His Love. Ask God to help you follow anything (written, spoken, etc.) as it follows Christ. Don't be surprised if you pray this and all of a sudden you start getting revelation of things that are not lining up to God's Word.

One of the most exciting scriptures in my Bible for me is Proverbs 31:10-31. Now you are probably thinking that I'm just as nuts as can be but give me a chance to explain. I like to imitate God like a child imitates a parent and Romans 4:17 is a scripture that I have applied to my life in this area.

Romans 4:17 (KJV) is as follows: ¹⁷(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

My life was about as far away from Proverbs 31:10-31 as one could imagine. I thought as I read Proverbs 31 that I wouldn't mind being like that. I could use some maids, wouldn't mind buying some real estate, and all the other stuff in this chapter including my husband really appreciating me. Then I began to read those scriptures with my name and my husband's name and child's name into these verses. Over a period of time, I saw things change in my life dramatically.

This is one of the ways that I have become convinced that the words written in the Bible are not just regular words. They are THE WORD OF GOD. God's Word carries power to change your life and your circumstances.

I went from a person who constantly saw the negative things in my life to speaking the good things that God had for me and seeing my life change dramatically. You are more than welcome to disagree with me. That does not bother me a bit. I guess I'm just too old to care. I just know that my life has dramatically changed for the good since I have done this with parts of scriptures that I felt so convicted about. I lost hope when I read scriptures like this because I knew how short I fell in these areas. Then, one day I tried it (thought lightening would strike at first but it did not) instead I was steadily surprised. The first thing I noticed is that I felt better about my life and marriage. The second thing that happened as I did this over time is that some of the scriptures began to mean more to me than I ever thought possible. Finally, one day when I was about to give my husband a piece of my mind for the 20 millionth time, verse 12 rose up in my thoughts and I shut my mouth and let God show me when to speak and when not to speak.

There have been times when I have spoken up when I would normally keep my mouth shut. Some of the things I said were written in hurt deep in my heart for many years. The words came out in balance and in an understandable way. We finally got over some road blocks we had had in our life for years. There have been other times when I am at peace to just let something go.

What is the difference in all of this. The difference is in letting God guide you in what you say instead of you trying to figure it out yourself and make a huge mess out of it. We so many times read the Bible and then take it's execution into our own hands instead of being led by God. I found that for many years I lived my life trying to please my husband only to find out that I was trying to follow my husband instead of God. As it turned out, my husband was not pleased, I was not pleased, God was no where to be found in my actions. This is a part of the curse in Genesis 3:16 (KJV) that God declared to the woman. Funny how this part of the scripture is usually skipped over when this story is told.

Genesis 3:16 (KJV)¹⁶Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

When my desire turned to pleasing God, God intervened in my life and showed me how to not only be pleasing to my husband but to HIM and to myself and others around me. Do I do it perfectly? Not at all, but I know that God is more actively involved in my life and it makes being a frail human much easier to stomach.

Oh, p.s. - Now that I know that God loves me, I know that He will guide me into all things now and in this time in my life. All I have to do is ask. It's so simple and yet so hard because I usually go on autopilot and try to do things myself only to find out that I waste a lot of time not including God in every part of my day. That is when the assurance of His forgiveness covers me thoroughly. Now the Bible for me is filled with possibilities and love. WHAT AN AMAZING BOOK!

Bible - How to find a verses meaning

2010-09-23T16:20:00.000-04:00

Psalm 103:20 (King James Version) is as follows:

Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

This is such a little verse with such large implications. How does a person who is not a Bible scholar learn more about a verse like this. Here are some of the things I use to get a deeper understanding of a verse. The sky is the limit. There are so many resources with the advent of the internet and the computer. I will share some of the things I have used to get you started.

Let me introduce you to a free Bible study program on the internet. The basic program is free. If you want to add translations and Bible helps that are under copyright, you will need to pay for those parts but overall, what you get for free is more than enough to get started. The down-loadable basic program can be found at http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html. It takes a bit of time to download all the free stuff offered, but you won't regret it if you love to study the Bible.
Once the program is downloaded on your computer, you are ready to go. I love one Bible version in particular. It is the "King James Version with Strong's Numbers." The King James version of the Bible is an old version that many times does not have copyright restrictions. It is written in old English which means the average person does not speak like this anymore BUT there is a way to understand it when it is combined with the "Strong's Numbers." NOTE: There are many versions or translations of the Bible because the words in Hebrew and Greek translate differently in English and many times the original text has a far greater meaning than just one word in English. It is sometimes helpful to use various translations like New International Version (NIV), Amplified Version (AMP), New Living Translation (NLT), to name just a few.
What in the world are "Strong's Numbers." These are reference numbers that come from a book named "Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible." Concordance is simply a dictionary of word meanings.

When you use this book, you must make sure that it is compatible with the version of the Bible that you are using or it can become very confusing very quickly. So if you are using a King James Version of the Bible make sure you are using a "Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible" that is keyed to the King James Version.
The Bible is basically written in two different languages. The Old Testament is written in Hebrew and the New Testament is written in Greek. This concordance shows what a word looks like in the original language (Hebrew or Greek) depending if the word appears in the Old Testament (first half of the Bible or the New Testament (the last half of the Bible).
When you use the above listed version ("King James Version with Strong's Numbers") it is all there for you instead of having to get out a huge book and figure out how to use it. All you have to do is put your mouse cursor on the green numbers and you instantly have a box pop up with all the information on the word just before the number. So let's get started on what words are defined in the above verse.

Word definition one - "Bless":
H1288
בּרך
bârak
baw-rak'
A primitive root; to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit); also (by euphemism) to curse (God or the king, as treason): - X abundantly, X altogether, X at all, blaspheme, bless, congratulate, curse, X greatly, X indeed, kneel (down), praise, salute, X still, thank.

How to read the above definition:

(H1288) is the reference number that if you had the book in front of you you would be using to look up the word. "H" stands for Hebrew and you need to go to the Hebrew section of the concordance. If the number had a "G" in front of it, you would go to the Greek section of the concordance and then find the number in that section to find the meaning of the word you are looking for. Lucky for you you already get it all when you get it on line.
(בּרך) this is how the word looks in the Hebrew Language. The beauty of this reference book is that you don't have to know Hebrew in order to look the word up. When you use this reference in e-sword, you will see different lettering. This is because my computer translated this into the modern Hebrew letters. The e-sword version uses an older form of the Hebrew letters. This is another fascinating subject for another article.
(bârak) this is how the Hebrew word would look in English so that you can get an idea what the word would look like if you do not understand the Hebrew squiggles.
(baw-rak') this is how you would say this word in English. I bet you didn't know that you would be able to speak Hebrew, but here it is.
Now comes the main part of the whole thing that you may have wanted to know from the beginning. What in the world does this word mean. So here is the definition. NOTE: Because I have my own copy of the Concordance (Dictionary) I can look up what all the "X" symbols are in the definition next to the words. So here is the definition of the "X" - (multiplication) denotes a rendering in the Authorized Version that results from an idiom peculiar to the Hebrew. Now I'm stuck. What in the world is the "Authorized Version" and "idiom." (FIRST) I googled "meaning of 'authorized version'" and got a definition from http://www.answers.com/topic/king-james-version-of-the-bible The definition is: "n. (n. stands for noun which is just a word that is a person, place, or thing) An English translation of the Bible from Hebrew and Greek published in 1611 under the auspices of James I. Also called Authorized Version, King James Version." So Authorized Version is just another way of saying "King James Version" of the Bible in this case. (SECOND) I googled "meaning of 'idiom'" and got a definition from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiom This is important because an idiom can be something like "kick the bucket" in English. When you know English and read that you know it is talking about death and not literally kicking a bucket. Now you can begin to see how the Bible can be mistranslated.

Now why in the world did I give you so much information on such a small verse and on one word "Bless" and why would you care. I am giving you the ability to check out what someone may preach, teach, or write about and help you to verify if what they are saying is true. If they are looking at the verse in a good way or giving you an English definition that does not apply to a word that they are talking about. This is how many words are mistranslated.

Does this mean that you have to go through all this every time you read the Bible. Absolutely not! The Bible was meant to be read and enjoyed but if you get a feeling as you ask God to show you what His Word means, that something isn't right or doesn't seem to be logical, here is a way that you can get a basic idea on a verse on your own. It's just a beginning but it will help you to not be lead down a wrong path just because the person speaking on the subject seems to know what they are saying.

Turmoil Everywhere??

2010-09-15T23:12:00.000-04:00

It seems that the last three or four weeks have been so filled with turmoil. Everyone seems to be on edge. Everyone is having extraordinary challenges happening in their lives. What could all of this be. Where is it coming from. I have found that the only peace is knowing God and having His peace. May His peace also fill your life so that you will only be an observer and not a participant of the chaos.

Rosh Hashana 2010

2010-08-25T08:50:00.000-04:00

I am soooooo excited. In just a few short weeks the fall High Holy Days begin.

I believe that the first fall High Holy Day (Rosh Hashana or Feast of Trumpets) is the anniversary of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is my thought based on the fact that Jesus was born in the fall and this feast day pictures Christ's coming.

Remember the Holy Spirit came right on Pentecost when it was fully come. Our Savior went to the cross when the Lamb was slain and the angel passed over. By the time the Israelites had painted their doorposts with the "blood of the lamb" and they were eating that roasted lamb, the death angel was passing over on the Passover evening. Later our Savior was laid in the grave on that anniversary evening as our Passover Lamb and the curse of eternal death was taken away FOREVER. These days occur in the Spring. Christianity observes them but they have lost a lot of the connection.

Fall on your knees as this first fall High Holy Day (Rosh Hashana) comes this September and worship our Lord in the manger and in His risen state. Remember that he comes twice (once as a baby in the manger and again in the future as a risen King of Kings). God's High Holy Days are not just for the Jews anymore, but they are for all of us. Let us all come together and worship our soon coming King of Kings, the little child born of Jewish parents and the risen Savior born of Almighty God. How beautiful HE IS!

Being HONEST Pays Into Generations

2010-08-01T15:50:00.000-04:00

Where do I start with this amazing story. First of all it is true. Second of all I was an eye-witness to it. Third, there are others in our family who have heard this story from those who were directly involved (not me) even though the people who experienced this are now gone to the grave.

It started with my Dad, who quit school in the eighth grade to work on the farm after his Dad died just before the great depression. The farm was in great debt and it was in danger of being foreclosed on. My Dad, his brother, five sisters and his mother worked around the clock to make enough money to pay the bills. Dad could not have been more than thirteen years old at the time and was the youngest of the family. Dad was by no means perfect but he had certain rules that he lived by. The same with my Mother.

Dad worked along with the rest of his family on that farm with only a break during World War II when he was drafted. From the time of age 13 on to age 30, he saw no real money from his labors except to see the farm become solvent. It had a large affect on him for the rest of his life and how he viewed money.

Dad began to earn a salary from the farm when he married my Mother in 1950 (?) and they lived with Grandma for three years. He was given an acre of land (estimated) and my parents built their home on this land. It was land of clay (the worst for farming on the farm) but it was good for building a house on. My parents moved into that house with no running water, no front door, and no kitchen cupboards. I remember walking across our living room floor with no carpet and just floor boards. I was excited when our carpeting was installed. I still remember the colors of the carpet and the pattern.

Sometime during the time before my Dad married my Mother, my Grandmother promised my Dad that she would give him ten acres of that farm as his own someday. Now I loved my Grandmother so very very much because she was kind to me and my sisters when there was very little kindness in our lives. So this part of the story is hard to tell. In the early 1960s, my Grandmother sold that farm to a land developer because it was situated near Detroit and there were many houses being built in the area at the time. A land developer offered her a large amount of money (I don't know what it was but it was more than she ever dreamed of having) to purchase her farm. She sold the farm without consulting my Dad and surprised him with the news. Suddenly after so many years of working on that farm and caring for her, my dad was looking at not having a way to make a living. My uncle had more money put aside and it was not hard for him to look for other land. Grandma told Dad that he would not be able to farm the land in a very short time.

In the meantime, my uncle, dad's brother had received his acreage (as far as I know) and could have also profited by this sale. Dad asked for his ten acres and my grandmother told him "to go to hell." Dad, who was well loved by his mother and very spoiled by her was crushed. It is the first time I ever saw him cry. He was so very hurt and angry. It was like a storm as I witnessed this as a little girl (just under 10 years old). I remember Dad wondering how in the world he would be able to make a living. He did not know how to do anything in his life but farm. His tears turned to anger and my mother spoke up at the kitchen/dining room table. She told my Dad that he had to get rid of his anger toward my grandmother (a feat in itself since my mother fought with my grandmother most of the time) and put his trust in God that God would make this right.

As a child I prayed that we would be taken care of. I know my parents were also praying. In the meantime, Dad continued to farm Grandma's land until one day (not a long time from the time that Dad received the news that the farm was sold) a man that my Dad knew in real estate came by our home. My parents spent time looking at farms all over Michigan as I was growing up. It was something they could do that did not cost money and helped them keep an eye on what land was worth. Well, back to the story. This man had just become aware of property for sale that he thought my Dad would love to farm. He was especially urgent to get in touch with Dad because the owner was a widow lady who could not keep up her farm any longer and wanted to sell as quickly as possible. Another buyer had offered this woman a very very low price for her farm and the real estate agent was greatly bothered by this buyer trying to rip off a widow for the sake of profit. This real estate agent knew that my parents were honest people.

Dad went with this real estate agent (yes, I remember his name but do not want to tell it here) and became so excited that it was a farm that seemed like the perfect farm for us. The farm had not been planted or tilled for many years (many times this makes the ground more fertile and productive). It was not that far from the Detroit Eastern Market where Dad sold produce and the house and buildings were in good shape also. There was only one problem, the farm was worth much more than Dad could afford to pay. Now my parents sat at the table and talked about what they could do. They figured out what they could afford (it was more than the other buyer had offered but not much more than that). Now here was a farm that they finally liked. They had to leave the farm they were on. Dad could be out of work with no way to continue farming and oh how he loved to farm and was very good at it. It was all he knew how to do. How tempting it would be to take that farm from this widow to save their skins. They never entered their minds.

My parents came to the conclusion that they must be honest with this woman who owned the farm. I had never seen them so frightened but they stuck to honesty and sat down with this widow and explained to her that her farm was worth much more than she was asking and that she could make much more money on it if she were a bit patient. She boldly declared to my parents that if they did not want to buy the farm for a few dollars more than the other buyer, she would sell to the buyer that came in at such a low price. My parents then made the deal with her to buy her farm.

Out of what looked like a huge problem with no solution, a door was opened up for us to have our own farm. That farm later sold to another land developer and the money helped my parents to live even beyond farming. I believe that none of this would have taken place if my parents had reacted in a normal way toward my Grandmother and held anger against her. I do not think that the opportunity of even knowing about this farm would have presented itself. When my parents were truthful and honest with this widow, God opened a door for them to prosper His way instead of opening a door of greed that would eventually rob from my parents.

Moral of the story: When you lie or take things that are not yours, you will eventually be lied to and stolen from. When you rely on God and do it His way, He does just as the Bible says - He increases you and adds no sorrow to it.

There were many years of memories on that farm of Dad singing and whistling as he tilled and harvested the land. Oh how I miss those days of watching him enjoy the fruits of his labors.

Creativity - Don't Shut It Off

2010-07-25T11:08:00.000-04:00

What is your emphasis on life. Is it money, status, looks, fitness? All of these things are admirable if it is done honestly and in balance, but the greatest is creativity.

In the mid 1980s I prayed a simple prayer - God how should we school our daughter - and our lives have never been the same. My thought behind the prayer was should we send our child to the Romeo school district or the Oxford school district. Most of our child's friends in my day care went to the Oxford schools and our child was assigned to the Romeo schools. I believe that God gave me those words to pray because HE had a plan that went way beyond my prayers.

Shortly after that time, I began to run across people who home schooled their children. All the stupid assumptions that academia had convinced me were true about home schooled children began to fall away as I observed family after family who had taken on this way of life. It was not hard to find this society inside of a society as they were well organized even though very diverse. They came from every ethnic and religious background imaginable. This is what was common, though, among the majority of the families that had chosen this path of eduction. The children were the most peaceful, happy, and well rounded socially I had ever met. They could relate to children in their age group but also were able to relate to children that were younger or older than they were. They also knew how to observe and communicate with adults almost flawlessly no matter what age. This was something that I did not see in children who attended schools where their only exposure most of the day was to only one age group and a small amount of adults. Another surprising find in this observation is that even children with learning disabilities were loving learning and grasping concepts in ways I never thought would be possible.

I observed that children who attended a regular school room settings seemed to think that the world only included their limited world of age and preference. This seemed to be okay until I later observed this thinking in the teen years which I have seen lead to unbalanced behavior in many areas like drinking, drugs, sex, etc. It seemed to me that all the children were doing was following the example of those around them as we all do because they only had one "peer" group or influence.

By the time many children reached high school, it seemed competition was so pronounced. The children who thrived on "take in a concept and spit it out for a grade" did well. The rest were so frustrated that they couldn't wait to get out of it. This many times translated into "I hate school and learning" to "I will get a good grade at any cost." I believe that is why we see many adults who loathe learning or will step on anyone in society to get to where they want to go. I am giving the extreme examples here but by the time high school is reached in the United States public schools all creativity has been stomped out of a child and they become prized for their grade production. If they can't make the grade, they feel like failures. If they exhibit thinking outside of the box which many times includes creativity, they are shunned from academia.

I am a person who enjoys social situations, so I found myself searching out families that were home schooling just to ask questions of them, observe, and learn what they did. I found children who would normally hate learning (couldn't sit still, some had obvious learning disabilities, they were more interested in other things than sitting at a desk and learning, etc.) but they were excelling in every area. How could this be. Could it be if you love learning, it becomes something you just do like walking and talking?

I found kids who would leave no stone unturned to learn a subject as deeply as they could for their age. I found parents who, as they observed this wonderful learning, found themselves learning at a higher rate. It was absolutely exciting to observe. The creativity of the children flowed like a gushing river. You could give the children a concept and be amazed at what they would find out through the library, field trips, computer, TV, interviews with adults that had experienced what they were learning, etc.

These children were not limited by a few teacher. Parents would take them to college professors, business owners, people who worked in specific areas, etc. so that the child could ask and observe from someone who lived what they were interested in. It was amazing, by the way, how many people were open to sharing their personal experiences with a home school child or group.

Another part of this whole thing was how economically easy it was to home school even for the poorest of families. Many home school groups include certified teachers and even people who are specialized in learning disabilities. If someone could not help you in a home school group, they knew someone who could. Most of the home school groups were very serious about learning. They only shunned those who wanted to home school to take their children out of society and then did not intend on teach the children anything. These people are quickly told that that is an unacceptable part of this movement. I found higher standards academically among home school people than in the public school systems and no child was left out of the group unless they were violent. Even then parents rallied around a family that was truly working hard to do the best they could.

Now what does all of this have to do with creativity. I found that the home school environment opened up a whole world of "you can do it" and "shoot for the stars" that I had not seen in large academic settings. To this day I joy in the creativity of the children we knew and are grown. The economy has had some effect on how any of the children are doing during this decade but overall, home school children don't look at the obstacles but the great possibilities no matter what the circumstances of life. I have learned that when a human being is treated as an individual and their creativity is guarded with all diligence, the world becomes bigger than anyone can imagine or the possibilities.

Am I against public schooling. Absolutely not. In any choice that we make for our children, though, we should look at both sides of the coin and choose what fits us and our children. I talk a lot about home schooling because there is so much misunderstanding out there. Most people come to conclusions about a subject by what others say and do not read or observe on their own. If they do observe, they choose maybe one example and hone in on that. Look at the broader spectrum of experience. Realize that there is no perfect solution but be open to new ideas and maybe creativity will flow greater in your life too.

Cooking Suggestions

2010-07-18T13:52:00.000-04:00

I would like to improve my cooking skills. Can you tell me what you think the most is the most important thing I need to know or do to be an excellent cook.

A Prayer For Daily Concerns

2010-07-16T00:40:00.000-04:00

A prayer from Psalm 138:8 and I Peter 5:7 -
Lord, we are the work of Your hands and Your mercy endures forever. Please perfect that which concerns us. We cast all our care on You for You care for us.

This evening my heart was troubled over some decisions that must be made. I am so thankful that I can call a ministry like Kenneth Copeland and they will pray according to scripture. Before calling for prayer, I ask God to give me the person I need to pray with, the words to speak in asking for prayer and the person praying the words to pray. God has never let me down with this prayer. It is wonderful to keep a prayer journal of prayer requests and then answered prayer.

The Order of Things

2010-07-14T17:59:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I am amazed at the order of how things happen. I have been asking God for help in certain areas. One area has been things that I believe about myself that are untrue. Another area that I have been asking God about is health. It has amazed me the answers that have been falling in my lap.

About a year ago, I watched a DVD by Ben Stein called "Expelled." I was amazed at the way this piece was put together. I recently read a book from the Library by Bruce Lipton entitled, "The Biology of Belief." This book talks about how our cells respond and change according to our thoughts and what we think. It is a massively interesting book, especially in light of Ben Stein's "Expelled" series because Bruce Lipton expounds how science comes to different conclusions because of the basic belief that science bases their theories on.

Now I am reading a book entitled The Gift in You: Discovering New Life Through Gifts Hidden in Your Mind by Caroline Leaf. I still want to read her book entitled "Who Switched Off My Brain," that was published before the one I am currently reading. I am reading the Gift book because one of the ministries that I support sent it to me as a gift. Dr. Caroline Leaf is a medical researcher who has studied how thoughts affect our health and brain physically. Absolutely interesting stuff. For more information on Dr. Leaf, go to http://www.drleaf.net/about . All of this ties into Bruce Lipton's book on the cell and what changes it's structure. In fact, Dr. Leaf refers to Bruce Lipton's works in her book among a large amount of other data. This stuff is amazing.

Now for the final wrap up on this subject. Over ten years ago, I began to read books on claiming Bible scripture over one's self to change wrong thoughts. It is the Christian way to meditate. It is amazing at how Bible scripture can change the mind in a positive way. Who would have thought that the Bible could be true in this area. That one could see amazing results from it. That it can change a negative person like me into someone who is just dancing with joy inside. Thank you God for wonderful guidance and miracles in my life.

Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

2010-05-25T23:32:00.000-04:00

After watching Anderson Cooper on CNN this evening on the oil spill, my heart just breaks for the people, animals, environment, etc. that are affected by this. I have worked among engineers in various fields for many years as a secretary and office manager. It reminded me that when there just did not seem to be an answer to such a large problem, there was something that did work. I believe that we should be praying for all the people involved that are trying to come up with solutions that God would give them divine understanding of what should be done. Also, I pray that all those (animals, people, environment, etc.) who have been harmed by this spill and will be harmed will be recompensed and restored in the mighty name of Jesus. I have seen projects suddenly work after such prayers. When the solution comes forth, then we need to hold various people (whether in government or companies) responsible. We must remember that government and companies are just words for groups of people. It all comes down to all of us being honest, doing the best we can at whatever we do, and dealing with integrity in our lives. We cannot do this on our own. We need the love and wisdom of God to accomplish this. God help us all in the screw-ups in each of our lives.

Computer Possibly Back Again

2010-05-23T18:37:00.002-04:00

The last couple of weeks has been a real test of patience. I thought my computer was fixed and then I got a "blue screen." The computer went back into the shop. Fixing the computer turned out to be more complicated than anticipated originally. It took longer than any of us thought it would. So, my heart is to continue in Proverbs. I didn't stay on schedule as I intended, but I still have every intent in my heart to press forward.

Proverb of the Day - Receive and Treasure

2010-05-02T01:18:00.002-04:00

Today is Sunday, May 2, 2010. Today I picked Proverbs 2:1, New King James Version as always.

Proverbs 1:2 is a partial thought and is part of a bigger list of what a person needs to do to gain wisdom and understanding from God. In this particular chapter, verse one contains the first two items needed to understand the fear (respect) of the Lord and to find the knowledge of God (from Proverbs 2:5).

These first two items are:
1. Receive God's words (the Bible and what it written therein).
2. Treasure God's commands within you.

In order to receive we must have a willing and open heart. In order to treasure something, we must see the value in it as a treasure. Maybe we will find more detail on this as we journey through Proverbs.

Proverb for the Day - Main Author of Proverbs

2010-05-02T01:09:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was Saturday, May 1, 2010. Unfortunately, I had to find another computer to post this entry because my almost trusty computer is looping and I have tried all I know to do to get it to stop looping. Now I think it is time for it to go visit it's creator and get it fixed. In the meantime, this Proverb goes along with the first of May. I am in Proverbs chapter one and decided that verse one would be a good place to go for the first day in May.

In Proverbs 1:1, it tells us who wrote this book, or at least most of this book of Proverbs. There are other mentions of other authors in this book, but mainly it is written by King Solomon the son of King David. Both of these kings were kings of Israel. They ruled over the entire country of Israel before Israel split into two nations and half of the country went into captivity, never to be seen again.

Solomon reigned during a very peaceful time in Israel. He was known for his great wisdom and wealth. What prompted me to begin reading this book in this manner is a book named "The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon's Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness" by Steven K. Scott. He wrote this book on Proverbs after taking advice from a mentor to read a chapter of Proverbs a day. The mentor told Steven K. Scott that he could turn his life around (Scott was having problems advancing in his career), by reading a chapter of Proverbs a day. This mentor told Scott that within two years of doing this, he would probably become a millionaire. Scott became a millionaire in a year instead of two.

No matter what happens, this has been an enjoyable journey so far and I do enjoy thinking about each chapter as I pick a verse each day. Even though there is not much information on Solomon's reign readily found in everyday history books, if you dig, you may find some interesting information about King Solomon and his wisdom. So as you journey with me throughout Proverbs, think on Solomon, a man who asked God for wisdom to rule over the people of Israel. Solomon believed God had given him the nation of Israel to rule over. He admitted he did not know how to do such a thing and asked God for His help in doing this. God readily gave Solomon abundant help by giving him great wisdom because it pleased God that Solomon asked for something that was not just for Solomon but for all the people.

The next time you ask God for something, remember to think of others also and not just yourself. You may be surprised at the wonderful answers you will receive.

Proverb of the Day - Stupidity and Relationships

2010-04-30T00:18:00.004-04:00

Today is Friday, April 30, 2010, and I am in Proverbs chapter 30, New King James Version. Today I have picked verse 2. This verse actually goes with the next verse (verse 3). This verse talks about a man who says he surely is more stupid than any other man with no understanding. In verse three he tells the reader why? Stay tuned to when I cover verse three, maybe next month - maybe later.

For today, I also am including a verse from Proverbs 31 (my favorite chapter even though I am a woman, and no I'm not one of those religious women who believe in being under my husband's thumb). I have included this chapter of Proverbs on the 30th of April because there is no 31st day in April and I need to cover all the chapters for the month. Wow, what a long explanation to just add another proverb. I will get on with it and stop babbling!

Today, I chose Proverbs 31:3, New King James Version. This proverb is a mother advising his son to not be messing around with a lot of women, she advises her son that this destroys kings. I was thinking about this principle this week and wondered if people who are young realize how what they do affects not only their future, but their marriage, and eventually their children. It digs deep hurts into future relationships when wisdom does not rule over animal instinct. There has been a tradition in our family for several generations to pray and ask God to give each person their mate. In the meantime, it is important to be friends (not lovers) with a lot of people.

Proverb for the Day - Feelings

2010-04-29T23:59:00.001-04:00

Today is Thursday, April 29, 2010. Today I am reading Proverbs 29 to go along with the 29th day of the month. The verse I picked for today is verse 11. So here are my thoughts on Proverbs 29:11 from the New King James Version.

This proverb talks about how a fool handles his feelings as compared to a wise man. I can honestly say that for many years I handled my feelings like a fool. As I get older, I have learned more and more how to handle my feelings more like a wise man. There is no such thing as a perfect person, so I appreciate the information from this proverb but do not spend time feeling bad about falling short. There is no profit in guilt.

Proverb for the Day - Flee or be Bold

2010-04-28T09:58:00.000-04:00

Today is Wednesday, April 28, 2010. I just finished reading Proverbs 28 for today in the New King James Version of the Bible. Today verse one jumped out at me, so here I am talking about Proverbs 28:1.

It says that if a person does underhanded things (wicked), they will always we looking over their shoulder in fear of being caught even if there is no one there to catch them. Yuk, what a way to live.

The flip side of this proverb is that a person who lives in an honest way (righteous) that they will be bold, bold as a lion.

First of all, true righteousness is not something we do on our own. True righteousness comes from relationship with God. It is His righteousness and we only get it when He lives in us and guides us through life. This is such a peaceful restful place to be. It makes us as bold as a lion. We don't have to take from others to be provided for. We never have to look over our shoulder or be afraid. We just are guided into goodness because God loves us.

Proverb for the Day - Prudence and Evil

2010-04-27T05:25:00.004-04:00

Today is Tuesday, April 27, 2010. We are getting near the end of the month and I am in the 27th chapter of Proverbs. Today I picked verse 12. This verse tells what a prudent person does with evil.

First off, I would like to share the definition of Prudent from Webster's 1828 Dictionary. Can you believe the Dictionary version is this old. This is a free version obtained from a web site by the name of

www.e-sword.net

This site gives free downloads (some cost money so only download the free versions if you do not want to pay) of Bibles and reference materials. This Dictionary was originally keyed to the Bible because many schools in the United States at one time used the Bible for a reader for their children. Webster keyed the Dictionary to the Bible so that anyone learning to read would know what the words meant. (Just some trivia from a person who likes to read history of schooling in the U.S.)

Okay, enough of all the explanations. Here is the definition:

PRU'DENT, a. Cautious; circumspect; practically wise; careful of the consequences of enterprises, measures or actions; cautious not to act when the end is of doubtful utility, or probably impracticable.

I have had many times in my life when I backed away from something that just did not settle with me. Others around me made fun of me and accused me of being too cautious. Now in reading this proverb, I have found that listening to that inward warning and heeding it, has saved me a lot of grief. What I thought was a put-down for many years is simply what Proverbs is talking about in this verse. Sometimes it's nice to learn that you did something that was good. This verse also tells what a simple person will do when encountered with evil and what are the consequences of each action.

Proverb for the Day - What Is Worse Than a Fool?

2010-04-26T18:34:00.002-04:00

Today is Monday, April 26, 2010, and I'm getting back on track. I am even writing this before 11:00 p.m. on the day that it is due. So here goes. I am in Proverbs chapter 26. Today verse 12 struck me as interesting after reading the first eleven verses describing how bad it is to be a fool. Then, all of a sudden I read verse 12 and found that there is something worse than being a fool.

After I read this I could think of many instances during watching children in my day care how they would fight to do something their own way. They were convinced that they knew how to do a task. I think about the many times they put their own shoes on (2-3 years old) and they were on the wrong feet. If you tried to change the shoes, there would be much opposition and crying. I wonder how much things do not change as we become adults. Are we just children in grown up suits sometimes. I pray that I will always be open to loving advice.

Proverb for the Day - Solomon's Proverbs

2010-04-25T23:13:00.001-04:00

Today is Sunday, April 25, 2010. I have chosen verse one today because it tells us where the rest of the proverbs in this verse come from. Proverbs 25:1 says that these proverbs are from King Solomon which were copied by King Hezekiah's men. King Hezekiah was a King of the small nation of Judah. He did not rule over a larger portion of the Israelites that went into captivity separate from the nation of Judah. You may wonder why I am giving so much detail about this. It is because we erroneously think that modern day Israel is the same as the Israel that came out of Egypt. They are only a portion of the Israelites that came out of Egypt. Many of the tribes lost their identity when they were captured and taken out of their land when they refused to obey God. Hmmmmm makes you wonder who they are and where they went. Now that could open up a whole new can of worms. The only people that we can identify as Israel are the tribes that were part of Judah.

Proverb for the Day - Evil People

2010-04-25T23:05:00.001-04:00

This is the proverb for Saturday, April 24, 2010. It comes from Proverbs 24:1 (why not make it easy and start with verse one). This proverb starts out by telling us not to envy evil people. My first thought is why would we envy an evil person. I think the answer is that most of the time we see a lot of evil around us where people are cheating others and moving ahead, etc. Maybe we sometimes get weary if we are trying to do the right thing and wonder why people who do wrong things seem to get ahead. Over the years, I have found that your heart is much more at peace when you deal fairly with people and treat them kindly.

The proverb also talks about not even having a desire to be with an evil person. When we desire to be with someone, doesn't it seem to follow that that desire can lead to us following what the person does? I think this proverb is worth thinking about.

We need to love all people, but must be careful not to be jealous of an evil person's status or want to be with them to follow what they are doing. I think that is what this proverb means. Maybe you have a different idea. Please feel free to share.

Proverb for the Day - Cause of Six Bad Things

2010-04-25T22:57:00.001-04:00

This is a bit late, but it is the Proverb for the day (two days late) for Friday, April 23, 2010. So here I am in Proverbs 23 - which verse should I pick for this day? How about verse 29. It seems to be a sad verse, but it is in Proverbs. It asks who has woe, sorrow, contentions, complaints, wounds without cause, or redness of eyes. I guess we will have to wait until next month to find out or you could read the next verse (verse 30) and find out early.

The History Channel

2010-04-22T22:41:00.001-04:00

Today I turned on the History Channel for maybe some history. NOT! A guy was ripping apart a pinball machine, and I do mean ripping with a saw and smashing glass, etc. Since, I guess he is looking for something, maybe this show should be on the "Discovery Channel" or the channel for "let's wreck something." In the meantime, someone once told me that they made it all the way through school and did not realize what a time line was or that anyone lived before their time.

Proverb for the Day - Poor and Rich

2010-04-22T22:37:00.001-04:00

Today is Thursday, April 22, 2010. Today I am reading Proverbs chapter 22 in the New King James Version. Verse 2 is what caught my interest today. Did you know that the rich and the poor have something in common. This proverb tells us what it is. I would tell you, but that would spoil the fun of you looking this up and finding out for yourself.

Bible - Have You Ever Read Through The Entire Bible?

2010-04-21T18:05:00.004-04:00

I have been a Christian for most of my 50 odd years on this planet. I have read most of the Bible over that period of time but have never read it through from cover to cover. My nephew found a way to "power read" the Bible that I thought was a good idea. He uses a Bible tape or CD program where the Bible is read and he takes out that version of his Bible and reads along with the recording. He finds that this is easier to read through this way.

I have found it interesting when I talk to many people who have read through the Bible. They don't seem to remember the details of a story or part of the writings. There are so many rich things in the Bible. Many times the Old Testament makes people yawn, especially the books of the law and genealogies. I learned to approach these books from a detectives point of view and find them fun to read because I see depth in them. Of late I have been interested in the sacrifices in the Old Testament. Each one of those sacrifices tells a story of Jesus. It is a wonderful thing to understand. Many people get hung up on the epistles of Paul. I also enjoy those writings and have read them from probably at least three religious points of view over the years.

Every time I pick up the Bible, it is like a gourmet meal set before me. It's good from the appetizers (Psalms and Proverbs) to the main meal (New Testament), to the sweets and after-dinner drink (the Old Testament and how it pictures Jesus). It's a great meal and totally satisfying when taken in balance.

Household and Family Help Line

2010-04-21T17:45:00.001-04:00

Sometimes one forgets about really helpful places for information. One of the best is the MSU Cooperative Extension Service. It used to be only available to people within the state of Michigan but now has gone national for the whole United States. The national toll free line is 1-888-MSUE-4MI
(1-888-678-3464) or the web... page is http://www.msue.msu.edu/portal/

I used to keep this phone number by my phone when the kids were small. There is information about anything you can think of concerning everyday living. They really helped me one time when my daughter got into the permanent magic markers and drew all over the walls, carpet, and furniture. I was panic-stricken but they gave me a way to easily get all the marks off everything.

I prefer to use the toll-free line, wait for the menu to be spoken, and then press zero on the phone pad to get an operator. The operator can quickly direct you to whatever person you need to get a quick answer.

Proverb of the Day - leadership

2010-04-21T17:40:00.001-04:00

Today is Wednesday, April 21, 2010. Today I am going over Proverbs chapter 24 and today's proverb is from verse 1 of the New King James Version.

This talks about a king's heart (I look at it as anyone who is in a position of authority) and how the king's heart is in God's hand. Hmmmm does that mean if we pray for leadership for God's will to be done that God hears and answers our prayers. Could that be why the apostle Paul instructs us to pray for those leadership that we may live in peace? The rest of the proverb talks about how God turns the leaders head wherever He wishes like water follows the path of a river. If we don't pray for our leadership, could it be we don't involve God and we get whatever is out there that is not of God. Just something to think about.

Proverb for the Day - Young and Old

2010-04-20T22:41:00.001-04:00

Today is Tuesday, April 20, 2010. Today I am reading the 20th chapter of Proverbs. I have chosen verse 29. It talks about a young man' strength is his glory and an old man's gray hair is his splendor. I thought about this for a few minutes and wondered if it means that when a man is young he is full of energy, strength, and he is ready to take the world by the tail and swing it around. When a man becomes old his physical strength lessens but his wisdom increases. He can look at the world from a far better vantage point. All in all they are both good times in life.

Proverb For The Day - Jumping To Conclusions and Forgiveness

2010-04-19T00:18:00.004-04:00

Today is Monday, April 19, 2010. I am reading Proverbs chapter 19 today, and I chose verse eleven for today.

This verse talks about a man who uses discretion or good judgment. Good judgment keeps a person from losing his temper easily. He thinks about a matter before he reacts. Sometimes it is appropriate to lose your temper but it is always good to take a few breathes before reacting to any situation. As noted in the addendum from yesterday's post, I recently jumped to a conclusion without hearing the whole matter out. I truly wish I had thought on the words of Philippians 4:8 before I quickly passed on judgment and condemnation.

The second half of this verse addresses overlooking another person's mistakes. The statement actually says that it is to a person's glory to do so. Notice the word mistake and not the word abuse. We may need to take action to protect ourselves or others in certain circumstances but we should also still walk in forgiveness in our hearts. After judging a situation wrong recently, it has been a struggle to forgive myself even though I have apologized for my lack of good judgment and asked God for forgiveness. How quickly our flesh can remind us that we need God every minute of every day.

Proverb For The Day - Jumping To Conclusions

2010-04-19T00:07:00.004-04:00

Today's Proverb comes from Proverbs 18:13 (New King James Version). Today is Sunday, April 18, 2010, therefore this blog is taken from Proverbs 18 as I have been matching the chapter of Proverbs with the date of the month.

In this proverb it talks about forming an opinion about something before you hear all the facts. It says that this approach is folly and it will become shameful to the person who jumped to the conclusion. This proverb reminds me of the adage "there are always two sides to every story." Remember if you hear about something, do not judge it before you have heard all the points of view concerning it. If you quickly judge the matter without getting all the input, you could be very embarrassed by the conclusion you hastily came to. So remember to take a deep breath and listen to all sides of a story. (Ref: Proverbs 18:13)

Addendum: Unfortunately, I fell into this trap just recently. Although I know that I am forgiven, it makes me sad how fast my flesh can override common sense.

Proverb For The Day - Poor People and Calamities

2010-04-18T23:58:00.004-04:00

I am a day late but this Proverb comes from Chapter 17 of Proverbs (New King James Version). It should have been posted on Saturday, April 17, 2010. It may be late, but I do need to still post this to keep up with the rhythm of this blog.

I chose verse five of chapter 17 for this blog. In this verse it talks about a person that is glad when they see someone suffer a calamity in their lives. It says that their gladness will not go unpunished. A calamity is something that happens that causes great loss and hurt. When we connect with someone's calamity and it moves us to aid them even if it is only to be sad for them and the suffering they are enduring, we step out of our own shoes and step into another person's place with compassion. I find it interesting that this proverb does not make a distinction whether the person is good or evil.

The other sentence in this verse says that if a person mocks a poor person, he actually reproaches the one who made him (God). Now that is a place that does not sound like it would be fun to occupy. I think this is a warning to be compassionate on a poor person rather than judge them. I wish I could say that I have practiced this more in my life. It seems compassion comes much easier when we suffer the same fate.
(Ref: Proverbs 17:5)

Proverb for the Day - Getting Old

2010-04-16T23:48:00.003-04:00

Today is Friday, April 16, 2010. Therefore, I have read the 16th chapter of Proverbs today and this is the proverb that I chose for today. It is verse 31 of chapter 16. As usual I use the New King James Version of the Bible. Today I used the Nelson Study Bible which is nice because the scriptures are on the top part of the page and there is an explanation on the verses on the bottom part of the page. That means that with a few simple tools, anyone can begin to understand the Bible in the quiet of their own home.

In Proverbs 16:31, it talks about how if a person has walked in a righteous way (upright, honest), most of their life (take note that this doesn't necessarily mean that they had a perfect life or have all the answers but that is for other proverbs to come). It means that they have a heart to do right because they respect and love God. They can do this only when they realize that God loved them first and their righteousness is a gift of God that they could never earn. God gives them a tender heart, they did not earn it. When a person has that type of heart, the proverb says that their gray hair is like a crown of glory.

How wonderful to be crowned with glory instead of distressed that one's youth is past and there is nothing left after the looks have deteriorated. With a righteous person (a tender heart given to them by God's love), they have so much more to give to others. They are rich with the love they have lived and can share it with others and give others encouragement. It is a beautiful way to live. You are never too old to be kind. Shalom.

Proverb For The Day - Money

2010-04-15T22:45:00.004-04:00

^{Today is Thursday, April 15, 2010. Today is the deadline for people to file their taxes in the United States. This seems to be a good Proverb for tax day deadline taken from Proverbs 15: 6 from the New King James Version

It talks about if you are a righteous person, there is a lot of treasure in your house. On the other hand, if you are a wicked or evil person, the money that you have attained will only bring trouble. Here is a little talk about principle in our world. This proverb is not talking about money being evil. It is talking about the person who handles it with evil intention or righteous intention. How do you figure out what righteousness looks like? There are many Proverbs written on what righteousness looks like. Since Jesus Christ was righteous, the Proverbs can also help us to see what he was like. Who would have thought that Jesus could be defined in the Proverbs.

Once again here is a proverb that talks about righteousness. When we accept Jesus into our life and follow His Word, we become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and our house is filled with much treasure.}

Proverb For The Day Series - Poor and Rich

2010-04-14T21:36:00.005-04:00

Today is Wednesday, April 14, 2010. Therefore, I have read chapter 14 of Proverbs today. Verse 20 jumped out at me as did others. This verse talks about how the rich have many friends but even the neighbors of the poor hate him.

This verse made me think of the many times that we struggled from paycheck to paycheck and no one especially the bank gave you slack or favor. Now don't get me wrong, but I never expected it in the first place. It is funny though when a commission check came in or we were able to make a large deposit, how quickly everyone became friendly.

A good test of a person's character is how they treat you if you dress down as compared to dressing up. It all seems so very superficial. I have found in life that some of the most caring people I have ever known have been widows and children who don't know the difference. They don't have a choice but to trust in God and they seem to have a better sense about people than the average person.

Proverb For The Day Series - Honest Wealth

2010-04-13T23:01:00.007-04:00

Today is April 13, 2010, therefore, it is time to read Proverbs, chapter 13. I like to use the New King James Version. Verse eleven really stood out for me as I read this chapter.

Proverbs Chapter 13, Verse 11 - says that if a person gains wealth by being dishonest, that wealth will be diminished. I remember that my parents were very honest with a lady who was selling her farm. They told her that she was selling her farm for far under what it was worth. They also said that they could only afford what she was asking. She said she did not care if she was selling it for less than it was worth, she just wanted to sell it. My parents were honest even though this seemed like the only chance they would have for my father to continue to farm. My parents were rewarded greatly by hard work on that farm and a blessing of it being sold at a high price later in their life. I believe they would not have been able to sell that farm for such a profit if they had been dishonest in the acquiring of that farm. (Reference: Proverbs 13:11)

Proverb For The Day Series - Learning and Animals

2010-04-12T11:39:00.009-04:00

INTRODUCTION TO "Proverb For The Day" series:

About a year ago, I read a book by John K. Scott about the book of Proverbs. In this book he talks about how he was really having a tough time moving ahead financially. Gary Smalley challenged him to read a chapter of Proverbs for every day of the month doubling up on the last two chapters at the end of the month if there are less than 31 days in the month. Gary told John that if he read at least a chapter a day that he would be a millionaire in about two years. John became a millionaire in about a year. So starting today, I'm taking the challenge!

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Today is Monday, April 12, 2010. Therefore, today I read the 12th chapter of Proverbs. This is what jumped out at me. If anyone has anything that they would like to add, your kind remarks are very welcome.

Verse One: whoever loves instruction loves knowledge. (That's me, I love reading and learning)

Verse Ten: A righteous man regards the life of his animal. (I sure do love animals and since I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, I am righteous because of Jesus and not because of my own doing). P.S. The word "man" in this verse includes women also! It's mine, because I am God's.

God - All One in Christ Jesus Our Lord

2010-04-10T14:27:00.006-04:00

I dare you to listen to the following renditions all the way through and not think that we are all one in Christ Jesus Our Lord. (NOTE: You must hit your back button to come back to the blog after watching each rendition.)

From Hong Kong Park:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md-ws6knYkE&feature=related

From Jerusalem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWAe-6EOh7s&feature=related

From New York:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YXtf7vtz3c&feature=related

From Germany:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4-DNfQYqEo&feature=related

From Paris, France:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fu8YIG8uyQ&feature=related

From: Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Utah:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_-A8JAx4D8

No matter what country, what people, what language, the chorus is all Hallelujah! STOP THE DIVISION, STOP THE FIGHTING, it is all Hallelujah!

There were so many more in this category, enjoy as many as you like.

The Book Corner - Evidence of the Afterlife

2010-04-04T17:49:00.004-04:00

The Evidence of the Afterlife (The Science of Near-Death Experiences) by Jeffrey Long, M.D. with Paul Perry is a fascinating book to say the least.

Dr. Jeffrey Long tells of his interest in people's near-death experiences. He begins with how the subject first caught his interest while in medical school and over the years how this subject kept presenting itself in his life. Finally, he decided to put together a web site with specific criteria to encourage people who had near death experiences to post what they experienced with the plan of analyzing the data received.

This book is interesting to say the least. The method that Dr. Jeffrey Long uses to analyze the data received is very well thought out and simple. He only edits a story "to correct spelling and obvious grammar errors, remove information that would identify specific individuals, and take out grossly disparaging remarks about specific institutions."1 This seemed to me to be a very fair and equitable way to report what people write in without altering content that would change the story.

If you would like to read some of these near-death experiences, you can visit his web site at www.nderf.org or get a copy of the book for a well-laid out analysis of the subject.

In the book Dr. Long presents twelve elements that may or may not be involved in the experience. He then explains in detail the twelve elements, so that the reader is well-informed as they venture further into the book. This is a very good read because it is well presented, has good solid research, but is also easy to read. I would be interested to hear from anyone else that has read this book or visited the web site. Although, I am only into chapter four at this point, it is a very interesting concept.
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1"Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences." by Jeffrey Long, M.D. with Paul Perry, copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Harper Collins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022, Page 44.
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Strange Week

2010-04-02T21:23:00.002-04:00

This has been an interesting week to say the least. Friday evening Aimee's kitty passed away quietly in her sleep. Aimee went out and saw some old friends. We discovered the kitty when she got back home. Saturday was a day of saying goodbye and a lot of tears.

Sunday was a day that we just all tried to rest. Monday evening was The Lord's Supper.

It has been a very stressful year with the kitty being ill and many other hard things to deal with on our plate. What really makes the difference is working together as a family. People can always make things work in good times. It is the hard times that show us what we are made of. It is knowing that no matter what, God loves us and no matter what He is always there. May God bless all of us during the celebration of our Savior's sacrifice for us and His resurrection power. Thank you God for doing more for us than we could ever comprehend and never giving up on us.

A Relationship to Mimic

2010-03-25T23:50:00.002-04:00

I was thinking about the words that Jesus used just before he went to the cross to describe his relationship with God the Father. He said that He said or did nothing without the Father's approval. How amazing that is to me. I was thinking about the controversy that many Christians have about submitting and marriage and the like. Suddenly I thought about how submitting for Jesus was a way of life but He still felt perfectly comfortable to have dialogue with the Father about how He felt about going through pain and suffering and dying on the cross. Even though the plan was set, the Father still was approachable and there was relationship between the Father and the Son. The Father did not just boom down to Jesus to "submit." How great is the love that the Father has for the Son and that the Son has for the Father. We will spend a lifetime learning about that love because it has no limits.

Being At Peace

2010-03-24T05:04:00.002-04:00

Recently there has been much reason to be focused on turmoil. It seems that everywhere I look there is someone or something in conflict. The turmoil causes a loss of peace and tranquility. What is the answer?

When I turn my eyes, ears, and mind away from the turmoil and put my heart on Jesus and the goodness of God and concentrate on that more and more, suddenly there is rest and peace. The Bible says that God inhabits our praises. The more I praise God, the more my heart is lifted up. As I spend time with God, the turmoil is handled by God and all is peaceful once again.

I love to give God my burdens. It's very hard to do that when I am so used to doing things myself. But, when I finally hand it all over to Him, I notice that He takes care of it all . Thank you God for your deliverance, strength, LOVE.

Family - Daddy's Little Girl

2010-02-27T02:42:00.003-05:00

Today I was thinking about some things that have occurred in the past and I began to giggle and think about my husband with a deep appreciation for his love and kindness toward us as a family. The following event stirred up those emotions.

When we lived in Kentucky, my husband worked as an engineer during the day and I decided that I would take a job at the local grocery store on the midnight shift. I had always wanted to see what it was like to check out groceries and I was excited about being a cashier. Although I can work as a professional for much more money, this job also afforded that we could home school our daughter and not have to leave her with a sitter.

When I would come home from work at about 8:00 a.m., we would get started with studies and activities for the day. We spent approximately 3-4 hours on studies and then we would go to group activities like German classes, ballet, opera, etc. By the time the neighborhood kids came home from public school, we had a full day accomplished. Our daughter would go outside to play with the kids in the neighborhood and I would prepare supper. In the late afternoon/evening my husband would get home from work and spend time with our daughter while I slept until midnight for the evening shift.

One beautiful day, our daughter was riding her pink bike with the white tires down the street. As my husband watched her, he noticed that she would stop every time she came to a curb. He tried to explain to our daughter how to jump the curb. She was puzzled by his instruction. He finally decided to just show her. How I wish I had not been sleeping because what ensued should have been filmed for "America's Funniest Home Videos."

My husband is well over 6 foot tall with a very wide shoulder span. My daughter said that he got on her bike and began to pedal it down the street. I have no idea how his legs were able to do this without bumping into the handle bars. As he rode the bike, he instructed my daughter to keep an eye on what he was about to do when he got to the curb. In the twinkle of a moment, he reached the curb, vigorously pulled up on the handlebars only to flip the bike and end up on his back in the middle of the street. It was shortly after that, that I awoke from a sound sleep to some large groans coming down our hallway.

There was my husband, crawling on all fours, moaning in pain headed toward the bedroom. I felt so sorry for him but our daughter did get the idea of how to jump curbs and got pretty good at it. In the meantime, he was in pain for quite a few days but smiled broadly whenever he would see her ride her bike.

Health - Home Flu Remedies

2010-02-19T16:16:00.006-05:00

Boy I appreciate knowing how to care for myself when battling a cold. This one is one of the worst I have had in a long time.

It started with some sinus, progressed to a sore throat, and then headed into chest congestion. So here is the battle plan. Garlic is at the top of the list, vitamins help too, Oil of Oregano helped. I got out the Vicks and that helped with the chest congestion. There were teas of Mullein and finally some Frankincense oil. Inhaling the fragrance helped clear up my lungs and then rubbing the oil on the chest area helped to open up the lungs for breathing. Rest is at the top of the list and hopefully I will not have lost much time for what I was supposed to get done this week.

SNOW - Slow Mail Delivery

2010-02-14T23:08:00.003-05:00

Living in Michigan, USA, we are somewhat used to snow. The snowfall in the United States this week has been quite overwhelming and that type of snow (deep and heavy) is a great challenge to even the most experienced driver. In the meantime, the Winter Olympics are going strong in Canada and it is quite enjoyable to view the Olympic weather from afar off.

I did not think too much of the snowfall even though our news was hyping it an awful lot. We did get eight inches of snow overnight. Usually news like this is about as exciting as it gets so I don't blame the local news for the hype. They are so professional with their forecasts that after the initial storm, they went outside and measured how much snow was on the company picnic table top with an official stick.

I went into Amazon.com today to look up information on a book. I was very surprised to see that there were warnings on the site that deliveries were being delayed because of the snow across the nation. I think from now on I will use Amazon.com as my weather channel just in case I don't take the local news weather reports seriously!

Humor - Wrong Answer?

2010-02-13T00:00:00.004-05:00

Sometimes communication can really get messed up, but I think this may be a classic.

A person called a farming helpline with a general farming question. The question was "How long do I leave a rooster with the hens to fertilize the chicken's eggs?"

The person answering the phone and fielding the question did not know the answer and opened up his work file to look for the answer. As he leaned into his information files looking for the answer, he replied: "Just a minute!" The caller immediately replied, "Thank You," and hung up!

This was back during a time when caller ID was not yet invented. The man had no way to call back the person that asked the question. He could not explain that he merely wanted the caller to wait a minute until he found the answer.

I don't think there were many eggs fertilized in that farm yard that year!

PETS - Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants for Dogs and Cats

2010-02-11T00:19:00.004-05:00

What a help the ASPCA is for information for your dogs and cats. The ASPCA's mission statement is stated as follows: "The ASPCA was the first humane organization in the Western Hemisphere. Our mission, as stated by our founder, Henry Bergh, in 1866, is “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.”

Their web site (www.ASPCA.org) has lists for dogs, cats, and horses showing what plants are toxic for these animals and what plants are safe. If you are a plant and animal lover, this site can help you be informed and have the best plants for your beloved pets.

For a list of toxic and non-toxic plants for dogs, go to http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/plant-list-dogs.html?print=t

For a list of toxic and non-toxic plants for cats, go to http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/plant-list-cats.html?print=t

This site also includes plant information for horses as well. You can take a look around this very helpful web site for other information about keeping your pets safe from other toxic materials. Enjoy learning how to better care for your pets and have healthier happier pets!

Photos - I love the Birds of Winter

2010-02-10T03:39:00.022-05:00

All of these beautiful birds were flitting around in the bushes this afternoon as a snow storm arrived in our area. It was as if they were bathing in the snow falling and frolicking in their play yard. If they could smile, it would be a broad happy smile.

The male cardinal is so brilliantly red. The female is hard to see because she is mostly brown with a hint of red on her beak. She still has a crest on her head like the male but it is brown. The male cardinal is portrayed in these pictures.

The cardinals are just as plump as can be in the winter. Is that how they stay warm?

The beauty of the cardinal against the stark white of the snow is spell binding.

In the summer the leaves on the trees and bushes hide the beauty of these blue birds.

One time a year the blue birds come and land on a bush in our backyard and feed on the berries that it bears. When they have stripped the bush of it's berries, they disappear and we do not see them again for another year. They always seem to come just before a heavy snowfall. I wonder if they fill up on the berries to warm themselves in preparation of the snow.

Computers - How To Remember Your Passwords

2010-01-24T20:11:00.007-05:00

Today, at the library while checking out some books, I happened on a discussion. It was more like a very frustrated patron that could not get into her library account because she forgot her password. She muttered under her breath that it would not matter if she reset it, because she always forget it anyway. The clerk remarked that that is why he only has one password. Haven't we all been there and how many of us want to have only one password considering security problems.

I could not keep my mouth shut, per usual, and had to put my two-cent's worth into the conversation. I tried to explain what I did to organize my passwords. Keep in mind that I hate having to spend hours to make it pretty and such. I want something I can find quickly and that I didn't have to spend a lot of time on. Organizing should save me both time and expense.

When I go into a new website or change a password, I write it on a 3X5 inch stock card. I like to use different colors for different things, like yellow cards for web site name, user name, and password and blue for web addresses that I would like to visit or that I find helpful with a quick note on it. I also like to put friend's names and addresses (new or changed) on a 3X5 card and put it all in one place.

This is where this becomes a fun thing to do. I put them in a small brightly-colored plastic box and keep in on my desk. The box is small enough to fit in a laptop case for travel or tuck it next to my desktop computer at home. I always have my passwords and there is no more frustration of wondering how to get into a web site.

Here is an idea of what the 3X5 card boxes look like. I have seen them in the office supply section of many stores here in the United States and they usually are around $1.00 per box or less. When the stores are running specials for back-to-school items, I have seen this product as low as ten cents per box. They come in all sorts of colors, so go nuts and use them for other things besides computer passwords! This is the website of the product that sits on my desk: http://www.betteroffice.com/product_pages/51431.html

Easy, Fun, and Almost Free Laundry Baskets

2010-01-23T20:33:00.006-05:00

I am a member of a wholesale club by the name of Sam's Club. When you check out after shopping, there are no bags supplied, you either bring your own or you can buy two large bags with the Sam's Club Insignia on them. They come in packs of two for a little over $2.00. The bags have good solid handles and are plastic lined, so they are washable with a wet cloth or soap and water. A bag measures 18" long X 13" wide X 11" tall.

I cannot begin to count the number of years I have hauled those plastic laundry baskets to laundry mats and up and down stairs in our homes. They are an eye-sore whether they are full or empty. They are also hard to carry and see around them when walking up or down stairs. Well I have the perfect solution.

The Sam's Club bags hold approximately one large load of laundry per bag. They are easily handled by just carrying them by the straps attached. When you are not using them, they fold up flat and can be stored easily. I think this is a real plus if you live in a small place or are a student in a dorm with limited space. They are perfect for sorting laundry or transporting groceries. Just make sure that when you are using them for laundry, they are clean. You sure don't want raw meat juice on your clothes whether they are clean or soiled.

Here is what these bags look like and if you are a Sam's Club Member, you can buy them on line: http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=408406

Merry Christmas - Free Gift - Limited Time

2009-12-27T19:11:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite books is being offered for free. Don't miss out on this. You will really truly enjoy this book if you are a Christian.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries is offering the book, "One Word From God Can Change Your Life" for a limited time as a Christmas gift. It is limited to one per address or household. The book is free and shipping is free.

Here is how you order it on line:Go to www.kcm.org

Click on "Select KCM Regional Office"
If you are in the U.S., select "United States (HQ)." If you are not in the U.S., select the office near you.
Click on "Go" (This takes you to the Kenneth Copeland Ministries home page)
Scroll down the page until you see "Store.KCM"
Click on "Free BVOV Offer"
Fill in your name and address, etc. (red star required fields)
Then click on "Place Order"

Remember that this is a limited offer for Christmas and that there is one book only per address.

God's Goodness - Made Real

2009-12-25T04:12:00.003-05:00

This week has been a week like I have never experienced before. How great it is to read Psalm 103, Psalm 104, and Psalm 105. These Psalms talk about the goodness of God. It helps us to look at God in a different way than religion teaches us that God is. Then it has been wonderful to just go around saying: "Something good is going to happen to me today."

Even with limited funds, there has been no worry. I have been at peace. This week as I pulled into a parking lot, there was a very large crashing noise and suddenly I could not get the car to move and shifting was very very difficult. I thought we had dropped the transmission on the car. My daughter and I call that car "old faithful." It was born in 1995 and this year is 14 years old. The mileage is well over 100,000 miles.

I could not get the car to go forward or back up. I finally put the car in park, shut it off, and got out to see if I could see what the problem was. So here comes goodness #1. The ball joint had cracked and the tire was detached from the rest of the drive train. At least there was no question as to what was wrong. Goodness #2 was that instead of going straight home, we stopped at a shoe store to see if there were any slippers for my daughter for Christmas. If I had gone straight home, that tire could have cracked off on the railroad tracks that I have to cross a bit up the road. Praise God that I didn't get stuck on the tracks.

Goodness #3. The slippers that my daughter wanted were regularly $12. As we were waiting for the car to be towed, we found that the slippers were on sale for $8. Because they did not have my daughter's size in the style that she wanted, there was another $3 off the price of the slippers because they had to be ordered. The grand total for a brand new pair of pink fluffy slippers was $5. Goodness #4. Today those slippers were delivered just in time for Christmas.

Goodness #5. Every year or so, I purchase Christmas cards at a huge discount after Christmas. This year I did not have to buy one card extra. I then went into my odd stamp bag that I have had for years. It turned out that if I combined the stamps, I was able to mail out Christmas cards to everyone on our list for less than $4.

Goodness #6. Everywhere I went this week was so very very blessed. Parking places opened up nearest to the door that I needed to go into. It has been a wonderful time to work hard and still enjoy those closest to me with good conversation and time with God in prayer and praise.

Goodness #7. Peace reigns in our lives. Joy fills my heart. There is much turmoil around us and by all measurable means a person would think that this would have been a very sad Christmas for us if it were dependent on our bank account. I have learned this year to not look at the money that we have or not but to look at my very precious Savior who gave up all that He was to come to this earth just for me and all of us. This love overwhelms me. How great a God that would love us so much that he would be more interested in us than His own comforts. So I say: "God you are sooooooo good and something good is going to happen to me."

The Goodness of God

2009-12-18T00:54:00.004-05:00

I just finished listening to a Sermon about the goodness of God. I have listened to this sermon over and over again. The sermon is by Keith Moore. It was preached in 2001. Someone gave it to my nephew and he shared it with me. Keith Moore offers all of his sermons for free download from his website. I do not know if his archives go back as far as 2001, but this sermon addressed exactly what I needed. It is just amazing that this came through one person obeying God and giving it to my nephew and then him sharing it with me. There are multiple scriptures (according to Keith Moore, he found over 600) on the goodness of God. I wonder why most churches do not center on this so that we can truly understand the nature of God. I have been a Christian for so many years and am just beginning to understand God's love for me as the apostle John knew without a doubt that Jesus loved him. There never is a time when God gets old and boring. There is always something more to learn. Now it's time to look up the verses with the name goodness in it that pertains to God. It is like meeting someone new and exciting.

Married and Loving It

2009-11-15T19:51:00.002-05:00

I must say that after 32 years of marriage it just keeps on getting better and better. This week we launched a new business and working together with the person you were meant to be with in life is the most awesome experience you can imagine. Of course, having children is pretty awesome too. Marriage isn't always easy but when God is in the middle of it, it works. Marriage is not for the faint hearted or those who think life should always be fair. When you ask God to lead you to the right person, it works out in the long run and you won't regret asking for the help. I think the hardest time of my life was trusting that God would find me a mate and then working hard to have a good relationship with God. I have found that when we spend time with God, He shows us how to care for others beyond what we humanly understand.

Pillow Case Dress Measurements Needed

2009-11-07T12:37:00.002-05:00

Note to self - measured a pillow case: 35 inches long (includes 4-inch end hem, 1/2-inch seam on closed end, and 1/2-inch turn under 4-inch hem. Case is 22" wide (must be put on the fold of the fabric, includes 1/2-inch seam on sewn side. Piece of material needed is 44" inches by 35 inches. Allow for extra material to preshrink material. Will try 1-1/3 yards of material at 44" wide for one pillow case.

Unemployed???

2009-11-01T13:42:00.004-05:00

There are so many aspects to what happens when we lose a job. Maybe a job has been lost that we have had all of our life. Maybe jobs have dried up in a geographic area. Maybe, maybe, maybe! It is important to stay focused and calm. It is important to pray. It is important to pray and ask for things that go beyond your wildest dreams. It is important to work at looking for a new job as if it were your job and you are getting paid to do so. It is important to stay positive and not pick apart all the reasons that you will never work again. Negativity is not productive and causes you to want to give up. Two people I have been praying for now have jobs that goes way beyond what they may have dreamed of even in the best of economies. Don't underestimate the power of God, the power of prayer, and the power of being positive.

Toy Clean-up - Fast and Easy

2009-11-01T13:31:00.004-05:00

I found that while doing a day care, the problem with the toys and pick-up really went away when the toys were limited to one thing at a time. When the child wanted to play with something else, the rule was to pick up what you are playing with and then a new toy whether it be blocks, dolls, etc. would be given.

I put all the toys in plastic stackable containers that you can see through. Thus the child can see what is in the box even if they can't read a label. I stacked these toys on the upper shelf of the closet. When the child wanted a new toy, they would put the old toy in the container and I would put it up in the closet and hand the child the new container. It made for a lot of peace and happiness in our home. I only wished I had tried this method much sooner instead of going through everyday of asking for toys to be picked up. Funny how even the smallest of humans will do something just for the reward of having something else.

P.S. If you discipline your child by sending them to their room filled with toys, isn't that like sending them to Disney World for crappy behavior? Just a thought!

Time To Leave Home?

2009-10-25T21:27:00.002-04:00

I remember one evening sitting around the living room in my mid 20s. My two other sister also in their mid 20s were sitting in the living room. Daddy came in after doing his final chores for the day. He stood in the room with his arms folded across his chest with a disgusted look on his face. Dad was a great joker but also was very serious when it came to work. I was not sure whether the look on his face was in jest or serious.

We sat quietly in the room waiting for Dad to speak which was a feat in itself considering that we were all girls and were always talking. He said, "I just want to know one thing." He then asked in an urgent way, "When the **ll is one of you girls going to go out on your own. We were all working and had either finished school or were finishing up school. I could not resist replying to this question. I enthusiastically said, "Oh Daddy, don't you know that we love you so much that we are never leaving home!" Daddy had no reply.

For some reason, it was soon after that that we began to leave home. I still remember the tear in his eye the day he walked me down the aisle at our wedding.

What Ever You Put Your Hand To Do....

2009-10-18T23:09:00.005-04:00

According to Ecclesiastes 9:10 (King James Version) it says: Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

When I was very young I began to apply this scripture to my life. I tried to do an excellent job no matter how much I did not like to do it. I asked God for ways to help me to be enthusiastic about whatever good task I needed to accomplish. I have listed some of the benefits of applying this verse to my physical tasks that needed to be accomplished.

It has given me the ability to finish classes in school that others with better learning abilities just slid through.
While people were being laid off from jobs in the company I worked in, I was being promoted. I put my full efforts into my job.
I have worked hard at our home and family and have found that there are no shortcuts or time to complain or compare who has the most work to do.

The above examples show that God's word can be applied in a physical way and we can see progress and success. Now let us look at some examples of this scripture in the spiritual sense.

When I put my hand to spending time with God early in the morning, the whole day goes much better no matter what is going on.
When I purposely spend time praising and thanking God for all that He has done and is doing in my life, my spirit is so lifted up.
When I enthusiastically give of my time and money and heart, joy and love fill my house both physically and spiritually.

If you take your strength and enthusiasm and apply it to pursuing God with all your heart, you will find no greater success in your life than a solid relationship with the creator of the whole universe and the ultimate expression of love for God's very essence is love. I have learned that whatever I have been blessed to do in my life, that with God's help and hard work, it can be done even better than I ever dreamed possible.

The Missing Library Book

2009-10-18T23:05:00.004-04:00

Why is it that when I need to return a library book, I can not remember where I have put it. I have a special place in the house to keep library books. It seems that if I check out a whole ton of books, there is no problem to find them. One lone library book, on the other hand can cause such a problem.

Tomorrow I will be looking for that one lone library book but I will have help. I ask God this way for help. Heavenly Father, please help me to find the book I need to return. Thank You for your help. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

What Do You Think We Will Be Doing In Twenty Years

2009-10-16T12:23:00.002-04:00

Today on MyLot.com, I was awarded best response to the following question: Someone in China asked what we thought we might be doing in twenty years with the understanding of how much life has changed in the last twenty years. Here was my response -

My cousin emailed me yesterday to tell me that his grandson started school this week. I had to take a deep breath. I do not know where the time has gone. I remember when we both just started school as little children and he is now a grandparent.

When I was in my early twenties, we were fighting the war in Vietnam, there were riots in our streets, our leader were being killed. We had progressed from manual typewriters to electric typewriters. Computers were part of imagination. We had large heavy cars. Our country would shut down on Sundays to worship and families would gather in the afternoon to have a nice dinner together.

Now some 35 years later, we are running in many directions, families live all over the country and don't have time to get together every week. We take very little time for God. We still have war, but it is in different countries. We still have school and families but so many children now grow up in broken homes. We have progressed in many areas of technology but have become a disconnected society in our homes and family structure.

I would hope in the future that there would be marvelous healing for many diseases, our homes would be more efficient, and that poverty worldwide would be a thing of the past. Our future will probably be way beyond what we could really imagine today. I do hope that the future does involve our food supply being cleaner and healthier, peace, and family life being more balanced and happy. It is good to always look to the future. I think the possibilities are boundless and exciting.

Farm Life - Bedtime and Blanket Wars

2009-10-15T13:42:00.005-04:00

Growing up on the farm, there was always a lot of activity every day. You would think it would tire a bunch of energetic kids out and they would just flop into bed with no problems. Not so at our house.

To this day we remember bedtime. Bedtime for us was fun time. It was a time of pony-back rides by daddy. Daddy would get on all fours and we would jump on his back. He would then make pony noises from the living room to the bedroom and have us jump into bed. When daddy would drop one of us off and go back to get another child, the kids in bed would jump out of bed and run back to the living room to get another ride. There were three of us all each a year apart in age and we were under the age of five. Daddy would smile and act as though it was our first time for a ride.

After about a half hour of this frivolity, we would be told that it was the end of the pony-back rides and time for prayers. We would line up on the side of one of the beds all in a row, on our knees, hands folded and say our evening prayers and then thank God for all our blessings and for each other and all the rest of the family and friends. Then it was snug into bed with warm covers drawn over us, lights out, and and mama and daddy closing the door behind them. We knew they went out to watch those television programs that were too adult for us to watch like "Gunsmoke" and "I Love Lucy" and "The Dean Martin Show."

As we laid in the dark, we could hear the quiet hum of that old black and white television from the living room. My sister and I were almost a year apart in age, so we shared a double or full-size bed. We had plenty of room but there always seemed to be a bit of a problem as to who had more blanket and who had less. Many nights, my sister, who was a year younger than me but stronger than me, would fold her side of the blanket under her body and begin to roll up in the blanket until I had no blanket on my side of the bed. Now I would be freezing and she would be snickering at me because I could not get a portion of the blanket for myself.

Well if she thought she was going to win that blanket, she had another thing coming. That is when I would start poking and tickling her to get her to lose her grip. At first she would be staunch and then slowly but surely she would start to say "stop it," while giggling quietly. She then would try to grab more of the blanket back that I had retrieved. If she would have her arms loose, she would begin to scratch me and I would punch her and then she would punch me and then I would punch her and then we would pinch each other and slap each other. Before we knew it, there would be a full-blown brawl going on and the covers were off to the side. After all, who needed covers when you were into a full-fledged fist, slap, pinch, fight. There was also pulling of hair with loud cries of "Ouch" and "Stop It" and many other bad things spoken.

SUDDENLY, there would be a fist pounding on the bedroom door. It was that fun-loving gentle daddy that had just given us pony-back rides and said prayers with us. The gruff voice would bark out very loudly "BE QUIET AND GO TO SLEEP OR I'M GOING TO COME IN THERE." We knew what that meant. If daddy had to come into our room, it would not be a wasted trip. He would bring the plastic fly swatter with him. It never left a mark but boy did it sting. Well we would settle down for a bit and then it would start all over again - kind of like the shampoo bottle instructions of wash, rinse, and repeat. Only this was like settle down, fight, and repeat! After two or three times of this, daddy would come into the room. The door would swing open. The lights would flip on brightly and spankings would be administered to our bared butts. Ouch that hurt. Then and only then would we settle down and go to sleep for real.

Now many years later, while recalling this story with my sister, she told me the reason she started the fights most of the time. It turns out that daddy and mama many times could not get us to stop fighting even after the spanking. That is when daddy would scoop her out of the bed and let her fall asleep in their bed while my parents watched television in the living room. She told me she loved it when daddy picked her up and carried her to our room after he thought she had fallen asleep. While we had times of pony-back rides and hugs, we still grew up in a staunch German home and my parents were very careful not to show a lot of affection because it could be considered inappropriate. You may say that they went out of their way to be careful about affection. All in all the mind of a child sure is different from an adults point of view and those nights of fighting hold a dear place in my heart as well as my sister's heart.

The Star Spangled Banner - or Singer's Bane

2009-10-12T11:29:00.008-04:00

Once again someone is thrown into traffic and run over (metaphorically speaking) while singing "The Star-Spangled Banner." Here is a You Tube (what would we do without them) video of Jesse McCartney messing up the infamous song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrHsOQfiptA

This song is known as the singer's bane and here is a bit of humor from the article on wikipedia concerning the star-spangled banner. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star-Spangled_Banner#Performances

"The song is notoriously difficult for nonprofessionals to sing, because of its wide range – an octave and a half. Garrison Keillor has frequently campaigned for the performance of the anthem in the original key, G major, which can be managed by most average singers without difficulty[26] (it is usually played in A-flat or B-flat). Humorist Richard Armour referred to the song's difficulty in his book It All Started With Columbus."

"In an attempt to take Baltimore, the British attacked Fort McHenry, which protected the harbor. Bombs were soon bursting in air, rockets were glaring, and all in all it was a moment of great historical interest. During the bombardment, a young lawyer named Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner", and when, by the dawn's early light, the British heard it sung, they fled in terror ”

All humor aside, if you have ever seen a ton of people auditioning for the Star-Spangled Banner, you would find yourself just feeling sorry for the singers and asking the question: Why do we have this as the national anthem instead of "America the Beautiful" or maybe (just some humor) "O Cananda."

This post is dedicated to Jesse McCartney and all those who have gone before him both small and great that have had a train wreck with this song. At least Jesse was on key!

The Secret - Change Your Life In A Good Way

2009-10-11T18:44:00.004-04:00

There is a video called "The Secret." It is a documentary. It is an amazing documentary of what our thoughts bring to us. How like attracts like. If you have not viewed this documentary, I will guarantee that it will change your life if you watch it and apply it.

With all the constant bad news in this world, this documentary is a welcome change and gives ways to cope with the stresses of life. It will cause you to take a look at some things in your life that you never thought affected you so deeply.

You may be very skeptical at first about the premise and what it means to each individual on this earth. That is quite okay to be skeptical but if you are brave enough to step out and apply it, even if it is only an experiment at first, I believe you will have to report some good things happening in your life from it.

There is so much good information in this documentary that I spent a good portion of the day yesterday transcribing all that is being said and getting it deeper into my mind. My next step will be to make a list of what exercises I would like to try from this and then map out a viable course to accomplish that goal. I have seen a lot of stuff related to this both in the Christian realm and in the secular realm. This puts it all together in a nice package. It is not Christian, but can be easily applied in Christianity. So take an adventure today and find out what "The Secret" really is!

Below is listed what the video looks like and where you can purchase it if you can't find it in your area:

Kitty Kisses

2009-10-11T18:10:00.005-04:00

This morning as I was waking up but still dreaming. I felt the affectionate tongue of my cat brushing across my forehead. Half awake and half sleeping. A little lick on the forehead. I go to pet her and she disappears. Soon the licking is back and she slips away again. I am becoming more and more awake but still dreaming. Now she hops on my stomach and starts to purr. It is such a beautiful sound waking up to on a fall crisp day. I go to scoop her up in my arms and she scurries away. Now she is back licking my forehead. She has never been so affectionate in the three years she has been with us. Still floating in and out of sleep and awake. Do I smell like kitty food or is it her way of saying, "I love being a part of the family."

SUDDENLY there is a thought that crosses my mind! What was that I was thinking about maybe smelling like kitty food? Rats! I forgot to buy kitty food yesterday and check their bowl. Now I know why all the affection. This is the first time we have ever had an empty bowl of food for our kitties in the three years that they have been with us.

Now I'm awake and happy to find some canned cat food to tide them over. Within hours we replaced the dry food and everything was back to normal. No kitty licks. No hopping on my stomach for affection. Just happy sleeping cats in little corners of our house. Still, all in all it was a great way to start the day.

My Kitty Has An Upset Stomach

2009-10-11T17:41:00.003-04:00

A friend recently asked me what to do for a kitty who constantly seems to have an upset stomach. She is using a cat food just for that purpose, to help the kitty's stomach settle down. The kitty has short fur and it doesn't seem like it is a hairball problem.

What it in world can you try, especially when the vet has looked at the cat and there doesn't seem to be a problem that the vet can find?

Today I did a search on Google and came up with this article. It made a lot of sense to me and I know it could possibly help. So go to this article and read it and see if you think if this is a good solution. http://www.catdigestiveproblems.info/

Today Is (10-10-09) Shemini Atzeret - God's High Holy Day

2009-10-10T14:16:00.004-04:00

Last night (10-9-09) at sunset began Shemini Atzeret, one of God's High Holy Days, and it ends this evening (10-10-09) at sunset. There are seven High Holy Days every year. Because God's High Holy Days go according to the Hebrew Calendar instead of the calendar that most of us use from day to day, every High Holy Day must be looked up first in Hebrew reference in order to find out when in falls on our calendar. It takes place on the 23rd day of Tishri. So This year it starts at sunset of 10-9-09 and ends at sunset of 10-10-09 according to our calendar. Next year this High Holy Day will come in the fall as it always does but the date can vary on our calendar because our calendar is different from the Hebrew calendar.

This High Holy Day is in Leviticus 23:39. The New King James Version says:

'Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbeth-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest.'

Shemini Atzeret is the day after the Feast of Tabernacles (which is celebrated for seven days) and is the "eighth day" referred to in the verse above. It is a High Holy day to God. It pictures yet another part of God's plan for mankind. The term "Shemini Atzeret" means the assembly of the eighth (day). Other references to the Feasts of God are: Exodus 23:14-16; Exodus 34:22; Leviticus 23:33-36 and 39-43; Numbers 29:12-38; Deuteronomy 16:13-15.

Shemini Atzeret is a separate day from the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. It pictures so much more than we as Christians can possibly imagine. Before I come to that, though, it is important to see how the keepers of the oracles of God (Romans 3:1-2), the Jewish people, think about and celebrate this day. Here is a short article on how this day is kept today along with a bit of history: http://judaism.about.com/od/simchattorah/a/all_8atzeret.htm

In the meantime, as we look in the Book of Revelation, we can find something very surprising about this day. Now before you read the rest, please keep in mind that we all see through a glass darkly as the Apostle Paul wrote so what I will say next is possible in sequence with the other High Holy Days and what they picture, but only God knows what will truly happen in the future. Nothing is written in stone as far as what we as humans know. Only God knows what all this means perfectly.

Shemini Atzeret takes place the next day after the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot. The seven-day Feast of Tabernacles pictures the time written in the book of Revelation, chapter 20, verses 4-6. This is when Jesus lives and reigns with those who are in the FIRST RESURRECTION! What? Do you mean there is more than one resurrection? Read it for yourself in Revelation 20:5. Isn't that scripture a bit of a head scratcher for most Christians.

Now if the Bible talks about a first resurrection, the next question is: Does it talk about other resurrections? The answer is that it most certainly does. Go to Revelation 20: 11-15. Here is a section of scriptures that many Bibles title as "The Great White Throne Judgment." But how can that be when most Christians believe that when a person dies, they instantly go to heaven or hell and are judged at death. This is a question that has probably been asked from the time that Revelation was originally written until this day at least among Christians. I would ask you to read what is written and ask God what this means.

In the meantime, notice that this is the judgment for the dead, small and great. They are standing before God. Could this judgment be for those who never knew God. Remember that the dead in Christ were already in the first resurrection when Christ returned a thousand years earlier and were considered the bride at the marriage supper (Revelation 19:7-9). They have lived and reigned with Christ the whole thousand years (Revelation 20:4-6). Now this Great White Throne appears. Could the "Him" that sat on the throne be God the Father. What if there is a time for those in this second resurrection to get to know God and have their names written in the Book of Life between the time they are resurrected and the time they are judged? So many questions. The one thing that we do know is that there are two resurrections. Could it be that God does not give us all the answers and that we see through a glass darkly? I do know that the Bible says that it is God's will that no man should perish and yet I know that God is very fair. Before you jump to any conclusions based on what you have been taught ask God to show you what all of this is. Could it be that God does not clearly define all of this because it is not time to understand all of the details? Could it be that this very High Holy Day and the observance of it is the key to understanding more on this subject? May God bless you as you go to Him with your every need.

In the meantime, be blessed on this High Holy Day that God set forth in the Old Testament. Know beyond a doubt that it looks forward into the plan of God for all mankind and that God is fair, just, and has a plan that goes beyond anything that we can comprehend. Center on the mighty love that God is and live in His light.

How Great is God?

2009-10-10T13:58:00.003-04:00

God's greatness goes beyond anything I can possibly imagine. We can only know things like love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, etc. by what we have experienced in our life. God is love. A drop of his love goes so far beyond our wildest dreams and yet He has so much more.

God I thank you for sharing what you are with us when we open ourselves to you. You are mighty, awesome, and beyond our comprehension and yet you love us. You have made us, have a plan for us, and it is all so very very good. We need to see You and Your plan for us more clearly and stop limiting Who you Are. We need to appreciate you more deeply and embrace You. Thank you for all that You are. It is nice to rest in You.

Griffin Came Home

2009-10-04T19:04:00.004-04:00

I am learning about a whole new world. I am learning about the community of dog walkers. People who walk their dogs. I find it interesting that everyone identifies themselves by their dog's names. I have not learned most of the dog owner's names. We call them things like "Fido's mom or dad." It's a bit weird at first but all of a sudden people are talking through their dogs and we have had a lot of nice conversations because of this.

Today Griffin's mom could not find him. She thought she hooked him up tight to his outside chain and when she came out to check on him, he was gone. The whole neighborhood went looking for him. We looked in the woods and on the roads and around the houses. We called for him, but he is old and can not hear very well. My neighbor that I walk with and I asked God to please bring Griffin home quickly and safely. We found out later that right after we walked away from that prayer that Griffin came home. He had burrs all over and he ran into the house and barfed on his owner's bed. It wasn't the greatest home coming but we are all glad that he is home and he is safe. It was so nice that his owner could rejoice in his return and that he was not out after dark with all the coyotes around here.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

2009-10-02T13:55:00.005-04:00

This evening (October 2, 2009) at sunset begins a seven-day festival known in Hebrew as Sukkot or The Feast of Tabernacles. Now if you are a Christian, you may never have heard of this and may be wondering why in the world should I care about this. Here are some of the reason.

The Feast of Tabernacles is listed in the Bible (King James Version) as "a feast of the Lord" not as "a feast of the Jews" in Leviticus 23:37. For a more detailed account of this feast read: Leviticus 23:23-44. We would have lost any idea of what this feast involves if it were not for the Jewish people and their perseverance to preserve these things.
All of the seven feasts appointed by God in Leviticus 23 show us the progressive plan of God for all mankind.
Each feast is linked to Jesus Christ. The feast of Tabernacles pictures the return of Jesus Christ and His thousand-year reign on this earth. This feast is yet to be fulfilled.
This feast pictures, that we, as Christians are temporarily dwelling in this world (thus the temporary dwellings or booths that people stay in during this time).
Because Jesus was our sacrifice, we keep it with a New Testament understanding of grace.
The feast is just plain fun to observe. It lasts for eight days. It is like going on a Christian vacation and feasting on God and his goodness. Money is saved throughout the year for this time to enjoy with fellow family and friends in a peaceful loving setting.
This feast will be kept even after Jesus returns to this earth. Read Zechariah 14:16-21. There are consequences from God to those who refuse to keep this feast.

Here are some ways that the Feast of Tabernacles can benefit you and your family:

It centers us back on God and His love for us.
We are able to rest and enjoy the fruits of our labors.
It brings us and our families together in love and fellowship.
It helps us to focus on the good future plans that God has for us.

This evening is not only a regular sabbath (day of rest) but it is also a High Holy Day of God's. Use this time to draw close to God and thank Him for the provision he has given you this year. Ask Him to reveal to you what this day should mean to you. Ask Him why and how to observe it. In light of the scriptures in Zechariah 14:16-21, as you keep this feast, ask God to rain down on you all that you need. God bless you on this wonderful Holy Day which is an open portal to God and His grace. The High Holy Day portals of God's power are available seven times per year and this is a wonderful day to realize that God has a plan for all mankind. God bless you and keep you. May He rain down understanding of this most precious day you and to all mankind.

Education - Consider Who Will Be Wounded

2009-09-25T13:05:00.005-04:00

While I think it is important to stand up for what is right, we must always consider how the battle will affect those closest to us. Here is an educational battle that took place in my life that took many years to correct.

I grew up going to the local Lutheran church. My father, grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. were life-long members. When my mother married my father she became a Lutheran. Over a period of years that membership fell apart for my mother and there was much controversy between her and the members of the church. Before much of this took place, my mother volunteered in the Sunday School program every week. One of the church teachers (a lady who taught the first grade), was the teacher that my mother assisted. While I do not remember this part of the story, my mother related it throughout her life with glee. The story was always the same, so I know that it was pretty close to the truth.

As mom was sitting in the back of the Sunday School class listening to the teacher tell a Bible story, she became puzzled by what the teacher was saying. I was around three or four at the time. The teacher kept talking about a Bible character named Nebuchadnezzar. The teacher kept pronouncing it as "New-buck-in-eeee-zer." Mom had always heard it pronounced much differently. At one point in the story my mother finally figured out who that teacher was talking about. She blurted out very loudly from the back of the room, "Oh now I finally know who you are talking about!" She laughed loudly and pronounced the name as she believed it should be correctly spoken and then made fun of this teacher that she pronounced it wrong in front of the whole class. My mother had the correct pronunciation of the word. She was right as rain, but she did not consider how her speaking up would eventually harm one of us.

A few years passed. I attended this Lutheran school beginning in Kindergarten. That first year was wonderful and I loved school. The next year for first grade, I was in the class with the teacher that my mother had made a spectacle of a few years before. This was not bad enough but I also had a learning disability that no one knew about, especially back then.

Week after week I sat in this first grade class struggling with my reading assignments. I so loved school. I don't remember having an opinion of my teacher one way or the other. I was more concentrated on the beautiful bulletin boards that we had and the children I played with. I also loved to learn so much that I did not even realize that I was not doing so well in school. Day after day this teacher would call on me to answer questions that I did not know and then make an example of my stupidity in front of the class. When a child is small they do not understand these things, it just goes down deep inside that a child feels really inadequate and stupid. What used to be fun for me to participate in class discussions became torture. All of this was happening without my parent's knowledge. I was too young to discern the emotional attack that was going on.

When our first report cards came out, my parents were appalled at my horrible grades. There was another big display from my mother with the teacher over this. Why was she not informed of what was going on earlier? Could the incident that happened earlier between this teacher and my mother have a bearing on what I was now suffering day to day in class. Even if it did, the teacher was way out of line to do such a thing to an innocent child.

It was at this time that my mother began to work with me at home to teach me how to read. I will be forever grateful for her help in this area. Today, I owe a lot of what she did to help me in this area to establish my love for reading and education. I just wish that my mother had had a better relationship with my teacher because she never knew how deeply this whole thing affected me for many many years. It also affected how the other children treated me too. It was at that time that I began to bite my nails and I constantly did whatever I could to pull away socially in a classroom setting. It took an English teacher in High School to finally pull me out of my shell during class discussions in his class.

Whether we are a parent or a teacher, we as adults must guard the emotions of children as we work with them. We will never do it perfect but it is good to be aware of our actions and how they can hurt or help others.

Relationships - Is This Abuse?

2009-09-24T12:55:00.008-04:00

Several years ago our local police department put on an informational program on our local access channel. I learned a lot from that program and the information it provided. It gave me some information that I could understand about relationships.

According to the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women ( http://www.mcbw.org/about ) there are certain warning signs of abuse and they are in areas that most people do not even think of.
Reading this list does not mean you should immediately leave your mate or head for divorce court but if you are aware of what is not correct, you can also know what may be acceptable to tolerate in a relationship and what may not be acceptable in a relationship.

Please give very close attention to this page. There are two wheels of behavior that or not acceptable and that are acceptable. Most people think that abuse is physical. While that is true, there are abuses in the emotional area, economic area, and other areas that are just as harmful and yet are accepted if there is no knowledge about it. Do not just glance over this page, there is too much information here to miss any of it. http://www.eurowrc.org/05.education/education_en/12.edu_en.htm

There are other helpful wheels for those who are dating, raising children, and almost any other kind of relationship. I have found this site very helpful: http://www.mcbw.org/handouts

Dealing With Loss

2009-09-23T10:07:00.004-04:00

Sometimes the unexpected bombs that hit us in life can leave us so wounded but after the initial shock and healing, I have found that there is a whole different part of life that I never considered.

After losing three children in my life during pregnancy (the worst being the last because I carried the baby to full term), I talked with a medical insurance lady that shared with me that she had taken three babies to term and only the fourth survived. She blew me out of the water with her kindness and peace. It was then that I realized that it was okay to grieve but that I needed to help others in this area when I was ready even though I really did not want to. There were many others that were there for me during this time that really helped me and my family in the healing process. I have written about those people in other articles. It all came together to turn me into a different direction in my life.

This girl at the insurance agency could relate to me because she had been through it. I suddenly saw someone who had survived and it gave me new hope. She knew what it was like because she had gone through it. Soon after that I visited our son's grave and there was a young girl several markers down weeping and sobbing. How it breaks my heart to see the grief of a parent who has lost a child. No matter how many children we have (I do have another), it does not replace the child or children gone. I quietly went over to her and listened to her story. I wept with her and encouraged her to go home and take care of her other children and husband (so hard to do after such a thing). We then just embraced each other and resolved to move forward but to never forget our precious children. I have not seen her since that time when I visit the cemetery.

Every time I am given the opportunity to help someone else now, I know that I have been given a special gift to care for a wound that has cut deep into the fiber of a parent and in this imperfect world there is such a need for an outpouring of love to help heal each others' wounds and go on. I wish my compassion had come in a different way but it is what it is. It was through this that deep anger, hurt, and disappointment have been replaced in my life with love, healing, and eternal hope. I am by no means perfect, just set on a different path.

Saving Money - How Save On The Electric Bill

2009-09-20T21:30:00.005-04:00

Saving money on electric can be easy if you just start looking around your house and evaluating where you may be paying for something you are not using.

Here are some possible ways to save on energy and money on the electric bill.

Shut off lights when not in a room.
Shut off a television when you are done watching a program and going to another activity.
Shut down the computer when not in use.
Try to make sure the furnace and air conditioner are well tuned. Use the air conditioner only when the house gets really humid.
Try to turn the temperature down a little in the winter for heat and up a little in the summer for cooling.
Install very good windows into the home. This can mean windows with good seals and UV light filters.
Replace an old washer and dryer (over 20 years old) with a front-loading washer and new dryer. The savings in electric usage, water usage, and drying time is well worth the update.
Keep counter-top appliances unplugged in the kitchen when not in use.
Try to make sure that the refrigerator and freezer stays well-stocked so that it is not cooling vacant space.
If you are baking something small, use a toaster oven instead of the regular oven.

It is very important to make sure that the electrical meter on the outside of your house is working properly. Sometimes a faulty meter can show a higher electric usage than actually occurred. If a bill seems high, ask your electric company to come out and check the meter. Ask questions when they come out to make sure the meter is tested properly.

Ask the electric company to read the meter instead of estimating usage. This is especially important if you are living in a new home and the electric company is basing their bill on a prior occupants usage. If you use less than the prior resident you will be charged extra until someone comes out and reads the meter and then adjusts the bill. This could take months to correct. You also do not want to be hit with a really large bill, when you thought the bills were accurate and they were undercharging you.

Here is the one area that I splurge on when it comes to saving energy: While I could use more energy efficient bulbs, I do splurge in this area. We live in a region that is very overcast most of the time. In the winter many people suffer from depression because of the loss of sun light. I use plant light bulbs or full-spectrum light bulbs in lamps and overhead can lights. The depression has not been a problem since we made this change and I find that the larger bulbs in canned lights heat the room and I can shut off the heat ducts where these are placed in the house.

All in all be aware of what takes energy and think of how you can use things efficiently or possibly shut it down when not in use. In some cases, it could do more harm than good to shut something down in between uses. Always check with your owner's manual to make sure the electrical item does not need to be on.

Farm Life: Learning How to Ice Skate

2009-09-19T02:55:00.002-04:00

Living on a farm means learning a lot of things in different ways than most people would. We had ditches that surrounded our house on two sides. "A ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel water."* These ditches were not small ditches. They were narrow but at least six feet deep. In the wet season the ditches usually had at least two feet of water in them.

One winter day daddy went out to the ditch next to our house and cut through the snow to see if there was any fully frozen ice that was smooth underneath. To his delight the ice was perfect. Daddy came into the house and announced that it was time to learn how to ice skate. He put us all in the car and took us down to the local store and bought us ice skates.

I was the oldest one of three girls. My sister who is a year younger than me and I came home with "grown-up ice skates." They were white and laced up. The most impressive part of those skates were that they had a single blade. My younger sister got a set of skates that had a double blade. I found very quickly that the single blade may have been a more grown-up option but the double blade made learning to skate a lot easier.

When we returned home, daddy helped us each into the ditch and then followed after us. That deep ditch sheltered us from the blowing winter wind. The walls of the ditch were narrow and close enough that we could not fall down very easily. Whenever we would lose our balance, we would have to just put out our arms and touch the walls of the ditch to steady ourselves. At first the skates slipped all over the place but before long we got the hang of the whole thing and we were skating up and down that ditch with ease. It was from that moment on that we loved to ice skate. Most people learn to skate at a rink but we had a method that was perfect for us, a deep narrow ditch.
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*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ditch

Farm Life: Where Did The Dog Go?

2009-09-19T02:26:00.003-04:00

Sometimes a parent means well, but the prayers of a child can really bypass all that a parent intends. We had a collie dog named Poochie. She had puppies and we kept one of those puppies. We named him Yippie because all he ever did was bark and cry and whimper when he was left alone.

We loved to come come from school and play with Yippie. He was about the size of a small pony. When we would take him off of his leash and let him run free in the farm yard, we would all run for cover. He would run at us full force and then tackle us down to the ground and lick us until we were covered with his slobber. We just loved that dog. He was a sandy color with spots of white mixed in. I thought he was the most handsome dog around.

One day the dog came up missing. We called for him and called for him but he was no where to be found. I missed him so much. I prayed and asked God to please bring him back to us.

Many months passed and we went through the winter with no sign of our dog. We rode the bus everyday to school and on the way home were the last ones to be let off the bus. One spring afternoon as the bus was letting the last kids off at their home before our stop, I thought I saw Yippie. I couldn't contain myself. I opened the window of the bus and called out for him. The dog I had seen was three or four houses away from the bus stop. When I called out for Yippie, the dog looked into the direction of our school bus. His ears perked up and that big slobbery smile came over his face. Before I knew it he came bounding across the yards to the school bus. It was Yippie.

Our school bus driver bent the rules that day and allowed a large overgrown collie onto her bus and drove him and us home. Nothing could describe the look on mama's face when the bus pulled up to our house and we all jumped off with the dog in tow. It turned out that mama had taken him to the dog shelter because she was tired of fighting with us to take care of the dog. Now here he was in all his glory, barking and bounding toward her. Surprise mama, we yelled as we got off the bus. I knew God had answered my prayers and brought our dog back home! I did not know until later how much He really had answered my prayer.

Farm Life: A Place For All The Animals

2009-09-19T01:46:00.002-04:00

When I was approximately ten years old, we moved from grandma's farm to our own farm. Grandma sold her farm. Daddy did not have much of a choice but to look for his own farm if he wanted to continue being a farmer.

The farm we moved to had many buildings. Daddy was more of a vegetable farmer so we did not have the usual farm animals. By that time, the horses, cow, chickens, and ducks were no longer a part of our life.

All of a sudden, friends and relatives got wind that we had our own farm and we became the farm of left over critters. Someone gave their child a baby duck for Easter. Unfortunately the duck did not stay a baby very long. That is when Donald the duck came to live with us.

The house came with a collie dog and a farm cat. Neither one of them were fixed, so when Spring came we found that we had nine little puppies and multiple kittens.

Homer the bunny also came to live with us. It seemed that we spend most of our days just feeding animals and trying to take care of them.

Finally, my father put his foot down and told the friends and relatives that we were not the humane society and if they had animals that needed tending, we were not the place to bring them to. It was great fun for us kids, though, while it lasted. We would put the duck in our kiddie pool on hot days. Homer the rabbit would be let out of his cage so that he could get some exercise. It was a lot of fun trying to catch him to put him back in the cage. The fat collie/German shepherd puppies always liked to fall out of their dog house at night and yelp up a storm. We would sneak quietly out the door to school so that we didn't wake the puppies and have them follow us to the bus stop. The kittens had to be put in a deep box, because they would get lost in the garage and we wanted to make sure they were all okay when night time came.

We had bags of food everywhere. Mama thought the lady that gave us the dog was really generous when she left us a very large bag of dog food. It was not until the dog had puppies and they all jumped into the dog dish at eating time, that mama found out that big bag of dog food was not going to go very far.

All in all it was a great life on the farm. Every morning brought new opportunities to love and care for the animals we had. We always had some kind of challenge, whether it was looking for a missing puppy or feeding the duck crickets. We loved our critters.

Happy Rosh Hashanah

2009-09-18T17:01:00.004-04:00

This evening (Friday, September 18, 2009) is the beginning of the fall High Holy Days in the Bible. Many Christians do not even know what these days are or what they represent because they are listed in the Old Testament. These days are dismissed as "Jewish" days. In Leviticus 23:2 they are called "The feasts of the LORD." In this same verse God declares these are "My feasts." Hmmmmmm where do Christians get the idea that these are Jewish only. Do we declare that the ten commandments are "Jewish" commands. Certainly not. Most Christians will defend their right to uphold the ten commandments and yet deny "The feasts of the LORD."

Each one of the High Holy Days that God has put forth in the Old Testament have a meaning for us today. The Holy Days in the Spring of the year were fulfilled by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and shows us the plan of God. When we get to the fall Holy Days, they look forward to what is prophesied to come.

Rosh Hashanah is the Hebrew name for "Feast of Trumpets" (the English translation). This feast is the first to occur in the fall of the year. Scriptural references for Rosh Hashanah or Feast of Trumpets can be found in Leviticus 23:23-25; Numbers 29:7-11. If you have the courage to read this, ask God how it may apply to you. You may be surprised at God's answer.

For me, personally, this Feast is my favorite. It is the blowing of the trumpet or ram's horn. It is an announcement. It anticipates Christ's second return to this earth. Since many believe that Christ was actually born in the fall of the year instead of on Christmas (this can be looked up under Christmas in older versions of World Book Encyclopedia) because of how the Bible references Christ's birth, I have long wondered if our Savior came to this earth as a baby also on this day. No matter which way you look at this High Holy Day, it points directly to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So, as the sun sets this evening in your area of the world. Remember our most precious Jesus and rest in Him on this His Holy Feast day.

For an on line service to celebrate this occasion, you may want to tune your computer into this website to learn more about this wonderful feast at 7:00 p.m Eastern Daylight Savings Time:
http://www.cbn.com/dmtemplates/RoshHashanah09-remind.htm

Prayer - For Finding Christian Friends

2009-09-15T00:51:00.004-04:00

Many people visited my site looking for prayers to find Christian friends and friendships. Here are some links to prayers for Christian friendships:

For a Prayer on "Developing Healthy Friendships," click on this link - http://www.prayers.org/viewprayer.asp?id=143

For a Prayer on "To Choose Godly Friends," click on this link - http://www.prayers.org/viewprayer.asp?id=319

For a Prayer on "For Your Child's Wise Choice of Friends," click on this link - http://www.prayers.org/viewprayer.asp?id=362

If you enjoyed these prayers, you can search for other prayers on this site or check out the many prayers written by Germaine Copeland. I have found her books to be very helpful and inspiring and the prayers are always based on the Bible.

For an added bonus, look up the Bible passages listed at the end of every prayer. You will have a little Bible study and begin to realize how you can pray Bible passages in your own personal prayers.

Farm Life: Gathering Eggs

2009-09-14T20:44:00.002-04:00

One of the farm jobs I disliked was gathering eggs. I was a very short child and had to stand on my tip toes to reach some of the chicken nests to gather the eggs. I could not move fast enough to avoid the hens pecking at my hands because I could not see high enough past their nest. I would just cry. This would prompt daddy to gather the eggs for me and I would cup the eggs in my shirt so that I could carefully carry breakfast to grandma's kitchen just across the street from the barnyard.

The first time I took the eggs to grandma's house for breakfast, no one was really paying any attention to me standing next to grandma's big kitchen table after we made it from the barn. The eggs were secure in my shirt. Not one egg cracked during my journey. I do not know where the adults were after getting to grandma's kitchen. Suffice it to say that they were not paying too close attention to my actions.

Where ever the adults were at the time. I remember taking each egg carefully out of my cupped shirt and putting them one by one on grandma's kitchen table. I then watched, fascinated, as the eggs bobbled across the table and then fell off onto the kitchen floor. To this day I remember how fascinating this whole thing was. The eggs wobbled back and forth and picked up speed as they reach the edge of the table. It was amazing to me how the eggs broke open and splashed when they hit the floor. Grandma noticed what I was doing as the last egg rolled off the table. That was the day we had an eggless breakfast but a lot of laughter over the whole thing. I do not recall gathering eggs after that day.

Farm Life: The World's Biggest Sand Castle

2009-09-14T20:25:00.002-04:00

When I was three, four, and five years old, I loved the Spring of the year. This was the time that daddy plowed the fields and got ready to plant crops. The ground that was in the field behind our house had the most beautiful sand. It was like having the world's biggest sand box. Daddy would assign us a place on the high hill to play in this sand after he had plowed all the weeds under. He would watch us playing on the hill while he continued to till the rest of the fields that surrounded the hill.

We would play on that sand hill all morning only to be interrupted by our lunch and then beg to go back out in the afternoon. We looked so forward to that time. One day while planning what we would do in this lovely sand, my sisters and I decided that we needed to build the world's biggest sand castle.

We made a large circle by shuffling our feet in the sand that covered the whole top of the hill. We then went about building the first level of our sand castle. We worked all day on our sand castle. Disappointment came as we built the second level of our sand castle. That was when daddy scooped us up on the tractor and went over our sand castle with his disc. We were heartbroken. Our beautiful castle was broken.

We soon forgot the disappointment, though, because it was always fun to ride the tractor with daddy and have the Spring breeze hit our faces and brush through our hair. I still think about the excitement of that day and the anticipation of what that sand castle would have been like when finished. I believe this was a day that showed me how to dream of wonderful things that we could do. I can still picture in my mind how great that sand castle would have been and it feels as if it was completed even though we were interrupted.

Farm Life: My First Job

2009-09-14T20:20:00.002-04:00

My first job was working on our farm, weeding long rows of carrots. We were paid a nickel per row. That's $.05 United States currency. Daddy would not pay us if we pulled too many carrots out by mistake. Those carrots paid some of our bills. We had to be careful because one of the weeds that grew with the carrots looked just like the small carrots. We could tell if it was a carrot by brushing the sandy soil away from the top of the plant root and looking to see if we saw an orange color. If we saw orange, it was a carrot. We learned very quickly to bury the carrots that we accidentally pulled up so that we would not have our pay taken away.

All in all we really enjoyed the work and would race one another to see how many rows of carrots we could complete in a day. That was back in the late 1950s when $.25 would buy five packs of gum or five candy bars. It was like we won the lottery at the end of the week. Of course, most of our earnings went into our piggy banks and we put our money in the bank once or twice a year when the piggy bank got heavy. I was well under the age of ten and felt so grown up to do work on the farm like daddy did.

A Workable Cleaning Schedule

2009-09-13T16:26:00.011-04:00

Years ago when doing a day care business I needed to get the house cleaned but had very little time between children, my family, and a schedule that ran from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. This was also a period of time when we were heavily involved in our church on the weekends. This church really looked at how a person kept their home as part of how they evaluated what type of family you were. I chased my tail until I began to use the card method that I talk about in another blog post (Organizing: The S.H.E. Method). I did not use this method forever. I used it until I had a general good cleaning pattern down and then went on autopilot.

When I closed the day care, our life took a diametric turn. We ended up moving to the other side of the country and we started home schooling. This also involved me working with the family business. Most of our possessions went into storage. We lived in an apartment with rented furniture. Our only possessions not in storage were some books (we home schooled), a vacuum, linens, pots, pans, and dishes, and clothing. We were down to the basics. At this time I learned that we could get along with just the basics. We did miss things like the sewing machine, extra books, games, toys, beauty and cleaning supplies, piano, etc. The thing that I learned at that time was that we could be just as happy with the bare essentials. All of this brings me to the next step.

When we were able to once again have a full-blown home my philosophy had changed dramatically. In the living area I like to keep the bare essentials (clothing, linens, dishes, pots and pan, etc). We are a family that enjoys many interests and therefore we have many craft projects, books, toys, etc. How in the world do you keep all of this stuff under control. Every time you add another person to the family, you add two more arms to pull stuff out and not put it back. It usually comes down to the mother cleaning up what the rest of the family walks over.

Here is how I put my house together.
1. Essentials only in living areas like the kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, living and family rooms, dining rooms. Give the kids a few toys (maybe a set of building blocks or a couple of dolls). Now there is less in these rooms to pick up and run after.

2. But what do you do with the extras in your house that you enjoy from time to time and yet do not want to keep picking up. You go looking for some cabinets that have doors on them. The cabinet doors must be able to be locked. If they do not come with locks, then you invest in a good drill and electric screw driver (mom's gift to herself) and buy some clamp locks from the local hardware. Do not buy open shelves or cabinets that cannot accommodate locks. These cabinets should fit well in the garage or the basement or a spare room. Measure before purchasing anything. Each cabinet can have items sorted into it. Here is an example of what might go into the cabinets.
A. Each kid can have extra items that they enjoy that are sorted into their cabinet.
B. Extra books.(In our house this means several cabinets.
C. Game cabinet.
D. Out of season clothing.
E. Whatever you have been picking up that you do not use all of the time.

3. Address the items that the family needs from time to time like light bulbs, batteries, cabling and electrical supplies, office supplies, etc. These items need to be accessed even when you are not in the home. Sort these things into stackable clear see-through boxes or drawer units and store them on the upper shelf in a hall closet or on an accessible shelf or two in the garage. Take into account changes in heat and cold if storing things in the garage. Sometimes paper items do not do so well in a moist damp garage or basement. Batteries may lose power with temperature changes. Christmas storage boxes and things like a canner (check seals before using) and canning supplies can be stored in the garage on a high shelf.

4. Finally, organize the kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets, closets, and bedroom drawers, etc. so that you can easily see what you have or don't have when you look inside. This is not just so that someone will give you a metal for your pretty drawers, closets, and cabinets. This is so that you can open any one of these items and quickly see what is needed like spices and food, clothing, etc. You are cutting down on buying items you already have or running out of what you need. I like to have the refrigerator sorted about once a week just before shopping day. It gives me a good idea what to add to the shopping list.

All of this may seem overwhelming at first, but little by little the house will work for you instead of you working for the house. You will still have to maintain these areas from time to time but it is controlled maintenance. I am on autopilot from the card system that I used years ago and I clean according to what I learned from that. I also use this method for making a list of things that need to be done that the whole family can pitch in on for holiday preparation, spring cleaning, and getting ready for a new school year. A good list gives clear jobs and direction that only needs a few questions answered. You will find a family that doesn't have to be yelled at or manipulated to get things done. They will have to come to you instead of you going to them. When mama is happy the whole house is happy.

Now comes the fun part! I have a "butt" day once a week. It is Saturday. The family is informed that I am on vacation and that they need to work their schedule around me on that day. I do not cook, do dishes, wash clothes, vacuum, etc. except in extreme emergencies. Sometimes I make exceptions according to individual needs; but choose to give up your precious rest time very carefully, because a rested mom is a great mom not to mention a wonderful wife.

All of the above gives me more time to enjoy my family, my home, and have time for me. I hope this helps you to be more balanced and take away the urge to be a Staff Sergeant or a let's have a free-for-all attitude. Happy household management. It is never perfect. It is never predictable. Add your special touches, live happy, and enjoy the most important thing of all, yourself and your precious family.

Walking the Dog

2009-09-10T20:52:00.003-04:00

I think one of my favorite times of the day is walking the dog in the evening. Now that is a bit unusual since I don't even have a dog. My neighbor comes over most evenings and we walk the dog together. It is a nice brisk, short walk. It does not take long and we always talk about things that are just fun to talk about. All in all, it is so nice to walk, talk, and unwind. I don't think the dog minds it either!

Marriage: Divorce and Children

2009-09-10T20:36:00.005-04:00

Many years ago, I had a friend whose mate left them. This friend had children and I was so mad for my friend and their children.

This friend, though, really taught me something important during this time. My friend asked me to never say anything negative about their ex-mate because the children were a part of both of them. I never thought of it that way. At first I just wanted to see this person hurt as much as they hurt the people I loved.

Now many years later, my opinion has not changed too much about the whole situation but I am glad that my friend had the foresight to speak only well of the ex-mate. The children, while hurt in many ways, always knew it was okay to love both parents even if there were really bad disagreements.

So, the next time you are tempted to take sides, remember the children. They cannot take sides. They are a whole from two different people and you are hurting them whether they heard your opinion or not.

1950's: Things in Boxes

2009-09-10T11:30:00.003-04:00

Growing up in the 1950's was fun. Part of the fun were the boxes. It seemed that whenever we went to the grocery store, there were a lot of products that offered surprises or small gifts in the boxes of merchandise.

We had the usual fare of prizes known or unknown in the cereal boxes or the "Cracker Jacks" boxes. There were little toys in the cereal boxes that many times required an engineering degree to put the item or items together once you dug through the cereal with your dirty hands (don't tell mom)! Maybe that is why our generation was smarter???? We took very good care of those little toys until we accidentally left them out and one of us stepped on it and broke it or a vital piece fell off in the middle of playing with it.

No one worried about the pieces being too small or someone choking on a toy. I wonder many times how we all grew up in one piece. Then again, we also grew up with lead in the paint on our toys and throughout the house in the paint, etc. Maybe that is why we all rebelled in the late 1960's and early 1970's.

I remember that my mother bought "Breeze" laundry soap because there were free towels in the soap box. If I remember correctly, small boxes yielded wash cloths, medium boxes yielded hand towels, and the deluxe size box held the grand prize of a bath towel. We loved to dig through the detergent box to see what colored stripe towel we had brought home. We would look over every box in the store to see if we could figure out which stripe color we would get. It was all guess work. The towels were very thin but we were happy to always have a new addition to our towel collection.

All in all, it was like a brand new treasure hunt every time we went to the grocery store.

What It Was Like For Me Growing Up On A Farm

2009-09-07T15:48:00.003-04:00

A question was asked in an on-line forum if anyone ever worked while going to school. The following was my replay. It brought back a lot of good memories. I thought I would share these with you. Please feel free to comment on this if you would like.

I grew up on a farm. I had no brothers, just sisters. My dad raised vegetables and this was our only means for support. He was a very talented farmer and raised many crops on a 40 acre farm. Some people from the Western United States would think dad could have been a land baron because many of the farms in the Western United States are very large. In the North Eastern United States where we lived, there were large farms, but there were more farms that were approximately 40 acres.

When you raise vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, cabbage, rhubarb, watermelons, cantelopes, carrots, green beans, etc., it is a lot of hard, labor intensive work. Our work would start in April and go full force into October (dad worked through the winter in the hot house sorting through crops that were harvested before the hard frost and selling to food packagers, restaurants, and grocery stores for winter income). He also planted spring crops and then when those crops were harvested replanted that land for a fall crop. He always made sure that part of the land rested so that it would not be overly stripped from it's nutrients.

Our work included transplanting into fields, hoeing weeds, harvesting, sorting, packing vegetables, and selling at the main farmer's market. We would attend school, change into our work clothes when we arrived home, work until sunset and sometimes beyond on the farm, and then have house chores and homework after school and farm work. We were expected to do the best we could in school. There was no time to socialize outside of school with school friends.

We were paid by piece work. For example, we made $.15 for a peck of tomatoes and $1.00 for a bushes of green beans. These containers were not considered full unless they overflowed the container. We marked each container with our initials and were not paid for picking anything that was not considered full or had damaged crops. We very seldom were paid by the hour. If we were paid by the hour, any bathroom breaks, lunch breaks, or days off (ha ha) were deducted from our pay. By the time summer vacation was in full swing, it was not unusual to put in 16-18 hours per day. When the crops were ripe they had to be harvested. Everyone pitched in. This was back in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

I kept some of my earning records in a scrap book and looked at them recently. I made somewhere around $300 per year on the farm. This was at the peak of my performance that included picking between 50 and 70 pecks of tomatoes per day. My parents supplied a school/church outfit, a work outfit, a pair of shoes, six pairs of socks, a pair of boots for winter, a winter coat, hat and gloves. Anything above this list we were supposed to supply on our own past the age of twelve. Before that time, anything we earned went in the bank.

We became very good at recycling clothing that others gave to us and loved to go to the charity stores. When I was in high school, a wonderful teacher taught me how to sew and then I taught my sisters. We used to look for material on sale for rock bottom prices. I made my own prom dress and also helped my sisters make their prom dresses. I became so good at sewing that I tackled men's suits, shirts, upholstery, etc.

This was a hard life sometimes but it was filled with fun and adventure. We learned at an early age that no one owed us anything. We learned that there were many ways to achieve a goal honestly. We worked alongside our parents. They set an example. You might say they walked the walk and did not just talk the talk. Many of the people we grew up with looked down on us, but we were being equipped with some wonderful principles that have served us throughout our life. It was such a blessing to do work hard and accomplish things without many resources. I think that making an honest living is good no matter how old you are. It gives one a sense of self-worth that most people never experience throughout their lives.

Where's George ?

2009-09-06T23:38:00.002-04:00

If you are thinking of having some fun while you spend your dollars (U.S. currency), here is a web site that is really off the wall.

I think this tops everything I've seen on the internet so far. The web site is www.wheresgeorge.com

You register your dollar bill and then go and spend it. As others check out the dollar bill you will get to see all the places it travels to. Okay, I know there are better things to do in life but this is just plain goofy enough to be fun!

English: Identifying The Difference Between The Two Female Grandparents, etc.

2009-09-06T13:37:00.005-04:00

While blogging on another site recently, someone from China asked this question: How do we in the English language make a difference between a grandma who is from the mother's side and a grandma from a father's side when they are all in one room together. After my husband explained how the Vietnamese language works (he served in Vietnam many years ago), I now understand how the languages handle this and understand why our English language is confusing in this area. I love learning new things about people around the world. So much of life can be misunderstanding.

I always love to help if I can. It gives me so much joy to help someone. I was not sure if I could explain it well but I took the challenge and tried to answer the question. Here is the answer that I wrote:

This is very easy if you think of the word "grandmother" or "grandma" as a title like "Mr.," "Mrs.," and "Ms." It is the title to show that they are a grandparent and that the gender is woman. Then we many times in English add the last name or surname to the title. For example: Grandma Smith if her name is Mary Smith or Grandma Jones if her name is maybe Susan Jones. We also sometimes use the first name instead of the last name depending on the Grandmother's wishes. Then the name for Mary Smith could be Grandma Mary or for Susan Jones it could be Grandma Susan. Usually the parents of the father or mother work this out if the name is the same. This is usually not a problem in our country since there are so many different names from so many countries.

Now let us take the name Grandpa or Grandfather for the title of a man who is a grandparent. Maybe his given name is John Doe or Michael White. This is how we might address them: Grandpa Doe or Grandfather Doe if his name is John Doe. Grandpa White or Grandfather White if his name is Michael White. We can also use their first given name to make Grandpa John or Grandfather John for the man named John Doe. In the same manner we could use Grandpa Michael or Grandfather Michael for a man named Michael White.

Many times people have favorite names as others have posted like nanna or papa. But the two paragraphs above is how we addressed grandparents for many years in the United States. A lot of the other forms have come along as our society has found it hard to accept that we get older or that we are getting old. There is a great emphasis on youth in the United States and very little emphasis on how important older people are to our society. A very sad thing to me.

I hope this makes it a little clearer. I am not sure if I explained it in terms that would translate well to your language and understanding.

The response from the person asking the question is that it really did help and that they understood now how we handle this. There were many responses to this question. I just love the internet that we can work together and help one another. Yes, there are uses for the internet that are not good but I think this is one use that really shines through. It is so exciting to get to know many kind people from all over the world.

Women in the Kitchen

2009-09-05T16:14:00.003-04:00

Today we girls got together and talked about why it is that a man living alone feels no compulsion to fix broken things around the house or to hang pictures, etc. We concluded that these things are not usually important to men. Men are minimalists. They like things straight forward and simple. Why complicate a home, wardrobe, or anything else in their life by fancying them up. Of course, this does not mean that it applies to cars, boats, etc. The big boy toys!

Now for the flip side. Some of the young men that I know are at the age where they are either out of college and in the working world or will be there very quickly. One of the young men related this story to me.

One of the boys has just purchased a home and enjoys having friends over. He did some painting and fixing up of his new home and was wondering about how to stock his kitchen with plates and cooking items. He was wondering what type of plates, etc. His friend took him out to his kitchen and stood at the entrance of the kitchen. He asked his friend if he remembered the foul line that is drawn across a bowling lane when you go bowling. He asked his friend if he remembers what happens if you step over that foul line. His friend remembered that an alarm goes off. He then explained to his friend that that is the way he should look at his kitchen. He should always know that when he marries and brings his new wife home that there is an invisible foul line at the entrance of the kitchen. His wife will want to make that room the room that she is comfortable in because her kitchen and really her whole house will reflect her as a woman.

This young man's advice is priceless. I think he has been listening to his mother and observing many things that are good as he has been growing up. What do you think?

Ephesians 1: 16-20;3:14-19 King James Version

2009-09-04T23:24:00.004-04:00

Some really powerful prayers to pray over yourself and others comes from Ephesians 1:16-20 and Ephesians 3:14-19.

Maybe the prayer could go something like this:

Heavenly Father, help me to constantly give thanks and make mention of all those You put on my heart and to pray that You, Heavenly Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of our understanding being enlightened; that we may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. For this cause I bow my knees unto You, Heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant myself and _____ , according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in me and in _____ hearts by faith; that we, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that we might be filled with all the fullness of God. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.

If you have any comments or revisions for this, please let me know.

Shopping: How to Choose a New Digital Camera

2009-08-30T12:56:00.004-04:00

Are you wondering about all those neat digital cameras on the market and how you can pick the right one for you? Here is a step by step way to get exactly what you want and need in a new digital camera.

1. Read some product reviews. A good place to start is Google search (www.google.com). Something like "digital camera product reviews" can be put in the search area. Look for the free reviews. Why pay for something if you don't have to. Using sites like www.amazon.com and looking up "digital cameras" is helpful for reading buyers' reviews for free. Also, consider reading the current "Consumer Report Magazine" at the library on the product you are interested in. In this case it would be "digital cameras." The more you read the more you will become acquainted with features and pros and cons of each brand. Consider many brands before making your wish list. Do not limit yourself to a few brands that you are familiar with. Technology and companies change so much that the brand you used in the past may not resemble anything that is now on the market.

2. Determine what you will use the camera for and your budget. Do your homework in understanding what each new function does that you are not familiar with. There are so many functions for digital cameras and your needs may be smaller or larger than the average camera on the market. If you buy a little above the minimum technology that you need in any area of electronics, you may end up stuck with a dinosaur piece of equipment within a short period of time after your purchase. Do not just assume that you should buy the digital camera with the maximum technology to have the best for your needs. Buying something that has maximum technology unless absolutely necessary can be a waste of money. Many times maximum technology items come down in price in a short period of time. The price of new technology usually comes down as all the technology companies catch up to the new technology and start offering competitive pricing. Ask yourself if you can use what you currently have and wait for the technology to come down in price. If you need to purchase something right away, pick a middle ground that suits your needs as closely as possible. Only purchase the top of the technology line if absolutely necessary. Stick to your budget as close as possible without giving up basic function need.

3. Once you have a list of the possible cameras that you think will serve your purposes and fit in your budget, it is time to try out the merchandise. Look for local stores in your area that carry the brands you are interested in. Ask the store clerk to show you the items and and allow you to use them briefly (with the clerk's help) in the store. Ask the clerk if they have an opinion on any of the items you have picked or what they see the general public buying. Ask them what their favorite piece of equipment is and why.

4. Even after working through all these steps, you may think you like one type of camera and then find that some of the functions are really not suited to what you are used to after getting it home. You may end up taking the camera back for a refund and buying another brand no matter how sure you were of your final choice. Make sure that no matter where you buy the camera, it can be returned.

The bottom line in all of the above steps is that you end up with a camera that fits your needs, your budget, and your style.

Organizing: Mail and Papers

2009-08-29T21:45:00.008-04:00

My papers are becoming more and more organized after over thirty years of losing them all over the house. My sister shared this one with me and it has set me free. She suggested a simple little item called a "Desktop File Sorter with A-Z Tabs." It is much easier to get at the papers when sorted into a book instead of file pockets. You don't have to go digging around each pocket to find a coupon or some other small paper. Here is the information for the A-Z version:

This idea has organized what I do not have time to file right away. Now I can find important papers with the flip of a tab. My sister has separate sorters for each kid going to school with their names on the front. She keeps them in a big drawer in the kitchen. My incoming mail sorter is positioned in front of a small shredder so that I can shred and sort mail as it comes in. I picked the place to set this up on a side counter where everyone usually drops the mail at the end of the day. No more piles of paper all over the kitchen table! I LOVE IT!!!

The version of this sorting book with the number tabs and tabs for the months of the year is great for bills that need to be paid or items that need to be done by a certain date. You file bills that are due for the present month under the numbers 1-31 and then put bills that are due other months under the corresponding month tab. When it is time for the next month, move those bills into the number section. Here is a sample of what the 1-31 tab books look like:

I'm free, free at last. No more digging for papers in pocket sorters. No more digging through piles of papers all over the house for that important car license tag or invitation. When I have time to file, the book has everything organized already. There is so much more extra time from not having to look for lost papers I need. My house is clean and I'm free to spend more time on my blog.

Other posts written on the subject of organizing can be found in the left blog column under "organizing."

Naural and Herbal Remedies: Beautiful Skin and Hair

2009-08-29T05:52:00.006-04:00

We went out for a nice meal for our 32nd wedding anniversary. When we told the waitress that it was our anniversary, she was so nice that she did not charge us for our dessert (cheese cake with strawberries). In the meantime, I mentioned how many years we were celebrating and she exclaimed that we sure did not look like we were old enough to be married 32 years. Aside from the fact (lol) that I was a child bride, it was a very nice compliment.

Now here is a little secret for great skin and hardly any wrinkles:
Approximately 25 years ago, I began to learn about herbs and their healing properties. At that time I was introduced to an herbal formula that actually has helped my back tremendously and healed part of my spine from an injury that occurred in my youth. It helped to take away back pain. The other thing that this formula did was give me healthy skin and helped prevent wrinkles. That was an added benefit that I had no idea I was partaking in. I had taken the mixture of cut herbs and soaked them in olive oil and applied the olive oil to my face to moisturize it when we lived in a very warm climate area. It has kept my skin in tip top shape and is far more economical than using expensive creams and lotions. So what is this great stuff?

Here is a link to it. It is called "Beauty Facial Cream Ointment." http://www.lifebalm.com/herbal-products/Remedy-by-Ailment/Skin-Health/Beauty-Facial-Cream-Ointment.html

If you want to have some of the most beautiful hair, you can try this combination of herbs in the shampoo form. The shampoo is a little costly but I just love how healthy and beautiful this shampoo makes my hair. Here is the link to the shampoo. http://www.lifebalm.com/herbal-products/Body-Bath-Herbs/BFC-Shampoo.html
This site also sells a conditioner that goes with the shampoo and also a scalp massage oil.

While I could not find any warning on this, you may want to avoid using these products when pregnant or nursing. During that time, I used only plain olive oil for my skin.

Writing: Miscarriage and My Favorite Poem

2009-08-28T11:05:00.004-04:00

Many years ago (31 years ago), I had a miscarriage. I was devastated. I knew so little about pregnancy and having children. The doctor would not believe that I was even pregnant until I started to miscarry.

This was back in a time when doctors could not determine an early pregnancy with a blood test. They did not tell me that a "morning" urine sample was needed. I went to my first appointment with the doctor after work and the "evening" sample was not sufficient to determine pregnancy. A pelvic exam could not determine a pregnancy either. The uterus was not visible because it was tipped back. The doctor presumed that I was not pregnant but a crazed woman really wanting to have a baby. I just wanted to verify the pregnancy and most importantly find out what type of prenatal vitamin to take. The doctor had no answer for what type of vitamin. He just said, "that's okay honey you have plenty of time to have children." This was after I told the doctor that we were not really trying for a baby at that time but were most concerned about a healthy baby whether pregnancy existed or not. What a JERK! I had a career that I loved and a pregnancy was not exactly planned but we chose to accept whether we were pregnant or not. This doctor jumped to his own conclusions and never did answer my question about the vitamins. Believe it or not, this doctor was known as one of the best doctors in a large metropolitan area for delivering babies and came very highly recommended.

Many weeks after the initial doctor's visit, when I began to show signs of bleeding, I had my husband drop off a "morning" urine sample to have it tested at the doctor's office. The doctor's office called a couple of hours later to tell me that I was pregnant. No fooling! That's what I was trying to tell them in the first place. Now I asked what to do since I was really bleeding. They told me to lay down and put my feet up. I found out later that the doctor was going on vacation and this was a Friday and he did not want to be bothered. I became so weak by Sunday morning that my husband caught me crawling to the bathroom. I could not walk on my own without falling over. My husband lost his temper, called the doctor's office answering service and was told to get me to the hospital. Another doctor met us there that was standing in for my doctor. He was cussing in a foreign language when he saw my condition. I had lost the baby and was hemorrhaging. I thought I had done something wrong to lose this precious life. This doctor was so mad about the poor care that I received but was so very kind to my husband and I.

I did not get pregnant for six years after that. I cried a lot through those years but I also began to study the whole pregnancy and birthing process. I did not want to ever repeat the above experience again. What started out so sad and hard ended in having children and learning much about how all of that works. I have never forgotten that precious child that brought us to a different place in our lives. A great blessing poured in with the knowledge.

In the meantime, a friend sent me the following poem written on a card when I lost that first child. This poem says so much to me even over thirty years later. I hope this poem will also touch your heart and give you a good day:

"How Great the Yield From a Fertile Field**"
by Helen Steiner Rice

"The farmer ploughs through the fields of green
And the blade of the plough is sharp and keen,
But the seed must be sown to bring forth grain,
For nothing is born without suffering and pain,
And God never ploughs in the soul of man
Without intention and purpose and plan.
So whenever you feel the plough's sharp blade
Let not your heart be sorely afraid
For like the farmer God chooses a field
From which He expects an excellent yield--
So rejoice though your heart is broken in two,
God seeks to bring forth a rich harvest in you.**"

**Rice, Helen Steiner: "Someone Cares"/Helen Steiner Rice, page 45, copyright 1998 by The Helen Steiner Rice Foundation, Published by Fleming H. Revell, a division of Baker Book House Company, P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287.

Home Improvements: House Efficiency

2009-08-27T13:37:00.006-04:00

Many times when we look at a house, we forget to look at the details. For years I have walked through new homes and been awe struck by the beautiful surroundings. I thought it would be great to live in a very large house with a beautiful large yard. While that would be a nice thing to do, I have learned that large is not always the best. So, what is the best?

The best home you can have is the home that works for you. How can a home work for you? Here are some things that you may look for in any place that you live.

Consider privacy. Every person in your family needs a place of quiet and a restful place to rejuvenate. This could be a bedroom or an area like a den or family room where a person can go to have some peace and quiet. If you have children, the children need to have a place they can go where they can settle down, get quiet, and become re-centered. Many times couples make a huge mistake to invest in a large house but never set aside a place that gives them complete privacy from their partner. This room or place should just be for relaxing, rejuvenating, creativity. This place should offer a way for an individual to not have to worry about someone else telling them what to do or how to be. How can this be accomplished?

For retired people and any couple, maybe consider renting a small office for the husband or wife that they can easily access for a small amount of money. If the person is a thinking person, this can be a place with a computer, television, bookcase, desk, little refrigerator, bathroom, microwave, and maybe an easy chair or a couch. This could be a small office space in an office building, a room in the garage, or a module unit set up in the back yard. Someplace unattached from the house. If the person loves crafts, then the room should accommodate the craft or interest of that individual.
For children, it could be a separate bedroom or if a bedroom is shared, give one or more of the children a little spot somewhere that they can go to when they are very stressed to be able to get quiet and centered again. Be inventive, kids don't need a hug space, maybe a corner of a room with a room divider and a bean bag chair. Include things like a fluffy blanket, a few good books, and maybe some nice quiet music for them. This space could be a quiet place in the house other than the bedroom.

Consider convenience. Look at how you spend time in your home. If you are spending all your time in your home just keeping it up, that home owns you and you do not own it. Make your house work for you by cutting out extra jobs that you do in your home. Here are some suggestions.

Do you have your kitchen and laundry in one area. That will save a lot of time and effort. While you are waiting for that water to boil, you can also have a load of laundry washing. You will be more aware of getting your clothes from the dryer before they wrinkle and supper can still be attended to or the kitchen cleaned at the same time. Two jobs can be done at once. Don't assume your home is too small to accomplish this. We built a small closet into our garage off of the kitchen to accommodate a stackable full-size washer and dryer. We were careful to measure the garage and washer and dryer first and found that we could still park our large cars in the garage very easily.
If you are constantly vacuuming, consider getting rid of the carpets and putting in hard flooring with area rugs. The hard flooring is easier to clean or dust and vacuuming is cut down to a minimum. At the very least, take your shoes off when you enter the house. While wood rugs are beautiful, be aware that they pill and need to be vacuumed more often.
Cut down on dusting. Get rid of all those things that have to be dusted or put them in a cupboard with a glass door. You can look at them but they won't get as dusty as fast. In the mean time, use a duster and take a quick glide over all that needs to be dusted. It should never take more than ten minutes to dust items in a room. If it takes longer than that, you're spending too much time on possessions.
Consider storage. I love places like Ikea for ideas for storage. A home improvement store also carries good ideas. Pick storage cabinets, cubicles, or bookcases with doors on them. This keeps the dust off and if you do not want people getting into these things, you can lock them up. It also makes the room look less cluttered and larger when there are doors on the storage cabinets. When things are put away, it takes less time to find lost items and the house looks much cleaner.
Consider stocking certain items in your home. I like to buy toilet paper and paper towels in a larger more economical quantity either when it is on sale or when I can get it for a better price from a warehouse market like Sam's Club or Costco. My rule is that I do not want to drag these items home especially in the winter months or on holidays. I have enough to do to have a holiday than think about, "Did I remember toilet paper or paper towels or for that matter laundry soap?" I like to restock these items so that there is always a little surplus on hand. Another item to stock is light bulbs. You know you are going to need them eventually and buying them on sale is a great way to save money and not have to live in the dark.
Try to store items in the area where you will be using them. Store a few rolls of toilet paper in the bathroom near the toilet. You can check the supply easily and always keep it stocked.

These are just a few ideas to save some time around the house. Remember that the idea is to enjoy your house, not become it's slave.

Writing + Ideas for a Book

2009-08-17T23:57:00.002-04:00

I think that maybe I should retrace some of the books I have read over the years and then make note of the things that I have learned from them that have changed my life for the better. Today I had a whole stack of books out about God. I started with a book that I read about sixteen years ago after the loss of a baby. How sad that time was in my life and there was so much involved for moving through the grief. Now all these years later, I revisited that book that a minister's wife took me through. That book was the beginning of viewing God in a whole new wonderful way. How grateful I am that I have been held up by God over and through even the toughest of times.

Condo + What is Considered Emergency Maintenance?

2009-08-16T20:50:00.003-04:00

Just a post to talk to myself. The main spring on our garage door let loose on Friday, after our maintenance company closed for the weekend. I called the answering service that handles after-hour emergencies and was told that a broken garage door is not considered an emergency. The garage spring blew off the wall of the garage and is now hanging down to where two of us could not get the door up with the spring in the way. I am glad that I did not have to be anywhere this weekend since I can't get the car out of the garage. Grrrrr! I do hope this can be resolved when the complex management company comes back to work on Monday morning.

MONDAY MORNING: Okay, so I composed myself. At first I could not get in touch with the person who usually takes work orders, then the next person in line was not even in. Finally, I asked to talk to the owner of the management company. I sure hated to bother him. It did turn out to be the best choice after all.

I told him what happened on Friday evening and told him that I still could not get my car out of the garage. I told him what the answering service told me on two occasions about how it was not on the emergency list. He promptly told me that he would take care of it. I think that this thing was poking at me to get me to lose my temper. I sure am glad I did not. Tomorrow we will get our garage door fixed and I will be back to normal for getting in and out of the house. Hoooooray!

Computers: Why My Computer is Amazing

2009-08-15T16:43:00.008-04:00

I love my computer. It is completely amazing. I was able to download the instructions for it a couple of months ago and now I know how to use the keys on it. It is over ten years old. The hinge on the screen is broken but I figured out how to fix it for less than five dollars. The battery gives me just enough power to unplug it in one room and run to the next plug without having to shut it down. It is really good for sprinting exercise.

My computer came out before anyone was using wireless, so I have a card that I stick into it. At first I could not get a signal and then I had to reload the driver to the wireless card because the driver that it came with would not work on such an old computer.

At one point the fan stopped and I learned that I could still find a brand new part and I also found someone who knew how to change it. This happened after many computer shops would not do it because they said it was impossible.

My computer is old, it can not run up-to-date software, or run very fast. Even with all of this, it is well worth keeping because my hands have worn a spot into the keyboard and it fits me perfectly. Thank you for a fun post!

If you liked this post, feel free to visit my other computer post:
Computer + Improving Internet Speed