Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What was one of the fashion fads when you were a teenager?
The outfit of the day was low boots, short skirts, a white shell and a big bulky knit sweater.

Soup
Name one thing you think people assume about you when they first meet you.
That I eat too much because I am overweight.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 being the highest, how hard do you work?
10 When I work I put 100% into whatever I am doing. (BTW, it really bugs me when people say they put in 110% effort—there is no such thing!)

Main Course
If you were given a free 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl to sell anything you currently own, what would you advertise?
I have a fox stole inherited from my grandmother….I don’t believe in wearing fur and would like to be rid of it.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I love to curl up with a good book when it is raining.

Random Thoughts Due to Lack of Sleep

Why do we think our dogs would look so cute in human clothes? Why do we cut their fur and then have to put sweaters on them? Just before it got really really cold here, we took Harry and Teddy in to get a trim. What I meant when I told the groomer "just trim them--you know, even out their coats". She heard, "Take them down to 1/4 inch" I guess. Now I know, I say just a bath and trim their face and feet. Harry was shivering for a month and had to be put under a blanket every time he came in from going out to potty. Teddy is young and nothing seems to bother him!

I had a "bed of nails" night last night. That's when I only sleep for, at the most, an hour at a time. Then I lay awake for an hour or more. Last night none of my tried and true methods worked. I read--which is usually a sure-fire method to cause sleepiness. Not this night! I read for 1-1/2 hours. Finally I shut off the light and put on my instrumental hymns CD. First, it was too loud, then it was too soft. I listened to all 15 hymns and it shut off. There were dogs barking all night, it seemed. I finally fell asleep at around 5:30 and was awakened by one of the outside dogs(our neighbor's dogs that sleep at our house) shrieks. There are the mom and 2 six month old girl pups. They are now bigger than their mom and are starting to bug her. I think she bit one of the girls. That got me flying out of bed to see what the injury was. I think it was mostly hurt feelings because I couldn't find any blood. So I got up. Feel like I've been run over by a truck, but I'm up.

Got Joel Osteen's daily word in my email and it was a good one. "Be careful how you live--not as unwise but wise, making the most of every opportunity." (Ephesians 5:15-16) God gives me opportunities all the time that I pass up due to silly fears. When I worked, I never procrastinated. Now that I have time on my hands, I put things off until I end up apologising because they are late. I am realizing that because I have the idea that I have all the time in the world, I am letting many important opportunities slip right through my fingers. I need to get my priorities in order and live the best life God has for me. Take action, don't just dawdle.

I'm NEVER Dieting Again

I'm not tired of being fat, I'm not giving up on losing weight, but I am sooooo DONE with dieting. Forever!

Me and two other ladies at my church decided to support each other in our efforts to lose weight. We decided to do this early last November. We brought in all our diet books--I won--I had the most. We brought in all our exercise tapes--I won--I had the most. I had been in the most diet programs too. Ha Ha - nothing very funny about being a winner in this contest, is there? There I was again, dieting! And not being successful--feeling like a failure.

One of the ladies brought in a book entitled "The Weigh Down Diet--An Inspirational Way To Lose Weight, Stay Slim and Find a New You". It's been around since 1973. I think I heard of it, but thought it was just a gimmicky idea. It may have been the only diet book I had never bought. This book told me I was NOT a failure. It told me that there are NO "Bad" foods. It told me to ask God for help. It told me to pray before I ate--every time--BEFORE I ate. It told me to stop eating diet foods. It told me to eat what I like???? How could THAT work??? It kept me reading, to say the least!

I want to say one thing before I extoll the virtues of the Weigh Down book. Our little support group has grown from the 3 of us to 9 people. I think that using this book as part of a twice a week support group is VERY important. We truly SUPPORT each other. We rely on God to support us. The book is based on biblical principals. If you google the author of this book today, you will see that she has headed off into another direction altogether. Back when she wrote this book in the early 1970's, she was right on. I don't care with she is doing today....the principals in this old book are working. They make sense and God is rewarding each one of us in the group as we draw nearer to Him thru prayer and reliance on Him for His strength, not our puny willpower!

FRIDAYS FEAST #128

This picture has nothing whatsoever to do with the FF, but just reread Rob's Unspace Blogs about his birdies last night and thought that this was a cute picture--it's not one of Rob's birdies, but I thought it was cute anyway!

APPETIZER

If you could take lessons to learn any musical instrument, which would you want to learn? How about relearn? That would be the piano. When I was a kid, I took lessons for 8 years, competed and did quite well. Then turned 13 and my priorities changed--high school and all that it entails. I can still read notes, but can't play a note! Now they have those electric pianos and I would love to play again.

SOUP

Have you ever mistaken a person for someone else?

Embarrassingly, many times. So many times, that until I am absolutely sure of the person's name, I don't use their name when I address them. I practice looking at them and saying their name over and over in my mind until I have it set. Still, sometimes, I can barely catch myself before saying their name incorrectly. Some people (particularly women) get insulted if you call them by the wrong name.

SALAD

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?

I am a 10. I have been a confidant to many. I have an ability to tuck secrets away in a corner of my mind behind a locked door. I am the safest person to tell a secret to because I never repeat anything that was ever told to me in confidence. Once, a close friend accused me of telling something that she had wanted kept secret from the people at work. It had gotten out and she was positive that I had told someone. I had not and I was very distressed that she would think that I had let the secret out. She was angry with me and I was very hurt that she thought it was me. As it turned out, a coworker "googled" my friend's name on the internet and read about her then told everyone else at work about her secret. It affected our friendship--it will never be the same.

MAIN COURSE

What's the closest you've ever been to a dangerous animal?

Last summer, I killed a rattlesnake with a shovel. It was in the fenced patio right by the water faucet. Luckily, it rattled just as I was heading for the faucet to turn off the water. I ran back into the house, thought about it and went out the front door, got the shovel and chased it back through the fence. It kept trying to come back into the patio. That's the area where we let out 2 little dogs go to be outside. I didn't want it to come back in and bite one of the dogs. So I had to suck up my fear and make the first strike with the shovel count. My husband was out of town and my neigbors were at work--I had to do it. I cried afterward, because I don't believe in killing even dangerous animals.

DESSERT

When was the last time you lost your patience?

Last Saturday. The next day my husband and I ended up in a big fight about it. I have a difficult time trying to control my temper. It is a thorn in my side. I am just like my father in that way. I don't lose patience with other people--just myself. I let myself get frustrated and then boom! I lose it--I scream, shout, kick inaminate objects, tear things, throw things....etc. It's horrible and I feel horrible for letting it happen. I have made progress with God's help. It's just that I don't always rely on the Lord for help and trying to control it under my own strength is useless. Lord help me remember where my strength comes from!

Struggle is a Daily Thing

Isn't always interesting that when I start to pray about and deal with my worst bad habit, I get confirmation from God that this is exactly what He wants me to do? I consider my control issue to be my worst BAD HABIT. I call it a habit because when I go thru daily life, I use control as my way of coping. If I don't release it every day by addressing it first thing in the morning in prayer and trusting my Heavenly Father to look after me, I pull it back into my life. A few days go by without praying about it and I find that I am using it again.

It's a bad habit, just like chewing ones fingernails or whatever (you fill in the blanks). I have found that when I let one bad habit in, some others slide right back in as well. Next thing I know, my witness is poor again. And wouldn't you know, my unsaved husband is the first one to point it out to me.

When I walk with Jesus as my shepherd and follow His path, my burdens are light and the path is easy. I have serenity. When I walk in the flesh, I am frustrated, upset, anxious and angry. Why is the way of the flesh so hard to give up then? I think on my part, it's pride. I want to be able to say, "I did this.......I accomplished this"....I want to be praised and recognized for those things I do. I know that God is the author of all good things in my life because without Him, my life is ugly and unsatisfying.

I have had such joy since I have made a renewed committment to follow the Lord's leading in all areas of my life. I am thrilled that I can hear the Holy Spirit is letting me know when I even slightly stray from the path. I am now noticing each tiny slip that leads to a slide. I can correct the slip before it becomes serious. I love following Jesus! My life gets better every day. Praise the Lord!

Here it is again

And it’s all about – okay here’s that word once again – CONTROL. The classic Type A personality with people-pleasing thrown in.

I give to others as my way of exerting my control over people and situations, I resent their dependence on my giving and giving because now they expect it and the stress on me to perform is ever-increasing. But can I release that control? Maybe for a little bit of time, but it’s excrutiating to do so. Why can’t I just trust the Lord, be obedient to His Word and rest assured that He will look out for me? Why do I have to manipulate every situation so that I feel some measure of control? A posting I read today has made me think about these issues to the point that I must pray to my Heavenly Father to cause me to desire letting go of control. I need to give up this filthy habit. Every thing that I struggle with in my life rotates around the control issue. I can see that now. Time to pray!

I spent 2 hours looking a non-diet websites, blogs, Yahoo groups, etc. The support group I belong to has decided to follow a non-dieting approach to weight loss and healthy living. The idea is that for 25 years(or how ever long each of us has had an issue with food) dieting just hasn't worked. We are now set to begin eating smaller portions and only when we are hungry. We have to reprogram our way of thinking about food. No BAD foods. Eat when hungry and eat only enough to sate that hunger. That means eating an amount of food about the size of a deck of cards. How can I do this? Only with God's strength. I have no willpower(i.e. control) over food.

Jesus, today give me Your strength to endure to the end of the day. Let me rest and not struggle to retain control. Help me to pray or call someone when I get weak, let me lean on You or a friend for help. I can't do this alone--I never could.

Friday's Feast No. 120

Friday's Feast No. 120

Appetizer
Have you even flown in a helicopter?
Yes I have. In the early 1970’s Peter Revson, heir to the Revlon fortune had an off-road dune buggy that he raced in the desert by Palm Springs. We followed him from above in a helicopter in case he had any trouble.

Soup
What color is your warmest coat or jacket?
It is black, cozy with fake fur and a hood.

Salad
What is your favorite rainy day activity?
Sitting in front of the fireplace reading a good book—wait a minute! I don’t have a fireplace any longer. Oh well, curling up with a good book.

Main Course
Describe your hands.
I guess you would say that I have my grandmother’s hands. They are kind of big for a woman, as I can span one key past an octave on the piano. I have long nails painted a soft pinky-beige color. I only wear my wedding ring as all my other rings were stolen when our house was burglarized last year. They are tan, because since we moved to Arizona, I have a perpetual tan on my exposed skin.

Dessert
If you could eat only one nut for the rest of your life, what nut would you pick?
I was going to say cashews but then I thought about it. I really like cashews and macadamia nuts, but get tired of both of them before I get done with the opened can. I think I’ll say peanuts instead. I like peanuts and peanut butter. I would really miss it if I had to give up peanut butter.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Niagara Falls taken by Chris Sauer

I am a busy person lately. Not that I found a job. I've just been busy with church, working for the pastor, doing the church books(past and present), working on Chris Sauer's business and personal accounts, etc. Today is a very full day and the rest of the days leading up to the day my friend, Chris Sato(woman) arrives and we drive to my aunt's house in San Diego for her annual Christmas party on the 9th.

I have a new bare wood dining room set to stain and varathane. One table with leaf and six chairs with 8 rungs on the back each. I'm still not sure about the color, but have to get it done, so I'll have to pick a color and live with it. We got bare wood because I couldn't find a set I liked that was reasonably priced. I love this set and it's made of parawood. That is a fast-growing relative of the rubber tree and is highly renewable. It's as hard as oak when it has been dried. It takes stain about the same way too. I was very impressed with it. If I ever get hardwood floors they will be bamboo. Now they are making countertops and cabinets from bamboo also. If you have ever had bamboo in your yard, you know what a renewable plant it is......takes over!

Gotta go, meeting with the pastor tonight for secretary duties.

Community and Fellowship

We read in Kings 19:1-21 today at church. Elijah wanted to disappear because Jezebel put a hit out on him. He thought that the Jews had given up on him and God. He gave in to fear and the offshoots of fear: hoplessness, despair and depression. He wanted to isolate himself and be alone with his self pity.

As a person who has struggled with depression all my life I totally understand this desire. But it is not God's will for my life, nor was it His will for Elijah. God got his attention with a huge wind and an earthquake. Then when he was listening, God spoke to him in a quiet voice. He told Elijah that He wanted him to go back without fear and that he was to anoint 3 people to help him. God told him that there were 7,000 who were still faithful. Doesn't fear and depression make us exaggerate how things really are?

God has designed us for fellowship and community. If we have fellowship, others can offer us sympathy, empathy and encouragement. They can compensate for "soul fatigue" and lift us out of fear, anxiety and lack of vitality. God's answer for Elijah's soul fatigue was to rest and eat, rest and eat, then get up and go on a mission that God laid out for him. He was cured by obeying and doing. We need to put feet and hands to our prayers. Galatians 6:10

Fellowship will motivate our walk with God. We must be still and listen to what the Lord wants for our lives. If we choose our own way, we often come back battered down. We KNOW when we are on God's path for our lives--it feels right.

True community is: 1. love for others John 13:35
2. interdependence Phillipians 1:27

We need one another.

Are We Clear On Our Mission?

Our life needs to be in the context of God. We need to be in the fellowship of other believers--for most of us that means church, bible study groups and phone calls. We strengthen, build up, encourage and love one another. We cannot worship the Lord alone, because we are human beings. Jesus was usually in the company of His fellow humans. Except when he went to pray. Often He prayed all night long.

How long is our prayer time? Look at it this way.........

How often do we eat to sustain our earthly shell? At least 2 or 3 times a day, right? How often do we feed our spirit? If all we do as a Christian is attend Sunday service, we are not eating enough of the spiritual food we need to grow strong as Christians--how can we have enough left over to pass around to the world?

It's our mission on this earth to tell non-believers that God loves them. Remember the first time someone told you that God loves you and you believed it? How wonderful was that? Can't you put aside fear and pride long enough to say that to a non-believer? So what if they say, "Go away and leave me alone". At least you have told them. I had to be told many, many times before I believed it. Thank God the person who kept telling me never gave up.

I Changed My Mind--A Woman's Perogative, OK?

Resting on God’s Promises and Grace

I moved the computer out to the living room where I can interact with my husband while he does his favorite thing—watch. Now I’m not in a distant room and I can write on my blog while I am with him. So I am going to continue with my blog after all. How blessed am I to be able to do this? I know that moving it was an inspiration of the Holy Spirit because I really did want to continue blogging. I kept reading other's blogs, but really wanted to write. Divine inspiration stepped in and gave me a solution. God answers prayer.

Faith is a choice. There is no magical moment when we are endowed with faith. We conciously choose to believe in God and His promises. We choose to believe that what the Bible says is true. With that choice and commitment comes the blessings of grace.

I read, pray and meditate (I meditate by writing, not sitting and thinking) on God's word. All of Jesus teachings and the writings of the new testament urge us to be in fellowship with other believers. “Whenever 2 or 3 are gathered in My Name, Jesus says, there I will be also.” We don’t gather at church, the group of believers ARE the church. We’re not required to go to church so much as we are gather together to uplift, challenge and encourage each other in His Name. I praise the Lord for the group of believers that I have found in Valley Baptist Church.

I have found that the more I commit to the Lord, the more uplifted I am. I lose my fears because faith and fear cannot co-exist. If I believe that God is holding me in His hands, what can I fear—Nothing!

That does not mean that I leave my home unlocked when my husband is out of town. I am not foolish. I still look where I step because I live in the rural desert and we have rattlesnakes. I wear a seatbelt when I drive. It’s just that the consuming thoughts of “what could possibly happen” do not dominate my thought processes any longer. I stay out of my head by helping others. There are always places to volunteer. The Baptist philosophy is that of missions. Not just support of foreign missions, but helping in the direct community. Giving of oneself is a good treatment for my depression. Commitment to continue serving is an important part of my anti-depressant treatment. Eating healthy and getting enough exercise—that is, being a good steward of my earthly temple helps me stay positive. Reading, radio ,movies and t.v. watching are limited to things that uplift me these days.

If you think of your brain as a computer and you input garbage……….well, you know the old saying, “Garbage in, garbage out” I wanted to clean up what came out of my mouth—well, I quit reading, watching and listening to things that had negative messages and trash talking in them. Those things quit rolling around in my thoughts so that I no longer think in a negative way—ready to make a cutting remark or snide comment. I wanted to become a person who was supportive and gracious, not just one of the guys. I wanted to be that soft place for my husband to fall, instead of someone trying to nag him into being a better man. If I am a better woman, he will be a better man.

With God’s grace, I am getting there!

I Am Moving On--Bye Bye

"He (God) touches the mountains and they smoke"

My blog has served me well. Through reading other Christian women's and men's blogs over the last year and writing many of my own, I have been lifted and moved forward by God.

My despair and depression about several things has been removed through your prayers and mine. I still don't have a paying job, but I have the Lord's work. I am not only the secretary to the pastor of my church, but now the assistant treasurer. I am working on the books. I have fellowship and friends. I am getting to know everyone in my church and have a circle of women friends.

After prayer and listening to the Lord, I am ready to move on. I think I will save the record of my progress on my computer as I wrote the various postings on this blog. I appreciate everyone who commented and uplifted me in word and prayers.

I am going to continue to read blogs and comment on them, but I won't be writing any longer.

Halleluia--Grace like rain. I am living proof that prayer changes lives!

Long Time, No Post

This is yesterday's picture of my nephew and his son, who is just over 6 months old.

I just had to post this picture of father and son.

I haven't posted in a long time because I have been very busy with home and church.

The entertainment center that was whitewashed oak was quite a project. We didn't realize how hard it is to strip whitewash out of all the grain in oak. We're talkin' toothbrushing every single grain, dipping and wiping, garbed in goggles, gloves and breather mask. This took a daily committment from dawn until it got to hot in the garage to work. (usually to about 12:30). The rest of the day was too unbelievably hot to even think about using the volitile stripper liquid.

Then came the sanding, staining, and varathane. Sanding in between the coats of varathane(water-based varnish). We finally finished it a week ago Thursday. We brought it in the house and Phil & I put it together. Then on Friday, my son and mother arrived. My son did all the DirecTV moving and hooking up. Friday night, we watched, Master and Commander on wide-screen tv with surround sound. (we've had the surround sound for many years, but this is the first time we've really been able to enjoy it with a movie)

I love my church and I am there several times a week. I go to ladies bible study and discipleship bible study. I work at the church too, once a week. I still haven't found a job, but my life is joyous once again. The Lord has lifted the depression.

Thank you Lord for my life!

I Am Falling In Love With My Church and It's People

I have never felt this way about a church before. I have always had a relationship with Jesus, but have never had fellowship like this. The people welcomed me with open arms. They say hello to me by name.........by name, this is a new thing. I've been a member of 2 big churches in Orange County and been anonymous except in the smaller bible studies groups or evening classroom studies. I did attend a smaller church right after we moved to Arizona but was ignored by all except by the person who brought me.

I chose Valley Baptist church out of the local church directory in the newspaper. I was fearful to go to a new church for the first time, but the Lord helped me push my fears aside. I was welcomed and said hello to by several friendly people. It's a small church, just about 100 people on a packed-in Sunday--it's been less this summer, due to people being on vacations.

I have been going since July, but last Sunday I officially joined the church. I go to the Sunday bible study with church services afterward. I go to the Wednesday evening bible study and the Thursday ladies luncheon bible study. This is a good way to get to know people who have the same morals and values as myself. When I walked into this church for the first time, it felt like home. What a marvelous feeling!

The pastor works full-time at a secular job at an IT Manager. He also does church counseling at another church and still manages to deliver a meaningful sermon on Sunday and facilitate the Thursday bible study. I respect him and admire his love of God and how much he cares for the congregation. His wife, Linda is a wonderful woman, humble and caring. She opens her home for the ladies Thursday bible study and provides iced tea and snacks for us. We usually stay for several hours and she is a courteous and caring hostess.

As I get to know more people, I am getting more joyful. Since my friend, Julie, died last December, without realizing it, I had pulled back from people. I felt isolated out here in the middle of nowhere. Going to this church, I have met lots of people who live in Tonopah. They are an independent bunch. They like living in the wide open spaces, but are friendly when you get to know them.

Oh and yesterday, thanks to my husband, we finally met some of the neighbors. Two sisters who both work, so we don't have much of an opportunity to socialize, but I intend to invite them to dinner soon. They are close friends with some other neighbors, so we will maybe meet them too.

Things are going great, since I have begun to engage in life. Praise the Lord for bringing me along at my own pace, setting aside my fears and giving me fellowship. Today is a day of JOY!

Saturday is not a day off!

Working, working, working........

We had to do the rest of the snake fence (1/4" mesh, 4 ft high) on the other side of the patio. Since we were doing that, we decided to move the lattice fence about 10 feet closer, giving the dogs a smaller area to go potty, but giving the lizards and birds full access to the stunned bugs that fall from the bug zapper. It is now outside of the fenced area.

We had just finished getting the mesh installed over the 13 feet of fence, when big clouds snuck up on us and wrung themselves out. We had a deluge for about 20 minutes. I was on the outside of the fence, so I had to run all the way around the patio on the outside and then back in. I was as wet as you would get by jumping fully clothed into a swimming pool!

When it finished soaking the dry desert....Oh I'm not complaining about the rain, we needed it. We went back out and put the lattice back up on the fence. That's what you do here, wait it out and keep on working!

It's dinner time already, so have to go and feed the dogs. Then cook the spagetti noodles and heat up the sauce that I made the other day. Make a salad and we will be eating too.

I've got sore muscles cause we moved a bunch of castle blocks that we had lining the edges of the patio. Look up castle blocks at Home Depot if you don't know what they are. Those things are heavy!

Praising the Lord for a beautiful day, beautiful rain and the sense of accomplishment at a job well done.

Factoids Just for Fun!

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"
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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U. S. Treasury.
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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
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Coca-Cola was originally green.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400
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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. In any given hour: 61,000
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested ?
A. Obsession
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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulle d on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down." It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
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Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
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~~~~~~~~~~~ AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~
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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
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Try and read this even though it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.
I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty Uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The Phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in what oredr the Ltteers in a word are, the olny iprmoatnt tihn g is that the first and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Amzanig huh?
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YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2006 when...
1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on televi sion has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.
AND NOW YOU ARE LAUGHING at yourself.

I Live Here

This isn't the best picture of the house, because I haven't taken any. This was taken to document the concrete that we had put in. But what I have to say isn't about a house or garage or concrete.

See, here's how it is. I live here. Up until today, in my mind, I didn't live here, I was only staying here until we moved back to where I had lived my whole life before we came to southwest Arizona. Even though Phil and I have lived here for 1 year and 3 months, I realized just today that I didn't consider this my home. It was a house that we were living in.

I hadn't really made any friends locally. Oh, a couple of acquaintances, but no one to do things with, to call up and just have a friendly chat. I didn't want anyone like that, because I didn't really live here. Maybe we would move back to Orange County or maybe we would move near my Mom in Yucca Valley, but this place in Arizona--it was only temporary. Up until July, I hadn't really found a church. I watched church on television. I figured that was enough.

About that same time, my friend and I began praying earnestly to know God's will for our lives and to read, pray and obey His word. I picked a local church out of the church listings in my local paper and went there. From the first time, it felt like a home church to me. The people were friendly and welcoming. After attending several Sunday services, and then 2 weeks ago, starting at the Women's bible study, last week going to the Wed night bible study, I decided to make a commitment and join the church. At the altar call, I went up and told the pastor that I would like to be a member of this church. He prayed with me and then introduced me to the congregation. They all clapped and came up after service to welcome me into the family.

After service, when I came home, I finally realized that what has been missing in my life here is commitment. That's why I've been so temporary-feeling. That's why I've been unhappy. I was pretending that this life I've been living for the past year & three months was only temporary and we'd be leaving soon.

I didn't even know when I was praying to know God's will for my life that this was what I was praying for. I live here. I have a church family here. My husband is here and I am by his side. This is my home.

Thursday Thirteen--I know I'm late!

Carol at She Lives http://she-lives.typepad.com/she_lives/ got me thinking about why we don’t eat out very often any longer. It might make me sound like a food snob, but the food in the greater west valley area of Phoenix just isn’t as good as the food in Orange County California where we came from. I can’t come up with 13 good places to eat here. I can’t even come up with 5……so I thought I’d list the 13 places that we thought were awful!

1.Friends of ours had been raving about this Chinese buffet(unnamed for good reason) in Mesa for 6 months before they took us there. The food was lousy and the restaurant was dirty—I could hardly find anything to eat that didn’t make me want to gag. Don’t people notice when restaurants are grubby?

2.Mexican restaurant where our friend’s daughter had worked for 10 years. The food was passable, but very greasy—not that I don’t like greasy Mexican food, but with my cholesterol problem, the guilt was overwhelming.

3.A new Chinese buffet in Avondale called Bamboo Palace. The food was excellent at first, but has gone downhill. Some of the food is not hot now, and we all know how dangerous food can be if it isn’t kept hot enough! Danger of food poisoning. They’ve also cheaped out on many of their dishes, so they are not good any longer.

4.Another new Chinese buffet in Buckeye right by the grocery store we go to. Don’t remember the name. We waited in anticipation for it to open, because it was a lot closer to home. My husband and I love Chinese food. It finally opened, we waited a couple more weeks for the crowds to thin out and guess what? It was awful! You know how good real Chinese food tastes? Well this tasted like the poor leftovers that had been kept in the fridge for days and reheated.

5.Chili’s is one of my least favorite places, but the one we went to in Goodyear was really awful.

6.Cracker Barrel in Goodyear. Home cooking? No way, I don’t cook this crap. It was greasy, tasteless and over-breaded and salted.

7.In N Out Burger in Avondale—the only good In N Out is in Corona California—I haven’t found one anywhere that can beat it!

8.Subway, at least the one we tried after seeing a commercial for their Tuscan Chicken sandwich advertised on TV, was hideous. On a foot long, I got 4 tiny pieces of chicken breast and the “roasted vegetables” were 3 or 4 slimy overcooked pieces of bell pepper. The bread was like—I don’t know how to describe it—puffed up and dried out. A complete waste of money. I moved everything to one spot on the sandwich and threw the rest away.

9.Don’t ever go to the Olive Garden and think you are going to get good Italian food, or to the Red Lobster to get good seafood. One visit to each of those resulted in a vow never to step foot in them again. Both of those places serve food that tastes like TV dinners at best. I like Macaroni Grill (aka Carrabba’s Italian Grill) for Italian and several places near the ocean for seafood. I will say that I did get a good piece of wild caught Coho Salmon from the Fry’s fish counter last week. I poached it and it was good hot as well as chilled the next day.

10. I never, never eat at Denny’s. Even though the food is not very expensive, it isn’t worth ten cents. Really, I’m not a food snob, I’m just careful with my food dollars and I know what I like. I’ll try someplace once, but if the food isn’t good, I’ll never go again.

11. I will rarely eat at Applebee’s. I learned the hard way that I must remember it is a coffee shop, not a fine dining establishment. Regardless of how good those specials look that they advertise on TV, don’t believe it. Stick to burgers, sandwiches and salads if it’s the only place in town to eat.

12. Fast food joints with drive-thrus are on my hit-list. McDonalds always gives me heartburn, but it’s a safe place to stop and go to the bathroom when you are traveling. Wendy’s—love their chili—hate everything else. At Arby’s never eat the roast beef (pieces/parts molded into something they thin slice—ick)! But their market sandwiches are quite good, with lettuce, tomato and fresh bread. If I’m gonna spend money, I’d rather wait and go to Baja Fresh, their food truly is Fresh and delicious and low-fat too!

13. No one should eat at truck stops. Truckers have the worst taste in food. Most of them smoke, so their taste buds are deadened. So they like the over-salted, over cooked, greasy spoon food. I travel from AZ to CA to visit my mother and am never tempted to stop. I bring my own snacks for the 4.5 hour drive.

An Answer to Prayer

(Picture courtesy of the monsoon season in southwest Arizona)

Good things have been happening. I went to our church's ladies bible study last Thursday. A great welcome was held out to me. After one time there, I feel a part of the group. I have been longing for this fellowship. Why I hesitated to go, was only my own fear. Now I see those fears were absolutely unfounded. The ladies are as warm as our weather, kind and fun. It was held at the Pastor's house with his wife as the leader.

During the course of the study, as we diverged into what she calls, one of the"rabbit trails"(getting off the subject), I heard that the Pastor needed a secretary to help him get organized and set up a few new ideas in motion, etc, etc. I went home a prayed about it. I got my answer during Sunday morning bible study before church service. It came to me clearly that I should offer my services. So before service, I pulled her aside and offered to do it. She said to come speak to the Pastor after services. I did. He has a lot of interesting things that he wants to do. Since I am an accountant, I will also be helping with setting up the church's accounting program. I will be helping with flyers and the bulletin.

I am excited to finally be doing something to use my skills. They offered to pay me $10/hr for 5 hours a week. Instead, I am going to donate the time. This is a teeny church. The people who go here are not rich. And of all things that could happen, about a month ago, they were broken into and anything of value was stolen. Our Pastor works full-time as a computer information technology person for a company in the Phoenix area. How could I take money from them? I love this church. The Pastor and his wife love Jesus and they are trying to spread God's word and work. I believe that this is the place for me to be at this time in my life and I believe that God led me to this place as a church family.

God has answered my prayers in His way. I needed fellowship and the Lord provided the best kind. Worship, bible study and work--all in fellowship with Christians. What more could I ask?
Well, let me tell you the other part. After I left the Pastor, I said hello and introduced myself to one of two ladies standing in the sanctuary as I was leaving. She already knew that I was going to be the Pastor's secretary. She and I conversed a while and she offered me work with the elections board. They don't pay much, but it will be interesting work. I'll get to work during all the elections, local, state and U.S. How about that?

I am thrilled to recognize an answer to prayer. It's been 1 year and 3 months since I have had a job. I send out resumes every few days. I subscribe to several city's job postings and check the newspapers for jobs constantly. It's just that until the last few months, I was still holding on to the old attitude toward work. If I had started work in any old office, I probably would have been up to my old habits before long. I am a recovering workaholic, you see. I like being at work more than anything, because I do work better than I do anything else. (relationships & keeping house, for example). When my prayer partner got the job she had been wanting a few weeks ago, I found it hard not be be envious and think, "Yeah, but what about me, God? Haven't I been praying longer than her?" Instead, I prayed and laid my disappointment at Jesus feet. He lifted me up and I could be happy for my friend's success.

God knows what I need and after many months of prayer with my prayer partner, I have gotten my attitude adjusted. Lessons I have learned: Obedience to the Lord's leading, listening instead of talking, studying to know God better, gratitude for Jesus our Savior, praising instead of complaining, and giving of myself to forget about myself.

Praise the Lord for answered prayer. And this is just the beginning................

Friday’s Feast One Hundred & Eight

From Susan at www.fridaysfeast.blogspot.com

Appetizer
If you could have a free subscription to any magazine, which one would you like to have?
Martha Stewart Living. I like her decorating ideas, recipes and the pictures in the magazine are gorgeous.

Soup
Describe your living room (furnishings, colors, etc.).
It’s what they call a great room. Kitchen, dining room and living room all flow together. We are in transition right now. Changing from antiques to more modern stuff. We have a matching horsehair sofa and chair in a deep green with accent pillows made of antique drapery fabric. A settee that is wood with a damask pale salmon & off white fabric seat and back panels, a 6-foot antique dark walnut display cabinet with curved glass that holds inherited crystal and English bone china teacups. Our coffee table is made out of my grandmother’s oak kitchen table with the legs cut down. It has a large silver tray on it with a tea service that is Royal Doulton Old Country Roses pattern. There’s an antique silver-veined mirror above the couch and a hand-painted large fan on the display cabinet. We are going to be selling the couch and chair and putting the settee in another room soon. We will be using the family room furniture(also dark green—but made of ultrasuede). We have 2 oak cabinets 7 ft. tall by 4 ft. wide that we will be using on either side of our entertainment center(once we refinish it to the same color). We have had the antique furniture for 25 years and it’s time for a change.

Salad
What does the shape of a circle make you think of?
The sun, the moon and my wedding ring.

Main Course
Name 3 things in your life that you consider to be absolute necessities.
My Bible, electricity(having had to deal with several blackouts this monsoon season), and friends.

Dessert
What was the last really funny movie you watched?
You’ve Got Mail