Blow wind, blow!!

Okay, so I sat in front of the TV just glued to Hurricane Katrina. Why couldn't I take my eyes off of what was happening? It was so addictive to see the footage, how people dealt with the disaster, the comments they made, how people became very introspective.

We listened to one older lady, waiting in line at the superdome (that was the shelter in New Orleans) and she basically started preaching the gospel on Fox News!! She was talking about where it is important to have your focus.....on God........and that she would rather die in the superdome with her family than drive away and come back to bury them. She seemed so resolute, so determined to not care if she died.

Well, what does it matter anyway if we die?
If you know you're where you're supposed to be, what does it matter? Isn't it exciting to think about what lies ahead? The only thing that would make me sad would be my daughter not knowing her mother.

But really, I think we are so focused on this life, what is the next life going to be like? We spend so much time investing in what we have- here and now- but we only are here for 90 years, give or take.

Is it because we are so egocentric?

Sittin' in the Shop

Just sittin' in the shop and don't know what to blog about. I think Paul needed some company so I came in at lunch and am still here at 4:45 pm. Made a little trip to the coffee shop around the corner (walking of course, because the gas prices have gotten too high), had a mocha cappacino and an apple juice for Sammie. While we were there, I think Sammie talked to 5 total strangers. And if they don't respond she gets louder. And then if they continue with what ever their doing and don't respond she gets even more mad and asks me why they are not talking to her. Most people are captived by her forwardness.

Then we walked back and I did a cross-word puzzle.........well, put it this way-I filled in a couple words and gave up. I'm horrible at cross-word puzzles. I just fill in whatever words come to mind until I come to a place where nothing matches. I am amazed by people who can finish a cross-word puzzle; very smart.

I want to go home and put some make-up and cute clothes on so when Paul gets home, I look inviting but he wants me to stay in the shop. 'Singing the Lonely Song'

Do you ever dress up just before your husband gets home from work just to make him look twice?

Well, I guess I do have enough to blog about! There go my brain....give it long enough and it will come up with somethin'

A R-A-C-K

Paul, my husband thought I should post this.....

Sammie and I were sitting in my husband's shop, doing our reading lesson. One page had a list of words for Sammie to sound out:

1. s-i-c-k

2. r-a-c-k

Sammie had no problem with the first word because she knows what that is.

Then she came to the 2nd word....

It took her a while, but finally she got it.
Then I said to her,
"Sammie, do you know what a rack is?"

And then without a delay, Sammie replied,
"Well, that's a big mess!"


Of course, I didn't get it but Paul did. He was laughing and I didn't know why until he explained it to me.
Are ya'll faster at figuring it out than I am?

Hint: Paul said she's been listening to too much liberal media.

Let me sing the blues

Today, I cried....It didn't help that Paul went back to work since it is Tuesday, Oma went home on Sunday, and Sammie is particularly clingy.
Sammie saw me searching for a sad face and said,

"Mommy, can you put a sad face for me too?"

I guess she is a little sad also.


Yesterday, we went up to Burlington, where they have a lot of outlet stores. Great prices. Paul even found some pajama pants for a buck!! So we didn't have to spend a lot to get Sammie a number of night gowns, some little sweats and a pair of shorts for me (Paul picked them out, so that means they are not appropriate for wearing outside the house ;) and a couple of work shirts for Paul. Then back home again because Paul was ready to crash...I was too by the time we started on the road.

So what am I going to do now? I guess do some clean-up. What fun. You can probably feel my sarcasm.

What is Gossip?

You know, I was thinking...when is talking about someone gossip?

Are you able to talk about someone and say something negative without it being gossip?

Or do you have to always say something positive?

I have a number of friends who get mad at someone and they need to vent; something about women...we need to vent. But when does it become gossip? I need to search the scriptures because it seems like people who talk about others also seem to be negative in general.

What do you think?

Pictures to Entertain

The day before a year

Sammie will be 4 tomorrow!!

Part of me is sad...

The other part is excited.

Sometimes she brings me to tears, thinking about how much I love her.

Other times, she drives me crazy; and believe me, I don't have far to go.

What a blessing it is to have children!!

I hope I never forget this time in her life so I can tell her all about it.

Happy Birthday Samantha Yvonne Marie...I love you so much!!

Mayberry

These are some pictures from Mayberry.

Anyone...anyone...?

That's right, the Andy Griffith Show.

The pictures above are from the Mount Airy jail.Mount Airy is the town Mayberry was fashioned after. We actually met Floyd, the real live barbar that cut Andy Griffith's hair. He was a wonderful old man who took pictures of a lot of the visitors in the barbar's shop, posting them on the wall. He had thousands of them.

Paul, of course, had to go behind the barriers and explore...is that what every man has to do or just my husband? He is so funny; I would never dream of breaking the rules, but Paul loves to explore. Everytime he explores, he finds something that I would've missed out on. He says that once he gets to heaven, he's going to be going in all the doors and passageways that aren't allowed.

Sammie's New Shirt

Sammie will be 4 years old on Wednesday!! When Oma came down she brought an outfit from Aunt Lynne (Paul's brother's wife). It is so cute....I called the jeans, Oma jeans, because they are very similar to the jeans she always wears.

You know you're in trouble when your 65 year old mother-in-law dresses more in style than you do (ha ha).

Now my daughter dresses more in style than me!!

Kids Chore Chart

For all you mom's who have too much to do and little ones running around messing up faster than you can clean up...
the chore chart is a great tool to teach your kids responsibility and help you around the house.

These are some of the things I let Sammie do (and she's almost 4):

• empty the silverware from the dishwasher (I get the sharp stuff out first)
• feed the cat
• emptying the trash in the car (I give Sammie a grocery bag and let her go at it)
• set the table/clear the table
• put groceries on the counter on grocery day (it helps to have the cans on the counter, right below where they are supposed to go)
• empty trash from little trash cans around the house on trash day, etc.

At first, it takes a little extra time to show them what to do but after a while they get the hang of it and you don't have quite as much housework.....anything to lighten the load!!

http://www.dltk-cards.com/chart/index.html

This is the site that lets you make a chart and add pictures from their favorite TV characters. Hope you have as much luck with the chart as I have.

I thought this was cute

A married couple, both 60 years old, were celebrating their 35th anniversary. During their party, a fairy appeared to congratulate them and grant them each one wish.

The wife wanted to travel around the world. The fairy waved her wand and poof - the wife had tickets in her hand for a world cruise.

Next, the fairy asked the husband what he wanted.

He said; "I wish I had a wife 30 years younger than me."

So the the fairy picked up her wand and poof - the husband was 90.

We're not that hard to understand, are we?

A man walking along a California beach was deep in prayer when all of a sudden he said aloud, "Lord grant me one wish". The sky clouded and a booming voice said, "Because you have tried to be faithful I will grant you one wish." The man said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can drive over anytime I want to."

The Lord answered, "Your request is very materialistic. Think of the logistics of that kind of undertaking. The supports required to reach the bottom of the Pacific! The concrete and steel it would take. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time to think of another wish, a wish you think would honor and glorify me".

The man thought for a long time and finally said, "Lord, I wish that I could understand women. I want to know what they feel inside, what they are thinking when they give me the silent treatment, why they cry, what they mean when they say 'nothing', and how I canmake a woman truly happy?"

After a few minutes God said, "How many lanes do you want on that bridge?"

"Little Miss Whine-a-lot"

So Sammie went to bed an hour and a half later than normal because a back-to-back episode of the Simpsons was on. (Paul and Sammie love to snicker through all the old reruns and the occasional new episode......although the new ones are not very tasteful) Anyways, Sammie wakes up on the wrong side of the bed and is whining about everything...I can't find my shorts, where's my breakfast, where's Oma, stop strangling me (well, maybe not the last one) but she was just going at it. That extra hour sure makes a lot of difference.

Yay, Oma's Coming!!

Well, I couldn't be any happier. My mil is coming. Yes, I am actually excited to have my mother-in-law come and stay. Actually, the longer the better.
How could I be so blessed to have a mil I love? I think back to all the boyfriends I had in junior high school and high school. I would hate to have some of their mothers over for a two week period!!

My husband says something that I have adopted...when you marry someone, you are marrying into the family. So you better like your in-laws!!
Me personally-I love my in-laws! And I'm not just saying that because they will be reading this. I was only 16 when I met my husband. Six months later, I flew up to meet the family. Maybe my husband had some horrible girlfriends in the past; all I remember is being showered with hugs and love. Who could resist that?

So now you know why I just love my mil. She is my 2nd mom. Sometimes I think, what am I going to do when she goes to live with the Lord? Who am I going to ask for advice? Last night, I was thinking about that-I might cry more than anyone else!! I know Yvonne is saying, "Yeah, right..."

Well, I am excited but I know you can't tell.

New to the Group

There's a new blogger in cyperspace....Monica!! That's her, peaking in on the queen! (my husband is very clever)
I can guarantee you will enjoy her website. She is great to talk to so I know she will have some great stories!! No pressure, Monica. (ha ha) Please welcome her in the group.
Monica is also quite amazing. She (from what I've heard) just decided one day to start running and now she is running 11k's. Incredible!!
Her site address is http://monicadecock.blogspot.com/

How to Wash your Cat

1) Thoroughly clean the toilet.
2) Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water, and have both lids lifted.
3) Obtain the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.
4) In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids (you may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot escape).
CAUTION: Do not get any part of your body too close to the edge, as his paws will be reaching out for any purchase they can find.
5) Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a "powerwash and rinse" which I have found to be quite effective.
6) Have someone open the door to the outside and ensure that there are no people between the toilet and the outside door.
7) Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.
8) The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet, and run outside where he will dry himself.

Sincerely,
The DOG

Young looking

Do you think that people who follow the Lord look younger?
Do people who live a relatively holy life (with the Holy Spirit's help) look better with age?

I often wonder these things. When I see some of the pictures of people in Hollywood, without their make-up; the ones who have lived a bit on the wild side, they seem older than normal.

Then I see other people, who have strived after the Lord for many years, and they seem to have the fountain of youth.

I'm not one who is that concerned with wrinkles or gray hair. In fact, I don't mind seeing gray sprouting out, but every once in a while I run into an old classmate and they all seem to say the same thing; "you haven't aged a bit, how do you stay looking so young." I usually respond by saying that it's the Lord or I have found a secret. Now that doesn't mean I've been an angel, but it's just something I think about. Like my mother-in-law....she's been serving the Lord for many, many years and she looks great!! I don't think there is any other older woman I know that looks so young for their age.

The one thing I can feel that is different is how my body reacts to sitting in one position for a long time. Like when Paul and I are sitting on the couch, watching a movie, I get sooooo stiff. That makes me feel like an old woman. Other than that, I feel great.

The Southern Favorites

Lynne, my wonderful sister-in-law, gave me something else to write about....the southern food.

We are trying to make sure our Canadian guest tries all the southern treats, since he has never been to the south.

The first week it was Barbeque. No, not barbequing. Barbeque, slaw (piled high on a butter smothered bun) Yum Yum!! I'm already craving it again.
Then we had eggs, bacon and grits. Paul loved the grits. No one ever knows what they are though. So I had to explain.

What was next, oh yeah, buttermilk biscuits!! I still can't get over the fact that they don't serve them at the KFC in Winnipeg.

Finally Paul tried the sweet tea and seemed to enjoy it, not like Yvonne though, who is addicted to the stuff (a true southerner at heart).

We still have to do the fried okra, biscuits and gravy, and black eyed peas.

Oh, and I made grasshopper pie last night. I was up mixing the ingredients at 10:00pm. It wasn't really for Paul, I just loooovvvveee grasshopper pie!!

When I was younger, I was embarrassed by my accent...I would try to hide it (not very successfully as I look back and laugh at myself). Now I say, "Jennifer, embrace your heritage. Love your southern ways! No more hiding....I'm southern and I'm proud!! ha ha

Things to Do

I think we have probably taken Paul Dawson to every little city/town in Central North Carolina!! We've been to Myrtle Beach (which is actually SC), Raleigh, Greensboro, High Point, Fayetteville, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, and just about every little town in between. I'm tired just thinking about all the driving. And all that on a back tire that sounds like it's begging to go to the junkyard.