Standing on Good Soil

Blackberry Seeds

2009-09-21T08:42:00.006-04:00

I have had a great bear hug from God. He gives us hugs and encouragement when we don't even see it coming. He sends people to love on us and lead us when we need it the most. I have needed it. But I am not the only one.

I stood in the Amway Arena this past weekend with I don't even know how many other women worshiping the Lord at a Deeper Still Event. We sat on the edge of our seats as we heard that God goes beyond our expectations and then he will go beyond, beyond. We heard that we can rest in our faith even in a bad season. We rallied as we learned how to discern what was from God so that we would not get PUNKED! We laughed until we cried as we heard the banter between the ladies that led us deeper still into the word with God. We left with a challenge to go deeper still in our relationship with Jesus and expect him to go beyond, beyond and way past, way past as we rested in our faith of the one true God!

I was exhausted when I got home. I had the chance before driving home to have one of the best conversations and discussions with my new friends. I thank God for my sisters in Christ.

I had to go to work yesterday, on the Sabbath. I have to work every third weekend and this was my weekend to work. God blessed me when someone switched a day with me so that I could attend the conference on Saturday. I still had to work Sunday, so the blast of the conference was over and off to work I go, tired!

I momentarily forgot that I was expecting God to go beyond, beyond. I mean, I was going to be stuck at work(which has been really hard for me this year.)

I ended up meeting someone that was experiencing grief of a loved one. Hmmmm. I sure can relate to that.

He brought up his grief and we talked about grief and how hard it is. I shared that I was struggling with my own grief currently and I found myself offering to call a minister.

"No."

"Would you like a Bible?" (the limit of my expectation at the time)

"Yes. I have been seeing John 3:16 all over the place today, and I can't remember what it says."

" I can get you a Bible, but I can tell you what John 3:16 says. `For God so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.' " (okay, God just got me way past the limit of my expectation, I realized later that this is the first person that has ever asked me what John 3:16 says that didn't already know it or was in the process of memorizing it!)

I brought this person a Bible and told him it was a New Testament, but it did have the Psalms in it. Somehow, during this encounter, I got to share the plan of salvation with him. He was asking~ I was telling. Since he was anxious I asked him what story he like in the Bible. He wasn't really sure, so I told him when I am anxious, I like to read about Jesus calming the storm. He didn't know this story, but he wanted to read it. So I went to look it up, and I couldn't remember the book. I can always go right to it in my Bible, but I was having a moment of panic and it dawned on me...use your Blackberry.

Into my pocket as fast as could be, I used my new nifty Blackberry and googled `Jesus calms the storm.' I had flipped to the reference quick as could be and left him reading about the Prince of Peace.
(Now, by this time God took me beyond, beyond! Way past, way past! Did I see it coming? No, but I liked it. Thank you Jesus!)

He liked the story. He was smiling, yet he was still anxious. He struggles you see. He was taught as a child, that only 144,000 get into heaven.

Strange... he could remember that number of 144,000 and that learning heaven wasn't for him, but he couldn't recall John 3:16 at all.

A few seeds dropped, and one was even a Blackberry seed. Isn't God Awesome??????

This is what standing on good soil is all about:)

Now glory be to God who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of- infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes. May He be given glory forever and ever through endless ages because of his master plan of salvation for the church through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 3: 20-21.

Hunting a little treasure on a Monday!

2009-05-25T21:18:00.007-04:00

Webster. Webster. Webster. From now on, when I say Webster, you say treasures. Let's try it.

I say, "Webster." You say, "Treasures."

Webster has it all. Plants, veggies, furniture, antiques, collectibles,linens, golf balls and clubs, honey and jam, hats, socks, jewelry, bread and bagels, kittens, books and comic books, they were even cleaning and whitening teeth.

Popsaroo, BubbaLou, Mums, and I loaded up in the car today and went off down the interstate to Webster. A grand flea market full of treasures for us to find. Popsaroo and BubbaLou went in one direction. Mums and I went in another direction.

Mums and I looked at all sorts of treasures in the hot, hot, hot sun. We trudged along picking things up and seeking the special treasures that we were meant to find. Did I mention it was hot? By the time we had our hands full and realized that we should have brought a cart to place our treasures in, we were about to have a heat stroke. We found some ice cold bottled water and tried to check in with Popsaroo and BubbaLou. We couldn't get a signal. Now how is that even possible??

Finally, leaving Mums in a cool spot, I went out with the cell phone trying to find a spot with a signal. Emergency calls only. Hmmm. Walked a little further over and finally found a hot spot. I got a hold of BubbaLou as she demands..."Where are you, I am hot and ready to go."

OK, it had only been an hour and a half. There is no way it was time to go. She must be thirsty.

After we finally found each other and they were sitting with us in our cool spot, we tried to reason with them. It really had not been that long and they just needed some water. Somehow, Mums and I coaxed them to carry our heavy packages to the car as we swung through a way we had not been to look on the way out. We snagged an extra hour of treasure hunting with this tactic. I got a big sack of kettle corn on the way out as a peace offering for giving us more time. It was well received!

A few of my treasures....

my cake plate and server-pretty!my Pyrex refrigerator bowls with lids

my Pyrex double casserole dish

Pyrex is my weakness and if you cut me a good deal, then it is MINE!

Mums got a bedspread or is it a tablecloth. We are not really sure right now. She also got a pig spoon rest, and a basket of fruit that is ceramic and it stands like a plate. She bought it so the guys who ran the booth wouldn't use it as target practice later this evening. BubbaLou got all sorts of odds and ends; jewelry, body glitter, boxing glove punching pens(don't ask) and some sort of glass jewel for good luck. Popsaroo found some comics and a pocket knife(ooh, and I really hope BubbaLou doesn't cut her finger off with his new knife.) We had a great day at the flea market. Well, at least Mums and I did. Popsaroo and BubbaLou deny any pleasure since it was so hot. Next time we will leave them at home!

My Chewie Action Shot!

2009-05-25T21:08:00.006-04:00

Chewie in Action

Star Wars Weekends at Disney Hollywood Studios 2009....I was there!

Exploring Mt. Dora

2009-04-22T14:03:00.013-04:00

BubbaLou and Popsaroo set out for a comic book convention Saturday in the hopes of meeting Star Trek's one and only "Spock." This of course left me out, so Popsaroo handed me $40 dollars and instructed me to take Mums to lunch. This made him feel better.

I called Mums, and laughingly told her our instructions and she came up with a better idea. She wanted to go exploring. Now, back at Christmas, I told her that I wanted to take her to Mount Dora as one of her Christmas presents. Mums decided that this was the day to take me up on it.

But, seeing as I only had $40 dollars in hand, and had not really budgeted to have a bunch of spending money, we decided to window shop. Plus, there was much to see in Mount Dora, they even have a lighthouse.

With map in hand, Mums and I headed out to this little town north of Orlando with high hopes of what we might find. We found it to be a beautiful day for a drive, and the terrain even changed as we turned off the interstate in a northerly direction. The land became downright hilly, which for Florida is strange. We couldn't decide if the land was really hilly, or it was really low with fake hills. Whatever it was, it was pretty. Looking at beautiful scenery proved to be a perk since we had to keep handing out money for tolls.

We finally arrived, and found that the hills were real, we even parked on one. Mount Dora is at an elevation of about 154 feet if I remember correctly. It was also adorable. Mums and I were very taken with it as we walked around exploring shops and sites of really neat houses.

As we made our way down to the docks by the yacht club, we heard real live church bells. It was beautiful. That by itself, was reason enough to drive 2 hours to experience. I miss that so much!
I truly believe, that if more churches had bells that rang through out the day, their would be more happy people in the world and less crime. Kind of a reminder from God that all is in His care and that He is watching over all of us all of the time. Peace.

Mums and I saw a couple of paintings as we entered the first shop of the day. Mums commented immediately, "I love that painting, it reminds me of a church up in Tennessee." I said, "I love this one! Look at the old mill with the dogwood blooms in it." They both were framed in farm wood type frames with a trim of rusty barbed-wire. They had price tags of $90. Too bad we were window shopping. Mums kept going on and on about that painting. She decided it must be one that AuntyDot had shown her in Cheathum county. Then the store owner announced that he was having a cash only sale and everything was 50% off. Sale of the day. Mums looked at me with a twinkle in her eye, and said," I am going to get this one, do you want that one as an early birthday present?" -"Well, Yeah, are you sure?!"

Needless to say, we had the guy wrap them up. The church and the mill turned out to be one that we had seen many times in Tennessee. In Cades Cove. Wow, talk about a flash back to many a vacation in Gatlinburg. We had the man hold on to them until we finished shopping and would be heading back to the car.

We continued to walk up and down the streets going in and out of shops. There were little alley ways with little nooks and crannies, fountains, and shops. We stopped and ate lunch at The Gables restaurant. The food was good and we ate plenty. We sat outside and watched as people walked by. We watched some people board the train for a ride while others rode by in horse and buggy. It was a busy place perfect for relaxing, watching, and talking. It was a beautiful day.

Mount Dora seems to be a haven for dogs. Both big and small. Shop owners had the resident dog sprawled in the floor sleeping the day away or padding around checking all the shoppers out. Many people were walking their dogs. I even saw a lady come around with a baby stroller, I looked down to see the baby, and there were two little dogs in that stroller. "What a cute..what cute little dogs!"I said, a little stunned that I was looking at dogs and not a baby.

We met Oscar down by the water. He was quite the jolly fat dog who wanted to be my friend. I kinda thinks he wants to be everyone's friend.

All in all, we had a great day. Mums and I did well to see and do as much as we did. We even stopped by the little park with the lighthouse. We saw an alligator, a turtle, and some geese. By no means did we do it all. There is a huge antiques and flea market that we have yet to hit. It is in slightly a different location from where we were. We are saving that for another day.

Popsaroo had the gall to ask,

"What could you have possibly done that took you that long?"

Tears and Hope

2009-04-20T21:36:00.004-04:00

I have been thinking much about time and loved ones recently. Memories of loved ones are crowding my mind as I remember the time that I spent with them. I have come to discover how much their personality's have shaped my own. I have discovered how much I miss the presence of their laughter and humor in the day to day of my life. Things are just never the same.

Mary and Martha's lives changed when they knew Lazarus lay sick and dying. Their dear brother was suffering and they wanted Jesus to heal him, but he was away. Their hearts were breaking. Memories swept through their minds as they wept. Thoughts of memories never to be surely flashed by as well. Lazarus died as his family wept for him and for themselves. Their hearts broke.

Jesus knew that Lazarus had died and he knew what he was going to do about it. He went to the grave 4 days after Lazarus had been there. Jesus wept with Lazarus' family and then preceded to tell Lazarus to come out.

Lazarus lived again, yet his life was changed.

Mary and Martha would never be the same.

Those who witnessed it were changed and made choices because of it. Some placed their faith in Jesus, others reported his deed to the Pharisees who in turn met with the Sanhedrin. A plot to kill Jesus had begun.

Lazarus lived, but Jesus would die. Jesus would overcome death, rising on the 3rd day, so that each and everyone of us would live again and things would never be the same again.

We so want our loved ones not to suffer, but yet we don't want to part with them either. It is a strange mix of emotions as you sit and weep for a loved one as they pass from this earthly world. We long for them to be their old self, yet it can never happen in this world. As much as we want it, things will never be the same and we can only hope.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain...

Revelation 21:4

Mummy Iris is home

2009-03-03T17:37:00.015-05:00

It seems it has been a long time since I posted last. Much has happened in our lives since then. That night, of my last post, the call came that Mummy Iris had stopped breathing and they had taken measures to get her to the hospital. When we arrived, Mummy Iris was unresponsive, and we lost her by noon the next day. From there, we found ourselves making arrangements to take her back to Tennessee, to the county in which she was born, and bury her next to her husband.

We took her back to a little town in west Tennessee. I had not been to this part of Tennessee since I was a child, not much older than BubbaLou. I had gone when my Granddaddy passed away. I remembered the funeral home, and I remembered the cemetery once I saw it. Mummy Iris and Big Daddy have a beautiful view on top of a hill looking down into a valley and onto several other hills. It was BubbaLou's first time to visit this cemetery which held so many of her ancestors.

My BubbaLou, she has a kind heart, and it did nothing less than show what it is during this trip. We were looking at grave stones as we were walking up to check the spot where Mummy Iris was to be buried. We wanted to make sure they were placing her beside my Big Daddy. BubbaLou got to reading small grave stones. Some were marked just "Baby." There were no names, just two little stones. She noticed this and it wore on her.

A little later, as we were coming down the hill, we pointed out the stones of Mums siblings, though born before her, they never lived but a few days. There names were on their stones. BubbaLou looked around and found some stray silk flowers that had been blown around. She picked them up and poked them in the ground in front of the stones of her baby great aunt and uncle. She looked at me and asked if she could run back up the hill and place some flowers on those of the unnamed babies. Of course I said yes, and she ran up the hill to do this. She came down, and saw another stone that had weathered so much you couldn't read it. She looked around for more stray flowers and poked them in the ground in front of the stone.

I have to tell you that my eyes were full of tears, and my heart full of love for this little girl who showed so much love to those who have gone on to heaven before her. She would have made Mummy Iris so very proud. Decorating graves was very important to her. She felt is was very important to treat those graves with respect and love.

After we went to check out the grave site, cousin Carl drove us out to pick buttercups on cousin Laverne's orders. BubbaLou is a flower picker, and she picked her little heart out.

Look at us, said the violets blooming at her feet, all last winter we slept in the seeming death but at the right time God awakened us, and here we are to comfort you.

~Edward Payson Rod

Cupid

2009-02-10T12:44:00.005-05:00

Valentine's day is coming up quick. We've much to do, because living with BubbaLou is always a challenge in one way or another. See, she has such a kind heart, so Valentine's Day is an especially busy time for her. I think sometimes that she is in the same league as Santa. She has elected me head elf...or for Valentine's day, I guess I will be "Head Arrow Maker."

See, the story goes something like this....

Mummy Iris has had a stroke. She is doing well, and she is in rehab-getting about okay with help, but her memory isn't the greatest. Anyhoo, BubbaLou goes to visit her and plays cards (go fish with bible characters) and draws her pictures and writes her notes to read. She sometimes plays speech therapist with Mummy Iris, which is Mummy Iris's least favorite part of therapy. Mummy Iris does enjoy BubbaLou's visits.

The little wheels in BubbaLou's heart start turning when she is at the rehab center. So she stops ands asks a person at the desk how many people(residents) are in the rehab center. 170 was the answer.

What do you think BubbaLou wants to do?

I was informed by Popsaroo that BubbaLou had to get 170 Valentine's day cards ready .
"What? 170 cards, for who?" I asked.

Don't ya know that my heart just melted into complete mush when I found out what my wee little one had in mind.

"Purity is best demonstrated by generosity"~Jesus

Luke 11:41

Now, for a little entertainment from BubbaLou....

Momsaroo, I made you a surprise!

2009-01-04T19:49:00.005-05:00

BubbaLou called me on the way home from work the other day and she was excited to tell me that she was making me a gift. She said that I could use it often. Then she asked me where I kept the hammer. Hmmm. "Get Popsaroo if your going to get the hammer, you need an adult for the hammer" I said. My interest was peaked. This is what I got when I got home, in a gift bag and everything!

Guess she wants me to mop more often!

Happy New Year 2009

2008-12-31T21:42:00.001-05:00

This past year has had a lot of bumps, and I am looking forward to many good things in 2009. I am going to make sure I eat black-eyed peas tomorrow-We are need of as much luck and as many blessings as we can get this new year. We have a had a year of Murphy's Law and I have just about had enough! We have had plenty of good laughs and joy in our hearts as well.

So, in an effort to look back at 2008 to laugh and find the joy, I have picked through my blog posts for highlights....

Friday, January 25, 2008

Too much JOY in her heart

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Something Great!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

A Seahorse and a lawyer

Saturday, April 12, 2008

High Tea

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Music Appreciation-the 80's

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Happy Father's Day!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

A stained glass beauty

Sunday, August 3, 2008

So they loaded up the truck...

Monday, September 8, 2008

BubbaLou for President!

Saturday, October 4, 2008

The Chalk Artist meets New Turtle

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Lucky Lizards!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Marshmallows

May your family be blessed this new year!

Someone's in the kitchen

2008-12-31T19:55:00.005-05:00

Popsaroo and BubbaLou were in the kitchen again. This time they didn't steal my new cookie sheets for home base. This time they were cooking. Or, at least, attempting to cook. No, maybe they were really melting, trying to melt caramels. Notice that I wrote trying. He had found the sack of caramels that were left over from the caramel apple night a few months ago and suddenly thought he was Ronald McDonald. McDonald's is there for a reason Popsaroo!

I got a call on my way home from work, it was Popsaroo warning me that he had been trying to make apple dippers for BubbaLou. He told me that he sorta burned some caramel in one of my little dishes. I was in the midst of driving into a bit of traffic so I said, "Okay, it's all right." I hung up and worked my way through the construction and traffic.

I got home and found a ramekin dish covered in dried caramel. This isn't so bad I thought, a little soak and this will be good as new. It was at that moment that BubbaLou came into the kitchen telling me that "Popsaroo ruined one of your dishes! He burned the caramels when he was trying to make me apple dippers. Let me show you." So she turns around and went out into the GARAGE, and came back in with a ramekin dish with what looked like a piece of lava attached to it. Burned was an understatement. I grabbed a knife, and just about bent it. I decided that to go on chipping away would only leave me with a dull or bent knife and possibly a missing appendage.

It is only a ramekin dish, I guess the easy thing to do would have been to throw it away. But you see, it came from a yard sale, it was a bargain-I got 3 for 1.50, and I like the stupid little thing-so many uses. I was determined to save it. A large squirt of dish washer detergent and hot water with a three day soak worked. I didn't even have to scrub, it just slid right out. I didn't even have to ask Heloise!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T00:05:00.005-05:00

Now with your best English accent....

What we need now is a little holly! The prickly leaves remind us of the thorns our dear Lamb of God suffered with silent fortitude, and the red berries remind us of the drops of healing blood he shed for us. The tree remains green all the year round, and the leaves never die- which shows us the way of eternal life for those who love the Savior.

Friar Tuck

Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead

Angels, from the realms of glory,

Wing your flight o'er all the earth;

Ye, who sang creation's story,

Now proclaim Messiah's birth:

Come and worship, come and worship,

Worship Christ, the newborn King.

~Angels, from the Realms of Glory by James Montgomery

Merry Christmas from me to you!

I'll be home for Christmas

2008-12-22T10:43:00.003-05:00

I have fond memories of putting up the Christmas tree with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Santa had the uncanny patience to put up the tree and string the lights perfectly, winding them around each limb so that you could barely see the cords. To this day, I have not figured out how he did it.

He also had the talent that only elves and Santa have, he could string the lights back into the box perfectly when Christmas was over. He enjoyed it. I on the other hand do well to get them off the tree and throw them in a plastic sack until next year.

Mrs. Claus and I would then decorate the tree. The ornaments were packed safely away in boxes. Each year, we would pick each one up and place it on the tree while talking and laughing together about this or that. The elf below is one from that time so long ago. He still is shiny and bright and looking towards Christmas with happiness. The moose is one that I painted after Popsaroo and I got married. The penguin is one of two, part of a wooden collection of Noah's animals given to me by my Mums-in-law.

This is one of Mum's ornaments that she painted. She was painting lots of pictures on canvas during this time and took her talent to Christmas balls. Unfortunately, this is all I have left of this ornament. BubbaLou accidentally knocked this one off the tree and it shattered. This has been the Christmas of broken ornaments, and Erith Sappy hasn't fallen over once like Fat Charley.

Mum's also painted these Christmas mice. I love Christmas mice. The goose is one that I painted, and the lamb is one of my collection.( I collected sheep once upon a time-but my pasture is full.)

I placed tinsel on the tree this year too. Santa would keep the tinsel packed away very neat and tidy each year, he treated each piece with respect. He must of used the same pack for over a decade.

Memories of my Santa are sweet and dear to Mrs. Claus and me.

Favorites

2008-12-17T21:42:00.004-05:00

When Popsaroo and I first got married, I decided that I was going to make some ornaments for our tree. I can not tell you how I threw myself into this. I had been cross-stitching during the winter we were married, but do you know that although I finished them, I never made them into an ornament. They are still at the bottom of my cross-stitching basket-safe and sound. I have good intentions.

The ornaments that I did finish, were the ones that I painted. They have been put on our tree every year since. I have several favorites from that group that I painted. A gingerbread house, a sleepy mouse in a cup, and a church with a red door. The gingerbread house takes me back to Hansel and Gretel. I loved that tale as a child and every time I see a gingerbread house, I have to think of them pulling treats off the witch's house to fill their hungry tummies. This mouse was probably my first Christmas mouse of my very own. Mum's had made several mice for the tree while I was growing up- I always loved Christmas mice. I think churches can be so beautiful at Christmas-and even though my church doesn't have a red door, I love the vesper service on Christmas Eve.

I just love unwrapping these ornaments every year, ahhh...memories. This year, BubbaLou has been more interested in the ones that I made and the ones that Mums made. It is always fun when BubbaLou actually wants to listen for the answer and hear about our traditions of Christmas.

Mum's ornaments will be the next post. Mums let me raid the ornament box at her house and I brought home some of my all time favorites from my childhood.

Last year, BubbaLou and I made snow flakes. We wrote prayer requests on them last year. We placed them on a piece of red yarn and strung them around the tree. I really love the snowflakes and the memories of the prayers that we said. We checked the names twice to make sure everyone was accounted for this year and celebrated those prayers that had been answered.

I have also had silver bells hanging on the tree for many years. They are the inexpensive ones, but I sure like to see them on the tree. The carol silver bells always runs through my head when I untangle them and put them on the tree.

Silver bells, silver bells

it's Christmas time in the city

ring-a-ling, hear them ring

soon it will be Christmas day!

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
dressed in holiday style
in the air there's a feeling of Christmas!

Children laughing, people passing
meeting smile after smile

and on every street corner you'll hear . . .

Silver bells ( silver bells! ) silver bells
( silver bells! )it's Christmas time in the city

ring-a-ling ( ring-a-ling! ) hear them ring
( hear them ring!! )soon it will be Christmas day!
~Silver Bells Carol

Cookies and Home

2008-12-16T12:38:00.008-05:00

BubbaLou had a brownie party to attend not to long ago, and I needed to send cookies for her to decorate. I was short on time and planned to run by Publix and pick up some sugar cookies from their bakery. This turned out to be the one and only time Publix let me down, they didn't have any made. In their defense, they offered to make me some but it would take about twenty minutes. I couldn't wait, I figured I would just pick up some of those Pillsbury sugar cookies-you know, the ones that are already cut and you just have to plop them on the cookie sheet. I picked up 3 packs since they were on sale and headed home. Popsaroo had tagged along, so I asked him on the way home, "Have you by any chance seen my cookie sheets?"
"Yeah, they are in the back yard, " he said.
"In the back yard?!"
"Yeah, we were using them as home plate." He said this like this was an everyday occurrence to have your wife's cookie sheets out in the back yard for softball practice!
"What am I supposed to make cookies on?" I asked. I knew at that point what the answer was, Mum's cookie sheets!

I took those cookies over to Mum's house and baked them up and sent BubbaLou off to her Brownie party just in the nick of time. She had fun decorating them with her friend, Bubbles who had fun decorating the cookies that she brought(I don't know the story behind her cookies.)

Now, I am still without cookie sheets. I am not bringing those things back in the house! So, I was looking in the fridge this morning, and noticed that one of the packets of Pillsbury cookies was not lying just right, so I picked it up, and it was EMPTY, except for one unbaked cookie! BubbaLou and Popsaroo(I don't think either one of them was in it alone) had eaten up a whole package of cookie dough! c'est la vie....I popped the last one in my mouth and laughed!

It's Christmas time...

2008-12-14T20:32:00.008-05:00

Christmas time has come to our wee family's house. I have been working hard the last week to get our decorations up and boxes put away. Our tree this year is not Fat Charley, but Ereth Sappy, named after Ereth the Porcupine from the book Poppy. Ereth is sappy, we got sap all over us on the way home, and Ereth is prickly-but not dry. Mums, BubbaLou, and I decided on his name on the way home from finding him.

We thought that finding a new tree would be a chore. I mean, we all came to have a special place in our hearts for Fat Charley. It turned out to be really easy and quick. BubbaLou picked him out in about five minutes and bonded with him right away.

We got Ereth home and couldn't find the stand. So he stood out on the carport in a bucket of water until Popsaroo got home and found the stand. We stood him up, buckled him in, and filled up his water trough. Then we didn't get back to him except to water him for a couple of days-we were busy celebrating BubbaLou's birthday.

Finally, we got around to decorating him. I have a strange sort of theme, I don't really have one. I have a mix of ornaments that I painted when Popsaroo and I got married back almost 19 years ago, most of them or assorted little woodland critters. I also have a collection of ornaments that I have found in antique stores and at yard sales and then I have ones that have been given to me.

The santas on the bell is one that I painted after Popsaroo and I got married. The vintage angel is one of four instrument playing angels(I even have the original box) I found at an estate sale-I think.

The Mary and baby Jesus are part of an entire Nativity set that is hanging around the tree. I got them from our Global Impact Conference at Church. A missionary was selling these as part of World Crafts. The money goes to help support the women that made them.

This was one of my finds last year at a Christmas store or sorts. Every thing was on sale and it was just exciting:) He is my Irish Leprechaun Santa.

What usually happens when you uncover your real past to strangers? You show, for instance, to your neighbor a photograph of the old farmhouse where you were born. When you look at it you can smell the clover in the fields, you hear the cows lowing, you know that your mother is weeding in the garden yonder. You see yourself and Jack-two big, freckled boys, leaning from that attic window at night planning your lives out in the world, full of fighting and glory...

...All of these things are in that photograph for you. But your neighbor sees in it only a common frame house and barn that need repair badly....

~Some Old-Time Christmases

by Rebecca Harding Davis

Family Meeting

2008-12-14T20:23:00.002-05:00

BubbaLou called a family meeting the other day. She made sure that both Popsaroo and I were both seated before she would tell us what it was about. She had her music stand in the living room with construction paper posters. She had graphs and everything. She announced that she was going to discuss "Going Green" and " Eating Better." It was classic!

She had a couple of graphs that showed that Momsaroo and BubbaLou were doing pretty good when it came to eating right and going green. Popsaroo, not so good. She lectured him a bit and asked him ways he could improve. He needed some suggestions so she provided them.

I will have to let you know how her next poster presentation goes. You never know, we may just see some improvements. Well, maybe not until after Christmas on the "Eating Better" one, cause right now, I am on the Santa diet! I just got my season stash of Bob's Christmas Candy canes! They are all mine! No one else likes peppermint except me and Santa! Hahaha, I mean, HoHoHoHo!

~Momsaroo, why do you like Peppermint?~

~BubbaLou

Happy Birthday BubbaLou!

2008-12-08T21:48:00.013-05:00

BubbaLou is 9 years young! I can't believe it. Popsaroo and I spent the first 9 years of our marriage with a twinkle in our eye, the second 9 years we have had the most wonderful little girl we could have ever imagined!

BubbaLou is full of personality and spice! We always look forward to celebrating her birthday with gusto. What other way could their possibly be when you have a BubbaLou???

This year we started off with a present or two leading up to her birthday. We like to have birthday week in our family! She made out with a Taylor Swift CD and an Idog named Icey.
She was thrilled!

Since school must go on whether it is your birthday or not, we celebrated with cupcakes during lunch. Mmmm...vanilla! We even slipped one to her best friend that isn't in her class. The other kids were so jealous! Hey, there are perks when you are friends with BubbaLou!

After school, we went to Mum's for a cookies and cocoa sidewalk gala. I brought the cookie and Mum's made the cocoa-spicy! We had to cut it down a few times because BubbaLou and her two taste testers where running around saying, "My throat is burning..." It had a dash of cayenne pepper in it.

We wanted to keep the gala simple-no gifts. Mum's had a great idea- the kids could bring food donations for the homeless and she could fill her basket to take to church. BubbaLou was all for it. She delivered her flyer invitations Sunday afternoon(nothing like last minute)-almost everyone came. She ended up collecting two grocery bags full of food! She was quite impressed with her friends food cans!

BubbaLou's Party Hints

Party hint Number 1 - Have the party guests blow up the balloons!

Party hint Number 2 - Include chocolate, whipped cream, and marshmallows:)

Party hint Number 3 - Have lots of napkins, you are gonna need them!

After the party when all the sugar had peaked and the meltdown was taking over, it was necessary for Popsaroo and me to take BubbaLou to a steakhouse for a birthday steak and some version of a cow-poke birthday song to be loudly sung to her in front of lots of strangers. She loved it! It is one of the things she has wanted to do for a long time.

Her final gift was the Littlest Petshop -she has been wanting one so bad!!!!

Believe it or not, she doesn't know what to ask Santa for. She is going to ask for Santa to bring her a surprise, just like she has every single year she has been willing to talk to him!

Happy Birthday BubbaLou-you live in a zoo!

Thank you God for my BubbaLou!

Hay Dog!

2008-12-08T21:28:00.003-05:00

Thomas the dog has officially lost his mind. We think that he believes himself to be a rabbit. Before the rabbit- Patrick Poopers the lop eared rabbit came into our lives, Thomas the dog would eat just about anything. He liked any meat-still does, loves apples, bananas, tangerines, green beans, steamed broccoli, peanut butter and just about any sort of yummy kids cereal(although he wasn't supposed to eat any.) He would snub raw carrots and broccoli.

Guess who begs, I mean begs for raw carrots and broccoli now? I have even given him some kale at his insistence. I had to hold it and it would tear away at it bit by bit because it would fall out of his mouth-but he was certainly making an effort.

Now look who I caught gobbling up Timothy hay from under the rabbits cage. That's right, Thomas the dog who thinks he is a rabbit. Hay. The dog is eating hay. We caught a pic with it sticking out of his mouth. We had a good laugh over this one!

On Green Acres this would be considered normal!

Marshmallows

2008-12-03T22:03:00.004-05:00

No food speaks of holidays as strongly as the marshmallow. It is one of my favorite foods. Of course it belongs in that very tiny portion of the food pyramid that you can barely see. One big marshmallow is bigger than that little allowable sweet tip of the pyramid. Oh, I forgot, I was never that good at geometry or fractions. I think I will just move the marshmallow down to the base of the food pyramid for the time being-it is Christmas time ya know!

BubbaLou and I just watched Rudolph on t.v. We have the movie, but there is nothing like watching Christmas specials on t.v. We enjoyed cocoa, whipped cream , marshmallows, and of course some green Christmas sugar sprinkles. Magical!

It was the second time this week that we enjoyed marshmallows. Thomas the dog only got them the first time. Popsaroo built a bon fire the other night when I got home from work. Nothing says "Welcome Home" like a warm toasted marshmallow and hugs and kisses from the dog, the daughter, and the big hunk of man that built that roaring fire!

Okay, so he had a little trouble getting it started, but he succeeded and came through with hot dogs and marshmallows. Did I mention that Popsaroo had to scour several grocery stores earlier in the evening to find the big marshmallows. BubbaLou blamed it on the Thanksgiving rush and Popsaroo went along with it.

Mmmmm. Toasted Marshmallowy goodness! You better watch out, Thomas the dog will eat them right off the stick when you aren't looking. However, he does spit them out because he burns his mouth and then gobbles them all up! A burned mouth is no excuse for not eating a marshmallow.

I love the fact that God gave man the idea for fire, and then for marshmallows, and finally the common sense to put them together.

~me

It's Christmas time and I have been goofin off

2008-12-03T19:52:00.004-05:00

I have decided that I have been goofing off. Mesmerized by games on the internet, I have gotten behind in my encouragement blog.

I write this blog, not because I am a writer, I'm not, but because I am an Encourager. I have just gotten lazy and run down. Life has thrown me some real curve balls lately, and I have zoned out in my efforts to cope with them. No more, I vow to limit my search for words amongst scrabble tiles-my vocabulary is quite limited so it has been pretty useless anyway.

I need to be encouraged and writing this blog encourages me and some other members of my family and a few friends. When I write a post, I try to look for the silver lining, the part that God intends for me to either learn from or to cherish.

That said, it's Christmas time- my favorite time of year! I laid in bed yesterday watching Santa Claus movies and eating Chex mix. BubbaLou and I sang Christmas songs in the car today and tonight, it is Rudolph.

"Mom, it's 8:00pm, Rudolph is on, Come on!!!

~ BubbaLou

Growing up

2008-11-20T09:03:00.006-05:00

BubbaLou is growing up! Once upon a time, she wasn't this tall, she was a wee babe that walked around theme parks that had rides for the little people. She is spoiled! I admit it. It is not all children that get to know theme parks like Disney, Universal, and Busch Gardens like the back of their hand.

Being an only child has its advantages when you live only a hop, a skip, and a jump away from Orlando. We rotate the seasonal and annual passes for the parks and enjoy just about every minute of it. We occassionaly take advantage of the hotels in the area-wait, maybe they take advantage of us. Hmmmm. Anyhoo, most times, we just drive up for the day or afternoon. Popsaroo has even been known to pick her up from school on Fridays(while I am at work) and take her to ride some roller-coasters. I think he is the biggest kid-maybe she isn't an only child.

Last Christmas, we went up to Universal for the afternoon. We had spent the morning with Mums and Mummy Iris, but decided to venture out and about. I know it is a little different, but it was better than sitting around with nothing to do. It was very Christmasy. They were playing carols that included Jesus and they were wishing people a Merry Christmas. We totally enjoyed it. The employees, though working on Christmas seemed to enjoy it too. Popsaroo and BubbaLou horsed around and it made for a not so bloated, sleepy afternoon. It also distracted my mind, because I was missing my Santa. They make me laugh, they are a good team!

Humor helps us to think out of the box. The average child laughs about 400 times per day, the average adult laughs only 15 times per day. What happened to the other 385 laughs?Anonymous

Lucky Lizards!

2008-11-16T21:23:00.008-05:00

I have decided that I never have my camera when I need it. I had it in my purse yesterday and forgot I had it. I didn't really need it at the yard sale that we went to on the way to BubbaLou's softball game, but I could have used it later. I missed out on some good shots, like BubbaLou hitting the ball and getting to first base and when she stepped down on home triumphantly as she scored a run! I loved the look on her face-all smiles:)

I changed purses this morning and left the camera at home. I wished I had it, because we could have gotten some great pics of the last supper musical dramatization. BubbaLou noticed the men dressed in the funny looking costumes(biblical dress) right away as we walked into the worship center this morning. We were looking forward to the Lord's supper, I mean, who doesn't get excited to sup with the Lord in rememberance for all that he is, and all that he has done? But the costumes were creating even more excitement for us.

BubbaLou marched into the worship center and led me to a seat in the nose bleed section. She settled down with her bag of goodies-a book, a journal, and her rubber lizard. The rubber lizard was her Saturday treasure from the yard sale, and her new best friend-Ray. BubbaLou happily led Ray through song and prayer, and he looked on while we partook of the Lord's Supper. Soon, church was over and we all filed out and headed to the car.

Reenactment

We went home for a bite of lunch and then headed over to Mums. BubbaLou took Ray outside in search of her friends and soon got busy. Not wanting to leave her lizard in the grass, she placed him on the bumper of Mum's van.

Mum's had church business, so she took off and said she would see us later. The next thing I know, BubbaLou is coming through the door in a panic. Ray is gone. Once I finally had the story straight, I assured her that I would drive down the road to see if we could find Ray-the lizard. Her two buddies were all about going with us to hunt for Ray. Everyone loaded up, and off we went-down the road in the subdivision, down the highway, and finally turned into the church parking lot. Guess who was still on the back of the bumper?...Ray! Cheers! Ray had gone to church again. I don't know if rubber lizard can be lucky, but I think BubbaLou is blessed.

I thought, "I wish I had my camera!"

Psalms 127:3

Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a real blessing.

Bloggy Christmas Ornaments

2008-11-07T18:49:00.006-05:00

My bloggy friend Kate has issued forth an invitation to participate in a bloggy Christmas of sorts! Announcing!!!

The Accidental Travelers

first annual

Great Ornament Exchange!

The best part, is that you are invited and real ornaments and new friends are involved! It sounds like a great way to celebrate the season and encourage our bloggy friends with Good Tidings! You know me, all about the encouragement! Just hop on over to her site and sign up! While you are there, read some of her posts, like her wonderful post election post!

Speaking of post election, I am so glad the election is over and I only want to hear good positive things from all Americans! :) I have very good friends who range from the center on out to left and the right and they are all good Americans! I am proud of all their votes! So I am ready to celebrate the Season of our Lord's birth!

Cause no matter who ya are,

the Good Lord has plans

and He is in control-

whether you believe it, or not!

BubbaLou Wisdom

2008-11-04T11:48:00.004-05:00

"Momsaroo, your vote could make all the difference in the election!"

It has been fun teaching BubbaLou about voting and what our freedom allows. She has been learning about voting in school and even got to cast her own vote. She was quite pleased with it. She has picked a candidate and is quite open about her choice. I however, have had a much tougher time deciding. I followed her advice, and cast my vote. To tell you the truth, I voted along with BubbaLou's choice.

This morning in the car, we had a good conversation about Democracy and how our leaders were elected. Mind you, it will require much more teaching and reinforcement before she gets the whole popular and electoral college concepts. What is so neat, is that she brings up these topics in such interesting ways.

See, BubbaLou has been listening to a book with a mean owl. His name is Mr. Arkaxe and he has informed Poppy's family of mice, that he is ruler. He will protect them from porcupines, but they must ask permission to travel and move from place to place, or they get eaten. So, BubbaLou brings up Mr. Arkaxe and refers to him being like the President.

"No,"I say, " Mr. Arkaxe was a dictator. He used power and intimidation to rule over the mice. The mice didn't get a vote. They were just told what they could do or Mr. Arkaxe got a mouse lunch. That is what is so wonderful about a Democracy, we each get a vote. We can have our say, our freedom. We can vote for the person that we each think will represent our interests the best."

This conversation then led into the whole popular vote and electoral vote thing and I sorta lost her. But this is one more reason why it is so important to read to your child. You just never know what they will walk away with!

Recommended listening-it is fantastic as the audio book. We checked it out from the local library.

Poppy by Avi

Fall Festival Fun!

2008-11-01T17:46:00.012-04:00

Mum's is a Saint! If you only knew the kindness and loveliness of her heart, especially when many children regularly run amok in her house, you would completely agree. She looks forward to her church's Fall Festival, and so do we! BubbaLou has brought home many a fish from this festival before, and they live quite a long time. I think those fish must be blessed!

They didn't have fish that we found this year, but they did have fish bowls. BubbaLou tried her hand at this game for quite a while. She walked away with much candy for her efforts.

She also fished for toys and candy. She did this one a couple of times. BubbaLou is a great fisher girl!

The ball rolling through all these nails got her another five pieces of candy. Plus, it had an added bonus of reminding her that Jesus loves her!She tried her hand at darts and was actually pretty good aiming for the bulls eye on the ground.

She flung hula hoops around unsuspecting pumpkins. How fun is that?

She even got to meet a couple of horses. She took Lady for a ride and gave Georgia a pet. Georgia was being mischievous-she has a lot of personality!
Last, but not least, BubbaLou competed in the Pie Eating Contest. Really it was a dig the five gummie worms out of the pie with your mouth contest. She was a mess!

The Candy Crew

2008-11-01T17:06:00.006-04:00

Costumes, costumes, silly costumes!

Candy, Candy, Candy. Q: Why did the witches' team lose the baseball game?

A: Their bats flew away

Don't be alarmed, they are play acting-especially the one with her eyes closed!
These are what you called drama spooks!

by BubbaLou

Q: What did the little ghost have in his rock collection?

A: Tombstones

The Great Pumpkin Hunt '08

2008-11-01T16:33:00.007-04:00

We have had a pumpkin tradition since BubbaLou has been around. We started during her first October, she was ten months old and had just started walking. She loved playing with the pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. We have gone every year, usually to one of the pumpkin patches sponsored by one of the Methodist churches in the area. We have gone early in the season and we have gone late. We usually find a pumpkin that is just right for carving.
This year, we were very late, we had been too busy. We should never be so late finding a pumpkin, but somehow, we let it slip through the cracks. So, October 30th, we started the Great Pumpkin Hunt. We were sorely disappointed. We couldn't find a pumpkin. At least, not one that was just right. It is hard to see in the pics, but the pumpkin patch was bare for the exceptions of pumpkins that were too bumpy, too green, too crooked, and were either too large or too tiny. We went to several patches, some were completely shut down and the rest were slim pickings.

BubbaLou, she has high standards. She didn't want to settle for what we were finding but we had to stop for the night. I encouraged her and said that Publix had Cinderella pumpkins and maybe we could stop by real quick and pick one up. She replied, "Momsaroo, I don't like Princesses! " Plus, she didn't want to lower her standards of buying one at the supermarket-it wasn't as fun or outside, she would rather do without. Except, that just as we were getting home, she decided that she would like to get one from the store. I told her that the next day, I would stop by the store and pick one up while she was at school and after Mum's cataract surgery.

Mum's and I spent 3 hours at the eye doctors the next day for the cataract surgery that wasn't. Turns out, it was just the prep exam for the cataract surgery. So after doing lunch at Mimi's, Mums and I headed to the neighborhood Publix in search of a pumpkin. Chuckling, I had to share the comment BubbaLou had made about the Princesses with Mums. We were relieved to find that not only did Publix have Cinderella pumpkins to choose from, they had painted pumpkins. They even had one with a cat. I figured this would work into our very tight schedule for the day, who knew if we even had time to carve one. If all else failed, I knew we could turn it around and carve the back.

BubbaLou turned out to be pleased, considered carving the back, but then opted to just enjoy the cat and go play with her friends instead. So, the Great Pumpkin Hunt ended and a happy child we have!

Q: What do you get when you drop a pumpkin?

A: Squash

BubbaLou's brush with Spooky Fame

2008-10-30T10:34:00.011-04:00

Living with Popsaroo and BubbaLou is always a treat(-get it, trick or treat?) They are always finding things to do that are a tad bit, odd. This is one of the fun things about our family, you just never know what to expect from day to day.

Popsaroo and BubbaLou ventured off and met GhostHunters one day while I was at work. BubbaLou was a bit star-struck according to Popsaroo. See, Steve and Tango are her favorite Ghosthunters. I have to admit, we get a kick out of that show. People can really let their imagination get the best of them sometimes and it is fun to watch the Ghosthunters methodically debunk a lot of spooky ghosts.

This summer, when we went to Savannah, Georgia, we went on ghost tour. We got to go into the Sorrel Weed House, where the Ghosthunters actually got an audio recording. Oooooh, spooky. Especially when the desk that I had my back to, had a door that kept hitting me in the rear end after I shut it-and it was hard to close. So, I turned around and took a picture.

See the spooky orb? This is the only picture out of all the pictures I took that had an orb. It is probably dust, but I did get a good story out of it! That is the door on the desk that kept popping open and hitting me in the rear. Imaginations are an awful powerful thing! Oh, yeah, did I tell you that I tried to debunk this? I tried multiple times in similar lighting conditions and with shiny furniture to see if this was a trick of the flash. Nope. So the mystery continues.

Have a spooky, creepy, silly imagination Halloween!

P.S. I do not talk to ghosts!

A Savannah gravestone in the Colonial Park Cemetary.

I am in the mood for pumpkin!

2008-10-30T08:55:00.004-04:00

I have had a busy couple of weeks, between working and shuffling BubbaLou around to fall fun events, there is just so little time to express myself! But today, after the drama of the morning, which was walking a limping BubbaLou to school (Yes, the drama queen has sprained her ankle, or so she says. It looks fine, but I am teasing her about the Halloween that wasn't), I decided I was in the mood for pumpkin. We don't even have our jack-o-lantern yet, that is on our list TO DO today, but I did have a can of Libby's pumpkin on my shelf. Pancakes! Pumpkin Pancakes! That sounds like a mighty fine breakfast for me! I whipped them up and savored each bite! They are not Mimi's, with the yummy apples on top, but they aren't as fattening either!

Pumpkin Art by BubbaLou

Pumpkin Pancakes

I made just enough for me and Thomas the dog

1 cup of Heartsmart bisquick

1/3 Libby's pumpkin

about a tsp, or maybe a Tbsp of pumpkin pie spice

1 egg

3/4 cup of skim milk

Stir, pour your pancakes the way you like them on the griddle, and cook.

I used SmartBalance and Hungry Jack Lite syrup

YUM!!!!

Friends are Friends

2008-10-11T20:31:00.003-04:00

My memories have been working on overtime the last few days. I was invited to join Facebook by a friend from church, I thought, why not? I will give it a whirl. So, I joined, and have been tripping over people who I lost contact with 20 years ago. Okay, 21 years ago. I feel really old sometimes!

I found myself smiling as I found each person, because I had missed them. You share such big chunk of your life with people as a child(especially when you are an only child) and into your teen years, and then you grow up and move away. These friends were your support system, and all of a sudden they are far, far away.

When I went off to college, I didn't go to far. I could always be home in about an hour. I didn't even notice that I missed anyone at first, I was too busy making my place on campus. All is new, and I didn't even realize that I was in a new world without all my friends who had similar values. I got married, move 800 miles away, and then I noticed. Ooops, where did everyone go?

I had such a hard time acclimating to Florida when I first moved here 18 1/2 years ago after marrying the love of my life, Popsaroo. I had him, but I was missing my support system of my friends from youth group and school. I had a hard time finding a church family because, they weren't the ones from Nashville. You don't just make those types of friendships as adults, at least, if you do, they are rare.

So, joy! I have touched base with several friends that I had lost all contact with. Their smiling faces have really soothed the edges of my stressful life lately. So thanks friends, I have missed you and am so glad to have a little slice of you back in my life!

Count your age with friends but not with years - Anonymous

Packing up the dreams God planted

But we'll keep you close as always

It won't even seem you've gone'

Cause our hearts in big and small ways

Will keep the love that keeps us strong

And friends are friends forever

If the Lord's the Lord of them ~Michael W. Smith

Here, the fall leaves are brown!

2008-10-09T19:45:00.004-04:00

Fall is here and pumpkins are popping up everywhere! This is a super fun time of year for young and old. BubbaLou got to pick out her costume tonight! She is going to be a.... sorry, top secret information. If I tell, she might have to insist on a whole new outfit! We can't have that, now, can we?!

I love watching the leaves change, but I don't get to see to much of that anymore. There is one little spot, as you round the corner to my house that has a few trees that actually have other colors than just brown. It took me four years after moving down to Florida to figure out what month it was. I see the subtle changes now, like pumpkins in roadside stands and leaves beginning to turn brown, but it is not a true golden and red leaf fall that sets your soul to wonderment and awe. So, I have to rely on memories of my beloved Tennessee falls...

memory fade in

The last 2 weeks of October were always my favorite. This is the time in Tennessee when all the leaves were at their most beautiful. I even had favorite streets to drive down in which the trees canopied the road, leaves would fall as you drove under them. The air was crisp and fresh with an intoxicating breeze, my eyes filled with the beauty around me, and my heart praised God. When I find myself prompted by nature, I am always reminded that He will not let me forget that He made it for us to enjoy because He loves us and is glorified!

memory fade out

Isaiah 45:18

For this is what the LORD says-he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited. Not only did he make it for us, but he filled it with his glory.

Isaiah 6:3

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."

Turtle Encounter

2008-10-04T22:27:00.004-04:00

We have had the pleasure of sharing our land with a few turtles over the last 12 years. Turtles come and turtles go, but we have one turtle Lucy, that we see every so often. She has moved her hole all around the yard (we have 3 acres). We never know when she is going to pop up and walk in our path, or is it that we are in her path?

We have found little baby turtles before, no larger than a 50 cent piece. This one was bigger than that, but quite young. We were very excited to meet our new neighbor!

Welcome, Sally, or is it Rick Springfield?

The Chalk Artist meets New Turtle

2008-10-04T17:16:00.006-04:00

Happy Spot #5

"Try to be like the turtle -- at ease in your own shell..." - Bill Copeland

Happy Spot #6

A drawing a day keeps the cobwebs away.

~Robert Genn

BubbaLou's Favorite Pizza Slices

2008-10-02T22:28:00.003-04:00

BubbaLou is a picky eater. She doesn't like just anything thrown together and called pizza. Mums had some great idea not to long ago-quesadilla pizzas. Didn't fly with BubbaLou or her friends. So, back to the drawing board for an easy to make snack.....

I figured out the way to BubbaLou's tummy tum tum! Pizza made from croissant dough! Thank goodness for tubes of reduced fat croissant dough! These little slices are the croissant triangles. One tore, so I sort of wrapped it. It was her favorite one.

BubbaLou's Favorite Pizza Slices

Croissant dough- reduced fat

Pizza sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Turkey pepperoni

Throw it in the oven, and walla, pizza slices with no cutting. Just be sure to spray the pan!

Oh, and by the way, Thomas the dog loves them too.

Have you met the Simpson's?

2008-10-01T09:09:00.010-04:00

Happy Spot #4

Popsaroo and BubbaLou took me on the Simpson's ride. Finally! I have been waiting long enough! They tend to go ride it while I am at work, so I was long over due!! The other times we had visited, it was too crowded and the lines to long. It was just right this time! Pretty much, we walked right up, and met the Simpson's. It is sooo fun, it even smells like a baby's butt! I think the Simpson's are up to their necks in soy sauce, but at least they keep you laughing!

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.”

~Albert Einstein

October glee

2008-09-30T21:31:00.007-04:00

Happy Spot #2

A spooky schoolhouse with the first pumpkins of the season!

Happy Spot #3

Popsaroo's shoulders that hold BubbaLou up high!

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. ~Henry David Thoreau

Blowing off steam!

2008-09-29T10:05:00.008-04:00

Our wee family needed to go find a happy place Friday afternoon. It had been a long and stressful week, we needed to bond. So off to Orlando we went, Universal passes in hand.

Happy Spot # 1

BubbaLou was determined to blow off some steam by pummeling those crazy clowns on CityWalk.

I can't believe it! I just can't believe it! I won! I won Edwardo! Wow!

I just can't believe it! ~BubbaLou

Mums is a packrat!

2008-09-20T17:46:00.005-04:00

Mums is a packrat. She likes to keep everything that she may possibly need. I jest because I can, I love her dearly. She has vision. She has hopes for fun and games, good times and stories, hugs and laughter.

Pappa Bobby and Mums got me this parachute when I was but a wee child. They got it for me to play with my friends. I can't be sure how many times it has been used, but she held on to it. For my child, her grandchild, and the friends that she would have one day.

Well, that day is today. Squeals and laughter resulted.

I have to say, she has vision! So, I take back what I said about Mums, she is not a packrat. She is a visionary!

Vision is not enough; it must be combined with venture.

It is not enough to stare up the steps. We must step up the stairs.

~Vaclav Havel

Lucky Dawg!

2008-09-14T09:47:00.004-04:00

"Momsaroo, I am just one person, I can't save the rain forest!" BubbaLou protested earlier this week. She had brought home a reading assignment about the rain forest and was most distressed. We looked up ways to help save the rain forest and one of the ways was to click daily on the rain forest button. You will now find that button on my sidebar, so before you leave, please click!

BubbaLou had made posters 'to save the rain forest' in the past while at Mums house, she scattered them through the neighborhood. She knew she had done this, but still wanted to do more. I told her the posters were a great idea and that she was very smart and active to have done them. Posters work, getting the word out works! I think she believes me more now than she did the other day, I will tell you why.

BubbaLou, is a lover of animals, hers and everyone's animals. She befriends them and they love her. She has many animal friends around town that she looks forward to visiting. One little puppy named Lucky lives in Mum's neighborhood. Lucky got lost the other day, but BubbaLou and her friends Banana and Kenzer made posters and passed them out to people in the neighborhood. They were even looking in the drains down the street.
Later that night, someone who had gotten a poster, found Lucky!

That is what I call one Lucky dawg!!!!

BubbaLou for President!

2008-09-08T20:32:00.004-04:00

Car rides home from school are always so interesting. You just never know the things that are going to come out of BubbaLou's mouth, because you have no idea what is going through her head. Let me tell ya, there is lots of stuff in that noggin of hers!

BubbaLou announced today that she has decided that when she is President of the United States of America, she is going to be changing LOTS of things.

Now, this isn't the first time BubbaLou has spoken of her aspirations to lead this wonderful country, but I thought I would probe her for her platform. I was just curious. She has not by a long shot addressed all the issues, but there are several things she feels very strongly about. Trees and animals. I think those are age appropriate!

Here is a sample of this eight year old's musings of how things should be run...

A ban on cutting down or burning trees, unless she says so.
"Next thing you know, a squirrel will be in your tree popping you in the head with acorns!"
addendum: No squirrels will be allowed to pop people in the head with acorns.

No hunting rabbits, or polar bears in the Arctic, or any other animals unless she says so.

Tight Spider Control! Only pet spiders should be allowed to live.

Extra houses should be torn down and more trees should be planted.

Oil prices should go down so you could fill your tank for $14.
She remains undecided about offshore drilling since there are lots of sea creatures that may be hurt. She is against drilling in ANWR. She is concerned about the animals.

She has decided that dollars would become dollops and that they would only be used in stores, everything else could paid by a toy brought to her.

She has the crazy notion that kids should be able to show up at school anytime they want!
And of course, NO HOMEWORK!

BubbaLou says, Vote for me and you will be on the right path!

Heavenly Music

2008-08-23T21:04:00.005-04:00

Music in church has always meant a great deal to me over the years. I have very fond memories of being a member of the children's and youth choir at church. I still remember songs and even scripture from the songs that we sang. I have very warm and fuzzy memories of friends and teachers from my music experience at church.

I was never a soloist, nor, was I good at music at any individual level. The most humiliating moment in my life happened at a piano recital when I attempted to play "Open Arms" by Journey. If you were there, you know the horror. If you missed it, count your self spared from the piano horror of a lifetime! I took for six years, and I am terrible. I just wasn't talented. It came so easy to so many of my friends, but not for me. I really was able to play "Open Arms" because I had practiced it for so long. I had to play something a hundred times when my friends could sit down and do it probably ten times. Some of them could just do it right the first time they read the music. Not me. Imagine how my parents felt when I had to practice "Chariots of Fire." It started off with about a hundred d's.

I steer clear of most musical endeavors now. I can download my iPod and sing and dance in private or in front of BubbaLou. She just tells me to be quiet! The only place I sing with other people, is at church, in the congregation, as I worship my God. This is still where I have warm fuzzies, singing to God at church. I am just grateful that I can just show up and let those who are actually talented lead the way.

It is in church, where so many wonderfully talented musicians have touched my life. Ministers of music and choir teachers have always held a special place in my heart. They taught me songs about my Jesus, they showed me how to sing with the body of Christ, they carried me through times when I was very sad or very glad. What an awesome place they have in the body of Christ. They touch people who they know and who they have never met. They bring everyone who is present before the throne of God in worship. They instill hope and passion into our faith through song.

It is because they touch us in such ways, they probably don't even realize the impact they have on our lives. The impact that God purposed them to have. We don't ever realize what we really mean to people we don't even know. It boggles my mind when I think about it, the way our lives touch others, however briefly, seeds are planted, and impressions are made.

Our church's minister of music, Simeon Nix, just followed a new call to heaven. This coming just three months after our pastor and his son followed their call to heaven. We have heavy hearts, but they are still uplifted and full of hope and purpose, because we know, that someday, we will see them again and hear them all sing again, but for now, they want us to keep singing.

When we loose one of these wonderful people on Earth, we can at least look forward to their music in heaven. Their earthly music lifted to God is only a foreshadowing of that music they will make in heaven. I can only imagine how wonderful it will be.

Lifesong

by Casting Crowns

Empty Hands held high

Such Small sacrifice

If not joined with my life

I sing in vain tonight

May the words I say

And the things I do

Make my lifesong sing

Bring a smile to you

Let my lifesong sing to You

I want to sign your nameto the end of this day

Knowing that my heart was true

Let my lifesong sing to You

LORD, I give my life

A Living sacrifice

To reach a world in need

To be your hands and feet

So may the words I say

And the things I do

Make my lifesong sing

Bring a smile to You

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,

Let my lifesong sing to You

Life is like soy sauce

2008-08-19T09:45:00.003-04:00

Our family has been going through some stressful times the last month. It has been overwhelming with the abnormal-literally. I haven't known quite what to make of it,nor, how to put my normal positive spin on it, so I have been abnormally quiet.

It all came together this morning as I was making yummy blueberry pancakes since the second day of school was cancelled for a "Storm Day." I had my last two blueberry pancakes cooking and had put the finishing touches on my own plate of hot blueberry pancakes when I grabbed something out of the cabinet and realized it was covered with black liquid. Then in that same hundredth of a second that won Michael Phlelps a gold medal, I realized the entire cabinet was covered in black liquid that came from an overturned bottle of soy sauce.

It had covered my box of Stevia. That stuff cost too much to be infused with the taste of soy sauce. I immediately set to work cleaning. It dripped on the coffee pot, it dripped on the counter, it dripped on the floor, and then down the front of my gown. I am not sure how many paper towels I used to clean this mess, but I sure was glad I wasn't out. I cleaned and cleaned as my pancakes sat there getting cold.

It was during this massive clean up, I realized, this is how my life has been lately. I have been up to my knees in soy sauce! But not just me, everyone in the family is standing on soy sauce. Our friends have even been standing in soy sauce. So what to do, what to do?

While I was cleaning out my cabinets, I was able to save what was inside most of the time, but the boxes had to go. Very few things had to be completely tossed out. My cabinet is now clean and is less cluttered-at least that one shelf. Maybe, just maybe, that is what God needs us to let him do.

So I will let God clean this mess up! I will let him go through, and box by box, either wipe off the bottom or throw the box away. He will have the shelves in our souls cleansed and straightened, clear of even the lingering smell of soy sauce. He can find all the drips and stains of our hurts and fears and wash them away completely. He will take the abnormal and make it normal again, giving us ways to cope and overcome. He will put the top on tight so now new spills of soy sauce don't occur and he will always have plenty of paper towels.

You better check the bottoms of your shoes, you might just be standing in soy sauce!

Dan 3:24-27

Suddenly Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement.

He asked his officials,

"Didn't we tie up three men and throw them into the blazing furnace?"

They answered, "Yes, we did, Your Majesty."
"Then why do I see four men walking around in the fire?" he asked.

"They are not tied up, and they show no sign of being hurt

-and the fourth one looks like an angel."
So Nebuchadnezzar went up to the door

of the blazing furnace and called out,

"Shadrach! Meshach! Abednego!

Servants of the Supreme God! Come out!"

And they came out at once.

All the princes, governors, lieutenant governors,

and other officials of the king gathered to look at the three men,

who had not been harmed by the fire.

Their hair was not singed, their clothes were not burned,

and there was no smell of smoke on them.

So they loaded up the truck....

2008-08-03T11:01:00.005-04:00

Saturdays are always so interesting, you just never know what adventures lay ahead when you take that first step out of bed in the morning. Our wee little family tends to live a little spontaneously, so the opportunities for adventure are vast!

Saturday morning started off with hungry tummies and in an effort to fill them, we all voted to head for Mimi's for breakfast. We stopped at two estate/yard sales on the way. One guy had stuff we recognized from an estate sale a couple of weeks ago, he had just changed houses and put higher prices on them. The second one we stopped at had great stuff with pretty good prices. I picked up a pretty wooden vanity bench with plans to recover the cushion. Popsaroo wanted to know where I was going to put it. Like I knew?! That was trivial.

We got back in the car and called Mums to see what good stuff might be at the church yard sale she was at. It had been going on since six and most of the good stuff was gone, but she had found a couple of picnic baskets she could use to carry food to people. She had taken drinks out there in a big wash tub, but she was finished, so she was going to join us at Mimi's for breakfast.

Once we were fat as ticks, I went with Mums to find that last yard sale, I loaded my bench in her van since it fit better and she has materials to recover it with. We found the yard sale and Mums found some stuff she liked at "end of the yard sale day prices." So we loaded up a small rocker, a little shelf, a sewing table that folds, a old telephone, some teacups, and a picnic basket. We stopped at a moving sale and only found a little wicker wall shelf.

We made a few stops after that looking for normal stuff at normal stores. We went by Ole Time Pottery to look for XL twin sheets. We found the cutest wicker dresser and armoir at rock bottom prices. I decided that BubbaLou was in need for real furniture, and once again we loaded up the dresser and armoir, and like a bunch of hillbillies got it all in the van.

It was at this moment, I had a Beverly Hillbilly's moment. I could hear the music and everything. I have to admit, although I do come from Tennessee, I have not experienced a Beverly Hillbilly's moment before. There is a first thing for everything.

We had a tin washtub, a plastic barrel, a pitcher, a rocking chair, a bench, two shelves, a bag of old clothes, several bags and decorative tins, a dresser, an little armoir, several beach umbrellas, a sewing table, an extension cord, some plant stands, an old telephone, a bath rug, a dog leash and travel dog bowl, three picnic baskets, and critters.

I forgot to mention the critters, didn't I. Yes, ants had swarmed under the tin washtub. We found them when we had to make room for the wicker furniture and had to dump the water out of the tin washtub so we could turn it on it's side. Yes, it really had water in it. I also did the ant dance as I was trying to kill and remove the swarm of ants off the washtub and off me. It was quite the site!

On the drive home, all that stuff made music as it would bump into each other...Hillbilly, that is!

The Ballad of Jed Clampett by Paul Henning - Beverly Hillbillies
Come and listen to a story

about a man named Jed

A poor mountaineer,

barely kept his family fed,

Then one day he was shootin at some food,

And up through the ground came a bubblin crude.

Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.

Well the first thing you know ol Jed's a millionaire,

Kinfolk said "Jed move away from there"

Said "Californy is the place you ought to be"

So they loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly.

Hills, that is.

Swimmin pools, movie stars.

Well now its time to say good by to Jed and all his kin.

And they would like to thank you folks fer kindly droppin in.

You're all invited back a gain to this locality

To have a heapin helpin of their hospitality

Hillybilly that is.

Set a spell, Take your shoes off.

Y'all come back now, y'hear?.

Mom, Where Can I get a Caramel Apple?

2008-07-28T21:26:00.015-04:00

BubbaLou got a hankering for a caramel apple tonight. She came to me asking where she could get one. "At the Savannah Candy store!" I replied!

Yup, I thought I was funny. She was serious. She wanted a caramel apple, so she turned around and high-tailed it to Popsaroo to ask him. Next thing I know, they had conspired together and headed for our neighborhood Publix after Popsaroo ask me where the caramel is in the store.

I directed him to the produce department where they have those easy caramel wraps. He comes back with individually wrapped caramels. The bag even had a recipe on the back! He thought he was so smart.

"What about the sticks?" I ask. He pointed out that there were 5 free sticks in the bag. Once again, he thought he was so smart.

He brought 4 shiny apples home and 2 bags of caramels. We only used 1 bag.

I started unwrapping those little caramels. BubbaLou joined in to help me. Do you know there are like 50 caramels in those bags? This ended up being the hardest thing about the whole thing.

BubbaLou stuck the free sticks in the apples.

We used the microwave to melt those gooey caramels. It worked so well, and in only 3 minutes.

BubbaLou was 3 minutes closer to her caramel apple! She set to covering that apple with who knows how much caramel!

One bag only made 3 apples(large delicious)! The first two were perfect, the last one was a bit spooky! Popsaroo ate that one, said it had, "Character."

BubbaLou took a big bite, and maybe 9 more and she was full. We put hers in the fridge for tomorrow. Popsaroo and I ate ours, except for the cores and Thomas the dog got those!

Mom, I'm ready for my midnight snack! ~BubbaLou

Flags, Flags, Flags

2008-07-26T21:08:00.011-04:00

Have you ever had moments when you walk around the corner and just catch yourself catching your breath as you swell up with a patriotic love and pride for your country? Well, I kept having those when I was on vacation in Savannah and at Fort Sumter! It was so cool. We didn't get to make it there for the 4th of July like we had originally planned, but we didn't have to! We didn't get to see fireworks in these historic places, but we got to hear the flags beating in the wind on the hill of Fort Sumter. A very cool moment, indeed!

We saw the flags that actually flew over the fort during the battles. This was the Union flag, it got knocked down and you can see the nail holes in it where they nailed it back up.This was the first Confederate flag. Looks a little different from the final flag. But this flew during battle when they ruled the fort. These flags are looking a little threadbare, huh?

We saw flags in Savannah. I came around a corner and saw this row of homes all dressed up in American glory and I got goose bumps! Love it! Can you see all the flags? Can you see the steeple in the background?

This flag hangs on City Hall, which is over 100 years old. I craned my neck as I snapped this picture. It was so big!

This flag flew at the Wilke's House where we had that yummy Southern meal. It was neat to stand there, chatting with other Americans in that beautiful neighborhood of homes, under a flag that stands for our freedom!

Even the yard fowl were in the mood for some American pride!

"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea, Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free, Let us all be grateful for a land so fair, As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. " God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home.

Odd, but neat things I saw in Savannah

2008-07-19T21:26:00.006-04:00

Random wrought iron on buildings.

Good luck dolphins on down spouts.

All seeing eyes on the side of the post office.

An Irish feathered silly creature.

A stained glass beauty

2008-07-15T09:00:00.017-04:00

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was open for any one that wanted to enter and see that the inside was just as beautiful as the outside.

We definitely wanted to see the inside, so in we went, camera in hand. We were struck with a feeling of awe and reverence as we came into this church. You could not look anywhere and not see art of some sort or another created to glorify our Lord.

It was truly worth stopping for.

There was stain glass everywhere. I was having trouble getting get pictures of it, but I finally used a longer exposure and got several pics.

The detail and colors were fantastic, you could just sit and stare at it for very long periods of time. Of course it left you in a very contemplative and prayerful mood.

I have very fond memories of the stain glass in my own church growing up. I got married in front of that stain glass in our chapel, and am sorry that the building has been removed. I wonder what they did with the stain glass.

I also remember the stain glass of Jesus over the baptistery in the newer building. I would stare at that stain glass through who knows how many sermons. I think it easier to pray sometimes that way.

I think that if I lived in Savannah, I would have to come visit this church every so often. I want to hear the organ that go with these pipes.

This was a good chance to tell BubbaLou about other churches. She was a bit overwhelmed.

We won't mention the holy water incident. She is Baptist, not Catholic, she didn't know. When Baptist see water, they think immersion.....It was only her hands. I should have been watching, but Popsaroo saw this one and he well, freaked out. He told me and I pulled her to the side and whispered in her ear, and all was well. Jesus loves the little children.

Did I tell you that we met a nun as we were entering the sanctuary, we did. She asked us if there were any public bathrooms. Hmmm. I would have thought she would have had a free pass to find a bathroom anywhere in that building.

I wish I could have gotten pics of all the glass. But it was all around! I took a little video, but my skills are not so good, and you may get dizzy, but I will post it anyway. BubbaLou also had questions about the candles. At least she asked me this time, I had to put the camera up to answer her questions. She has a habit of sticking her finger in the wax. This was top priority so that interdenominational relations would not be placed into turmoil!

Luke 18:16

but Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

How about a little church?

2008-07-13T16:33:00.018-04:00

One of the first things I saw as we drove into the city of Savannah, were church steeples towering over the city. There is just something about seeing church steeples that makes me very happy. The fact that they point toward heaven and the one true God who is love and happiness probably has something to do with it. A connection of peace and Christian love and community is apparent in this town and it has been here for so many years. Most of these churches have endured much hardship over the years, and yet they are still here, with congregations that still send up prayers from the same churches that our forefathers did.

This is the steeple of the Independent Presbyterian Church. Woodrow Wilson married here in 1885 and the Forrest Gump feather scene was filmed in front of this church.

This is the First Baptist Church in Savannah. Pretty, huh? It was the only church that didn't burn down during the fires. According to our tour guide, people wondered what it was the Baptists were doing since theirs was the only church that didn't burn down. It seemed they had been the only church to build their church out of stone and not wood.

This is one of the rare churches that held services throughout the Civil War. That is pretty cool in itself. I can only imagine the gut wrenching prayers that were said for soldiers and families torn apart, and for the country itself.

One of the most ornate and beautiful set of steeples belong to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. This church actually burned in the late 1800's and was rebuilt about 1900. The congregation was organized in 1799 and is the oldest Roman Catholic group in Georgia, and that says a lot since Oglethorpe banned Catholics when he first started the colony-felt their loyalty was questionable to the crown. This was the only church that we were allowed to walk into and I got some great pics of their stain glass windows. Absolutely beautiful!

This is the St. John's Episcopal church. We passed it on the way to the Wilke's House to eat lunch. I took this pic from the view of Madison square. It was really pretty the way it was framed by the trees.

This church was interesting. It is the First African Baptist Church formed in 1788 and is the oldest congregation of African-Americans in the whole United States. I love the double red doors.

There were several churches that I didn't get to visit. I was sorely disappointed, I really wanted to see them. I really wanted to see the Wesley Monumental Church built in 1868, it was built as a memorial to the Wesleys. I also didn't get a chance to see the statue of John Wesley.

I must have seen the Lutheran Church but I didn't get a picture, nor do I remember it. I think I must have been on overload because I know I walked over in that area. It had burned in the late 1700's and was rebuilt in the mid 1800's. It was close to the Trinity United Methodist Church which is the oldest Methodist Church.

I also missed the Christ Church. The original building was built before 1940, and the present building was built within its own walls just before 1900.

I know there is probably more, but I will have to make do with what I saw until I have a chance to go back again and explore Savannah. So much to see, so little time. But God sure made sure he brought some church to Savannah!

Matthew 16:18

And so I tell you, Peter: you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it.

Stairs, stairs, stairs

2008-07-12T14:30:00.009-04:00

We had the chance to climb all sorts of stairs in Savannah. The stairs include all sorts of nooks and crannies, sort of like Thomas' English Muffins. The history that has occurred and those people who have stood on them and near them just sends shivers up my spine!

The stairs were everywhere. Some curved on both sides of a recessed landing like the one below. Arms of southern hospitality. I was on a horse buggy when I took this picture, so I didn't get both arms, but they are there. The age and the patina of the stairs throughout the city just amazed me.

I love wrought iron and red brick, and it was in Savannah like I have only dreamed about. I particularly loved this staircase below, it is covered in all the pretty greens plants that are lovingly cared for by this home's owner.

On River street, you had to take stairs to get into the second floor shops. They were often festively decorated. Charming.

We climbed up these old stone stairs from River street to a park above. These are built really close to what they believe was an Indian burial mound. They were really steep. But beautiful.

We climbed these stairs and descended them several times. They were off Bay street and led down to River St. I thought I had lost BubbaLou once when she stumbled. Scared me half to death!

Almost every house had stairs of some sort of other. Mums asked me if it was wheel-chair accessible. You know, I wasn't able to say that it was. I really didn't pay attention, but it seemed like for the most part, down on River St., that would be awful hard to imagine. It was full of cobblestones and uneven pavement. We certainly had to watch our footing!

Good Eats!

2008-07-10T21:13:00.002-04:00

Where, oh, where did we eat you ask???

You may be surprised. We took time to rate each place we ate along the way. We came up with 1-6 star ratings! Bet you can't wait to hear!!!! We tried to avoid anything that we could get in Florida!

We started our food fest at Spanky's Pizza Galley on River St. It was our first afternoon, we arrived in Savannah hungry as bears, and maybe as grumpy as one too! Spanky's, we came to find out, is home to the "Original Chicken Finger." What I want to know is, how do they really know that they are home to the original chicken finger? They also had beer battered spuds. In order to try it all, I got an individual pizza-which they make from scratch, and Popsaroo and BubbaLou got the chicken fingers, plus Popsaroo tried the beer battered spuds.

Popsaroo- 1 star BubbaLou- 5 stars Momsaroo-3 stars

Next, we stopped by the Savannah Candy Shoppe on River St. Let's just say, this put us in a pretty fantastic mood. It was a fun atmosphere, they were pulling taffy and had all kinds of colorful sugar treats and candy machinery. We hit the taffy bin and filled a bag, BubbaLou scored a very sticky caramel apple, and I found the most divine pecan pralines-regular and chocolate, and a gopher(I think it is a glorified turtle)! We actually stopped by this place again, and got some taffy for the trip back and Mums and Mummy Iris a pecan praline.

Popsaroo-6 stars BubbaLou-6 stars Momsaroo-6 stars

The next morning, we took advantage of the deluxe continental breakfast at our hotel, The Promenade. It was convenient and included in the price of the room. It was all sorts of pastries, muffins, bagels, and English muffins. Plenty of milk and cereal to choose from, with some yogurt and apples available as well. This allowed Popsaroo to sleep in! BubbaLou thought the muffins were "spectacular!"

Popsaroo-1/2 a star BubbaLou-6 stars Momsaroo-3 stars

Our second day, lunch was a real treat and a choice! We skipped Lady and Son's(Paula Dean's restaurant, for the gem of Savannah, The Wilke's House.

Isn't it pretty? It is on Jones St., one of the most scenic neighborhoods. These are the stairs and the alley way next the entrance of the restaurant on the ground level.

People stand in line, a long line, outside the door. We waited to be the next group of eight people taken in and seated. We shared a table with some folks from the Washington D.C. area. We shared a few pleasantries between mouth fulls. I tell you, there wasn't much talkin' except for, "Can you pass the potatoes, have you had the greens, pass me a biscuit please..."

One word, YUM describes this place. We ate family style and loved every minute of it. The literal word on the street from the people exiting, (burp) deep breath, tap, tap, tap on their stomach, and loudly sharing comments like this, "That was a heck of a lot better than Lady and Son's!"

So, see! We chose well. Why flock to a place just because they have a fun cookin' show(sorry Paula, but I had to choose!) We followed the word we had heard from a friend, a tip in the paper, and we followed the word we heard on the street and came away on top! And talk about friendly, one couple we were in line with, found out at the last moment that the Wilke's House does not take credit cards-they had nothing on them. Oh, No! They thought they had stood in line for nothing. But the Wilke's House encouraged them to stand in line and eat, they could go get their money after they got full! How is that for Southern Hospitality. They even called Popsaroo, "sweetie" when he took our plates to the kitchen.

Did I mention that eating at the Wilke's House in the book "A Thousand Things to Do Before You Die"?

Popsaroo-6 stars BubbaLou-6 stars Momsaroo-6 stars

Snacks are always important, don't ya think? We thought so. A friend also clued me into the Cupcake Emporium on Bull and State St. All sorts of yummy cupcakes to choose from. I was taking a walk by myself when I stopped by. I picked 6 cupcakes to take back to the room. 2 red velvet, 1 pistachio, 1 chocolate with butter cream, 1 nutter butter, and 1 strawberry. My favorite was the pistachio, Popsaroo's favorite was the red velvet, BubbaLou's favorite was the chocolate.

Popsaroo-3 stars BubbaLou-6 stars Momsaroo-6 stars

Vinnie Van Ghous was the next pizza place we tried. It is in City Market, on a corner with tables outside on the sidewalk. After a long day, we sat down at one of those tables and ordered a large 1/2 pepperoni and 1/2 cheese pizza. Best priced meal we had the entire time.

Popsaroo-3 stars BubbaLou-1 star Momsaroo-3 stars

The last night in town, we tried the Wild Wings that was also in City Market and short distance from our hotel. Pretty good, I got the buffalo salad with hot spiced chicken meat, it was SPICY!

Popsaroo-2 stars BubbaLou-3 stars Momsaroo-3 stars

For breakfast on our very last day, we went to the Cobblestone Cafe. It was in a really neat building and very quaint inside. The neat thing about this little place, is that they had journals on each table for people to write a little note in. BubbaLou wrote the most embarrassing note! I think she is trying to get me back for some of my posts. If you want to read it, I guess you better go to the Cobblestone Cafe! I am not telling you what table we were sitting at either!

Popsaroo-3 stars BubbaLou-6 stars Momsaroo-3 stars

We spent a very short time in Charleston, SC. Just long enough to catch the ferry boat out to Fort Sumter. The guy at the ticket counter told us of a place just a couple of blocks away that turned out to be very good advice. East Bay Deli. I think I had one of the best deli sandwiches I have ever had! I had a Tessa or something like that. It was a turkey with cheese, cream cheese, avocado, bacon, and grilled onions. Wow. I got a salad too, I was in dire need of some veggies. Very good. Popsaroo got a Yankee and BubbaLou got a grilled cheese. Best grilled cheese next to Popsaroo's! We got on the ferry and we still had our drinks. One guy saw our cups and said that he and his wife looked for East Bay Deli, but couldn't find it. I advised him to go back and look again and gave him a little better direction.

Popsaroo-4 stars BubbaLou-6 stars Momsaroo-6 stars

I was slacking when we stopped on the side of the road for boiled peanuts and cider in South Carolina. I can't remember the name of the place. But we found peach Nehis there. We haven't seen them in a long time. I also got a cherry cider, a peanut roll, and boiled peanuts. BubbaLou picked out some sort of wierd candy that she didn't like and a moon pie. Popsaroo had already eaten a iced honey bun from a drugstore that we stopped at earlier-so he just ate a few boiled peanuts.

Momsaroo-3 stars

A BIG Thank You to Mums!

2008-07-09T22:14:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Mums, our wee family was able to take a southern vacation. We travelled all the way to Savannah, Georgia and the Charleston Harbor, SC! I have so much to share. But first, and foremost, thank you Mums for watching Patrick Poopers and our two fish. We get to pick Thomas the dog up from his "fun dog park" tomorrow. We missed him so much. Oh, and Mums, we missed you too! I was thinking of you when I came across these characters while I was walking down Bull St. in Savannah.

Thanks to the Good Lord above for keeping us safe!

Vacation Hiccups!

2008-07-03T18:35:00.005-04:00

How often we just like to fly by the seat of our pants! We are impulsive and last minute planners. When we travel, it is usually day trips within the state and don't require great planning skills, like planning to board your dog while you are gone.

We have learned very quickly, that if you make hotel reservations for yourselves, you need to make them for the dog at the same time. Dog kennels get booked fast, or so we learned when we couldn't find a spot for ole Tomas the dog! We had to post-pone, but it is coming! We had pre-planning to do that we didn't know about anyway.

We had to take Thomas the dog to the vet today to get his kennel cough vaccine. You thought my kid was dramatic, just wait til' you meet my dog! Talk about a drama dog....

He barked the entire time. Well, at least 99.9 % of the hour that we were there. His form of saying hello is barking as loud and viciously as possible! This is Thomas the dog, "HEY, HOW ARE YOU? MY NAME IS THOMAS, WHAT IS YOURS? WHY ARE YOU SO SMALL, YOU AREN'T A CAT ARE YOU. HAVE YOU SEEN ANY CATS AROUND HERE? HEY, ARE YOU A FRIEND OR A FOE? IS THERE ANY FOOD AROUND HERE OTHER THAN THOSE DRY DOG-AWFUL BONES? HEY, WHERE ARE YOU GOING, ARE YOU NOT GOING TO BE MY FRIEND?MOM, THEY ARE LEAVING, MAKE THEM STOP. COME BACK, ARE YOU A GIRL OR A BOY, CAN I SNIFF YOU????

And so it went for an hour. Even the vet staff felt that they had to place a muzzle on his nose and mouth and give him his vaccine and clip his claws. Do you know how much my dog hates to have his nails clipped? Can you get your dog de-clawed? I don't think he would mind as long as he never had to have them clipped again!

As we were leaving the parking lot and Thomas the dog is going from window to window in the back seat barking, BubbaLou made the comment, "This is so embarassing! It's like he isn't trained or anything!

He is trained, sorta. He is isolated in our big field, with no other dogs to talk to. He has no concrete to walk on to wear his nails down and chat with other k-9's in the process.

Poor wittle puppy dawg! But won't the kennel staff have fun with Thomas the dog?

The Great Summer Lightening Show of 2008

2008-06-30T22:27:00.008-04:00

God does amazing things with his world! I remember how much I loved the land in Tennessee. I loved the trees, the hills, the mountains, the way the clover grew, and the way the leaves would turn colors in the fall. I don't have any great memories of the sky.

Here in Florida, the sky is where it is at! The ground is really not much to look at; flat and dry, sandy, with a scrubby trees that really don't change into pretty colors. The palms are nice, but really, even that is planned and landscaped for it to look like the postcards.

God puts on light shows in the sky. We can see the stars(at least where we live), and the rainbows are amazing! We saw double rainbows just the other night. I don't ever think I saw a double rainbow while I lived in Tennessee. The lightening shows are also mesmerizing. They are just so vivid and alive when a bolt crackles in 15 different directions throughout the sky.

You just sit back in awe as you watch it as you are leaving Busch Gardens. Then you go into your house and find that your power is out and a tree is down in the backyard. Then the power stays out for 12 hours and most everything in your fridge has to go in the garbage the next day. Of course your cable, phone, and Internet are also out, even after the electricity comes back on at 2am in the morning. Four days later, when you finally get that cable, Internet, and phone back up, you find that the lightening got your Ethernet port, so you still have no Internet. Obviously, other people have had this happen, so there is a nifty little converter to USB!

But the show was something else, the storm clouds were layered in different shades of gray and black, gorgeous! And the rain! Oh, how we needed the rain! We really needed a soaking for the 4th of July! All those fireworks are just brush fires waiting to happen!

Did I mention that my septic tank backed up and we had to get it pumped today? It was way over due anyway. I think God just wanted us to get it pumped out, we sorta procrastinate!

God has a way of pulling all things together for good!

Paradise

2008-06-24T22:15:00.002-04:00

Summer vacation, what a beautiful and relaxing time of year. I just love lying by the pool, looking at the beautiful clear blue sky and listening to the palm trees rustle in the wind as the kids squeal and splash in the pool. It is just remarkable how the scent of sunscreen and pool water help create this little piece of paradise.

The problem is, when you have been playing and relaxing in paradise, you forget you are there. So something is bound to happen to remind you that you are in paradise. So went my afternoon.

I had enjoyed playing with BubbaLou in the pool, I even swam a few laps. We decided to get out of the pool and enjoy our picnic lunch we brought. Ham and turkey on wheat bread. We skipped the picnic table and just got comfortable in our lounge chairs. I was biting into the last half of my sandwich, when BubbaLou and I heard a flapping noise and then something dropping. Something hit my leg. I looked down, disgusted to see that I had a large white wet glop on my leg, with a trail leading to a bird making his get away.

The bird of paradise had gotten me! Ewwww!

I repeat, Ewwww!

Not without mummy!

2008-06-21T12:58:00.007-04:00

BubbaLou and Popsaroo made a dash for Orlando yesterday with our new Sea World /Aquatica /Busch Gardens/Adventure Island passes.

Where was I, you ask?

At work. Slaving away as my dear husband and daughter frolicked in the Florida summer heat among the sea creatures.

BubbaLou did however, miss her dear mummy. She refused to see any shows without her mummy right there to experience it with her. She didn't even want to take pictures since I wasn't there. What a kid! Is that not just the sweetest thing ever!?

Popsaroo and BubbaLou did however ride the Kraken, and loved it. Well, sorta, because according to BubbaLou, Popsaroo cried. (Shh, Don't tell anyone!) At least, they lived to tell about it.

The Kraken brings back memories to one of the most enjoyable book series that BubbaLou and I have listened to together, the Emily Winsnap series. Emily Winsnap and the Monster of the Deep is a really good kraken story, full of moments just like the roller coaster! Reading it is good, but listening to it on audio is even better!

Definitely a summer hit!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T20:30:00.005-04:00

BubbaLou's Top Five Reasons She is Glad that Popsaroo is her Popsaroo!

1. He is funny.

2. He is fun because he plays lots of stuff and is fun on my birthday.

3. He buys me donuts.

4. He bought me a dog for my birthday.

5. He appreciates my sense of humor.

More spare time needed

2008-06-11T20:56:00.006-04:00

More spare time is needed to create! It might be summer for some short little folks running amuck, but for me, I still have plenty of work calling me...at least three days a week, all day long. Between those days of my nose to the grindstone, I have found a few moments, here and there to try to figure out photoshop. I have only scraped the surface of digi- scrapbooking. My work is raw and unpolished, but yet, I am making my photos into pretty little things.

This is the most recent of my efforts. I can not take credit for the page, I just dropped photos in. I got this as a free download at CottageArts. I am hoping that by paying attention to their tips, I can get a clue. Baby steps for now! I want to get to the point that I can do this from scratch.

These pics of two of my old friends were taken last year at my 20th High School Reunion. I have to say, these are my before pictures. I have since lost 35 lbs! Yay, Me!!!

Now this, was my first attempt to make a purposeful page. I am learning all about layering and such, but really at the time I was just hoping that I could get the text bigger than I did on the next picture. This page is dedicated to all those who wanted to see a picture of Popsaroo! Purty, isn't he?

I took the crazy pic of BubbaLou and put it on a fancy background to make it pop! I think it truly reflects how crazy she really can be. I couldn't figure this out a couple of days ago.

My scrapbooking efforts have found life again! I was doing so well with scrapbooking after BubbaLou was born. Well, at least until she started to crawl. Then run at 10 months! That child sure can move. She never has stopped. She turns 9 in December, and I am just now picking it up again! I have tons of pictures to scrapbook.

I feel so blessed that God has given me such precious memories to scrapbook. We each have so many memories that are special to us in our families, I can only imagine what the scrapbook that Jesus' mother Mary would have created, or the one that he would make of us.

Spare Time

2008-06-07T20:54:00.009-04:00

Ever wonder what people do in their spare time. Spare time being the time you should proably be cleaning something, like loads and loads of clothes.

Wonder no more!

When they get Photoshop Elements 6 for their birthday, this is what they (being me) do with their spare time.

They create!

This!

All though I have figured this much out, there is oh, so much more to learn...

it boggles the mind.

This is a kind of scrapbooking I think I can really get into!

School Is OUT!!!!

2008-06-04T21:02:00.003-04:00

BubbaLou has announced, "I went on vacation TODAY!"

Wanna know what BubbaLou and her friends did at Mums house to celebrate and destress from the trauma of a year of school?
Blew up 3 bags of balloons and then took them outside and popped them!

I called while they were blowing them up and heard quite a few squeals of laughter. So I can only imagine...

Bless Mums and her nerves of steel!

Music Appreciation-the 80's

2008-05-31T16:25:00.007-04:00

Popsaroo and I have been introducing BubbaLou to the 80's genre of music. It was such a fun and creative time and music, and we know all the words. Plus, you always get to play air guitar and air drums with a crazy hair style when you allow yourself to fully enjoy 80's music. Oh, you also have to dance in the car.

Popsaroo saw his chance to expand BubbaLou's music choices when she saw the Beetlejuice/Monster show at Universal. She liked Frankie's Girl. She also like the other 80's selections that they sang.

Here is a clip of the show, I missed getting the Frankie's girl on tape.

So, he introduced her to Rick Springfield. I always liked Rick, as a singer and as Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital. BubbaLou however, believes that Rick should be the one singing Frankie's girl.

Rick Springfield came to the Tampa Bay area and gave a free concert for charity last night. I, of course had to work, but that didn't stop Popsaroo and BubbaLou from seeking him out. The concert started at 8:30 last night after she got her first concert t-shirt and failed at her attempts to get Popsaroo backstage to meet Ricky. Bedtime turns out to be a bad time for a concert. BubbaLou made it 30 minutes and was ready to go. He hadn't even sung Jesse's girl, but she decided that, "Rick Springfield has lost it!" and was ready for bed.

Don't take it too hard Rick, she is wearing the t-shirt and listening to Jesse's girl on Youtube again. Popsaroo really enjoyed it, he said you still sounded good for an old man!

We 're Gonna Be Late For Work!

2008-05-27T10:22:00.005-04:00

Living and working in Florida is always an adventure. People either love us or hate us, but we never cease to amuse the rest of the country, and probably the world. We stuff all sorts of stuff into this Sunshine state of ours; a big mouse, roller coasters and strange elevators, carnival headquarters, chads that don't fall out, alligators, mermaids, snowbirds, surreal art museums, RV art, beaches with sharks, dolphins, turtles, sunscreen, shells, sand, oranges, palm trees, pelicans, stingrays, dumb seagulls, Spanish food, Greek food, sponges, jellyfish, starfish, planes flying around advertising buffets, hurricanes, and fishy moving violations!

See, we never ceased to be amused. Mums, BubbaLou and I were witnesses to this duo getting pulled over by the Copper! It was a source of great entertainment to us on our trip to Orlando to meet our old friends. I don't think the SeaWorld employee driving these two hooligans was as entertained as we were.

Picture by BubbaLou

Family Friends Forever-FFF

2008-05-26T11:26:00.007-04:00

Mums, BubbaLou, and I were so excited about meeting up with long time family friends at Downtown Disney on Friday.

What was even better, is that our daughters got to meet. They made fast friends. There is just something special about continuing friendships even though time and distance seems to get in the way. The voices and smiles are a comfort and a joy when you see them again. So, good to see ya, friends! We truly enjoyed it and are thankful you included us in an afternoon of your vacation to see the BIG MOUSE!

Oh, and if you ever decide to come down, BubbaLou may greet your children with alien antennas that she makes herself. You just never know!!!

Mr. Sun came down and smiled at me

He said, "Today's going to be a great day, wait and see."

It's the best day ever, best day ever,

It's the best day ever, best day ever.....

~SpongeBob SquarePants, as sung by BubbaLou

Slideshow is at the bottom of this blog!

BubbaLou's World

2008-05-18T22:08:00.010-04:00

We had a rather entertaining day today, so BubbaLou wanted to share the wealth. So welcome to her world!

We started off the day going to church with Mums because she was having high attendance day/Hawaiian day. Although, I have no pics to share from that affair, you know when you start the day off with leis, the day will turn interesting.

We took Mums with us to the beach today. We went to feed the birds for Poppa Bobby. We found birds, but the birds were fat and lazy. Absolutely no skill with catching bread mid air.
BubbaLou soon lost interest in the birds since they were so lazy and not performing well for her. She moseyed on down to the beach to look for shells. She found a bag full, but also found a few rocks. She feels this rock has Elvis hair. She says he also has a hairy backside. This was a very exciting find! Of course, she brought Elvis home.

Then she met Coco. Coco was really an illusion since dogs were not really supposed to be there. Coco was a good dog and loved the water. She loved to play fetch with whoever was willing to throw the ball. Possibly one of the friendliest and wettest dogs I have ever met. She tried to lay down and chew on her ball at the edge of the water, but just got a mouth full of salt water. She then showed us her skill of drinking from a water bottle her master was giving to her. Very talented dog!

BubbaLou decided to go tree climbing. She was having a fine time in the mangroves. Now, understand, she wasn't supposed to get wet. "Just wade in the water," those were her instructions. Of course, when she jumped down from this tree, she got her bottom half wet. She just looked at me and smiled and then said, "Sorry, mommy, I didn't mean to." We were at the beach, what could I say?

We finally made it back home after stopping for a Mickey D's ice cream cone and dropping Mum's off. She found time to bond with Patrick. Patrick disapproves.

Finally, after BubbaLou pummeled Popsaroo in a game of Sorry, we had a chuckle right before bed time. Thomas the dog was sprawled out on the floor chewing on his bone, when we looked down, and low and behold, he had a sticker on his paw pad. What a silly dog. If you only knew how silly he really is, you would laugh as hard as we did.

Oh, the Drama!

2008-05-18T17:36:00.006-04:00

It is amazing to me how much drama one person can cause! BubbaLou is always keeping us on the edge of our seats with all the drama that plays out around here!

Last week, she caused so much of a commotion, that I can only share now.

We went to visit Mums one day after school. It was supposed to be an enjoyable visit so that she could relax and play with her friends next door. It turned into Act I of The Foot Incident....

Act I

BubbaLou runs over next door to find her friends. She comes back with them and something stuck right in the middle of her heel. Seeing as how her friends were hanging over her foot like a vulture over a juicy morsel, I took her to the back room with Mums to get the something out of her foot.

You never heard such caterwauling before I even touched her. Armed with a clean enough needle and tweezers, I attempted to dislodge the something from her heel. At least I would have if I could have caught her foot. That was the jumpiest foot I have ever seen. Mums had to hold her down. It still jumped. We soaked her foot, it still wouldn't come out. Emotions were high, BubbaLou and I both were sweating, and well, I think I need to get my eyes checked!

I finally gave up and figured Popsaroo and I would be able to get this done together later that evening. I sent her friends home and told them the show was over. We made our way back to our little home and awaited Popsaroo's arrival.

Act II

Popsaroo gets home. BubbaLou really doesn't want to go through this again, but well, she must. The caterwauling started all over again and that foot jumped just as much as before. We couldn't get it out. We finally decided that she would have to go to the doctor to get it dug out. Of course we had threatened this the entire time, and mentioned scalpels and such so she would keep her heel still for us. Didn't work, and neither did I the next day since I had to call off work so I could take her to the doctor.

Act III

The doctor's office got us in by 10:30 the next morning. The doctor got her tools together and numbed her foot up with the cold stuff and started digging. I had to hold BubbaLou down, but of course she is so strong, she pushed me away as she sat up and cried, "I feel like I am having a baby!" The doctor is not used to BubbaLou's dramatics and by the look on her face, she almost fell over by that comment. She finally recovered enough to chuckle and said, " You just have no idea kid!" I finally got her down again, and she once again shoved me aside to declare, "I feel like I am having an operation!" All I can do is laugh. The doctor was finally able to pull out 3 very tiny pieces of glass like substance and BubbaLou gave a long sigh of relief. The doctor put a dressing on her heel with some antibiotic ointment and gave us her blessing to return home. BubbaLou loved her cast as she calls it!

Act IV

Dressing change time that night came around and I decided that a little cream and a band aid was all that was needed. BubbaLou felt differently. It had hurt too bad and caused her too much angst to only get a band aid. She recycled her bandage and added some silk tape. Now she was ready for school.

Act V

Popsaroo took BubbaLou to school the next morning, it was Field Day. They were walking to class when he looked down and noticed that she wore only one sock and had her dressing nicely visible on the other foot. She was prepared to show her war wound. According to her, she enjoyed it immensely.

Such drama!

Tea with Mums

2008-05-15T17:50:00.002-04:00

Introducing a new blog-one that my Mums and I will be working on together.

Music please.........Tea With Mums

Enjoy!

Encouragement

2008-05-15T08:29:00.004-04:00

The prayer service at Bell Shoals last night drew thousands together to make sense of the tragedy of loosing Pastor Pollock and Preston. Bell Shoals is the Fellowship of Encouragement and it was no different last night. I walked away encouraged. I truly saw the Body of Christ in action as members from other churches came and took care of the little children while their parents went to the service. Pastors from other churches came to lend counseling to those who needed it. Members from both Bell Shoals and other nearby churches worshiped with hope. Pastor Pollock would have loved it.

The Tampa Tribune had a really nice article this morning. I think the community has been encouraged.

1Peter 5:12

I want to encourage you and give my testimony that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.

Last Words

2008-05-14T09:28:00.003-04:00

Pastor Pollock preached a wonderful message Sunday morning. I encourage each of you to take time to listen to his message: Motherhood is not for Sissies!

http://bellshoals.com/pages/page.asp?page_id=23576

Imprints

2008-05-13T20:44:00.008-04:00

God puts people in this world baby by baby. He gives each one a personality with talents and charms. He makes each one special because He has a plan for each one. We can't see people the same way God sees them. We see stereotypes, colors, wealth or poverty, and actions. God sees each person's heart. He sees the way we act and knows the thoughts that go along with it. He sees the potential that each of us have because of the gifts and talents he set us up with at birth. He knows from the beginning. He knows...everything about us. He knows when we are to be born and when we are to die. He knows the imprint on the world that each of us are to have for Him.

People come in and out of our life and they make imprints on us, and we make imprints on them. God chooses who and why.

God allowed me to sit under a wonderful preacher for several years and allowed the preacher's daughters to sit in my GA class. I am the better for it, but my heart is broken today. For today, we have lost a wonderful and caring preacher and his son, and those girls and their family have lost their father/husband and brother/son. Pastor Forrest Pollock and his son Preston will be missed greatly by his family, the Bell Shoals Baptist Church congregation, and all the people, all over the world that they touched with their lives. We will carry on knowing that they are in our Father's arms, and we will be forever changed-for the better. We will see them again.

Php 3:20

For our citizenship is in heaven.

There must be a logical reason....

2008-05-09T21:58:00.004-04:00

I discovered today that I should never be shocked over things BubbaLou brings home to hide away in her room. She always has a logical reason for just about anything she collects. You just never know what story is about to be told when you ask her about it.

Take tonight for example, I found old pieces of shingles in her floor. Now what on Earth does she have old shingles in her room for, I asked myself. I tracked her down in our bedroom cuddled up with Popsaroo watching Ninja Warrior as contestants competed on an obstacle coarse in which they had to walk on their hands.

"BubbaLou, where did these old shingles in your room come from?"I ask.
"Oh, I found those outside," she said.
"And, you have them in your room because...."
"It was a dragon's footprint but then it broke in two,"she says in a reminiscent tone.

Popsaroo and I look at each other, laugh, and then I agree with him as he says, "She always has a logical reason for everything!"

dragon footprint

BubbaLou's Beauty Secrets

2008-04-29T19:55:00.005-04:00

BubbaLou came down with a tummy-ache yesterday. She spent today recuperating at home, on the couch, in front of the bube-tube. She did however find time for a beauty treatment. You know, you don't have to feel good to look good!

She couldn't resist the temptation of the nice cool cucumber in the fridge. She sliced off a couple of cool eye treatments to go with the cool melon lotion she smeared over her face.

It takes a calm persona to lie there and relax for 20 minutes while the cucumbers do their magic. Funny thing is, it is hard to watch Scooby Doo with big cucumbers stuck to your eyeballs! I would say her calm, relaxing 20 minute beauty treatment lasted all of 3 minutes max. Oh, but her skin was sooo soft and smooth.

You probably only need 3 minutes of beauty treatments in the first decade of life anyway.

Ester 2:12

The regular beauty treatment for the women lasted a year---massages with oil of myrrh for six months and with oil of balsam for six more

I'm just a Bill

2008-04-27T20:48:00.004-04:00

Look what Popsaroo has set on the shelf next to UnderDog.

He was Popsaroo's find at a yard sale on Saturday. He told the ladies he would buy Bill for the $1 they were asking if they could sing the song.

Everyone has fond memories of Bill. The ladies were able to get a few lines out with melody and so Popsaroo brought Bill home for $1.

I'm just a bill. Yes, I'm only a bill.

I found it!

2008-04-27T20:32:00.005-04:00

Look what I found at Costco! My very own, personalized stainless steel flatware. I could hardly believe it. Destiny... that is what it was, destiny!

Anyhoo, I was in the market for some new decent flatware because mine was suffering from a bad case of corrosion. See, Mums loves to find good deals at the Home Shopping Network store and she found me a beautiful set of golden flatware for $10. This $10 however, proved to be one of those, "you get what you pay for deals." They would turn colors on you in a second if you got them near water or vinegar. So, I have been throwing them away once ruined and my flatware drawer was getting sparse.

I had a little green in my pocket and decided to splurge! I mean, who could pass up flatware named in your honor. I figured this was a once in a lifetime chance, because this flatware had my name on it!

I brought them home, unpacked them, washed them, and then placed them in my flatware drawer. I called BubbaLou in the kitchen to show her, and we both looked down and sang, "Ahhhhhhh."

I have decided that I need a new flatware caddy, maybe a wicker one instead of the ancient plastic one that I have now. Maybe some new drawer liners too! This is so exciting! Hmmm, I will just see what I can find.

BubbaLou's New Do

2008-04-23T09:47:00.004-04:00

Sassy and cute!

2008-04-19T08:50:00.002-04:00

This came to me via email today. Just wanted to share!

Home, home in the field

2008-04-17T21:46:00.004-04:00

This hole is in my back field and belongs to yet another member of our wee family. This one doesn't like to be too close to the rest of us. Sort of a loner, you could say. Always the quest for solitude. I wonder what gopher turtles think about.....

Gopher turtles have always lived on this land as long as we have been sharing it with them. We found one baby turtle and have watched her grow up. Her name is Lucy. She has moved all around the house and finally out into the field. We have come to enjoy sitings of Lucy and her friends.

Popsaroo is always on the lookout to save the gopher turtle crossing the road. You see, he is a softie. Shhh, don't tell anyone.

Thinking about the beach....

2008-04-14T12:31:00.007-04:00

Just sitting around this morning remembering the beach. It was getting warmer and thoughts of afternoons in pools and days at the beach are starting to drift into my mind. Of course, it is cool this morning and the water is still cold at the beach, but I am starting to drift there often.

This is Mums looking for shark teeth at Casperson Beach in Venice. It was a beautiful day although the pic looks a little overcast. We found quite a few shark teeth just below where she is sitting. I have to admit, we didn't go out very far since sharks were on our minds. These shark teeth we were finding were supposedly old, but Hey! This is the gulf-we do have sharks! Chomp, chomp. Sorry, couldn't resist.

We went to this beach on purpose with the intent to hunt for sharks teeth. There have been sharks teeth as big a tea saucer found. Shivvver....We did not go diving for them-but for some, that is their cup of tea!
I want to go back this year. This is a gorgeous beach! The flora, the rocks, the sand, and the teeth all work together for a good find, except I can't remember where we put our shark teeth!

Gen 1:21

So God created the great sea monsters, all kinds of creatures that live in the water, and all kinds of birds. And God was pleased with what he saw.

High Tea

2008-04-12T21:52:00.006-04:00

Mums has been on a mission to throw a High Tea. She has been looking high and low for teacups and teapots, and did she find some good deals! So, by forcing herself to endure flea markets and the like, she came up with enough(and then some) to throw a High Tea for the girls. She did a great job.

It was quite delightful.

Two of BubbaLou's friends came for peach tea and they had the most riveting conversation about Captain Underpants. I discovered that manners go out the window when C.U. is involved! Oh well. We had fun.

We also had cookies, cupcakes, fruit with fruit dip, and pigs in a blanket. Yum!

Hmmm. Someone ate two cupcakes while I was looking!
We also had a crafty time decorating the most adorable teapots. So springy and lovely. It was quite the lovely afternoon. Tea, goodies, and crafts, oh my!

BubbaLou created the teapot in the middle. She wrote MAGICK on it, it's enchanted. Kenzer's design is on the left with the lovely flowers. Do you see the artistic flair?She must get that from her mother. Bonanza's hopping creation is on the right with the little bunnies.How cute! Patrick Poopers would be so proud!

Then finally the large amounts of sugar were absorbed and High Tea was over for the time being...until next time when we can work on our manners.

Hey, pinkie out is hard, especially when you are thinking about Captain Underpants.

Fat Tommy

2008-04-09T21:08:00.004-04:00

This is Fat Tommy.
He does not live with us.
He lives with Mums.
Thank Goodness!
Fat Tommy has had a hard life, but it could have been harder. His first owner passed away and he has been passed around to different church members willing to share their home with him for a while.

Guess who is always a sucker for a fuzzy face?? Mums and Mummy Iris.
Mummy Iris tried to put on like they didn't need a cat, she argued for all of 5 minutes. She laid eyes on Fat Tommy, and well, she was ready to cuddle and provide meaty treats.

Guess who is runny the household now? That's right, Fat Tommy. He passes by his food dish about every 15 minutes while awake, and demands meaty goodness anytime he pleases.

I asked Mums what happens if you just try to feed him once a day. She replied, "He meows and meows, bats at the food bag, and just won't let up until you put some meaty delicacy on his dish."

Did I mention, he doesn't like chicken prepared on a George Forman grill. Sorry George, Fat Tommy isn't a sucker for an imfo-commercial. He actually took a paw to Mummy Iris when she offered him a piece. She was so in love with him, she just found it funny!

He also has snooty musical tastes. He doesn't enjoy the harmonica. How they can even stand to have that snooty cat in the house is beyond me! Why, you have to enjoy the harmonica to be a part of the family.

BubbaLou found a harmonica that had belonged to PappaBobby and was just playing away. I know she would have made PapaBobby proud with her attempts. Tommy became annoyed. He climbed onto Mums lap looking quite peeved, and then when BubbaLou blew out one to many notes on that wonderful harmonica, he jumped up and bit her in the head. My BubbaLou, bitten in the head by a fat cat!

Don't worry, he didn't draw blood, and BubbaLou was highly shocked that he had bit her in the head. Mums said BubbaLou was laughing. At least she wasn't crying because she had been mangled by a cranky fat cat.

Oh, and did I tell you about the phone call I got last night from Mummy Iris? She called to say the cat was sick. "How is he sick?" I asked.
"I don't know, but he is sick?" says Mummy Iris.
So I ask, "Well, what is he doing that makes you think he is sick, what are is symptoms?"
"He is just lying there! Here talk to your Mums." she passes the phone to Mums.
"Is the cat sick?"I ask.
She poses the question, "Do you know a vet that stays open this late? Mummy Iris thinks he is sick."
"Do you know how much it costs to go to an after hours vet? What is wrong with him?"I ask.
"He is just laying there."
"Is he asleep?" I ask.
"Well, I don't know."she says.
"What does he do when you pick him up?"
"Well, I haven't picked him up." she says.
"Go pick him up and see what he does!"I ordered.
She puts the phone down...I hear "MEOW, MEOW" She comes back to the phone.
"I hear him in the back ground, he doesn't sound sick" I say.
"He is helping Mummy Iris open a can of food."she replies.
"So he was asleep?" I ask laughing at them.
"yes" she said meekly.

Did I mention he weighs 15lbs?

Fat CAT!

Beads, Beads, Beads!

2008-04-05T22:46:00.007-04:00

Beads. People go absolutely berserk over beads. Little shiny beads of plastic cause them to scream, reach, and jump higher than they have in their entire lives. They loop them over their necks as fast as they can, they want more. People will do all sorts of crazy things for beads.

I never knew this until we went to the Mardi Gras parade at Universal. It was the first parade I had been to where they threw beads. Wow! It was really loud. There were tons of people, because of course, it was spring break. Everyone was reaching for beads.

Did I tell you it was loud? It was. Very. But sorta fun, too. Popsaroo put 86lb BubbaLou on his shoulders! Yes, Popsaroo is big and strong, *twitter.* He held her up there the entire time. We came away with 15 strands of beads and one coin. They were quite heavy, I only know this because BubbaLou got tired of wearing the weight around her neck and I had to walk to the car with them around mine.

I have learned something from this. People go into a frenzy over beads. Plastic, shiny beads. I have come to the conclusion, that this is the secret to the presidential election. The candidate that will throw beads at their rallies, will probably, more than likely WIN, by a landslide.

People gotta have those beads!

The gator float-the last float, and I think it was my favorite.

Oohhh, Look at this!

2008-04-05T22:40:00.004-04:00

Who would've thunk that a hanger could bring so much entertainment?

Ahhh, to be in the mind of BubbaLou... tis a silly place!

Time will tell

2008-04-02T09:53:00.004-04:00

BubbaLou is still learning to tell time. She totally hasn't gotten the whole "be on time for something" concept. This morning, we were running behind since BubbaLou was having a ear ring crisis, so I was going to have to drop her off in the car line instead of walking her to class.

Of course, she doesn't like being dropped off, she likes being walked to class. She argued, "We have time, it isn't 7:60 yet!"

HaHa! I said, "7:60 is 8:00! Can I blog that?"(Because you know, I have to ask permission now or I get in trouble with BubbaLou and Popsaroo!") I think she said,"Yes."

I guess we need to work on telling time. Nah, she will get it.

Maybe I should tell her about the 7 min rule for clocking in at work or you are late!

Eagle Eyes

2008-04-02T09:52:00.001-04:00

Have you ever seen such a sweet little bunch of ducklings? BubbaLou a.k.a. Eagle Eyes spotted these precious little critters under the bridge at Universal, right in front of Krustyland. I was so mesmerized by the circling of Krusty's eyeballs, I almost missed them. But as we know, a child will lead them. We even got the attention of others nearby who had not taken a moment to look down and see God at work with these little ducklings. Don't ya just love to find the simple but intricate things among the gaudy dressings of this world.

Matthew 19:14

Jesus said, "Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Wooooooooo

2008-04-01T10:30:00.003-04:00

I admit it, I got a little choked up last night during Rick Flair's farewell tribute. I don't really watch wrestling anymore-I used too, but it got a bit far fetched and disappointing over the last decade. Well, that sentence made me feel old.

But anyway, Popsaroo still tries to watch it and prefers the old timers. That is when it was good. When Rick Flair, The Four Horsemen, and Dusty Rhodes were at it, I found it quite entertaining.

Really, I can't imagine my marriage to Popsaroo without all his playful Rick Flair, "wooooos"

So, Popsaroo, this is for you!

It is Coming.....

2008-04-01T09:51:00.001-04:00

Can you believe it? Look, it is almost done. Krustyland, a land only before found in the Simpson's show, it is now going to be reality. Our wee family has high hopes. Krusty's eyes even move around and around! There is much excitement about this, much excitement! Doh!

A Fashion Gras

2008-04-01T09:34:00.004-04:00

The choices for Mardi Gras at Universal in Orlando were quite broad indeed! BubbaLou tried on many looks while we were there, some were quite daring for one so young! Who knew that she would challenge the limits of fashion with such obnoxious hair? This is what we call a fashion DON'T. But I am not really sure there are rules with Mardi Gras. (I would tell you this is exactly what my hair looks like after I blow it dry, but then I would embarrass myself.)

Just moments after breaking all fashion rules with the out of control fro hair-she performs a quick costume change and looks so fluffy and shiny! This got my vote for Mardi Gras fashion do! Never before have I seen her look so different in such a small span of time.

Feathered Friends

2008-03-30T17:05:00.005-04:00

Our wee family spent the day in Orlando yesterday. We started the day out playing putt-putt golf. The thing about having BubbaLou with you, is that she makes friends where ever she goes. While we were at the Volcano putt-putt, she made this feathered friend and was quite sure he was going to rearrange her face!

She also made another friend that reminded her of one she already had.

This is Squakers-her fur real pet...

This is Ziggy, the real deal.....
Like I said, she makes friends where ever she goes...

Rosette Waffles

2008-03-30T16:21:00.004-04:00

These are lovely, aren't they? Very easy to make with a Williams-Sonoma rosette muffin/cupcake pan! Unfortunately, I don't think they make them any more. I happened to be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time several years ago and just couldn't resist paying $ 25 for something that I rarely use! Yes, it was an impulse buy-but look it has paid off only a few years later.

Now, for my secret recipe for these yummy, delicious rosette waffles......

1pouch of Belgium waffle mix

Then follow the directions on the box for waffles!

I cooked them at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes-I think...I didn't really time it....I just took them out when they were starting to turn just barely golden brown.

I served them with a great big dollop of fat free cool whip with strawberries on top! YUM!

We ate them as an afternoon feast last Tuesday in remembrance of the day that Mary conceived Jesus! It is a tradition to serve waffles on this day in Sweden!

BubbaLou stuffed herself with them-it was a feast day!

Luke 1:35

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.

Note to self

2008-03-24T22:14:00.002-04:00

Never, I mean NEVER, let BubbaLou drink a Dr. Pepper at 6pm at night!

What was I thinking???????

The Easter Bunny is Sly

2008-03-24T12:05:00.005-04:00

Popsaroo woke up with a blue hand Sunday morning. He couldn't figure out why his hand was blue. He was freaking out!

Popsaroo is always trying to set a trap for the Easter Bunny and steal all his goodies. The only problem, his plans fail miserably year after year. That Easter Bunny is sly. He can get past traps and the dog!

This year was no different. Popsaroo was trying to get one over on the Easter Bunny. BubbaLou instructed Popsaroo to set out his snack of carrots and milk-eww, make that carrots and water. Popsaroo threw a yellow squash into the snack.

We already know that Patrick Poopers does not like yellow squash or zucchini! Why would the Easter Bunny?

The Easter Bunny left a note:

BubbaLou,

Thanks for the carrot! Tell your dad I don't like squash! He tried to get me to eat squash, so I played a trick on him. I turned his right hand blue. HA HA HA

Peter Cottontail

P.S. Love Patrick

You should have seen the look of horror on Popsaroo's face and the look of delight on BubbaLou's face!

Priceless!

Oh, and Thomas the GaurdDog is scared of Patrick Poopers:)

A Surprise Easter Celebration

2008-03-23T21:31:00.004-04:00

Easter, our most Holy Day when Christ was raised with a promise of Eternal life has come at last. My celebration of this day was a little different. I had to work.

I could not attend church services, not even a sunrise service, because I was already at work. But God does not forget those of us who must carry on and serve him while we work. He keeps the surprises for us!

He played the Hallelujah Chorus on the radio this morning for me. I found myself in full blown worship with the Holy Spirit! I cried all through it. How awesome that he loves us so.

He gave me a positive day at work today, lots of progress with a patient.

He took two suffering patients home today. I got to hug the wife and brother of one of those that he took home. We shared that if he had to go, "What a day to go!"

He had a friend/co-worker reveal to me that they got saved!

Luke 24:12

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; he bent down and saw the grave cloths but nothing else. Then he went back home amazed at what had happened.

Don't you think that we should expect to be amazed by our Lord-it still takes me by surprise every time.....

Good Friday

2008-03-21T21:20:00.004-04:00

Col 1:20

Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.

1Pe 2:24

Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed.

This is the real reason to Thank God It's Friday!

I am grateful that my Jesus walked the walk and took my sins to the cross that day. How my soul is looking forward to the ressurection celebration!!!

A Seahorse and a lawyer

2008-03-19T22:55:00.003-04:00

We had a grand time at the Renaissance festival last Saturday. The first stop of course was the face painter, the second stop was the SeaHorse. Medieval fun at its finest! The SeaHorse is a big fellow that is all man powered. Not the first motor, just swinging...back and forth. It also provided Popsaroo and myself with quite a bit of laughter.

See that long-haired fellow up there? He is the motor. He is what makes the SeaHorse move...sorta like a pirate if you ask BubbaLou. He wanted to make the SeaHorse go upside down. BubbaLou was going to have NONE of that! She offered him $5 to stop.

He chuckled right back at her, "Princess, your mama and daddy payed me good money to do this to you!"

I yell, "That's right, we are enjoying this, and she doesn't have any money!"

She gets snotty, " I will pay you $40 to stop!"

"Princess, you don't have $5, much less $40!" he said as he got right down in her face.

Now I am already laughing so hard I can hardly take pictures, Popsaroo wants to know if I am filming it-which I wasn't-not enough memory since I left the memory stick at home in the computer.

She yells, "I'm gonna get a lawyer!"

"Whoa, lawyer, that's the magic word around here. We don't like lawyers!"

I yell, "She can't afford a lawyer!"

"That's right," he said, "You don't even have $5!"

BubbaLou even made some harsher threats, but I informed her those were against the rules!

Good Times, Good Times!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T08:51:00.008-04:00

Happy

St. Patrick's

Day

What a grand St. Patrick's day it is! I hope that your day will include the wearin' of the green.

I found a wee little blog that belongs to a JanMary in Northern Ireland. She has a great slide show will share her take on St. Patty's day. You may be a bit surprised!

I also found another link that points out some of the differences between Americans and the Irish.

In honor of St. Patrick's day, I ask that the Lord bless all of our missionaries around the world, so that they may be able to share the joy of Jesus' birth, the sacrifice he made with his death, and the joy, grace, and eternal life we have through his Resurrection!

May the Lord be with them, wherever they go,

and their blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow!

Oh, and that goes for you too!

The Garden

2008-03-15T22:35:00.003-04:00

Your feet will bring you to where your heart is ~IRISH PROVERB

Today was jam packed full of simple and good things. Way too much to share in just one post! So I thought I would start off with the simple things and add in a few blessings as I go.

Popsaroo, BubbaLou, and myself, went to the Renaissance Festival today. It was held at the grounds behind Mosi, our kids science museum. We had to park and walk, but we found the most serene garden along the way- the butterfly garden. BubbaLou loves butterfly gardens. She keeps saying she wants to plant one, maybe we will do that.

When we first walked into the screened room, we just saw plants. We had to start really looking for the butterflies.

This is the first one we found. Resting on some Pentas. These are great flowers to grow down here, they just bloom and bloom. It usually is the very end of summer when the Pentas start to look leggy, but they will still be blooming.

Then we found this one on the screen. Why isn't it on a flower? I guess it preferred the scenery. We couldn't find anymore, and then we looked up. They were all over the ceiling. I guess they like to hang upside down. Who knew?

Instead of staying put and counting the butterflies, we moved on towards the festival. We could hear the crowds cheering behind the trees and we were anxious to be in on the show.

So long little butterflies, maybe we will plant a garden for you too.

Bless to me, O God, the earth beneath my feet,

Bless to me, O God, the path whereon I go,

Bless to me, O God, the people whom I meet,

Today, tonight, and tomorrow.

~Celtic Blessing

Heb 9:5

Above the Box were the winged creatures representing God's presence, with their wings spread over the place where sins were forgiven.

If butterflies look like this, I wonder what the wings of angels look like......

Hard Work Charm

2008-03-15T10:08:00.005-04:00

Busy, busy, busy as you may recall! Well, I finally got the answer to the thing at work! I got my Clinical Ladder III-finally!!!!

I have something to show for it, a pretty little bauble!

It's isn't really this big, only as big as my thumbnail. I was thrilled to get it. It was time.

I have yet to see the pay-off in my check, but I know it is coming.....Yay!

Next, the CCRN, which I have put off year, after year, after year. I haven't decided when I will take the test....sometime this year...need to study and refresh.

1Ti 4:10 We struggle and work hard, because we have placed our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all and especially of those who believe.

Thomas the dog

2008-03-09T20:57:00.003-04:00

Thomas the dog is a good dog! Most of the time, for the important stuff in life. Deep down, he still wants our food. If it were up to him, we would be skinny people who went to the grocery only to bring him treats and morsels of good home-cooking. He is easy, he will even lick frozen dinner trays.

He met Patrick Poopers and wagged his tail. He hasn't uttered one little bark or growl towards that unsuspecting fur ball. He now goes to that rabbit hutch in the morning and sniffs hello. He always wags his tail. We haven't let him meet Patrick on the floor yet. We are still being very cautious, because Thomas the dog also wags his tail at his toy alligator and then procedes to rip arms and legs off scattering alligator guts throughout the house.

Thomas is a good dog, he held his pee and poo for 14 hours the other day. He got a great big PB sandwich and loved every minute of it.

Thomas was a bad dog when he stole Popsaroo's sandwich last night. He loved every minute of it.

Thomas is a good dog, he hasn't eaten the rabbit....yet.

A wee family....

2008-03-05T20:34:00.008-05:00

We are just a wee family of three, Popsaroo, BubbaLou, and myself. Oh, make that four, Thomas the dog. You must also include Dee who makes five,she is BubbaLou's favorite stuffed bunny who she has loved since she was four months old and don't even think she will sleep without her. Then we found Dee's twin sister on eBay and her name is MistenBell, so that makes six. We also have three fish currently, so that makes nine. So we thought that we would try for an even ten. We avoided another puppy, but we found Dee's long lost brother, Patrick, FREE!

So we would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Patrick Poopers, also known as Patrick Star Poopers. Dee and MistenBell are green, and so are several of her other rabbits. We thought that the name Patrick fit well with the St. Patty's green and Dee's green, and the wee family's favorite color green. His former name was Brownie. It didn't work for us.

It's funny, because BubbaLou can't help but smile and giggle when you say, "Patrick Poopers."
Look at those feet! He is a hoppin machine as we found out today. He has a little harness and leash! *Snort*

I promise you, Patrick Poopers found his way into the doll house all by himself. Dee has been in this house many times. You just can't get any cuter!!!!

I think that this look that BubbaLou is giving Patrick, is one that is pure love!

Patrick Poopers can be rather shy. Look at that cute little cotton tail.

Patrick Poopers is a 3 year old flop ear. He is litter trained and is just a fluff ball. We haven't introduced Patrick Poopers to Thomas the dog yet. Thomas has only sniffed his cage with nothing in it and really hasn't caught onto the fact that their was a critter with that cage. It should be eventful when he does get a clue.

A coat of many colors and a shamrock

2008-03-04T11:37:00.006-05:00

Don't ya just love it when God makes a connection for ya? Well, he sure gave me one today, and appropriate to the holiday too! I made a connection between St. Patrick and Joseph with his coat of many colors. I made this connection via Beth Moore. She wasn't talking about St. Patrick, she was talking about Joseph. I have just been thinking and reading about St. Patrick with the upcoming celebration. So it goes when you are in Bible study, God just puts stuff together for ya.

Now, Beth was sharing with us how Joseph's brothers had become entangled by the grudge they felt for their father's favorite son. She talked about how Joseph(17 yrs old) pranced around looking for his brothers while wearing his lovely coat and once he found them he ended up in a dry cistern and then sold off as a slave. Do you think he got a clue about rubbing that lovely coat in his brother's faces? Maybe, because then she spoke of how Joseph would spend his lifetime looking for his brother's approval, respect, mercy, apology, appreciation, and finally their welfare. As you read on in Genesis, we see how he staged the events to get these things out of them. She also pointed out, that God had Joseph in his hand and a purpose for his slavery. In the end, he was caring for his family and making sure that they had the best and prospered.

Patrick, before he was a saint, was a young man(16 yrs old) in Roman Britain, who was having a good time and not worshiping the one true God. He was busy, as most young men are, having the time of his life. All of a sudden, Irish raiders put an end to his high time and took him back to Ireland as a slave. Patrick was a slave for about six years. Somehow, I can't imagine he was to fond of the Irish when he was first taken. I know that as a slave, once he got past the anger and unfairness of it all, he certainly wanted their approval and mercy. As he stayed on and started to form some relationships he may have even been hoping for some respect and appreciation from them. Are you seeing the connection? God had Patrick in his hand and a purpose for his slavery. Patrick found his way off the island via God's plan and then he found his way back to the island via God's plan and Patrick's heart had been forever changed as he wished for the welfare of the Irish people.

God even gave Patrick the shamrock to help explain The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. I think God had that in mind when he created the shamrock!

Irish Link of the Day:
Stephen Lawhead wrote a great book, Patrick:Son of Ireland . In this book(which is fiction-but based on the story of Patrick), he explores what it must of been like for Patrick to be taken as a slave and his life in Ireland. The prelude, is at the beginning, but really is a clip of Patrick after he has returned to Ireland to spread the Good News! You can read a little of it by clicking on the name of the book above.
You can read Patrick's confession by clicking on Patrick's heart.

Gen 45:7-8

God sent me ahead of you to rescue you in this amazing way and to make sure that you and your descendants survive. So it was not really you who sent me here, but God. He has made me the king's highest official. I am in charge of his whole country; I am the ruler of all Egypt.

A reason to celebrate!

2008-03-03T13:09:00.012-05:00

Irish Link for the day: The Legend of the Shamrock

I always look forward to St. Patrick's Day. I do have a Scots-Irish background and I am married to Popsaroo who has a very Irish name. Three Irish surnames to be exact and he roots for Notre Dame. How can we not celebrate the Irish this month and all that St. Patty did? I for one, believe that it is a great time to celebrate our ancestors and our love for the green!

Last year, we celebrated the day by going to Downtown Disney, enjoying the Irish gift shop and listening to a wee bit of Irish music. We don't drink the green beer, so we find other things to do...like look for leprechans.

The year before, we went to O'brien's Pub for lunch, and Popsaroo and BubbaLou beat me there. I missed it when, Paul, the Irish singer sang a song to his "new friend, BubbaLou."

This year, I must work on the happy green St. Patty's day. I will wear a bit o'green and will have my celebration here, on my blog, and hopefully find a fun celebration on the 15th. Because, as James(the new physical therapist from England) says, "The Irish will celebrate anything!"

Wow!

2008-02-29T09:01:00.011-05:00

Can I just say Wow! WOW! I am now connected to the high speediness of the Internet!! After being trapped by dial-up and then satellite, I now am connected via fiber optics, and boy, oh boy, is there ever a difference.

Several years ago, we checked into getting cable and Internet via fiber optics, and the guy called back laughing. He left a message and informed us that the price of placing fiber optic to our house at that time would be $50,000 and he couldn't imagine we would be interested. Well, our interest was still there, but we would have to wait.

Never again will I have to watch video feed two syllables at a time, never again will I have to wait for sites to take forever to load! Never again will I have to wait on uploading my pictures to my humble little blog. I guess I should never say never. I am sure there will be glitches, but for today, I am happy.

BubbaLou was speechless when she pulled up Barbie and heard sounds in games she had never heard before. When webkins pulled up as quick as we could click, we were in awe. She basically had to enjoy her webkins for only their stuffed goodness, because the site was far to advanced for our satellite to keep up with up. We would have frozen webkins.

Popsaroo is beside himself over the video feed. I caught him watching WWF video without worrying about downloading too much and causing the givers of satellite signals to restrict our use for 24 hours.

So now a test, to see how fast this baby uploads.......

....that was FAST, like 1000 times faster!

Do you think St. Patty's day will get here that fast?

Tomorrow, starts the greenest month of the year! I can't wait to see what it brings! It sure got here fast!!