Memory verse

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

If you see me, ask me to recite it for you. I need some accountability and a little encouragement!

Baby, the three-legged dog

"Until man extends his circle of compassion to all living things, man himself will not find peace." Dr. Albert Schweitzer

See http://www.ararebreedoflove.com/

O-BA-MA

What an inspiring day! I couldn't believe that some of my students didn't seem to GET the significance of the event. And all those people at the National Mall and not one arrest. I loved Chris Matthews' (MSNBC's Hardball) comment that he had never seen so many teeth (from smiling).
Bad ending to a wonderful day-I caught the virus that Dave and Mikayla had. I haven't been so sick since I had appendicitis. It's easing off, but I still feel crummy. So glad I didn't feel like this all day yesterday. I would have missed history.

Clair de Lune

Cousin Karen shared another memory of our mother with me. She told me how she listened to Debussy's Clair de Lune as performed by Iturbi over and over and over a million or more times until Karen was sick of it. When she complained, her mother told her to go to her room if she didn't want to listen, it was GOOD music. Iturbi was also a film actor as well as a musician, thus explaining how Mother probably became interested. There is now an Iturbi piano competion and a simple version of Clair de Lune is one of the first pieces learned in piano lessons (I remember our neighbor Chi Chi played it as did my son Josh when he took lessons). Click the link below to hear Iturbi playing the song on YouTube".

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSYLLK8eQyA

Doing life together

This is the awesomest small group of women (next to my sisters of course!) in the world. I have never met a more sincere, God-loving, servant hearted , REAL bunch of gals in my life. We are all so different, yet so alike. They are (left to right) Donna, Denise, me (I'm not that awesome and I look like I'm posing, but really I'm trying to stand up straight and not look so dumpy!), Sue, Margaret, and our leader Joanne. I am not worthy to be a part of this group, but I am so glad I am. I love you guys.
And Tim-thanks for taking the picture! Love you too.

A Heather Harris Original

This picture was done by one of my former preschoolers, Heather Harris, and has been hanging on my office walls for over 30 years. She made this portrait of me when she was just five years old. She is now an accomplished artist who does exhibitions throughout the Austin, Texas area (http://heatherharrisart.com). I recently caught up with her facebook page. I asked her how much she thought this portrait was worth now! Of course, I can tell you what I think-PRICELESS! And guess what else? Just like so many other famous artistic works, I also found another of her works on the back!

Makes me smile! Check out Heather's artwork.

Things I learned about God while cheating at cards

Okay, not REALLY cheating. I like to play Spider Solitaire on the computer. My favorite moves are “undo” and “restart game”. Is it really cheating if you’re playing against yourself? Sometimes I undo back more than ten moves. Sometimes I play the same game again and again until I get it right. When I’ve re-played the same game a few times, making “all the right moves”, I try it with all the “wrong moves” and often succeed with that. I’m convinced that there is a way to win at every game. It’s weird I know, but late at night I sometimes imagine that I’m playing Solitaire with God. Can I still call it solitaire? One day it hit me that maybe He can even use my solitaire addiction to teach me a few things. Here are some things I’ve learned:

1. You can always win, you’ve just got to keep trying. You don’t know what’s coming next.
2. We have no concept of time when playing solitaire. Maybe that’s like God’s time. What may seem like a long time to us is a blink of an eye to God.
3. Sometimes the most unlikely or “wrong” move, like those God sometimes tells you to make, (”lean not on your own understanding”) may be the one that that is the most helpful to you or someone else.
4. It’s fun when someone claps for you-even the computer (God loves praise, but he also claps for us and loves us to do well).
5. Solitaire wastes a lot of time that could be better spent reading my Bible, serving others, praying, or doing my homework.
6. In the end, it’s just a game, and God still loves you.

I cooked!

This is my version of baked potato soup-look good? It was. Shock of shocks.

Lionel is back AGAIN!

I just had to post this pic of Lionel. I got an e-mail from Villy with an address where you can look up the song that was #1 on the day you were born. http://www.joshhosler.biz/

When I clicked on the link, there was a picture of the guy with Lionel front and center (or you could just look at it here). He has nothing to do with the site at all. It's so funny that Lionel tends to show up every time I'm having a heavy "Mother" day. I'd better be careful or my blog is going to start coming up anytime someone googles Lionel Richie. What a hoot that would be! It's fun to look up the song thing. I'd never heard of the one for my birthday "Little Things Mean Alot" by Kitty Kallen, but I did know most of the others. Lots of fun.

Message through the radio-again (another little miracle)

So I just finished writing the previous blog entry about hearing about my mother through the radio. I got into the car to go to work. The first song on the radio has lines "I really just wanted to talk to you ("I'd Really Like to See You Tonight" by England Dan and John Ford Coley). The next song was "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart. Mother considered "Maggie May" her song because our neighbor in Florida, Mr. Patota, used to call her that. Funny I get a response right after I write about hearing messages about her through the radio. Coincidence? I don't think so.

The Miracles of Lionel Richie

This summer Val and I were driving home from Jena's and having a deep discussion about Mother and how we so wanted to be sure she was with her parents and happy. I took this opportunity to tell her about how God often gives me messages through the radio (as I mentioned in an earlier post). Right after that, a Lionel Richie song (one of Val and Mother's favorites) came on the radio. The song "Stuck on You" included lines: Guess I'm on my way, Been a fool too long I guess it's time for me to come on home, Oh I'm leaving on that midnight train tomorrow and I know just where I'm going, I've packed up all my troubles and I've thrown them all away (love this part!), I'm coming home to stay. And the way I feel now I guess I'll be with you 'til the end, guess I'm on my way Mighty glad you stayed." When the song was over, the DJ said the song was for her parents from their daughter, Nancy. Valerie's comment: "Show off!" I loved that. God is so faithful. A few weeks later, on Halloween, I was getting ready to go home to Wellington and trying to decide if I should stop and put a Mounds bar on Mother's grave. Lionel came on the radio singing "Stuck on You" again-and he is never on the radio anymore so what's with this! I went. Then, all alone on New Year's Eve, I turned on CBS to watch the ball drop. Guess who was there? Good old Lionel. Happy New Year Mother. I'm glad you're happy.

Puppy Hugo

My Raggedy

One of our prompts for Journal Your Christmas is "Best Present". I've gotten a lot of best presents, but I want to write about one that is over 45 years old. Above you see a picture, captured from old film I recently had transferred to DVD, of my Raggedy Ann on the day VALERIE got her for Christmas. Yes, I said Valerie. She was not originally my doll. That Christmas I got an absolutely beautiful doll with a gorgeous bed, one I'm sure I asked Santa for. I don't know why I fell in love with Raggedy Ann. Maybe because she was so soft and loveable, or maybe because she said "I LOVE YOU" on her heart. I traded the beautiful doll for Raggedy Ann, who then slept in the gorgeous pink frou frou bed (can you just imagine it!). I still have Raggedy Ann and I still love her. She was very well loved. If you've ever read the book "The Velveteen Rabbit" (and I suggest that you do!), you will know what I mean when I say that I think she is now real. Here's a picture of her today.

You can see that she is not in good shape, as any well-loved doll would be. You might be able to see that she still has bandaids on her leg and foot. By the way she looks, I think she needed more than just bandaids! I don't know where her clothes are. Valerie and Susan probably absconded with them! Can you believe she still has her hair and both eyes! One thing I can tell you is that I still love her and she still loves me as you can see below.

I still love Raggedys and it's so cool that the annual Raggedy Ann and Andy Festival (yes, I love Andy too) is held just 30 minutes away in Arcola, Illinois where Johnny Gruelle, who wrote the Raggedy Ann stories, was born. They even have a Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum. One year we got to see Gruelle's grandchildren who signed a book for us. Gruelle wrote the Raggedy Ann and Andy stories for his daughter, Marcella, while she was very sick. She later died at age 13. I now have several Raggedy Anns and Andys, but this one was the first. I often give a Raggedy Ann or Andy as a new baby gift and I usually keep a new one around for just that purpose.

I must say I was so excited to find the picture of my Raggedy Ann on her "birthday" I just had to write about her! Did you have a doll or other stuffed animal that you really loved? Do you still have it? Don't let it go because you will feel that love forever and you may need it someday.

John Booth Monster

Yesterday Mik drew a picture of a "monster". She told me he was a John Booth monster and he would shoot people and kill them and was very bad.

Gratitude Dance

Gotta love it! Can you watch this and not feel giddy? Somehow this came to me while reading someone's blog. I did NOT search for "gratitude" because I was considering it for my "one little word" for this year. Is this a sign??? What do you think?

A Little Miracle and November

A little miracle happened today. Dave decided to go ahead and change to the 2009 calendar and asked if I wanted 2008 (he doesn't know I have calendars from the last 20 years or more!). This has been a rough year for me and I looked back on the September page. The only item written for the entire month was "funeral" on September 2. But as I looked at the calendar page, something caught my eye. The picture from that month was a small country church not unlike ours, where we went after Mother's funeral. Behind the church was a rainbow-a symbol of God's promise. I do not remember this being the picture for the month and I can't believe I would not have noticed. I've been feeling kind of down lately and have been watching for a little sign of God's love. As many of you know, I definitely do get messages from God, although usually through the car radio. I think this calendar page was my sign, a prayer answered, a little miracle just for me. Some of you may also know that my "one little word" for this year was HOPE. I think it quite fitting that God gives me this huge message of HOPE on the last day of the year. I've needed it. My key verse, Jeremiah 29:11 reads:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

To all of you/us: Don't give up. I think my little word for 2009 may be GRATITUDE. Not sure yet, but seems like a good one. There are some great verses to go with that one.


So December is almost over, as is 2008. I like the idea of choosing photos that depict the month. I plan to go back and do the other months as well. I just finished November. I've got to get better at taking pictures when I have company! I've missed a lot of photo ops lately.

Photo notes (left to right)
1. Mikayla's new computer obsession. Dress-up doll sites.
2. Mikayla and our neighbor friend, Samantha, playing with ice balls for my sabbatical video project.
3. Daddy on Shelly's old, totally rusted bicycle-the one she taught me to ride on. Can you believe he still has it? And he brought it from Florida to Illinois in about 1969! Isn't that 40 years ago!
4. Mik and a friend at school.
5. Place card Mik made for the Thanksgiving table.
6. Our snowy street. WTF-this much snow, cold and ice in November?
7. Christmas planner book. Do you think I was more organized? Maybe, but I didn't think so on December 23.
8. Santa with a giraffe statue I had sent to Mother one year and is now part of my Santa collection. When Mother opened it, everyone HATED it and it was a big joke from then on! I used it to decorate for Christmas the week after Thanksgiving.
9. Our shoebox of goodies sent to "a child with no toys".

Note to Susan and Val: Aren't you glad I posted Santa with the giraffe? He looks great at my house, no matter what you all think of him!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

JYC Layouts

These two layouts are for my Journal Your Christmas project. You can click on them to see them better (I think). Karen, do you know which one's about you? I made a pocket out of Barbie doll packages for the napkin and the description cut from Karen's Christmas card. I put another line from the Christmas card that was special to me in the pocket as well. I wanted Karen's handwriting on the layout for others to see, so I cut out what you see from the card as well. I need to fix where I screwed up the date. Val and Susan called me on Christmas at 3:30 and said they were choosing a time in between Florida and Illinois time. So nutty. The tea bag in the layout is empty. I DID drink the tea! And don't you love how the cup I had matches the napkin?

What I've Always Wanted!

We heard "It's what I always wanted!" so many times on Christmas morning. Had to share this little video. Mik asked Santa for a "Dancing with the Stars Barbie", but it did not exist in the real world. We told her that we didn't think Santa would be able to find one. Dave had the idea to find a doll with a lovely dancing-style dress and download a logo from the internet. When Mikayla opened the box, she exclaimed "See I told you Santa could make one!"

To my favorite sisters...

"To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage." Lao Tzu

Digital Scrapbooking

I did these two layouts last night. I think I'll go back and do a page for each month in 2008. This was a free template. Jena, how do you like these? I like doing paper scrapbooking better, but I seem to finish more this way.