Saturday, November 29, 2008

Victory!

I had a major breakthrough today. With my husband's help I got the refrigerator and freezer cleaned out. I'm so very happy.

I accomplished another thing as well. Because our dryer went out on Thursday, I had to go to the laundromat today to get the laundry done. It's been a long, long time since I've had to go somewhere to do laundry. It wasn't too bad actually. Just glad to have things washed/dried for Sunday.

Note: Kay, please save my coffee scoop for me till we get together again. (;>

Friday, November 28, 2008

Random Thoughts

It was good to see family yesterday on Thanksgiving: my cousin Kay (she hosted the event) and her husband and two kids, my two aunts and their husbands, my nephew Caleb and wife Mandie, my cousin's aunt and uncle on her dad's side, two dogs Skiddles and Hairy (both girls). We laughed a lot, ate a lot, talked a lot. Kay and I got to go through some of my Grandma Rose's jewelry and pictures. I brought some of the stuff home. It's not really my style, but I may wear some of the pins. I mainly brought stuff home to be able to touch my grandmother's life.

I watched the most recent Indiana Jones movie this morning on pay-per-view. I liked it a lot. Yay for Harrison Ford and his being able to keep up with the action!

The dog is sitting on my foot right now. I like it.

I'm home alone today except for the dog. He's a good boy.

I know someone through a co-worker who was going to shop most of the night last night. I am mostly a non-shopper, so I don't understand shopping all night. I think that ranks right up there with the torture of water dripping on the forehead.

I wish I had some elves to put up the Christmas tree and decorate the house. I guess I do have elves named Gary and Aaron, but I think they are more trolls when it comes to Christmas decorating (although they usually will help setting the tree up and getting the boxes of decoration for me. I guess I shouldn't look a Christmas troll in the mouth ((or the ear, nose or eye))). Don't you like all those parentheses?

My husband has two containers of peanuts sitting on the computer table. He called me a little while ago and told me that I shouldn't give the dog any peanuts out of the jar but to give him peanuts out of the can. He doesn't want the dog to know there are peanuts in the jar. He doesn't want to get him starting begging when he sees the jar, but it's okay if he begs when the can is open. My husband is a dog whisperer.

I left my coffee and scoop at Kay's house. Humph.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Accident

My husband and son were in an accident last Thursday on their way home from work. They were both yanked around, but so far they have only noticed stiff necks and/ backs. Gary noticed some pulled muscles in his arms.

My husband's truck was hit from the back and there was damage to the tailgate, the bumper, and the seat (broken). He talked to the other guy's insurance today, and a loaner car is forthcoming today. Yay! An appraiser is supposed to look at the pickup in the next day or two. If the chassis was bent, the truck could possibly be totalled. Can't tell yet.

At the scene while Gary was sitting on the seat with his feet on the ground, the dad arrived and went over to Gary and asked if he was alright. When Gary said he might have whiplash, the dad said sarcastically, "Oh, sure." Then he asked his son what Gary did to make him hit him. All Gary did was stop at the stop light. The young driver told his dad that Gary was just stopped. The driver said he was talking to someone on the phone. Anyway, the driver got the ticket, and Gary isn't liable. Later the dad came over and apologized to Gary about the accident. That was good.

And God is good. It could have been much worse.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

13 Thursday Things I Love about Thanksgiving

1. The smell and look of turkey (more than the taste)
2. Pie with whipped topping
3. Vegetable casseroles
4. Dressing, potatoes and gravy
5. Cranberry sauce and olives
6. Talking with family
7. Driving to someone's house
8. Or having the meal at my house
9. Having the Thanksgiving meal twice on the same day
10. Reminiscing
11. Talking to my daughter on the phone
12. Being off work two days plus the weekend
13. That God is so good at providing all our needs

Monday, November 17, 2008

Christmas Drawings

For our church's Christmas program this year we are having the kids draws various scenes of the Christmas story. We will then photograph them and put them on the screen at the front of the auditorium to show while the children are singing the songs. We've done it before at other churches, and it's very fun.

The other day we had the kids draw a picture of the angels appearing to the shepherds. We had already discussed that the shepherds were very afraid. As the kids were drawing in their own inimitable ways, one child decided that the shepherds were "sore" afraid and that one of them fainted, so he drew him lying on the ground. Then he decided that the sheep were really afraid too, and so he drew several of them on the ground in an unconscious state as well.

Another little girl has drawn a turtle on nearly every picture she has drawn. She just likes it to be there.

Children are very entertaining. I think the adults will enjoy the pictures when the whole program gets put together.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Fiber

The dog is hungry most of the time, but he doesn't always want to eat his dog food when it's served. He always hopes to get a little bite of human food, either accidentally or on purpose.

At various times of the day, when he really needs some that especially has fiber, he finds a Kleenex or several Kleenexes and has a little snack.

The other night I was sitting on the couch with a small blanket over my legs and lap. He got under the tent and was very quiet. I thought he was just enjoying the warmth and security. I was WRONG. He was eating a Kleenex.

The moral: Where there's a will, there's a way. OR Fiber is where you find it. OR If your master doesn't feed you properly, go scrounge for yourself. OR If you keep your yap shut, no one may see that you've done wrong.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

A Good Lesson

Quoted from the Bull Sheet from Larimer County Sheriff's Office:

Martha Cothren is a social studies school teacher in Arkansas and the daughter of a World War II POW. On the first day of school a few years back and with the permission of school personnel, Martha removed all the desks out of her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks. Looking around, confused, they asked, “Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?” She replied, “You can’t have a desk until you tell me what you have done to earn the right to sit at a desk.” They thought, “Well maybe it’s our grades.” “No,” she said. “Maybe it’s our behavior.” She told them, “No, it’s not even your behavior.” And so they came and went, first period, second period, third period. Still, no desks in the classroom. By early afternoon, television news crews had started gathering in Ms. Cothren’s classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.

The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said, “Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.”

At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned. Martha said, “You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don’t ever forget it.” If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you read it in English, thank a soldier.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Day Off

It's Veterans Day. I salute the veterans including my father and my father-in-law.

I am happy that I am off work today. The thing is I've been off work three other days in the last eight days for sickness--a bad cold with congestion that makes me cough a lot and not sleep so well. So today I'm glad to be off and be able to do some things other than just rest. I'm still coughing but not as much. I've washed bedding and started the oven-cleaning cycle. I plan to do several other things as well.

Can anyone help me? (Read on before you say, there is no help for me.) I'm going to be playing the piano for a wedding on December 19. The bride wants some classical music along with some other types as well. One song I'd like to play is Sonata I by Mozart, but I'm missing the second and third pages. Does anyone have that music? Or can someone find it on the Internet? I know there are sites where you can print out music. If you find a site that has that particular song, please let me know what it is. (Nevermind about finding the music for me. I just found it myself.)

My son started a new job yesterday at the same place where his dad works. Right now it's temporary, but we're hoping it will become permanent. Yay!

I plan to go get Chinese food from Panda Express for lunch. It makes me happy.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

13 Thursday Sayings from My Past

1. Better dead than red.

2. Two heads are better than one.

3. Fools' names like their faces are only found in public places.

4. White man speak with forked tongue.

5. Didn't you even think about doing it right?

6. Don't look at me like that.

7. Where there's smoke, there's fire.

8.What the world needs now is love.

9. Anyone over 30 can't be trusted.

10.Two can live more cheaply than one.

11. If you lie down with the dogs, you will rise up with fleas.

12. It is better to give than to receive.

13.M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Early Voting

Yesterday was the last day for early voting. I got to the voting place about 3:30, and I chose to vote electronically rather than on paper. What I didn't know when I chose the electronic vote was that there were only three computers. I could see that there were many, many places to stand to vote with paper, but the line was probably ten times as long. Well, I got in line behind about 12 people at the computers. I had to wait a very long time to get to vote.

Now it's done, and because I had to wait so long, I feel like I was tortured a little for my right to vote as an American. It sorta made me happy to pay that price.

I hope and pray that the outcome of the presidential election will not start America on a road of change that we will regret and that we cannot turn back from.