Did You Know?

Did you know?

1. It's only 32 days until Andrew Jacob will be born and I haven't started his quilt?

2. Monday will be December 1st and I haven't bought any presents?

3. I have UFOs listed on my sidebar that absolutely, positively have to be done and I haven't finished one since October 8th?

4. It's two days after Thanksgiving and I haven't even gotten my Christmas decorations out of the garage - I haven't been this late getting decorated since the day I got married 45 years ago!

5. I missed my weekly Bible study class the last two weeks and will miss it again this week and am now officially 4 weeks behind in my reading?

6. I haven't vacuumed or mopped since everyone was here Wednesday for Thanksgiving - can you imagine the crumbs beckoning every mouse within a country mile?

7. I'm leaving tomorrow on a mission trip and none of the above is going to get done before I leave?

8. As much as I want to be a Proverbs 31 woman, I'm not there yet and not likely to get there this week!

Thanksgiving Night

The feasting is over.
The visitors have gone.
The house is quiet
And I'm all alone.

There are dishes to wash
And the laundry awaits;
The floors need sweeping
And my library books are late.

There are crumbs on the couch
And leftovers to freeze.
But my throat's all scratchy
And I think I'm gonna' sneeze.

There are ads in the paper
That I need to search through,
There are bathrooms to clean,
So darn much to do!

The pumpkins are still scattered
All around my house.
So are the scarecrows
And the witches' house.

But my body is tired
and my bones are in pain.
And my beautiful bed
It's calling my name.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Thanksgiving Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Father I thank you for all of my yesterdays.
For my parents who nurtured and loved me, I thank you.
For my brothers and sister who are embedded in my heart and who share all of my childhood memories, I thank you.
For my husband who has loved and protected me for 45 years and who is still doing that today, I thank you.
For my children who are truly the greatest gifts you could have ever given me, I thank you.
For my grandchildren who make me laugh and who have my heart in their small (and not so small) hands, I thank you.
For all the experiences of my childhood and growing up years, both good and bad, I thank you. I know that each one was used by you to form my character and to deepen my love for you.

Father I thank you for all of today.
For the home that you have so graciously given us the means to have, I thank you.
For the church where we are free to worship you, I thank you.
For the friends you have sent our way and who support us in our love for you, I thank you.
For the food that you have provided, I thank you.
For the opportunity to serve you and to share your love with others, I thank you.
For whatever comes in this day, I thank you. I know that you will use my today to glorify you and to bless me.

Father I thank you for all of our tomorrows.
For whatever the future brings, I thank you.
For the good times of the future, I thank you.
For the bad times of the future, I thank you.
For your constant presence in those good and bad times, I thank you.
For the knowledge that at some point in the future we will be joining you in Heaven, I thank you. I know that I will someday be dancing in your presence and singing your praises. Oh what a day of rejoicing that will be!

The Energizer Bunny

Shop, shop, shop.

Bake, bake, bake.

Cook, cook, cook.

Stir, stir, stir.

Sweep, sweep, sweep.

Mop, mop, mop.

The Energizer Bunny is tired.


(Photo by Flickr)

Computers vs. Best Buy

A week or so ago I told you that the keys on my laptop were sticking. That wasn't really true I was told by my daughter. They were "lagging" or something else technical. Whatever, as my teenage grandchildren would say. I hadn't poured a Diet Dr. Pepper on the keys so they weren't "sticking." Some of the letters just didn't show up on the screen when I typed them. But that was only on G-mail when I was trying to answer an e-mail. Never on Word when I was typing a document. Strange, huh?

Thursday afternoon I took my computer to Best Buy where I bought it. I walked right up to the counter to speak to one of the members of the Geek Squad. Nice kids. Not all of them actually look like Geeks, though some do. The one I talked to that time didn't. He said, "no problem...I think I know what's wrong." And he worked on it for about 30 minutes. While I stood there. I didn't have to leave it! I was ecstatic. While he was working I told him that it also kept popping up a message that my D Drive (Recovery Drive) was full, but I didn't think it was. I don't know exactly what he did about the keys but he did something. Then he deleted a folder in my D Drive that I had put there but that I shouldn't have and said I was fixed. Yippee!

I went home, turned on the computer and started answering e-mail. Keys sticking. D Drive full. So I loaded up and drove back to Best Buy. This time the kid looked like a geek. He loaded all the "updates." Ok.....we'll see. I drive home and start the computer again. Keys sticking. D Drive full. Grrrrrrrrr.

Friday I'm busy and don't have time to take it back again. Saturday I turn it on to read e-mail and get a pop up that says my Adobe Flashbox has a problem, would I please uninstall it and reinstall? Sure, I can do that. I don't even know what Adobe Flashbox is but I can uninstall and reinstall. So I do. And guess what. My keys don't stick any more. But that darn D Drive is still full.

Anybody know how to get this thing to quit telling me I'm low on disk space on the D Drive?

There's God!

We've spent a couple of days at our son's home taking care of his daughters while his sweet wife was out of town. He could have done it himself because he's a good daddy but this is football season and he's a coach. Small children don't do well on the football field with huge boys running and tackling and small girls wanting to run in the middle of them.

As I watched him enter the house yesterday, nearly six feet of him, I remembered the time when he was half that height. When he was five we lived in Small Town Arkansas and attended a church that had wonderful cathedral-like steps leading up to the beautiful doors of the church. Our pastor was an older gentleman with beautiful, thick, white hair and who always wore black robes when in the sanctuary. He was a stately looking southern gentleman.

One day my husband and I were driving down the street in front of the church and saw the pastor standing at the top of the steps in his black robe talking with another church member. They had just had a funeral and though the family and friends were gone the pastor was still there. Our son spotted him there and yelled excitedly, "Momma, Momma, look! There's God standing on the steps!"

Made perfect sense to me.

No! Yep!

Yesterday we picked up our 7 year old granddaughter from school. Every question we asked was answered with an enthusiastic "Yep!" Which was followed by either Grandpa or Grandma saying, "Yes, ma'am." Dutifully agreeing she would say "yes, ma'am." Not as much enthusiasm, but compliant. She got a little better about saying it when we mused about what Santa wanted to hear - yep or yes ma'am.

This child is the one who takes forever to wake up in the mornings and who buries her head in Grandma's side under the blanket trying to ignore the fact that school is waiting. This is the one who says they had Thanksgiving Dinner at school but when asked if she ate the cranberry sauce says, "Is that what that stuff was? Nope!" And who proudly announced that they had pumpkin pie. But when asked if she ate it said, "Nope!" But who ate 3 bowls of Grandma's chicken and noodles. Now that's the way to a Grandma's heart. :)

Then we picked up our 2 1/2 year old granddaughter from daycare. Every question we asked was answered with a loud, "NO!" You want your coat on? "NO!" You want to go home? "NO!" You want to... "NO!" All of a sudden Yep wasn't so bad!

What exactly is it that kicks in around 2 1/2 that makes us love the word NO? Do you think it's genetic? Do we have a gene that programs NO into our vocabulary? Or do they teach it at daycare? Couldn't be that because they do it even when they don't go to daycare. Is it subliminally implanted in their Barney movies, or Elmo, or Disney? Or maybe it's a drug secretly put into milk....no, probably not.

Of course, this is the same child who runs and takes a flying leap into Grandpa's lap to snuggle as soon as she gets up in the morning. It's easy to forgive a little NO! And that's certainly the way to a Grandpa's heart. :)

Confusion

I think my Christmas Cactus is slightly confused. And very unsure of itself. Two blooms? Maybe I'll bloom; maybe I won't.

Finally, Validation!

Have I ever told you that I'm very cold natured? Or that my husband is very hot natured? Oh, it's a problem. And as we get older it gets worse. I keep telling people he's freezing me to death. Slowly but surely. To death. No one believed me though. Until this weekend. My sister was here when the weather turned cold. Brrrr. When she left she told my husband two things. First of all she said I don't have to change the sheets on the bed where she slept because her skin never touched them. She was so bundled up in her flannel pajamas, jacket and socks that her skin never touched the sheets. :) Second, she would not be back to visit again until it was summer.

It seems that I'm not the only one who thinks 60° is too low to have the temperature at night. And on the weekends. Don't ask me why the weekends cause I don't know but the thermostat is programmed for 60° on Saturday and Sunday. (I turn it up when he isn't looking.) During the week it's 68°. Where do you keep your thermostat in the winter?

A Horror Story

I’m a creature of habit. I’ve confessed that before but I’ve come to find a certain comfort in my habitualness. Today was the seventh week of a Bible study I led at church (Stepping Up by Beth Moore, a study of the Psalms of Ascent). We begin at 12:30 but I try to get to the church about 12:00 to get everything set up. For seven weeks I’ve left home about 10:00 to run my errands and today was no different. I got my allergy shots, one in each arm (yesterday I had a flu shot and pneumonia shot, one in each arm). Yuck! I went to the post office where I stood in line for about 15 minutes. Let me just interject here to say, girls your government is hard at work saving us money. The temperature in the post office was approximately 55. No kidding. Everyone in line was shivering. I picked up some lunch and ate in the car.

At 11:10 I entered Walgreens. I had called in three prescriptions early this morning and since I do Express Pay I knew I could pick them up and be out in a hurry. But first I wanted to do a little shopping. I’m a coupon shopper so I carefully went up and down the aisles searching out my bargains. I was about half way through my list and close to the back of the store where the pharmacy is so I stopped to get that part done. Clerk #1 was working the drive thru window. Clerk #2 was in the back counting pills. Pharmacist #1 came over to wait on me. She whispered to me that one of my prescriptions wasn’t ready – they were out and wouldn’t have it until later in the day. I guess she was whispering because it was a (whisper) feminine product. I was ok with that…I’m agreeable…no problem. Wait! Clerk #2 heard her (good ears, huh?) and said my feminine product had been delivered and was in the “back” but she did…not…have…time…to get it. Pharmacist #1 snapped at the clerk that she would just get it herself. I’m sure she was thinking she was a pretty high priced supply clerk – I was thinking that! So I wait while she cuts the box, types a label, gathers everything up and returns to me. Computer #1 was down, computer #2 was down, ah ha! Computer #3 is working so she entered my items (total $45) and handed me the ticket to sign. I “Express Pay” with my debit card and as I started to sign I automatically noted the total…..$395.49. Excuse me, I think there’s a problem. Pharmacist looks like a deer caught in the headlights. By this time all computers are down because someone, somewhere, is uploading a software program. On the Walgreens computers. In the middle of the day. She calls the manager.

The manager arrives. He’s about 12 years old. No kidding. It’s 11:55. No kidding. He has to go to his office to “find the transaction” so he can credit it. His office is at the front of the store by the photo lab. Ok I say but I’m really in a hurry now. I’ve been waiting 25 minutes so far. He returns with whatever paperwork he needs. A credit can only be given at computer #3. Which is now down. I have to go. If you could just trust me to… he says. I say, “Honey, I don’t even trust my husband with $400! As you can well imagine by this time there is an audience who thinks this is hilarious.

Now one thing I haven’t mentioned is that I’m wearing my Stephens Ministry sweatshirt. This means I…cannot…be…ugly. I really want to be ugly. Finally, at 12:05 I give up and say, “Aaron,” because we’re on a first name basis now, “I’m gonna’ have to go. But at 3:00 I’m gonna’ be back at the drive thru window to get my credit and my prescriptions.

I know you think this story is over. Nope. At 3:00 I pull up to the drive thru. She says my stuff is locked in the safe in the office at the front of the store by the photo lab. And she can’t go get it. I have to go in. It’s been 3 days since I took anything for my arthritis so to say I don’t really want to walk any more than I have to is understating it. But I drive to the front, go in to the photo lab. Where I am told that my stuff has been taken to the pharmacy. At the back of the store. Yep. The back. Finally, transactions done I ask for a copy of the credit ticket. Because she didn’t offer me one. But she only has one copy she says. She can make me a copy but the copy machine is…….you guessed it, at the front of the store, by the photo lab.
I couldn’t make this up.

Sticking

Th kys n my comptr are stikin - yu eer hav tha prblem? It mkes fr intresing coverstions.

A Sock Fanatic

Three years ago during our first camping trip to Colorado in June it got cold. I didn't realize just how cold it still was up on the mountain! I went to the outdoor shop and bought 2 pairs of wool socks. SmartWool Socks. And fell in love. The next year when I went back I bought more. I bought two pair to wear with shoes and two soft fuzzy pairs to wear around the house. The soft fuzzy ones have worn completely through! This summer/fall we didn't make our annual trip because of the price of gas so I was moaning and groaning loudly that I wasn't going to get any socks. This weekend when my sister was here we ran into the outdoor shop here in Hot Springs. She is my partner in crime and every time I bought socks in Colorado she did too. Or vice versa depending which one of us is telling this story. If you have a sister you probably know exactly what I mean. If she gets one, I want one. If I get one, she wants one. No matter what it is. And usually we just go ahead and buy two of whatever and give one to the other because if we don't somebody is gonna' be mad. :) I digress, sort of. Saturday we found "our" socks! Right here in Hot Springs! We didn't have to drive all the way to Colorado to get them and we were happy campers. And better than that, they were on sale! Half price! We both have small feet and apparently small isn't a real popular size in wool socks because that's the only size that was on sale. We bought all they had - 10 pair apiece. I know, I know. But half price - remember the half price part. We figured that at that price we could put some back and have wool socks for years.

If you think about it socks are very important to our lives. When you're cold and you put on a pair of socks, don't you just warm up likity split? Did I spell that right? Did I even say that right? You know what I mean! And if you're feeling a little down can't you put on a pair of silly socks and cheer right up? If you're socks get wet aren't you just miserable? If you're hands get cold and you don't have mittens you can just put socks on your hands and be fine. You'd look silly but your hands would be warm. You can put an old pair of socks on your hands, spray them with Pledge, and dust your furniture. That works great if you haven't tried it. I'm sure if you think about it you could think of lots of uses for socks. Right?

So here are the questions of the day. Are you a sock fanatic? What kind can't you live without? And what can you do with socks besides wear them on your feet? Got any great tips for sock use?

Finished by Friday - Starting on Christmas

A couple of weeks ago I won a giveaway from Crazy for Primitive Quilts and Gardens. (Ok Blogger is definitely not cooperating with me today since I can't get it to highlight anything but "crazy"). I made it this week - my first Christmas finish. Is this not the cutest crow you ever saw?

This Carpenter's Wheel/Star, I can never remember the name, you have seen before. But it is now quilted, bound, and gone to it's new home. This pattern is super simple and I think I'll be making more of these for gifts. I made it in a Debbie Maddy workshop.

A Happy Dance!

First of all I'm doing a happy dance today because.......my sister is coming! Today she will be here. She's coming because she is my best friend, she loves my view (see picture to the right!), we're going to see both of our brothers tomorrow, and because she finally has a few days off which makes the 400 mile trip, one way, possible. We have a lot of fun together in a way that only sisters understand. We know the good, the bad, and the ugly about each other and don't mind pointing it out. :) We will eat and talk and laugh and maybe even cry. But it will all be good.

A second happy dance is in order for these wonderful letters I won from Liz at A Giveaway A Day. She let me custom order them so I chose the word Faith in black but sort of primitive looking. Aren't they perfect? When my husband gets home and can climb the ladder for me they will go above the doorway into the sunroom. They're a little crooked in the picture but they will be properly lined up when they're hung.

I'm not sure what my happy dance looks like, and I won't be making a video of it, but it could possibly resemble something like the chicken dance. Now wouldn't you love to see that!

Veteran's Day

My dad served in the United States Army in World War II. H left at home a wife and son and traveled to Europe to fight for the country he loved. He came home with lots of medals and even more memories. This picture was taken in August, 2003 - the last time he ever visited my home. He caught that catfish out of "my" lake and was tickled to death with it.

Daddy didn't talk a lot about the war and he wouldn't watch war movies. He said they got it all wrong. He marched across Italy and Austria and Germany; I have a picture of him walking down a street in Paris. He was in a unit which freed prisoners in one of the death camps in Austria and he never forgot. His pride in this country was fierce and his loyalty to the flag was deeply ingrained. He went into the army when he was 21 and when he was 85 he still came to immediate attention when he colors came by and his salute was as sharp as that of a young man. Because of what he was willing to do, and because of what others were willing to do, I am free today. I am free to worship God in whatever way pleases me. I can own a gun and make a speech on any street in any city about anything I choose. I can disagree with what the president does and I can say so. But with the freedoms he fought to preserve for me comes great responsibility. He taught me about those too. Help your neighbor...and don't brag about it. Work hard....love your family....respect others....value yourself.....do what's right. He was a big talker but when it came to the rules for living he didn't talk a lot - he just set the example.

Living Off The Land

My husband has two hobbies. He deer hunts in the fall and fishes in the spring. Oh, maybe he has three hobbies. Does napping in the recliner count?

This fall he has already killed two deer. One was a doe, killed with a muzzle loader and the other a 7 point buck, killed with a regular gun. Now before all you animal lovers bombard me - I DO NOT HUNT. I could not. I will not. I shall not. But.....this is not just a sport for him. This is meat in the freezer. I don't see it until it is sliced, diced, wrapped and frozen and is ready to put in the freezer, much like the beef, pork and chicken that I buy for the same purpose. When he fishes I don't see those either until they are dressed and soaked and ready to freeze.

When my father was a little boy he and his family lived off what they drew from the land, the things that God provided. They always had a garden and canned what they grew. They picked berries in the woods and gathered nuts from the trees by the side of the road. They hunted things that you and I would shudder at today but when you're hungry.... I remember him telling me they had eaten squirrel and rabbit (both of which I have eaten and liked), raccoon, possum, blackbirds and once, when times were really bad, they even killed robins. He had to leave school in the 6th grade to go to work to help his family and that meant doing some things that weren't so pleasant.

In America today we've gotten far away from the skills that our forefathers relied on to survive. When you're an urban dweller you don't have the opportunity to learn those things but in the more rural areas (and rural states) we still hunt and fish and can. We rely on those things to supplement our income. And in hard times those skills serve us well.

So many people are without jobs right now - the unemployment rate is mentioned on the news every day. Many more layoffs have been predicted for the coming months. We certainly are in a recession, and could be headed for a depression. How would we react if that happened? Would we be as courageous as our grandparents were during the depression? Would we learn to survive without? Would we join together to help each other or would we fall apart in despair?

A Different Finished by Friday

On Fridays I normally post about what I've accomplished during the week. I'm going to skip that this week to tell you about someone really, really special. This might be a little long but trust me, it's important. And it will bless you.

Stephanie Vest - a devoted mother, wife, sister, daughter and friend - has recently been challenged with the fight of her life. After struggling for months with a lingering, undiagnosed illness, it was determined that Stephanie needed further expertise and testing at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

Stephanie and her husband Eric both embraced this opportunity and took the trip (in August 2008) hoping to uncover the culprit. It was during that first visit that Stephanie received the unexpected news that she has a rare form of Lymphoma that attacks the skin. To be specific, it is called Gamma Delta Lymphoma. (Note: There have to date been only about 50 cases of this rare form of lymphoma diagnosed in the world!)

This is an unfair and unforeseen blow to her family, especially since they just added a new addition to their home in late June 2008: a sweet baby girl named Gracelyn Isabelle Vest. So in the midst of the chaos of caring for a newborn baby, the family is also dealing with this shocking illness. Gracelyn was only nine weeks old when they completely learned of the severity of Steph's condition.

In addition to their baby girl, Eric and Stephanie have two boys: Zachary (7 years old) and Cole (almost 4 years old). Please bless their 3 children with comfort, health, peace and joy despite this trying time.

With the exception of the parentheses in the third paragraph above I took this information directly from Stephanie's website. This information was on the first post dated September 30. Since that time the cancer has spread to Stephanie's liver and without God's intervention she will not be able to overcome this latest development. In the meantime God has used her to bring at least two people to Christ as she continues to lift her hands in praise. If you can, please take the time to scroll back through the posts on her website, in particular Nov. 2. It will make your heart sing.

As you can imagine this family has many needs, not the least of which is prayer. Friends have rallied around them and are holding many fundraisers in an effort to help through this time when her husband has had to be off work, their children have been cared for by others, and their basic living needs have needed to be met. One of the fundraisers is being coordinated by my niece and her husband. This pink "Expect a Miracle" bracelet is being mailed to anyone who sends $5 to this effort. 100% of the money will be given to Stephanie and her family. I bought 10 myself and gave them away to friends and family with my prayer for a miracle in their lives as well as in Stephanie's. If you would like to have one (or a hundred!) please send $5 for each to (make checks out to Stephanie Vest):

Natalie Chodniewicz

603 Davis Street Unit 1003

Austin, TX 78701

The bracelets will be mailed back to you as quickly as they receive your information.

And please, pray for and Expect Miracles for Stephanie!

And if your heart has been touched by this story and you would like to link back to this post - that would be great! blessings, marlene

I'm so Lucky!

In the last several weeks I've won four, yes four blog giveaways! I have no idea how that happened since I've gone for 62 years winning almost nothing! Two of them I haven't yet received but two I have and I want to show you those today.

This first picture is the cute, cute, cute purse made by Cindy at Imagine-Dream-Create. First of all, is that not the cutest fabric you've ever seen? Since I can't wear high heels any more (on my feet) I'm now wearing them on my arm. :) It is a great size and has lots and lots of pockets inside. Thank you Cindy. By the way, Cindy is from Canada so this came from a long way away and that's exciting all by itself!

And I won this quilt! Aubird Woman (otherwise known as Sheila) picked the most wonderful, bright, cheerful fabrics to make this rag quilt. The back is a beautiful green flannel. It's perfect for these cool fall evenings and just great for snuggling under while I watch tv or read. And this, my friends, came all the way from Australia! Oh how I'd love to visit there. This was washed and dried in the Aussie sun though so I got to bask in the scent of an Australian day. How cool is that! Thank you Sheila!

I've been blogging now for just over 6 months and I can say with complete authority that bloggers are the most generous, loving and compassionate group I've ever been around. I am blessed by your sweet spirits and by your crazy, chaotic lives that make me laugh when you share them!

Conversation is a Two Way Deal

It's 10:30 p.m. and it's quiet in my house - a time of peace and stillness that I relish. It's like the whole house, me included, takes a deep breath, lets it out, and rests. This is the time when God and I often talk... ..well, mostly I talk and He listens because I tend to forget that conversation is a two way deal.

I wish I could do my talking and listening in the early morning like my sister does. She's so disciplined and I'm so...not. She gets up at 5:15, showers and gets her coffee and goes to her "nest" in the sunroom to do her Bible study and prayer time before work. I wake up and hit the floor "doing" instead of listening. Busy, busy and in constant movement - that's me. Even if I'm sitting I'm doing, sewing, organizing, clipping coupons, studying, reading. I struggle to just be still. To just listen. Oh I talk to Him all day long but the listening, not so much. I talk to Him when I'm sewing and when I'm cooking (yes I do cook....once in a while), and when I'm driving, and when I'm sweeping. But I can envision God sitting up there saying, "Marlene, would you just slow down a bit and let's have a good visit!" I think He likes it when I focus on Him instead of trying to multi-task.

Anyway, I was thinking all of that tonight as I sat here in the quiet and then it dawned on me...God doesn't sleep. I remembered reading that in Psalms so I looked it up - Psalms 121:3-4 "He will not let you stumble and fall; the one who watches over you will not sleep. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never tires and never sleeps." He probably doesn't care what time I talk to Him! Yippee!

Uh Oh. Psalms 127:2 on the very next page of my Bible says, "It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones." I think this just might be a reminder to me that conversation with Him should come first and work should come second.

Do you have a particular time that you do your study and prayer and conversation? Do you have a special place?

Sadly Seeking

I knew it would happen eventually and I've been watching for it but I'm still unhappy to report that one of my posts got a nasty spam comment. I am sadly seeking information - how do you remove just one comment from a post without removing all comments? For now I have elected to hide all comments on that particular post but I don't want to do that. I just want to remove the ugly one. Anyone know how to do that?

Meanwhile I will pray for the person who has to earn their living in such a job and ask that you pray for him/her as well. I will be asking for a new job, one that will not only earn him/her a living wage but will also feed the soul as well.

It's Monday, the beginning of a brand new week. It's fall, it's cool, and ya'll...the leaves here where I live are so beautiful it takes my breath away! We're going to take a little drive this morning and I know it will be beautiful. I can hardly wait!

Sunday Star

Halloween can be a scary time for very young children, as scary as it is exciting at the same time. My two youngest grandchildren danced with joy as they donned their costumes Friday afternoon. The almost-3 year old was a pirate and the 7 year old was one of the characters from High School Musical. With dresses and hats and wigs and baskets for goodies all gathered and donned their mother and I started the neighborhood walk with them. Excitement, however, meant nothing when we approached the first house. There was a WITCH hanging from the porch roof! Neither child was willing to walk up to that door unless their mother went with them and they certainly weren't going to knock on the door - heaven forbid! When the very nice lady appeared and offered candy neither child could utter one peep, let alone shout "Trick or Treat!" She was very kind and said, "oh they'll get the hang of it soon." At the second house.....repeat performance. At the third house you'll never guess what happened! At the door appeared a fairy princess! A teenage girl in a beautiful princess outfit came to the door, came outside, sat down on the ground and talked in a sweet, gentle voice to both girls. Though they were completely amazed to see a princess living two doors down they were not afraid. They were enthralled. They were awed. They were happily astounded.

One teenage girl took the time to dress up like a princess for children she did not know. She was kind and gentle and precious. What a sweet gesture and what a wonderful candidate for my Sunday Star award.

Traumatized!

I had a busy week with lots going on at church and things to do at home and didn't get to read, or comment on, many of your blogs. I was almost feeling panicky (is that a word?). You know the feeling, like when you really, really need a fix of chocolate and haven't had any in looooong time and you have this nice Hersheys Bar in your hands? Your mouth is watering and you can smell the chocolate and you're trying to decide if you want to break it into little pieces and have one at a time or take a big bite out of it? Anyway, that's how I was feeling Thursday. I finished my chores, it was quiet in my house, and I sat down at my desk to read. No internet. I sat there staring at my computer with a blank look on my face, waiting. Waiting. I got up, put a load of clothes in the washer and came back. Nothing. I went back to the kitchen and had lunch; I returned to my desk. Nothing. Someone stole my chocolate bar - that's the way I felt. Hours later I called my daughter and she told me the sad story; someone laying a sewer pipe in a town 40 miles away cut a fiber optic cable and took out Internet for folks from Oklahoma, through Arkansas, and all the way to Louisiana. It would be as long as 36 hours to get it back on. I'm sure my eyes rolled back in my head.

Friday morning I got up, powered up the computer, and nothing. Meanwhile, we were going on a little trip up to see our son and his family, do a little trick or treating with the grandchildren, and then to a high school football game where our son coaches. We didn't get home until about 4:00 this afternoon. Let's see: noon Thursday to 4:00 Saturday would mean about 52 hours. Without Internet. I am traumatized. I'm not sure how long recovery will take but I am sure it will mean lots of chocolate.