RIGHT WHERE WE BELONG

5 Things We Learned This Week 5 of 2012 (food, charity, birds, news, celebrities)

2012-02-03T06:20:00.000-05:00

Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. We like to share what we've learned each week.

Einstein's
Einstein's sells little sized doggie bagels! Abby enjoyed her first one ever this week: It's A Doggie Bagel. It was cute, about a quarter size of the regular kind.
Cat Appreciation Month
Thanks to Sparkle the Cat, I learned that February is Cat Appreciation Month. So, that is why we are choosing Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue for our charity for February to donate 50 centers per legitimate comment on our blogs. Caroline's Kids is a houseful of all kinds of cats who need homes.
Count Birds
Over at 365 Cat Ladies and Friends: Birds Count I learned that in the U.S. and Canada the annual "Great Backyard Bird Count" begins Feb. 17-20. There are really instructions on how to participate! I never heard of this before, have you?
Jim Tressel
Former OSU football coach, Jim Tressel, got another coaching job for Akron earning $200,000 a year! I say good for him.
Guide Dogs
Chloe, a guide dog, competes in high school athletics. I think this is so cool, both for Sami, the blind girl, and Chloe! That girl has courage! Read all about it: Blind runner Defies Odds Thanks to Guide Dog. I found this story when playing www.freekibble.com

Share this:

Thank You All Who Commented for KIVA!

2012-02-02T04:30:00.000-05:00

Wow! January was our highest month for comments since we’ve been donating to charity based on our blog comments with 282 ($141) thanks to our posts about Abby’s attack and recovery. Thanks to all who commented, we were able to help all these people with loans through KIVA as a result:

Ali-Lebanon-Construction

Kalbubu-Kyrgyzstan-Livestock

Faaiuga-Samoa-Farming

Evans-Kenya-water distribution

Ricardo-El Salvadore-Pizza catering

Since February is Cat Appreciation month, our charity for February is Caroline’s Kids Pet Rescue, no-kill sanctuary for cats. It’s a house with LOTS of cats everywhere in rooms, but not cages! Unlike regular shelters, this is a sanctuary that takes in old, feral and even cats with feline HIV to let them live out their lives in a safe place with love. They also have adoptable cats too! Here's the video I took when I visited:

Share this:

It's A Doggie Bagel by Abby

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Einstein's is a great store--they even have doggie bagels!

Look what my mom brought home for me last Sunday! It's my first ever doggie bagel from Einstein's that a nice lady named Sylvia gave to my mommy for me at her Bible study! We didn't even know they had little bagels for doggies. I sure hope I get to meet her some day. Thank you, Sylvia, for the special treat! Woof! Woof!

Share this:

Our Favorite Reads For January: "Impulse" and "Legend"

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

Gerard's favorite read in January was Impulse by Hellen Hopkins:

WOW! "Impulse" by Ellen Hopkins is a fantastic read! Tony Connor and Vanessa each have their own demons to deal with. They all wind up at Aspen Springs, a place that helps teens deal with their issues. How they deal with them and their own stories is just remarkable! To say I enjoyed this book would be putting it mildly. I LOVED "Impulse"!Although it is over 600 pages, it is in verse and I was so caught up in it that it did not seem that long. This is for sure going to be my favorite read this month and will be in my 12 favorites for 2012. This is one you will not soon forget--what an ending! I highly recommend it!

Karen's favorite for January was Legend by Marie Lu:

Legend by Marie Lu is a futuristic teen romantic thriller about a fugitive 15-yr.-old, Day from the slums, who is passionate about protecting his family and helping people, even if it means going against the Republic. When June, a Republic agent and military prodigy from a wealthy family, thinks Day is responsible for killing her brother when trying to steal the cure for the plague to cure his youngest brother, she hunts Day down. This is a fun, adventurous novel that is a page turner.

Favorite quote from Legend:

“I never did ask you about your street name. Why 'Day'?”“Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.”

I liked how the author alternated telling the story between Day and June. It kept my interest and was also easy to follow. Although somewhat predictable, I enjoyed it very much and was rooting for Day and June to become friends from the start. I recommend this to anyone who likes action and romance.

Gerard liked it too: Legend by Marie Lu is teen fiction that takes place in a futuristic Los Angeles. It is told by a young boy named Day and a young woman named June. Day is an outlaw and is wanted by the Republic. June is a member of the Army of the Republic. They are on opposite sides, or are they? Legend is so good that the movie rights have already been sold. If you loved "Hunger Games" and "Divergent," you will love Legend too. I look forward to the second book in this series.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman was a very close second for both of us. It's a science fiction book about organ donation and storking as a solution to abortion. It's a fascinating, thought provoking read with interesting characters that keep your attention.Visit Grab A Book From Our Stack to see all our book reviews. We are also on Shelfari and Goodreads.

Share this:

3 Steps To Get Out Of Credit Card Debt

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

Gerard Cutting Up His Credit Cards

Fortunately, we do not have any debt. However, before we were married, Gerard had lots of credit card debt that I didn't find out about until we were engaged and were applying for a loan to buy a house! I was shocked and actually considered calling off the engagement. He assured me that I could handle all the money so we forged ahead. We paid off his credit cards with money from his investments and from then on, he just used his Discover Card. It was nice we were able to pay them all off right away; however, many people are trapped and can't do that. That is why I thought I'd share this post with you that I got from our sermon notes on Pastor Dan's series, "Four Steps To Financial Fitness."Here are the three steps you can use right away to get you out of credit card debt:

Stop acquiring new debt. If you don't have the cash for it, don't buy it.
Save a little from each pay to establish an emergency fund of at least $1,000 to cover unexpected expenses such as repairs.
Implement the debt snowball. I loved this! Here's how it works:First, list all of your credit card debt from the smallest balance to the highest balance.Second, Make the minimum payment on all debts, but put all the money you can toward paying off the smallest debt first.Third, when the smallest debt has been paid off, roll over the amount you were paying into the next largest debt, repeating until all your debt is repaid.

For example:
credit card total Balance Minimal Payment New payment

Kohl's $ 150 $15

Macy's $ 250 $10 $ 25

Sam's Club $ 500 $ 75 $100

VISA $1500 $ 90 $190

Car $4000 $210 $400

Getting rid of your debt using these steps won't happen overnight, but it will certainly move you in the right direction and as you see some paid off, it will motivate you to carry on. "Success breeds success."

Before looking for stocks or mutual funds to invest in, ask yourself the question, "Do I have any consumer debt?" If so, you have a wonderful investment opportunity.
It's guaranteed.
It's tax free.
It's immediate.
It offers a high rate of return on your investment.
Pay off your credit card debt!

Good Sense Budget Course

Are you in the 46% of Americans who have credit card debt? If so, I wish you success in paying it off by following the above steps I have shared here.

Source: Taken from Jan. 22, 2012 sermon notes by Pastor Dan Barfell at Parma Heights Baptist Church. Follow the link to listen to the whole sermon.

Share this:

Managing God's Resources

2012-01-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

I am enjoying our Pastor's sermon series on Financial Fitness. The Bible has more to say about money and money principles than it does about heavn and hell. Tht surprised me when I first heard it. As Christians (Christ followers who have trusted Jesus as their personal Savior), we must realize the God owns everything we have. He owns us and all we have is from Him, even our ability to work and earn money.Once we realize this, then it makes sense to act as God's resource manager or a good steward who uses what God has given us for His purposes. (This is prinicpal is illustrated by the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.) The question we should ask ourselves then is How can I manage God's resources in a biblical manner so that I may be found faithful?

Here are 3 steps to follow to Manage Money Biblically:

Earn diligently. The diligent worker is hard working, purposeful and grateful. (Col. 3:23; Deuteronomy 8:18)

Save wisely. Don't spend what you don't have. I liked that our Pastor pointed out the difference between saving and hoarding. Saving is putting money aside for appropriate goals which is Biblical. (Proverbs 21:20; Proverbs 6:6-8) On the other hand, it is sinful to hoard as illustrated in the story Jesus told in Luke 12:16-21. Hoarding is continuing to put money aside AFTER our goals are reached.

Spend Prudently. We hear it's wise to diversify and "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" all the time about investing. Set up a budget based on your net income and then stick to it. (Ecclesiastes 11:2)

As we spend, we need to consider if God would want us using His money in that way. At least 1/10th of our income should to our church (the storehouse) which is called tithing. Remember though, God owns it all and we are his stewards so we should save wisely to meet our future needs and the needs of others. Certainly we need to take care of our family.When it comes to what charities to support, we try to give to those that are doing God's work and/or furthering His kingdom. Just ask God what He wants you to give to and see how He leads and what passion he places in your heart.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth . . . But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (NIV)

You can actually to to our church's website to hear the whole sermon for yourself at phbaptist.org.Tomorrow's post: "3 Steps To Get Out of Credit Card Debt"Share this:

4 Things We Learned Week 4 of 2012 (reviews, money milk, Facebook)

2012-01-27T05:37:00.000-05:00

Friday Fragments are just some items that aren't substantial enough for an entire post and is hosted by Mrs4444 over at Half-Past Kissin' time where you can find more and link up your own.

Amazon Book Review
I was thrilled to learn that Beth Ann from It's Just Life read My Funny Dad, Harry and loved it. Not only did she make my day by letting me know that in an email which gave me a lift that I needed, but she also reviewed it on Amazon: "A Daughter's Memories of a Wonderful Dad." Whenever I really enjoy a book, I will review it on Amazon (and sometimes on Barnes and Noble) because I know how good it makes the author feel. Here's my stats for my reviews: Reviews written: 286, Reviewer rank: 4,741, Helpful votes: 332 of 420.
Practical Plan for Getting Out of Credit Debt
Last Sunday our Pastor continued preaching on financial fitness based on what the Bible says about money and shared a very practical 3-step plan on how to dump credit card debt. I thought this might be helpful to a lot of people, so plan to post about it next week.
Milk
In our W.O.W. meeting in January, we had a certified fitness instructor/Physical Education teacher speak about good nutrition and exercise. She recommended the almond milk over regular dairy milk so I tried it and it tastes good!
Bartels and Busack Pet Hospital
This is the place that saved our dog, Abby. They are so impressed with how well she is doing and the great progress she made since being attacked that they are going to post about her case on their Facebook page. Yea for Abby, our "miracle" dog! Thank you, Dr. Busack!

Share this:

One Less Blog To Do

2012-01-26T11:24:00.000-05:00

I finally made the decision to let go of the first blog I started: Always Looking Up over at PNN. I originally started there because another author recommended it to me, I had no clue at all how to blog but wanted to promote my book, My Funny Dad, Harry. It was pretty simple to use and it grew to much more than just book promotion. We did lots of book reviews over there and wrote about our activities. I even let our pets blog there on their own separate pages: Cat Corner--Meow and Abby-Woof, Woof! It was also where I first blogged about our Miracle cat, Moe.

I liked their star system and post voting there but it wasn't always available when I wanted to post something new, couldn't schedule posts ahead, and didn't have too big a following. I did like the summary page which showed recent posts with number of votes by category, but I had to sign out to get to that page. The commenting feature was annoying too if I wasn't signed in, that Capitcha made me nuts! Farewell, PNN!

I'd love to know if you are visiting here from over there in the comments.

Related post: So Long PNN, Visit Us at Blogspot

Share this:

My Tubes Are Out by Abby

2012-01-23T20:37:00.000-05:00

My back sore is still draining but they took the tubes out anyway. If you look in the holes, you can see inside.

The vet and his staff all came to meet me at the door when I arrived to get the drainage tubes out and were so thrilled that I was walking so well already. The one nice lady said it's a miracle! I know we have a awesome God and my mom and dad really believe it was all the prayers that pulled me through. The vet said my mom and dad did a good job taking care of me. Most of the holes where the tubes were are dried up except for this back part. The tubes are out but these aren't all done draining quite yet. Every time I try to lick back there, my mom and dad stop me and sometimes put the big plastic collar back on me.

My daddy carried me in and out of the van but it wasn't easy. I don't know how Karen is going to manage on Thursday when she takes me back to get cleaned up. They have to wait for the holes from the tubes to close so soap doesn't get inside me. I think I'll be stronger by then and maybe be able to at least get my front paws up and she can just give me a boost. She tried picking me up tonight like the technician showed her, but said I was heavy and that was when she had lots of room to work, not like getting me in and out of the van.

Watching the Bruins game with Daddy

Gerard was surprised when I trotted along with him when he took me out after work. He was all thrilled that I made three big poopers too! I am glad to be home and back on my normal schedule again, except for my long walks. Hopefully by summer I'll be able to do them again. The vet gave me permission to go up and down our front steps on my own now so that is good since I would do it whether he said it's okay or not.

I look forward to my bath on Thursday. Karen is taking the day off because they want me in early in the morning and stay until afternoon to be sure I am dried real good. The staff there is looking forward to my visit that day. I am very loved! Woof! Woof!

Head over to Bozo's Pets Forever for more Pet Pride posts or link up yours!

Share this:

AWW Mondays

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

They are just too cute to chase off!

Manny (left) and Spunk Doodle (right) like laying on our new chairs, even though we try to keep them off. When I walked into the room and saw this, I just didn't have the heart to chase them off. Since though, we put the throw pillows down flat and that seems to help keep them off.

Share this:

I'm Stuck In Memorizing But Not In Applying It

2012-01-22T19:00:00.000-05:00

If you noticed my verses at the top haven't changed for a few days it's because I'm having trouble memorizing this portion in my quest to memorize the book of James of the Bible. I am doing Beth Moore's Bible study on James and she had a good explanation of this passage.

Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
--James 1:9-11 (KJV)

I didn't really understand exactly what was going on with these verses but she explained that James (the 1/2 brother of Jesus) was Pastor for Jews in Jerusalem and many were poverty stricken because of persecution of the believers. Many had their land seized. (This was all new to me!) Anyway, the "brother of low degree" is the one who is in poverty that should rejoice in knowing that he will be exalted in heaven. The rich should be willing to give to the poor, knowing that their possessions will pass away and won't do him any good in heaven anyhow.

Remembering the poor was one of the things the pillars of the early church, James, Cephas a/k/a Peter and John told Paul to do when they met with him in Galatians 2:9-10:

And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.--Galatians 2:9-10

This month, we are helping the poor through KIVA by donating 50 cents per legitimate comment on all our blogs and thanks to Abby's popular posts, it looks like this will be the biggest donation we have made yet from blogging. If you are not familiar with KIVA, it lists many needy people who are requesting loans for different needs and you can make loans to them for as little as $25. There is no guarantee you will be paid back, but all that I have made are being paid back and I know of several others who have had the same experience. Once they start paying back, you can use that same money to reloan to others. I encourage you to look into this. I feel it will ensure that I'll still be able to actively give generously to the poor even after I retire just by reloaning the same money over and over again. The difficult part is choosing who to help; there are so many poor around the world.

Share this:

Welcome Home, Abby!

2012-01-21T20:39:00.000-05:00

Today when we went to visit Abby at the vet's we got a nice surprise--they let her come home with us! Hooray! We are so happy to have our dog back home and she is on the mend and that the other dog owners, who are nice people and very sad this happened, paid the $3,000 bill. (Gerard doesn't look very happy in this picture because he just watched his Boston Bruins blow the game.) That patch on her back end is to ease her pain--it released pain medication through the day. The drain tubes and patch will be coming out on Monday. She still needs to wear the clunky cone for about another week until she gets her stitches out to keep her from licking them unless we are watching her closely. We were able to take off here blue bracelet tonight.

She is eating like normal now and made some very nice poop on her short trip outside after supper. She is not allowed to do stairs though so Gerard has to carry her up and down our front steps. Also, the leash is very flimsy and soft, more like a lead. She is not allowed to go for any real walks yet, just in our yard to do her business and get outside for a little while. At least Gerard won't have to get up as early.

We are so glad you're going to be okay, Abby!

She has three different medications that we give her with her meals and we have to keep track of how much she eats, how much more drains out from her and how much poop she makes. I have a notebook set up. I have a new admiration for vet technicians who keep track of all the medications their patients need. I have just one to keep track of and it's not easy.

We appreciate the many people who prayed for us, especially for Abby. These pictures don't even show all the damage that was done, but thank God, she survived!

Related Posts: Our Sweet Dog, Abby, is Fighting For Her Life
On the Road to Recovery by Abby

Visit Pet Pride for more pet posts or link one up of yours.

Share this:

5 Things We Learned This Week 3 of 2012

2012-01-20T06:29:00.000-05:00

Friday Fragments are just some items that aren't substantial enough for an entire post and is hosted by Mrs4444 over at Half-Past Kissin' time where you can find more and link up your own.

This Mortal Life
One of my blogging buddies, Rebecca, has started a new blog which is completely different from her other seven. No advertising, no one telling her what to write about and very educational! She is writing about her passions: art, music, history and literature. She calls it "This Mortal Life" and explains all about her unique blog header and choosing her pseudonym (Polyhymnia) in The Muse post.
No More "Chunky" Spunky
Spunky Doodle visited the vet last Saturday and was declared "healthy, just right weight, and looking good." The vet was impressed with how shiny her coat was and how white her teeth were. He did suggest I try using gauze on my finger to "brush" her teeth instead of the brush, we'll see. Cost of routine comprehensive exam: $82 (and that was with a $10 discount).
List Post Mistakes
I read Six Easily Preventable Mistakes Bloggers Make With List Posts and I noticed that I make two every week with this post: No introduction and unnumbered items, so I will correct these things.
Ruby Bridges
The best post I found for Martin Luther King Day was How We Celebrate Martin Luther King Day At Our House. They watch a movie, about Ruby Bridges and included part 1 of her story with a YouTube video. This is it:

I never heard of Ruby Bridges before but this video looked so good, I immediately ordered the book and DVD from the library.
Punch in the Nose
When we talked to a neighbor about our dog and Gerard being attacked by two big Rottweilers this early this week, he said the best way to get the dog to let go would be to punch it in the nose. Dog bites take a long time to heal. Abby wrote an update for you: On The Road To Recovery.

Share this:

On The Road To Recovery by Abby

2012-01-19T12:14:00.001-05:00

I'm getting better, so happy daddy and mommy came to visit me!

I am more alert today so wanted to thank all of you kind people who are praying for me. I know Karen already wrote all about my being attacked but if you want to read the gory details, go see the post right before this one called Our Sweet Dog, Abby is Fighting for her Life. It was very scary and I don't know why those two big dogs didn't like me. I wasn't even by their house!

Karen told me there are lots of people praying for me and that God will help me get better. I ate today for the first time but it wasn't food I am used to. It was some soft brown mushy stuff but I didn't have to chew it. My humans will be bringing me supper tonight with my normal food.

I have pain patches which give me relief all through the day. I was so excited to see my mom and dad this morning that as soon as the gate to this cage I am in was open, I sat up and started coming out but they told me to stay. The doctor removed that big clunky round thing from my neck so that Karen and Gerard could pet me better. They were allowed to stay and visit me much longer than they did yesterday too. I can't go home with them yet but if I can't be home, Bartels is my favorite place away from home. Lots of people love me here and visit me. Karen and Gerard brought me a couple of their shirts with their scent to comfort me and to let me know they are constantly thinking of me and love me so much. I know they do.

I peed outside today and hopefully will poop soon too. I can't go home until I do but that gives me incentive. I was able to stand up on my own and walk a little bit but won't be able to do stairs for awhile and it will be a long time before I'll be able to enjoy long walks again. I was really hurt bad, but I did walk to the car when Karen came to the scene of the crime. Even though I was in lots of pain, I didn't growl or strike out in any way at the people who were helping me. Karen and Gerard both keep telling me what a good dog I am and how proud they are of me. I love hearing that!

I am sad that Gerard got hurt too trying to protect me. His hand is all wrapped up and hurts him a little bit. It hurt a LOT when that mean dog chomped down on him. It's the hand he uses most too so I don't know if he'll be able to lift me in and out of the house and handle the door and all or not once I get home. Karen didn't have her camera this morning so she'll post an updated picture of me on here later she said.

Thanks again for praying for all of us--it will be a long road to full recovery, but I think I can do it! I'll give it my very best! Hope you never have to experience this--it was definitely NOT a good adventure.

Share this:

Our Sweet Dog, Abby, Is Fighting For Her Life

2012-01-18T12:42:00.000-05:00

Hi Daddy! I'm so tired, really need to sleep.

Last night was a nightmare for us! After a good day at work, Gerard left me the car at the bus stop so I wouldn't have to walk in the rain. He and Abby welcomed me home at the bus stop and continued on their evening walk while I drove on home. I had an uneasy feeling and prayed that they would both get home safely. Well, that didn't happen!

I was upstairs feeding Spunky Doodle when my cell phone rang.and a lady told me my dog and husband were hurt three or four streets from our house. She said I should come and I'd see all the police cars and flashing lights. I just threw some food for Spunky on her table and hurried on down to throw some in Manny's bowl, then out the door I went. I was so scared at what I'd find.

Two Rottweilers came running loose and attacked Abby really bad. She had bites on her ear, neck, legs, abdomen and groin area and was all bloody but was conscious and could walk when I arrived. Gerard was by the EMS truck screaming about his dog. Gerard beat the dogs trying to get them off Abby but it was useless and they bit his left hand too. He told me later that he felt so helpless, he tried to protect her and couldn't. He called for help and it seemed like a long time before anyone came. Some neighbors came and beat the dogs with sticks, one guy shot a gun in the air or at the ground to try to scare them off. Finally they left her alone and fortunately the cops were able to catch the dogs and track down the owners.

I walked Abby to our car and called to make sure Bartel's was still open (thank God for cell phones). I was so relieved when they said one doctor was still there and I could bring her in. They all know and love Abby too. A nice policeman lifted Abby into the front seat of our car for me and another one brought Gerard to the hospital shortly after. Once we got Abby admitted and the papers signed for surgery, we went to the hospital to get Gerard's hand looked at.

Fortunately, no bones were broken, but he had to get a tetanus shot, an x-ray, have his hand bandaged and in a contraption for a couple days. He said it didn't hurt but I know that's because he was only thinking about Abby. She was in surgery for a couple hours and the wonderful staff at Bartel's stayed way past their normal hours to help her. The surgeon said she did well through surgery and was looking good and doing well but the first 72 hours are critical. Any number of things could still go wrong so we would sure appreciated all the prayers we can get for our wonderful dog.

We stopped in to see her this morning, but were only allowed to stay ten minutes because she was on pain killers and needs her rest. The doctor kept saying she was doing well and looking good but I sure think she looks very bad, certainly not good. I don't know what dog he was looking at.

This is Abby looking good!

The animal warden told us the owners were cited for their dogs running loose and declared them dangerous and highly recommended that they be euthanized. It's sad for them too and they did ask about Gerard and Abby. The police and dog warden both said they are responsible for all the medical and vet bills that we will get so I do really hope they step up and do the right thing by paying them. The estimate we got for Abby is around $2,000 but she is so worth it! We miss her so much and are overcome with sadness but praying God will strengthen her, heal her and that she would be okay but I think it's going to take a long time for her to fully recover.

I know that God's will for us is to give thanks in everything, and I certainly do. I am thankful Abby wasn't killed on the spot by those two dogs, thankful that Gerard had his cell phone with him and I had mine with our vet's number in the contacts, that we were able to take her to our own vet which is close by and for the wonderful doctors and technicians at Bartels. I am also thankful that the police have pictures of everything to document the report, that they were able to impound the dogs and that the owners were found and cited, it's only right.

Share this:

6 Reasons I Like My Owl Hat

2012-01-17T05:43:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of the owl hat I got for Christmas. It was one of the things I pointed out to Gerard that I liked as we walked through Kaufman’s on our Black Friday shopping trip.

I like owls so thought it was both (1) cute and (2) kind of funny. (I like funny.) I’ve seen this style hats on teens and thought they looked a bit silly, but now that I have one, I see they are very practical. (3) It is light weight, (4) covers my ears, and (5) is warm but does not block my vision. You can laugh if you want, but another very practical feature is that (6) it is highly visible because of the white around the eyes. I get compliments every time I wear it!

What do you think of it? Do you have any cute animal hats? If not, I think you should give it a try! Hoot, hoot!

Share this:

I Can Finally Wear a Dress Again

2012-01-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have quite a few skirts and nice dresses that Gerard has bought for me in the past but I quit wearing because I just couldn’t find any comfortable shoes to wear with them. I really don’t like dressing up, but at least wore a dress or skirt to church for years. Once I quit though, I got used to being comfortable on Sundays too! I haven’t worn a dress in probably three years at least, until last Sunday.

I decided that if I didn’t want to part with my skirts and dresses, then I should start wearing them again and getting some use out of them. So, I finally went to Lucky Shoes when we did our Christmas shopping and bought myself a pair. I was very impressed with the shoe saleswoman that actually brought several different shoes for me to try without an attitude. She was very helpful and even measured my feet. I am pleased to say that I wore them all morning without my feet hurting last Sunday! Next time I need shoes, it’s off to Lucky Shoes.

I figure it’s only fair that if Gerard gets dressed up for church in his suit, that I should dress up too. I got lots of compliments on my dress and always do because he really does have good taste in clothes.

So, another one of my resolutions for this year is to dress up for church on Sundays again. How often do you get dressed up? Do you have clothes hanging in your closet that you never wear? If so, maybe you should give some away.

Share this:

4 Things We Learned Week 2 of 2012 (Kindle, gardening, fitness, bus)

2012-01-13T06:12:00.003-05:00

Kindle Version

The book I wrote, My Funny Dad, Harry, is now available for Kindle! Now to try to get it into Amazon's digital library.

Planting Bulbs

Thanks to Not the Brightest Bulb in the Bunch at Freaky Frugalite, I checked out a gardening website called Dig Drop Done that gives tons of information about what, when and how to plant bulbs to get the flowers you want plus a whole lot more! You insert when you want them to bloom and click on the pictures of the ones you like.

Home Workout Movement

At our Women of Wonder (W.O.W.) meeting last night, we had a guest who talked about fitness and shared with us about a great website, Bodyrock.tv that gives powerful short workouts you can do at home, plus recommended recipes. They currently have a 30-day exercise challenge going. (Just what I need, another challenge!)

Bus Change

The RTA made a change to my bus schedule so now I have to be careful to get the one that goes all the way to my street. Certain times during rush hour, one #20 goes all the way but another #20 goes only part way. Yesterday, when I got out of work a bit late, I ran for my bus, looked up and saw that #20 at the bus stop and I was stuck on the other side. I waved my bus pass and jumped up and down and the nice bus driver stopped for me special, as soon as I got on though, I realized I was on that one that doesn't go all the way home! Whew, I got off at the next stop and waited just a few more minutes for the right bus. I wish they would change the number--I have to actually read the description now!

Stop by Half-Past Kissin' time for more Friday Fragments or to link up some of yours.

Share this:

Accepting a Challenge

2012-01-12T05:59:00.000-05:00

I am so excited about starting a new Bible Study at church with other women, going through James Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore. This study gives 5 different level options so you can choose how much you want to put into it without feeling guilty. When I first got the book and looked through it, one of the first things I noticed was that part of this study involves memorizing the entire book of James (only five chapters, but still). I have never memorized an entire book in my life!

My first reaction was "Yeah, right, no way.--you got to be kidding me!" We have a very motivational, upbeat leader in Elena, our Pastor's wife, who gave us a little pep talk. She read my mind! She actually said out loud what I was thinking which got my attention. By the next morning, I found myself eager to take on this challenge. Yes, folks, eager! We are looking at a 5-month time frame with short term goals of memorizing one chapter a month.

Here are the reasons I decided to do it:

It's included in the study and I want to get the most out of my $15 investment.
It's something I've never done before.
I read a lot of books so by memorizing God's Word, it will be in my mind more which is a good thing.
The book of James is one of my favorites.
I will have others doing it with me so we can ~~nag~~ encourage one another.
As Elena pointed out, God can help me do it!
I've got nothing to lose by trying so I'm going to give it a shot and have updated my New Year's Resolutions to include memorizing the book of James.

Just to help me keep on track, I'm posting my verse that I am memorizing each day on this blog at the top. Perhaps you would like to join me in this? Yeah, right?

Share this:

What Is Your Healthiest Habit?

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Many people are concerned about their health and especially at the beginning of the year, one of the most common resolutions relate to health such as exercise, get fit, lose weight, eat healthier, etc. That is why I thought this little quiz would be appropriate. I was curious to see what my healthiest habit is.

Although I eat pizza 3 days a week, I only eat two slices a day. Believe me when I say, I could easily eat the whole pizza at one sitting. This takes a lot of will power on my part, but I do it. I am pleased to say I think it came out accurate for me:

Your Healthiest Habit is Practicing Moderation

You don't think that anything can kill you in small amounts. You believe it's all about balance.

You are willing to engage in unhealthy habits occasionally. After all, they are a lot of fun!

Some may criticize your moderate approach, but it's very sustainable.

You're into being healthy for the long haul, and you know that extremes only lead to trouble.

What's Your Healthiest Habit?

Click the link to take the quiz to find out what your healthiest habit is and share your results in the comments.

Share this:

Good Thing We Had Snow!

2012-01-10T05:50:00.000-05:00

The day after New Year’s we were both off work and we had snow. I figured I didn’t have to go out at all so it didn’t bother me, but then in the afternoon, I felt like I should at least go for a walk and get a little exercise in. I joined Gerard and Abby, our dog, for one of their afternoon walks. I made it to the corner of our street and decided it was too cold, so let them continue on without me and I went back to my warm house.

Unfortunately, when I got to the porch I realized that I didn’t have my keys with me. Not intending to go outside, I left them on my dresser that morning. UGH! Well, off I went to track down Gerard and Abby. It actually was kind of fun following their footprints in the fresh snow. They were the only ones there which made it very easy which was good because they always go different ways.

In my desire to catch up quickly before they got too far away, I even ran! This was way more exercise than I planned on having, but was kind of fun. They were pretty far along by the time I caught up, so then I just kept on going along with them for the rest of the walk.

Share this:

Your Pizza Is In My Way by Spunky Doodle

2012-01-08T07:46:00.000-05:00

Won't you please give me some pizza?

Spunky: Hey Karen, I would love to have some pizza too!

Karen: Spunky, get off my pizza!

Spunky: Well, if you don't want me sitting on your pizza, you shouldn't put it where I like to sit. Especially when you don't let me have any of it! I wonder what Sparkle the Cat would have to say about this.

(If you don't know Sparkle, she is a "Dear Abby" for cats. Cats can write to her about their problems and she gives them advice. She has two books full of letters and advice she gave. You can read our review of the one we read: Dear Sparkle, Cat-to-Cat Advice From World's Foremost Feline Columnist.)

Visit Boza at Pet Pride for more pet posts or to link up yours!

Share this:

6 Things We Learned in Week 1 of 2012 (eyes, cats, food, Kindle, sermons)

2012-01-06T05:57:00.001-05:00

Gerard's Eyes

I see fine!

When Gerard went for his follow-up eye doctor appointment, he was told he had some issues going on that may be problems down the road like cataracts and a loose retina, but for now it's nothing serious. He didn't think it was a sign of any brain damage so that was a relief. However, he has to go back for another appointment in Jan. 23.

TV Show

I was happy to learn this week that the TV show, "My Cat From Hell" with Jackson Galaxy is beginning a second season January 7 on Animal Planet. I love this show that shows how you can communicate with your cat and get them to change their bad behaviors.

New Year's Resolutions

Over at Sparkle's Sunday Catinee, I discovered that some kitty cats make New Years Resolutions! Have you made any yet? It's a real cute and well done video worth watching. I subscribed to their YouTube channel after viewing it. Here's a link to my resolutions if you missed them and really want to see.

New Foods

We shopped at a different Giant Eagle and discovered they sell some really good stuff that all I have to do is heat up in the microwave, like salmon, fried chicken, and quiche! The quiche even had Brocoli in it and I liked it! I decided to try different foods like is suggested in Keep Your Brain Alive. (Also learned to spell quiche, I thought it was kish.)

Kindle Highlighting

While reading "Dear Sparkle" on my Kindle, I learned how to highlight things. It's a nice feature!

Sermons Online

I found out that at our church's website (www.phbaptist.org) you can listen to the sermons and see the note outline. If any of you do not attend a church, perhaps you would like to check this out.

Find more Friday Fragments at Half-Past Kissin' Time and link up some of yours.

Share this:

6 New Year's Resolutions (Writer's Workshop)--UPDATED

2012-01-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

I didn't make any last year and Gerard says he's not making any this year but I have a few so here it goes:

Get more active by taking a break from the computer every half hour, even if it's just standing up.
Do things standing up whenever possible.
In good weather, take the first parking spot I see.
Break out of my routine more often by varying my schedule, taking different ways to the bus stop and not always getting off at the same stop.
Eat more of a variety of foods.
Get an awning for our front porch this year.
Bank Gerard's check and see if we can manage just on my income to see how it would be if he were retired.
Memorize the book of James by the end of June.

Some I got from reading "Keep Your Brain Alive" and some from my friend's blog, Think Like a P.T.
Did you make any this year?

Part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop to share your New Year's Resolutions and report how you did on last year's.

Share this:

Commenting For Charity--Doing It Again

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

For December, donate 50 cents per legitimate comment on all our blogs to the Cleveland Pregnancy Center for a total of $126. Thank you to all who commented!

I would like to know if the fact that we donated to charities per comment last year actually influenced anyone to comment on our blogs or visit our other blogs. Kindly let us know by leaving a comment on this post if it influenced you. I debated whether or not to do this again this year and in weighing the pros and cons decided that yes, it is a good thing to do and I will do it again.

Last year I discovered several new charities by doing this, including KIVA, Doctors without Borders, Last Hope Cat Kingdom, and Heifer International. I was happy to see that Ann at UP North, Beth Ann at It's Just Life and Mountain Woman at Red Pine Mountain joined me in doing this last year. If you choose to do it with your blog, please let me know.

My First loan--Jose in El Salvadore

This month, I will join with Beth Ann over at It's Just Life and give .50 per legitimate comment for loans through KIVA to help poor people change their life. Last year I made nine loans (two of which have been fully paid back already).

Share this:

"We Bought A Zoo" Will Make You Laugh

2012-01-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

We went to see "We Bought A Zoo." We were surprised how good it was! In fact, Gerard got up to use the rest room during the movie, and I didn't even notice he got up, I was so into this movie. It is way more than just about a bunch of animals. It is about a grieving family and how they are trying to start over. The little girl is very cute and the emotions and interaction between the teenage son and his dad are very believable and touching. There are a lot of animals in it and lots of humor. I absolutely loved the opening day of the zoo. It's a real heartwarming movie and very entertaining and funny. I'm so glad we went! It's actually based on a true story!

"It only takes 20 seconds of insane courage and something great will come of it." This sums up the whole theme of the movie in a nutshell.

Go see it--you'll be glad you did!

Share this:

"War Horse" Will Make You Cry--MUST SEE!

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

We went to see "War Horse" the day after Christmas and it is as good as the book! It's really fantastic and we both cried, it was so moving. You see the horrors of war but yet also the sacrifice for others, love, determination and some funny scenes too! Great book, great movie! I didn't notice any bad language in this one, and I appreciated they didn't show separated body parts flying through the air in the war scenes. We highly recommend it--you should definitely go see this one!

SPOILER ALERT: I felt so bad for the poor horse, but it has a happy ending!

See our review of the book: War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

Share this:

Our Favorite Reads For December

2011-12-31T11:48:00.000-05:00

Gerard's Favorite was These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

and Karen liked it too!

The first book I read on my Kindle!

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf tells the story of Allison Glen. She's a young teen girl who was her parents' pride and joy--good grades, great athlete, had it all until an unwanted pregnancy and a chain of events changed all that. She gets a chance to get back into society but her parents shun her although she keeps trying to reach out to her sister.

WOW! This book is Good! This is a page turner that I did not want to put down. I got into it from page one! I love this author's first book (The Weight of Silence) and this one is just as good, if not better! The ending is shocking!

Karen said:
This is a sad book about two sisters, adoption, guilt, infanticide and relationships. It certainly kept my interest but had a surprise ending that I didn’t expect. This shows how far teenagers will go if they feel isolated and desperate. I think “These Things Hidden” would be a good Book Club book.

Karen's Favorite was True Colors by Kristin Hannah:

What a neat novel True Colors by Kristin Hannah is! It starts off following the lives of three sisters from when their mother died while they were teens.
Aurora is the peace maker who settled for marriage to “Mr. Boring” while the eldest daughter, Winona, an attorney, loves her younger sister’s fiancé and longs for her father’s approval. Vivi Ann, is engaged to a real nice guy, but isn’t in love with him and follows her heart and passion when Dallas , the new ranch hand shows an interest in her. The plot thickens when Vivi Ann goes against her family and marries Dallas who gets arrested for murder! This is a great story that shows the bond between sisters as well as a contemporary romance and the struggle of a single mom whose husband is rotting away in prison.

I loved this book because the characters were so believable and the story line drew me in and wouldn’t let go! I liked how the author brought in the horses and ranch activities, how she shared with the reader how the son felt growing up without his dad through his journal entries, and the family dynamics. It’s a love story about love, hope, forgiveness, betrayal, family ties, second chances, heartbreak and redemption. I highly recommend this one!

Here are each of our top 12 favorite books of 2011 (For our reviews of all these, visit Our Best Reads of 2011):

What was your best read this month? What book stands out that you read this year?

Share this:

9 Things We Learned This Week (blogging, movies, reading,news, gifts, sports, health)

2011-12-30T05:47:00.000-05:00

Funniest Christmas Present

Over at Mr. Puddy Merry Christmas and Happy New Year post, he demonstrated playing with his new toy: video games for cats on his iPuddy! It's hilarious! Now even our pets will have to work at staying active and not becoming addicted to video games!

Number Pad Does More Than Just Numbers

By holding down the ALT key and typing in numbers on the number pad at the right of the computer keyboard, you can get a whole lot of different special characters, symbols and even letters! See a whole list of ASCII Code List for Numpad Characters at CHEXED. Here are a few I might use: ♥ (alt-3), § (alt-21, Section sign), ► (alt-16), ♫ (alt-14).

Kindness In the News

Last Saturday in the PLAIN DEALER I read some 'Layaway angels" people who actually paid off individual layaway accounts that were full of toys to help out families they didn't even know. I thought that was so wonderful!

One guy at the Walmart in Cleveland Heights paid off $1,000 layaway account and bought $1,000 worth of $50 gift cards, gave them to his school age children to hand them out randomly to customers throughout the store! I love it! What a generous and wonderful thing to do and to allow the children to experience the joy of giving as well! As if that wasn't enough, the guy came back and paid off $1,700 of the store's layaway accounts.

Jerome Simpson

I never knew who Jerome Simpson was until his amazing flip touchdown that I saw him do in last Saturday's Bengals football game. If you didn't see it yet, even if you aren't a football fan you have to see this amazing show of athleticism! Check out my post: Wow! Most Amazing TD I Ever Saw!

Twitter Changes

Over at Social Media Examiner I learned about 5 Twitter changes and How to Make the Most of Them: Navigation, brand pages, embedded tweets, TweetDeck, and iPhone and Android apps for Twitter.

Boosting Your Metabolism

Over at my old friend's blog, "Think Like P.T. (physical therapist)" in her post Losing Weight Safely I learned these five ways to increase my metabolism:

1. Wake up early and eat breakfast early.
2. Exercise early in the day. Exercise multiple times in the day.
3. Do weight training in addition to cardio.
4. Move around a lot! Start having a more active lifestyle. Think of ways to add activity into your routine.
5. Eat small amounts throughout the day (4-6 small meals instead of 3 large ones)

Movies

Both the movie WAR HORSE and WE BOUGHT A ZOO are very good and is based on a true story! We liked them both and our reviews will be up early next week. Both are worth seeing!

Reading

Gerard read 157 books and Karen read 106 this year. Lots of great reads! I wish I had started reading sooner. I found out I can read on the treadmill easily using my Kindle!

My Best Posts Of 2011

Thanks to the Best of 2011 Blog Hop over at "A Pause on the Path," I discovered that based on number of comments and views, my best posts for 2011 were:

Right Where We Belong: What Are You Going To Do--Clean A Trash Can? with 21 comments and 111 views. (Our post with 25 comments and 425 views was one I re-posted from 2009 so don't think that counts, but it was A Letter to Mom Because I Can't Write Poems.

My Funny Dad, Harry: "My Cat From Hell" is Entertaining and Educational with 539 views and 12 comments!

Grab A Book From Our Stack: A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard with 106 views.

Always Looking Up: 7 Ways to Respect Your Husband with 260 votes!

(The thumbnails below are for The Best of 2011 Blog Hop--Hope you will visit some and even link up yours. I liked going through seeing which ones were most popular.)

One more thing: I got my Christmas At Our House post updated a bit late yesterday to include my neighbor surprise re-gifting idea so if you visited before 5:00 p.m., you might want to check it out.

H A P P Y N E W Y E A R E V E R Y O N E !

Share this:

Christmas At Our House in 2011 (UPDATED)

2011-12-29T19:26:00.000-05:00

Best decorated house in our Neighborhood!

Christmas morning, we slept in, then both walked Abby. Gerard wanted to show me a particular house that had really great lights and I agreed. I had a gift I wanted to "re-gift" but and was trying to think of someone to give it to when I got a brilliant idea! I would leave it at the house with the fantastic decorations as from Santa. Gerard and Abby continued on their way while I went back home to play Santa and wrap up the present with a card that said:

My secret assistants report that you have the best decorated house in the neighborhood. Thanks for brightening up this neighborhood! Santa

(I also inserted a contact card separately so they knew it was actually from a real person who they could thank.) I went back and left it next to their morning paper by the front door. It was fun being kind of sneaky and surprising someone we didn't even know!

Some of our gifts

Gerard and I both enjoy buying things for each other got lots of nice things. The few things I asked for, he got for me which I am very happy with along with some nice surprises too. I mostly got him clothes this year because that's what he needed, but he was thrilled to see I bought the Bruins book for him.

Gerard's new suit that is a fur magnet

Gerard got: winter coat, two pair of shoes, two pair of jeans (one fleece lined), folding dog dish to take on walks, Buckeye hat, candy, black suit, black shirt, Bruins book, candy.

Karen got: Classical music CD, peanuts, binder clips, two shirts, Furry Logic books, the cute owl hat I asked for, leopard PJs, Browns dog, two big soft furry pillows, blue thermo-fit hoodie and a Kindle case. Now to see what our pets got, read more:

Cats find their Stocking

The cats found their stockings which each had a catnip toy that initially they liked but quickly lost interest. At first, they actually were fighting over the one. Abby enjoyed her bone on Christmas Eve that was in her stocking. Gerard was so excited about the neat present he found for Abby this year that I was surprised he actually waited until Christmas morning to give it to her. Here is the video of him giving the special doggie cookie to her. First thing she did was lick of the frosting like a kid would do.

Manny's highlight was finding a comfy hiding place under the big piece of wrapping paper that I threw on top of our bean bag chair.

On Christmas morning I thought I'd wear a necklace for a change because it was a special day. Spunky Doodle loved the gold chain so I put it on her and she ran off with it, batting at the dangling heart along the way. She really looked very nice wearing it but by the time I got the camera, she was through sitting cute. I spent 10 minutes untangling the chains and about 15 minutes trying to catch Spunky Doodle to get it back. I found the heart lying on the dining room floor but never did find the chain yet! It was real short anyhow so I wasn't upset about her breaking it. After all, it was my fault for letting her wear it. Later, I did get a picture of Spunky wearing a piece of wrapping paper. I just poked a hole in it and put it over her head. It wasn't too long before she worked her way out of it.

Manny and Spunky figuring it out

Abby finding the food

The one toy we got for them all to share was the dog brick that has sliding pieces to cover up food I place in holes underneath. Can you guess who figured it out the fastest? Abby did. She wasn't fooled at all and at first was a little slow but by the next day, it hardly slowed her down at all. I was surprised that Manny caught on faster than Spunky but neither are a match for Abby. This a good for slowing them down and giving them some mind stimulation. It's something the cats can enjoy working at when I'm gone. You can see the pets in action at Dog Brick Game video.

A few days later, we got this email from the people who we surprised on Christmas morning:

Hi, what a wonderful surprise it was to go out on Christmas morning to get the newspaper and see a gift from Santa on our porch. Thank you for acknowledging our lighting display. Our family loves to decorate the house for Christmas, and we really like knowing that our neighbors appreciate our efforts. Thank you again for taking the time to stop by and deliver Santa's present. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, The C____ Family

Did your pets like their presents? How about you? Do you buy for your spouse? Did you surprise anyone with a present from Santa?

Share this:

WOW! Most Amazing TD I Ever Saw!

2011-12-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

Jerome Simpson is was amazing in the game on Christmas Eve day as proved in this demonstration of his athleticism. I was watching the boring Browns game but they interrupted it to show us this play and my jaw just dropped, WOW! I could watch this over and over again. It's that fantastic!

First of all, the guy is running and jumps over the defender who is standing right in front of him! How can he even jump that high? Not only does he do that, but he keeps holding onto the football with just one hand all the way over and into the end zone. Plus, for style points, he adds a flip and lands on his feet! I couldn't believe it when I saw this! Gerard missed it because at the time he was out walking our dog, but when I saw it on Yahoo news, I called him to show him. His reaction was WOW too!

To top it off, when he was interviewed, he was actually humble about it and when the announcers were all giving him 10s and one even 11 for his gymnastic stunt, he gave himself a 9 because he did touch down with his hand on his landing. I never knew who Jerome Simpson was before I saw this play, but now I don't think I'll ever forget him. It was just amazing, you have to see this! Even if you aren't into sports, you have to appreciate the beautiful display of athleticism on this one.

One reason I like watching football is the athleticism and knowing that at any time, someone could make a huge play so there's always hope--yes, even for Browns fans like me. In my book, Jerome Simpson holds the record for the most amazing running touchdown ever! This will be hard to beat!

The Browns did have a big play too though but paled in comparison to this one. Josh Cribbs had a long punt return that started on the right side of the field and crossed over all the way to the left side as he ran one in for a touchdown. It kept the Browns in the game and provided some spark for us Browns fans.

Share this:

A Fun Lunch At The Chocolate Bar

2011-12-26T20:34:00.000-05:00

Some co-workers having lunch at The Chocolate Bar on Euclid Avenue in Downtown Cleveland.

$8.95 chocolate/strawberry crepe

The Chocolate Bar is a restaurant located in just three states: Cleveland, Buffalo and Louisville. Last Tuesday, I went to lunch there with eight other secretaries from my floor for the first time. We did this for our holiday floor party. We were able to study the menu ahead online and went with just the chocolate/strawberry crepe which was very good and filling. I tried to find something at least semi-healthy for lunch so I thought the fruit was pretty good. I wonder what Bob, the trainer on "The Biggest Loser" would think of my choice. I was very happy with it.

I was the only one who just went with dessert, but did you see the price? I didn't want to spend over $12 on lunch and wanted to get something that I normally wouldn't get anywhere else that would be unique to The Chocolate Bar. I also didn't want to over stuff myself since I normally have a light lunch. Anyhow, three gave me their miniature Eclairs because they were so full!

Here are the other dessert choices that were made:

Kathy got the Classic Crepe $3.79

Norma got the Belgian Chocolate Mousse cake $6.79

Kathy was pretty full after the chicken parmigiana but didn't want to skip dessert so went with the Classic Crepe. Even that though, she couldn't finish all the ice cream. I think Norma made a good choice too. She enjoyed it!

Kelly, Linda K. got the Snickerbocher $6.79

Marcy got the Molten Lava $6.95

Marcy's Molten Lava cake looked delicious. It had gooey chocolate flowing out of the middle like a chocolate volcano! The Snickerbocher was pretty small but Linda said it was plenty because it was so rich. She even shared it with the paralegal she works with (I forget her first name now, oops).

Linda R. got the frozen hot fudge

I didn't see the frozen hot fudge drink on the menu so don't know the price, but it was HUGE! Linda R. was pretty shocked at how big it was and let everyone have a little taste. Boy, was it ever rich but she ate the whole thing. She didn't quite have room after that to finish her sandwich so had some leftovers to go.

This was definitely a fun place to go for our lunch and way out of my normal lunch routine which, according the book I just finished, Keep Your Brain Alive, is a very good neurobic exercise. This involved breaking out of my routine, being social, trying something new and using three senses (hearing, sight, taste), all exercises suggested to help prevent memory loss.

The normal food wasn't near as interesting so I just focused on the desserts here, but they do have lots of regular food choices as well. The service was wonderful too! The waitress willingly gave us separate checks and got all our orders right. We didn't feel rushed and all left quite satisfied and happy! Visit The Chocolate Bar website to see all their goodies!

Which would you choose? Do you join your co-workers for lunch? I think I'll make it one of my new year's resolutions to go here again in 2012.

Share this:

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2011-12-24T19:48:00.000-05:00

I find it very odd that normal church schedules are adjusted for Christmas because it falls on Sunday this year. We had two very nice candlelight worship services Christmas Eve that were well attended.

Our church normally has three services but on Christmas, we only have one and Sunday School classes and adult Bible Studies are canceled this week. It's obvious the reason is that people put family before Jesus. There, I said it. Christians say that Christmas is Christ's birthday celebration, yet when it comes down to it, do we really put Him first? I wonder. I wonder what God thinks of Christians skipping church on Sunday because it's not convenient for their family plans.

I would think the churches would be full on Christmas morning this year but it doesn't seem to be the case. I wonder why. Just sayin'.

It's Jesus Christ's Birthday! Happy Birthday, Jesus! Take some time and watch this video, What Would Jesus Want For Christmas?

I think Jesus Wish List would look something like this:

♦The worship of all people
♦Unity among all my followers
♦People loving one another
♦Me to seek Him and do His will
♦For his followers to tell others about Him

What will you give Jesus this year for His birthday?

What do you think about this? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Merry Christmas everyone!

Share this:

6 Things We Learned This Week (books, brain, Ecuador, blogs)

2011-12-23T05:18:00.000-05:00

Animal Close Encounters

I knew Betty White was an animal lover (like me) but had no idea how much she was involved with the Los Angeles Zoo until I read her book, Betty and Friends--My Life At The Zoo. She held baby koala bears, a baby gorilla, a boa constrictor, kissed giraffes, and knows many, many zoo animals by name! The photos in her book are fantastic!

Brain Activity

In Keep Your Brain Alive by Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D. and Manning Rubin, it said on pg. 117 that

Research has shown that watching television literally numbs the mind: The brain is less active during TV-viewing than during sleep!

I find this hard to believe! TV evokes emotions and thoughts about what's going to happen, or who done it, etc. (My review of this book I got for my birthday will be up at Grab A Book From Our Stack.

Give A Book

At We Give Books for the rest of the year, when you read a book in their online library you can donate a book to a child in a friend’s name. All you have to do is fill out the simple form at the end of each book you read. They will notify your friend of your gift, and – most important – we’ll donate a book to a child who might not have one this holiday.

Operation Christmas Child

Our shoebox we sent for Operation Christmas Child went to Ecuador.

Old Friend's Blog: Think Like A P.T.

Just discovered a friend from my past is now a physical therapist who blogs at "Think Like A P.T." I knew Liz when she was in grade school through church. She recently found me on Facebook! She has some good info about pain prevention and a bit of humor like her post "How Not To Exercise." Hope you will pay her a visit.

Video From Santa

At Bloggers Over 40 I just found a fun video you can personalize from Santa to a loved one. I made one for Gerard this morning because I thought it was so cute. If you have kids or grandchildren, check this out. They actually get an email from Santa Claus about them! Hurry! It only takes a few minutes and is free and easy to do!

For more Friday Fragments or to link up your own, visit Half-Past Kissin' Time.

Share this:

Corinthians 13 Christmas

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

CORINTHIANS 13 CHRISTMAS

If I decorate my house perfectly with colorful bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love, I'm just another cook.

If I drop change into the salvation army bucket, but do not show love, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and glittering snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing Christmas carols, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the ones we hold dear. Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

I can't take credit for writing this, one of my friends, Dawn, posted it on Facebook and shared it with us at the Women of Wonder (W.O.W.) meeting. I just thought it was very good and wanted to share it with you.

Share this:

6 Different Ways To Fold Napkins

2011-12-19T20:53:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize there were so many different ways to fold a napkin until I went to our Women of Wonder meeting this month at Parma Heights Baptist Church, I included links to the video demonstration I made for each one. You need to use cloth napkins that are not slippery so they hold a fold. Abby (our dog) was barking while I was doing this. She wanted to go for her walk. Hopefully the printed instructions here will be helpful.

Rose

Rose (easy) Rose

Fold all four corners of open napkin to center.
Fold new corners to center.
Turn napkin over and fold all four corners to center.
Holding the center firmly, reach under each corner and pull up flaps to form petals. Reach between petals and pull flaps from underneath.

Bishop Hat

Bishop Hat (pretty easy) Bishop Hat

Fold napkin in half bring top to bottom.
Fold corners to center line
Turn napkin over and rotate 1/4 turn.
Fold bottom edge up to top edge and flip point out from under top fold.
turn left end into pleat at left, forming a point on left side.
Turn napkin over and turn right end into pleat, forming a point on right side. Open base and stand upright.

Silverware Pouch

Silverware Pouch (easiest) Silverware Pouch

Start with right side up, fold napkin in quarters so the the open corner faces away from you. Fold down the top layer of fabric, so that the top corner reaches almost all the way to the bottom. Fold down the next two layers the same way, creating a cascade effect. Flip over the napkin. Fold the napkin into thirds by folding back the left and right sides of the napkin. Flip the napkin over and slip silverware inside the pocket.

Crown

Crown (easy) Crown

Fold napkin in half diagonally.
Fold corners to meet at top point.
Fold bottom point 2/3 way to top and fold back onto itself.
Turn napkin over bringing corners together--tucking one into the other.
Peel two top corners to make crown. Open base of fold and stand upright.

Boot

Boot (hard) Boot
Fold it like you would a paper airplane to start. In half, bring corners down to center. Fold each side to center again. Turn point to left, open side at bottom and tails to right. Lift top tail and tuck it under and up. The lower tail must be made narrow in order to tuck it into the pocket; fold top down and bottom up. Put folded tail into pocket to lock.

Pyramid

Pyramid (easy) Pyramid
Fold napkin in half diagonally.
Fold corners to meet top point.
Turn napkin over and fold in half.
Pick up at center and stand on base of triangle.

Candle

candle (hard--not sure I did it right)

Here's the directions but I didn't do a video because I couldn't get it right. I don't think it looks much like a candle anyway.
Fold napkin in half diagonally.
Fold base down two inches (the long side).
Turn napkin over and fold bottom point six inches towards middle. Then roll from bottom to top.
Tuck corners inside cuff at base of fold and stand upright. Turn one layer of point down and set on base.

Which one do you like best? Hope you will give them all a try and watch my video demonstrations. The dog barking is pretty funny. Now you can make your table fancy for Christmas!

Share this:

A Surprise For My Pastor

2011-12-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes people can be very stubborn. A few months ago, our Pastor nicely asked the people who attend our 8:15 a.m. service to sit in the middle section because we are so spread out. We have a fairly large sanctuary and only about 50 people in the early service who sit all over. My husband and I used to sit on the right side near the doors, but moved to the center the week after he asked and have sat there since.

8:15 service on Dec. 4, 2011

I don't understand why people refuse to move. This seems like such a little request to me and yet, very few have cooperated. I would think this would make him feel so discouraged and unappreciated. Isn't it sad how people get so set in their ways that they refuse to budge? I felt like standing by the door and reminding people that the Pastor would like for us to sit in the center and so I think it would be a nice surprise for him if we all did it today. Do you think they would?

I decided to go ahead and do it last Sunday. I wrote up a little note and handed to the people as they arrived. Here is what it said:

LET'S SURPRISE PASTOR DAN TODAY

Several months ago he asked us to sit in the center section at the 8:15 service so let's all do it today. He'd be shocked and encouraged, don't you think? It'll be fun o see his reaction and would be a cool surprise that doesn't cost us anything! --Karen Zemek

8:15 service on Dec. 11, 2011

I was thrilled to see the people agreed with me and cooperated. The ushers were surprised too! The Pastor was surprised and kind of shocked. He said he felt like "Simeon when he was told he wouldn't die until he saw the Lord's Christ. Now I've seen the church come together to the center and I can die a happy Pastor." Unfortunately, one guy showed him the note, duh, it is a "surprise." He wasn't supposed to know what was going on and who was the instigator. Oh well, I could tell when the choir came in at the end, they were surprised too and wondering what happened!

It was actually nice sitting in a closer group. The singing sounded much better and people were in a good mood and friendly. It was just a very cool and fun simple thing to do. Now, of course the next question is will people continue to sit in the center or go back to their old patterns. I hope at least some will return next week. It's not a hardship, just a matter of making a little adjustment and getting used to a different view..

Who can you encourage today?

Share this:

4 Things We Learned This Week (AAA, Kindle, Money, YouTube)

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

AAA

When my car battery died last Saturday, I called AAA and discovered that they sell new batteries and came right to my house and replaced my dead one--cost $113.

Amazon Kindle

I got a Kindle for my birthday and learned you need a wifi connection to get started which I found at our library--yea! Thanks for all the encouraging comments. Now I am learning how to load the books I want. I tried yesterday to borrow an e-book, but the site was down for maintenance! I did get my Kindle all charged up though.

Money

Did you hear about the lady who did and left $13 million to her CAT? How crazy is that!

Got my Christmas bonus yesterday and learned I'll be getting a raise next year. Yippee! That made my day!

YouTube

My YouTube channel got a facelift. It's a whole different layout now and can include several links. Of course, I listed all my blogs. My napkin folding post is scheduled for Wednesday (still have to add my pictures to it but my videos are done. If you can't wait, you can find them on YouTube (just search for kzemek and all my videos will come up).

Other Fragments:

It was nice getting some birthday cards that I did not expect. The one I got from Gerard was really cute and two from a couple new friends.

Took my morning pill (on the left side) instead of my evening pill (on the right side) by mistake yesterday--how nutso! Fortunately, thanks to my cat Manny knocking over the other bottle with his tail, I realized I had the wrong ones. At least I didn't take both morning pills! Skipped the evening one (which I take every other day) and will just take it tonight. Didn't want to risk combining the two. See, I'm not a complete idiot.

Visit Half-Past Kissin' Time for more Friday Fragments or link up yours.

Share this:

Christmas Decorating (Writer's Workshop)

2011-12-14T20:00:00.000-05:00

One of Mama Kat's Writer's workshop prompts this week is: "Have you decorated your Christmas tree? Share a favorite Christmas ornament."

The little boy with the snowball is probably my favorite one because my mom made it. We have several home-made ornaments including a paper butterfly that I made in Kindergarten! Also some made by my aunts and of course the one Gerard and me got for our first Christmas together.

We didn’t put ornaments on our tree this year though because we decided not to block our cats off from the basement where we put our tree. I am lazy so just put it up down there because that’s where we have the space for it. Instead of ornaments, I used our Christmas cards that we received last year which is safer for the cats. No sharp hooks for them to step on and no ornaments they can knock off and break. Am I practical or what!

The first year I decorated just a small tree like this just for the cats: The Cats' Tree Is Up. I missed the big tree though so decided to use the cards on our bigger tree this year. The cats really like having a tree.

The other prompt was to show your Nativity set: Spunky Helps Set up the Nativity Set

Share this:

Look What I Got For My Birthday

2011-12-13T18:36:00.000-05:00

I turned 58 today and got an early birthday present from our pets:


It's a doggie that has human treats inside--the head comes off. Since Karen gives us treats, we wanted to give her some!

I opened my packages from my husband from smallest to largest. The first was a Kindle but was disappointing because we do not have wifi and to use it, you need to connect to a wifi connection and enter some password. I tried calling our Internet carrier (ATT) for the password and the customer rep never heard of a Kindle! Anyway, eventually she told me I needed to get a router so they could set up a wireless connection. When we asked about them at OfficeMax, the salesman told me it would only work for the Kindle in our house. Gerard didn't realize it would be such a hassle. At this point, I'm looking into returning it.

Gerard videotaped me doing my napkin folding demonstration so getting the videos ready took the rest of the morning. Then we had a good lunch at Hometown Buffet, took a nice walk in the park and then opened my other two presents plus another one (he didn't count the Kindle since it was a bust) that was a book I had asked for: Keep Your Brain Alive: 83 Neurobic Exercises to Help Prevent Memory Loss and Increase Mental Fitness by Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D. and Manning Rubin.

My second present that I opened before going to lunch was an alarm clock/radio that also has a light that comes on gradually 15 minutes before the alarm goes off to act like sunrise which will be nice. That will definitely help me wake up better. I set it to wake with music during the week and to a sound of a river on the weekends. It has a sleep feature too that has the light go off automatically. Spunky Doodle has already discovered the FM antennae wire so I hope we'll be able to use the radio feature.

The big package was a portable electric heater that I can use in my den. It even rotates but it has to be at least three feet from furniture and curtains so I can't use it in our computer room because it's too small with the chairs in there that the cats use. It'll be nice when I have my quiet time in the mornings up there because it's always cooler than the rest of the house in the winter..

It was nice being off work and I enjoyed the day. Thanks, Gerard, for all the nice things and don't worry about the Kindle--I'll figure something out or else find a way to return it or sell it.

Share this:

Christmas Ideas I Picked Up From Women of Wonder

2011-12-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

I won this edible tree!!

Thursday I attended the Women of Wonder meeting at our church and WOW! They really outdid themselves this time. First off, I won a door prize! I candy Christmas tree surrounded by Hershey kisses. I already ate the top layer before I remembered to take this picture of it.

We had a full meal from Antonios including salad, rigatoni, chicken, pizza and three dessert choices! What a great way to start a meeting! Then, instead of sitting the whole time, we had three stations: (1) ornament making; (2) hospitality tips, (3) Christmas traditions.

The Cinnamon Ornament

The dough was already made for us ahead (1 cup applesauce mixed with 1 cup of cinnamon). Roll it out 1/4" thick, use cookie cutters to make little ornaments, use a toothpick to make a hole for hanging with ribbon/string and then over a week, let it dry out remembering to flip it over every day. They smell good and also work for a package decoration.

Hospitality Hints

We were taking to a dark room lit with candles and Christmas lights. Soft Christmas music was playing in the background and a table was set beautifully to show us how to do it right. Immediately as we entered the room, I had a feeling of "wow, how nice!" Here is a list of some of the tips we were given:

Start with a linen tablecloth and use.
Use good dishes and cloth napkins folded in a creative way (See 6 Different Ways To Fold Napkins). For me, this means no paper plates like usual.
Find a centerpiece that has some height to it but that people can see over to talk to the person across from them.
Next to the center piece, use some lower things for decoration.
Have a separate buffet table for the serving dishes and use boxes under the table cloth to give them different heights for a fancier look. This way your table won't look cluttered.
to guide the conversation and avoid tense discussions, have a question at each place setting for a person to answer to get a nice conversation going. You can actually buy some ready made conversation cards! I guess party stores have them and even Marc's sometimes. You could make your own such as "What was your best present as a kid?" or "What is one of your favorite Christmas memories?"
Place a little gift at each place.

Traditions Ideas

Let each child decorate their own room for Christmas, including a little tree.
Set up a Nativity set but leave the baby Jesus out of it until Christmas day. Move the wisemen around the room on their journey. Then, Christmas day read the scripture about the birth of Jesus and use the Nativity pieces to act it out.
Have the whole family, relatives included, gather in one location to have a cooking baking day together.
Give extra cookies you made to neighbors and people you would like to say "thank you" too.
During December, wrap Christmas story books and read one a day or play a different game each day before Christmas.
Don't do your wrapping all at one time but instead, wrap just a couple presents each day.
Hang a Christmas sock for Jesus and on Christmas, have every member of the family think of something they could give Jesus and write it on a slip of paper to put in the stocking (such as something that would please Him--perhaps making a donation to help someone else, or a character trait that could be improved such as not complaining so much).
Go through your clothes and gather things you could donate to a thrift store or some charity to make room for your new things you will probably get at Christmas.
Be sure to attend a special Christmas service such as a candlelight service, or a play.
Christmas Eve, while the children are asleep, sneak into their room and place a package at the bottom of their bed. This way they at least can open one as soon as they wake without waiting until everyone is ready.
Take turns opening the packages so everyone can see everything and it is less chaotic and makes the fun last longer.
Bake a birthday cake for Jesus and eat it on Christmas day.

Share this:

5 Things We Learned This Week (Eyes, Advent, napkins, Browns, animals)

2011-12-09T05:43:00.000-05:00

Eye Doctor

Gerard was referred to another doctor because one of his tests showed he didn't have good peripheral vision on his right side. If it was up to him, he wouldn't go but I will be making an appointment for him. The doctor said I really need to make sure he goes because it could indicate some neurological disorder.

Advent

I learned that Advent has colors: pink and purple over at It's Just Life's "So What is all the Hoo Haa About Advent." Beth Ann posted a cute Advent video you should go see. I always thought of pink and purple together as just a girlie color combo.

Napkin Folding

At our Women of Wonder meeting last night, I learned there are lots of different ways to fold cloth napkins to make your table look special. Also, when done eating, the napkin should be placed to the left of your plate. Maybe I'll try doing a video demonstration next week.

Browns

I woke this morning to the sad news that the Browns once again lost 14-3 to the Steelers and were in the "Red Zone" twice and couldn't get into the end zone. Our QB, Colt McCoy took an illegal helmet hit--one of the reasons I didn't want to watch this game is because I didn't want to see Colt McCoy getting clobbered again.

Wolf Dogs

After reading Part Wild by Ceiridwen Terrill, I learned that "Wolves do what they want. Dogs ask 'What do you want me to do?'" p. 131. Wolf dogs are hard to contain because they have a natural instinct to roam, are very destructive, they are very strong and powerful and may go after other animals without being provoked, need lots of freedom and exercise, and although may be friendly as pups, can turn on their owners and become very aggressive, not to mention howling a lot which disturbs neighbors. It really made me appreciate our wonderful dog all the more!

Visit Half-Past Kissin' Time for more Friday Fragments or link up some of yours.

Share this:

I Cry Every Time I See This (Writers Workshop)

2011-12-08T04:28:00.000-05:00

Image from Amazon

“Bells of St. Mary’s” with Bing Crosby is one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies; and although I know many of the lines by heart, it never fails to make me cry at the end when the nun who loves St. Mary's and teaching there so much has to leave because she has TB. The doctor told the priest not to tell her why because he thought it would help her recover quicker, but the nun is devastated at the thought of not being at St. Mary’s next year and not being able to teach anywhere else either. The Priest and the nun had several disagreements during the school year so she thought O’Malley, the Priest, was just getting her out because they didn’t see eye to eye.

The Priest really respected and liked her though, and couldn’t let her go thinking that. They have a touching heart-to-heart and he tells her the real reason why she needs to go which makes her so happy. It’s such a touching scene that I cry every time even though I know it is coming.

What movie makes you cry every time? Do you like this one too? If so, what's your favorite part?

This is in response to Mama Kat's Writers Workshop prompt: "What is it about that movie that makes you cry every time?"

Share this:

Rainy Season is Here and Gerard's Ready

2011-12-07T05:21:00.000-05:00

Rain doesn't bother me--Karen will dry me off

Over the past week or so, it seems like every time it's time to walk the dog, it's raining. Our dog, Abby, doesn't mind walking in the rain at all. She'll even took Gerard on an hour to an hour and a half walk in the rain when he had the day off for his birthday.

This is much better!

That's why I bought him a raincoat for his birthday this year. He had other jackets, but not that were waterproof so he really came back soaked. Walking in the rain isn't hear so bad if you are prepared for it.

I have a long rain coat too that is really good for rainy days. It's not very warm, but it's big enough for me to wear a jacket under it.

Do you wear a rain coat?

Stop by Pet Pride for other post about pets.

Share this:

Color Is Good--Eat Healthy!

2011-12-06T05:00:00.000-05:00

This is an email that Louise over at Country Pictures sent to me that I think is so good, I want to share it with my readers.

COLOR IS GOOD

Yesterday I went to the doctor
For my yearly physical.
My blood pressure was high.
My cholesterol was high.
I'd gained some weight,
and I didn't feel so hot.
My doctor said eating right
doesn't have to be complicated

and
it would solve my physical
problems.
He said:
Just think in colors.
Fill your plate with bright colors.
Try some greens, oranges, reds,
maybe something yellow, etc.
and eat an entire bowl of
bright colors.

And Sure Enough,
I Felt Better Immediately !!
I never knew eating right
could be so easy !!

Now stay healthy,
eat your colors,
and have a nice day!

Are you a healthy eater? This cartoon shows the way I think!

Share this:

Eye Doctor Trip Is Birthday Downer

2011-12-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

Necktie from Abby (our dog)--Yup, that's me on his tie! Woof! Woof!

I never minded going to the eye doctor because it was painless and I would get new glasses so I could see better if I needed them. Saturday was Gerard's 59th birthday and he said I should go ahead and make our eye appointments for that day. The year is almost over so to get the benefit of our eye care insurance, we had to get before the end of the year.

We both got our eyes dilated and had to wear sunglasses because it was a nice sunny day. The bad news was that on the one test, Gerard flunked! The doctor said his peripheral vision on the right side didn't exist and referred him to another doctor. This news did not set well and Gerard's initial reaction was "I just won't go."

After talking to the doctor myself, she said his eyes were healthy but . . . the peripheral vision problem could be something neurologically wrong so "make sure he goes." The book we read, Left Neglected by Lisa Genova immediately came to mind.

This is difficult to accept, but I told him it was just like if I had said I wouldn't go see the surgeon that our doctor referred me to when the mammogram indicated I had breast cancer. I mentioned how great it was to have those three months off from work with full pay after my surgery!

Fortunately, I guess that convinced him to go because he said I should make the appointment for the last week of this month when we are off work. I just hope the doctor isn't taking off that week too between Christmas and New Year's. From now on, we are not making any more doctor appointments on our birthdays!

People should go to the eye doctor every year because even if you can see, sometimes they can discover other problems from a thorough eye exam, including diabetes for one. Have you gone this year?

Share this:

So That’s Why They Changed The Time

2011-12-04T05:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the Browns-Ravens game being switched to 4:00 p.m. today, I will have to DVR it and watch it later because I have puppet practice from 4-6 p.m.

The Patriots-Colts are playing at 1:00 instead of the 4:00 time previously announced. Supposedly, the 4:00 time is the prime time for the better teams, but I like the 1:00 time better. Anyhow, it seems that the powers to be try to put the more interesting games on at 4:00 and as the season progresses, they get a better take on what games will be most interesting so they have a flexible schedule.

They must think the Browns-Ravens game will be closer than the Patriots-Colts game so I should be happy my team is finally getting some respect, I guess. I’ll be anxious to see if we get better announcers this week as well. I’ve been told that the best teams get the best announcers and the bad teams get the bad announcers. In reality, the Colts have been terrible this year and will most likely get blown away by the Patriots.

What time do you prefer? What do you think about this flexible scheduling?

Other sort of related post you might like: Puppets Come to Life with Helping Hands

Share this:

6 Things We Learned This Week 48 of 2011 (free, donations, Carols, hens)

2011-12-02T05:58:00.000-05:00

Free ebooks

You can download free ebooks from www.cuyahogalibrary.org for your Kindle, Nook, Sony reader, ipad and more with no late fees and available 24/7.

Zoo Free

On Thanksgiving, we went to the zoo in the afternoon and the parking lots were pretty full. Admission if free to everyone on Thanksgiving Day!

Donate Your Bike

I learned that Wheels of Change ships used bikes from the U.S. to Africa. You can find a donation facility near you at www.wocinternational.org. If you are getting new bikes for Christmas, you might want to donate your old ones.

Get The Eggs Where You Want Them

Over at For Love or Funny I learned that if you put a glass egg in a nest, hens will lay more near it! She tried this with a dollar bill on her table to see if more money would come, but that didn't work. This is a blog that is usually funny with great pictures to go along with the posts. I visit it regularly and now she is even having a $35 Amazon Gift Card giveaway! I suggest you go visit this upcoming romance author.

Christmas Carols

I was pleased to hear actual Christmas Carols playing in CVS yesterday! At least one store still play Carols. Do you know of any others?

Comment Count

Our comments were up last month--238 which resulted in $119 more for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, our charity for November! Thanks to all of you who took time to comment.

For more Friday Fragments or to link up yours, visit Half-Past Kissin' Time.

Share this:

Comment For Charity: The Cleveland Pregnancy Center

2011-12-01T06:37:00.001-05:00

For November, we donated 50 cents per legitimate comment on all our blogs to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. St. Jude's Children's Hospital is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay. We had 238 comments which translated into a $119 donation! Thank you all who took time to comment!

After hearing about all the services provided and seeing the 180 movie about abortion, the charity I chose this month is The Cleveland Pregnancy Center. During December, we will donate 50 cents per legitimate comment on all our blogs to The Cleveland Pregnancy Center which saves lives by helping mothers out so they can keep their babies or provide them with alternatives to abortion.

Here is the powerful 180 movie that I took time to watch even though it's 33 minutes long. It's worth the time and gives a person a lot to think about! I hope you will watch it if you haven't seen it yet.

We hope you will visit all our blogs and comment away (our tabs at top will take you there).

Share this:

Our Favorite Reads for November: Mudbound and Roam

2011-11-30T05:00:00.000-05:00

Karen's favorite book she read this month was Mudbound by Hillary Jordan (Gerard liked it too!):

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan is a book that drew me into the characters. It is historical fiction during 1946 about a black and a white man coming home from war to Mississippi to help their families on the farm. I had no idea what this book was about from the title, but “Mudbound” is the name of the farm Henry bought out of the blue without even consulting his wife, Laura. She is the one who named the farm because she felt trapped there. Through great story telling by all the characters, the reader discovers the tragic story behind Pappy’s death.

Although I did not like the offensive language, it was a part of history and was used appropriately in conveying the unfairness the Blacks faced every day. Mudbound is very well written and had lots of good passages in it. I had a hard time choosing a teaser! I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it if you like books with some depth that cause you to really take an interest in the characters. I agree with Gerard that it would make a good movie.

Gerard's favorite book he read this month was Roam by Alan Lazar:

Talk about not being able to put a book down; I finished this book in one day (and I work full time). Yes, to me it's that good! ROAM by Alan Lazar is about a dog named Nelson who has a very nice home with a loving owner named Katey (his first owner). One day the gate is left open and Nelson just wants to go exploring. What a heartwarming book this is! Nelson goes and finds different places and meets new people. It's a great tale! If you enjoyed the "Art of Racing" I think you will love this book. I cried over this book like I cried over "Dewey, the Library Cat" but I loved both these books. This is my favorite read for this month so far.

What have you read that you liked lately? Did you read either of these? If you like to read, please visit Grab A Book From Our Stack to find more books we like!

Share this:

Unique Presentation of The Hallelujah Chorus in Alaska

2011-11-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

This video from the small Yupiq Eskimo Village of Quinhagak, Alaska, was a school computer project intended for the other Yupiq villages in the area." I found this over at Along the Way and just had to share it with you!

I think it's amazing that none of the letters were going the wrong way by mistake and that they were flipped right on cue! A lot of work went into making this video and I really enjoyed it! Hope you will too.

Share this:

Another Disappointment For Browns Fans

2011-11-27T17:46:00.000-05:00

Abby asks: Why do you watch football when it makes you so upset?

I thought for sure the Browns would win over St. Louis two weeks ago, but they lost. Here is what I yelled: “HOLD EM! DON’T LET THEM SCORE! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT—THEY ARE SO BAD! HOW PATHETIC! UNBELIEVABLE! (Which I said when the snap rolled along the ground and we missed a field goal) PUT IT IN THE END ZONE! THROW THE BALL! NOOOOOO! STOP THEM! GO FOR A TOUCHDOWN! GOOOOO!” It was like they didn't even want a Touchdown. They kept going for field goals and had lots of penalties.

Then, last week they actually won to my surprise. They played pretty decent against Jacksonville but just barely hung on at the end, but they did. I was in shock!

The first time they played Cincinnati this year, they lost because they weren't even ready for the play. They looked really foolish but today they actually played well. They even scored a touchdown in the first quarter on a 24-yd. pass which was a first for this season! We got an interception and actually scored a touchdown on it. Too bad we gave one up and the Bengals did the same thing, but the Browns were actually leading the whole game until the Bengals tied it up in the 4th quarter with a field goal. Once again, we were battling for the win in the last few minutes of the game and had a chance to pull ahead with a field goal. Again, it was like the St. Louis game with the snap rolling along the ground! The field goal attempt was close but no good. The Browns kept the Bengals from scoring a touchdown but gave up the field goal and lost 23-20.

It was a heartbreaking loss just when we had a chance to start climbing back up. I took Abby for a short walk and came across some peperoni on a tree lawn which she was determined to get. The only way I got her moving was to pick it up and lead her along with it. I forgot to bring her treats along. By the time we got home, I was calmed down. I wasn't too upset because the Browns did play well today. They didn't have many penalties at all and did score 20 points which was fun to see. I'm sure it's even more frustrating for the players to lose games like this that they played so hard to win.

Related post: We're Thankful The Browns Won A Game

Share this:

How We Spent Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-25T05:00:00.000-05:00

Of course our day began with Gerard walking Abby. We both watched "Parenthood" and then I watched "The Biggest Loser" while Gerard took Abby for another long walk. Abby got a big bone and the cats got treats.

After Gerard read his email and printed a Steak-n-shake coupon, we had our Thanksgiving dinner at The Golden Coral. It was good and we did not over stuff ourselves. They even had a chocolate fountain so I had four chocolate covered marshmallows!

On Thanksgiving, we went to the zoo in the afternoon and the parking lots were pretty full. Admission is free to everyone on Thanksgiving Day! We enjoyed watching the four grizzly bear cubs playing and enjoying their special Thanksgiving day treat of a bunch of branches.

The people were interesting too, like this couple here.

I bought some battery operated candles at CVS to place in our windows that are time to light for 8 hours and be off 16 hours. Gerard took Abby for another walk while I set up my new candles in the front windows, scheduled this post and took care of the cats.

We finished off the evening with some reading and some TV. What did you do yesterday? Are you going shopping today?

Share this:

Skit On Giving Thanks With A Grateful Heart

2011-11-24T06:30:00.000-05:00

This video is by The Skit Guys. Visit their website for more great videos!

We have so much to be thankful for! Everything we have is from God and when we realize that we are really dependent on Him for everything,we will have a thankful heart all the time, not just on Thanksgiving. Look for God's purpose in every situation and be good stewards of all the things He has given to you.

I was thrilled to see my nephew and his wife dedicate their two little children to the Lord last Sunday. Children are gifts from God and a very huge responsibility.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL! Read about My Favorite Thanksgiving!

Share this:

Busted! By Spunky Doodle

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Aww, c’mon mom! Let me stay here, PLEASE!

I almost got to be on the new chair the whole evening when Karen was on the couch with Manny watching TV. She didn’t notice me jumping up on the chair. It’s so comfy! But then Gerard came in and saw me and told Karen I was up there so he made me get off. After he left though, I went back on without Karen noticing; pretty sneaky, huh? I am getting good at that! I know they think I might vomit and mess up the chair because I do sometimes do that, but not too much lately and usually not in the evening.

Karen didn’t notice until she got up to go to bed so then she made me get off. I didn’t mind then because I sleep with her in the bed anyhow.

Do you think they’ll ever give in and leave me in peace when I’m on the new chair? I can be very persistent! Is there a place at your house where you are not allowed to go?

Go visit Bozo over at Pet Pride to link up your pet post or find more.

Share this:

We're Thankful The Browns Finally Won A Game!

2011-11-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

The Browns actually won, but barely. It came right down to the end again, but this time they held on to beat Jacksonville 14-10. I was surprised they actually scored a touchdown early in the game and although they did go for a field goal once late in the game, it was ruled as missed. Depending on the camera angle, it could have gone either way and our kicker thought it was good. It went over the far right goal post so was hard to tell. All in all, the Browns played well this game. Our defense really came through at the end and thanks to the Jacksonville receiver letting the ball bounce off his chest in the end zone, we won! Hope you enjoyed the video of us all watching together, except for Spunky Doodle who just isn't interested in football.

Karen and Manny reading during Browns game.

During the first half I finished reading Angel Fire and Manny joined me! Doesn't he look cute when he reads along with me?

We wish you all a happy Thanksgiving!

Share this:

Marty Mouse Goes To Church

2011-11-20T18:20:00.000-05:00

Our youth pastor spoke about how God has chosen us before the creation of the world to be His adopted children with the help of Marty, his mouse. Ephesians 1:4-5 says:

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love; Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

I loved his object lesson and having the mouse up there next to him as he preached helped keep our attention. The mouse was cute and very active, walking around his cage and spinning on his little wheel. Gerard was impressed that he actually went to buy a mouse to assist with his sermon.

The fancy mice cost $15 but the feeder mice only $5. The feeder mice are sold for the purpose of feeding them to snakes. So, the pastor chose Marty Mouse, a feeder mouse that was on its way to being snake food.

He bought the mouse, saving it from destruction just like God bought us with the blood of His only Son, Jesus to save us from destruction.
He brought the mouse home and gave it everything it needed: a cage, food, an exercise wheel, just like God gives us what we need.
The mouse became part of their family very quickly. His girls loved that mouse! They think it is very cute and like to watch it just like God wants to make us part of His family when we "choose Him back" by receiving Jesus as our Savior, accepting God's gift of forgiveness and eternal life. God watches over us too and loves us very much.
Just like the cage has boundaries for the mouse's own good-to protect it from their two cats getting to it, God gives his children boundaries found in the Holy Bible too so we can have the best life possible and don't fall into Satan's traps.

Sorry, I didn't get a picture of the mouse for you but you can actually listen to the whole message online at www.phbaptist.org.

Source: My sermon notes from Oct. 30, 2011 at Parma Heights Baptist Church. Image source: www.allfreeclipart.com

Share this:

9 Things We Learned This Week 46 of 2011 (words, rebate, giveaway, hearing, health, news, sports)

2011-11-18T05:04:00.000-05:00

Mumeration

Mumeration is a new word to me and is demonstrated in the cool video I saw over at Freaky Frugalite. It's a flock of Starlings flying together in a group. Some girls on a boat caught them on video!

Free Dog Food

Last Saturday I found out about a manufacturers deal where after I buy three bags of the Purina Joint Mobility dog food from the vet that the manufacturer will send me a check for a free fourth bag! I have to cut out a circle from the bag and include the sales receipts. Unfortunately, I had just thrown out our first bag last week but my wonderful husband dug through the garbage to retrieve it. Thanks, honey!

Treadmills

When I watch "The Biggest Loser" the trainers always tell the contestants not to hold on while on the treadmill. At "How Railings Can Derail Your Daily Workout" a professional fitness trainer explained holding on for support can cut into your calorie burn by as much as 35%! You also are not working on your core and engaging your muscles naturally. It's better to walk outside or on an indoor track. If on the treadmill, go at a slower speed and don't hold on.

Value of a Talent

Sunday I learned that in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, a talent was a considerable amount of money worth 10,000 x one denarri (a denarii was equal to one day's wages).

Cookbook Giveaway

Mountain Woman is giving away A Very Special Cookbook on her Red Pine Mountain blog. Winners will be announced November 21 so you have time to enter!

Hearing and Dogs

I found Wednesday's Free Kibble fact very interesting: "A dog can locate the source of a sound in 1/600th of a second... and can hear sounds four times farther away than us humans!" I hope you play every day like me to help shelters provide kibble for dogs and cats, but in case you don't, thought I'd share this with you here.

Health

November is National Diabetes Month! In 14 Little Changes for a Healthier Life, one that was mentioned is to drink 17 to 34 ounces of water daily. “In a 9-year French study, people who regularly consumed 17 to 34 ounces of water daily were 36 percent less likely to develop high blood sugar or diabetes than those who imbibed less. Why? When you’re dehydrated, your brain turns up production of vasopressin, a hormone that signals your liver to pump out more glucose.” I already do this; nice to know I’m doing something right!

According to 14 Little Changes for a Healthier Life, bananas help lower blood pressure because the Potassium neutralizes the sodium. Guess I’m going eat bananas regularly from now on.

Coach K

Being Duke fans, we have to mention that this week Mike Krzyzewski beat Bob Knight's record for the most college basketball wins with 903! I thought it was interesting that Bob Knight used to coach Mike Krzyzewski and was his mentor. It made it even more special because Bob Knight was at the game! I read Mike's Krzyzewski's book, Leading With The Heart and highly recommend it!

My Wonderful Husband Comes Through

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

I know it's in here.

Today is the anniversary of the day we met! Gerard and I met at Pizza Hut 15 years ago from today and he's still willing to do anything for me including hunting through the garbage! Saturday, when I bought some more of the Joint Mobility food for $17 at the vet for our dog, Abby, they gave me a manufacturers rebate coupon. The catch was that after you cut three of the proof of purchase circles from the bags and included the receipts, they would send me a check for the price of a bag. I just finished the bag that week and had already thrown in away. The vet was very nice and gave me the previous receipt as well so that if I could find the bag, I could use it as bag 1.

Found it!

When I got home, I went into the garage to hunt down that bag. In the can over the rest of the garbage was a big pile of stuff Gerard had just pulled out of our yard. I did notice another bag tied up but didn't even look in it. My wonderful husband, the "Super Duper Honey Bear" offered to get it out when I told him about the rebate deal. He said he knew where it was and apparently didn't mind digging through it even though the cat poop was mixed in there. I really didn't hold out much hope but thought it was very sweet of him to make the effort.

About 15 minutes later, he came back with the circle I needed! Isn't he wonderful? Has your husband done anything sweet or wonderful for you lately? I am so glad we found each other through Great Expectations! It certainly was worth the money!

Related posts You may find interesting:
How Gerard and I Found Each Other Through Great Expectations
Our Anniversary of the Day We Met (11/16/08)

Share this:

Abortion: Where Does It Fall--Black, White or Gray

2011-11-14T21:07:00.000-05:00

Initially, I would say abortion is a sin because it is intentionally taking a human life which is called murder. Do not kill is one of the ten commandments God gave. Certainly, God knows every fetus (Psalm 139:13-14). After all, He is the one who creates us and chose us before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4)

Then I hear the pro-choice reasons that in some cases, it is okay. Such as what if the doctors can see there will be brain damage? What if it’s an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy? What if the doctors can see physical defects? What if the mother was raped?

I’ve come to the conclusion that there are absolutes and God has not changed what sin is. In God’s eyes, there are not gray areas, only people make gray areas when something they want to do doesn’t fall in line with what God says to do. We call it “situational ethics” but God calls it sin. We rationalize and question God’s judgment but have no right to do that because God is sovereign, knows the future, has a plan and created us to do good works that he planned for us to do (Eph. 2:10).

(image source: all free clip art)

At our Women of Wonder meeting at church this month, we had a volunteer from the Cleveland Pregnancy Center speak about that organization and all the services it provides who I know personally. It was a powerful presentation because she shared her personal experience of being born to a 12-yr-old girl who was raped. She shared how the second chapter of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren helped her realize that she was not a mistake! She obviously is passionate about helping woman carry their babies full-term regardless of the circumstances.

How do you feel about abortion?

Books on this topic:
Unplanned, The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye Opening Journey Across The Life Line
Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker (deals with questioning beliefs and hating the sin but loving the sinner)
Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult (Would the mother have chosen to have an abortion had she known her daughter would have a rare disease?)The Purpose Driven Life (chapter 2) by Rick Warren

Related Posts: Will God Forgive Abortion?
Go 180

Share this:

Who Knew You Could Fit So Much In A Shoebox?

2011-11-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's time for Operation Christmas Child again! It's the project through Samaritan's Purse that gets a gift to children living in poverty areas worldwide. Samaritan's Purse was started by Franklin Graham, son of the evangelist, Billy Graham. Franklin's autobiography, Rebel With a Cause tells about its beginnings and what a story it is! Anyhow, this year we got a box together for a boy age 10-14. Every year I misjudge the amount of items that can fit in the shoebox. On my first trip to Marc's, I was a bit short so went shopping at Dollar Store for a few more items and fit everything in except one washcloth.Here is the list of everything we fit in our little shoe box:

1 Broncos football jersey

3 white t-shirts

1 pair of sox

1 bag of balloons (hey, they're fun!)

1 Nerf ball

1 toothbrush

1 Colgate toothpaste

2 washcloths

3 packs of gum

1 pen

1 notepad

1 cute rubber lizard

1 bag of Skittles (can't send chocolate)

Our church is a collection location and participates in this project every year. Last year our small Adult Bible Fellowship (Adult Sunday School class) all worked together to pack boxes which was a fun project! Here's is the link to the Operation Christmas Child page where you can learn more and participate too! If you donate the $7 for postage online, you get a barcoded label for your box that they can track to let you know where your box went.

Share this:

5 Things We Learned This Week 45 of 2011 (cats; blogging; Paterno; Pregnancy)

2011-11-11T05:59:00.000-05:00

Brushing Cat's Teeth

To protect your cat's health and save a lot of money and worry, it's a good idea to brush your cat's teeth every day. Easier said than done, but here is a link to a video that gives a strategy for getting started: Brushing Your Cat's Teeth. I think it's definitely worth a try.

Parker Adopted!

Parker, the black cat I featured on Rescue Me In Memory of Grampa J to participated in Mayzie's Remembrance of their Grampa J was adopted from Kitten Krazy so I put up another black cat!

Joe Paterno

After so many years of coaching Penn State and being the winningest college coach ever, Joe Paterno got fired! What a sad end to his legacy. At least now Tressel and Ohio State are not the top news in college football anymore.

The Cleveland Pregnancy Center

The Cleveland Pregnancy Center offers many kinds of assistance to the pregnant, parents, and post-abortive individuals and families including spiritual counseling. They offer free and confidential pregnancy testing, free ultrasounds, material assistance, courses on infant development, childbirth and Bible Studies that focus on applying God's truths in His Word to every day living. They also provide a father's outreach program, including individual and group male mentoring. I plan to do a whole post about this. They have a 24-hour help line 7 days a week: 1-800-395-4357.

For more fragments or to link up your own, visit Half-Past Kissin' time.

Share this:

We Have It So Tough by Spunky, Manny and Abby (Writers Workshop)

2011-11-10T05:44:00.001-05:00

Just so you know, we all like living with Karen and Gerard very much. The perks and good times far outweigh these few complaints mentioned below. The only reason we brought them up was to participate in Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop prompt: A day in the life of your pets...how bad do they have it?

Riding on the Stuffed Turtle, Zippy

Spunky Doodle says my life is tough because:

·        I have to wait to be fed last and then I have to work toget my food out of the little Kong.
·        Manny sometimes chases me and it’s a constant battle for me to make sure he knows I am the boss around here.
·        Our humans remove me when I am comfortably lying on the new living room chair.
·        I get blamed for everything that goes wrong around here.
·        Gerard always yells at me to get away if I try to read with him at the table.

(If you missed the video of me having fun before Karen left for work, I hope you will watch it: Fun Before Work by Spunky Doodle)

I'm waiting for my breakfast!

Manny says my life is tough because:

·        I can’t go outside on the porch anymore. My other house used to have a high porch that I could lay out on in the sun. I miss that sometimes.
·        Sometimes I am tricked into going in the pet taxi and then find myself at the vet!
·        I hate being picked up and sometimes Karen gets it in her head to do that. It really makes me mad!
·        When I go to bed next to Karen’s legs, she’ll sometimes move them and disturb my sleep or Gerard will pull at the covers and flip me off!
·        When I get all comfy lying on Karen watching TV with her on the couch, she gets up only to lie down again on the bed. Why can’t we just sleep on the couch together all night?

(If you missed the video about how good I am, hope you will watch it: My Good Boy, Manny )

Starting on a Walk . . . finally!

Abby says my life is ruff because:

·        I do a lot of waiting around for my humans—they are gone a lot and won’t let me outside without them at the end of my leash.
·        I do not have any other dogs to play with and the cats won’t let me play with them. They run away if I try.
·        I am not allowed to curl up on the new living room chairs even though they are very comfy.
·        My humans wake me up at 4:30 a.m.! How silly is that?
·        Karen put up cardboard around all the litter boxes so I can’t get my cat poop treats anymore. See: Litterbox Fences Solve Poop Problem

(Woof, Woof! I have a video too I hope you will watch: Why Is Abby So Excited?)

Share this:

My Good Cat, Manny Boy and Rescue Me Week

2011-11-08T19:36:00.000-05:00

This being Shelter Appreciation week, I want to encourage you to get a cat (or two or even a dog), especially if you don't have any yet. We love our pets very much and are so happy we brought in each one--we've had three--each one different but all loveable and wonderful companions! This video stars Manny (although Spunky Doodle and me are in it some too). When Manny saw me do one of Spunky Doodle, he wanted one about him too. I can't blame him, he's such a good cat!

Over at Mayzie's Dog blog, to honor their Grampa J who loved pets, they are encouraging everyone to post a pet who needs a home on your blog and next week they will draw five participants and donate $100 to an animal rescue of their choice!

All these are at the Parma Animal Shelter on State Rd. in Parma, Ohio where we got our first cat, Moe, from:


Looks like a little Manny!

LEXI Domestic Short Haired Black/Grey Tabby Male Cat Arrived at the Shelter: 08-17-11 Date of Birth: 06-15-11

Meet Trigger! He is a male Min-Pin/Beagle Mix who weighs 32 lbs. His owner had to move away and could not take him. He is 3 years old, and was born in August 2008. Trigger is one happy boy! He is neutered, and up to date on shots. Trigger loves everyone and is a friendly dog. He is good with other dogs, cats, and loves people. He would make a great family pet! He would love a fenced in yard to run around and expend his playful energy.

A Spunky Doodle Look-alike!

GINNY Weasley-- Domestic Short Haired Black and White Female Cat Arrived at the Shelter: 07-15-11 Date of Birth: 05-27-11 Siblings: Ron Weasley

Here's the link to Mayzie's if you want to participate too: Big Announcement

Visit Petfinder.com to find a homeless pet in your area that you could provide a good home for--that's how we found Abby!

Share this:

Fun Before Work by Spunky Doodle

2011-11-08T05:30:00.000-05:00

I am a very brave kitty cat and love to try new things, unlike my humans who like their routine. I was just sitting on the rocking chair watching Karen at the computer before she went to work when I got a brilliant idea! I looked up and started thinking about jumping way up high to the top of the secretary. Karen looked over so I shared my thoughts with her. The rocking chair though moved too much. I knew I couldn't jump from it and shared my problem with Karen who switched chairs so I could do the jump. I got up my courage and went for it. I made it! It is a really good view up there but not much room and Karen asked me nicely not to knock ther stuff off the top so I didn't. When I jumped, the chair turned so the back was farther away. I made it without getting hurt, but the cassettes sure made a lot of racket when the chair hit the table they are on. Now, what will my next adventure be?

What about you? Have you had any adventures lately?

Stop by Pet Pride for more pet posts or link up yours.

Share this:

I Am Such An Idiot!

2011-11-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Come again!

I was a nervous wreck a couple Fridays ago because I had to take off work for some follow-up tests: a bone density, a bone scan and a CAT scan which would take all morning. The doctor said if the insurance wouldn’t cover them, they we would skip them which makes me think they really aren’t necessary. I was instructed not to eat anything after 6 a.m. since my tests were scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. I truly believe that both hospitals and veterinarians have such great technology now that they just like to use it any chance they can, whether it's really necessary or not. (What do you think about this?)

Gerard gets back from walking our dog between 5:30 and 6:00 usually and then I eat with him so in my mind I figure I can just keep my normal routine so didn’t give it anymore thought. But they didn’t get back until after 6 a.m. that day and so I ate some yogurt before remembering I wasn’t supposed to eat after 6:00 a.m. Oops, oh no! The thought of going without breakfast does not sit well with me. I like breakfast and am used to eating throughout the morning.

Abby and Karen

After blowing up at myself for being such an idiot, yelling how stupid I am at the top of my lungs, I realized ~~it was all Abby’s fault~~. I realized that I shouldn’t let it ruin my day. After all, getting upset won’t turn back the clock—what’s done is done. Psalms 118:24 popped into my head which says: This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. So, I chose to praise God and trust Him to help me through and started thinking where I wanted to go for a good lunch. My mood quickly improved.

As it turned out, all I had to get was the bone density test because the insurance authorization hadn’t come through for the other two. Guess those will get done another day. I was out of that hospital within an hour and had my normal breakfast as soon as I got home. The rest of the day was great and still enjoyed a good lunch at Cracker Barrel!

Don’t let circumstances steal your joy, rejoice in the Lord and have a good day!

What scripture has popped into your head recently? Do you get mad at yourself when you forget things too or is it just me? (Now I understand how my dad felt when he used to always forget things; not always, but often.)

Related Post: Sunday Snippets: Why Praise God?Share this:

Sunday Snippets: Why Praise God?

2011-11-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Praising God somehow brings about an inner satisfaction. Praise gets our focus on God and off ourselves which can greatly improve our mood.

My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. Psalm 63:5 (New American Standard Bible "NASB")

You can always praise God for His love because nothing can separate us from it.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 8:38-39 (NASB)

You can always praise God for his help.

For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. Psalm 63:7 (NASB) and

so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID, WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?" Hebrews 13:6 (NASB)

You can choose to always praise God like David did:

I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63:4 (King James Version)

Be sure to come back tomorrow to see a good illustration of how this really works in my life.

Source: 10/23/11 Sermon Notes, message by Pastor Dan Barfell.

Share this:

5 Things We Learned This Week (candy, animals, boxes, stores)

2011-11-04T05:31:00.002-04:00

Kit Kats

Manny compares the sizes

Kit Kats is one of my many favorite candy bars which I chose to give out on Halloween to our few trick-or-treaters. I thought I was buying two bags of the small size with the two wafers but was surprised that one bag even had a mini size with only one wafer! It seems like candy just keeps getting smaller and smaller but more expensive! I used the mini-sized ones for the tiny tots and gave out several to the older kids when I ran out of the small size.

Meerkat Image from Widipedia

Meerkats

On the bookmark we got at the zoo it had this interesting fact: "The dark markings around meerkats' eyes act like built-in sunglasses. They reduce glare, helping them see far into the distance." Did you know that? I wonder if it's the same for raccoons.

Boxes

Over at Red Pine Mountain I learned that there are special boxes for mailing birds! They are huge! Follow the link Don't You Love Mail to see it for yourself.

Thrift Nation

Parma Heights, Ohio, Pearl Rd.

I went into Thrift Nation, a second-hand store in Parma Heights, Ohio, for the first time this week and was surprised at how many nice things they had very cheap! I was even more surprised to find out that they give their profits to help support a Childrens home in El Salvador that is run by the store manager's sister. The store also partners with Love, Inc., a non-profit organization that helps families in need.

Shelter Appreciation

Mr. Moe

Do you know what next week is? According to my calendar, it is Animal Shelter Appreciation Week November 6-12. We got our first cat, Moe, from the Parma Animal Shelter when they had him at PetSmart. He was a great cat, 8 years old when we got him.

Find more Friday Fragments or link up your own at Half Past Kissin' Time.Share this:

12 Things I’ve Done That You Probably Haven’t (writers workshop)

2011-11-03T05:28:00.000-04:00

This week I modified Mama Kat's Writers Workshop prompt a bit. It was to list 22 things we have done but as you can see, I’ve changed it to just 12 things I’ve done that I doubt you have ever done.

I'm in the back--King's Island

I Rode an elephant (at King's Island). (A Long Drive Out of My Comfort Zone)

I Rode a camel (at the Cleveland zoo).

I’ve taught grades 3-12 in Sunday School over the years and did some camp counseling at two different camp grounds (AWANA Scholarship camp and Beulah Beach) during some of my vacations..

Our AWANA Grand Prix race with track that my dad built.

I’ve held all of the following positions in AWANA clubs: Commander, Director, Secretary and Leader and earned the Citation Award for completing all the books. (Harry's Most Fun Project--The AWANA Grand Prix)

I wrote and self-published two books: My Funny Dad, Harry and Abby Finds a Good Home.

I participated in a small group Bible study that met at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday mornings for four years (yes, I'm a morning person).

During my teens, I was on a Bible Quiz team and as an adult I coached several teams. We quizzed against other Christian and Missionary Alliance churches.

I took a Creative Movement class at Malone College and learned to square dance. It was fun!

I wore a baseball cap and tennis shoes with my wedding dress (not at the wedding though).

I got rid of our stove and now do not have one in our kitchen, just a microwave. (Living With No Stove--A Good Decision)

Reading at the zoo

I’ve read 85 books so far this year and over 586 in my lifetime. (Who keeps track of how many books they read? Avid book loves on Shelfari, that's who. It's a great website for book lovers!)

I put my pizza in the cupboard instead of the refrigerator . . . not once, but twice! (Foolish Things: Where Does the Pizza Go?)

So, am I right or have you done some of these too? What have you done that I probably haven’t?

Share this:

Tutoring a Fourth Grader

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

I volunteered to tutor this year through a partnership with a school at work. I take turns with another co-worker going every other week. I tutor a 4th grade girl named Sashay. It’s a small school and when we got there, there was some confusion as to who should go where. In the hallway right outside the office was a fish tank and some turtles! I thought that was pretty neat.

The fourth grade class is in the basement and the class was all at lunch with only the three students who were being tutored in the room with the teacher. I was relieved to see the room was fixed up nicely with bright lighting. It being in the basement, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

the basement

Sashay was having a hot dog, a few fat French fries, and a strawberry fruit cup for lunch. It didn’t look very good to me, except for the fruit cup which she didn’t even finish. We read a short essay about bats, did a vocabulary worksheet with prefixes, and some phonics papers. I was glad to see they are still teaching phonics in schools. This particular school I noticed also teaches cursive handwriting. I know some don’t. Sashay was a delight! She was friendly, cooperative, and seemed interested in her work. I look forward to going back again!

This reminded me of my old elementary school but at least I didn't have my class in the basement! What a different atmosphere though from Parma Heights Christian Academy, although inside the classroom itself the desks were up-to-date, it was cheerful and a very nice room with computers. Did you ever tutor? What was your school like?

Share this:

Comment For Charity: St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital

2011-11-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who contributed to our 149 comments during October. We will donate $75 to Samaritan's Purse to help the hungry in Africa. It's also time to pack a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child!

For November, we will donate 50 cents per legitimate comment on all our blogs to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. St. Jude's Children's Hospital is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay.

We hope you will visit all our blogs and comment away!

Share this:

Our Favorite Reads For October

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

Gerard's Favorite for this month is The Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts

This non-fiction book is about a horse named Snowman, a plow horse, who with his owner, Harry, went on to become a world champion show jumper! The Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts has it all. The story is so good and the writing made me feel as though I was right there cheering on Snowman! I hated to see this book end; I loved it so much! I hope a movie comes out on this book. If you don't read The Eighty-Dollar Champion, you are missing out on a great story! For sure, it is in my top ten or even five for my books of the year.

Karen's favorite for this month is A Difficult Boy by M. P. Barker (Teen Historical Fiction)

I loved reading "A Difficult Boy" by M. P. Barker even though it is a teen historical fiction book set in Massachusetts in 1839. It is the story of two indentured servants, Ethan (9 yrs. old) and an orphan named Daniel aka Paddy, a few years older (who become friends and worked together to get their freedom. This book kept my interest all the way through and I felt sorry for the boys and anger towards their abusive master, Mr. Lyman, the town's well respected storekeeper. What a creep he was! My favorite part of the book though was when Daniel taught Ethan how to ride Ivy, Mr. Lyman's horse. I also liked the ending!

I highlyrecommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or stories about friendship. I think this would make a very good movie!

Visit our book blog, Grab A Book From Our Stack to see all our book reviews.

Share this:

A Child of the King

2011-10-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

Today would have been my mom’s birthday but she’s in heaven with Jesus today. I remember though her telling me about how happy she was the day she trusted Jesus as her personal Savior as a little girl. She went to church with her best friend who invited her and became God’s child the day she believed Jesus died for her and rose again and asked Him to forgive her sin and come into her heart. She went home singing: I’m a child of the king, a child of the king, with Jesus my Savior; I’m a child of the king.

I love the fact that I know I will see her again because I am a child of God too. Although I miss my mom and often wish I could talk with her, I am so thankful she was my mom. She was such a giving and caring person who had a tremendous influence on me. Today I am helping with the fall festival at church by running games and handing out candy. If mom were still alive, she would probably like to come with me to see all the costumes the kids will be wearing. She always liked to see the kids in their costumes on Halloween.

Happy birthday, mom! Miss you but look forward to seeing you again. (She died at age 75 of congestive heart failure.)

More posts about my mom you might like:
A Letter To Mom (Because I Can't Write Poems)
Mom's Six Tips To Winning Scrabble
Remembering Mom
Things My Mother Taught Me and What I Miss
Lenore, The Love of His Life
A Thanksgiving to Remember (Mom's last one)

Share this:

Things We Learned This Week 43 of 2011 (encylopedias, doctor, alarm)

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

Encyclopedias

When tutoring, we were surprised to find out that the third graders didn't know what an encyclopedia was. With the Internet, Google and Wikipedia, guess encyclopedias are pretty much a thing of the past. I have a set though!

Doctor News

My bone density test showed I have Osteoporosis in my legs and hips. Oh well. So much for the bone medicine I'm taking! The good news is though that my surgeon said I can play volleyball if I want.

Alarm

I thought I finally found out why my cell phone alarm hasn't been working to wake us up in the morning (I think). It was on snooze. Don't know how that happened! Took it off snooze but it STILL didn't work! Wonder what's going on with this. I'm glad that's my biggest problem right now! Life is good. UPDATED 10/29/11: I finally called customer care and it turns out somehow my phone was on vibrate. I reset it to tone and now my alarm worked--yea! I must have put it on vibrate and forgot to turn it back. No wonder I didn't hear my phone ring when Gerard called!

Stop by Half-Past Kissin' Time for more Friday Fragments or to link up yours.

We are giving away an audio book ("The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta) at Grab A Book From Our Stack.

Share this:

10 Things We Never Did and Never Will Do!

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

We would never . . .

get a tattoo. (although I thought they were cool when I was a kid)
Ride a motorcycle. (Always thought these were dangerous.)
Get body piercings. (Really think these look ugly!)
Smoke. (As a kid, I used to pretend once in awhile with crayons. Sometimes I had candy cigarettes but not often. That's the closest I ever came.)
Go to Las Vegas to gamble. (No desire to ever do this.)
Parachute. (At one point, I thought it would be fun but I've changed my mind.)
Buy a farm. (Too much work).
Buy a boat, go snorkeling. (We are not water people.)
Get drunk. (Never! I have a hard enough time functioning and remembering things when sober.)
Go to a NASCAR race and probably not even watch one on TV. (Just no interest here, although when I was a kid I used to watch stock car races on TV sometimes.)

What are some things you would never do?

This post was inspired by Mama Kat's writers workshop prompt: List 22 things you never did. (I shortened it just 10, you're welcome!)

Share this:

Ever Play Volleyball Like This?

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

I went to play volleyball on open gym night at church just to have some fun and get some exercise. I haven’t played for about 3-4 years, but enjoyed it. The only thing that seemed strange to me was the scoring. I always thought the game was to 15, and you had to win by two, but only the team serving scored points. It seems there is another scoring system where both teams can score whether they are serving or not and the game is to 25. The last team to hit the ball over the net gets the point, whether they served it or not. I believe they called it “rolling” scoring.

I was on the losing side both games, but they were close. My arms were pretty red and although others played more, I didn't want to be out that late. It was fun though. Afterward, I thought if I should even play because after my lumpectomy in fall of 2009, my surgeon told me to be very careful not to bump my arm or get any bites or scratches on it. I wonder how long I have to watch that because he also told me not to let anyone take my blood pressure or give me a shot on my right arm ever! Hmm. I better check with him before I play again.

Have you ever played this way? You're invited to join us on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. at Parma Heights Baptist Church next to ParmaTown Mall (across from Walgreens) if you live in the area.

Share this:

I Am A Deer--What Forest Animal Are You?

2011-10-24T05:34:00.000-04:00

Being an animal lover and liking the woods, We just had to take this quiz to find out what forest animal I am. It said we are both deer. I think every one of the personality traits describes me (Karen) a bit better than it does Gerard..

You Are a Deer

You are trusting of yourself and others. You give people the benefit of the doubt.
You are grateful for this life you've been given. You feel blessed for what you have.
You see the world through the eyes of a child. You are rarely cynical or jaded.
You are unselfconscious and totally natural in your behavior. You are free-spirited.

What Forest Animal Are You?

Take the quiz to find out and share your results in the comments.

Share this:

3 Things We Learned This Week 42 of 2011 (Health, nature, funny)

2011-10-21T05:57:00.000-04:00

Women's Health

From the Parade insert in the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, I learned the following interesting facts:

Women who eat 6-10 prunes a day have significantly higher bone density than those who eat other fruit. Prunes can help increase bone mass so I'm going to start eating them again.
Calling your mother can help reduce stress. I would love to talk to my mom but she died the end of 1999.
Women on average need between 5-6 1/2 hours of sleep each night for a long, healthy life. (Men need more, 8 hours per night average.)
More than 38% of women pay more than $20 billion per year to manage Incontinence. One way to reduce your risk is to cut down on coffee--Caffeine stimulates urine production and acts as a bladder irritant.

There is also a Men's Health quiz at www.parade.com/men.

Used by permission by My Quality Day
Woodpeckers

I thought woodpeckers just pecked at trees, but nope, wrong again. Over at "My Quality Day" I met A Woodpecker Named Murphy who made a big hole in a wood building! Another good reason to have a brick house!

Death

"Cancel Your Credit Cards Before You Die" over at Jodi's Journey was the funniest post I read this week. Plus, good advice!

Find more Friday Fragments or link up some of your own at Half-Past Kissin' Time.

Share this:

Craft Time: Making a Baby Blanket Without Sewing

2011-10-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy.--Proverbs 31:20
This was the key verse for our W.O.W. (Women of Wonder) meeting at Parma Heights Baptist Church this month. So, for our craft using our hands, we made baby blankets to donate to the Cleveland Pregnancy Center which were very easy to make—no sewing involved which is the best part! I think it would make a nice baby shower gift so I tried making one on my own. I guess this has been around for a long time but it is new to me. I bet I'm not the only one who didn't know about this great craft! Watch the video to see how easy it is (our pets all made an appearance but did not steal the show--they were very good!):

Instructions:

You need two pieces of soft material, preferably one print and one solid color.
Pin them together in the middle.
Mark a chalk line 4 ½” all around the edges.
Cut 1” strips up to the chalk line all around.
Cut out 4 1/2" squares from all four corners (I forgot to mention this step in the video), sorry.
Tie a knot with the top strip and the bottom strip directly under it and pull tight. Do every other one and then go back and do the rest.
Remove the pins without poking yourself, being careful not to leave any out where your pets or children could step on them!
Pull the sides of the blanket to stretch it out.

They also told us how to make cake pops but that involved baking so I wasn’t interested in that. Sorry, I should have paid attention just so I could have shared it with you.

What do you think of this craft? Have you made any crafts lately?

Share this:

Serving a Meal To The Homeless at the City Mission

2011-10-19T05:00:00.000-04:00

They all enjoyed the meal very much and were very polite and grateful!

Every month, Tim and his dad from our church go to prepare a nice meal at the City Mission for the homeless and I’ve wanted to go with them for a long time. The thing is that they go before I get home from work and I don’t want to drive there myself. Last Wednesday, our Bible study group went to the City Mission to help serve a meal to the homeless which was the perfect opportunity for me to go with others. I’m so glad I did and would love to go do it again!

When we got there, we saw several tiny kittens outside the door who greeted us. By the time we arrived, Tim and his dad and a couple others had everything prepared so all we had to do was serve it. By the way, Tim is a very good cook who often puts together great meals for large groups. At the CityMission in Cleveland, the homeless sit in a service first, eat and then those who want can spend the night. Each night a different church is responsible for providing the meal.

I got to deliver the food!

About 50 men came the night I went, mostly black. Their faces lit up when we brought them the food and many expressed their appreciation. Some of us filled the plates while others carried them to the men at the tables. We served a bowl of mixed fruit, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, a veal patty, a brownie with whipped cream on top and punch. They could have more as long it there was food left. Some had three helpings! There were just enough brownies for each to get only one. Some of the comments I overheard were:

“This is an all-you-can-eat buffet for free!”
“This is very good! “
Could I have another brownie?

I felt bad when I had to tell him they were all gone. I really would have liked to been able to chat with them more, but we were in a hurry to get back to the church on time. I suggested our driver bring her GPS in with here but she didn’t. I was relieved that it was still there when we got out!; I had prayed it would be. It certainly was different from my usual evenings!

Homelessness is a problem that tugs at my heart. After reading Breakfast at Sally’s by Richard LeMeux, a homeless man’s memoir, I realize homelessness can happen to anyone, especially in hard economic times. I am so thankful for our home! Two more good books about homelessness I recommend are: Can’t Get There From Here by Todd Strasser (YA), Gideon's Gift by Karen Kingsbury and Breaking Night From Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray (non-fiction). All these give good insight into the real problems the homeless have and are very interesting books.

Share this:

Bye, Bye Pie!

2011-10-17T05:47:00.000-04:00

When my husband got home from church Sunday, he found the pumpkin pie and my vitamin pill bottles and the cat treat bag on the floor! We have a pretty good idea of who did it:

Spunky says "How do you know it was me?"

Spunky Doodle must have become frustrated when she couldn’t get into the treat bag and decided to clear off the counter top! She’s such a Spunkster—that’s what I love about her! She is always entertaining and keeps me on my toes. Spunky takes after Gerard--he likes clear tables and counters too!

Fortunately, the lid stayed on so we could still eat the pie and the pill lids were on tight so none fell out. Good thing because human pills can be toxic for pets.

Link your pet post to Bozo's Pet Pride. Based on comments, this is my best post of the week! Click on the Serenity Now badge to find more great posts of the week.

Share this:

8 Things We Learned Thi Week 41 of 2011 (dogs, TV, blogging, blind, crafts)

2011-10-14T05:35:00.000-04:00

Our Dog

Abby has arthritis in her hip and back legs. Hopefully new food and some medicine will give your relief! The good new is her blood work and everything else is all good. Abby wrote about her new food at We Like our New Food!

Dogs Jumping Rope

Through playing Freekibble this morning, I discovered that dogs can jump rope, something mine has not learned to do . . . yet. I can't even jump rope! This video shows 13 dogs jumping rope all together on one rope! It looks like the dogs are having a great time too!

Columbus Day

I learned from Daisy and Harley why there are so many sales on Columbus Day but think you need to see for yourself at Daisy The Curly Cat's Monday Funnies.

Red Zone Channel

The Red Zone Channel (RZC on DirectTV) is very cool because it shows all the potential scoring plays of all the Sunday football games. It jumps around the league to show the games of teams who are close to scoring (in the “red zone”). Last Sunday was the first time I actually watched it with Gerard. It was a fun way to see great plays!

Blogger

The “compose” screen in Blogger is supposed to show how the post will actually look when published, but when doing “How To Choose Quality Pet Food” this week, I found out that what showed as perfect in the “compose” screen actually showed quite differently when posted. I had pasted a draft post from my email with text boxes and ended up having to remove the text boxes and just retype the information.

The Blind

In reading Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson, I learned the following plus so much more:

In scouting, I thought Eagle Scout was the highest honor but there is an honor society called “Order of the Arrow” that recognizes cheerful service to others.

There is Braille music.

If a blind person has the right technology, they can do almost anything sighted people do. There are blind people who do rock climbing, ride horses, climb mountains, teach school, are attorneys, engineers. About the only two jobs they cannot do are being a professional athlete and jobs involving driving vehicles.

The blind can “hear” inanimate objects by echolocation. By tapping the white cane, a blind person can hear a change in the noise when tapped in front of objects because the sound waves bounce off—making an echo kind of the same way bats make sound to navigate based on the sound waves because they can’t see so well (kind of like a radar system).

Craft

baby blanket made without sewing

I learned how to make a blanket without sewing at our W.O.W. meeting last night at church. We made some baby blankets to give to the Cleveland Pregnancy Center. A post on how to do it will be coming soon.

Cucumbers

There are many uses and benefits of cucumbers. So many that I wrote a whole post listing them: 13 Things You Should Know About Cucumbers.

Find more Friday Fragments or link up some of your own at Half-Past Kissin' Time.

Share this:

13 Things You Should Know About Cucumbers

2011-10-13T06:00:00.001-04:00

I got these items (facts?) about cucumbers in an email and thought they were interesting. I don’t know if they are true or not, but thought I would share them with you.; Can you vouch for any of them?

1) Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2) Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

(I think this is true—cucumbers do perk me up.)

3) Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing spa-like fragrance.

4) Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

(Don’t know if this will work or not, but must try it. At the very least, we get a pie out of it to get the aluminum pie tin!)

5) Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!

6) Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!

(This is a problem we don’t have since we don’t drink alcohol—guarantees no hangover!)

7) Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explorers for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8) Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe; its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9) Out of oil and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10) Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11) To remedy bad breath, take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemicals will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

(Who carries a cucumber with them?)

before cucumber treatment

after cucumber treatment

12) Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the faucet, sink or stainless steel you want to clean; not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won’t leave streaks and won’t harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13) Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls.

(I tried this with ink on paper and it didn't work--just made the paper wet.)

Share this:

RIGHT WHERE WE BELONG

5 Things We Learned This Week 5 of 2012 (food, charity, birds, news, celebrities)

Einstein's

Cat Appreciation Month

Count Birds

Jim Tressel

Guide Dogs

Thank You All Who Commented for KIVA!

It's A Doggie Bagel by Abby

Our Favorite Reads For January: "Impulse" and "Legend"

Gerard's favorite read in January was Impulse by Hellen Hopkins:

Karen's favorite for January was Legend by Marie Lu:

3 Steps To Get Out Of Credit Card Debt

Managing God's Resources

4 Things We Learned Week 4 of 2012 (reviews, money milk, Facebook)

Amazon Book Review

Practical Plan for Getting Out of Credit Debt

Milk

Bartels and Busack Pet Hospital

One Less Blog To Do

My Tubes Are Out by Abby

AWW Mondays

I'm Stuck In Memorizing But Not In Applying It

Welcome Home, Abby!

5 Things We Learned This Week 3 of 2012

This Mortal Life

No More "Chunky" Spunky

List Post Mistakes

Ruby Bridges

Punch in the Nose

On The Road To Recovery by Abby

Our Sweet Dog, Abby, Is Fighting For Her Life

6 Reasons I Like My Owl Hat

I Can Finally Wear a Dress Again

4 Things We Learned Week 2 of 2012 (Kindle, gardening, fitness, bus)

Kindle Version

Planting Bulbs

Home Workout Movement

Bus Change

Accepting a Challenge

What Is Your Healthiest Habit?

Good Thing We Had Snow!

Your Pizza Is In My Way by Spunky Doodle

6 Things We Learned in Week 1 of 2012 (eyes, cats, food, Kindle, sermons)

Gerard's Eyes

TV Show

New Year's Resolutions

New Foods

Kindle Highlighting

Sermons Online

6 New Year's Resolutions (Writer's Workshop)--UPDATED

Commenting For Charity--Doing It Again

"We Bought A Zoo" Will Make You Laugh

"War Horse" Will Make You Cry--MUST SEE!

Our Favorite Reads For December

Gerard's Favorite was These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

Karen's Favorite was True Colors by Kristin Hannah:

9 Things We Learned This Week (blogging, movies, reading,news, gifts, sports, health)

Funniest Christmas Present

Number Pad Does More Than Just Numbers

Kindness In the News

Jerome Simpson

Twitter Changes

Boosting Your Metabolism

Movies

Reading

My Best Posts Of 2011

Christmas At Our House in 2011 (UPDATED)

WOW! Most Amazing TD I Ever Saw!

A Fun Lunch At The Chocolate Bar

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

6 Things We Learned This Week (books, brain, Ecuador, blogs)

Animal Close Encounters

Brain Activity

Give A Book

Operation Christmas Child

Old Friend's Blog: Think Like A P.T.

Video From Santa

Corinthians 13 Christmas

CORINTHIANS 13 CHRISTMAS