First Thing I Thought of When I Woke Up This Morning

I was sleeping soundly until I heard a rumble outside.  I leaped out of bed at 4:50 a.m. (I normally get up at 5 a.m. anyway) and looked out my bedroom window to confirm what I thought.  Sure enough, our garbage can was being blown down the driveway!  My only thought was to get dressed as fast as possible and get those cans into the garage before all the garbage is blown all over.  We had winds up to 25 m.p.h.  I knew it was going to get windy by morning, but forgot to get the cans in.  I think it only took me five minutes to get dressed and was happy to find it was 61 degrees and all the garbage was still inside the cans!  What a great way to start the day--really got my blood pumping!

Participating in Writer's Workshop. 

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5 Things That Put Me in a Better Mood Instantly

Here are the things that instantly put me in a better mood:

Sunrises

Clear Blue Skies

1)  I love getting up early enough to see the sunrise.  It reminds me that God's mercies are new every morning and he has given us another day.  Also, a sunny day with clear blue skies always helps me mood.  All I need to do is look up and enjoy the view.  It's very calming.

petting my cat, Spunky Doodle

Boxing my Kindle cord

2)  My cat Spunky Doodle always improves my mood when I take time to pet her.  Also, when she does cute things like hide under blankets or rugs, go in new places like the sink, refrigerator, cupboard.  When she is in play mode, I enjoy playing with her with a shoelace on the bed or ping pong ball on the steps, or spinning her in a chair.  We've played lots of different games over the years.  Even when I just see a cat in someone's window or yard while we walk in our neighborhood, it puts me in a better mood!  I love cats!

favorite cookies

Pizza, my favorite food

3)  Good food always improves my mood.  I used to eat pizza 4 days a week, but stopped when I had to watch my salt intake to lower my blood pressure and besides, my husband would get heart burn from it.  Now I only have it on rare occasions.  My husband and I both enjoy the Pinwheels though.  He surprises me sometimes by bringing me one of these now and then.  Chocolate and marshmallow has always been a favorite combination for me since I was little and my grandma introduced me to marshmallow eggs at Easter!

A good Pinochle hand--a run, aces around and double Pinochle (doesn't get much better)

Beating my record high game on Word Wipe

Making a good shot in Pickleball, leading to winning

Making a great shot on the golf course leading to making par

Watching the Browns actually win a game!

4)  Winning always puts me in a better mood instantly!  Doesn't really matter what it is.  I love playing games and when I win, it always improves my mood.  I haven't golfed for a long time because my husband does enjoy it and it takes a lot of time to do (for me) and is pretty expensive.  I hope to go again though sometime.  I used to love bowling too, especially when I was the anchor on my team and finished strong in the tenth frame to pull out a win.

5)  Yes, I must admit, even my dog, Roxy, puts me in a better mood instantly at times.  I love seeing her energy when she gets the zoomies in the house, or starts running after rolling in the grass.  Sometimes I encourage her to run through the house.  I feel bad we can't let her run free outside since we have a small yard that isn't even fenced.  When I used to sleep in while she went on her morning walk with my husband, she would come running in to greet me with jumping on the bed and giving me a big sloppy kiss.  I no longer sleep in but join her for her early morning walks but we do enjoy porch time together!

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10 Things That Make Me Happy (Writer's Workshop)

These 10 things all make me happy:

Sunshine and temperatures in mid 70s to mid 80s

My Husband

Seeing animals (cats, dogs, squirrels, etc.)

A cat on my lap

When my Sunday School class goes well and kids seem to enjoy it

Playing pickleball . . . even happier when I win!

Some Pickleball Friends at Elmwood Park

Easy work day when things work as they should and I do not have to wait on anything

A really good book that I hate to put down

Watching a happy movie

Seeing people win on game shows

Stop by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop for more writing prompts and to visit other blogs.

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Share a Photo that Best Represents Your June (Writer's Workshop)

I am so glad my husband and I discovered the game of Pickleball--it is great exercise and a lot of fun!  I enjoyed teaching others to play so that they could teach kids to play at our Focus Sports Camp in June at Parma Heights Baptist Church.  I had the privilege of being the Pickleball director in June when we added the sport for the first time this year.

Practicing dinking (ball bouncing in kitchen close to net)

It is an easy game to learn but one that has lots of aspects to practice and improve.  It is a game of patience, ball control and strategy that all ages can enjoy!  It was fun seeing how fast the kids at sports camp caught on and were playing some close exciting games by the third day!

 
Pickleball is played with paddles slightly bigger than ping pong paddles and with a whiffle ball. It is played on court the same size as is used for badminton, much smaller than a tennis court so involves less running.   It is very similar to tennis in strategy but the serve must be underhand and the service box is positioned in the back of the court as opposed to the service box in tennis at the front of the court.  Pickleball has a couple quirky rules such as the double-bounce rule and not volleying the ball in the kitchen area or the "non-volley zone (the area 7' from the net).  The double-bounce rule is simply that you must let the ball bounce once before hitting it on the serve and the return of serve.  A game is to 11 points but you only score when your side is serving and must win by 2.

The game can be played indoors or outdoors.  Outdoors is harder due to the wind and sun, but it just makes it a bit more challenging.  To view some actual games or to learn to play, just do a search for pickleball on YouTube.  There are tons of short video clips describing how to execute specific shots as well as actual tournament games.

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America!  Have you played yet?  If not, what are you waiting for?  Join the fun!

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The Joy in My Present Moment (Writer's Workshop)

I am currently in the midst of a joyous time so when I saw this was one of Mama Kat's prompts for Writer's Workshop this week, I decided to join in.  Also, because I have found so much joy lately that I have been neglecting this blog!

First, I am having a blast making videos for the Booktube community.  My subscribers are few, but I seem to pick up one or two a day and am not worried about how many I have as long as I enjoy it and am finding some good books to read through it as well as more "virtual" friends.  My channel (if you would like to subscribe, is http://youtube.com/kzemek.  I am excited about learning more about this fine art of editing videos and this week discovered how to add layers to my pictures I want to use for my thumbnail.

Second, I found a two new groups on Goodreads related to the Booktube community called Top 5 Wednesday and Tuesday Talks.  Bloggers could also use these sources for inspiration for blog posts too or even just participate by leaving comments related to the topics.

Third, my Sunday School party was a lot of fun and when I offered the book I wrote in my dad's memory (My Funny Dad, Harry) to the kids, they all were eager to read it.  The very next day, two of them mentioned they were reading it and what parts they were up to.  The one kid shared a funny thing from it to his mom and she laughed too!  I did not write this book to become an "author" or make money (which is a good thing because it's really hard to sell self-published books).  I wrote it to share my wonderful dad with the world in the hope that people would enjoy the funny things he did as well and cherish the people in their lives.  By sharing how God helped me through the difficult time after his death, I hope others will trust in Jesus as their Savior as well.  It's such a blessing and comfort to know I will see him again one day.

Fourth, today we are donating some junk items to Parma Heights Christian Academy's garage sale so
it's always nice to get rid of clutter!  If you are in the area, this is a huge garage sale but for only one day, this Saturday.  Check it out and I'm sure you'll find some treasure you would like!

Fifth, we are getting new blinds for three windows today!  The torn curtain will come down and the naked dining room window will finally get dressed!

What is bringing you joy today?

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Falling Bricks and Bus Adventure In One Day!

Some of the Bricks that fell the day before.

On Monday, when I went out walking on my break, the PNC bank building at the corner of  E. 6th and Vincent lost some bricks from the top corner of it.  They came crashing down into the street and on the sidewalk below.  I actually walk down this street sometimes when I go to work or when I go out walking on my break.  Fortunately, no one was hurt which is pretty amazing.  There was a LOT, it was a much bigger pile than what is shown in this picture above--they covered a good section of the street when it first happened.  I didn't have my camera with me Monday, so took some pictures the next morning.  I found myself walking on the sidewalk close to the street rather than right next to the buildings.

Top of the building that fell apart

You can see in this picture where the top of the building broke off.  The road was closed and emergency vehicles and police cars were all over.  Traffic going home from work was terrible because drivers would block the intersection so no one could get through.

Tall building

My bus sat for 30 minutes in traffic trying to get through the intersection.  It started raining too which did not help.  Those of us waiting for the bus cheered when it finally made it through.  It was half an hour late coming and then, we just go a couple blocks and the driver announces that her shift is over, she's not going to drive in this traffic any more and is going home.  She called for another bus driver to come but there were no free drivers available.  We just sat for about another 20 minutes or so for the next bus to come.

I didn't really mind too much because I called to let Gerard know I'd be late, I had a book to read and no plans to go anywhere when I got home.  One of the other lady passengers went on a tirade though, yelling at the bus driver saying she's the worst driver she ever had!  She kept going on and on about how if she has to work late, she does.  She kept on rambling about how awful RTA is and how she would never get away with that attitude on her job.

I thought it was hilarious. 

Joining in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop with the prompt:  Tell us about a local news story that's all a buzz in your neck of the woods right now.

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Zoo Day - A Bit Too Crowded and Too Bright

My husband and I went to the Cleveland Zoo yesterday.  In the morning, before we arrived, a parent dangled their little kid over the edge of the cheetah exhibit and the kid fell in!  Fortunately, the cheetahs did not bother coming near them, but what a stupid thing to do.  The zoo is charging them with child endangering and I'm glad about that!  (See News Article at WKYC Channel 3--some people actually blamed the zoo!)

We went in the afternoon since it was such a beautiful day!  The temperature was near 70 and the sun was shining so it was very comfortable.  I wanted my husband to shoot some short video clips of me recommending some animal books for my YouTube channel that I could edit into a video (Fast Five Animal Fiction Part 1).

Sounds easy, right?  Wrong!

• First, it was SO crowded! we had a hard time finding a quiet place to line up the shot so Gerard could get both me and the animal in it. 
•  Second, we managed to get a few done but the bears were disappointing.  Both Grizzlies were actually lying together in a dugout hole and no other bears were on exhibit.  
• Third, The flowers weren't in bloom, there was lots of construction going on all over the zoo, including the giraffe exhibit so we we couldn't shoot the video I had planned by them.
• Fourth, it was so bright that we really couldn't see the Flip camera screen outside to see if we had the shot lined up well.

The animals of the day though were the otters and I did manage to get a selfie of us in front of the elephants without being able to tell if it was on record or not.  We plan to go back again Friday when I have a day off to do some more.  I figure it will be much less crowded and maybe not so bright.  Some clouds would be appreciated.

Joining in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop with the prompt:  Tell us about a local news story that's all a buzz in your neck of the woods right now.

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Throw Back Time (Writer's Workshop)

1st Grade - Did not want my picture taken!

Talk about serious!  Did you ever see a more serious first grader?  This is me in my favorite dark blue navy dress before I got my glasses and when I was the only child in our family.  I think I look pretty tough in this picture like I'm thinking, "better not mess with me!"   I like this picture of me--it really captures my personality at the time.

 

4th Grade with a smile

Then, I go from that to worse!  By fourth grade, I looked like this.  I absolutely hate this picture of me.  My mom liked curls but went a bit overboard for my taste.  I didn't like this dress either and the glasses make me look dorky I think.  I did smile for this picture, trying to make myself look nicer.

By this time, I knew Jesus as my personal Savior and wasn't too worried about my appearance.  One of my favorite verses at this point in my life was I Samuel 16:7 which says:

But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. (KJV)

 Which picture do you like better?

Used Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompt:  Throwback time:  share an old class photo of yourself. Why not join in and share one of your old class photos too? (or one of the other 4 prompts if you like)

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Wardrobe Malfunction (Writer's Workshop)

Here is a picture of my wardrobe malfunction which happened last summer.  I have my Eyeore "Chocolate Makes Me Smile" nightshirt on with my light blue shorts and my furry slippers.  I do not like going barefoot.  When my husband saw me in this outfit, he busted out laughing and said he had to take a picture.   I wouldn't wear this outside, but for bumming around the house, it was quite comfortable.

So, let me know what you think of my outfit.

Joining in with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompt:  "Write about a wardrobe malfunction."

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A Perfect Easter (Writer's Workshop)

Our Easter was perfect!  It started of with a uplifting and enjoyable church service followed by participating in a puppet presentation for children in grades 1-6.  We did it twice and the first time, one of the boys in my Sunday School class prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior and I was able to pray with him and got him a Bible since he said he didn't have one.  I brought home some palm branches that I let our cats enjoyed jumping for and chewing on for awhile before I set them up outside on the porch.

It was a beautiful day--sunny and in the 70s!  My hubby and I played two sets of tennis, then took our dog, Abby, to West Creek Park for a great walk through the woods.  It was cool because we were in the woods, but still in the sunshine because the leaves were not yet on the trees.  (Wish I had my camera along, but I didn't.)

Hope you had a wonderful Easter too!

This post brought to you in response to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompt:  Easter Recap.

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What Are 5th Grade Boys Thankful For?

I teach a Sunday School class of 5th grade boys so last week we played a little game like Scattegories. I asked them to write down things they really are thankful for in three minutes and for every item on your list that no one else had, they got a point. (The one with the most points got a piece of candy.) Here are some of the things they are thankful for:

No. 1 answer: God/Jesus, family, food
No. 2 answer: house/home
No. 3 answer: animals/pets, water, school/teachers
No. 4 answer: friends/clothes

Then came the original things:

Bible, life, air, plants, electricity, technology, iPods, cars, trucks, holidays, forgiveness, laughter, art, girls, love, paper, nature, colors, Steve Jobs, Guy who created skateboards, guns, good health, heaven, oxygen, photosynthesis, the President, government, light, snow, church, milk, warmth/heat, and toys.

I thought they did a very good job on their lists!

Things I am thankful for that haven't already been mentioned are:

answered prayer, my husband, a good job, steady employment, indoor plumbing, blue skies, cooks, restaurants, stores, sports, buses, and that I live in the USA.

When  I see pictures and hear about the poor living conditions many people around the world deal with every day, it breaks my heart.  That is why I love going through the World Vision, Samaritan's Purse and The Jesus Film Catalogs that list many needy projects and choosing ones I want to donate to.  Instead of ordering another wool shirt that cost $105 for my husband who already has lots of shirts and several others I am buying for him, I donated that $100 to World Vision where my donation is multiplied by 8 for Christmas gifts which include: 

• Nutritious food
• Warm clothes
• Sturdy boots
• Books, toys, and games
• Vital medicines
• And more

Now that was money well spent!  I hope you will join me in this.

Joining up with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop:  Something you are thankful for. 


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Baked French Toast is Yummy! (Writer's Workshop)

Today I am cheating a little bit on Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompt:  Bake Eat something yummy and share the recipe.

Baked French Toast

The last time I went to a Cleveland Indians game we had Club Seats where all the food you can eat is complimentary!  For the first time in my life, I found baked French Toast.  It was in a pan like a casserole and being the big risk taker that I am (sarcasm), I decided to give it a try because I do like French Toast.  Well, this was yummy!  So yummy that I went back again and again getting really big helpings each time.  It was like I never saw this anywhere before so this may be the last time I ever get to eat this.

When I was still thinking about it a week later, I decided to look up the recipe on Google so at least I have it if I ever would get to make it or if someone would like to make it for me (we do not have a stove).  Not only did I find the recipe, but also a video actually demonstrating how to do it at www.allrecipes.com!  Here's the recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Use a 8" x 8" pan

Dump 5 cups of cut up bread cubes in pan

Mix:
     4 eggs
     1 1/2 cup milk
     2 TBS white sugar
    1/4 tsp salt
     1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour mixture over bread cubes in pan, turning cubes over in batter.

Dot with 1 TBS butter 

Let stand 10 minutes

Sprinkle evenly over the top:
     2 TBS white sugar
     1 tsp cinnamon

Bake 45 - 50 minutes at 350 degrees

Serve warm with maple syrup

I don't think an 8" x 8" pan would fit in my toaster oven so I won't be making this anytime soon but at least I have the recipe.  Have you ever had this? 

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What's The Big Deal? (Writer's Workshop)

Today I am doing Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompt to capture a conversation you had with someone that made you laugh.

My husband and I were discussing the birth of the royal baby which went something like this:

Gerard:  Was the royal baby born yet?

Karen:  Yes, I saw something about it on Yahoo News.  I don't get why it's such a big deal though.

Gerard:  It is a big deal!  He's royalty-he's going to be a future king and never have to work a day in his life..

Karen:  Oh, I think he will, he'd be bored.  Do they still have a king who rules over there?

Gerard:  No, the royal family doesn't make any governing decisions.

Karen:  Well then who does? 

Gerard:  The Prime Minister who is like our President.  The royal family is just a tradition.  Didn't you take history in school?

Karen:  I didn't study England history.  Now I really don't get what all the excitement is about if they don't have any authority?  He's going to be a king with no authority??  Aren't there two brothers ahead of him anyway?

Gerard:  Actually there's a guy ahead of William but this baby passes up Harry because Harry is married.

Karen: Wait, that's not fair! That makes no sense at all! (laughing)

Gerard:  Good night.

Next day:

Gerard:  It's nice to have something happen that makes a lot of people happy for a change.

Karen:  True.

When I saw the pictures of all the people outside the palace on Yahoo news, I couldn't believe it!  People actually made a special trip to be there, even people from other nations!  I really don't see why this is such a big deal.  It did get me wondering how the birth of Jesus would have been different had he been born in this decade.  I wonder if He would have been in the news throughout the world.

What do you think about all the hoopla about the birth of the royal family baby, Prince George?

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Instructions for How To Make A Western Vest From a Paper Bag (Writer's Workshop)

As a kid I loved anything related to cowboys so would have loved our VBS this year which uses a cowboy theme.  For the Kindergarteners, one of the suggestions was to make western vests for them to wear and add a patch to each day using a grocery bag.  Thanks, Giant Eagle, for donating the bags!  Gerard and I made 50 of these! 

1.   Get a paper grocery bag and cut it open, cutting a straight line up the back of it.
2.   Cut out a diamond shape in the center of the bottom of the bag for the head to go into.
3.   Put strips of masking tape all along the four edges of the neck to soften the edges by the neck.
4.  
   
   Cut along the side edges of the bottom of the bag.
5.   On each side of the bag starting at the bottom of the bag, cut out big arm holes.
6.   Turn the bag inside out.
7.  
   
   Cut 2" long strips around the top edge of the bag for fringe.
8. Set it aside if you have a cat, and I bet they will either enjoy sitting or lying on it!
   

Joining up with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop using the prompt:  Write a post with 12 lines.

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My Most Freqent Sites (Writer's Workshop)

Spunky Doodle and Karen at Computer Oct. 2006

There were basically only three websites I frequented when I first got a home computer back in 2006. Two I still use, but only one regularly anymore. Here they are:

Pogo.com
This is a game site where you can play for free or become a member to have access to more games and bigger prizes. I never won anything on there yet but enjoy playing a variety of games. I also like learning some new games by playing against robots or chatting with the people I play with. I still go on once in awhile, but no where near as often as I used to. This was my favorite site and even bought a t-shirt with "POGO" on the the front. (This was my favorite for a long time.)

Viewbug.com
This is a site where you can load pictures and look at everyone else's too. You can leave comments and enter photography contests. I loaded some pictures but not a whole lot and soon lost interest in it. I found it to be hard to navigate and I never really figured out exactly how everything worked.

Shelfari.com
I loved this site because I liked that I could keep track of all the books I read and liked that it displayed pictures of the covers on a shelf. When I first found this site, I also actively participated in discussion forums but don't do that so much anymore. I do still add books as I finish them (742) and also add my husband's books for him too. You can find friends on there and share book recommendations with other readers if you wish.

So, there you have it. These three sites used to keep me pretty busy.  I did not start blogging until fall of 2007.

I am using Mama Kat's Writing Workshop prompt: When you first discovered the internet, what sites did you frequent most?  Follow the link to join in.  I also used the prompt:  "Describe a talent or flaw that seems to be in your genes" on My Funny Dad, Harry blog.

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