"I Get To" Tuesdays

The thought behind this is to list a few things that could come under the category of "Ugh...I have to (you fill in the blank)". However, I want you to look at these "have to's" as blessings of "I get to". We all take for granted such things as our health, jobs, family, friends, etc. and sometimes don't appreciate them or see them as blessings as we should. So here are a few things for me this week.

Yesterday, I got to play the game Life with my two sons. Now, I really didn't feel like playing because I had one of my bad headaches again and was tired. My eyes hurt too much to even read what it said in the little spaces on the board, but the boys helped me out with that. I didn't win the game, but I received quality time with my boys! And they appreciated the fact that I played with them.

I feel like I'm a chauffeur. I get to make 4 or 5 trips a day taking my kids to their friends' houses and then picking them up again. I'm glad they have some good friends though, and they are both really good about calling and checking in with me so that I don't worry about them as much.

I got to go to our church picnic on Sunday, which is something I wanted to do. However, it was hot and humid. During the last hour we were there, I sat and watched as Eric, Sam, Coop and some others played horseshoes. I was hot, getting a headache and had to go to the bathroom but didn't want to use the port-a-potty. Still, it was fun to watch the kids learn how to play horseshoes. Especially Cooper....I was waiting for one to come down and plunk him on the head! I was uncomfortable, but it was still a blessing to be there!

That's my "I Get To" list for this week. If you decide to post your own list on your blog, please leave me a comment to let me know, and I will post a link to your blog here.

Remember, try to find the blessings in your "I Have To's" and turn them into "I Get To's"!

Pictures from Our Church Picnic

This afternoon, our church held it's picnic at the farm of one of the church families. They had oodles of miniature ponies and some regular horses too. We could just walk out into the pasture with the ponies and pet them. Several of them had babies. The kids got a kick out of picking grass and letting the ponies eat out of their hands.

Here's a mama and baby.

I was never one of those little girls who begged for a pony, but they are adorable! And they would keep our lawn mowed! That's not a convincing reason for my hubby though!

Here's one of the regular horses. It looks like a dalmatian!

The kids had fun playing badminton and horse shoes and wading in the creek. Our pastor suggested a wiffle ball game, but the adults were too hot! There was plenty of good food and fellowship for us. All in all, a fun day!

Just for Fun

I feel like I've been rather serious this week, so today I'm just posting some photos of Sam skateboarding. This is an activity that brings him much joy. Of course, these pics were taken prior to the broken foot! Our friend, Bill, took these photos for us.

Have a beautiful and blessed weekend everyone!

The King of "Pop"

Like everyone else, I was shocked to hear of Michael Jackson's death yesterday. I agree that he was a very talented artist even though his music wasn't really my taste. However, I am displeased with how everything seemed to stop last night due to his death. There are so many other important things and sad things going on in our world, and I think we are really out of balance in the way that we treat celebrities.

Please don't get me wrong...there are many celebrities whose passing has made me sad. I'm in no position to point fingers. It just worries me that our society (and the media) makes these people out to be more important than they really are, or in other words, makes idols out of them. I pray that the world will begin to pay more attention to the King of Kings rather then the King of "Pop" or anything else.

Praying When Overwhelmed

As I've gotten older and as I've furthered my walk with the Lord, I have increasingly felt besieged and overwhelmed by the amount of people presented before me who need prayer. Of course, we all need prayer, but there are so many who are facing serious, dire situations who really, really need intercession. Satan has been tormenting them, and he is the one who makes me feel so helpless when I hear each person's story.


I want to pray for everyone but feel that there aren't enough hours in the day to cover each person and situation. Sometimes I just don't even know the words to say or to cry out to our Heavenly Father, and, therefore, I remain silent. Just what Satan wants.


Then I recently read this: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. Romans 8:26-27


We are the saints that this scripture is talking about. And when we are feeling weak, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. God knows what is on our hearts and minds even when we can't speak it. Yes, He does want to hear it from our own lips, but he knows there are times when we are mute due to our human weakness. Thankfully, He has given us the Holy Spirit to do the work or utter the prayers that we just can't seem to do ourselves.


Think about it. As your children have grown, you have helped them when they've gotten stuck. Don't you think our Lord will do the same thing for us, His own children?


So if you're feeling overwhelmed and heavy laden for others or even yourself, God understands and will come to your rescue. He won't leave you "stuck". Satan's super glue is like scotch tape to God. God will easily peel Satan off of our lips and let those prayers flow from our mouths. But don't worry about your silent times. The Holy Spirit is there with groans that words cannot express.

Thankful Thursday

I'm going to get right to my thankful list today my friends!

1. I don't think it has rained in 3 days!
2. I see little tomatoes starting to grow on our plants! We've already enjoyed one round of radishes.
3. I got to be the "cool" mom and take my boys and their friends to a skateboarding demonstration/show on Monday. My older son won a skateboard deck!
4. My younger son had 3 friends spend the night on Tuesday and they DID NOT stay up until 4:30 AM this time.
5. My hubby has been super busy at work and has been getting some new clients. This is wonderful for the time being because we are living under the shadow of Pres. Obama's new health care insurance plan. Eric is a group health care insurance broker and the new Pres may put him out of business. If this happens, we can't even collect unemployment because Eric is self-employed. So any business he can get and any income he can make now is a good thing! I'd rather not have to live out of our paid for jeep.

Please click on the button above and join Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey in this Thankful Thursday!

The Potter

I was reading in Romans the other night and came across this verse: Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? Romans 9:21

It got me to thinking how I was probably made for common use. I'm not doing anything more than the next woman. I'm a wife, a mom, a daughter, a friend, a teacher....all pretty common things. When I hear about someone doing something that I and others consider to be more noble than what we common people are doing, I can feel rather down on myself.

That's where the "I get to" thoughts come into play for me. I am reminded to look at my blessings, which may seem ordinary to me, but they would mean the world to someone else. With so many marriages crumbling, I've been married for 19 years to a hard working, wonderful man. I have children; both of my parents are still living (in their 80's); I have lots of friends to have fun with and to lean on; and I really enjoy my job.

Even though I feel common, I have a feeling that I'm noble in God's eyes just because I'm His child. Hopefully, most things I do in my common life will result in noble purposes. My nobleness may not be revealed until after I go home to Him, but that's okay because that is how He molded my life.

Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

"I Get To" Tuesdays

I received several positive comments on my post last week entitled "I Get To". So I've decided to begin "I Get To" Tuesdays. The thought behind this is to list a few things that could come under the category of "Ugh...I have to (you fill in the blank)". However, I want you to look at these "have to's" as blessings of "I get to". We all take for granted such things as our health, jobs, family, friends, etc. and sometimes don't appreciate them or see them as blessings as we should. So here are a few things for me this week.

1. Yesterday, I got to take my two sons and their friends to a skateboard demonstration at a local mall. It was in the parking lot. It was hot (but no rain!), the music was WAY too loud, and the teens there were down right scary looking. There was some language I could have done without also. But my kids and their friends were very appreciative that I took them and my older son won a skateboard deck! He was thrilled because he's not known for his good luck. (Yes, he's the one with the broken foot.)
2. On Sunday, I got to finish writing all my thank you notes to my students for the gifts they gave me at the end of the year. This is always a task for me, but the kindness of the parents is a blessing.
3. This week I will get to take my older son to the doctor for some shots. Our doctor takes FOREVER. We could be there for hours, but it gives me time to just sit and read or to chat with my son. Plus, at least we have health insurance, and I'm able to take care of my son. I accidentally made this appointment for the same morning our dog has to go to the vet for his check up. So now my hubby has to take him to his appointment along with a nice fresh stool sample! (Maybe it wasn't an accident!)
4. This Sunday our church will begin its summer service schedule. This means having only one service and it starts at 9 AM. We normally go to the 10:30 service. So now through Labor Day weekend I get to wake up earlier on Sundays to go spend time with the Lord and fellowship with our church family. I'm blessed to have a church home to go to and to be able to sleep in the other 6 days of the week during the summer! I shouldn't complain about this early Sunday service. (The hubs loves the summer schedule because we're home so much earlier!)

That's my "I Get To" list for this week. If you decide to post your own list on your blog, please leave me a comment to let me know, and I will post a link to your blog here. (I don't have the time to try to figure out Mr. Linky right now!)

Remember, try to find the blessings in your "I Have To's" and turn them into "I Get To's"!

Honest Scrap Award

Just this morning, Andrea over at Arise 2 Write, awarded me the Honest Scrap Award. Andrea also has another blog entitled All Gods Creatures where she blogs about her therapy dogs. Actually, her dog, Sitka, is the one who blogs here! (How does he type without thumbs?) Andrea has a loving and open heart which she shares with her readers and with those who are sick or have special needs. This is the second time Andrea has given me an award and I just want to say, "Thank you, my dear bloggy friend!" Please pop in and visit both of her blogs.

In accepting this award, I need to do the following: 1) Say thanks and give a link to the presenter of the award. 2) Share "ten honest things" about myself. 3) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me. 4) Tell those 7 people that they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving it.

Okay, ten honest things about me:

1. I love the Lord but need to constantly remind myself to get into His word more often.


2. I am by nature an introvert. I'd rather converse in writing. I HATE talking on the phone. (I know, that's some strong language to use.)


3. Since I love God, I do push myself into more extrovert type situations in order to serve Him and to make sure I don't become a hermit!


4. I am on medication for depression and anxiety. It's something that runs in my family, and I believe it is completely a chemical imbalance. I really don't have anything in my past or present to be depressed about! I did have a miscarriage last year, but the depression and anxiety existed long before this happened.


5. I love the beach and would live there if I could afford to!


6. I live in Pennsylvania but would move back to Chesapeake, VA, at the drop of a hat. (This can also be read as, "I dislike cold weather and snow!")


7. I have two sons. Even though I grew up with all sisters and am really not a tomboy, I wouldn't know what to do with a daughter! I'm just not a girly girl.


8. Besides the Bible, my favorite book is Little Women. The only reason I wish I had a daughter is so that I'd have someone to share this book with and my Little House on the Prairie books with. (Although, my boys did watch the movie Little Women with me once! Okay, it was a rainy day and they had nothing else to do.)


9. My two least favorite household chores are dusting and emptying the dishwasher.


10. I wish I could play the piano and the flute!

Now to pass this award on to 7 bloggy friends. They are, in no particular order, the following:

1. Sara at Gitzen Girl.


2. Cindy at Army Brats and Me.


3. Kelly at Chatty Kelly.


4. Sheryl at The Perch.


5. Nan at Mom's the Word.


6. Jennifer at His Grace is Sufficient.


7. Sue at CREATE: Making Something of Today.

All of these wonderful ladies and their blogs have been a blessing to me. Please visit them for inspiration, reality and some funnies!

Hugs and Blessings to all of you today!

Letting Go of Those Babies

I'm lamenting because 1 minute ago I became the mom of a high school student, and in about 45 minutes I'll no longer have anyone in elementary school! Sigh...where does the time go?!

UPDATE:

We took the boys to Red Robin for lunch to celebrate the end of the school year!

Here's Sam trying not to smile, while Eric fights his way into the picture.

How's that lime Coop?

Thankful Thursday

I can't believe it's Thursday already! This week is flying by. Probably because my almost 3 weeks of freedom ends today! I still am feeling thankful though!

1. I am thankful that today is the last day of school for my kids. I enjoy having them home for the summer, and quite frankly, I'm always glad that they've made it through another year.
2. I am thankful for the time I did have off before the boys finished school. I got quite a few things done around the house.
3. Yesterday was my mom's 81st birthday!
4. Sam's foot didn't need a cast. He just has to wear this lovely shoe for about 4 weeks.
5. My neighbor and I have made progress in starting up a Moms In Touch group for 3 schools in our district!
6. I'm thankful for my on-line friend, Kristie, who is leading me in a Bible study geared toward women who have miscarried or lost their infant in some other way.

So what are you thankful for today? Go over to Truth 4 the Journey and join in!

I Get To

On Saturday afternoon, I drove my older son to his friend's house so that they could skateboard together. On the way over, I warned him to keep an eye out for rain because the sky was looking rather ominous. As soon as I dropped Sam off, he and his friend took off on their boards. I figured they were just going to skate around the neighborhood.

About an hour later, Sam calls me to say that he and Z are at a store near Z's house and that they have t-shirts on sale. Sam wanted to know if I would take him back there on Sunday since he didn't have any money on him. I told him yes and hung up.

On their way back to Z's house, the clouds burst open and it poured! The phone rings again. "Mom, we're at Dairy Queen and I'm soaked. Can you come pick me up, take me home to change, and then take me back to Z's?" I was in the middle of something, and I think I muttered "Crap." Then I gave a big sigh and said I'd be there in a minute.

As I was driving in the downpour, I was agitated over the fact that I had to do this. Then I stopped myself and thought, "No. I get to do this." I thought about my miscarriage and about the couples who so desperately want to have children and can't. How selfish of me to be angry over a blessing that God has given to me! As annoying as it can be sometimes to play chauffeur for my children, it is actually a blessing!

I picked Sam up, took him home to change clothes and then drove him right back to Z's house. He was planning to spend the night there. Our younger son was going to a birthday party sleepover, so the hubs and I were going to have a date night!

We had just ordered some Chinese for dinner when Sam called us again. Guess what? Now I get to joyfully wait on Sam as his broken foot heals! Gotta love our little blessings!

Growing Up

One day as I was looking at the progress our vegetable and herb gardens were making, I noticed a few things laying in the dirt. There was an army man, an airplane, a piece of a matchbox car and the nozzle used to fill water balloons.

Looking at these things made me sad. They reminded me of the two little boys who used to play in the dirt and mud in our backyard with their trucks and plastic army men. They'd build forts with sticks and rocks and dig holes, which they then poured water into. There were also many kids in our backyard having water balloon fights and squirting each other with water guns.

As I was thinking about how sad I was that these boys are growing up and exploring other interests, I thought about God. I realized that as God watches His children mature in their faith and in their walk with Him, He is elated! He doesn't want His kids to stay young and to continue to act childish. He doesn't miss His "babies" the way I do. Instead, He embraces each step we take toward maturity. God wants us to grow up.

Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity,... Hebrews 6:1

My children have to grow up in order to live the life God has planned for each of them. If I hinder their maturity, I hinder the work of God. I would create stagnation in their walk with Him and cause them to stall out on the road to eternal life. I don't want to do this. I want my boys to grow to be Godly men and to raise Godly children of their own.

So I need to let go of the plastic toys in the dirt and cheer my sons on as they walk on more fertile ground and grow into the men that God intends them to be.

Foto Friday

Today's Foto Friday theme is Summer. Well, since my kids aren't out of school yet, and we've had SO MUCH rain, I don't have any pictures that scream summer yet. So these will have to do for now.

Don't my boys look like they're having so much fun in the pouring rain? These were taken at the WWII Weekend last Friday.

Here's Otto the Super Dog enjoying a sunny moment in our backyard! His soccer ball is deflated. He pops every ball we give him. Alas, the boys were away, so he had no one to play with.

Okay, here are two videos of the boys shooting a machine gun at the WWII Weekend. The first video shows Sam, and the second one shows Cooper.

Go check out Mrs. Tracy's pics over at Our Journey, post some of your own and let her know that you're participating. I want to see some sunny photos!

Thankful Thursday

It's another Thankful Thursday and time to reflect on the blessings God has bestowed upon my family in the past week. I am thankful for the following:

1. Our trip to the WWII Weekend last Friday. It was rainy and muddy but still fun and interesting. And we got to meet some of the actual Band of Brothers! (If you missed my post on this, scroll on down.)
2. On Sunday, I had an entire day alone! Eric took the boys fishing in Cape May. They had a gorgeous day for it, although they didn't catch a whole lot.
3. On Monday, it was another beautiful day, and I volunteered for Cooper's 5th grade picnic over at our local park. His school is close enough to the park that the two classes were able to walk over. It was a lot of fun! He has a wonderful teacher who he will miss. (Coop had him for 2nd grade, too.)
4. My older son, Sam, is taking an interest in golf. This is something he and Eric can bond over. They're going to play in a tournament on Sunday with other people from our church.
5. I went to a Christian book store on Tuesday with two gift cards in hand. I thought they were both worth $10. Turns out that one was for $20! I got four new books for $15! Plus, I sold some books yesterday on Cash4Books.net for a little over $10 and one book for $5 on Amazon.com!

Yes, it has been a week full of blessings! Please visit Sonya over at Truth 4 the Journey to share your list of blessings. Just click on the button above.

My dear bloggy friends, I've been busy getting things done around the house before my kids are home for the summer. So if I haven't been to your blog lately, I apologize. I'll get there soon! I've also had a killer headache the last two days and it hurts my eyes to be on the computer. Thank you for still being faithful readers of my blog!

Blessings and hugs to you all!

This Old House Update

I just want to assure those of you who commented that I was "brave" for posting my Foto Friday pictures that I truly was not offended! If I really didn't want people to see the odd (aka ugly) areas of my home, I wouldn't have posted them.

I wish I had digital pictures of the wallpaper that was in our kitchen when we first moved in. Wowza! It had these large pink and orange flowers all over it! It was even on the ceiling! When we re-wallpapered the kitchen, we were just going to paint the ceiling, but then we saw the condition it was in underneath the old paper. We papered the ceiling with paintable wallpaper that has a stamped tin look to it.

My husband has always said that he would like to steal the sink when we do move out (minus the cabinets underneath). That sink is probably worth a lot of money! It is a cool piece to have.

Through the years, I have just had to chuckle at some things in our house. I think, "What were people thinking when they did this?" In the past, families made do with what they had and shared with others. Remember how I said the flooring in my laundry room was the same as in my neighbor's bathroom? Well, their master bedroom was also the same color as our boys' bedroom was. The two families must have shared the paint and the flooring!

And by the way, if you really loved my kitchen floor, we have a spare roll of it in our coat closet! It came with the house.

Speaking of our coat closet, this closet runs all the way under our stairs. At some point in the history of this house, someone put a toilet in that closet! There is a piece of wood over the hole now. In fact, we lived here several years before I even knew it was there. Apparently, my hubby knew but didn't tell me right away. How would you like to open up your closet and find someone sitting on a toilet?!

Since our house is so old, it has "settled". If you put a marble on our kitchen floor, it will roll all by itself underneath either the oven or the refrigerator. Whenever I bake a cake, I have to remember to go turn it so that it doesn't come out too lopsided!

Oh, I almost forgot the light fixtures. The rule is this: If the fixture calls for more than one light bulb, there will always be one bulb out. For example, our dining room light calls for five bulbs, but we can only have four in there. If we put five in, one will blow out almost immediately!

When our next door neighbors moved in a few years back, they told us that they had looked at a lot of houses in our town during their home search. They said that most of the houses have oddities to them.

Yes, living here is almost comical! I just have to keep reminding myself that it's a family that makes a house a home, not the house itself!

This Old House

After last week's Foto Friday, I got a few comments saying that I was brave to post the photos that I did. I guess I need to explain a little bit about why some of these things have not been renovated. (I wasn't offended by the comments! I just want to tell the story of our house.)

When we moved up here from VA eleven years ago, we had a hard time selling our townhouse down there. (We moved for my husband's job back then.) We managed to rent it out for a year before finally selling it in 2000. We just weren't in the position to buy a house here in PA, so we rented one. We figured we'd only live in this house for a few years, but we're still here!

Honestly, we're renting this house for peanuts! Our landlord has never raised our rent! It's bigger than our townhouse, although it only has 1 bathroom as opposed to the 2 1/2 baths we had in VA. I believe it was built in the 1860's. It had been empty for several years before we moved in. Our landlord told us that he would pay for any materials to fix up the house as long as we did the labor.

We have painted/wall papered every room since we've been here, replaced the steps at the back door and some light fixtures. We have a very tiny front yard which had this ugly landscaping. Eric ripped that out and just planted grass. We have a nice backyard and have planted a vegetable garden and an herb garden. We turned one of the closets in our bedroom into a linen closet. We also put shelves in the downstairs coat closet and put some cabinets in the laundry room.

Other than what's listed above, we haven't wanted to spend the time doing other repairs or upgrades since we don't own the house. We've been fortunate to be able to stay in this house and not move and have to make our kids switch schools. Now that Cooper will be going to middle school in September, we have a broader area to choose from if we want to move and keep him in the same school. Sam will be starting high school, and it's the only high school in our school district, so he wouldn't have to be pulled out if we moved within the district.

Where we are located, we can walk to the bank, a grocery store, a drug store, 2 book stores, a gas station and some restaurants. We can even walk to the library, the park, the pool and the baseball fields if we really want to. I have to say we're in a very convenient location. We don't have to drive to see the Halloween Parade or the 4th of July fireworks. Our backyard backs up to a church parking lot. Our kids have always been able to go out there to ride their bikes and skateboards and to rollerblade.

Eric and I would like some land and to live where it is a bit quieter. I'd also like to be able to have a few more dogs and maybe some goats. However, we're thinking about sticking it out in this house until either a) our kids both graduate from high school or b) our landlord kicks us out. So for now, we're stuck with some ugliness in our house! There's also some weird points to our home. First of all, the outside is pink! To get to our basement, you either have to go out back and use the outside door OR you can go down through the door located on the floor of my pantry! The only way to get to our bedroom is either through the bathroom or through our office.

Oh, and here are pictures of my beautiful kitchen counter and my kitchen sink.

They're gorgeous, I know! I won't show you anything more lest you get jealous! We actually think the sink is kind of neat, but I hate the metal cabinets below it.

Believe it or not, I do thank God for putting this roof over our heads. As much as I would like some upgrades and a little more beauty in our house, we have more than a lot of people have. I really don't have the right to complain.

Wishing you a fantastic Monday!

Weekend Update

I haven't been on here too much this week because I've been trying to get things done around the house. It has been going more slowly than I'd like, but at least I'm making some progress!


My planned Sit on My Tushy and Do Nothing Day on Monday didn't turn out exactly as I had planned. First of all, my younger son's IEP meeting was rescheduled for 8 AM that morning. So I had to get up as usual and be at his school by that time. When I got out of that meeting, I ran into some other 5th grade moms and chatted with them about the end of year events coming up. As I was talking with them, my hubs quickly scooted out the door to get to his "business" fishing trip. Since he had to leave before the bank opened, I had to go make a deposit for one of the travel baseball teams that he is the treasurer for. Oh, what sacrifices I make! (Actually, I can walk to the bank from where I live.)

When I got home, the dishes needed to be done, of course. Then I decided to do two loads of laundry and fold the huge mound of clothes that was just sitting in one of my baskets. After that, the dog and I went outside and watered our vegetable and herb gardens. (Well, I watered the gardens... he "watered" elsewhere in the yard.) I also hung out the load of towels that I had washed. I think I worked on cleaning up my dining room table that day too. I had gifts from my students sitting all over it. (I still need to do my thank yous!) I did get to read a little bit and watch my soap, but I did a lot more than I had planned to do! The truth is, I had a pretty relaxing weekend last week and didn't feel the need to "sit on my tushy" (not to mention that I felt too guilty to do so!).

On Friday, we kept our boys home from school and went to Reading for the World War II Weekend. It poured the entire day! We had to buy tickets to go to this event, and we had other things scheduled for yesterday and today, so we had to go on Friday. Due to the rain, they didn't do any of the reenactments, which was a bummer, but we still saw some pretty cool stuff. Both of our boys got to shoot a 30 caliber machine gun (with blanks). Man, that was loud! They had a lot of veterans doing talks and signing books. We got to meet several of the actual Band of Brothers veterans, and they signed a book for my husband! Here are the pictures.

This pic shows Clancy Lyall, Bradford Freeman and Don Malarkey.

Here are Malarkey and Buck Compton.

Here is my hubby in awe of the fact that he's speaking with Buck Compton!

And lastly, Ed Tipper.

Sorry ladies if you're not WWII buffs. Maybe your husbands will be impressed instead! There were tanks, jeeps, motorcycles and planes everywhere... some of them German. There were many encampments set up, and you could also see what life was like on the home front. We watched them do an old time radio show. It was neat to see them do all the sound effects! After the radio show, there was a typical public service announcement trying to get people to ration gasoline for the war effort. "Remember, if you ride alone, you ride with Hitler!"

We also listened to three of the Filthy 13 speak. They were really funny. Apparently, the movie The Dirty Dozen is based on their story. (I honestly thought that movie was a western!) Regarding serving in the war, one of the vets said, "We went in and did what we had to do. We don't apologize for it, and we don't brag about it." He also mentioned that 1200 WWII veterans die each day. So we're really losing this part of our history quickly.

Long post today, huh? Eric and the kids are fishing in Cape May today, so I'm home alone! However, I'll end this now. Have a beautiful Sunday!

Happy Birthday

Today would have been my brother, Jackie's, 56th birthday. Jackie got sick when he was around 5 years old and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He died in October 1963 at the age of 10. My mom has said that she doesn't really remember much about President Kennedy's assassination because my brother died only a month before that happened. My family had their own personal grief to deal with at that time.

When Jackie died, my oldest sister was 11 and my twin sisters had just turned 8. I wasn't around yet. Before he died, my mom caught him making out his will. She was so upset that she took it and ripped it up. Jackie told her not to worry because she would have another baby. I was born in November 1964. I have always felt a connection to him because of what he had said to our mom. I also think that his comment is why I am a Christian today. I am meant to be here. There is a reason. God created me for His purpose. His purpose isn't always clear to me, but I keep striving to do His will.

Happy Birthday Jackie. I know we will finally meet in Heaven one day.

Foto Friday

Okay, I showed you the messes around my house a few weeks ago (which, by the way, are slowly being cleaned up now that I'm off for the summer). Now Mrs. Tracy is taking one of my Foto Friday suggestions which is to show the least favorite parts of your home. So here are three ugly things in my home.

This lovely flooring is in my laundry room. Pretty, isn't it? It makes me dizzy! My neighbor down the street had the exact same flooring in her downstair's bathroom. Apparently, at one time, the people who lived in my house were friends with the people who lived in her house and they decided to share the beauty!

Then there is this gorgeous flooring that graces my kitchen. Even when I wash it, it still doesn't look clean!

Now our front door was okay until we got our dog five years ago. We had just painted the downstairs and things were looking nice, and then we brought Otto home. He is constantly at this door barking at anyone who walks down our street. We want to fix it but figure what's the point?

So now you've seen the embarrassing, ugly parts of my home. Guess what? It's your turn to share! Please go over to Mrs. Tracy's blog, Our Journey, to join us in this venture. Thank you Mrs. Tracy for using one of my ideas and for sending people over to my blog today!

Thankful Thursday

It's that time of the week again! A time to think about the things we are thankful for. This week my list includes:

1. Being home and being able to do more around the house and cook decent meals for my family. This takes some of the burden off of my husband.


2. That my hubby has appreciated #1 listed above!


3. The juicy canteloupe we've been eating lately!


4. That the weather hasn't gotten TOO hot yet. (Although, it would be nice if it was a little warmer.)


5. I've had time to sit down and read a book! (And I've been able to keep up with my favorite soap opera... oh, I didn't really admit that here, did I?)

Click on the button above to go to Truth 4 the Journey and see what other people are thankful for and add your own list

What Does God Think of ESPN?

Each morning before school, my oldest son watches ESPN; you know, the 24-hour sports network. And, like most 14-year-olds, he leaves the TV on as he heads off to school. Usually, at this time of the day, I'm in the bathroom putting on my make-up and drying my hair. All the while, I can hear the blaring sportscasters giving the latest game scores and dishing on the latest gossip regarding the players. (I especially love to hear how much so-and-so is making for throwing a ball for a living! I'm also waiting to have my first student who is named Espn, pronounced Espen. I read a few years ago that it's an up and coming name for both boys and girls!)

The other morning, as I was mindlessly listening to the banter, this thought popped into my head: "Why do we need a 24-hour sports network or any other 24-hour "idol" worship? Why aren't we focusing on and worshipping God 24/7, and where is that 24-hour Christian network?"

Now, I only have expanded basic cable, so maybe there is a 24-hour Christian network that I don't know about. We do have one Christian station that we get, but in no way are big bucks spent on it to make it as slick and attractive as ESPN or other big networks. Why is that? Why are we so out of balance as to what we spend on our time and money on? I don't mean to be pointing a finger because I'm just as guilty. Even if there is a wonderful, up-to-date and current Christian television network out there, should we be spending a lot of time watching it?

Most of us are attracted to what's pretty or flashy. Those nice flat screen TVs make everything look colorful and sharp. We don't own one of these, but we love watching the one my parent's have. Especially the sports because you feel as if you're right there in person. (Although, I really didn't need to see that the Phillies' manager has hair growing out of his ears!) Unfortunately, anything pretty, flashy and colorful seems much more exciting than reading any of the 66 books in the Bible. It's a thick book! And mine doesn't have any pictures in it!

I guess my point is that technology (and that includes blogging!) can really become an "idol" to us. We need to remember that God doesn't like that!

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,... Exodus 20:3-5

Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. Exodus 20:23

Just for fun, I came up with some of my own titles that ESPN could stand for if it was a Christian network:

• El Shaddai Praise Now


• Everyone Shall Pray Now


• Everyone's Soul Pleasing Nourishment


• Everyone's Saviour Performing Nightly


• Eternity's Some Place Nice


• Eternity's Soothing Peace Needed


• Everyone's Saviour Painfully Needed

Okay, I know these are a stretch! I'm just being silly!

Seriously though, we need to be bold in striving to remove idols from our life and to focus more on God and His written Word. Remember, we're in this world but not of this world and have to try not to get sucked in. I'm in no way perfect and struggle daily with this. I just pray that we as Christians can be tuned into God's network 24/7 rather than anything else! Heaven will be more fascinating, beautiful and fancy than anything else here on earth!