Glad To Be Home

While we were on vacation, our dog spent a week at a kennel. When we picked him up on Sunday, he not only smelled, but he was wet, too. The toy we had left with him was soaking wet and smelled like urine. I immediately threw the toy in the dumpster at the kennel.

We took Otto home and ended up bathing him twice. He smelled a lot better, but he just looked down trodden. He wasn't our upbeat, feisty dog. He acted as though a week away from home had beaten him down.

"It's a dog eat dog world, and I'm wearing Milk Bone underwear!"

(Norm from the TV show Cheers.)

On Monday, he still seemed depressed. However, since Tuesday, Otto has been glued to us and has been his happy self again. At one point as I was sitting in a chair, he sat leaning up against me, looking at me adoringly and wagging his tail. It was during this time that I thought to myself one day I will be sitting at Jesus' feet looking at Him the same way.

The Bible tells us that we're in this world but not of this world. Heaven is our true home. After suffering and going through the trials of this world, we will then be at the feet of our Master, smiling up at Him and feeling oh so glad to be home.

"There's no place like home!"

Note: My husband did call the kennel on Monday to complain about the condition in which Otto was returned to us. The manager said they had received another complaint as well, and he was trying to find out what happened between Saturday night and Sunday. He offered to refund our money for one night and to give us a tour of their facility. My husband declined both offers. We've never had a problem there before, but we don't intend to leave Otto there again.

A Salute to Mr. Mom!

Chatty Kelly's Thankful Thursday list got me to thinking about all those Mr. Moms out there. These dads have no problem taking over the reins while mom is away or feeling under the weather.

When my kids were really young, we had a neighbor with two young boys. Her husband would travel for work or go off and play golf while she stayed home with the kids. (We can't begrudge him for the working part.) I remember that she wanted to go away over night once, and he wouldn't let her because he didn't want to have to care for their kids alone for that long. At that moment I was so thankful for my own husband.

Eric has always been completely capable to function alone with our kids. He changed diapers, made formula, and bathed them when they were little. I know they won't ever starve while I'm gone because he's a much better cook than I am! (He has been known to make a meal and freeze it for us when he was the one who was going to be away from home!) Several times Eric has helped the boys work on a project like cleaning a closet while I've been away. He will encourage me to go do things, which can be a task because I am a home body by nature.

As most of you know, next week I'll be attending the Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference for 3 days. When I told our older son, his reaction was, "Woo hoo! Man party!" I quickly burst his bubble when I told him I would be commuting back and forth and, therefore, would be home at night!

However, if I was going to be away for 3 days and 2 nights, I would have no qualms about it. My hubs is an excellent Mr. Mom!! Thank you Lord for giving me such a wonderful husband. Please bless him and all of the other wonderful Mr. Moms out there!

Thankful Thursday

I have got much to be thankful for this week! Let's get started:

1. First of all, I had a super vacation in the Outer Banks last week! God protected us as we traveled, and I'm finally unpacked.
2. As I mentioned on Sunday, I got to meet my bloggy friend, Andrea, in person while I was down there!
3. Thanks to your prayers and to Marlene Bagnull, I am going to the Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference next week. And get this....not just for 1 day but for all 3! I'm looking forward to meeting Chatty Kelly while there!
4. Both of our sons were invited to spend the night with a friend on Monday night, so the hubs and I had a night alone.
5. Just this week, we've finally been able to enjoy some fresh squash and tomatoes from our garden. Yum!! My rabbit should be able to have some home grown carrots soon, too.

What are you thankful for on this fine day?! Stop on over to Truth 4 the Journey to share your list! Blessings!

"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.

I didn't do this post last week because I was away and my internet connection was very iffy. I want to continue on with this and hope that some of you may join me by blogging about your own "I Get To's".

1. As I said in Sunday's post, Eric & I and the other couple we were vacationing with went out on Friday night to celebrate Eric's birthday. Normally, this wouldn't fall under an "I Get To", but I wasn't feeling well. I went to bed the night before at 7:50 and didn't get up until 9 AM the next morning. It took me two more hours to feel kind of okay, and I did pretty well all afternoon. However, I started feeling yucky again right before we went out. Thankfully, we had a lot of fun and I really perked up!


2. On Sunday I got to take a very long car ride home from our lovely vacation in a vehicle with no air conditioning!


3. On Monday I got to go grocery shopping and unpack. Two things I detest, but at least I can buy groceries and I had a nice vacation.


4. Also on Monday, I got to listen to my kids complain as I doled out chores before they could leave the house. It would have been easier to do the chores myself, but hopefully, they'll make good husbands someday!


5. While we were gone, our vegetable garden really took off! I got to sweat it out in my kitchen (hottest room in the house) while I washed, cut up and stored some of our fresh, homegrown veggies.

That's my "I Get To" list for this week. If you decide to post your own "I Get To" list on your blog, please 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"!

Sam & Coop catchin' some waves!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig!

Well, we're home from the Outer Banks. After having such a wonderful time, I didn't exactly "jiggity jig" on home! I love going down there and didn't want to leave. We had great weather and spent a lot of time just lounging on the beach. I finished reading one book and began reading another. Eric's birthday is today, so just the 4 adults went out to celebrate on Friday night. That was a first! The 4 kids are finally old enough to be home alone, and we didn't go very far anyway. We fed them dinner, had an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, Eric opened some gifts and then the grown-ups got to go out to play! Isn't it funny though that as parents we end up with a curfew? And right now it's even earlier than it was when I was a teenager! We were home by 10:30. In high school my curfew was midnight!

What thrilled me the most was that I was able to meet Andrea from Arise 2 Write and her husband on Saturday! They were also vacationing down there, and we were only staying a few miles apart. We met for coffee and chatted for about 2 hours! It was so wonderful to get together! Andrea is very exuberant and her love for God just pours out of her. Doug, her hubby, is quiet and laid back and seems to be a very gentle man. They are a lovely couple! Andrea was very sweet and gave me a journal as a gift. I had such a fun time! Thank you Andrea and Doug!

Thank you all for your prayers about the writers' conference. Eric and I need to look at it in the next day or two to see if I can go. I would love to attend some sessions and to possibly meet other bloggy friends just like I met Andrea!

Cooper and Sam enjoying the surf!

Prayer Request

I would really love to go to the Greater Philly Christian Writer's Conference in August. Since I don't get a pay check during the summer, this may prove to be difficult financially. Please pray that I can attend for at least one day! Thank you my dear prayer warriors! And thank you Susan Reinhardt for your phone call and encouragement!

I'm Beaching It!

I may only be going as far as NC, but this song always reminds me of the beach!

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday! Another wonderful day to thank God for all that He has given us!

1. I am thankful for the beautiful weather and wonderful time we had camping this week with our friends. S'mores...yum!
2. Being able to come home and take a shower after camping is another blessing! It felt good to wash off all that dirt and grime and to have clean hair again.
3. Stars in the night sky! What a gorgeous view we had of one of God's creations.
4. I'm thankful for our kind neighbors who took care of our pets and watered our garden while we were away.
5. I'm thankful that our trip to the Outer Banks is only two days away!

What are you thankful for on this fine day?! Stop on over to Truth 4 the Journey to share your list! Blessings!

Home for the Moment!

We're back from our camping trip. We had a terrific time with our friends from college and their two kids! Their kids are the same ages as our kids, except that their younger one is a girl. She gets right in there with the boys though!

We were camping on our friend, B's, grandmother's property. She's in her 90's and now lives with B's parents. B and his siblings and parents share the property as a weekend getaway. They were kind enough to give us permission to camp there for two nights. I'm not sure how many acres there are, but there are plenty of woods, a pond and a lake to keep you occupied. We had fun on the row boat and paddle boat, and the kids had a blast fishing!

There is also a small house on the property, so we had access to a real bathroom! They have a golf cart there that we could drive back and forth between the house and our campsite. Since we were in the middle of no where, we could also be as noisy as we wanted to be and no one bothered us!

The kids enjoyed building our fire and setting off some "safe" fireworks. There is a field that we use to shoot off rockets when we're there with the owners, but we didn't have all the stuff we needed to do this.


One snake was spotted! Thankfully, not by me!

Our friends' daughter must have had the "lucky" fishing pole. As soon as she cast into the water, she got a bite. I believe she out fished all of the boys! Although, Sam definitely caught the largest fish.

Apparently our tent has lost some of its water resistance. It didn't rain at all, but I woke up last night to dew dripping on my head. I had on a sweatshirt, so I pulled up my hood and covered my head with my sleeping bag. I woke up with a wet pillow and wet hair. YUK! I think it's time for a new tent! We'll have to check out some sales at the end of the season.

It was wonderful to be outside and to enjoy God's glorious creation! And God saw that it was good. Amen!






Sam & Coop sleeping on the way home!

"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.

Last week we got to chaperone our Youth Group's trip to a water park. My husband was driving, and I was planning to read on our way there and back. Well, some extra kids showed up at our church as we were about to leave, so both Eric and I got to drive. No reading for me. However, on the ride there, Sam got to chat with one of his friends who is a year older than he is. Sam was able to get the scoop on 9th grade from this friend!

As you read this, I am camping. I get to be outside and dirty for two days! However, we'll be making family memories. Hopefully the kids will let me take some pictures!

As soon as we return from our camping trip, I get to unpack, do laundry and then repack to go to the beach for a week. Yes, I know, poor me. It will be a hassle but worth it in the end. At least I'll be able to do our laundry down there, so I won't have dirty clothes to wash when we get home!

That's my "I Get To" list for this week. If you decide to post your own "I Get To" list on your blog, please 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"!

A Little Vacation Time!

We're leaving this afternoon to go camping for two nights with some friends. Boy, does it take a lot of packing for just a little time spent camping! Since a lot of it is food, at least we won't be coming home with as much stuff.

We'll be getting home on Wednesday. Then I'll be doing several loads of laundry and packing to leave for the Outer Banks of NC on Saturday. We'll probably be there a little over a week. We're very blessed in the fact that some friends of ours own a house down there. We go down when they go, so we don't have to check out on the usual Saturday or Sunday. We avoid a lot of traffic that way! Plus, our friends are kind enough to let us stay for free! We just buy most of the groceries for the week and maybe take their family out for dinner. It's a nice, relaxing week.

Since we'll be away a lot, I probably won't be too bloggy during the next two weeks! My internet access will be very limited while we're in NC.

Below, I have posted some random pictures. The first two are from July 4th. We spent the day at a neighbor's party, and they have a pool. My kids didn't want me to take their picture that day, so this is all I have!

Sam trying to hide.

Cooper

The picture below is of Cooper in Cape May, NJ, last month. Eric and the boys went fishing down there with some friends. Poor Sam didn't catch anything.


And here is one wet doggy! Otto had a much needed bath on Saturday. After we washed him, he just ran around the yard like a maniac! He was a tired boy that night.

Well, this has really been a post about nothing. I just wanted to let my bloggy friends know that I may be MIA for the next two weeks. I pray that all of you get to enjoy some rest and relaxation this summer!

WOO HOO Update!

I just received a message via Facebook from the friend we're going to the beach with. She lives in No. VA and apparently went to her Kohl's today and bought a bathing suit, too! Oh no! We could have identical suits!! However, she's not as top heavy as I am, so she probably bought one of the pretty suits that didn't fit me properly.

I have to tell you all....gift cards are a teacher's best friend!! If you purchase a gift for your child's teacher, you can't go wrong with a gift card! Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl's, Barnes & Noble....all good! :-)

Come On, Somebody Out There Give Me a WOO HOO!

Okay, today was the day. I got up early and went to Kohl's in search of a fabulous fitting bathing suit. Some of you mentioned the Miracle Suit because it helps anyone's body to look great. I didn't see any of those at Kohl's, and unfortunately, the nearest Marshall's is at least 30 minutes away.

I didn't want a one piece because they're a pain when you need to use the bathroom. Bikini -- out of the question! I have given birth twice you know! I knew I wanted one of those 2 piece suits that look like a 1 piece.

So, I headed into Kohl's and found the bathing suit department. Now, if truth be told, I was looking for a bright light to be beaming down upon the perfect suit for me as I didn't want this to be an all day event. (It is after all, Friday, and all the important things happen on the Young & the Restless on Mondays and Fridays. I do have my priorities!) Um, well, no bright light. And the picken's were slim!

After quite a bit of searching, I headed to the fitting room with about 10 suits. Out of those, I found 3 bottoms that fit but no tops. (Giving birth has left me a bit more endowed up top, if you get my drift.) Back to the swim suit department. I found 2 more tops that matched 2 of the bottoms I liked. Back to the fitting rooms.

I try on the 2 tops. Voila! Bright light shines upon me! Angels start singing! BOTH tops fit!! AND one of the tops goes with both of the bottoms!! HALLELUJAH! It was nothing short of a miracle! (I bet all the other shoppers were wondering what was going on in my dressing room!) All of this only took an hour.

I skipped out of the dressing room and floated around the store a little longer. I managed to find a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that fit nicely, too.

Then I went to check out. I had 2 bathing suit tops, 2 bottoms, 1 pair of shorts and 1 t-shirt. My total should have come to a whopping $208 plus tax. Of course, everything I bought was on sale. That brought the total down to $94.95. I had a 15% discount card which brought it down further to $80.70. WAIT...this gets even better! I had $70 worth of gift cards. When it was all said and done, I paid $12.48 with tax!! Okay, I want to hear some WOO HOO's!!!

Hopefully, this makes up for my flubby-dub yesterday! :-)

Note to Self: If It Says It's Stupid, Then It Is!

I knew I shouldn't have bought it. In today's economy, I've been trying to cut back on buying "stuff". I've also been getting rid of "stuff". Just this morning, I dropped off two more bags at the Salvation Army. I've been so proud of myself for purging "stuff" from my life this summer.


Then it happened. I went to the grocery store and was waiting in line to check out. There it was. On the cover of a popular women's magazine were the words Stop Spending on Stupid Stuff. Just look away I told myself. After all, I've been trying not to buy magazines and have been doing pretty well with this. AND I'D BE REALLY FOOLISH TO BUY "STUFF" THAT IS TELLING ME NOT TO BUY STUPID STUFF. Apparently, I suffered from some momentary deafness and a lack of self-control. Into the cart went that magazine.


Fast forward a few hours. As I was waiting for some meat to brown for dinner, I opened the magazine to this article. I was praying for some brilliant advice to make my $2.79 purchase worth while. I didn't realize until this moment that the article was written by a popular money guru. I have nothing against this person. In fact, I think I read one of her first books. However, I have the feeling you'll get more for your money out of one of her books rather than this article.


The article talked about not buying extended warranties. I knew this already as my husband used to be a Sales Manager at Sears. It also mentioned not purchasing rental car insurance. I knew this too because my hubby's first job out of college was at a car rental place. Don't waste your money on expensive coffees and try to brown bag it for lunch. Lucky for me, I don't care for Starbuck's coffee. Since I only work until 12:15, I usually eat lunch at home. If I'm planning to do errands after work, I try to pack a snack to eat in the car. Cell phone ring tones....why would I pay for such a thing anyway? Texting...I've only done this once in my life and it took me forever! Plus, our oldest son ASKED us to get rid of it for him because he was being a little harassed one day by some friends. So much for any enlightenment. (Really, I do think the author of this article is a smart lady and that she does help people.)


I guess I at least learned a lesson for my $2.79. That lesson being...trust your instincts...AND avoid buying "stuff" that tells you that you're being stupid for spending your money on it! Hhhmmm, since I'm trying to get rid of "stuff", perhaps the article on organizing will be helpful:-)

This Says It All

"Yeah, I'm having a great time at the water park!"

(Sam)

Thankful Thursday

The month of June seemed to crawl by, which I was glad for, but July seems to be flying! It's Thursday again! Time to reflect on what I'm thankful for this week.

1. I'm thankful for the fun, relaxing time we had at our neighbor's 4th of July party. In relation to that I'm thankful that Maureen has been cancer free for several years now and that we were able to enjoy the holiday with her family.


2. I'm thankful that our Youth Group had a fun time at a water park yesterday despite the sunny but cold weather! Global warming? What's that? The adults stayed dry because we were freezing! I always enjoy amusement parks and water parks, but not even my hubby would get in the water yesterday!


3. I'm thankful for the old friends I have found through Facebook and the fun I've had on there with current long distant friends.


4. Facebook has also reconnected me with 2 of my sisters. Over the years, we haven't communicated all that much (as in we would go for a full year without seeing or talking to each other!).


5. I'm thankful that I shared this blog with my friend, Michele. (If you read my post from Sunday, you'll understand this.) She sent me a very encouraging email this week. I'm also grateful to those of you who also responded and encouraged me after that post! (Thanks, too, for the bathing suit advice! I'll let you know how I make out tomorrow!)

Keep counting your blessings my friends! Share them on your blog and join Sonya over at Truth 4 the Journey!

"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.

Fourth of July was a very fun day, BUT getting up for our 9 AM church service the next morning was not fun. I did it though and was glad that I got to. The service was held outdoors and the weather was glorious! I also got to hear a sermon that I felt was meant for me.

Tomorrow, Eric and I get to chaperone our church Youth Group to a water park. I get to wake up early (yippee...remember, I'm off for the summer and have been enjoying sleeping in) so that we arrive just as the park opens. It will be a fun day, but I know I'll be exhausted by the end and Thursday will probably be a wash for me because I'll be recovering. (I'm so old!)

Now ladies you'll laugh at this next "get to" on my list. On Friday, I get to go bathing suit and bra shopping! (Sorry to any men that happen to read this.) What fun that will be! Last week, the elastic went in one of my bathing suits, and I discovered a stain on one of my other suits. That leaves me with just one. I need more than one bathing suit when we go to the Outer Banks later this month. I just LOVE shopping for things that cost so much money and have so little material. (Not that my bathing suits are skimpy!) Thankfully, I have a %15 off coupon for Kohl's and a $10 Kohl's gift card. I also received a $60 Visa gift card from one of my classes, so at least I'll have the cost covered. I just get to go through the lovely task of finding a bathing suit that fits right! Can't wait!

That's my "I Get To" list for this week. If you decide to post your own "I Get To" list on your blog, please 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"!

Tag, You're It!

I've been tagged by my dear bloggy friend, Andrea, over at Arise to Write. Thanks Andrea! Being tagged means I need to share a few things about myself. Hhmmm...let's see.

8 Things I Look Forward To:

1. Meeting Jesus, my baby and my brother when I get to Heaven.


2. Having eternal life just as God has promised!


3. Watching my sons grow into Godly men. (I'm already praying for Godly wives for them!)


4. Having grandchildren someday!


5. Continually serving God.


6. Enjoying fresh veggies from our garden all summer long.


7. Going to the Outer Banks in 2 weeks.


8. Having time alone with my hubby once we are empty nesters.

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Went to a lovely outdoor service at our church.


2. Went to the movies with my family to see Night at the Museum 2.


3. Spent time on Facebook.


4. Blogged.


5. Washed a load of towels.


6. Read a book for a little while before going to bed.


7. Ate "breakfast" for dinner.


8. Watered our garden.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Never sleep so I could do everything that I need and want to do in this lifetime!


2. Take my kids to Disney World.


3. Read faster.


4. Work from home (even though I really like my current job).


5. Live in the country (in VA!) so I could have more dogs, some goats and maybe some alpacas.


6. Learn sign language.


7. Minister and witness to everyone and everybody without fear!


8. Sponsor more kids through Compassion International.

8 Shows I Enjoy:

1. Medium


2. Ghost Whisperer


3. The Young and the Restless (Yes, I'm guilty of watching a daytime soap


4. Without a Trace


5. Cold Case


6. Big Bang Theory


7. Historical documentaries and biographies, especially WWII related


8. Reruns of Spin City, That 70's Show, MASH, and All in the Family

Photo Tag:

Cooper and Sam, Christmas 2008

Outer Banks, NC....our favorite destination!

Tag 8 People:

1. Jeanette at Audience of One


2. Jenny at Flutterbye Chronicles


3. Collette at Jesus Loves Mums


4. Nan at Mom's the Word


5. Sheryl at The Perch


6. Wendy at Sun-Kissed Savages


7. Kate at Savvy Little Women


8. Tracy at Our Journey

Okay ladies, I've tagged you and now you're it! Have fun! Blessings to all of my bloggy friends!

I Have a Problem

I admit it...this week Facebook has caused me to blog less. I was looking for one friend from high school and couldn't find her. One morning, I was corresponding with another high school friend, and he just happened to mention that he had been in touch with her recently. (I hadn't even asked him about her.) He offered to send me her email. Right after he sent it to me, she popped up on my FB page wanting to be friends. I assumed that this mutual friend of ours told her where to find me. Turns out it was someone else from our high school who saw me on FB and told her that I was finally on. It's so cool that we were both looking for each other.

What's even more neat is that she has been living in Latvia for the past 11 years, so it's very interesting chatting with her. (Her FB page is mostly in Latvian!) Her parents are from Latvia, and I always knew that she and her brother went to a Latvian camp each summer (here in the US). I didn't know where this camp was located. Turns out it is located right here where I live (which is about 90 minutes from where we grew up)! I happened to tell her that there's a Latvian church down the street from me and that I have always thought about her whenever I have passed it. She asked me where in PA I live and the name of the church because she said she may have sung there when she was young. (She has a beautiful voice.) That's when we figured out that I live where she used to spend her summers! And yes, she has sung at that church! I have to say that Facebook makes the world seem very small!


I have also "friended" some of my bloggy friends on Facebook. I saw that they were posting their blog posts on there. Well, this presented a dilemma for me. I wanted to do the same thing in order to network with other writers. HOWEVER, I have never shared my blog with anyone that I actually know in person! My husband and sons know that I blog, but they've never even read anything on here. No one else knows that I have a blog. Right before I joined Facebook, I did send an email with a link to my blog to one of my very dear friends. She's a Christian and was my best friend growing up. I felt safe sending it to her.


What do I mean by safe? All of my friends here where I currently live know I'm a Christian, and I'd say %99 of them are, too. However, my parents, my sisters and my college and high school friends for the most part do not know that I am. (My family probably does, but we never discuss it.) I have been a "closet" Christian to most of these people, therefore, I haven't wanted to share this blog with any of them. I'd also say that none of my high school friends and most of my college friends don't even know that I write. So I've been a "closet" writer, too.


To keep myself "safe" from being criticized about my faith and about my writing, I started up a second Facebook page that is just for my bloggy and writer friends. And in doing so, I have felt like I am denying Jesus.


Today, our Pastor preached about being "salt and light" (Matthew 5:13-20). His sermon about being a light to the world was just for me.


You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16


I really have a problem letting my light shine among non-believers. It's something I have to get over in order to minister to others and to obey and serve God. Please pray for me in this area. Pray for courage for me; courage to minister to non-believers whether it be in person or on-line. Thank you my prayer warriors!

Thankful Thursday

I can't believe it is Thursday again already! Time to share my list of thankfulness!

1. I'm thankful that my younger son and I finally got to the pool yesterday! I was beginning to think that we bought season passes for nothing due to our recent monsoon season!
2. I am thankful and our family is blessed by the fact that my niece gave birth to her second little girl on Monday! Both mom and baby are doing well.
3. I've recently gotten back in touch with some friends from high school, which has been kind of neat. Can hardly believe we graduated 26 years ago!
4. I am very grateful for the relaxing summer break I've been having.
5. Although I'm not thrilled with the things our country's new administration has been doing, I'm thankful to be living in America rather than in Iran!

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

This and That

Hi there my bloggy friends! Big news...I've just entered the 21st century by signing up for Facebook. I had resisted it for a very long time because I'm kind of eccentric that way, AND I didn't want to end up with a stalker! (Because, as I told one of my friends, I'm just so gorgeous and interesting!) I also haven't been all that sure that I want some people from my past to find me.

About two weeks ago, I got up the nerve to register on Classmates.com. It has been 26 years since I graduated from high school, and I've just been curious about some of my old pals that I had lost touch with. One of them contacted me and asked if I was on Facebook. I told her no, and she said it was too bad because it's a good way to keep up with our old friends. Then my niece had her second baby girl on Monday (welcome Megan Shea!), and my one sister emailed both my oldest sis and I to say that we should get on FB to keep in touch better. Now, I really wanted to see baby pics of Megan, so I decided to join FB and asked my niece and her hubby to be my friends so I could view any photos they've been posting. I finally saw some today! She's a cute little peanut...6 lbs., 10 ounces.

So I've been spending time this week learning the ins and outs of Facebook. One thing I've learned is that it can be quite addicting. I have to force myself not to be on it too much. If I haven't been around to visit your blog this week, FB is to blame!

I've been reading a couple of books this week as well. I'm almost done with The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty by Peter Singer. It's rather a complicated read, but I am getting something out of it. I so want to sponsor more children through Compassion International, but just don't have the money to do it right now. Due to the economy, the monthly donation is going up from $32 to $38 in September. I've thought about asking a friend or two if they'd like to sponsor a child with me, but I know everyone is suffering financially right now.

I also picked up this little book entitled The Simple Life: Devotional Thoughts from Amish Country by Wanda E. Brunstetter. It's a very relaxing read with thought provoking Bible based lessons and Amish recipes! While I was at the pool today, I started reading one of her fiction books, A Sister's Secret. I thought it touching that she dedicated this book to the Amish children who were killed in the schoolhouse shooting in Lancaster almost 3 years ago. "And to the victims' families, who showed the world what God's love and true forgiveness are all about."

This incident occurred the first year I was the Director at my preschool. We're only about 90 minutes from Lancaster. This really shook me up. Up until that time, our classroom doors remained closed but unlocked. I immediately told our teachers that from then on our classroom doors would be kept locked from the outside, and I sent a memo out to the parents to inform them of this. I think it was a relief to the parents.


If you haven't already, please stop by my other blog, Angel Baby, and read my post about Group B Strep. I want every pregnant mom to be aware of this infection! It's something I had when I was pregnant with my younger son. I still need to go on and post about this week's lesson from the pregnancy loss Bible study I have been doing.


May God bless each of you and help you to strive toward His goals for your life!