Sunday Social - Peeved

I'm a day late on posting this.  Can I use the busy weekend excuse?  Anyway, I didn't want to skip a week because I really do like this meme and look forward to meeting everyone who participates.

1. What is your biggest driving pet peeve?
~ That is an easy one.  My job is driving so I am on the road a lot and to be honest, I have a LOT of driving-related peeves, but the number one peeve on my list is.....drivers in front of you who drive well below the speed limit....until you try to pass them, then they suddenly develop a lead foot and speed up so much you can't pass without going WAY over the speed limit.  Then just to bug you more, the minute you drop back behind them....they slow way down again.

2. What is your biggest blogging pet peeve?
~ Word verification.  I know it's necessary to thwart spammers, but it is soooo annoying.

3. What is your biggest general pet peeve?
~ Right now it's the over-use of the word "racist."  The kids I work with are the worst, but I see it in adults, too.  With these people it doesn't seem to matter what you're talking about, the minute your opinion doesn't match theirs...YOU'RE RACIST!  I want to throttle the kids on my bus when I tell them to sit down or stop doing something because it's a safety issue or annoying and they fire back with "You're racist!"

4. What is your most irrational fear?
~ Irrational?  Probably sharks.  I have been absolutely terrified of them since I saw Jaws when I was 12.  For months after that I wouldn't even let a hand or foot hang over the edge of the bed at night for fear a shark would get me.  I got scared in swimming pools that a shark would get me.  To this day I still don't like swimming pools at night for the same reason and though I absolutely love the beach I do not go in the water any deeper than my ankles.

5. Name 3 celebrities you'd want to have dinner with.
~ Toby Keith, any (or all) of the Robertson clan from Duck Dynasty, and either of my favorite authors, James Rollins or Janet Evanovich.

My Introduction to the Sunday Social

Saw this meme over on Beth's blog, Masterpiece and we all know I love a good meme.....goes back to high school and those notes my friends and I passed back and forth filled with questions and multiple answers and  maybe the quizzes in Seventeen magazine.  Anyhoo...the meme is courtesy of Ashley, whose blog is new to me.  I am going to be a fan....bless her country music lovin' heart

1.  How did you come up with your blog name?
I had gone through a spiritual drought following a really bad experience in a church.  Closing out my old blog and starting this one was symbolic of the changes I wanted to make and was making.  I wanted it to be a positive place, a reflection of my reawakened faith, the changes in my life and my appreciation of those things...of my desire to be able to look at my life and be content that I lived it well.

2.  What is your favorite thing about blogging?
The people.  I've made some good friends through blogging, some I've met in person and some I may never meet and yet they are among my closest friends.  I also admit that I love the comments and feel sad when a post doesn't get any.  It's like you don't love me!

3.  What is one thing you have discovered because of blogging and now can't live without?
Facebook.  It's true.  A blogging friend led me to the dark side and I've never looked back.  So many of my classmates from high school are on there and my sorority sisters from college and complete strangers, who are now friends.  And the instant responses are my addiction....so much so that I refer to Facebook as Crackbook.  I have connected with family I otherwise wouldn't be in touch with.  I manage our church's page and one for my blog in addition to my personal page.  I can't imagine life without it!

4.  Facebook or Twitter?  and why?
Uh, I think I just answered that one in the previous question.  Why?  I just don't get Twitter.  I have an account and I tweet my blog posts and something else once in a while, but trying to keep up with what other people are tweeting could be a full time job.  I don't enjoy it.

5.  If one celeb read your blog who would you want it to be?
I would absolutely SWOON if Toby Keith read it and left a comment!  It would be pretty cool, too, if one of my favorite authors or a major blogger noticed my little corner of the blogosphere.  Or any of the guys from Duck Dynasty.  Love them.

6.  What is something you want people to know about your blog?
I guess that what you see is what you get.  It's just me sharing what's on my mind, what I find interesting, what God's saying to me....so there really isn't a theme or anything going on and everyone is welcome as long as they aren't rude or threatening.

Don't Sweat the Hodgepodge

1. Have you learned more from success or failure? Explain.
~ Success is sweet, but well, it's success so there's nothing more to do...you move on.  Failure, on the other hand, tends to suck and most people don't want to repeat the sucky-ness, so that means you go back to the drawing board, the books, or whatever and study the problem, figure out what went wrong, and fix it if you can.  Not that there aren't lessons in success, but there are more lessons in failure.

2.  What did you call your grandparents when you were growing up? If you have children, what do they call your parents? If you have grandchildren, what do they call you?
~ I called my grandparents Pappy, Nana, and Grandma.  My kids called theirs Old Nana, Nanny, Amma, and Pap Pap.  My granddaughter calls us Pappy and Nanny.

3.  You're invited to a luau.  In keeping with that theme, what dish will you bring to share? 
~ Probably this chicken recipe I have for tenderloins cooked with pineapple, soy sauce, and brown sugar in the crock pot.

4. Besides Jesus, what one person's life story do you think everyone should know about?
~ Just one?  Wow.  I don't think I can narrow it to one.  I think everyone should be a student of history, because it does tend to repeat itself and we should understand the lessons of the past to perhaps avoid troubles today.  I think early history of the United States is filled with important people to know about from the Pilgrims through the patriots and framers of the Constitution...but then the Civil War and Lincoln are so important.  Everyone should know the evil perpetrated by Hitler.  Can you believe there are those who believe it never happened?  The Cold War and its players.  Yeah....I can't pick just one.

5. "Don't sweat the small stuff." Agree or Disagree? Why?
~ If by sweat, you mean worry...then I agree.  Worry doesn't change anything.  If you mean don't bother with the small things then I might disagree.  Some small things are important...like saying please and thank you, showing respect to your elders, being nice to others, etc.

6.  June is National Rivers Month. When were you last on a river? What's the prettiest river you've ever seen? What's a river you'd like to see? 
~ Actually on a river?  It's been over 10 years.  Tim and I took a dinner cruise on a paddle boat in Pittsburgh for one of our anniversaries.  Other than that, I go over them all the time.  We have lots around here.  Prettiest I've ever seen?  I don't know.  One I'd like to see?  The Nile, the Amazon, or the Yangtze.

7.  Speaking of rivers-paddling, fishing, swimming, or bird watching safely from the shore? Which activity would you choose? Yes-you have to choose. 
~ Probably, I'd choose canoeing.  I spent some time on the Delaware River the summer before my senior year of high school when I worked for the Youth Conservation Corps.  I loved every minute of it.  I swam in it, too, but I'd probably pass on that these days.  East Coast rivers are not usually the cleanest.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
~ Today was the last day for the last school I drive for.  As of 12:30 this afternoon, I am a free woman until August 26.  Bring on summer!

Hey, It's Okay Tuesday

Time to join up with Amber for a little bit of It's Okay Tuesday, the blog-hopping meme that allows us to celebrate our uniqueness.  Pop over to Amber's blog for an explanation and the "rules."  *There really aren't any.*

Hey, it's okay...

...to think the whole season ending "cliff-hanger" on How I Met Your Mother is pretty lame at this point.  After 8 years, do I even care any more?  Nope.

...to hope The Big Bang Theory never ends.  *Love me some nerds!*

...to LOVE Jon Stewart's take on the whole IRS targeting right wing groups...or groups they suspect of being right wing...or groups whose members are predominately right handed.  *Just be warned, if you watch it, Jon swears up a blue streak...which I do NOT love.*

...to not really be sure how you feel about bacon scented candles.

...to pick your favorite flavor of Tootsie Pops out of the bag before you pass them out to the kids on the bus.  *Hey, blueberry is rare and you only get a couple of them here and there.  THEY. ARE. MINE.*

...to think there is no pit in hell deep enough for Kermit Gosnell.

...to think it's pretty cool that Angelina Jolie has gone public with her double mastectomy.

...to every once in a while become that annoying woman in the checkout line who counts out the exact change.

On the Subject of Writing

I used to be really good at this.  This, being blogging.  I wrote every day.  Maybe it wasn't anything of much importance.  Okay, there's a better than average chance it wasn't.  The point is....I wrote.  Then something happened.  Several somethings, actually.

First, I made the acquaintance of MySpace.  It was so much fun trading comments and funny pictures and wasn't customizing your profile page absolutely addicting?!  There were so many options.  It was like nothing I'd done before.  Instant hook.

Then came a kind of dark, painful period in my life.  I moved away from God, got cynical, and spent a lot of time wallowing in my pain and disappointment.  My writing during this time came from a dark place and while the blog drew a good many readers I couldn't handle it.  That's when I turned to memes and for a while that's nearly all I did.  Day after day...and they weren't exactly edifying ones, either.  They were rather cynical and sarcastic and my answers followed suit.  Wildly popular, but I was getting tired of it at just about the time....things imploded.  I'm not going to get into it here, but suffice it to say, I got called on it and I pulled the plug on that blog.  Something I should have done long before that.

Facebook entered my life during the life of that blog, too.  Oh my.  If there is a bigger time-sucking vortex out there I have no idea where it is...oh wait....Pinterest just might fill those shoes.

I started this blog almost immediately after ending the old one.  I was in a better place and I wanted a new blog to reflect that.  I think I've done a fair job of that here.  Maybe not....you can let me know.  I've tried to share my rededication to the Lord and the changes in my life without getting too preachy.  I still resort participate in several memes but they're good ones.  The problem is the rest of the time.  I have been having one ginormous, unending case of writer's block.  Inspiration just doesn't seem to strike all that often these days.

A friend's blog led me to a great list of memes that I'm sure I'm going to be getting some inspiration from in the coming days (weeks, months, years.....).  I hope to find memes with a purpose or that make you think.  The silly ones are fun, but you can only take so much of them.  Anyway, my promise to you, my faithful readers (all 2 of you) is that I'm going to do my best to put fingers to keyboard and tap something out every day.  Sundays being the exception.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Birthday Edition

1. I included this quote (attributed to William H. Danforth) in my blog post yesterday... "The best cure for a sluggish mind is to disturb it's routine." When was the last time you 'disturbed your routine' and how'd you do it?

~ I don't really have a routine.  I'd probably accomplish more and be more organized if I did, but I tend to be a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl.  That's not saying my life's one thrill after another...just that planning is rare.  I try to do crosswords and other puzzles to rattle my brain.  They say anything that forces your brain to work in a new way is good.

2. What's your favorite fried food indulgence?

~ First place goes to the zucchini fries from the little restaurant down the road.  Second place goes to fried green beans.

3. Did you have an allowance as a kid? What did you do with it? Do you give your own kids an allowance?

~ I sort of had one, but it was a very small amount and I had to clean the entire house and do all the ironing (people still ironed back then) every week to get the allowance (that was really, really small) every two weeks.  And if my cleaning didn't meet my parents standards I would get grounded.  I stayed away from the whole allowance thing with my kids.

4. What's something you wish you knew more about?

~ Running a business.  I would love to have a little place to sell used books or a second-hand place to sell auction/yard sale finds.

5. Is there anything you feel too old to do anymore? If so, what?

~ Bungee jumping.  I am absolutely, positively too old for bungee jumping.  LOL

6. What's a song you think has a great first line?

~ Springsteen, by Eric Church.

To this day when I hear that song

I see you standing there on that lawn

Discount shades, store bought tan,

Flip flops and cut off jeans

7. Who are you writing to/for when you create a blog post? In other words...as you write, who is the audience in your head?

~ I don't really have an audience in mind.  I just write when inspiration strikes. At the blog conference I went to last year several speakers made the point that it doesn't matter how many people read your blog.  Just write what God wants you to write and he'll bring the ones who need to read it.  I kind of just go with that.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
~ Today's my birthday.  There are no plans on tap...everyone is working and my daughter's going to her aunt's to dog-sit for a few days.  It's fine by me....48 can come without a whole lot of hoopla.  The hubby called and sang a while ago.  Trust me, that's more than enough hoopla.  LOL

Love Is A Verb

Oh, I love....

these new jeans....this TV show....

Saturdays....rainy days....the beach....chocolate ice cream....

puppies....you....surprises....thunder storms....books....football....shrimp....

Love.  The word rolls off our tongues every few minutes.  To hear us talk, we are the most loving of people.  We love everything....and anything.

The saying "talk is cheap" has a lot of truth to it.  If we're running around loving everything all day, do our words carry much weight when we tell our spouses, children, loved ones, friends, or anyone else for that matter, that we love them?

There's nothing wrong with telling people we love them, but it shouldn't stop there.  We've got to put legs on our love.  Love needs to be shown.  Love is a VERB.  It is an action.  It is something we need to DO.

God showed His love in a major way:

"For God so loved the world

that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him

shall not perish

but have eternal life."

~ John 3:16

Lucky for us, showing love doesn't require sacrificing our children.  It really doesn't even require grand gestures, though those can be nice sometimes.

1 Corinthians 13 tells us an awful lot about what we need to know about how love should be in this world.

"Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast,

it is not proud.  It is not rude, it

is not self-seeking, it s not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love

does not delight in evil but rejoices

with the truth.  It always protects, 

always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails."

Love, then, is in the daily doing.  It is in the small things that may not even be noticed....until they are no longer there.

Love is being the one to go out on a cold Sunday morning to collect the paper so the other one doesn't have to.  Love is going to every game and cheering....even if the child never leaves the bench.  Love is cooking a favorite meal even though you hate it.  Love is going to see that movie with more explosions and gun-fire than plot, even though the one movie you've been dying to see is playing in the next theater.  Love is doing that laundry one more time and folding it and putting it away in the drawer so it will be there when needed.  Love is cutting the crust off the toast and kissing the boo-boos.  Love is flushing a dead goldfish with all the pomp of a state funeral.  It's killing spiders and wiping noses and reaching things from the tall shelf.

And love is in the counting...

454.  An unplanned, spontaneous day spent with the man.

455.  A thank-you gift from the camp for driving the bus.

456.  The surprise and happiness on the face of a boy at camp when he realized it was me, his regular bus driver for school.

457.  Signs of growing up in the puppy.

458.  Deep-fried green beans.  So bad, but so good.

459.  The beauty of this world we live in.

460.  Farmers' markets filled with ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, fresh corn, earthy potatoes, onions, garlic and all the other flavors and smells of late summer.

461.  More books from a used book sale.

462.  A great book club on Facebook.

463. Hearing a scary noise at night and figuring out it's only a branch scraping on the siding.

464.  A country where we can all have and voice our opinions.

465.  A dad remembered today, on what would have been his 84th birthday.

Saturday Share

Good morning.  I think.  I'm not really sure.  The last couple of nights haven't been good ones sleep-wise.  It's been a combination of things....restless, can't get comfortable, and dogs who are either freaked out by storms, wanting to stay up all night, or up waaaaay before the crack of dawn raring to go.  Anyway, the world's looking a little bleary at this point.

Tim's already off to work on our friend's office.  He had some help lined up so that's good and he's knocking off early enough to go to church.  We have to pick up his aunt a little earlier than usual because the pastor's family and another key family are away so she asked me to kind of step in with greeting everyone and welcoming any new comers.

Not much else going on today.  There's a community-wide garage sale not far from here.  I'm debating on that....the weather forecast is for rain and storms.  More promising is another used book sale....it's preview day, $5 to get in and get first shot at the books.  Just might do that one.

Well, whatever I do, it's not happening until I get showered and dressed so let's get on with the Saturday Share links.  I've got some good ones this week.

• Logan reminds us to Call Out the Greatness in others.
• Moon to Moon takes us on a tour of some great bohemian homes.  
• I think I missed my calling as a purveyor of architectural salvage.  I love old bits and pieces, especially windows.  Currently, I'm driving around with an old gothic church window in my trunk waiting for inspiration to strike.  Dishfunctional Designs has a lot of great ideas for repurposing old windows.
• Pennsylvania has an elk herd.  Did you know that?  Going elk watching is one of the things to do at least once.  I have yet to go, but having lived in a wildlife preserve where they were a common sight, it hasn't been a real high priority.  Still, I plan to go one of these days.  This is supposed to be one of the best places to watch.
• You know those "Hey Girl" memes with Ryan Gosling that have been taking over the internet?  Someone started "Hey Christian Girl."  Hilarious!
• Whether you love or hate President Obama 2016 should be an "interesting" movie.
• I've written lately of my trouble trusting other Christian women.  I'm not alone.  Neither are you.  Read what Ann Voskamp has to say about If You've Ever Been Wounded By Women.

Pinterest share of the week:

Swimpond.....absolutely the most awesome swimming pool ever!

Here's to enjoying your weekend...and what's left of the summer.  I know it's already ended for some of you and that's just sad.  Or maybe it's not.  Maybe you're doing the Mommy Dance of Joy right now.  Are you?  Well, whatever your feelings on the subject...here's to you.  Carpe diem! 

Pondering with a Purpose

Good morning!  It's time to ponder with Brenda again.  It's going to be a quick ponder this week as I am off to see my son and his family today.  He and his wife are celebrating their anniversary today and it is also the first time my daughter and my mother will get to meet the new baby.  Hopefully, it will be a civil, pleasant day, in which no one says or does anything to offend anyone else.  Say a prayer, because I seem to do it unintentionally no matter what I say or do, and my mother doesn't seem to be able to keep racist remarks or hurtful criticisms to herself.  Maybe I should just dose up on Advil now....kind of preventative maintenance.

Anyway....on to pondering!



This week's prompt is:  Goals.  Do you set them?  How do you handle them?  Do you reach them?
Honestly, I'm not big on setting goals and again I think it comes back to the whole A.D.D. thing.  I've learned that if I set some big, undefined goal there is no way in the world I'm going to follow through.  I might start out strong for a while, but as time goes on......oh, look.....chickens! (Yes, I fell back on that old joke.)  Sometimes big things happen, but it tends to be more of a fluke when it does.  A happy fluke, but still a fluke.
Something small that I can do right now, like dust and vacuum, or walk the dog around the block, is about the right sized goal for me.  I can do that, but a financial plan, a diet, an exercise program, writing a book (I used to dream of that)....those things just kind of fade away after a strong start.  I've never mastered the art of breaking big goals down into small ones and using them like stepping stones.
I should get right on that.

Sugar-free Hodgepodge

Offering up another serving of:

*Check it out or join in @ From This Side of the Pond.*

1. In an effort to combat obesity, the mayor of NYC has plans to ban the sale of large sugary drinks (anything over 16 oz.), initially in restaurants, movie theatres, and street carts. Corner stores would also be affected if they are defined as food service establishments. You can read more here . Your thoughts?

~ Personally, I think it's another case of government overstepping.  Are we a fat nation?  Yes, but it's not the government's job to tell us what we can and can't eat.  Who is going to enforce this?  Will it mean more taxes to pay for more government employees?

2. Art festival, music festival, food festival...which would you most like to attend?

~ I would like any of them, the problem is that Tim wouldn't be crazy about any of them.  He will do a quick walk-through of an art festival, a food festival will hold his attention until he finds what he wants to eat, but a music festival isn't going to hold him at all.  He doesn't like to sit and just listen.  We don't really do a lot of festivals.  LOL

3. What are you irrational about?

~ Probably my fears of sharks and snakes.  I am positive that if I go past mid-shin in the ocean Jaws is going to have me for dinner and if I get up to go potty in the night I have to turn on the light and look to be sure there are no snakes in there before I sit down.

4. Do you feel confident you'll have a comfortable retirement?

~ No, not at all.  The world and economy are far too unstable to count on anything.

5. What's been your favorite Olympic moment so far?

(Not ever, just in the 2012 Summer games)

~ This is where I confess I haven't watched them at all.

6. What would you label as the messiest room in your house?

~ The master bedroom.  It's the dumping ground for everything we don't know what else to do with.

7. Do you follow your heart or your head?

~ Probably my heart a little bit more often than my head.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

~ If you're a regular reader, you already know, but if you aren't....our grandson, Aeden Connor, was born this past Sunday.  We got to see him for just a minutes on our way home from Erie.  Thursday I am taking my mom and Megan to see him for the first time.  We are loaded up with all kinds of goodies to take with us.

"Grand"-ly Thankful

 Yesterday was a gray, rainy, and at times stormy, day.  We had promised Tim's sister that we would bring the last of her belongings up to her new home in Erie, so we were on the road at about 8:30.  Erie is about a 3-hour drive from here.  We pulled into her driveway and just finished unloading everything when the skies opened.  Whew...good timing!

We had a nice little visit with her, her husband, and step-son. Tim fixed their bed frame (it's one he had to saw in half during another move in order to get it into the bedroom....it's just seen better days at this point), we got a tour of the lovely house (how does she always manage to find houses with ginormous bathrooms?), then they took us out for lunch at Texas Roadhouse to thank us.  Mmm, love those baked sweet potatoes with cinnamon butter.

We didn't linger long after lunch.  We were in a hurry to get to Pittsburgh and meet this little guy....

Meet Aeden Connor, our new grandson.  He came into the world yesterday at 1:27 PM.  Kicking and screaming and not at all happy to be here, his parents say.  He seemed to have adjusted and was content with his lot in life by the time we saw him around 5:30.  He didn't seem to mind who held him and he made the sweetest little coo-ing sounds.  A good thing since we arrived in the midst of a horrible thunder storm, had to park a ways from the hospital and walk through the rain, arriving soaked in spite of a large golf umbrella.

Megan is miffed that she didn't get to see Aeden yet, but he and Mommy get to come home on Tuesday.  I promised Megan we'd give them a day or two to settle in at home then I'd take her down to see him and our granddaughter.  I'm going to ask my mom if she'd like to go, too, though I'm hoping they won't wait too long to bring the baby here.  I'd like my aunt, who always thought the sun rose and set on my son, to get to see the baby.

By the way, yesterday was also the first time I've seen my daughter-in-law since January.  It went okay and for that I am grateful.

Joining with Ann and the others today in appreciating the abundance of this life:

444.  A grandson.  Healthy.  Whole.  

445.  A visit with a sister-in-law and the chance to see her new home, to know she'll be okay in her new life.

446.  Conversation and laughter and a chance to better know a step-nephew (he is my age, so it's about time!).

447.  Safety while we were on the road much of the day.

448.  Coming home, kicking of wet shoes, peeling off still damp clothing and snuggling into a warm robe.  Ahhh...home.

449.  Smart phones that let us keep in touch even when we're in the car on the highway so we know when babies arrive and can pass the news along.

450.  New tires on the pick-up.

451.  No more Anne Murray CD today (it played over and over the whole way to Erie).

452.  That yesterday's storms did not bring the wind and hail warned about.

453.  A mini-vacation still to look forward to.

A Fragment of This & And a Fill-In of That

Better late than never....that applies to blogging and memes.  Right?  I've been trying to get to this all day and life has not been cooperating.

So, before it gets any later.... let's get on with the business of Fragments and Fill-Ins.

*Created and hosted by the intrepid Mrs. 4444 of Half-Past Kissin' Time*

Still no grandson.  My son called this morning on his way to work and said that as of now (the way this is going that could, and probably will change) the doctor plans to induce labor on Sunday.  Of course, this new plan finds us out of town for the day, but if Aeden makes his appearance as planned, we should be able to swing by the hospital on our way home and meet him.

glitter-graphics.com

As you can tell by my dividers this week....The Steelers' summer training camp is in session.  It's here.  In my town.  About 4 miles from my house.  I went all the time when I was a kid, but that was back in the glory days of the 70s and you could get close to the players to talk to them, take pictures and get autographs.  Now they schedule times,  people come from all over the world and the crowds are ridiculous.  Traffic can get pretty bad when the practices are letting out, but otherwise it doesn't affect life much....unless you want to go out to eat on a Friday night during training camp.  All the restaurants in town are PACKED.

My favorite player back in the day, quarterback Cliff Stoudt.

glitter-graphics.com

We're beginning to think Megan didn't get the job at the hotel after all.  They told her she had it and said they'd be calling to schedule her to come in to get measured for uniforms and since then......nothing.  She called and left a couple of messages but hasn't heard anything back.  I'm taking her to put in more applications today.  I sure hope we have some luck.  This kid needs a job!

glitter-graphics.com

I've been doing lots of reorganizing this week.  I moved all the furniture in the living room (bought a new magazine that gave me some ideas) and not that they needed it or anything, I emptied out the kitchen cabinets and the pantry and threw away things that were past their expiration date and put everything back (not necessarily in its original location) in nice neat order.  Want to place bets on how long it's going to last?

glitter-graphics.com

Megan did okay at the hearing.on Wednesday.  If you recall, she was subpoenaed to testify in a hearing about a former employer.  The woman owned a daycare and knowingly allowed her husband, a previously convicted sex offender, unsupervised access.  He is currently in prison for molesting his own grandchildren!!  The hearing was to determine whether the woman should also be tried.  Megan reported that the woman sat there and laughed at everything being said...which just makes me that much happier to report that she is going to trial.  Couldn't happen to a "nicer" person.

glitter-graphics.com

Remember that fender-bender I was in back on July 14?  I finally got the new bumper on my car yesterday.  Wow.  They did such a good job and even cleaned and polished the whole thing.  It looks so pretty!  The best part is that it didn't cost me a dime.  It was all the other guy's fault so it's on his insurance.

glitter-graphics.com

. *Next up is Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun hosted by Hilary of Feeling Beachie.*

This week’s statements:

1. I have no desire ___
2. I love the smell of ___because____
3. I wish that my ___________ would magically_________
4. In one month I ____________

My answers:

1.  I have no desire to go sky diving, bungee jumping, parachuting or anything else that could result in my remains needing to be picked up with a spatula.

2.  I love the smell of fresh roasted peanuts because it reminds me of going to the county fair with my grandmother.

3.  I with that my house would magically grow either bigger rooms or more rooms.

4.  In one month I will have kissed another summer goodbye and be back to work.

Pondering a Legacy

I'm getting a late start this morning, but at least I'm getting a start.  It seems like these last few weeks Thursdays have been very busy days.  Today is no exception, but I do have this window of time, so....


You can find out all about Pondering with a Purpose over at its creator's site.  Brenda has the background and all the rules posted there along with this week's prompt.  Participating links are there, too, if you'd like to read what others are saying. This week's prompt is:  Legacy  What is it that you want to be remembered for? This is one of those things that I've honestly thought about a lot, because whether we want to admit it or not, none of us wants to be forgotten after we leave this life.  What I've noticed over the years, though, is that most everyone eventually fades into obscurity no matter how rich or famous and regardless of what they've done.  Of course there are historical figures that are exceptions to the rule, but the majority of them are not remembered as the grand figures they once were.  I'm guessing you could pick just about any college student and ask them about, oh....Franklin D. Roosevelt.  They will probably (I hope) be able to tell you he was a U.S. president, but I doubt if they could tell you what he was known for or what his accomplishments were.  There are already those who believe astronauts never stepped foot on the moon and that the Holocaust never happened.  The point is....we forget quickly, so it doesn't matter what I want to be remembered for. I'm not famous.  I'm not rich.  I haven't invented anything or explored uncharted territories.  I haven't freed any slaves, discovered the cure for cancer, or lead an army into battle.  So, my chances of being remembered beyond the lives of my own children are pretty slim.  I'm okay with that. What I hope and pray will be the legacy I leave behind are seeds planted, not only in my children, but in others I've come in contact with.  I hope that I have sown the seeds of love and compassion, Christian charity, integrity, and a love of knowledge.  I hope I have sown the seeds of perseverance and hope and the desire to be the best one can be.  I hope I have shown how to be strong, but also how to back down and walk away when it's the right thing to do.  I hope I have planted the seeds of faith in God.

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When the end comes it won't matter to me what anyone thinks or remembers of me, but I hope I've made this life better for someone and that from that they have learned to pay it forward and do the same for another.  That is a legacy worth leaving.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Cranked to Vol. 87

Good morning and welcome to Vol. 87 of the Wednesday Hodgepodge.  (Has it really been that long?!)  Thanks to Joyce @ From This Side of the Pond for thinking up the questions each week.  Pay her a visit for the rules if you want to join in or to see the list of participating bloggers.

1. I'm joining my daughter1 in the 101 in 1001 challenge. Essentially you create a list of 101 things you hope to do or accomplish in the next 1001 days. What's one thing you'd put on your list?

~ Lose weight even if it kills me.  I haven't been doing so well, but God's really been working on that whole thing about my body being his temple thing and....well....I really should be providing him with better digs.

2. How many remote controls do you have in your house? What's one item in your home you wish could be operated by remote control?

~ My daughter.  Time to get up?  *click*  That mountain of laundry in the hall needs washed?  *click*  Guinea Pig cage needs cleaned?  *click*  Getting a whole lot of sass?  *mute*  

3. What does having it all mean to you? Is it attainable?

~ To me, having it all means having loved and cherished family and friends in my life; a relationship with God through Jesus as my Savior; enough financially to be not be without food, clothing or shelter; a fulfilling purpose to my life; and lastly, contentment and peace with life as it is.  Yes, I think it's attainable.

4. What's your favorite movie soundtrack?

~  I'm torn....  I really like the Forrest Gump sound track, but I guess maybe I like this one a little bit more....

5. Describe the best view you've seen from a rooftop.

~ It wasn't exactly a rooftop, but Kennywood Park has this ride called The Pitfall.  It's one of those rides where they strap you into seats that encircle a central column and then raise you up slowly about 1000 feet to the top of the column.  There's an absolutely amazing 360 degree view of Pittsburgh and the surrounding hills from up there.  You get about 10 seconds to enjoy it before the brakes let go and you fall back to earth.  I recommend peeing before you board.  LOL

6. What's your least favorite thing about summer?

~ I don't know.  I've got a couple of things that might qualify.  I really miss the days when my kids were around and the house was full of neighborhood kids all summer....the quiet gets to me sometimes.  I kind of dislike that everyone goes AWOL in the summer and it's hard to get together with people because they're all so busy.  It also kind of stinks that 3 months off work means 3 months of less income.

7. Our weekly Hodgepodge falls on the first day of August. In ten words or less sum up your July.

~ Routine, hot, wet, expensive, a little lonely, but definitely blessed.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

~ I've got two thoughts today.  The first, please send up a prayer for my daughter.  She's been subpoenaed to testify against a previous employer....a daycare owner who knowing let her husband, a man with previous convictions for molesting children, have free, unrestricted and unsupervised access to the daycare and the children there.  He is already in jail...for molesting HIS OWN GRANDCHILDREN!

This is just the hearing to determine if the woman should be tried in court.  Megan is scared witless.


~ And the second thought, from Mike Huckabee:

I have been incensed at the vitriolic assaults on the Chick Fil-A company because the CEO, Dan Cathy, made comments recently in which he affirmed his view that the Biblical view of marriage should be upheld. The Cathy family, led by Chick Fil-A founder Truett Cathy, are a wonderful Christian family who are committed to operating the company with Biblical principles and whose story is the true American success story. Starting at age 46 Truett Cathy built Chick Fil-A into a $4 billion a year enterprise with  over 1600 stores. At 91, he is still active in the company, but his son Dan runs it day to day as CEO.It's a great American story that is being smeared by vicious hate speech and intolerant bigotry from the left. The Chick Fil-A company refuses to open on Sundays so that their employees can go to church if they wish. Despite the pressure from malls, airports, and the business world to open on Sundays, they still don't. They treat customers and employees with respect and dignity. I ask you to join me in speaking out on Wednesday, August 1 "Chick Fil-A Appreciation Day.” No one is being asked to make signs, speeches, or openly demonstrate. The goal is simple: Let's affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick Fil-A on Wednesday, August 1. Too often, those on the left make corporate statements to show support for same sex marriage, abortion, or profanity, but if Christians affirm traditional values, we're considered homophobic, fundamentalists, hate-mongers, and intolerant. This effort is not being launched by the Chick Fil-A company and no one from the company or family is involved in proposing or promoting it. There's no need for anyone to be angry or engage in a verbal battle. Simply affirm appreciation for a company run by Christian principles by showing up on Wednesday, August 1 or by participating online – tweeting your support or sending a message on Facebook.

Is Your Marriage a Mirror?

Marriage is not mainly about being or staying in love. 

It’s mainly about telling the truth with our lives. 

It’s about portraying something true about Jesus Christ 

and the way he relates to his people. 

It is about showing in real life the glory of the gospel. 

~ John Piper, Momentary Marriage

I confess I don't know who John Piper is, nor am I familiar with Momentary Marriage, which in bad form I'm assuming is a book.  I read the above quote on Facebook when it was posted by another blogger and it hit me like a ton of bricks.  Gave me one of those "WOW" moments when it's like someone pulled back the drapes and let the sunlight in and I could see clearly how what looks pretty good in the shadows can look rather shabby in the light.

I've thought a lot of things about marriage over the years.  What married person hasn't?  Some of it's been good, edifying even, but some of it's been stuff that really makes me glad people can't read my mind.  I can tell you, though, that I've never once thought about marriage being a reflection of Jesus in this world.  That our marriages should embody Christ's relationship with us and be an example of how we are to live and be with each other is new territory for my mind to explore.

It makes perfect sense, for what earthly relationship is more intimate than marriage?  Our spouse is the one person above all others (yes, even our children who are also very dear to us) whom we should desire to give the things that Christ gave us....unconditional love, forgiveness, and grace.  The more time we spend getting to know Jesus and maturing in our relationship with him, the more of him should be evident in our marriages. If our marriages aren't looking like they should, it's likely our relationships with God the Father and Jesus the son aren't what they should be.

Oh, Father...be in your daughter's heart.  Give me your eyes to see my husband through.  Give me your heart to love and forgive and offer grace to a husband who is human and fallible just as I am.  Help me to take to heart all your teachings on what a wife is to be.  Even if my husband falls short, let me be blameless in my duties as you have taught them.  Let your love shine through us and our relationship with each other to point the way to you.  Let our relationship reflect the perfect love of your son.  Let someone see Jesus in us.  Amen.

And the counting continues....

429.  Sweet, juicy, vine-ripened tomatoes warm from the sun.

430.  The ending of the teenage years, bittersweet to be sure, but best left behind.

431.  Celebrating a friend's birthday over breakfast.

432.  A sister-in-law finally moved and safely settled.

433.  Stopping at a garage sale held by readers...and finding they like all the same authors you do.

434.  Being snug inside during a thunder storm.

435.  A husband who can laugh about how often I move the furniture.

436.  French toast....twice in one weekend!

437.  A CDL physical over and done with for another year.

438.  New glasses.

439.  A new microwave.

440.  The end of rain for a while so the grass can get mowed before it needs baled.

441.  Sunflowers blooming.

442.  Goldfinches flocking to the sunflowers.

443.  Magnetic nail polish.  Very cool stuff.

The 7 F's of Fridays

Good morning, good morning, goooood moooooorning!  We've made it to Friday again and all in one piece.  God is good!

O taste and see that the Lord is good;

How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

~Psalm 34:8

You know what Fridays mean around here.  It's time to join up with Mrs. 4444 for Friday Fragments and Hilary for  Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun.  So, let's get to it!

I finally got to pick up my new glasses and (prescription) sunglasses last Sunday so, since I can see (and possibly pass a vision test) I tried all week to schedule an appointment for my annual CDL physical.  They like to make sure we school bus drivers can see, hear, and won't stroke out or lapse into a diabetic coma on the kids.  It doesn't always work out that way though....The year before I started driving our school district had a driver DIE while driving a bus full of show choir kids through the Squirrel Hill Tunnels in Pittsburgh.  There are never spare drivers on the buses, but for some reason there was that time and she was able to pull him out of the seat and get the bus pulled over.  Whew!  But I digress....

My regular doctor couldn't see me until nearly the end of September.  Not helpful at all since my current physical card expires August 11.  Since we are planning to change doctors anyway, I gave the doctor we have in mind a call and he could fit me in August 13.  Also not helpful, but when I explained a bit more they agreed to see me before actual office hours on August 10.  I made that appointment and then called my boss.  The problem is that it used to be okay to just have your physical card signed by the doctor but now you have to have the paperwork filed in Harrisburg before the expiration date, too, or they will drop you back to a class C license.

My boss suggested I call the office of a doctor whose kids ride my bus.  They love me and never, ever want me to leave.  She said she'd bet they'd fit me in if I explained the situation.  So, I stopped by the office yesterday....only to find it closed....but I noticed a sign in the window of the chiropractic clinic nextdoor that said they did DOT/CDL physicals....but they weren't open until 3:00.  So, I went home and ate a bowl of soup and took a 2-hour nap waited patiently until I could call.  When I did they said they could see me as soon as I could get there.  So, to end a really long story....I'm a legal school bus driver for another year.

We're catching a little bit of a break today with the heat.  Not much, but a little.  All those apocalyptic thunderstorms that roared through yesterday did it.  We've been dry and behind on rain for the year, but I'm pretty sure we're all caught up now.  It's going to be several days, probably, before I can get in the garden again or we can mow the grass (already high from earlier rains).  The pool is full.  The fish pond?  Also, full.

We did need it, but it can be done for a while.  It's not so fun having a 70 lb. hound running around terrorized or having a 4 lb. puppy that refuses to go outside to take care of business because it's we-eeeet and scary.

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My "baby" turned 20 on Wednesday.  No more kids.  No more teenagers.  I have mixed feelings about that.  It's going to be awfully quiet around here when she's gone....and she and the boyfriend are already talking and looking at ads for places to rent, spurred on by her soon to start (we hope) job.

Even she is feeling a bit melancholy about things.  She tells me she only has 21 (legal to drink), 25 (you can rent a car), 30 (she really doesn't know why because she finds that one scary), and 50 (over the hill) to look forward to now and it's just "depressing."

Ohhhh, my.  I'm afraid I've been laughing my butt off and not at all sympathetic.

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I'm helping to move my sister-in-law tomorrow.  The temperatures are going to stay a bit cooler so that's good.  I don't really know what to expect.  She has been looking for a place for a while and has even had to go ahead and start her new job.  She finally found something this week.  Yea!  It shouldn't be too bad.  She had a couple of weeks before she left for the job and most of the packing is done.  I think we'll mostly be loading the truck.  Church is at 5:00 and she said she hoped to be loaded and long gone by then.  Tim has to work so won't be able to help, but Megan said she'd go with me.  The more hands, the lighter the load!

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Tim had planned to work on Sunday, too.  He is turning over one of the buildings he's working on next week and it's always a mad crush at the end to get all the details wrapped up.  He'll be off, though, or at least working a shorter day than planned because a family friend passed away yesterday morning.  The viewings are on Sunday.  He was an older man (92, I think) and Tim's family rented a house on the man's family farm when Tim was growing up.  He worked for the man and really looked up to him as a father-figure.  He was always good to us and the kids.  He actually offered to buy my son a pony and keep it on his farm.  It's sad, too, because we've lost another WWII veteran and a highly decorated one at that.  He had multiple purple hearts and a whole lot of other medals.  I've only heard some of the stories.  He was a hero.

Okay, let's get at those fill-ins!

This week’s statements:

1. I learned how to make _____ in ____
2. I have always wanted to ____
3. My purse always has a __________and _______________.
4. One day when I am ____________I am  going to _______________________.

My Answers:

1. I learned how to make clam chowder in Chincoteague, VA
2. I have always wanted to live on a farm.
3. My purse always has a bunch of receipts shoved in it and  they all come flying out when I pull out something else.
4. One day when I am old I am going to stop worrying about what everyone thinks and start telling it like it is.