Here's a New One

1. What time did you get up this morning?

Hmm... I didn't set the clock... didn't have to work... I think it was around 8am

2. How do you like your steak?

Rare to medium rare... lots of pink, no raw.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?

Paranormal Activity 2- but I didn't watch it. Sat with my Kobo reader and Ipod. I think the last one I watched was Shutter Island.

4. What is your favorite TV show?

Clean House

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

I like it right here in NC!

6. What did you have for breakfast?

Rice and sausage

7. What is your favorite cuisine?

That's hard... I like too many of them! How about "southern?"

8. What foods do you dislike?

corned beef, liver, livermush

9. Favorite place to eat?

We have a Greek restaurant called Showmars... yummy!

10. Favorite dressing?

Paul Newman's Sesame Ginger

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?

Toyota 4Runner

12. What are your favorite clothes?

Anything I can wear with my black yoga pants

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?

The Grand Canyon, Alaska, Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas, Greece, Caribbean, Nova Scotia... and Carson City to see Kippy, Springfield to see Susan, and New York to see Kat... and if money and safety weren't an option, to Kathmandu to see Dai and Kumar.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?

Wrong sized cup! Ha! Ok, I'm a 1/2 full person.

15. Where would you want to retire?

Right here in NC or maybe more toward the mountains

16. Favorite time of day?

Afternoon after work...

17. Where were you born?

In Charlotte, NC. Grew up in the house across the street from where I live now

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?

Either football or baseball

19. Who do you think will repost this on their blog?

Depends- which ones of my friends are bored tonight?

20. Person you expect to comment first?

Whoever reads it first?

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?

Everyone!

22. Bird watcher?

Not really- I like to watch birds, but those people who sit out in the woods for hours with binoculars don't appeal to me!

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?

Probably a morning person, at least that is when I'm at my best. I'm tired at night.

24. Pets?

One dog- Roxy. She's so funny and so sweet. She strayed in at my mom's and Savannah brought her home!

25. Any new and exciting news that you'd like to share?

I'm helping Chris get a car tomorrow.

26. What did you want to be when you were little? honestly?

I wanted to train dolphins for SeaWorld

27. What is your best childhood memory?

My mom taking us to the local pool to play for hours with our friends.

28. Are you a cat or dog person?

More dog than cat.

29. Are you married?

No

30. Always wear your seat belt?

Yes

31. Been in a car accident?

Yes, a couple. No really bad ones though

32. Any pet peeves?

Repeated irritating noises...

33. Favorite pizza topping?

Veggies!

34. Favorite Flower?

Calla lilies

35. Favorite ice cream?

Fresh banana, birthday cake, or peach

36. Favorite fast food restaurant?

KFC or Wendys

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?

None

38. From whom did you get your last email?

Savannah's volleyball coach

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?

I never choose to max out my credit card, but if I could do it, probably Ikea or Talbots

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?

No, I like to plan things

41. Like your job?
 
I do like my job!

42. Broccoli?

Yes

43. What was your favorite vacation?

Our mission trip to Montana- we got to see Mt. Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Little Bighorn battlefield, and Glacier National Park

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?

My kids... or one or the other of them!

45. What are you listening to right now?

Savannah talking

46. What is your favorite color?

Green

47. How many tattoos do you have?

None and I like it that way

48. Coffee drinker?
 
Sometimes. I like hot tea more.

49. What nicknames do you go by?

None really- my niece calls me "Aunt NeeNee" though

50. Do you have a type when it comes to a guy/girl

Not really. I guess I know it when I see it, but can't define it. But I love blue eyes!

My White Christmas

It rarely snows here, and when it does it is mostly in January and February. The last white Christmas this area saw was in 1947. Between yesterday and today, we have 5 inches on the ground! I love it- everything looks so beautiful. Well, until the kids tracked it up with feet, doggie prints, and 4 wheeler tracks!

Christmas 2010

That's my brother and the mound of presents we have to open.

We opened presents on Christmas morning with my family....

Christmas 2010 Presents

Christmas 2010 Presents

Merry Christmas!

The last two days have been wonderful. I had to work on Christmas Eve until about noon, then it was off to get the last of the errands done. I had a couple more gift certificates to buy and had to go by the store to get the things that we didn't have on the list the day before. Then I went to mom's to start cooking. We do an appetizer spread on Christmas Eve that takes time to prepare. This year it didn't seem so bad. We used things from Sam's Club like cheesecake bites, cream puffs, bagel bites, and shrimp. Plus I made the easiest punch ever out of Cheerwine and pineapple juice.

My brother, stepsister, mom & stepdad, uncle, me and all our families gather to eat, play dirty Santa, and just have fun. This year, we had the added pleasure of having my cousin and his family, including his parents and his son and new baby. The new baby (she's 6 weeks old) got all the attention!) We still had a lot of food left over!

The boys and I went to the 11pm service at church. Savannah fell asleep and didn't go with us. It was really nice. I was missing singing Christmas carols and I always love the candlelight and communion. This year they used electric candles. Didn't bother me but people were complaining about them. I know real candles are a hazard and make a big mess. I figure if I don't want to clean it up, I can't complain.

But I was tired when we got home at 12:20am! That's two hours past my bedtime, and I had to get up to help mom cook our big Christmas breakfast. We ate and opened presents and IT STARTED SNOWING!! Not only snowing, but sticking to the ground! Considering that the last white Christmas this area had was in 1947, that is very unusual. It has continued to snow all day. We have about 3 inches so far and the forecast is for 4-8 overnight. So mom decided to go ahead and have our Christmas dinner about 3pm so everyone could get home safely.

I was so tired when I got home, I took a nap. Think I slept from 4 something to 6 something. I still feel like a slug. Just tired after a wonderful day.

I hope all of you had a good, happy day, too! Merry Christmas!

Mobile Uploads

Some doctor on the TV this morning said that the way to achieve "inner peace" is to finish all the things you have started but not finished. So I looked around my house to see things I'd started and hadn't finished and, before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of chardonnay, a bottle of Baileys, a bottle of vodka, a package of pringles, the remainder of a prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, and a box of chocolates. You have no idea how peaceful I feel right now!

For anyone near Charlotte who loves to sing... be at the food court at South Park Mall on Monday at 6:30pm. Oh, and practice the "Hallelujah Chorus" a few times before you go!

Days of December- Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love- Day 17

Highs and Lows

I've had both today. I suppose ying comes with yang for a reason, but I much prefer the better! (which one is better, by the way?) Anyway, today started out with the end of a challenge for my friend Kat. If you know anything about her, you'll know that she has a soft spot for animals and a big vet bill! Today, her friends rallied together to surprise her and pay it off. I've had tears in my eyes half of the day seeing how happy and grateful she is. Most of all, I'm warmed that she knows how loved she is. You have awesome friends, Kat- and we all love you!

Then I got home to start on a project of my own. Remember Savannah moved across the hall to her lovely new room? Well, her old room was a total junk pile. The smart girl only put the things she really wanted in her new room. I recruited some help to get the rest of it sorted out. My friend Regina loves having yard sales, so she came over and we went through things. She took a lot of stuff to put up for this spring and the boys took a lot to the dump. The rest of the room is organized and neat. There's a spare bed, so I suppose it is the craft/guest room now!

All of this would have me feeling wonderful but the kids have been fighting all afternoon. The boys can really pester their sister when they want to. At one point, she locked herself in her room and they were shoving things under the door. I finally had to drag them out and tell them to get out- I didn't want to see them until they could respect people. They weren't respecting her telling them to leave her alone, and they weren't respecting me. That did buy me some quiet for a couple of hours.

Now I have a raging headache and it is time for bed. I hope it is just the stress of the day catching up. I did have a small glass of my chocolate wine (I could be a wino on that stuff!) and am in my jammies. Good night all!

Days of December- Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love- Day 15

I have such a peace today... do you ever feel like things are coming together? I don't exactly know what was apart, but it feels fixed! Maybe it is just witnessing an anonymous kindness done to a friend... or maybe it is that I  have part of my work done for tomorrow in case our ice storm does come. I'm not sure, but as I get ready to go to bed, I'm at peace with the world.

Blame Bill....

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.
Okay, for those who have time, just copy and paste into a new survey 4 yourself :-)

Change all the answers so that they apply to you.
*.*.*.*.*.*.Have fun!*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both!.

2. Real tree or Artificial?  Artificial one. 

3. When do you put up the tree? Whenever I have time to- this year it was the week after Thanksgiving. I usually try for the day after Thanksgiving!

4. When do you take the tree down? Again, whenever I have time to- but usually always after New Year's!

5. Do you like eggnog? Not really- for the calories, I'd rather have other things.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I got an Atari when I was early in high school- must have been '82 or so- and I thought I was big time lucky!

7. Hardest person to buy for? My mom- she doesn't need anything, and if she wants it, she buys it for herself.

 
8. Easiest person to buy for? Savannah- she likes things like I do!

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. I have a little cheap Walmart one and then someone gave me the Willow Tree one of Mary and Joseph and the Baby.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't remember a bad one really- the ex used to go for those gift baskets of soaps and things. Never really liked them - he didn't put any thought into it, plus I wondered if he thought I was smelly or something!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The Santa Clause (at the moment anyway- it always changes!)

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?  After Thanksgiving.

 
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No- I threatened to with my grandmother once- she never used anything you gave her and I told my mom I was going to dig out something I gave her a few years ago and give it to her again!

 
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom's Life cereal party mix

16. Lights on the tree? Yes- all white ones

17. Favorite Christmas song? "Do You Hear What I Hear?"

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel- across the street to mom's house!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? This year, it is a big bow.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning. We do a gift exchange with extended family on Christmas Eve.

 
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Crowded stores! Oh, and don't call me a Scrooge, but the Salvation Army bells are really annoying, too! 

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Hmm.. this is hard, but I really like the ornaments the boys and I made the year I was pregnant with Savannah.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? I like our Christmas Eve dinner which is all appetizers- shrimp, meatballs, etc!

Days of December - Hope, Peace, Joy and Love- Day 14

This is a day of hope... of peace. I have been surrounded with wonderful friends debating Christian thoughts without attack. Riete had a good blog on different religions, which turned in to a discussion of how these religions could have some practices that would benefit a good Christian (who is open-minded enough to realize that!) Steve has had some wonderful advent blogs (and so has Riete); Sea and Karen have been doing Days of December blogs, and I had a good chat with Patrick this afternoon about false prophets in today's time.

I would say that at least half of my friends here are not Christian, but are wonderfully supportive of my beliefs. I had a warm pm from one just saying "I love, love, love your attitude!" I am so grateful that you are all a part of my life!

Today was laid back at work- which is really scary, since we're T-7 work days left until Christmas and usually this is a wildly hectic time. But I was able to finish a project that will make a few other projects easier to do. It took me all day, but I needed a calm day to get it done. I had to input all our "time and talent" forms into the church database. This is a list of all the things people want to volunteer for in the next year. Since I also need to do nursery worker, usher, and other schedules, having this input will save a lot of time. There were 225 forms to input, but now sorting data will be so much easier than flipping through all those forms every time I need to know something! So there's my joy for the day!

I had fun reading some of them. I have worked here 11 years and know the people pretty well, so I laughed out loud at some of the things people volunteered for. Not in a bad way, but I'll give you an example. The teenagers volunteer for EVERYTHING! They really want to be involved in things. The people who are dedicated to one ministry area volunteer for everything in that area. There's a group of older people who volunteer for one or two things. Then there are the ones who don't want to be caught not filling out a form (like we send the form police out?) so they turn one in but don't check anything!

I'm home, lying on the sofa and looking at my tree and my winter village which are all decorated! The mantle lights are on, and there's a fire in the fireplace. I don't think it got above freezing today. This is the south! It doesn't get this cold! (I know, someone is going to tell me how to blame this on global warming- right?) The wind chill was 5 this morning- temps of 15! They're actually calling for snow Wednesday night. All I can say is either snow or get warmer, darnit!

Breath Of Heaven - Amy Grant

Eby has "Mary Did You Know?" on her playlist and while it was playing, I thought of this song. Both are wonderful and among my favorite songs during Christmas. Enjoy!

Snow! I see snow! (Oh please, can we have a 2 hour delay in the morning?)

Days of December - Hope, Peace, Joy and Love- Day 12

I've been in a real funk the past couple of weeks. Really, I've been so busy that I am exhausted. Starting to feel better, though, after a pretty easy weekend. I really want to learn to say NO! I told myself that I would, but it seems that I say yes to all these great things that I really want to do! So, the things I'd like to say no to I can't- like work, taking Savannah places, etc. and the things I want to do just pile up on top of that.

I got a FB message from an old high school friend today. He's been divorced a year and is still having a tough time of things, especially with the holidays looming. He really just needed to know that healing can happen- that things can get better and life does go on. And it really does! I realize that I'm at peace with that whole situation now. I have hope that one day someone awesome will come along. I can wait until they do- and find joy in the friends I have and the work that I do. I have plenty of love from family and friends. So I need to get rid of the funk. Things will calm down the closer we get to Christmas (seems all the parties and things were in the early part of the month) and I can get some rest. I also need to go to the gym tomorrow. Strange as it sounds, I need to work off some of the tiredness, finding some energy by expending some.  And get to work on losing this last 30 stubborn pounds! That would bring me lots and lots of joy!!

Days of December - Hope, Peace, Joy and Love- Day 9

I have been silent this week. I had a hard time finding hope, peace, joy or love much of anywhere. I'm tired- ok, I'm exhausted. And I'm fighting a cold and losing my voice and haven't felt like looking for the good in something. I just want to sleep.

We had our community chorus concerts on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. That's really what tired me out- and how I mostly lost my voice. Sunday I left home at 8:30am and got home at 9:30pm. Throw a church council meeting in there, too. Worked Monday and then sang in the concert. Took Tuesday and Wednesday off to try to do most of my shopping, and by the end of Tuesday (with the last concert) I had done all I could do. Wednesday was spent mostly sleeping.

I do feel a little better today. Went back to work, which was a crazy place! (Don't work for a church two weeks before Christmas- it is nuts!) And I'm tired again tonight. But I have HOPE! I am nearly done with my shopping and am almost ready to box up my ornaments and gifts to my friends out there, so that will be done. Two parties this weekend, which should be fun- if I don't decide to sleep instead!

So that's where I've been- needed a little PEACE for myself (showed myself some LOVE- bought some chocolate- thanks Eby!) and now I think I can go look for JOY again. After one more night's sleep!

Carol of the Bells

I love the Muppets! And you gotta love Animal!

Shipment #1- With a Little Help from My Friends

I have the most awesome-est friends! I don't really care if that is a word or not- it fits today! Thanks to you guys, I sent cards that total $200 to my friend in need today. I really intended to get these out yesterday, but I didn't have a chance to make it to the post office. So they shipped today.

I still have another shipment to send- I ordered some gifts for the girls that aren't here yet. So if you wanted to help, there's still time! Let me know and I'll include your things in my next shipment!

I love you all for helping!

Days of December- Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love- Day 4

This Saturday is what I've thought of as "the calm before the storm." The next few days are just crazy busy- I think I have breaks tomorrow of about an hour for lunch and maybe an hour and a half for dinner. Otherwise, I'm at church by 8:30am and home around 9pm. As I look back on the day, I realize it was a day filled with love.

I went to lunch with my two best girlfriends today to celebrate the birthday of one of them. I love these two women. They are part of our worship team and just tons of fun to be around.  We went to our favorite Japanese place, the same one we went to for my birthday. They have huge windows and, as we ate, we watched the snow. I love snow! We don't get much here, and never have to shovel it, so I am like a small child when it snows! When we were finished with lunch (and a huge complimentary Bananas Foster) we went walking through the village, just enjoying the day. I love it when I don't have to be anywhere at a certain time.

On the way home, I stopped to get my niece so she could spend the night with me. Talk about love- she had her bag and was out the door. I had to make her go back and give her daddy (my brother) a hug. Tonight, she helped me get my tree up! I was wondering if there would be time if I didn't do it today, since our community chorus concerts start tomorrow. I was unpacking ornaments and discovered all the ornaments I received last year in the ornament exchange. They made me smile as I remembered each one of them and who sent them. I do love you guys and these exchanges are simply fun!

Now I'm going to show myself some love by going to bed. Tomorrow is going to be nearly impossibly crazy and I need all the sleep I can get! Good night!

Snow! I saw snow! Well, for about 10 minutes. Then it quit.

Days of December- Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love- Day 3

Today I see peace. Maybe not in the world, but in my own corner of the world. But sometimes in order to see peace, you have to have been at war.

Some of you know my step-son came back from Iraq in July. He had no job, no car, no place to stay, his wife left him, his parents don't want him... so I took him. He is my hard child to love. He always has to do things the complicated way. He wants to be one step ahead of where he is. But I see the potential.

He has been home now for nearly 6 months and he isn't looking for a job. He is in that Catch-22 position where he can't buy a car without a job and he can't get to work without a car. Things came to a head today. It seems that he expects someone to give him a car so that he can find work. Well, life doesn't work that way. I was calm and rational and told him that he had to earn the car. I also told him that he had to have a job. There are jobs out there- they may not be what he wants, but they pay more than he has now.

But things are calm now... the air is cleared and he knows exactly what I expect. I came home tonight to find him filling out applications online. One step at a time. But now I feel a peace- a peace that I cleared the air and got some pent-up resentment off my chest.

It does remind me that without war, we don't recognize or appreciate peace. Without noise, we don't know silence. Without stress, we don't know calm. Maybe peace can't exist in the world without chaos to accompany it. But when we are in a state of peace, all is right in our own little world.

Joanne

Here's the screen shot where I sent an answer to Joanne on November 23.... strange that she didn't get it!

Days of December- Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love- Day 2

I found JOY in today, several places. Joy isn't always easy to see- it can be mistaken for happiness, pleasure, or satisfaction. But today, I saw joy.

My brother was working out of town today and asked if I could pick my niece up from school and keep her until he got home. She is 9, and is a bundle of energy and pleasure. She loves me- and lets me know it every minute. I was almost late picking her up because of an errand that my mother asked me to run for her, but when she saw me, she started squirming and almost couldn't contain herself with joy. Her teacher helped her into the car, then introduced herself to me. I thought for a moment that she mistakenly thought I was her absentee mother, but when I introduced myself as "Aunt NeeNeen" the teacher told me that she has heard so much about me- almost every day!

This girl is a chatterbox. She began to tell me of a dream she had where she traded lives with my daughter. She would absolutely love it if I were her mother. She really wants a mother. But in her dream, she began to realize that she wouldn't have her brother- she wouldn't have her father- she wouldn't have her dog- and that made her realize that God gave her to the right family. And she can still spend a night with me every week!

That she is so sure of her place brings me joy- that she can see God working in her life brings me joy- and that she loves me so much brings me joy!

Days of December- Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love- Day 1

I know I missed posting this yesterday- not a very good start, but I was up late doing a very good thing. I'm the chair of our Council on Ministries at church and we had a very important, possibly church-changing meeting last week. I have a presentation to make to our Administrative Board on Sunday night and I now have a fabulous powerpoint to go along with it!

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, the Council on Ministries is the leaders of the different groups in the church- missions, children's ministry, women's groups, men's group, youth, preschool, and worship team. We get together quarterly to discuss what is going on in our group, especially where it may affect another group. The Administrative Board is just what it sounds- that's where the ministries, finance, trustees, etc. come together to run the life of the church. Methodists have much more lay control than other denominations- the pastor is not a part of these committees, although he is usually there putting in his two cents!

This presentation gives me hope- that is my theme of today (ok, yesterday...). This is a huge opportunity to start a satellite church at a church that is almost nearly defunct. It will take more than one meeting, and lots of prayers, but I can see how we're uniquely positioned to do so, and how God has set everything up for the relationships and the knowledge for us to take this on. This would be a big step for our church, one we've never talked about before at this level. Pray for us, that we are seeking God's guidance in this endeavor.

Oh No- Another One

This one is making the rounds- Eby, Riete, I don't know who gets the blame for this!

WHAT WAS YOUR:
1. Last beverage: Water
2. Last phone call: My best friend Dava
3. Last text message: My friend Paula
4. Last song you listened to: Kutless- That's What Faith Can Do
5. Last time you cried: Last week sometime...

HAVE YOU EVER:
6. Dated someone twice: Yes
7. Been cheated on: Yes
8. Kissed someone & regretted it: Yes
9. Lost someone special: yes, my dad
10. Been depressed: Yes
11. Been drunk and threw up: Yes :(

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:
12. Green
13. Yellow
14. Blue

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU: (2010)
15. Made a new friend?: Yes
16. Fallen out of love?: Neither in nor out...
17. Laughed until you cried?: Several times ...
18. Met someone who changed you?: no
19. Found out who your true friends were? Yes
20. Found out someone was talking about you?: No, why? *looks around paranoid*
21. Kissed anyone on your fb friend's list ? No, not kissed anyone

GENERAL:
22. How many people on your fb friends list do you know in real life: 80%
24. Do you have any pets?: Yes
(I don't know what happened to 25) - me either, let's make something up...
25. What is the last thing you ate? Hershey's kiss
26. What did you do for your last birthday: Went out with my family, had a girls' night out...
27. What time did you wake up today: 6.20am
28. What were you doing at midnight last night: Hmm ...  sleeping
29. Name something you CANNOT wait for: Our trip to Italy!
30. Last time you saw your Mother: last Sunday
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: Hmmm... that's hard... I'm pretty happy!
32. What are you listening to right now: Nothing
33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Well probably, but I can't think of who... oh wait, I think one of the local plumbers is named Tommy....
34. What's getting on your nerves right now: A child that won't go to bed
35. Most visited webpage: Facebook and Multiply
37. Nicknames: My niece calls me Aunt NeeNee
38. Relationship Status: single
39. Zodiac Sign: Libra
40. Boys vs Girls?: Girls rule!
41. Elementary?: Rock Springs
42. Middle School? East Lincoln Jr High
43. High School? East Lincoln High School
44. Hair Color? Brown
45. Long or short? Long
46. Height? 5'8"
47. Do you have a crush on someone? No
48: What do you like about yourself? I'm sweet to people
49. Piercings? Ears
50. Tattoos? No
51. Righty or lefty? Righty
52. First surgery: Wisdom Teeth
53. First piercing: Ears
54. First best friend: Lynn
55. First sport you joined: Swimming
58. First pair of trainers: who knows what this is?

RIGHT NOW:
59. Eating - Nothing
60. Drinking – Nothing
61. I'm about to – Go to bed
62. Listening to – The wind outside
63. Waiting for- the weekend
64. Want kids? Have kids
65. Get Married? Not sure... never say never!
66. Career? Manager

WHICH IS BETTER :
67. Lips or eyes? Eyes (strange question...)
68. Hugs or kisses? Hugs
69. Shorter or taller? Taller
70. Older or Younger? Older
71. Romantic or spontaneous? Spontaneous
72. Nice stomach or nice arms? Stomach
73. Sensitive or loud ? Sensitive
74. Hook-up or relationship? Relationship
75. Trouble maker or hesitant? Hesitant

HAVE YOU EVER :
76. Kissed a stranger = No
77. Drank hard liquor = Yes
78. Lost glasses/contacts = Yes
79. Sex on first date = No
80. Broken someone's heart = Not that I know of
81. Had your own heart broken = Yes
83. Turned someone down = Yes
84. Cried when someone died = Oh yes!
85. Fallen for a friend = No

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
86. Yourself = Yes!!
88. Love at first sight = No
89. Heaven = Yes
90. Santa Clause = Yes (he doesn't bring you anything if you don't believe!)
91. Kiss on the first date= No
92. Angels = Yes

ANSWER:
93. Had more than one bf/gf? Yes, but not at the same time!
94. Is there one person you want to be with right now? No
95. Did you sing today? Yes- for 3 hours!
96. Ever cheated on somebody? No
97. If you could go back in time, how far would you go, and why? 27 years, and talk to my grandmother and my father one more time.
98. If you could pick a day from last year and relive it, what would it be? One day at the beach.
99. Are you afraid of falling in love? No
100. Posting this as 100 truths? Yes, but technically it's only 99 truths because question #25 was missing- but I made one up so maybe that counts!!

Days of December- Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love

Several of us had such a wonderful time with our Days of Thanksgiving blogs that we decided to do the same thing for December, but focus on the themes of Advent- Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. So I'll be blogging each day about one of these topics.

I want to include today, though, since it is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent has its roots in Catholicism (yes, I know I'm Methodist!) and is a way to spiritually prepare for the coming of the Christ Child on Christmas morning. I have an Advent wreath, which has 4 purple candles around the edges and a white candle in the center. Today, I lit one of the purple candles.

Today I want to focus on Joy. I'm sure by now you've seen Savannah's room that I worked hard on, and I'm so pleased with how it turned out! It brings me joy to see her so happy- I don't think she has ever passed up an afternoon with a friend to go sit in her room! I'm happy to see her so happy. I think it works the same with God. When He sees His children filled with Joy, He is pleased. I'm sure of this because God sent His Son to bring Joy to the world. (He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth. Luke 1:14)

I hope this holiday weekend has brought you a measure of Joy as well. If you would like to join me in daily blogs beginning December 1, feel free to.

If you are sending a Walmart or Visa card for my friend, please try to get it here this week. I'd like to send them to her by Friday (Dec. 3) so she'll have time to go shopping. I'll send another shipment later, so if you can't, don't worry!

Savannah's Room Makeover

This is the bedding that started it all. When the girl decided to move across the hall to Chris' old room, where the sun doesn't come beaming in early in the morning, she began looking at bedding. We found this in a catalog and it was "the one." Luckily, we found it so long ago that when I went to order it, it was on clearance! We were also lucky that they weren't sold out!

Anyway, looking at these three hot colors together, it took a little figuring to decide on the best wall color. I suggested yellow, and Savannah chose the actual shade. It was the perfect color!

Once I had two coats of primer and two coats of paint on the walls, we were ready to assemble the furniture from IKEA. She got the bed you see above (with 4 drawers underneath) and this awesome desk:
 

What I love are the accessories! While IKEA has great furniture, they have awesome, inexpensive accessories! The wall lamp was $6.99. The orange boxes were $7.49. The little rails above her desk, with the cups hanging from them, were ingenious! They were also $10 total, rails and cups! This is my kind of store!


We also got a mirror for $9.99 (Chris is admiring himself in it) and I paid my handyman to assemble and hang things. It was well worth $60 to me to not have to deal with all the assembly! I've told her ten times today- as she has happily admired her room, not to be too surprised when she has nothing to open on Christmas! (It won't be nothing, but it won't be much, either!)

Martha Stewart is Not Coming to Thanksgiving

To All Our Family and Friends:

Just a note to let you know we are hoping to see you Thanksgiving Day. But….

Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. I’m telling you in advance, so don’t act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won’t be coming, I’ve made a few small changes:

Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.

Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I’ve gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.

The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.

Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper.  The artist assures me it is a turkey.

We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I’m sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds.

As accompaniment to the children’s recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don’t own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.

We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method. We’ve also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table. In a separate room. Next door.

Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner.  For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress “private” meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that “passing the rolls” is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your sister in the head with warm tasty bread.

Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of young diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce.  If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance. Cheese Sauce stains.

Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice between 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice; take it or leave it. I hope you aren’t too disappointed that Martha
Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. She probably won’t come next year either.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

For anyone wanting an easy way to donate money to my friend- pm me and I'll give you my paypal email. You can simply put money there and I'll transfer it to her. We have figured out that the easiest thing is to get money to her for whatever she needs. I'm still going to do a little shopping, and you are welcome to also, but I thought I'd make it easy for you to help! I promise she will end up with every dime!

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 24- Paint

I moved into this house 12 years ago today. It doesn't seem like it has been that long but it has. When we first built the house, we let the kids choose which room they wanted. (Well, Savannah was 2, so she didn't really "choose." Brandon wanted the room over the garage because he liked the sloping walls. Chris chose the only room that faced the back yard because the window is 26 feet off the ground. He always had a fear of someone breaking in his window. Savannah got the room closest to mine.

They also got to "choose" their color. Well, I pre-chose several things for them to choose from. Then they got to choose. Brandon took (big shock) Carolina blue. Complete with UNC wallpaper border. Savannah chose pink (again, big surprise for a 2 year old girl!) Chris wanted (strangely) a navy blue room. We opted for one wall to be navy and the other three taupe.

Since then, Chris has moved out (and back in) and Savannah has taken over his old room, not because she is afraid of people breaking in, but because the morning sun comes streaming in her room. Now that she is a teenager, she wants to sleep late. But the girl didn't like the color scheme. So, for her birthday, I'm painting her room, my mom bought her new furniture from IKEA (we gave her old furniture to my niece) and she has new bed linens.

It has taken me 2 coats of Kilz to cover the blue wall, but I think I succeeded. Today, I was able to put one coat of her new color on- she chose yellow. From the looks of it tonight, it is going to need one more coat tomorrow. It is amazing to me how new and fresh that room looks, though! Paint is amazing! Messy, but amazing! So I suppose my morning will be taken in one more coat of paint. Then I'm done! Well, until we have to put all this furniture together. I'm going to get my handyman to come help!

Now I'm thinking my bathroom looks bad.....

A New Host for SNL- Cookie Monster!

It seems as if Cookie Monster wants to make the transition from weekday mornings to Saturday night. He made an audition video to submit to Saturday Night Live in the hopes that he will be asked to guest host. Since I'm such a Sesame Street fan, I had to post it over here!

The One Word Blog

Who did you steal this from?
Bill

Where is your mobile phone ?
Desk

Significant other?
Non-existent

Your hair?
Brown

Your mother?
Awesome

Your father?
Passed Away

Your favorite thing?
Blackberry

 

Your dream last night?
Unknown

Your favorite drink?
Tea

 

What room are you in?
Family

Your hobby
Singing

Your fear?
Loss

Where do you want to be in 6 years?
Comfortable

Where were you last night?

Rehearsal

Something that you aren't?
Selfish

Muffins?
Blueberry!

Wish list item?
Keurig

Last thing you did?
Paint

What are you wearing?
Paint (lol!)

TV?
Sometimes

Your pets?
Dog

Friends?
Awesome

Your life?
Happy

Missing someone?
Yes

Drinking?
Cheerwine

Your car?
Toyota

Something you're not wearing?
Shoes

Your favorite store?
Kirklands

Your favorite color?
Green

When is the last time you cried?
Yesterday

Where do you go over and over?
Work

Five people who email me regularly?
Ok, excuse me, but how can you answer this in one word?

 

My favorite place to eat?
Showmars

Favorite place I'd like to be at right now?
Bathtub

Four people I think will respond?
Again... one word?

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 23- Caring Friends

I'm sure most of you have read the blog about my friend in need. At times like these, I really wish I had a million dollars to use to help people. But today, I have something just as good- a network of good friends who are caring people. Most of you don't know her- a couple have guessed who it is- but that doesn't seem to matter. Someone is hurting and you want to help.

Maybe that is why we're friends. I can't hear of someone in need and not want to help them. And I'm thankful to be surrounded by people who want to help, too. So far, you have promised 4 gift cards, two paypal donations, some shopping, and a shipment of "nearly new" items.

This is still early, but I have one person who wants to "adopt" one of the children. I need one or two more. If you want to go shopping for these girls, please let me know. This is truly what Christmas is all about - sharing with one another and helping someone in need. I am truly thankful to have you all as my friends! God bless each one of you!

Help Someone this Christmas Season

I am lucky to have many awesome friends here on Multiply. I feel like you guys are my family! When you celebrate, I celebrate; when you laugh, I laugh; when you hurt, then I hurt, too. The past two days, I have been hurting alongside one of my friends. I won't tell you who she is at this point, but I am asking if you can help me help her.

She is probably one of my longest online friends here- we were friends before Multiply and, I think if I get it right, on another site before I joined Yahoo 360. I've been through a lot with her, and has been a good and faithful friend along the way. She is not a complainer, whiner, or one to go on about herself, but now she is having to ask for help. She has no food in her house, and hasn't had the means to go grocery shopping in over a month. She is living with an abusive husband and, at this point, doesn't see a way out of the situation.

One of her biggest concerns is for Christmas presents for the children. I want to "adopt" one and I'm hoping some of my other online friends will want to as well. Here's the choices:

3 year old girl:
size 4 clothes and size 8 shoes
She loves Barbies, babies, Dora, Elmo, etc.

8 year old girl:
size 7 clothes and size 1 shoes
She loves Barbie, goth stuff, makeup, hair stuff- she's really girly

12 year old girl:
jr size 5 clothes (adult medium) and woman's 6 1/2 shoe.
She loves Criss Angel, music, makeup, hair stuff (would love a straightener) and is girly.

There's an older teen girl as well, but she didn't send me information for her. If you would like to help one of these children in any way, please let me know.

.I am working on getting her groceries through her local Angel Food site but she has an immediate need for them before the December delivery date. The other immediate need would be for some toiletries and things.  Actually, a Walmart card would be the best in any amount. If you feel led to do so, I can promise you that it will be put to good use by this family. Either reply here or pm me and I'll let you know where to send it.

If you are unable to help in either of these ways, would you pray for her? Or send her positive energy or light or good thoughts or whatever it is that means something to you? She is trying to get disability so she can get away from the controlling spouse, but she needs his insurance right now for her many medical problems. Pray that she can find a way out of this mess and on to a better life for her and her children.

Thanks for spreading some Christmas blessings to one of our own.

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 22- Computers

Today I am thankful for computers. Oh, I know they have their share of problems, and we like to complain about them, but they make our lives so much easier! I am the secretary at a church. I cannot imagine being a church secretary pre-computers. If the pastor wants to change a hymn or a scripture, I just change a line in the bulletin and we're good to go. Before computers, I would have had to re-typed the whole thing!

Today I was working on our community chorus program. Making fonts bigger, lines closer together, and various other subtle changes to make it sit on the page just right. I don't know how I'd do that with a typewriter.

But most of all, I come here and find a world! From anything you need to know about anything, to shopping for anything you need (and a lot you don't), and for a world of people I'd not have met otherwise, I'm thankful for my computer. Even though it drives me crazy when it doesn't work right, I don't know what I'd do without it.

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 21- Chores

I called a family meeting today. I'm tired of doing all the work while the kids do what they want. But I basically appealed to them, pointing out all I do for them and how I don't get anything back but excuses. They're 14, 20 and 21, and can do just about anything I can (and the strong boys can do more in some cases!) So they came up with an idea for a chore list that just might work.

They have always had chores, but on a haphazard basis. Usually it falls to whoever is around at the time I need something. What they came up with was a weekly chore list. This week, Brandon gets to do the dishes and take out the trash every day. Chris chose the yard/basement/garage. Savannah has laundry and living room. We'll shuffle it all again next Sunday and they can do different things.

I went to Bible study and came home to a clean house! They found with about 30 min. of work it was all done. Not too bad for day one. Now, we'll see if this works long term. I need to figure out rewards/consequences still- they couldn't come up with what they wanted, although Savannah wanted it to be an allowance. I can do that for her. It is harder with the boys because $20 doesn't mean that much to them anymore!

So if anyone  has ideas about what would motivate 20 year old boys, please tell me! Until then, I'm thankful for kids who choose and do their own chores.

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 20- IKEA

Yes, today I'm thankful for IKEA. They built a store in Charlotte a couple of years ago and I hadn't gone- until today. Savannah gave her kiddie bedroom furniture to my niece because it wasn't the right size for her anymore. I'm painting her room and got her new sheets and a comforter. But she had to have furniture.

You could get lost in IKEA. The place is huge! There is so much to look through that it is easy to get overwhelmed. But I made it through with a bed with storage drawers under it, a nightstand, a corner desk with a bookcase, and a chest for $600!! Of course, I have to put it all together (which I"ll probably pay the boys to do) but I couldn't believe how inexpensive it was. I want to go back and get some Christmas presents, too- they had everything from pots and pans to pillows!

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 19- Free Time

Today, I'm enjoying some free time. Put a coat of Kilz on the wall in Savannah's room. She is getting a new color, sheets, bedspread, etc for her birthday. I have another coat of Kilz and two coats of paint to go. The rest of the evening I had no plans. I took a hot bath and watched the last 3 episodes of Supernatural online with Savannah. We have now seen all episodes through the one shown on TV tonight, in season 6.

I am lucky to be able to just spend silly time with her. For the past hour, she has been playing some silly game on the computer (rag doll volleyball on addictinggames.com). It was one of those irritating games that she was just determined to win, so she played over and over again. She did finally win.

Free time is a blessing I'm truly thankful for. We spend a lot of time on the go, and don't always get this time just to lie on the bed and relax. So today, I'm thankful for the free time I got to spend with her.

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 18- Smell

I was having a hard time trying to decide what I'm thankful for today. There's so much to be thankful for, but I think I have hit most of the highlights. I'm finding that I'm thankful for the same things each day, with a few new things scattered here and there. Today, the only really new thing I could write more than one sentence about is my sense of smell.

Think about it- without smell, you can't taste anything. You wouldn't know when the garbage needed to go out. You wouldn't know when something spoiled in the fridge, and you wouldn't know when to stop spraying cologne (ok, some people don't know that now! Ha!)

I'm thinking about smells today because, first, I went to Michaels for some craft supplies for the church I work for. All the Christmas stuff is front and center (and outside) and before I even got in the door, I could smell that Christmas pine scent. The entire store smelled of it. I don't know if it is from what they're selling, or if it is some sort of psychological thing that makes you buy more Christmas stuff. But it was nice.

I came home to an almost clean house. I say almost because, while the kids picked up, they didn't clean. Which is ok- cleaning doesn't take near as long as picking up the clutter. So I did the dishes and vacuumed the floor. Then I lit some candles. It is nice in here now- that calming smell of scented candles is just settled over the room. Smells nice!

So I'm thankful right now that I can smell. But I'm wondering why we only call things smelly if they smell bad? 'Cause it is a good smelly in here right now!

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 17- Comfort Food

I am an emotional eater. Food means a lot to me, especially in relation to how I feel. The last two days on antibiotics I have felt queasy. (That's one reason I hate taking them.) I haven't eaten enough yesterday or today. But today, I only ate things that made me feel good.

Let's see, breakfast was a country ham and egg biscuit. That's a splurge (calorie-wise, anyway) for me, but just what my tummy wanted to calm down a bit. I didn't really want lunch, but ended up eating some leftover Japanese chicken and veggies with soba (buckwheat) noodles. This was in a sesame garlic ginger sauce and was just right. Dinner tonight was a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Oh, and I ate a handful of M&M's this afternoon for a snack.

That's all my comfort foods in one day. In a day I needed them in, too. I'm thankful to be able to afford the food I want to eat, and I'm lucky to be in a country where food is readily available and plentiful.

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 16- Modern Medicine

Today I'm thankful for medicine- doctors, nurses, tests, and drugs! Yes, I went to the doctor because my bladder infection wasn't getting better. It wasn't getting worse, but wasn't going away, either. I actually saw the nurse practitioner, who gave me an antibiotic and told me to drink more water! I don't know how that is possible, seeing that I usually drink about a gallon a day.

I am lucky to live close to a major trauma center (Carolinas Medical Center), two University schools with excellent diagnostic care (Bowman Gray and Duke), and also to have a good local hospital close by. Good care is just a phone call away.

But I wonder, what do people in underdeveloped countries do? Suffer? What did people do 200 years ago? I did try the homeopathic things for two days before I went to antibiotics. They at least helped it not be worse, but they didn't make it better.

I'm thankful to live in a place where good medical care is less than a 5 minute drive away and the pharmacy closer than that (and even has a drive thru)!

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 15- My Girl

Today I'm thankful for my daughter. Ok, every minute of every day I'm thankful for my daughter, but today is special. Today is her 14th birthday. I cannot believe 14 years went by that quickly! It still seems like she should be 8 years old or something, not turning into this beautiful young woman.

I'm proud of who she is- a caring, helpful person who is very concerned over others. She gets mad if her schedule keeps her from going to church. She still wants to sleep with her mommy every now and then after she has watched something scary. And she absolutely loves children- she makes the best babysitter because she actually doesn't want the kids to go to bed!

I'm so blessed that God sent her to me 14 years ago. 

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 14- Water

Ok, today I am thankful for water. This is something we usually take for granted- you turn on the faucet and out comes clean, drinkable water. You can cook with it, bathe in it, water flowers with it, or soak in a hot tub of it. But do you know how many people do not have these luxuries?

This morning in church we watched a video about a water project in the Sudan. The drinking water there is horrible. Many children die of dehydration. After the destruction in Haiti, part of the relief effort included bringing in safe drinking water. Even our own Dai from Kathmandu has posted pictures of the water from the public tap that must be boiled before it is safe.

So we're lucky to have all this wonderful water available to us at our whim. But I bet you're asking "Why is she concerned about water today?" Well, water today has made all the difference in my life! I woke up this morning with the beginnings of a bladder infection. Immediately, I broke out the water, vitamin C, lemon juice, and orange juice. I have consumed an unknown amount of water today (yes, and gone to the bathroom many, many times) but the infection is mostly gone! I can still feel a little pain every now and then, but not much, At the least, water has kept me from finding medical care on a Sunday. If it isn't cleared up tomorrow, I'll go see my doctor.

So today, I'm totally thankful for water!

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 13- Electronic Gadgets

Today, I'm thankful for electronic gadgets. I'm not one of those people who have to have the latest thing out. I'm the one who waits until they're out there long enough for the price to come down! But I do enjoy things like my digital camera, my Blackberry, my little mp3 player, and my gps system.

Today, I took Savannah, my niece, and her best friend to the movies for Savannah's birthday. They have been hammering to see Paranormal Activity 2. The parents all said it was ok- it is rated R and they're 14 years old, so an adult had to stay with them. Great. Not the movie I want to see at all! (I don't like scary movies.) Fortunately, we chose the afternoon show with the cheaper tickets. The girls wanted to sit on the back row, so I pulled out my Blackberry and read a book on the Kobo app. Also put in my headphones and listened to country music loud enough that I couldn't hear the movie.

That's the first movie I ever went to that I didn't watch! The electronic gadgets helped me pass the time, and I made my daughter happy for her birthday. The little things are handy- and I'm thankful for things that make life a little easier.

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 12- Free Stuff

Ok, so who doesn't love free stuff? My friend Jamie finds things free on the internet a lot. I don't know how she does it but I'm thankful that she shares it with us! It might be a free shampoo sample, breakfast cereal, or toothbrush, but it is free!

Tonight, I hosted a Thirty-One party. Or as the boys called it, a purse party. Ok, so they have more than just purses, but that describes it pretty well. Anyway, a lot of my friends came and we had a great time. I even made sangria- a first for me- and it was good! We got some Christmas shopping done and they bought so much that I get almost $90 worth of free stuff! Not much better than free Christmas presents!

But you know, there is more free than just stuff. Another amazing person at my church died yesterday. We all feel a little numb, but it is awesome to watch friends rally around the family. This is what friends should do. There's no amount of money that can buy that!

I stopped by a friend's house for 45 minutes this afternoon to do yoga. It was such a pretty day that we went out on her dock. The temps were just right, the lake was calm, and the sun was warm on my face. You can't buy weather like that, either.

Savannah had a couple of friends over for the party tonight. They went upstairs and just got silly. Now they have faces drawn on their bellies with the belly button for a mouth. There's not much better than a group of giggly girls acting silly!

So today, I am thankful for the free stuff. Not just the gifts, but all the blessings we're given each day that we don't earn, but get to enjoy! (and that's what's amazing about grace!)

Come to my Thirty-One Party

http://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/catalog.aspx?eventId=E341999&from=DIRECTLINK
Tomorrow night I am having several friends over for a Thirty-One party. I hadn't heard of these products until a friend of mine became a consultant. Now it looks like I'm going to do some of my Christmas shopping this way. So, if you want in on the party (or at least in on the deals) click the link and do your own Christmas shopping!

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 11- Mom

Today (and every day) I'm eternally grateful for my mother. She is awesome! My dad died when I was a senior in high school and she resolutely shipped me off to college 8 months later. When I came home with friends, she welcomed them. When I wanted to work for a company in Chicago for a summer, she bought my plane ticket.

She has guided me through raising three children and stood at my side during my divorce. She took care of my aging grandmothers, first her mother-in-law and then her mother. Right after my brother's accident, she nursed two invalids for 7 or 8 months without complaint. She is probably the finest person I know.

I was so happy for her when she married Frank (my stepfather) 12 years ago. He treats her like a princess- no less than she deserves. Of course, she takes great care of him, too.

She has paid my bills when the money was short. She makes sure the kids have new clothes every now and then. She loves the idea of Savannah and I traveling to Italy this spring, so much that she has paid for the trip.

Today, she did two amazing things. One, she sent me her housekeeper. (It is a long story, but she has two houses in two different towns. When she hasn't been at the house here, and it doesn't need cleaning, I get the housekeeper!) Considering that I'm having a Thirty-One party tomorrow night, I really needed help. She offered the housekeeper even though she could have used her this week. The second amazing thing she did was loan the boys' grandmother (their mother's  mother) money. Belle is a sweet, wonderful lady who has just been diagnosed with Lyme's disease. She is out of work and has a mound of bills and didn't know where to turn. And to top it off, she is going to let the boys do some work for her to "work it off" for their grandmother as a surprise Christmas present.

I love my mother, and I'm totally thankful for her!

Day of Thanksgiving- Day 10- Children

Today I am thankful for children. I have always enjoyed kids. Married a man who had custody of his two sons and raised them like my own. Even when the marriage ended, they stayed with me.

I have a daughter I adore. She is the light of my life and I don't know what I would do without her.

I took a job teaching children's choir at church several years ago. Went from teaching 3 and 4 year olds to middle school. Every age has their joys, every age has their challenges. But children are wonderful! Even the challenging ones can bring me much joy.

I keep my niece on Wednesday nights. If you've been my friend for long enough, you'll remember the horrific accident my brother and his family had 4 years ago that killed his wife. My little motherless niece needs her "Aunt Neen" fix every week. We have children's choir on Wednesday nights and she likes to go with me. Since my brother is a devout athiest, she comes with me. I also take her to church on Sunday mornings.

I lead music for our children's worship team on Sundays. We have a blast! You can check out a little of our silliness at gforceconnects.org if you're really bored!

Kids are a big part of my life. My kids, and other people's too! I'm thankful for the things they teach me- remember to listen, be nice to each other, and tell the truth. But mostly, I'm thankful for the love they show.