May Update!

Hello?......Hello? H E L L O......Anyone out there? I don't blame you if you have stopped dropping in. I haven't been around much and I haven't even left any goodies in the refrigerator for you to nibble on or to quench your thirst! I have been a terrrible hostess! Please forgive me. It's almost over...and then life will return to "normal," whatever normal is.

What is "it?" Oh, please, let me explain. "It" is the wedding! The wedding of a lifetime (naturally, that's because that is how long marriages last)!! I have been neglecting my blog site and I confess that readily. But you see, between the ballroom dancing classes, the shopping, finding the right pair of shoes to go with my dress, making sure Pilot Dad got measured for his tux, and finding airplanes, (yes, that is correct, airplanes) to fly above the potted mums on each table at the rehearsal dinner, and this unfinished list continues on because I haven't included finishing turning Pilot's bedroom/turned storage room back into a bedroom (which, ahem, is still not finished but we are making headway) or getting food cooked for all the family members staying in our home (18--tyvm)! Whew! Is that the longest run-on sentence you have ever read? *sheepish grin*

So periodically I post something lame just so some of you might manage to still drop by and check me out. I admit it. I love each and every one of you who do take the time and I have missed interacting with you all VERY much. However, I confess, it will continue like this until after the wedding, after the fam leaves, and after Pilot Dad and I take a short mini vacation for 3 nights and four days to Wyoming! Yep, we are leaving on the 8th (June) and returning on the 11th. I can hardly wait!!! At that time, I do believe most things will be *magically* returned to normal and I can return to my *normal* programming, where you, my readers will be free to move about the premises! *grin*

Please don't forget about me. Keep checking in (if you are already doing so) and I promise I'll return to regular posting after the wedding! *blowing kisses*

Need a laugh?

Just some humor to share with you all showing the innovative (?) ideas some people manage to come up with. :)























This one is for Pilot! Too bad we didn't know about this. We could have started you on chores MUCH younger than we did! LOL!!




This one takes the cake IMHO! LOL!
















Give me a sense of humor and
Give me the grace to see a joke
To get some humor out of life,
and pass it on to other folks!

A Dog's Purpose

A Dog's Purpose (from a 6-year-old)

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure.

They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.'

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The six-year-old
continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.

Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

Be always grateful for each new day.

Today, I wish you a day of ordinary miracles: May joy dance in your soul, may love fill your heart and may peace reign in your home.

Edible pics?

Look closely at these pictures. They are made totally out of edible food.


(Click on images to enlarge.)

Oh poor me....

I'll be light on the blogging for a few days. Since Wednesday I've been fighting the cough/fever/awful feeling. I have an appt at the doctor's today so hopefully he will have something for me!

This and that....

My days have been full. I am finding I have little time to blog with wedding preparations in full gear, dance lessons on a weekly basis, and four Bible studies going on. Two of those are not as in depth as the other two. But still very interesting. Rich discussions! Last week I looked around the Thursday night group, studying each face, and just marveled that a group of men and women desired to get together and discuss spiritual things. Actually, to delight in learning from God's Word.

We are taking Waltz lessons on Wednesday evening with Sarah's parents and another couple who are friends of ours. Pilot Dad and I were quite pleased with ourselves because we "felt" much smoother, more graceful, more like we knew what we were doing. Now, whether we looked that way is another story! LOL! When this class is over we will be taking a new class called the Swing. Then we are done with our dance classes!

Our weather has been lulling us into believing spring has arrived. Temps in the mid to upper 50ºF with a rain shower every once in awhile. However, we know that on average we receive another 9+ inches of snow. Grrrr. And, this weekend may be the time for more snow. It certainly will be cold enough.

I have found a dress for the wedding but I am still looking to see if I find one I like better. I'll be glad when the dress buying is finished.

I'm still going to the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I'm seeing progress with a few pounds lost but, more importantly inches are being lost. I am feeling better and actually look forward to going and working out. So far, by maintaining my 3x a week I have avoided flaring up my knees and hips! For this I praise the Lord!

I do believe I have caught this awful virus which is going around our area. The main symptom seems to be this terrible hacking cough which is pretty non-stop. The problem with this is I never know if it is my asthma/allergy flaring up or its the virus. I'm calling my allergist this morning when they open to see if I can get some heavy duty cough syrup. I am willing to hack all day, as needed, as long as I can get rested by sleeping uninterrupted during the night! ;)

God is so wonderful! It is such a pleasure to awaken now and hear the birds chirping out our window. They know spring is just around the corner! This morning I beat the birds up since I was coughing. I slipped out of bed so as not to disturb Pilot Dad. It won't be long till they are at the feeder, or sitting in the trees calling to each other.

Well, I'm going to see if I can go back to sleep for a little bit. I'm going to be at the gym by 9:30 but there is still a good hour and half before that alarm clock goes off. :)

For Mom's everywhere....

I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She's going ... she's going .... she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

* No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

* These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

* They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

* The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.'

And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot see if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

author unknown