Random Thoughts

Can you guess what my Sunday School lesson was about yesterday? If you can't you need to read the Bible....specifically Exodus.

These are my "Israelites" painting the doorposts of their homes with lamb's blood to protect them and their families from the Angel of Death who was coming at midnight to kill the first born male both human and animal in every family.

We turned out all the lights when the tent building and doorpost painting was finished and they sat in their tents as I read the scripture. Oh, they also ate some unleavened bread (aka Oysterettes); however we had no lamb pseudo or otherwise.

The lesson focused on how the Israelites were in bondage to the Egyptians and how easily we can get in bondage. The class easily identified some modern bondages: alcohol, video games, Mountain Dew, cutting, television, smoking, drugs...... they got the concept!

I hope each of you reading this has "painted" the blood of Jesus on the "doorpost" of your home and your heart. Satan still comes to steal, kill, and destroy us and our families. Without the blood of Jesus we are helpless to defend ourselves. No other blood will do. He alone is our lamb without spot or blemish who has already atoned for our sins....all we have to do is acknowledge we have sinned and we need a Savior.

I would love to hear from you if you have done that or if you haven't, why you haven't!

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Top Ten Favorite Foods

Since I am running low on post ideas I'll resort to Dave Letterman's trick of Top Tenning.

1. Lasagna......I love it and it is THE ONE THING Hubs is not fond of. I like Stouffer's lasagna,too...in fact I have never met a lasagna (or other food) I didn't like.
2. Maryland crabs.....preferably eaten on a table on the back porch covered with newspaper and little hammers or mallets for whacking on hard to open claws. I really only like the claws but I like to be around others eating the rest of the crab while giving me their claws. (Well, that is what my Daddy did!) I like the crab meat dipped in a mix of vinegar and mustard. I have not had this gastronomic experience since 1978 or so. I have to substitute crab legs....which are good, too.
3. Veal Parmigiana ....yummo! I grew up on veal chops but parmigiana is far superior. Our newest H'ville restaurant Louchi's has some excellent parmigiana.
4. Old fashioned Waffles....made in my mom's ancient waffle maker....round....VERY DONE, crispy....I will not turn down a Belgian waffle either...I like pecans and syrup on top no need for whipped cream.
5. Taylor's Ham aka Taylor's Pork Roll. This is a Yankee thing...it comes in a cloth casing in a tube shape like a small bologna you slice it and fry it (no oil ) its most like a pepperoni type meat and we grew up having it for breakfast. I cannot get it here in Hartsvegas and they want $24 to ship me a one pound roll....so unless hubs reads this and surprises me for my birthday (hint, hint) I will continue to go Taylor's Ham Less :(
6. Scrapple.......another breakfast staple at my house. slice it, flour it, fry it (no grease) my terrific sister-in-law, Bubbette, fixed some for us last weekend. It did not disappoint!
7. Grits, Bacon and fresh home grown tomatoes. My darling daughter and I can eat us some grits with these accouterments....ranks right up there with a BLT.
8. Turkey.... I love turkey meat, well, white turkey meat...especially on a sandwich with Miracle whip and lettuce. I can hardly wait for Thanksgiving SUPPER so I can have one. I love turkey left overs....I am still turkeying it long after hubs has said, "No MORE Turkey for me."
9. Macaroni and Cheese, again I love me some Stouffer's. I have a good recipe for Crock pot Mac and Cheese that I make without a crock pot....it calls for 8 oz of Velveeta. I also LOVE Kraft Deluxe Mac and Cheese (leave out at least half the noodles so it is really cheesey). I do not like dry macaroni and cheese with little or no cheese. Antioch Elementary school cooks, Margie and Jennie could put a hurtin' on some Mac and Cheese.
10. Gosh....no desserts listed.... my fave would be a Coldstone Creamery Cake made with Coffee Ice Cream and Chocolate Cake. OR....Mud Pie....Chocolate crust, coffee ice cream, almonds on top.....easy peasy.

What are your favorite foods?

Things That Don't Count?

I was mulling over what to write about today. The thing that came to mind during my devotion was confessing my sin of gossip. I rejected that immediately. Not really, I just wondered if we really wanted to go there.
Then I read the blog "Stuff Christian's Like" by Prodigal John. He writes an interesting blog about Christian stuff....sometimes funny, usually thought provoking. Today's topic...Things That Don't Count. Things like: taking home office supplies from work, using the computer for personal things while at work, working it so you can get two of an offer that plainly states "one per family" you get the idea. We try to fool our self and God that this stuff really is inconsequential....of off God's radar....SO we can do what we really wanted to do any way.

Gossip is a big temptation for me. A friend was coming for lunch yesterday. A friend I had taught with years ago and hadn't seen recently. I knew we would be "sharing" (Christian Euphemism for gossiping) about mutual friends. So wise woman I am, I prayed and asked God to help me NOT GOSSIP during our time together. AND to point her towards God without being "holier than thou".

As we were chatting, a friend's name would come up, Holy Spirit would say in my mind....don't gossip and I would promptly DISOBEY. Why is it so enticing to sharing a tidbit about someone else that I don't resist?

If you are tempted as you are reading this to say, what is gossip and what is sharing info I'll quote from Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life, "gossip is sharing a situation that you are not a part of." That makes perfect sense to me. If I am talking about someone else's marriage or child or weight etc.... I am not a part of that marriage, child, etc.... so I have NO RIGHT to discuss it.

LORD, help!

Any one else admit to a problem with this or any other "Thing That suposedly Doesn't Count"?

I Ain't the only Organizer Round Here

Being the talented, organized blogger I am, I will start with the after picture first. (Because I forgot you have to reverse the order of the pictures). At any rate, this is one shot of Hubs storage room after his big reorganization last week. You men and women will be proud to know that after 43 years of marriage I have given my husband COMPLETE AUTHORITY over this storage room AND the so called "FLOWER HOUSE". He can now keep or discard ANYTHING he would like in these two areas. He is so thrilled with his new found power it promoted him to go on a organizing blitz!

He set up an old card table under our little patio, got out his labels and gizmo organizers.

This is his discard box which he took to his former tractor repair dealer to use in his shop. (Recycling.....don't tell him that's what its called....he HATES recycling!)

Our neighbor Andy had gifted Hubs with many containers and many nuts and bolts etc.... so it took him three full days to sort through all of the above, find a little or big drawer to put them in and label them.

I am so proud of him! I have always been the family organizer (whether he liked it or not) and now he's got the bug. I will post pictures if the two areas under his authority get messy. I DO NOT like messy!

Blast from the Past

Saturday night I got to rendezvous with a friend I hadn't seen or heard from in over fifty years, Jane Holland Hoveland. She is the circled person on the left. Then me and my BBF Leslie Lockwood Deveau. Jane brought me this picture when she came to dinner at my brother Bud's Saturday night in Emerald Isle, NC.

Brother had met Jane's hub, Bill, at a volunteer Coast Guard meeting a few months back and they discovered a mutual link to my Favorite place on earth.....Bay Ridge, Maryland. The men planned a reunion for Jane and I. It turns out Jane and Bill once owned the house my Dad's brother owned in Bay Ridge :)

Jane's sister still lives in Bay Ridge....the lucky duck! Jane invited me to go up with her to visit Chris sometime :) I am so all over that.

I would show pictures of Jane and Bill and Bubba and Bubbette and the turtle hatching granddaughter Hannah and I witnessed on the beach BUT GUESS WHAT I DISCOVERED a few minutes ago? I had left my camera's scan disk in my CPU so none of those great photos we took were saved. Good thing I have a photographic memory, huh?!?

I must have because I could name at least 3/4 of the people in the picture even though I hadn't seen them in eons.....of course I dated 1/2 of them :)

This was taken at THE CLUBHOUSE in our little community. Every summer we teenagers would decide to have a dance and do all the work to organize it and publicize it (nail fliers on trees). I do not remember having chaperons or any adult intervention or guidance. Nor did we have drinking or party crashers. It was the Fabulous Fifties, people.

What was the best era of your growing up years and why????

Red Ryder Rides Again

My Family loves the movie Christmas Story about the boy who wants the Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas but his mother keeps saying "You'll shoot your eye out!" These are my boy's Red Ryders. My grandsons use them for target practice.

My husband got his Red Ryder when he was ten years old. It was his Christmas gift. He used it to shoot his front TOOTH out (accidentally of course when the bee bee ricocheted off a tree). He used it to kill sparrows, blue jays and his mother's chickens :) PETA people do not write me; I am an animal lover.

Hubs thinks his cost $7 at Quality Hardware. See the ad above for a $2.95 one (hubs is not THAT old)

Did you or anyone in your family have a Red Ryder? Any stories?

Miracles by Susan

I love this little sign a friend made for my hairdresser, Susan Mullis. Her shop is in her yard which is in a neighborhood, so the sign had to be unobtrusive. The Y on the mailbox is for her daughter, Teena and husband Price Yount who now live in the house. Susan lives in an apartment in back. I have been going to Susan since I retired and my hairdresser, Barbara Lawrence, retired. I had no idea that every body my age in Hartsville goes to Susan. Every time I go I meet someone new. Most of us only get cuts and color so we are once a month clients. Going to Susan's is like going to a coffee klatch without the coffee. We all visit and comment on each other's life and problems in our town etc...( The customers are hiding in these pictures because they didn't want to be photographed with hair color, perm rods, etc...unlike me who has no shame :)

Well, some how I missed the picture of just the hair pulled through the cap, but you get the idea. I must tell you several months ago I decided I wanted to be brunette again but I didn't want to wait until Susan could work me in (she is booked a month in advance). So I got hubs to put loving care medium brown on.......because I was already a bleached blond the color grabbed and I came out looking like ELVIS. It took Susan all day one Saturday to get me back to blond. She made me promise to put her number under the 911 number and CALL HER before attempting any more home hair coloring. I took the oath! (After about a million hair color disasters...you would think I had learned this much earlier in life, but some of us are born stupid.)

Voila....see why I call The shop Miracles by Susan! In a couple weeks she is going to add brown streaks to make it look more natural. (Her idea!)

This is Tonya, Susan's daughter who works in the shop on Wednesdays. She is holding daughter Teena's new baby girl Avery. When Susan talks about retiring, Teena says, "Oh, Mama you can't retire....I want Avery to grow up in the shop like the other grandchildren!" So sweet, all of us customers do love Susan, Tonya, Teena, and the grands.

Do you have a hairdresser you LOVE?

My Sweet Boy

This is my youngest grandson, Gates. He is wearing his "Spidy man Pjs) and playing house with himself. I love it!

For his 3rd birthday in I MADE HIS CAKE (note drooping frosting) and put the football players I used to put on his Dad and his Uncle Todd's cakes. You can see he is quite pleased. The picture reminds me of when my kids were adolescents and would say "Mama, you want sea food?" and then open their mouths so I could see their half chewed food. (They will deny this but it is so true....I could not, would not make this up!)

For Christmas the Number 1 Carolina player got a drill with protective glasses from Great Grandma shown in background. UNFORTUNATELY it made a VERY LOUD Drilling sound and he almost drove us crazy until they took it home to their house (wicked, evil laugh!)

Great Grandma used to give my children noisy annoying gifts which I made her keep at her house. (I can be quite the assertive daughter-in-law....who knew?) She still has the clucking chicken pull toy and the barking dog pull toy which the grands drag around her house. They seem very mild compared to the DRILLS and CHAINSAWS she gives the great grands.

Your kids or grands have any annoying toys??? Let us hear from you.

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Another Great Home Product to Try

When we were in TEXAS our house sitting hostess had a mop similar to this. Every week when the maids came they mopped all the floors and put the mop head in the washer with the rags they had used and washed them. This inspired me.

Truthfully, my husband has done all the mopping in our home. I may have gotten out the little sponge mop a time or two. Hubs has always liked a great big string mop and has the accompanying mop bucket you can step on to TRY to get the water out. When done he hangs it in the storage room to dry.....no washing needed?????

So when I saw the Texas mop I decided we needed a mop that could be washed between moppings. I looked in Texas and here and could not find the one they had but something similar. It is a Rubbermaid mop and the mop head can and has been washed in the washing machine after each mopping. So far I have mopped the kitchen area twice since we have been home. Hubs is thrilled. Me, too!

PS the mop she had is the Libman Big Tornado Twist Mop. I tried to cut and paste a picture here to no avail. Google Libman to see all their housecleaning products including The Big Tornado Mop.

Good Videosn & Pic

If you haven't seen Julie and Julie call in sick tomorrow and go with a sista. My friend, Rita, and I went Friday and she even provided the Milk Duds. Yummo.....Meryl Streep hits a home run as Julia Child and Amy Adams is a great Julie.

The best thing about The Land of Women is Meg Ryan. She is still adorable except for a tiny bit too much botox in those adorable pouty lips. Still a size 2 and looks maybe 35. The Kite Runner is great....I didn't read the book but loved the video.

Oh, The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas is Excellent. Atonement is an interesting love story. Both take place during World War II and I love those German and English gorgeous houses with the servants in their black uniforms and white caps polishing every thing to a shine. Sigh.......but I'll skip the things going on in their countries thank you.

Have YOU seen any good videos or movies lately. These were all recommended to me by friends.

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More OLD Friends :)

The waitress at the Midnight Rooster was supposed to take our picture. But she took a video. I have never put a video here; I hope it works. The Beach Bums are a group of former Plainview Elementary Teachers who formed a bond when we worked there. We went off on weekends maybe once a year which cemented our friendship. We haven't made it to the beach yet this year but we did go last year. The picture looks like we are at the beach :)

The person on the left front is Lesa Polson. She is an Autism Supervisor for Horry County. She has a nice place at a campground where she lives Mon-Fri. Then she either comes home to her hubs who still works and lives in Patrick. The next weekend he goes there. Lesa is an awesome teacher; especially with autistic children. I taught both her children who are in their twenties. Darling Daughter is working on her Doctorate in Forensic Medicine and she never could test into my gifted class....go figure.

Behind Lesa is Marcia, Marcia...like the Brady Bunch. She teaches Kindergarten at "the View". She is also a TERRIFIC Teacher and a great crafter. She will go the tenth and eleventh mile for anyone. I taught her son who is a freshman in college this year. She isn't used to her empty nest yet.

I am the MamaSan (oldest) of the group. I was their PrinciPAL for 2 years. You couldn't wish for a more supportive, talented group. I left them at the beach praying while I drove to Chesterfield to interview for the job.

On the right front is Beth. That girl can do it all! She followed me into the Media Specialist job at the View. Unlike me she is techno savvy. She can actually fix other teacher's computers, and do anything else. The male principals have called her for help :) She has her Administration Degree now (Third Master's Degree) and I predict she will be the NEXT principal of Plainview and do an awesome job. Two girls in High School....she is the cheer leading coach.

Behind Beth is Sandy. Just retired in May. Math teacher extraordinaire. Mother of twins the age of my daughter. Has a NEW and GREAT Man in her life....and she never looked better :)

I thank the Lord for these girls. Such fun, such memories....such connections.

Hartscapades and Other BFTP's

I LOVE this picture of Sallie McCauley and I and our Aglow Hartscapades Booth. (Catch that big Heart Balloon tied to the booth....and those big red earrings on S & I and our almost matching hairdo's....LOL)

IF you have EXTREMELY good eyes you can read this Hartsville Messenger article about Women's Aglow and our Billboard outreach. For the record, we gave out free light bulbs with scripture verses about Jesus being the light of the world printed on the container AND free boxes of salt with a label with the scripture about Christians being Salt. How cool is that?

I am still amazed that we actually pulled off the billboard, the light bulbs and the salt...I mean we had about 12 people in our Aglow Chapter.... I give a shout out to Christine Gardner who was a huge help in all of the above.

I just have to throw in this picture of the Macauley's rafting. According to Sallie it was a harrowing ride and they all almost drowned but those rafting photographers know how to make it look like you are having the time of your life even if it is the end of your life.

I remember Sallie telling me how when they finally got back to there car the battery had died and they had to find a motel (which was crummy) to have it towed to because it was too late to have it fixed that day. I have still not gone rafting due to the above story even though it WAS on my "Bucket List".

Any rafting stories to share? Or what is on your Bucket List?

Just a warning I have 18 photo albums and 8 scrapbooks FULL of pictures of everyone I have ever known; enough last till I do kick the bucket :)

More Blasts from the Pasts

This is Hubs Christmas Day of 1956. Guess what he got for Christmas? If you said double barrelled shot gun, hunting pants, vest and had you would be RIGHT.

He has a funny story about the stump his foot is on. He ordered a pack of assorted Fireworks for $14.95 (back when the US Mail carried such items). He opened 100 firecrackers and dumped all the powder into a bee bee casing, armed it with a firecracker fuse (way too short) and blew up the stump (and almost himself) into four pieces. Now he says, "I was probably the first terrorist".....all you stumps out there be scared....be very scared!

This is Fonzie and Lavern dancing at the Methodist Church. You know how permissive those Methodists are! Note Lavern had on crinolines and a cinch belt and the very popular rolled down socks. We are jitterbugging....a dance invented by the Jitteriest Generation.

We had reason to be jittery....I mean we practiced what to do in case of an atom bomb...every day at school. Now that I think about it....how stupid was that? If an atom bomb struck I don't think being under my little desk at school would have been a big help.

Now that we are on that subject.....what makes you jittery????

Blasts from the Past

The porch on the right is part of my parent's beach house in Bay Ridge, Annapolis, Maryland....my favorite place on earth!

Every year, the day school got out, Mom and I would move to the beach to stay until the day before school opened again (Usually the day after Labor Day....NOT August something!)

Our house was strategically situated on the end of the peninsula known as Bay Ridge. This is Sands Avenue, our street. This is looking toward Lake Ogleton; IF I had a picture of the other end of the street, which I do not, you would see the Chesapeake Bay. There were NO commerical ventures in Bay Ridge....not even a Coke machine if I remember correctly. Just sun, surf, motor boats, sail boats, and other kids! Oh Lord, did we have some fun!

When I was small (lets say 7-11) I played with the other girls on my street. Joan and Joyce, next door, Carolyn and Rose Marie across the street and the wondrous Dottie Lou on the corner. Rose Marie and Dottie Lou were five years older and they directed and produced plays with us as willing participants. The clothesline in Rose Marie's back yard held the curtain for the plays. We made props and sets. I remember being the wicked Witch in Hansel and Gretel and being actually pushed through the door to our cardboard oven to simulate death by convection, I guess. Rose Marie and Dottie Lou also taught us to Charleston (an ancient fun dance) by drawing footprints on the cement driveway. Dottie Lou's parents had a player piano we could pump away on to our heart's delight. They also had awesome rubber masks that were so effective they almost got my brother and his friends arrested for kidnapping Dr. Basil's son.

This is my brother, Bubba (aka Buddy or Herb) and I at the house in the 80's. Bubba and his wife Bubette courted at Bay Ridge (she lived there FULL TIME) and have some great stories about their gang of friends.

The picture on the left (that you can barely see) shows me (the really thin me), my Mom at the door, the blond is my sister-in-law Carmen and the back is my Dad's nurse Thelma. I love this picture because it shows I was thin for a day in 1980. On the right is my Mom smiling. She is here at my house. She did NOT like to have her picture taken despite the fact she really was a beautiful woman. She was about 70 in this picture and no hair dye ever came near her head.

I have some other old pictures (remember all I had was a Brownie Camera) I will be featuring here in the next while. Some of you will be in them....so stay tuned.

And while we are at it, where is your favorite place on earth?

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