Thanksgiving

A few things to be thankfull for....

summertime...the warm sunshine...bare feet on soft green grass...mud squishing between my toes...sugar cream pie...the sound of my kids laughter.....working from home...iced tea...my encouraging, handsome, loving husband...my witty step-daughter...my charming son...my giggly daughter....family...a really good friend.....fall colors...campfires...shooting ranges.....karate classes....sewing machines...soft blankets...hugs...farm living....

and the loving God who gave me all of it.

for Father's Day

For my Father -

A mountain of a man with this thunderous baritone voice, a smile that warms the soul and a laugh that was completely contagious. A heart big enough for everyone.... even down to the last stray cat, but a temper you didn't want to cross. Eyes - a clear blue that twinkled when he was happy .... or turned thunderstorm grey when melancholy.

hands....so strong and steady - even to the end.

He always had great stories to tell...

One of his favorites was about the day I was born. He would talk about looking at me through the thick glass of the nursery window and that I was crying so hard I was turning purple. The glass was so thick, he couldn't Hear me wailing, but could certainly see it. Whispering to me through the glass - he said" Its okay, hush now, stop crying... Daddy's here and everything is okay." He said, at that very instant - I looked directly at him - held his gaze - and stopped crying. Ever since that moment we have had an unbreakable closeness.

I think every girl believes their father to be immortal: always there with warm, reassuring hugs, and strong heroic hands, to save the day. Even as adults we take their presence for granted. Never in a million years can we imagine our super hero falling victim to mortality.

On December 25th, 2006 - my father passed away. Christmas Day, sitting around the table with my husband, my in-laws, and my kids ... at 6:12 in the evening - I FELT him leave this world. At the time I wasn't sure what the feeling was. I just knew I suddenly felt empty.

I laid him to rest in the Garden of Love, while planes constantly fly over head. He always had a deep Passion for avionics - Starting as a child, helping his father fixing planes... through the Air Force... and on through his life when he still retained his pilot licence like he did his drivers licence.

For you, Daddy - on Father's Day... I think of you Free of you mortal body and running to Heaven's Gate where mother was waiting for you. I think of you seeing your parents again and meeting Heavenly Father face to face. I think of the happiness you must feel to be completely free of pain. I miss you so much; your insight, thoughts, opinions, and those wonderful hugs - but I will see you again.

I thank God for the time we had and the strong bond forged the day I was born. You have always been a major influence in my life and you have taught me well. Thank you so much, Daddy - not every girl is so lucky.

for now... Know that I love you and that I think of you everyday! May the love I send, reach you on the summer breeze.

INTERESTING STUFF

A few little know facts. I received this in an email today - and found this completely interesting and very amusing. In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'the rule of thumb' --------------------- --------- --------- ---- Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden'.. .and thus, the word GOLF entered into the English language. ------------ --------- --------- --------- ---- The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone. ------------ --------- --------- --------- ---- Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury. There is no difference between Monopoly money and U.S.A currency -------------- ------------ --------- -------- Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better. ------------ --------- --------- --------- ---- Coca-Cola was originally green. ------------ --------- --------- --------- ---- It is impossible to lick your elbow. --------------------- --------- --------- ---- The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska ------------ --------- --------- --------- ---- The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...) ------------ --------- --------- --------- ---- The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38% ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $ 16,400 ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000 ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair. ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer. ------------ -- ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments. ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades - King David --- Hearts - Charlemagne --- Clubs -Alexander, the Great --- Diamonds - Julius Caesar ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987, 654,321 ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died because of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later. ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ Most boat owners name their boats. The most popular boat name requested is: Obsession ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'? One thousand ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common? All were invented by women. ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ What is the only food that doesn't spoil? Honey ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ More collect calls are made on Father's Day than any other day of the year. ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --- In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase...'Goodnight , sleep tight' ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon. ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down .' It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's' ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill , they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice. ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow! ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------ Don't skip this just because it looks weird Believe it or not, you can read it. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the first and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ------

Modesty Honors Beauty

I truly believe that this should be a direct quote from my heart. I hope the nieces, nephews, and children I have coming into their teenage years, trying to discover the adults that they are going to be - take every word of this into their soul, are proud of who they are....and stand true to their faith. I love them so much! Enjoy! :) First, let's get this straight: Modesty is not just putting on more clothes. Modesty is honoring God by acknowledging the value He placed on your body when He created you. If it were just about clothes, then Adam and Eve would have been created wearing something more than skin. Modesty isn't about your closet, it's about having a heart bold enough to throw aside that which society tells us, and hold on to that which God tells us: That we are a beautiful creation wrapped in the wonder and glory of the perfect artist. Today's world of advertising will never tell you that. Girls, you will never hear an advertisement tell you how beautiful you already are. Instead, it will tell you how beautiful you will become if you do this or buy that. And, even more disappointing, that end result of "beauty" will have nothing to do with your true self; it will have everything to do with the exploitation of your sexuality. Guys, you will rarely see an advertisement that encourages you to be a respectable man who spends his whole life loving one woman, but you will see plenty that tell you success is measured in how many scantily clad females your deodorant can attract. Are we really so surface? Is there not more to us than an insatiable sex drive? In today's media--commercials, music videos, movies, and television programs--the bottom line is that sex sells. Always. Why? Because, at some point, we actually started to believe that sex was a measure of success. Women think they have to be sexy, meaning constantly willing to have sex, just to be beautiful. And men think that they have to have sex, a lot of sex, to be worth something. And when you take those two ideas, and throw them into fashion and pop culture, you inevitably come up with styles and trends that depend upon the targeting of our sexuality. That which God created for mystery becomes a commodity, and something glorious becomes common place. This is where modesty comes in. Modesty is the decision to reclaim our bodies and tell this society that we do not need to sell ourselves to one another just to feel worthy. Modesty is a girl's decision to encourage a guy in purity by accentuating her love for Christ, not the curve of her hip. Modesty is a guy's decision to prove himself a man by running after God, not by making himself physically available to every girl. Modesty is choosing to let your beauty speak of Love, not lust. Choosing to be modest is not sentencing yourself to a life of baggy clothes and long dresses. That's not what this is about. Modesty, quite simply, is daring to live a life submitted to God. It is choosing to live outside of the norm. Are you daring enough to be modest? Sarah Howell - info@standtrue.com

Bounce This Along!

All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer!

Here are a few extra uses for the all powerful dryer sheet :)

1. It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them. It also repels mice.

2. Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.

3. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.

4. It repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season! and the insects just veer around you! The US Postal service sent out a message to all letter carriers to put a sheet of Bounce in their uniform pockets to keep yellow-jackets away.

5. Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.

6. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.

7. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.

8. To freshen the air in your home - Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.

9. Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner. ( I have used this one! and it really does freshen the air :)

10. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.

11. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.

12. To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

13. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan.

14. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.

15. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the lose hairs.

16. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.

17. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.

18. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.

19. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.

20. Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away. Use them all the time when playing baseball and soccer.

21. Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh . 22. Wet a Bounce sheet, hose down your car, and wipe love-bugs off easily with the wet Bounce.