The Last Dozen of the Year!

1. Do you find it gross to share drinks with family? Friends?
Not really. But I guess it depends on how many people we are talking here and how well I know them. Oh, and if they are sniffing or not.

2. What have you learned this year? (You didn't see a question of that weight coming, did you? At least not for #2.)
It's been a tough year with a lot of changes. They were not all bad changes (engagements, wedding), but significant changes all the same. The dynamics of some really important friendships have changed and I don't like that. But those friends have stepped out in grace when God knew I most needed it. "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

I have also learned how incredibly blessed I am to be able to spend life with my husband. I have to tell you what he put in my stocking. He found a little sign that says "For Ever and For Always, No Matter What." I bawled when I read it. God was certainly gracious and merciful when He brought that man into my life.

3. When do you dismantle the Christmas decorations?
I don't think I have a hard and fast rule, but I do think it ends up being New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. When I was a kid I always thought it was unfair that my mom got to have the Christmas tree up for her birthday and it was put away by mine. (Our birthdays are eight days apart in early January.)

4. Something you wish to accomplish before the end of 2009 is:
Having supper ready to serve when I tell people it will be ready. I have several times recently, when we have company, stated a certain time for supper and have been an hour off. As in it's an hour late. I get nervous when they start hovering around the kitchen and I'm scrambling to get everything done and something ends up not being totally cooked. Today I will have supper ready by 6pm!

5. How do you feel about winter (after Christmas)?
I do get kind of tired of it come the end of March and yes, it drags into April too. The joys of living too far north. The bitter cold gets to me. I can handle 20s and up, especially if there is sunshine. I miss sunshine in the winter.

6. Have you participated in after-Christmas sales?
I haven't had time to. We went to Iowa the day after Christmas to celebrate with both sides of the family there. We got home Monday night and yesterday we celebrated Christmas with our kids. So, I've been pretty busy and not had time to hit the sales. Darn.

7. Do you have plans for New Year's Eve?
I think we will cook Chinese food and then I don't know what.... We need to talk with our kids and see what they want to do. There will probably be some Wii playing. We gave one to our son yesterday. They have had a blast with it so far.

8. Is there anything special awaiting you in January?
My birthday? It will be my last year in this decade, before I switch to some new numbers. Is that special? **sigh** Later in the month I have an eye appointment where I am hoping to come away with contacts.

9. If your life this year was a movie, what category or genre would it be? (Romance, Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Suspense, Farcical, etc.)
Yes, I had to look up the meaning of farcical. (So, I learned something new before the year was out!) Ludicrous and absurd were a couple of words used to define it. I think that defines some of my year. There have been some amazingly, absurd things that have happened in some of my relationships. Parts of the year have been a Romance, parts a Farcical, and parts a Drama. All in all a pretty tough year, with a few bright spots. I am looking forward to being done with 2009.

10. How much time per day do you spend blogging? Please do not lie. I will know.
I read quite a few blogs. My kids think I'm a little touched in the head for doing that. I have met a bloggy friend in real life even! That was way cool. I can spend a good hour just reading. Writing? I have no idea.

11. Who runs your household?
Well I know the right answer is my husband. I really do think that's true. We do talk a lot about how things will work. I must admit that I have had to work hard at not thinking I needed my way all the time. The household is a lot happier when the balance is the way God designed it to be.

12. Share one hope/dream for 2010.
That our daughter will have the wedding she wants and will have happy memories from her wedding day. And I hope that our new family consisting of a son and daughter-in-law and a daughter and son-in-law will learn how to gel as the new unit we will be.

Oops, I guess that was kind of more than one. But all sort of related, so I think it's kind of okay.

The Bible in 50 Words

God made

Adam bit
Noah arked
Abraham split
Joseph ruled
Jacob fooled
Bush talked
Moses balked
Pharaoh plagued
People walked
Sea divided
Tablets guided
Promise landed
Saul freaked
David peeked
Prophets warned
Jesus born
God walked
Love talked
Anger crucified
Hope died
Love rose
Spirit flamed
Word spread
God remained

Christmas Week

I decided Wednesday morning that I really like electricity.

I woke up that morning to a beeping sound. It took a little bit for me to realize the power was out. The carbon-monoxide detector we have plugged into the hallway beeps kinda sickly when the power goes out. It ended up being off for 4 hours. It's amazing to think of the list of things I can't do with no electricity. No internet. No TV. No laundry. No cooking. No fixing my hair in an acceptable way.

The up side was that we went out for lunch with the hubby! :) I like that.

Megan and Zach took off to celebrate Christmas with Zach's side of the family. Wednesday was the start of the Christmas Storm of 2009. I think they ran into some bad roads, but made it okay.

Before the worst of it set in here, hubby and I went to the grocery store and got everything we needed. Then we rented 6 movies in case we were snowed in.
We rented:
1. Father of the Bride (1950 version)
2. Hotel Rwanda
3. Grapes of Wrath (1940 version)
4. The Soloist
5. Seven Pounds
6. My Life in Ruins

We watched a movie Wednesday night.

Christmas Eve it snowed and snowed and snowed. A neighbor plowed our driveway! That was a nice surprise.

We went to our church's Christmas Eve service. Pete played the piano and I was a part of the worship team. It was a nice service complete with candles and "Silent Night."

Outside? It snowed.

Hubby and I actually went to a Chinese restaurant and ate Christmas Eve dinner. It was yummy.

We drove to a park I like to go to for the quiet peacefulness of the place and watched the snow fall and listened to Christmas music. Then we drove around town and looked at the lights.

We came home and opened our stockings. We gave each other some cook stuff. (And I only gave myself one thing...)

Then we watched a movie.

Christmas Day: it snowed.

We were invited to a friend's for dinner in the afternoon, but decided to not go because of all the snow. We were also planning on driving part way to my parents, but decided against that too. The neighbor plowed our driveway again. This time we saw him doing it.

See how much snow we have on the table on the deck?
I think we got somewhere around 19 inches of snow. That's a lot of snow!

Now we are headed to Iowa for celebrations with both sides of our families. I hope the roads are good.

The Christmas Story

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

We sang this Christmas carol tonight at the Christmas Eve service at church. These are some of the words that struck me:

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good will to men,
From Heaven’s all gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!For lo! the days are hastening on,

By prophet-bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.

Merry Christmas!

What Christmas Is All About

When You Think About It, It IS a Weird Song

Christmas Eve, Eve (The Day Before Christmas Eve)

Some Good Reads

I have really enjoyed getting into the blog-world. I have made a new friend (and met In Real Life), made other bloggy friends and been able to keep up with far-away friends. There are some pretty funny blogs out there and there are some people that have a gift for writing quite thought provoking posts. I wanted to share a few with you that have touched my heart recently.

Shaun Groves writes about the last two commands from God in Malachi. Awesome-Send-Me-To-My-Knees stuff.

Then there is a blog called Stuff Christians like. And this post. Read It.

Beth Moore and her daughters keep up a blog that is connected with Beth's ministry. This post is full of wisdom and perspective that I think so many of us (including me) miss when we are smacked in the face with really hard stuff like Beth and her family has been recently. Beth had surgery and you just have to read through the post to find out the names of a couple of nurses she had.

I just wanted to share some of my reading with my three or four readers. :)

12 Days of Christmas

This group is quite awesome. Click the arrow and enjoy the Christmas fun!

C.S. Lewis said,
“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

One of Those Weeks

For not really having anything on the calendar, this has been a pretty busy week. I've kept busy with wrapping up my Christmas shopping and then well, um, wrapping the presents. I have one more present to wrap. The only reason it isn't wrapped yet is because Mr. UPS hasn't delivered it yet.

There also seemed to have been endless errands to run around town from Target to the post office, to the grocery store. I have even resorted to a "to-do" list this week. That's something I only do when I am feeling very swamped. I haven't even touched my baking list, and it got longer today.

I've been trying to get myself acclimated to my new piece of torture equipment this week. Oh, I mean exercise equipment. I actually like it. And maybe I will even take a picture of it to show you all. (But you'll have to come back another day to see it, because that would involve me finding my camera, go downstairs, take a picture, come back upstairs, load the picture on my computer and up-load it to here. And that is just way too much for someone who has already done her exercise for the day, you know.)

I have had nights this week that I slept very well, and then a night were I got to sleep a whole half an hour before my husband got up for his work day. (He gets up at 5am. You do the math.) (The sweet, wonderful, amazing hubby was a bit too noisy as he soundly slept.) (I love you, Honey!) That didn't make for a very productive day.

I found out this week that my mom was back in the hospital overnight to check on her heart rhythm and to up some meds to get rid of fluid on her body. (She's okay now.) She was also told she needs to have surgery on her feet because the tissue on her toes has died. (This is a result of the allergic reaction to Heparin, a blood thinner.) And by "surgery on her feet" I mean all the toes removed. The surgery is scheduled for January 8.

Thursday night we had dinner with some very good friends we don't see near often enough. It's so not fair that God called him to a different job and they moved almost 2 hours away. Geesh. It was wonderful to share a meal and talk and talk and talk.

Ever since Tuesday I have felt like tomorrow is Friday. And now, all of a sudden, it's Friday. How did it get here so fast? I don't have everything done I thought I wanted to. Phooey.

The best part of Friday? MEGAN COMES HOME! It's been way too long since I have seen her. Two months. She is riding to Minnesota with a friend from college and we only have to drive a little more than an hour to pick her up. Much better than driving eight hours!

Then tomorrow? Saturday? We are going to try on WEDDING DRESSES! No, of course, I am not trying on dresses! MEGAN is! My job is just to ooo and ahhh and take a picture or two or fourteen. (And bring out the credit card at the appropriate time.) It seems like just last year we were shopping for prom dresses. Well, it has only been a year and a half...

So that's my sort-of ramble for the week. How was your week?

A Dozen Of 'Em

I like this new, festive button that Linda@2nd Cup of Coffee has so I thought I would answer these dozen questions this week. Click on the button to find even more answers from even more bloggers!

1. Gingerbread: For or against? Discuss.

Yum! Cookies? Yum! I have an awesome recipe from my MIL for a cake-like gingerbread. Smells divine when baking and the hubby goes nuts when he realizes it's in the oven.

2. Is it important to you to always stay (live) close to family?
All that matters is that I am with my hubby. I lived seven weeks away from him once and I never want to do that again. I would not make a good military wife.

3. Which holiday pretend character do you wish really existed?
Jack Frost (is that a holiday character?) --- so I could smack him for this high of 3 and the -492 Wind Chill stuff. I am freezing today!

4. Which holiday movie best represents how you feel about Christmas or life?
It's A Wonderful Life always seems to hit home. I always wonder how or if I have impacted the lives of those around me. Would I really want to see what life would have been like without me here?

(Did you know that the man who plays Mr. Potter [Lionel Barrymore] is Drew Barrymore's great-uncle? Just a little free trivia for you.)

5. Is there a particular Christmas song that you're enjoying now? Any that you're tired of?
I heard Elvis "singing" Silent Night yesterday when I was shopping and I wanted to run screaming from the room! It was the worst rendition I have ever heard. Can you say scoop? He scooped up AND down to EVERY note! (and took a breath in the middle of a word) AAAHHHH! On the other hand... a favorite.... I heard this song (Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas) yesterday when I was driving and really liked the melancholy simplicity of it. I know it isn't a "churchy" song, but I like it. And the Coldplay version is in honor of my almost-son-in-law.


6. What is your favorite way to remember those less fortunate at Christmastime?
I think the Angel Tree is my favorite. (Although we haven't participated in this for a number of years since the kids were little.)

7. Does it upset you to see "Xmas" instead of Christmas? How about "Happy Holidays" etc., instead of "Merry Christmas?"
I don't mind "Xmas" Cannot stand "Happy Holidays" and I like "Seasons Greetings" even less. If someone says "Happy Holidays" to me I either respond with a "thank you", or I respond with "Merry Christmas." I am not ashamed of the holiday I celebrate on the 25th of this month.

8. How many Christmas programs are you attending this month?
Zero. Kind sad, huh?

9. Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? Any chance of that dream becoming a reality?
Well, since I live in the Great White North. Yes, it is already a reality. I think we've had about 5 inches so far this month. I don't mind the snow... it's the -604 Wind Chill that gets me. (remember #3?)

10. Tell me about a Christmas present you received as a child. Pics are always nice.
I remember getting this flower making kit when I was 12. My family had gone to a conference and they thought I was too young to go, so I stayed at my aunt & uncle's farm. I don't think I went outside the whole week I was there. It was too cold. I remember spending hours with this. I think it was called something different, but basically the same thing. Another gift that I remember is an Easy Bake Oven. I don't know how old I was. My oven was a lovely turquoise blue. I actually still have it in the original box and everything! I can't believe I found a video of an old commercial! (The Easy Bake Oven commercial starts at 0:34.) We had one of those groovy Spirograph toys too!)

{Lots of videos in this post, huh?}

11. How many Christmas parties are you attending this month?
Zero. Man, I think we need a social life. (Or maybe we got left off the invite list?) **sigh**

12. How do you keep yourself centered on the significance of Christmas?
There are some awesome verses in John chapter 1:

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning. ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. ¹²Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. ¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁶From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Gift Idea....

You're Welcome...

Signs

I have been collecting pictures of funny or puzzling signs for several months.

Yes, I am always looking for ideas for a blog post.

It's a gift and a curse. (And kind of fun.)

This sign is in downtown Lawrence, KS. I just don't understand what a "Magic Carpet Traveler" is. Any ideas?

This was found in a major department store. I really don't know what Men's Collections and Furnishings are...

These two restaurants right next to each other and the run-on signs make me laugh. I wonder what kind of food they serve.

I know this isn't really a sign, but it fits in this post anyway. (Besides, this is my blog and I can make up the rules!) Caleb and I like to check out the TV guide to see what interesting combos come up. (Yes we are entertained easily.) (And I'm perfectly fine with that.) So on this TV screen shot are a couple of good ones: Titanic: The Dog Whisper, and my personal favorite: What Not to Say Yes To. (I think that could be a show that could have some potential.)

From a rest area/gas station/convenience store in Kansas:

I hope you have been thoroughly entertained this Monday morning.

Your welcome.

But…

Christ was born.

Christ died.

Christ rose again.

That's what it's all about.

Wednesday & A Question

Winter has hit Minnesota.

**SIGH**

It was a wonderful November. I could really get used to winter with lows in the 40s. Too much to wish for in this land of the Great White North. I am glad I don't have to get up early to see if school is canceled or delayed. I did wake up at 4am hearing the snowplows. I am thankful for snowplows. I am thankful for my hubby who gets up early to start up the snow-blower and clear the driveway. This is our ninth winter in Minnesota and I have yet to learn how to use the snow-blower. I am proud of that record.

We finally got the Christmas decorations out this week. Things are toned down from what we have done in the past, but at least it looks like Christmas around here now. We put the Christmas tree in the living room instead of the family room. I thought it would look nice to have it in the front window.

I had this hair-brained idea the other day...

Are there any questions you, my three or four blog readers, would like to ask me? Anything you would like to know about me? Leave the question in the comments, or email me. I will do my best to answer them.

Ask away....

Christmas Shopping

Since I said on Wednesday that I only had about 10% of the Christmas shopping done, I thought I should get my rear in gear and tackle that project.

Yesterday I drove to a not quite as big as The Big City, City and got busy. The first store I went to has SO MUCH STUFF it was crazy. I spent most of the time maneuvering around the other people and all the stuff. I decided pretty quickly that Christmas shopping wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for all the people.

A notable item about my trip is that I drove my husband's car.

(He needed the bigger vehicle for something I will post about in the next couple of days.)

The good news is that I didn't kill it once! (It's a standard transmission and my car is automatic and sometimes when I switch, I forget the little detail of, Yes! There is a clutch!) Once, when I was down shifting I thought I was grinding the gears. At least it sounded like it over the radio I had blasting. I realized later it was just the cup of mostly ice I had in the cup holder and I was hitting it with my hand... :) The bad news about driving a different car is I kept forgetting which car I was driving when I went out to the parking lot. I had to remind myself that I was looking for a Little Red Car, not an Oasis Green SUV.

I had a nice break in the shopping while I had lunch at Chipotle. Yum. Somehow I always feel strangely out of place when I walk in there and there are mostly 20 something people...mostly men. Oh well. This middle-aged lady loves the food. I park myself at a table and pull out my book and enjoy myself and the yumminess. I think I was there for an hour, engrossed in my book. I can get lost anywhere if I have a good book.

I did manage to get quite a bit of the shopping done, so that's good.

On another note...

I managed to finally find a purse I like! It is bigger so I can stuff a book into it, but not so slouchy everything jumbles together so I can't find anything. I even bought a green one. Not brown or black. I am so proud of myself. Now I just hope my $25 purse holds up for a while. I have usually spent a lot more than that on a purse for the quality, but then get tired of it before it wears out. So I thought I'd go cheap on the theory that it will wear out about the time I get tired of it. We'll see how my theory holds out.

(I know all this information about my life is so riveting. :) But hey.... just being real. Sometimes my life is just that riveting.)

On the home front...

The festive decorating around the house hasn't happened yet. I do have a red candle on the table AND I have the oh-so-festive Red & Green M&Ms in a red bowl on the kitchen counter! I know! The Christmas spirit is overwhelming! Or maybe I should say, underwhelming.

I thought I would show a picture of my festive M&Ms. My almost-son-in-law let his OCD show up the other night.
Do you think we should be worried about him or our daughter? (Since she's going to marry him and all...)

The Weekly Random Dozen. (Because I Lack My Own Creativity So I Have To Use Someone Else's Creativity.)

1. Which Wizard of Oz character are you most like?
Probably The Scarecrow. I feel so incredibly brainless lately.

2. When you're deciding what you're going to wear each morning, which item do you select first? Why?
I usually put on my jeans first. Because I wear jeans basically every day. While I put on my make-up I think about what I want to wear.

3. What kind of animal do you think the world could live without?
Anything in the reptile family. ANYTHING. They are all quite unnecessary.

4. How many Christmas trees are in your home?
At the moment? None. I am in a severe lack-of-Christmas-spirit. Severe.

5. Would you prefer to be emotionless if it mean you didn't have to feel a heartbreak?
Oh man, sometimes I wish I didn't have so many stinking emotions. They wear me out.

6. Do you ever experience holiday let-down or depression?
Yep.

7. Do you like Michael Jackson's music?
Nope. Never ever have.

8. Why is it that we never judge people who have their teeth fixed for cosmetic reasons, but every other cosmetic procedure has a stigma?
I have no idea. Remember the whole brainless thing?

9. Enjoy horseback riding?
Yes. I always have wished I knew how to really well. I actually haven't been in years. When I was a kid I used to use all my spending money at camp on riding the horses.

10. Shoes--practical or stylish?
I love stylish shoes, but my feet are leaning more towards the practical. Hopefully I can find stylish-practical shoes. I have wide feet, so I have a hard time finding shoes that I can get more than my big toe into.

11. What was the name of your first pet? Feel free to post a pic.
Sunburn the Cat. Most of the time we just called him Kitty. He was yellow and white striped. I think we got him after my sister had open-heart surgery. She was 8. I was 3. I have no idea if a picture exists. It would be at my parents house if it did. Oh and I can't forget that later it was D.C. for Dumb Cat. And when he was really old we called him Grandpa. We did get a few strange looks when company was over and someone asked, "Did anyone feed Grandpa?" "Did anyone put Grandpa out?" (I don't even want to talk about the gerbils that I owned....)

12. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done?
Something like 10%. I am so pitiful and so behind.

A List

This will represent the scatteryness (yes that is a word...) of my mind lately.

1. I am so not in the mood to decorate for Christmas. But I feel like I should be. So I just decorated my blog. That counts, right? And I took down the fall decorations. My hubby and I feel pretty bah-humbug this year. Hopefully we'll get it done before Megan gets home for Christmas break.

2. I think I need to stop cooking. I have somewhere around four burns on my hands. It's a dangerous activity. On the other hand, I made quite an awesome turkey pot-pie last night. (Thanks to Pioneer Woman).

3. I've been to Target four times in two days. I need to go again today to return something. I think I love that store.

4. My mom has been home from the hospital for a week now! She spent 6 weeks there and is so glad to be back in her own house. They had to get a hospital bed for her because the bedrooms are up a full flight of stairs. So now she is sleeping in the dining room.

5. I spent all day Saturday doing laundry. I think the laundry basket was empty a total of .42 seconds. **SIGH**

6. The first of the wedding planning started this week. (Well, last week when I put in a request for the church. I'll hear next week if that is going to work.) This week's job is to find a location for the reception. (Good news! I just got a phone call from the church saying that it is approved! I get to write my first deposit check today! WooHoo!) (Oh for a bit of explanation... our church does not have a building, so I had to ask another church in town to use their facility.)

7. The neighbor's down the street amaze me every year with their gaudiness. I didn't even get a picture of the GIANT blow-up turkey. Thankfully that house isn't next door.

8. Speaking of the house next door, the barking dogs have been taken care of. It has been a blissfully quiet couple of weeks. (All it took was a couple of phone calls to the right people...) ;)

9. We had a wonderful week with Caleb and Amanda. We were blessed that they could spend a whole week with us. We had fun going out to eat, shopping, watching movies and just hanging out. We are thankful for their happiness and contentedness. Below is a picture depicting both the shopping (they were testing out the cuddlelyness of the chair) and the contentedness. Handy, huh? Thanksgiving dinner was good. (Even if the turkey wasn't completely done.) (We ate the fully-cooked part.) We even got to have a friend from church who had to work that day join us for dinner.

10. Speaking of eating out, we ate at a Big Bowl restaurant. I ended my quest for the best lemon chicken. And it is the best I have had in this country. Now I am getting hungry. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that the nearest restaurant is an hour away??? When I was almost finished I realized I should have taken a picture of this yumminess. So you get a shot of the last bite.

Your welcome.


11. (Dern. I thought I could end with an even 10, but I found this picture and had to post it.)
This is my sweet hubby who has this (uncontrollable?) reflex to organize 3M displays when we are out shopping. He wants his company to be represented well. :) Oh how I love that man.






P.S. You are welcome for all my made-up words in this post. Real words just didn't quite cut it today.

Look Who Lives Down The Street!

Pretty sure The Griswolds moved in while we weren't looking. ;)



Merry Beginning of the Christmas Season!

Random Dozen -- Thanksgiving Edition

1. Are you sticking to traditional Thanksgiving foods this year, or are you being culinarily adventurous?
I'm pretty much sticking to the traditional menu. That's one thing I love about Thanksgiving Dinner, the menu is pretty much set. I am planning on trying pecan pie this year. It's my new daughter-in-law's favorite.

2. Tell me something concrete that you're thankful for. (Something you can literally touch, see, etc., not a concept like "hope.")
My home. I feel comfortable and safe here.

3. You knew the flip side was coming: Share about something intangible that you're thankful for.
I am oh so thankful for God's unconditional love and for my hubby's unconditional love. I think it is so cool how God gives me an earthly version of His great love for me.

4. Share one vivid Thanksgiving memory. It doesn't have to be deep or meaningful, just something that remains etched in your memory.
When we lived in Singapore we had a wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving with our new American friends there. One year our family was in three different countries on Thanksgiving Day. Caleb was in Malaysia with the youth group from our church on a retreat. Megan was in Singapore with some Singaporean friends. Pete and I were in Hong Kong having a wonderful long weekend just-the-two-of-us. That is my vivid Thanksgiving memory.

5. What is one thing that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt is going to happen this Thanksgiving because it always does, year after year?
We will eat turkey! And we will share what we are thankful for.

6. Do your pets get any left-overs?
No pets here.

7. Does your family pray before the big meal? If so, do you join hands while seated, stand, repeat a formal prayer or offer a spontaneous prayer? Who does the praying?
We pray before every meal. We join hands while seated. Hubby most often does the praying. The prayer is not a formal prayer.

8. Will you be watching football in the afternoon? If not, what will you be doing?
I am positive that football will be on the TV. And I am positive I won't be watching it. I will probably have my nose in a book or most likely, in my computer.

9. There are two distinct camps of people on this issue: How do you feel about oysters in the dressing/stuffing?
I have never had it. Is that one of the camps? I'd like to try it. I am still trying to find the perfect dressing that we all like.

10. Do you consider yourself informed about the first Thanksgiving?
Yes I do. I have learned a lot more in the last several years thanks to Barbara Rainey. I have a special feeling for Thanksgiving and what it means to this country. My husband's nine-times great-grandfather is William Bradford. He was governor of the Plymouth Colony. I have stood on the beach the Pilgrams sailed from in Holland and I have stood on the beach in Plymouth, Massachusetts. I was moved by the obedience of William Bradford and the Pilgrims. Because of that, I have my hubby and he has had the privilege of having the Christian faith passed down through many generations.

11. Which variety of pie will you be enjoying?
Pumpkin. My mom has the best pumpkin pie recipe.

12. Do you feel for the turkey?? (This is a humorous throw back question related to the 12th question in another Random Dozen!)
No. Turkey is good eats.

Dr. Max

I enjoy participating in Linda@2nd Cup of Coffee's Random Questions posts. It gives me ideas about what to write about and brings up some fun childhood memories. I like reading the answers of all the people that participate and link up to this.

A couple of weeks ago in one of the Random Questions posts there was a question about sharing an after school memory. One of the blogs I went to wrote about a TV show she used to rush home from school to watched and even included a short video of the show. I starting laughing when I watched it because I remembered watching that show when I was very small. It's called Dr. Max and Mombo.



When I was four years old, my dad took my siblings and I swimming at the local rec center. After the swim my older sisters and I were showering. I slipped in the shower as I was trying to leave. I fell and smacked my head on the ledge you step over to get out. I cut my forehead and started bleeding. One of my memories of that experience is sitting in the office at the rec center and someone suggesting that they should call Dr. Max. I was sooooo excited because I thought it would be the Dr. Max of the TV show.

Then I was really disappointed when I realized that it wasn't.

I ended up with three or four stitches and a scar in the middle of my forehead.

Just thought I'd share. :)

Amazed

<sup>There are times in this Christian walk I am on, that I have no choice but to sit back and shake my head in amazement.

Sometimes I am amazed at the hard things: the friends who are getting divorced after almost 30 years of marriage; the cruel things said by someone close who should be a cheerleader rather than a criticizer; the cluelessness of the lost.

Sometimes I am amazed at the overwhelming goodness of God: the Bible verse I read that speaks amazingly specifically to something I am struggling with; sunshine; a song on the radio; the unconditional love of my hubby; friends who take time out of their lives just to help me (and I didn't even ask).

I struggle with throwing around the phrase "God is good." It's not that I think He is not good sometimes. I believe He is good all the time. Yes, He is even good in those terrible heart wrenching times: when the divorce comes at you, when family members treat you badly, when children grow up too fast. He is good then because He always loves me even through those kinds of things. God goes out of his way to show me His love. Even if He is breaking me to teach me how to be more faithful to Him, He is good and He loves me. I think Christians tend to throw around the "God is good" phrase too haphazardly especially when our lives are going the way we want them too. But can we say "God is good" even when things in life stink? I'm learning to.

This verse is one that I have been aware of for several years:</sup>

^{The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17}

I just can't quite wrap my brain around God rejoicing over me with singing. What in the world does that look like? I picture me holding my sweet little babies, or sitting on the edge of their beds and singing to them. Is that's what it's like? Does God try to calm me with a song? Does God look at me and do a little happy dance and break into song? Amazing. Simply amazing.

As I was thinking this over, this song came to mind. Worship God with this.

A Dozen More

For more answers to these questions from lots of other great people click on the button and click on Linda's Mr Linky button. (Is that too much instruction? You can handle it.)

1. If you could master one sport, what would it be?
I have been sitting here staring at the computer screen for several minutes trying to figure out what sport I'd like to master. The question is can I master a sport? I seriuosly doubt it. When I was in PE in school I remember being frustrated that I couldn't make my body do what I thought it should. I finally came up with tennis. I wish I could because I would have been able to play with my hubby. He used to really love playing tennis. I took a tennis class in college to fulfill a PE requirement. I remember the instructor wanted to fail me. I just did not have the hand/eye coordination. (okay and I had a smidge of an attitude) I would hit the ball over the net in the court next to me, not the net in front of me. The TA thought it was ridiculous to flunk someone for a one credit class, so he gave me a B in the class. I haven't played tennis since.

2. When you make a major purchase, do you go with your gut instinct, or do you do research to make an informed decision?
I like to do research. I have made a couple of purchases without the research and regretted it. Consumer Reports is my friend. When we had to buy a new refrigerator recently my research consisted of talking to the repairman who declared the old refrigerator dead. He is a great repairman and has a great reputation in town. I trusted his opinion.

3. There is an old kids' game that says you can find out what your movie star name would be by using your middle name as your first name and the name of the street you grew up on as your last. What is your movie star name?
Lorraine Meadow. Ugh.

4. Would you rather give up your favorite music or your favorite food?
I bet that if I gave up either one I would develop a new favorite food or new favorite music. (How's that for avoiding answering?)

5. There are two types of banana preferences. One is pristine yellow, almost to the point of being green; the other is spotty and more ripe. Which is your preference?
Definitely pristine yellow bananas. I got in trouble with my dad about this when I was in high school. I remember one time when he started yelling my full name, you know, first, middle and last name all together. My mind raced to anything I might have done that I was getting in trouble for. I couldn't think of anything. It turns out he was complaining that I had eaten the bananas before they got spots on them...the way he liked them!

6. Your favorite tree is?
I love the Willow Tree in our back yard. I love how it sways in the wind. I love the bright green color in the spring. My hubby hates it because whenever it's windy, it make a mess with all sticks it drops. My kids hated mowing under it. I always thought it was cool to mow under it and walk through the branches. It seemed like a little private world under the branches.

7. On a scale of 1-10, how tech savvy are you?
I would guess a 5. But I can get a lot accomplished with my "click until I get it" method.

8. Has H1N1 touched your family?
I don't think so. I was sick a few weeks ago, but never went to the doctor.

9. Are you an analytical person, or do you just accept things the way they are without questioning or scrutinizing?
I don't think I'm an analytical person, but I don't think I just accept things the way they are without questioning. I would say my hubby is definitely analytical and I don't think I approach things the same way as him. (But I would say we are a good mix.)

10. Is your personality more like that of a dog, cat, or Koala?
I cannot even begin to tell you how much I dislike this type of question. So I am actually not even going to attempt to answer it. No offense, Linda?

11. Do you keep in touch with friends you made years ago?
A few. Facebook and email really helps with that. I have reconnected with a Junior High friend thanks to Facebook. I have reconnected with a friend from when we were first married thanks for email. I reconnected with some college friends thanks to Facebook. I keep in touch with many friends that we no longer live near to through email and Facebook.

12. You are checking out at a grocery store. In the express lane, there are more people than the regular lanes, but of course, their load is less than those in the regular lanes. Which lane do you choose (assuming you qualify for the express lane) and why?
Sorta depends on how antsy I am at the moment. Although my choice is usually the self-checkout lane.

Driving Music

I went shopping in the Big City and obviously did a lot of driving. I enjoyed listening to the radio and heard several songs I hadn't heard for a while. This one by Ginny Owens really spoke to me. The video is of her singing it live. Enjoy. It is my prayer to God.

Peace

I just needed something peaceful to look at. There have been way too many stressful things in my life lately. I need to escape.

Note To Self

Dear Judy,

Every morning between 5am and 6am, your kind, sweet husband will walk from the bathroom through your bedroom. He is just going to work to provide for you. He's been doing this for over 25 years. Screaming in terror is not necessary. It will just scare and upset him and will make you not be able to go back to sleep. You don't function well when you wake up at 6am.

Love from the one who thinks more clearly later in the day,
Judy

More Random Questions For This Week

1. What was the last song you listened to?
I sang Jesus Messiah last night while my hubby played it on the piano.

2. Have you ever had “buyer’s remorse” over anything?
I rarely buy things on impulse. I usually regret when I think too long on a purchase because quite often when I finally decide whatever I wanted to buy is no longer available. I remember buying a jade bracelet for myself when we lived in Singapore. After I bought what I wanted, I kept looking at other places to see the prices. Once I found one similar for about $30 cheaper. I learned after that to stop looking around after I bought something kind of pricey.

3. What is something in your life that you are thankful for now that you didn’t think you would be at the time of the event? (Something that seemed ill-timed, inconvenient or hurtful which turned out to be a good thing)
I am thankful for the three years we lived in Singapore. It was a really difficult three years for me and most of the time we were there, I desperately wanted to leave. Now I see SO many good things that came out of that.

4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every year? If so, do you have a favorite float or balloon?
I might watch a couple of minutes of the Macy's Parade, but not enough to have a favorite anything.

5. Share a quote, scripture, poem or lyric which has been an inspiration to you lately.
I wrote on my Facebook status last week: Life is hard. God is faithful. Those six words are comforting. Even though I may at times feel like I an overwhelmed with the hardness of life, God, my God, is my rock. He Is Always Faithful.

6. This is meant to be a fun question, and this is a G-rated blog, but please share a “guilty pleasure,” something that you enjoy that’s probably not the most edifying, time-worthy or healthy thing you could be indulging in. Did I mention--G rating?
Once a week or so I like to go to a local convenience store to get what I like to call a ginormous/huge/mondo Caffeine Free Diet Coke. Whoa. Living it up, I know. Sometimes I get a doughnut too.

7. What Thanksgiving food are you looking forward to?
Mashed potatoes. No...turkey. Maybe... green bean casserole. Or what about the homemade bread? (Haven't decided if I should make Swedish Rye Bread, or Butterhorn Rolls.)

8. What is your favorite book to read to children, or what was your favorite childhood book?
I loved Charlotte's Web. Encyclopedia Brown was another favorite. We have half of a bookshelf full of our favorites that we read to our kids. We loved reading to them. They loved being read to. I think that was the best part of the bedtime routine.

9. Do you collect anything? (Feel free to post a photo.)
I don't really collect anything. So I wouldn't have a photo to post, the would I? ;)

10. Gift bags or wrapping paper?
Both. I have an insane amount of gift wrap and gift bags stuffed under the guest bed. I went a little nuts with the 50% off after Christmas sales a couple of years ago.

11. Share an after-school memory from when you were younger. What was your routine like on an average day?
In elementary school I would walk to school, walk home from school for lunch, and walk home after school. I always thought it was a really long way. Several years ago we were in the town were I went to elementary school and I wanted to show our kids how far I had to walk. We drove from my old house to the school and I started laughing. In reality, it really wasn't very far. I think it was something like 4 or 5 blocks, if that. Isn't it funny how your perspective changes when you grow up? Oh and the other thing that had really changed was the hill the school was at the top of. It used to be quite a steep hill. But over the years, had really shrunk. ;)
After school in high school (we had moved to a different town), I would walk the three blocks home or try to find someone to give me a ride. You know, three blocks was sooo far! I remember that my mom was working those years, so it was just me at home for a few hours. I usually watched TV. Sometimes I played the piano and sang along. I didn't like to do that when anyone else was around to listen. I wasn't a very good student and didn't study like I should have. Sometimes I would stop at the convenience store across the street from the high school and buy Nacho flavored Doritos for a snack.

12. True story: Once, in a job interview, I was asked this question and told there would be no clarifying; I simply had to answer the question: “When you’re fishing, do you feel for the fish?” So what about you? When you're fishing, do you feel for the fish??
Well, I have a vague memory of fishing once when I was little. I think I felt worse for the worm.

What I've Been Up To

Listening to... my sweet husband play the piano. Am I lucky or what that he is an amazing pianist and I get to listen all the time?

Thankful for... Zach Meyer. He asked our daughter, Megan, to marry him last weekend. He loves her so much and I am looking forward to having him for a son-in-law.

Enjoying... our new quilt. We bought a beautiful Amish-made quilt on our Wisconsin vacation.

In the kitchen... not much right now. I've done a lot of cooking the last couple of weeks and have a lot of things in the freezer. Nice. Kinda like a food savings account.

Sewing... a quilted cover for my sewing machine. (Yes, still... I need to get busy and finish this before my poor sewing machine becomes covered in dust.)

Reading... Shiloh Autumn by by Bodie and Brock Thoene. I read this years ago and in an effort to not buy more books, I took this off the book shelf to read again. It's a good thing I don't have a great memory and don't remember the details of the book.

Striving for... a merry heart, a gentle tone. Still.

In the yard/garden... not much of anything but leaves. The yard is getting ready for winter.

Praying for... relief and peace for my mom. She has been in the hospital for a month following a heart attack. Also praying for strength for my dad. This is taking a toll on him.

In the CD player today... Selah's You Deliver Me. I love the hymns and the songs You Deliver Me and Unredeemed are awesome.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Watching... lame Sunday night TV.

Just Finished Reading... A Hundred Years of Happiness by Nicole Seitz. I thought it was kind of weird through most of the book. But it ended really good. I loved how the author tied everything together at the end. I actually stayed up late one night last week to finish it.

Studying... Finally in the Land: God Meets His People's Needs by John MacArthur. I'm doing this with a young mom in our church. We've met one week and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the study.

Over-indulging on... sleep. Since I was sick for a week, I've gotten too used to naps.

Trying out... half-price appetizers at Applebee's.

Gearing up for... our daughter Megan's wedding this summer!

Looking forward to... having Caleb and Amanda here for Thanksgiving. I haven't cooked Thanksgiving dinner for a couple of years so I hope I remember how! :) One thing about Thanksgiving I like is the menu isn't too hard to figure out: a turkey, some stuffing, mashed potatoes, veggies, etc.

Megan and Zach

The big news around here is that we are going to add to our family again! (No, not a baby. And HEAVENS no not a dog or any other kind of a pet)

Last weekend our daughter, Megan and her boyfriend, Zach became engaged! We are so happy for them! No date set quite yet, but likely this summer.

Don't they look happy?
Here's the beautiful ring. The diamond is from Zach's great-grandmother's wedding ring. The amethysts on either side are Megan's birthstone. Zach designed the ring himself. Pretty talented, huh?


We are so incredibly happy for them!
:D :D :D :D

Mind if I Ramble?

I've been thinking that it's time for a "what I have been up to" post. So I stopped to think about what-I-have-been-up-to............

....ummm..... not a whole lot this week. Mostly I've been sick.

Tuesday I took my vehicle to get the oil changed and tires rotated. Since I take it into The Big City, I like to add some shopping to the trip. I've been looking for a new purse and decided to try TJMaxx. I was excited when I saw how many there were to choose from. But nope. Didn't find one I liked. My daughter says I'm too picky. I probably am. I bought a big slouchy hobo-y one from Target a few months ago and really tried to like it, really I did, but I think the whole slouchy part was what I didn't like. Everything would just end up in a jumble and I couldn't even find my car keys, which believe me, shouldn't be hard at all since I have them on lots of key rings. I like the idea of a big purse, but maybe one that didn't leave everything in a blob. I don't like the idea of paying $150 for a purse!

I know you are all just totally riveted with my life so far.

So....while I was in said Big City, I started feeling ill. I wanted to teleport myself the hour and a half back home. But I made the drive okay and didn't even get lost. (Well, there was that one wrong turn, but I always knew where I was.) Finally, finally, finally after being home for several hours, I took my temp and that totally explained why had the shivers and felt achy.

So mostly this week I have felt really tired with alternating moments of freezing with sweating. Until Thursday night when The Cough set in. Ugh. I am supposed to sing on the worship team tomorrow, but I don't think it's going to happen. My father-in-law called this morning and thought I was his son. Nice.

Despite the yuckiness, I drug myself out of the house last night to go to the musical at the high school. This year they did The Wizard of Oz. As always, the kids did a good job. It is weird to not have my own kids on stage or in the pit as they were for seven years. I think the girl that played the Wicked Witch of the West stole the show. She was really good and had the witch voice and cackle down-pat.

All that theater-going wore me out.

So...
(awkward transition)...

My mom is still in the hospital. She had a heart attack three weeks ago. Two weeks ago she had triple by-pass surgery. A few days after that she had an allergic reaction to the heparin (blood thinner) and that set her back some. Then a couple of days ago her heart was in atrial fibrillation (an abnormal heart rhythm), they got her up to walk and that made the heart go back into normal rhythm, but when she got back into bed, the heart-rate dropped and stopped. The nurses had to do CPR and put her on a ventilator. She went back to ICU for a couple of days. They drained 2 1/2 liters of fluid from her chest cavity. Whew! (*EDITED TO ADD::: I talked to my dad tonight and Mom is still in ICU. They have a chest tube in and have drained another couple of liters of fluid from her chest cavity!) She's really been through it. We have been to see her several times. We haven't been able to this week since I have been sick. The last thing she or my dad needs is to get a respiratory illness.

I continue to pray for relief and peace for both my mom and my dad.

(Another awkward pause as I switch subjects...)

Right now my wonderful hubby is off to the grocery store for me. He just dashed back into the house to get the grocery list. A necessary item. I am wanting to do some cooking and put several things in the freezer for a rainy day. But wait. I live in Minnesota. And tomorrow is November 1st. Make that for a snowy day!

Tonight we will go to a Chinese restaurant for supper as is our October 31st tradition. We did not celebrate that holiday when the kids were little and wanted to get out of the house when people would be ringing our doorbell, so we would go out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant since the Chinese don't celebrate that holiday. Only back in the day we lived where there was a very nice Chinese restaurant. Now we live where we have your basic buffet. But at least we have a Chinese option and don't have to settle for the local diner or a tacky Mexican substitute, if you know what I mean. Last year when the kids were in the same town at the same college, they went out for Chinese together. It about made me cry.

Okay now. Pretty sure you are all bored to tears with this non-cohesive rambling.

Random Dozen #9

1. Tell me something about your favorite teacher.
He was my 10th grade history teacher. His name was Mr. Quick. The class was Colonial Revolutionary Period. He made the class fun and challenging and actually even thought I was really smart.

2. Tell me about one pivotal moment in your life.
I would say my pivotal moment was about a three year moment. From 1998 to 2001 we lived in Singapore. Those three years changed my perspective on so many things. It brought our family closer. It gave all of us a wider view on the world. It brought me closer to God. It brought some unhealthy things in our lives into focus so they could be fixed. It eventually brought us to our current town and our current church. The things we have all learned through being a part of this church have definitely been pivotal in all of our lives. (Go here to read my son's blog post for an example.) Having said all that, those three years were the hardest three years of my life.

3. About favorite colors--a lot of people will ask you what it is, but I want to know why it is. What feeling or memory does it evoke?
Red for it's energy and fun. And I like almost any shade of green. (not a fan of Hunter Green) I think I like greens because of it's calming nature. Funny. The two colors I like are for opposite reasons. (My laptop is red. I kind of wanted a green one, but we were getting our daughter a laptop at the same time and she chose green. Good thing they had my other favorite color!)

4. What's a sure sign that you're getting older?
How often I have to pay to not look as old as I am. ;) And a few months ago we called some friends over to watch a movie with us and thought we were being like the "young-ins"...starting a movie late. It was 8:30pm. When I told my daughter that she about fell over she was laughing so hard.

5. Please don't sermonize, but Halloween--is it a yes or no for you?
NO.NO.NO. My kids never went trick-or-treating. And I don't think they regret that. I sure don't.

6. What's your favorite musical?
The high school our kids went to does a musical every year. Of the seven they were a part of I think my favorites were "West Side Story" and "Kiss Me Kate". Megan was "Kate". That was one awesome performance. I sat in the second row marveling at my daughter. I never knew she had all that in her. "West Side Story" was quite difficult musically and I was proud had how hard those kids worked. Caleb played the alto sax in the pit. This year the high school is doing "The Wizard of Oz." We are seeing that this Friday night.

7. Are you more of a city mouse or country mouse?
Let's see, would I rather live in the sewers or in a field.... A mouse is an icky rodent. I'd rather live in my house. ;) I would like to live in the country where it is quiet, but not too far of a drive to the city for the essentials and for entertainment.

8. Did you know that it is possible, for a small fee, to name a real star after someone? (It's true! Google it!) If someone were to name a star for you, would you appreciate it for its whimsy and romance, or would you say, "Are you kidding me? For $19.95 we could have gone to the movie and actually bought popcorn."
I'll go with the ''Are you kidding me? For $19.95 we could have gone to the movie and actually bought popcorn." Kind of stupid and a waste of money. And where does the money go? I don't think the star needs it.

This question comes from Paula at His Ways Are Not Our Ways.
9. What's the craziest thing you've ever been doing and texted during it? I only thought of this b/c I was about to try to text during my walking video but I didn't. Paula, you do know that this blog is rated G, right?
I have texted several "weird" places. In the bathroom, (while using it...) during church, during prayer time.

10. "It's not a party unless _______."
there is yummy food and good friends.

11. When you're stuck in traffic or a waiting room, what do you do to pass the time? PS: There are no magazines available.
If I am in the car, sing loudly with the radio or a CD. If in a waiting room, I fiddle with my cell phone. I don't even have that fancy of one right now. I look forward to getting one that has more things to do on it.

12. If you weren't yourself, would you be friends with you?
Really tough question for me to answer right now. I am struggling with thoughts that as people get to know the real me, they don't like me. My former pastor and friend would tell me that is a lie from The Pit, but it's a real struggle I have right now fueled by some pretty ugly things in my life I shouldn't write about here. If you are interested, email me.

Go to Linda's@2nd Cup of Coffee for more answers to random questions.