Pet Therapy

Animals have a way of accepting without qualification. They don't care how a person looks or what they say. An animal's acceptance is nonjudgmental, forgiving, and uncomplicated by the psychological games people often play. They accept you the way you are. Their love is unconditional.

Dollia, the chubby cream colored cat (referred to by the Kraft family as "Fat Louie" ha ha) was my daughter's best friend. She told Dollia all her secrets... about how hard it was to grow up, about how mean the girls at school were, about how hard it was to be one of the only sweet Christian girls in junior high, while the others were going to drinking parties and being promiscuous. She loved that cat, and was devastated when we had to have her put to sleep in 2005. As a momma, it broke my heart to watch my daughter grieve for her best friend, which happened to be a cat. At that moment I didn't truly think that we could ever have another indoor pet. Losing Dollia was too hard, emotionally... and while I was sad, I was tired of my house not being my own. If my husband bought me flowers... I'd catch the cat on the table chewing on the leaves, if I had something pretty on the coffee table- the cat would knock it down. It just seemed like having a pet in the house was a total hassle.

My feelings about all this changed last year when I started thinking about getting a puppy. Normally I wouldn't have even had these thoughts... but my kids were growing up and it was becoming glaringly evident that they didn't need their momma as much as she needed them. I knew I had no choice but to accept that, since it's part of the normal progression of raising children - they're gonna leave the nest eventually! Well, the thought of this started to cause me no small amount of stress. I NEED my kids. I love to care for them, nurture them, love on them... only problem is - a 15 year old boy (man-child) doesn't exactly appreciate these things from his momma at this point in his life. When my son was a little guy, he gave me the best hugs and always told me he loved me. Even up to 5th grade he hugged me when I dropped him off for school. My heart soaaared! Well times have changed... and I'll take whatever hugs I can force out of him and the grunts I get in response to my "I love you's." That's where my precious fuzzy baby comes in.

March 2008 I began looking at puppies online. I thought I wanted a tea cup Yorkie, but a friend of my daughter's advised me to consider a YorkiePoo (Yorkshire Terrier/Poodle). Coincidentally, there was an ad in the paper for a litter of YorkiePoos from a local breeder. I called and drove about 30 miles to take a look at the only girl in the litter. She was precious!! Goodness, my heart just melted when I picked up the round, fuzzy little 2 pound bundle of love with the shiny brown eyes. Could you resist this?

Well I couldn't either... so I put a down payment on her and waited very impatiently for her to turn 8 weeks old so I could bring her home. Everyone loved her. Even her big sister, Trixie (who became a prison dog as a puppy- it's said that pets cut down aggression in the inmates ~ they taught her not to bark, to sit, to shake, etc. She was adopted from an animal shelter when she was 2 years old, we adopted her when she was about 3)

Having Sugar in the house seemed to bring our family closer together, I was especially fond of my fuzzy pup... I never expected to get so much love from such a tiny creature, we spent lots of time together, even though I was still actively running my soap business. Shoogie helped:

She went to softball games

And track meets

She even went on our Rocky Mountain vacation with us

Ah, yes... she was quite popular wherever we went and everyone wanted to know about our little YorkiePoo


When we first brought her home and she cried all night, and during the potty training process I wondered if I had made a mistake... but once we got through those adjustments, I realized that this precious pup was exactly what I needed. She snuggles with me at night when my husband's away on business, She always has hugs and kisses for me, she always loves me. In the midst of raising teenagers, often being the only parent home, running a business and dealing with the every day struggles of life ... something strange happened. I felt LESS stressed and more relaxed. Unbelievable! This tiny puppy gave me a new purpose in life... something to focus my attention on... but more than that - she gave me unconditional love.

I know people that aren't animal lovers can never comprehend how deep human/pet relationships can go, but I say they're missing out. Maybe one day those people will find themselves in need of a companion and they'll change their minds about pets. I know I did and I just can't imagine how I ever lived without this little doll. She has such personality, and so much love. It's so sweet how she comforts me when I'm sad and even how she drops her toys on my face trying to get me to play with her when I'm on the floor trying to exercise. She always likes my attention. She needs me and I need her. Win win. Now that's what I call pet therapy!

It turns out that having a pet is even good for your health! Here are some facts about the benefits of owning a pet, I found this to be really interesting:

• Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels than non-owners
• Companionship of pets (particularly dogs) helps children in families adjust better to the serious illness and death of a parent
• Pet owners feel less afraid of being a victim of crime when walking with a dog or sharing a residence with a dog.
• Pet owners have fewer minor health problems
• Pet owners have better psychological well-being
• Contact with pets develops nurturing behavior in children who may grow to be more nurturing adults
• Pet owners have a higher on-year survival rates following coronary heart disease
• Medication costs dropped from an average of $3.80 per patient per day to just $1.18 per patient per day in new nursing home facilities in New York, Missouri and Texas that have animals and plants as an integral part of the environment.
• Pet owners have better physical health due to exercise with their pets.
• Having a pet may decrease heart attack mortality by 3%. This translates into 30,000 lives saved annually
• Dogs are preventive and therapeutic measures against everyday stress
• Pets decrease feeling of loneliness and isolation
• Positive self-esteem of children is enhanced by owning a pet.
• Children's cognitive development can be enhanced by owning a pet.
• 70% of families surveyed reported an increase in family happiness and fun subsequent to pet acquisition.
• Children owning pets are more involved in activities such as sports, hobbies, clubs or chores.
  

Ok... go hug your pet, it's good for your health! :)

Confession time...

Hey Hey! So it's been a long time since I've posted... but I gotta confess ~ I've lost my "oompf" for blogging. I don't know why, it's not that I don't have the time, now that I'm on my normal work schedule. I guess I just don't feel like I have anything all that exciting to blog about and sometimes I wonder if anyone is reading it since I get so few comments. I've been reconnecting with lots of old friends, and some new ones on facebook - so I've been spending more time there. Don't worry, I'll still try to drop by your blog and say howdy as often as possible. :)

The big highlights today are that I cleaned all the clothing and shoes out of my storage room (7 large garbage bags worth) and honey man will haul them to Goodwill tonight when he drives into town to fuel up his truck for this week's business trip. Also, my employer required me to get a flu shot, so I did that on Friday and now I have a huge red welt on my arm at the injection site. It's hot and tender and is hard underneath. They assure me that it's nothing to be concerned about, but it sure doesn't make me jump up and down about the H1N1 vaccine they want me to get next month. UGH. I also need the second Hep.B shot on Sept. 30th. Oh happy day!!! (NOT)

So anyhoo, there ya have it. I put the "blah" in blogging. SORRY!! :) On a happier note, I hope you're doing fantastic and enjoying this beautiful fall weather.

Blessings~ Jami

Farewell to the King of Pop

We were in LA when news broke out that Michael Jackson had died. To be more specific, we were at Sea World and saw that the cartoonist had drawn a picture of him and it was captioned, "RIP Michael Jackson". We were like... "what??!!" The whole city seemed to be in disarray. Everywhere we went people were talking about him, every car stereo was blasting his music, only 1 day after his death... already there were street vendors with Michael Jackson T-shirts for sale, commemorating his life. We were in Hollywood on Friday night and walked down Hollywood Boulevard's "walk of fame" We saw stars for Kermit the Frog, Britney Spears, Sandra Bullock, Jackie Chan, Jimi Hendrix, Duke Ellington and many more. What we were really looking for was Johnny Depp... Ciara was hoping to get her hands on his star. :) as we continued on, we passed people we had never even heard of... it became glaringly evident that something MAJOR was happening up ahead. There were police helicopters, fire trucks, news crews - it was chaos.

We soon realized that people were lined up for probably 2 blocks (I'd guesstimate approx 1000-1500 people) just to get close to Michael Jackson's star. Fans wanted to take pictures, put out flowers... and just somehow feel a little closer to the king of pop. Something I thought was pretty cool, was a street preacher that was in the middle of the line. I've heard of street preachers such as this, but never seen one. He was standing on a box above the crowd saying, "Michael Jackson was the king of pop... but there is a King greater than this, it's Jesus Christ..." What a message!

They were handing out fake money with the gospel message on it and come to find out - it was Living Waters Ministry. (Kirk Cameron's ministry.) Pretty neato!

In jr. high and my freshman year of high school, I was a crazed fan, myself. I loved his appearance, his music and of course his sweet dance moves. I'd stay up half the night just hoping that one of his videos would come on Night Tracks. Remember Night Tracks? :) Little did I know at the time that he was breaking all the rules - becoming the first black man to have his music videos aired on these shows. I was totally crazy about this guy that would soon become the king of pop. My walls were covered with posters of Michael Jackson. I swore that I would marry him one day. ha ha. (uh huh....) :) I recently found some Michael Jackson keepsakes including a gigantic satin silk screened poster of him in white pants and a yellow sweater vest. (This isn't mine, this is a paper poster, but you can see how cute he was!)

He was so handsome then. I also have a book about him that I'm sure (along with the satin poster) will no doubt be worth some bucks eventually.

Having been such a fan in the past, I'm surprised that I wasn't more upset when I learned the news of his death, but I am sad. I'm sad that a man with such incredible God given talent would end up this way. I guess I was naive to the fact that he was taking so much pain medication and that his health was so fragile. When you think about his lifestyle and what he put his body through, physically - performing, and also through the number of reconstructive surgeries... I guess it shouldn't be a surprise. And for all his fame and wealth, he wasn't seemingly a happy man. Just goes to show, fame and fortune don't necessarily = happiness.

I saw this video today, it displays a progression of the changes that Michael Jackson went through over the years. It's astounding! And yes, this too makes me sad. He was beautiful from the beginning, but as a People magazine article mentioned, his father teased him about his big nose. Eventually he did something about it, and while he only admits to 2 nose reconstructions, it's very apparent that much more had taken place. The face changes are incredibly drastic. I was a bit taken back by it. Just thought I'd share this for those of you out there that have ever loved Michael Jackson. Farewell Michael... rest in peace.



I'll be back soon with more to share about our fabulous California vacation!!! :)

Full plate... isn't God great?

Ok, so it's 5:19 and I've been awake for about half an hour already. I woke up after having yet another bizarro dream. (this time someone had put their car in the ditch right outside my front door... I saw a guy approaching our home for help but I could see he was afraid of our dog - so I greeted him and immediately realized that there was something unusual about him. About that time - a small glowing open top bus appears in the wheat field across the road, people climb on and it vanishes into thin air.) I was glad to wake up to a shifting puppy so that I didn't have to be beamed up with this guy to some unknown dimension of the universe. ha ha. Please don't judge... I can't help that I dream this ridiculous stuff!! ;) This happens when I am exhausted. UGH... I really hate it. It's like my brain just won't stop.

Luke is, of course, out of town... so I'm lyin' in bed with my little fuzzy baby, Shoogs - and just thinkin' about all the things I need to do, how this will work out, how that will work out... wondering if it will rain Friday so that we can't set up for the reception early, etc. Then come the songs... I'm singing the songs in my head that I've heard the kids practicing for the last several weeks and that they performed last weekend at their dinner show. *sigh* Goodness, I wish I could be still. So then out of nowhere the song shifts, "I love you Lord, and I lift my voice... to worship you... oh my soul, rejoice. Take joy my King - in what you hear... may it be a sweet sweet sound... in your ear." I began to think about how my God is big enough to remove all this anxiety and just began to pray and ask Him to take it all away and to let my mind be still and my body be rested.

Still can't sleep - so here I am!!I open up my computer and realize that I hadn't closed out the last internet page I was on yesterday. I had typed in the search, "how much ham do I need to feed 100 people?" (decided to simplify my life and serve sandwiches at the reception rather than BBQ when we got home - great idea from my parents!!!) So the page displayed on my computer is from a cooking forum and I think, "oh yeah, I never did find the answer to how much ham I would need." I scroll down the page searching... and wouldn't you know that this is what I found:

"My plate may be full, but my cup runneth over"

Isn't that the truth? Someone had put this at the end of their post and it was given to me this morning as a reminder. Thanks, Lord!! :) My cup does run over. If you wanted to pray for me also, that would really be fantastic!

Have a great day everyone... I'm gonna spend mine reminding myself that I'm too blessed to be stressed. ;)

Morning By Morning New Mercies I See...

This was the sunrise outside my front door, one beautiful fall morning.
Isn't God's creation magnificent?!

I had to be up very early twice this week to drive Brandon to school early. Both days the sun wasn't even up. On wednesday I grumbled leaving the house at 5:30, but this morning was different. Somehow things just seem different this morning. I have a lot of life changing things going on with my business and my quest for a part time job. For the last few weeks I feel like I've just been going through the motions. Walking around like a zombie with no direction, no ambition. Honestly, I think I'm just mentally exhausted, but I've seen God at work this week and it's given me a new perspective. Hope.

As I contemplated how I would spend my time with God this morning, a verse came to mind, "His mercies are new every morning!" I couldn't get that verse out of my head, I just kept thinking about it. So I looked up the passage to read more. Wow... it's found in Lamentations. I confess, that's not a book of the bible that I delve into often. I'm more prone to flip to the new testament pages, and especially the psalms when I'm looking for something encouraging... but today He gave me Lamentations. :) Here's the full verse, I think it's awesome!

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions (mercies) never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." Lamentations 3:22

MM HMM! Because of the Lord's love we are NOT CONSUMED. His compassions never fail, they're new every morning and great is God's faithfulness! It's hard not to be consumed with our problems, isn't it? I'm tempted to let them consume me constantly, but that's not what God would have us do. Then I began to think of the song "Great is thy faithfulness" - so I found it on the net, listened to it, soaked it up.... and this part of the song struck me. "All I have needed, thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me." Everything I've ever needed God has provided, He gives me everything I need, He is faithful - why should this trial be any different? He has proven himself faithful time and again! Yup, I will wait for Him. The faithful one whose mercies are new every morning. Praise Him!

As I read on in lamentations, I came to verse 55 and couldn't take my eyes off of it. This comes from "The Message" It says,

"I called out your name, O God, called from the bottom of the pit.You listened when I called out, 'Don't shut your ears! Get me out of here! Save me!' You came close when I called out. You said, 'It's going to be all right."

Now that's what I'm talkin' about! God says, it's gonna be all right. ALL RIGHT. I know I can believe that because trust me, I've been in the pits of despair and the Lord has always pulled me out. It might be hard for me, but nothing is too hard for Him. I've found myself in situations that I thought were impossible... but ALL things are possible with God. Great is his faithfulness, and his mercies are new each and every morning. What an awesome promise. It doesn't matter how bad the day before was, each morning is a fresh start and God says it's gonna be all right.
I love it!

The Promise of Spring

I've had the winter blahs lately and quite honestly I've felt a little bummed out. My spirits were lifted, however, when I went out to get the mail and noticed the field across the chalk road greening up and my lilac bushes budding!! YAY... new life, the promise of Spring. I love it and can't wait for it! I always marvel at how God gives us seasons to enjoy as well as the beauty of his creation. Whether it be the gorgeous Rocky Mountains of Colorado or the stunning sunsets in the prairie lands of Kansas... it is His handiwork and I have a true appreciation for it all! I know I'll feel better when I can get out and soak up the sun and take in the fresh air rather than feeling cooped up and sitting under a blanket to keep warm. I am hopeful!

I have this verse on my fridge as a reminder and thought I'd share it with you in case you've got the winter blahs (or blues) too! :)

"Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God - soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God." (Psalm 42:11 - The Message)

Ding Dong Ditcher!

The UPS man!! Yeah, you didn't see that one comin' did ya? :) It's true, my UPS guy ding dong ditches me when he delivers my soap supplies! The door bell rings, 5-10 seconds later I open the door and no one is there... I look out and see the UPS guy's back side as he climbs back into his truck. On a good day he yells, "thank you." Are you kidding? Since when are UPS guys ding dong ditchers? When we first moved to Hays, our UPS guy, Terry, was awesome. It probably helped that he knows my uncle, who is his co-worker, but I think this guy is just genuinely friendly. The way he delivered my boxes was much different than the new guy. Terry would pull in the drive, hop out, give Trixie a milk bone, ring the doorbell, greet me with a smile and either hand the box to me personally or ask me where I'd like him to set them down. He was always in a hurry, but always had time to make sure he was friendly and did his job to the customer's satisfaction. I really miss him!

Yesterday I received my order from one of my packaging suppliers. It was a somewhat huge order of jars. I was working in the soap shop when the doorbell rang, but I assumed with the kids upstairs they'd take care of it. When I came up into the living room I saw the box. It was about 4 cubic feet - enormous AND heavy. I said, "Oh, my jars are here" and Ciara's reply was, "yeah, and he left this box on the porch, rang the doorbell and was back in his truck by the time I got to the door which was like a few seconds after he rang the bell... I had to carry this big box in myself." Geesh. What a change. I know those guys are on a tight schedule and work long hours, but I have to say I definitely preferred the service I got from the previous guy. I'm pretty sure that my 2 uncles that work for UPS aren't ding dong ditchers, but my UPS guy is! Maybe one day I'll see him coming and stand in the door so he can't ding dong or ditch.

Christmas Blessings!

with love...

Jami and family

Trojan Horse

UGH! I feel really annoyed this morning. I'm considering singing a song for our Christmas program at church. "Adoration" by the Newsboys. So, I went online to download the song so I could listen to it and see if I could swing it or not... 3 times in 5 minutes I had to shut down my computer because of.... (drum roll please...) STUPID TROJAN HORSE!!


Trojan horse From Wikipedia
This article refers to a form of malware in computing terminology. For other meanings, see Trojan Horse (disambiguation)In the context of computing and software, a Trojan horse, also known as a trojan, is malware that appears to perform a desirable function but in fact performs undisclosed malicious functions. Therefore, a computer worm or virus may be a Trojan horse. The term is derived from the classical story of the Trojan Horse.


I kept getting the box of death saying the the Trojan Horse virus was found on my computer then I had to click the button to tell it to "clean all". Of course a restart is required every time this happens. SERIOUSLY!! I just feel so irritated that I'm trying to listen to a Christian song and have to get a virus. Why do people use their brains for evil? I never could understand this... if you're smart enough to write code to destroy people's computers or at least damage them... why wouldn't you use that talent to do something amazingly good? It's beyond me.

So, I don't know. Will I sing adoration at our Christmas "dinner show"? We'll see.

I mean no disrespect Mr. President...

but I felt inclined to post a picture that expressed how I'm feeling this morning (minus a couple of horns)



I felt anxious as I switched on Fox News and saw that Obama had been declared President. Sick actually. But my vote was cast and the voices that are the loudest (those of the large, liberal eastern states) were heard and so I hope that President Obama is everything these people wish for him to be. Now his wife can FINALLY "be proud to be an American" for the first time ever. (note hint of sarcasm - and yes, she actually said that, and I quote, “for the first time in my adult lifetime I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.” Michelle Obama) *sigh*

I, for one, will be seeking God's face on the matter and begging him to intercede on behalf of this great nation. It's totally in his hands.

"Ahh Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm... NOTHING is too hard for you." (Jeremiah 32:17)

Voting..."Done Didder!"

My parents went to the courthouse to register their vehicles last week and discovered that people were voting early... so of course I thought I should save myself the hassle of voting when most everyone else is and I went and voted today. It was fairly painless really - I just went into the Ellis County Clerk's office and gave my name. They had me sign a paper and take it across the hall where there were 2 "paper booths" and 3 "computer" booths. I opted for the computer and within 45 seconds had cast my vote for President of the United States! Pretty nifty. Not so nifty is that every election year it seems I have to choose the lesser of 2 evils (not that I'm calling John McCain evil, I'm just sure there has to be a better choice out there... somewhere)For me... when I don't think either of the candidates are the "perfect" choice - I then begin to consider their values and see how they line up with my own. What else can a person do, but this? Certainly Obama's values are not even in the ballpark.

The thing I've found most interesting is the number of die hard democrats that have put the proverbial blinders on this election year. They act as if Obama is the Messiah and meanwhile I wanna flip those big ears out to see if there is a "666" stamped back there. Ok... I apologize, that was maybe goin' a little too far - but I can't help the way I feel. You start talkin' about babies that never had a CHANCE because their Momma had a CHOICE and I start gettin' a little indignant. Ok, nuff said.

Funny how many folks castin' a vote this election year don't even know the basics about what the candidates stand for. I wanna share with you something I read in our local newspaper. It simply blew me away!! Mind you, I can't stand Howard Stern, but I gotta kick outta this:

"Howard Stern sent his team into harlem to interview voters. Three people were asked who they support and all said "Obama." They were all asked if it bothered them that he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate; all said "no." They were all asked if it bothered them that Obama was anti-abortion. All three of them said "no" and on of them had the gall to say she didn't support McCain because he was uninformed. Now give me a good argument why voters shouldn't have to pass a simple civics test!"

Seriously... these people are choosing the next leader of our great nation. *sigh* God help us. All the way around... God help us!

Time Flies

Time really does fly. Seems like I just barely get a perscription filled and 3 months have flewn by and it's time to call in my next-rx order again. And what about school? Didn't the kids JUST get started? They've already been back to school for about 2 and a half months! The thing that really got me this last week is how long our German student has been gone. The other day Brandon was in the kitchen getting some breakfast and was wearing a sweatshirt he'd pulled out of the drawer that apparently hadn't been washed prior to packing it away for the winter. I saw him reach over to his arm and grab a blonde hair that was about 14-18" long. As you know... nobody in our house has long blonde hair, so it was quite apparently still "hangin' around" from when Tina was here. She left in June. I began counting and realized that she's been gone for nearly 5 months already!! Brandon's exclamation, "EWW GROSS!!!" Didn't exactly take me by surprise, he always harassed her about her hair being all over everything. Of course this made me think about our German girl. I wonder what she's up to and how she's doing. If she passed drivers ed and how she's liking school. I haven't heard from her since my birthday in August and so I can't help but wonder what is new with her and her family. Surprisingly, I haven't heard from her mother since Tina's back in Germany. We used to email one another all the time when Tina was here - but since she returned home, I haven't heard from her mom at all. Kinda strange, since we raised her daughter for nearly a year and made her part of our family. But all in all... what I realized is that what I have left of Tina (besides a few lingering blonde hairs - ha ha) are fond memories.













I'm pretty sure that she's happy to be back home, eating her mom's cooking, going to "zuh disco", shopping with her friends and hangin' out on "zuh beach"... and most of all being back with her family. Really, we're happy too, to have our family back to normal (whatever "normal" is)... but we'll always remember the fun times and the funny stuff most of all. You know, things she said like "man chicken" for rooster -"christmas man" for santa, etc. One time she actually screamed down the hall "Ciara, zehr is an animal in our room!". Turns out it was a moth. ha ha. She didn't know what to call it so she yelled about their being an "animal" in their bedroom. :) It was great. We laughed so hard. I had to remind her often that we weren't making fun of her, but just laughing because the things she says are so amusing. :) It's hard to believe that nearly half a year has gone by. Time really does fly... so in a nutshell... Tina's long hair reminded me to slow down and enjoy life before it passes me by.

FALL - out. WINTER - in?

Geesh, there were snowflakes on my little puppy this morning when I took her out. This weather has been crazy!! Yesterday it rained sideways, if that makes any sense. The wind blew probably 40+ mph and it rained most of the day, it was also blustery cold. So when I got out at the dreaded Wal-Mart, my face got pelted with some of the coldest rain I've ever experienced. BRR!! When I went to bed last nite the "weather" was so loud - rain pounding on the house, etc. - that I had a hard time falling asleep. I usually love the rain, but not this kind. :S YIKES. Then to see snowflakes on Shoogies little coat this morning... Yes, she has a little winter coat. It is so cute! Well here... check it out: So first of all, she needs the coat because she looks adorable, duh - but other than that she weighs only 7 pounds so the tiny little thing can't quit shivering if I don't cover her somehow during weather like this when I take her out. No argument, she is one spoiled little dog, but neither one of us mind. :) She's my little baby. She also has a little hoodie that she wears around the house due to the fact that we keep it a little cool in here. (see thermostat post) ;)I've enjoyed a couple of weeks of Fall this year, that's more than we usually get here in Hays, but I'm definitely not ready for some of the inevitable yucky weather. I keep reminding myself, it could be worse... we could still be enduring a Nebraska winter. BRRRR. Guess Kansas isn't so bad. :)

Masks

It's that time of year again, you can't walk through any store without witnessing the displays of masks and costumes. The kids have a costume dance at school again this year on the 31st, so we are trying to figure out what they will "be". Brandon's plan was to be Phantom of the Opera, and Ciara was going to be a geisha. When we got to Around the World today (a costume and hobby shop) we instantly went to the photo books to see if we could find what we were looking for. Well... we didn't have much luck so began to contemplate plan B - which ended up being some cool viking hats we found on the top shelf. Yes, you heard correctly - the viking siblings will be attending the dance next friday. :)

I was in awe as we walked down the ailes looking at fake mustaches and beards, costume accessories, princess crowns, pirate hats.... there were so many things you could find there to alter your appearance, but the thing that really struck me, was all the MASKS. There were yoda masks, Obama masks, creepy masks and on and on. It occurs to me that even though these masks were created for the purpose of allowing some to "be someone else" for a day... so many of us wear masks EVERY day.

Ciara and I have had this conversation. Why do we metaphorically "wear masks" hiding who we really are? The mask we wear usually depends on who we are with at the time, it would seem that the masks change for the occasion. I've even noticed that about myself at times, when I worry that someone will not like ME for ME - I put on the mask that I think they'd be most comfortable with me in. I hate that about myself. I'm envious of my friend, Kristi - she is real every day. Every day she is Kristi. There is no guess work because she is herself all the time. She is humble and it humbles me. At any given time I can go to her blog and read about her shortcomings. She is forthright and broken about them. She doesn't wear masks... I wish I didn't.

My friend Lynnette just wrote on the subject on her blog over at Dancing Barefoot -

"What is it that makes people hide who they really are? Is it that we aren’t happy with ourselves? Not usually. I think it’s because we want others to think we’re perfect"

How could that be more true? We never want to look like a failure to those around us, especially to those that we esteem highly or want to impress. We want to appear as if we really have our act together and that we never mess up, when in truth... I forget things, I'm occasionally late, I sometimes leave clothese on the floor in my bedroom - the list goes on! I guess it is a pride issue then, we are too proud to admit that we are human and make mistakes just like the rest of the world. We can strive for perfection, but perfection is impossible - we are made perfect ONLY in Christ, through his free gift of grace. So why do we wear these masks? I pray that God would help me to be real every day and for those around me to love me for Me... not me in the mask.

P.S. Name that mask! I'll give you a hint, he changed his "mask" permanently by bleaching his skin and having lots of plastic surgery, most obviously multiple nosejobs. :)It's ok... go ahead and laugh, I did... when I saw it on the shelf at the store.

Thermostats

There's always a lot of "discussion" about thermostats at our house. My husband who loves 100 degree weather in the summer doesn't see why the AC should be set below 78 - afterall... that's the recommended temperature give by the power companies. The problem with our thermostat is that it can be 1 degree off. For example, if it's set on 77 it may be 78 in our home. Ok... 78 is entirely TOO HOT. Yes, 1 degree DOES make a difference. We've repeatedly had this conversation. 76 is the magic number for me. 75 is too cool and 77 is too warm. Some would argue, but I guess I'm just one of those people that doesn't handle hot weather very well. If I must admit, then I will.... I'm spoiled. I was raised with air conditioning and I'm not about to start walking around smelling like a goat because our home is so miserably hot in the summer.

As you might imagine, I am LOVING this cooler fall weather. Now again, this presents an issue about the furnace. *smile* I have not run the heat yet... though it's beginning to get a little chilly in here for my taste. West Star Energy Co. suggests that heat be set no higher than 68 degrees. Here's what my thermostat looks like this morning:

As you can see, that's 1 degree below the RECOMMENDED temperature. ;) It's chilly in my house, but I definitely prefer it over the heat. Yesterday morning it was 31 degrees, we got our first freeze. I'm just not sure I'm ready for winter weather. I wanna capture Fall in a jar and keep it all year. Now when it's time to run the furnace, I will argue that we should keep it on 69 and darling husband will want it no higher than 67 or 68 and will go around telling people that "she wants to keep it on 75" NOT TRUE!! (He lies sometimes. ha ha) Maybe 67 would be ok for him because he's running a space heater in his office?!!! Ahhhh.... now it's starting to make sense here. Hm... wonder if that's energy efficient? *grin*

So lets address the real issue then. Men and women have different thermostats. I've been accused of several things... such as the "M" word. (whisper: "MENOPAUSE") But my doc says that's just not the case and he has tests to prove it. What I'm learning is that I'm not the only woman who has issues with her built in thermostat, in fact I've talked to several that describe the same situation as ours! Thank goodness I'm not alone in this battle. So... what's a poor girl to do? I can add clothes in the winter and live with that... but the summer situation isn't quite as simple. I can't seem to get few enough clothes on without offending our teenagers and any visitors that may happen to drop in - ie: the UPS or Fed Ex guy. ha ha.

So... I will press on with my argument for 69 in the winter and 76 in the summer. I really don't care what the power companies recommend, this is what MY thermostat needs. :)

GERMS... Yuck!

Germs... I'm probably spreading them all over my keyboard as we speak. YUCK! I'm so tired of all the kleenexes, and sneezing and perscriptions and... and... and. It's just not fun. This summer I had cold and allergy stuff, finally got over it and then Ciara started it, she got over it then Luke started it, then Brandon got it... then I got it again... then I was fine for about a month and I have it again! Geesh. I'm just tired of feeling crummy and sitting with kleenexes shoved up my nose. Hard to function like that. The last one I had was completely miserable. I almost couldn't see straight and my head weighed a hundred pounds. I felt like I was getting sinus infection - but it never really developed. I can't even really tell when it's a cold and when it's allergy stuff. I pretty much read all the boxes in my cabinet (makeshift drug store) and see which OTC drug will cover my symptoms. The schools are seeing lots of kids home with cold and flu stuff already too which is a month or 2 earlier than usual. School just started here on August 19th, so that's not a good thing that we're already into the sickness stuff.

I make fun of Luke sometimes because he is OBSESSED with Germ-X... but it's probably smart to do that. It's surpising to see the number of people that go into a public restroom and come out without washing, it's equally disgusting that I've lots of times watched people blow their noses then pick up food or do other equally gross things like touch stuff that will be used by others. I love that there are anti-bacterial wipes by the shopping carts now at the store. That should help cut down on the spreading of germs for sure. I wish the school would have germ-x sitting out for kids, then whn they throw a kleenex in the trash they could get a squirt and wipe out germs before they infect someone else. And... it's amazing how many kids actually go to school sick. I think just leaving your house makes you suseptible, but we can't just not ever go anywhere. (achoo! achoo! achoo!) - excuse me! Can't sneeze just once! So anyhoo... there are germs in our house, guess I'll go find me some Lysol and take care of business. (oh, and wash my hands!) Stay well. :)

Fall...

I absolutely LOVE it!!!!

I love the changing of the leaves, I love the crisp air at dawn and dusk, I love snuggling under a blanket and sipping hot tea or cocoa, I love back to school and football games and no more mowing the grass, I love spending time outside without fear of melting... there's really not anything I can think of that I don't like about Fall. It's my favorite season. Yup. It's my favorite.

(The above photo is of our Pin Oak in the front yard... changing it's colors. I thought it was so pretty I had to share!)

Whatsoever you do to the least of my people...

That you do unto me. Regret. Guilt. These are things I feel when I think about the opportunity I had and didn't take (on the advice of my husband). We pulled into downtown Denver - 16th street mall, to be exact. FABULOUS! Hardrock Cafe here we come!! We had just spent 2 glorious days in the mountains and we park the car to see the man in the photo. A shabby man. A sad man. A hungry and thirsty man - probably a lonely, homeless man.We sat and watched him through our dirty windows. He had his shopping cart and was filling it with "treasures" he was finding in the trash can. Clearly things put there by blessed people like me who had plenty and didn't mind throwing away perfectly good stuff, or half eaten stuff. So he dug,and chose for himself the things that he apparently thought "looked good". Then I saw it and that is when my heart started to break. He pulled out a half drank bottle of water, examined it, then opened it and drank from it. My heart sank, I entered a state of disbelief of what I had just seen. I'd never seen anyone do this in all my 37 (soon to be 38) years. I was burdened and overcome with sadness for this man. I instantly said, "we've got a cooler full of cold drinks, I should give him a water." Luke said, "No... we don't want to get something started, you don't know... he will follow us all over."

Now I don't know if that's true, but what I do know is true is that I spent $12.00 on fudge at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and this man was drinking discarded water out of the trash can. Wow. I can't forgive myself. I can't stop thinking about how I could have given him a fresh cool drink, not to mention fed him that left over sandwich in our cooler. "When I was thirsty you gave me a drink, when I was hungry, you gave me food to eat... whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me". (Matthew- paraphrased)This keeps running through my mind and I keep asking God to forgive me for not sharing with this man. Sharing my food and water, and maybe even sharing God's love. I think I've learned my lesson.

Too bad the wind never blows in Kansas....

Note hint of sarcasm. :) 81 degrees and 27 mph winds today. YUCK. It seems like we've only had a few calm days in the last month, which stinks... because the kids have been running track and playin softball in this delightful weather. Ciara is at Regional softball today in Mullinville, Ks. I don't even know where that is, but I know that she is ready for it to be over so she can be done with hard practices. I'll be glad when it's done too, because that means my gas bill to Ellis will be cut in half since I won't have to drive in and pick up Tina anymore, they'll all ride home together. Gas is $3.60/gallon here. OUCH!! I worry about the expense of the trips we have planned.

Back to the wind.... poor Sugar, the little doll nearly blows over when I take her outside to do her business. She weighs just under 4 pounds and literally, the wind blew her sideways when I took her out. You can see from the photos what nearly 30 mph winds look like. Our furniture always blows over on the front deck too, even the heavy metal framed glider swing. UGH! I'm just ready for some nice, spring weather before the hot summer sets in. How about you??

Lilacs & Granny

What a beautiful morning! It rained last night, and looking out the front door, the grass is finally greening up, the bushes are bright and blooming... the air smells like fresh rain and earth, I LOVE IT! Our lilacs began blooming over the weekend and Ciara went out and picked some to put in a vase on the counter. They're sitting in front of me - purple and fragrant. It's got me remembering my Granny Fisher, and I miss her. :( She always loved lilacs. Her sidewalk in front of the house was lined with lilac bushes, the same sidewalk that was my front sidewalk when we lived on their property in a mobile home, just next door. I remember as a little girl coming out the front door and what's the first thing I see? Lilacs. Me and my cousins would run wild at dusk and catch "lightening bugs" (fireflies), play hide and seek, carnival and "graveyard". We made mud pies using the "goodies" out of the trash barrells. you'd be surprised the good stuff that you could find in there to make a mud pie. Used grease, coffee grounds, a little bit of Tang in the bottom of the jar. Oh it was such fun! Great memories. But the lilacs make me feel happy, as I remember Grandma and how she loved us kids. The walks down the chalk road to pick mulberries for a pie we would bake together, how she took us to the creek to go fishing and never even yelled at us when our line wound up in the tree instead of the water. She was a wonderful Grandmother, everything I want to be when I'm a grandma one day. I'm so grateful for the example that she was to me and I think of her often and miss her. I miss her pies and cooking, spending time with her, but most of all I miss her smile - the one she got when she was with her family. Family was everything to Grandma and I'm just so glad that I had the opportunity to know her and learn from her what it means to be a Mom and a Grandma.