Love your children.....hold them close....

Working in Special Ed, you see all kinds of students with issues. Those that need assistance with their classwork and tests, those with emotional problems that need direction and those born with physical & mental impairments....my favorite students. I worked on a student's file yesterday that as a mother, just broke my heart. She came in last week and will probably be going to another school next week....once again.

Mary, I'll call her, was born into a family with major issues. The parents had years of legal problems for drug use & addiction , family issues so sad that I won't mention them here. Homeless at one point. I believe her mother died recently. Before she came to us, she had never been in a regular public school, always behavior centers or in alternative education. And I'm talking since elementary school.

Mary has severe mental and emotional problems. It makes me wonder if being born into this family circle brought her problems on or did her own genetic makeup cause her downward spiral. I just don't know. I do know that this child is lost. She always wanted to leave a center to return to a "happy home". Mary had big dreams that just continued to turn into nightmares.

I don't know what the future holds for Mary. If she'll follow in the paths of her parents or find a program that will eventually save her. But I will continue to pray for her and others like her.

If you have children....give them a big hug if you can, knowing that they are truly loved, cared for and safe. Pray for your children daily that they grow up to be loving adults with caring hearts.

Have a blessed night.....

Florida UFO!!

If you didn't know that this was a blimp or hear the noise of the engine, you'd think you were seeing a UFO. It was such an awesome sight. These photos just don't do the actual sight justice.

Joke Time!

WOMEN'S REVENGE
"Cash, check or charge?" I asked, after folding items the
woman wished to purchase.
As she fumbled for her wallet, I noticed a remote control
for a television set in her purse.
"So, do you always carry your TV remote?" I asked.
"No," she replied, "but my husband refused to come
shopping with me, and I figured this was the most evil
thing I could do to him legally."

MARRIAGE SEMINAR
While attending a Marriage Seminar dealing with
communication, Tom and his wife Grace listened
to the instructor.
"It is essential that husbands and
wives know each other's likes and dislikes."
He addressed the man, "Can you name your wife's
favorite flower?"
Tom leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and
whispered, "It's Pillsbury, isn't it?"

The Silent Treatment
A man and his wife were having some problems at
home and were giving each other the silent treatment.
Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he
would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an
early morning business flight.
Not wanting to be the first to break the silence
(and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper,
"Please wake me at 5:00 AM." He left it where he knew
she would find it.
The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover
it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious,
he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened
him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.
The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up."
Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.

Did you vote today in Florida?

If you're like me, this primary was a hard decision, probably for either party. Being a Republican it basically came down to two candidates....Romney or McCain. I spent time the past few days and especially last night looking for the differences between the two men. I found that a lot of times they use different words but it came down to meaning the same thing. There was the issue of religion with Romney a Mormon and McCain either a Baptist or Episcopalian (depending what you read). Being a Christian, this was important.....but so was the future of our government and the security of our country. So I started looking at the man himself, what he said he believed in and the direction he would take our country.

Right or wrong....I voted for Mitt Romney. His personal life is centered around a marriage of almost 39 years with 5 sons. And he supported his wife after she was diagnosed with MS. He doesn't smoke, drink or curse....how rare is that in Washington these days!

Running a government would not only be his job for the next 4-8 years but he would be the CEO of a business. Which apparently he has alot of experience. He turned around the 2002 Winter Olympics and had other business dealings. Did you see the movie Dave? I envision him as Dave, surrounded by knowledgeable staff, making the necessary budget cuts to save this country. Beef up the budget and eliminate the pork. Not only do I believe he would be a good President but also surround himself with confident personnel.

I wanted a candidate that would solve the illegal immigration problem by completing the border security and dealing with those already here. He stands for this and also against sanctuary cities that actually attract illegals to the US and he would cut federal funding to those cities. He doesn't believe in driver's licenses for illegals or Social Security access. I know people want to come to the US, but you need to do it legally just like those that have been waiting for years to become an American citizen.

We'll know who won Florida in just a short while......may the best man win.....

Where do you stand?

Where do you stand.....with others in your life? I thought about this especially after hearing about Heath Ledger's death. No big fan, but sad that at 28 his life is over. He leaves a grieving family, a precious daughter that will never know him except in photos, thru family and in movies. What unfinished business did he leave, relationships that could be mended (maybe with the ex-fiancee)...where did he stand in his life?

Did you hear about the 5 young men that died in Ocala, FL this weekend? They were speeding down a private runway that John Travolta uses. The runway ends after 1 1/2 miles but the car didn't stop or drop to the ground below. It went airborne for 200 feet before slamming into a tree, 15 ft above ground. Young lives ended in a flash, so much ahead of them, so much promise....where did they stand?

After our mother died from Alzheimers, my sister and I knew where we stood with her. Everything that could be said was, moments shared, laughs shared, just sitting and enjoying each others company. We knew where we stood with her....and that is a comforting feeling.

My father-inlaw died before I was able to say goodbye. But he knew that I loved him, there was no unfinished business and no distance between us. That is even more so a comforting feeling.

Things like this tend to give you a new perspective on life and where you stand with others in your life. I can honestly say that I have no enemies, people that I dislike (except for those who would want to harm our country). Family knows that I love them with all of my heart, friends also.

So I ask...where do you stand with others in your life....with family....with a friend? Broken bridges can be mended, words forgotten....all it takes is one step forward to help the mending...life is short, time is precious.....and it waits for no one.....

Quiz Time!

Grab paper and pencil for your answers. Don't cheat and look at the answers at the end. Have fun!!!

1. Do they have a 4th of July in England? Yes No

2. Some months have 31 days; how many have 28?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4 E. 9 F. 12

3. How many birthdays does the average man have?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3+ D. 5+ E. 10+

4. How many outs are there in a baseball inning?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 6 E. 9 F 8

5. Is it legal for a man in California to marry his widow's sister? Yes No

6. Divide 30 by 1/2 and add 10. What is the answer?
A. 10 B. 35 C. 50 D. 70 E. 90

7. If there are 3 apples and you take away two, how many do you have?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3

8. A doctor gives you three pills, telling you to take one every half hour.
How many minutes would the pills last?
A. 20 B. 40 C. 60 D. 90

9. A farmer has 17 sheep and all but 9 die. How many are left?
A. 1 B. 3 C. 5 D. 7 E. 9

10. How many animals of each sex did Moses take on the ark?
A. 3 B. 2 C. 1 D. 0

BONUS: How many two cent stamps are there in a dozen?
A. 1 B. 3 C. 6 D. 9 E. 12


ANSWERS:
1. Yes.....Everyone has a 4th in July, also a 5th, a 6th etc
2. 12......Every month has 28 days
3. 1.......We're only born once
4. 6.......3 outs per team
5. No......If he has a widow, he's DEAD
6. 70......30 / (1/2) = (30 x 2) / 1....+10=70
7. 2.......because YOU took away two
8. 60......you take one now, then 2 over the next hour
9. 9......."all but 9 die"
10. 0.......Remember "Noah and the Ark"
Bonus: 12......Dozen 2 cent stamps, dozen 41 cent stamps, etc

Well, how did you do????

Stowaway Kitty

Did you hear about the kitty, named Gracie Mae, who hid in a suitcase and traveled from Ft. Lauderdale to Texas? She apparently still had stitches from surgery just a few days before and hid in the suit section without anyone seeing her. The wife took her husband to the airport and when she returned she couldn't find Gracie Mae.

Knowing the cat likes to hide, she looked in a crawl space and no kitty. Had her father remove a couple of bathroom tiles to look behind the wall, no kitty. Walked the neighborhood, made signs, still no kitty.

A traveler at the Texas airport mistakenly picked up her husband's suitcase and when he got home, opened up the bag. Gracie Mae came bounding out! He said that "he screamed like a little girl" when the kitty jumped out and hid under the bed. Luckily there was information on her collar so he called the wife to her relief. The Good Samaritan agreed to keep the kitty until her husband came to pick her up. He said that if he couldn't find the owner or a good home, he would have kept the cat and named her "Suitcase".

And now Gracie Mae is safe at home after an $80 flight. It's just amazing that she was able to survive being closed up in the suitcase, not having air and being thrown around. How many lives did she have to give up on that flight?

Now, if the bag was scanned, how come nobody saw the outline of a cat? Maybe they needed.........a CAT SCAN......lolol

Early Evening in January '06

I Am Legend

Have you ever walked out of a movie before? I almost did one time because the movie was really bad. I absolutely did today! My daughter and I went to see I Am Legend staring Will Smith. It's a story about the supposed cure for cancer being discovered but it mutated into a harmful virus. Once it became airborne, the virus killed mankind. Except for Smith, who turned out to be immune. He was the only human alive (at the point in which we were still in the theatre) in NYC. Then he finds these zombie creatures in a DARK room, WAY in the back of this warehouse and he can't find his beloved dog. (Great acting!) Luckily he gets out, but as intense as this scene was, we knew we were going to be scared out of our seats as the movie progressed!

We knew this when: 1) Smith said the creatures were starting to not fear the daylight, 2) he has a zombie locked up in his basement laboratory for testing, 3) we were starting to watch some scenes thru slitted eyes and 4) my daughter wouldn't let me go to the restroom. So we decided to leave. I think I almost heard someone say "chicken", "coward" or something close to it. We didn't care....at least we won't have nightmares tonight.

Our plan is to rent the DVD when it comes out. Watch it during the day, be ready to mute the sound, switch to I Love Lucy during the scary scenes and continue until we can make it all the way thru, sound and all!

Have a blessed night.....and zombie free!

This is Morgan, my nephew & his wife's cat. She made the listing for the "I Can Has Cheeseburger" website. She's now a star!!!

Fruit of the Spirit

I was thinking about the kids that we see at work and a lot of times you can see why a child acts the way they do when you get the chance to meet the parent/s. I have seen parents that are so kind and patient with their child, trying to work out a plan that will help the student to be successful at school. And there are some that are so negative that it works against the student, causing him to feel defeated...and in some cases bringing him to tears. Which I don't handle well. Sometimes school is the safest place for them to be....

There is a verse, Galatians 5:22-23 that lists the Fruit of the Spirit. These are: Faithfulness, Self-Control, Patience, Goodness, Gentleness, Joy, Kindness, Peace and Love. These are character traits that God would want us to strive for in our lives. But we are human, and because of that we fall short in any one of these areas. Look at how achieving Patience and Self-Control in your life leads to Peace in your soul. And how Goodness & Kindness can bring Joy to your life. If you clasp your fingers together, with each finger representing a Fruit (and let's add Forgiveness to the 10th finger), you have a prayer hand. Maybe you have to pray harder for one of those little fingers on any given day, but it can help to remind you of what you're striving for.

I hope that we, as parents, will pray for our teachers and all that they go thru each day with the students. That the teachers will have these qualities, these Fruit of the Spirit, in their own lives so that they will be able to model this to their students. And then maybe that child will want to become a better student, a better person with a brighter future.

Have a blessed day...

Have a blessed night....

Cooking Gadgets

Do normal, everyday people actually use food processors? I like to watch the Food Network from time to time, hoping that something will inspire me to try a new recipe. Since going back to work last year after 18 years of being a stay at home mom (daughter went to college, bills to pay), we, like a lot of people, tend to fix the same dishes week in and week out. One of my New Year's resolutions was to try some new recipes and get my daughter that's still in high school cooking more. She's interested.....just has to be motivated....you know how that goes.

But back to the food processor. My mom-in-law (and YES, I absolutely LOVE my mother-in-law) gave me hers many years ago because, as you guessed it, she didn't really use it. And once it became mine, as you might have guessed, it stayed in the box in the bottom of the pantry. I think partly because I didn't know how to use it, was intimidated by it, so forth & so on.

I started watching the Food Network more over Christmas break. Rachel Ray's popping food into the processor, churning here and mixing there. And I started thinking...I could do that! So out it came. I took it apart....first mistake.....washed & dried it....and put it back together. Or at least tried to put it back together. It took quite a few minutes to figure out how everything fit!

So now it sits on the corner of my kitchen counter, looking very "chef-like". Just waiting for the right recipe.....and the right motivation......:). Where's my TV remote!

Ahhhh, young love.....meow

Just a thought.....

“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.” - George Eliot

For cat lovers.....

This is one of my favorite online cat videos. Hope you enjoy it...and as always, I hope you had a blessed day!

The Clintons and Tears....Oil and Water

You know, I've seen the Clintons shed "tears" a couple of times, and somehow it just seems so out of character. Hillary recently got teary when asked a question of "how does she do it"...talking about the stress of a campaign and keeping your hair looking nice. Her answer was that it was personal and not a political thing...yeah, right. You can't really say Hillary without thinking political. Personal is not a word I would use to describe her.

So why the tears? She's thinking: Campaign in trouble, Obama more popular than she thought, Bill saying stupid things on the campaign trail. It just didn't come across as being very genuine to a lot of us. But some (women) thought they were and fell for it....hook, line and sinker. Just as she was counting on them to do. Chum the water and watch 'em bite.

Remember Bill's tears...or I should say fake tears? Watch the video, Tears of Bill and take a walk down memory lane. He was laughing it up with his buddy, saw the camera filming, thought "Oh crap!", dropped the head and proceeded to wipe those caring tears away. All the while, his buddy never suspected anything, continuing to carry on the conversation and the laughs.

As you can tell, I'm not a Clinton fan....or for that matter a Democrat! So stay tune for more thoughts as we walk down this campaign trail....should be an interesting one!

Have a blessed night...

Presidential Election

I've been doing some research into the candidates and found this website that gives you a lot of information. Even has a survey that you can take with questions on various issues, responses from the candidates (no names) and then you see in the end which candidate received more of your votes. Interesting...

Check it out:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/

Have a blessed Monday....

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff.......

My sister is reading this book...again...and it reminded me that I have a copy of it also. I found it tucked on a shelf and started thumbing thru it again, looking at the various ways of dealing with the daily issues in our lives. Issues that become huge if we allow it. Stuff happens in our lives, some big, mostly small. It's how we deal with it, how we react to it..and sometimes the person causing it...that will determine the stress in our lives.

If you have this book, turn to page 95....Choose Being Kind over Being Right...isn't that an awesome statement. I have tried in my own life to be kind to others, to have a good word to share, to try to see the good in others. Am I perfect...no, but I try to be. Am I a perfect parent....uh, no there too. But my kids are terrific, have caring hearts and compassion for others, what more could you ask for. (Maybe straight A's, immaculate rooms, etc)

Being kind is probably the most compassionate thing you can be to someone else. After having been on the receiving end of the comments (undeserving), it is a hurtful thing to do. And relationships are hurt...

In life, before saying something you'll be sorry for, reread your email before hitting the send button, think about your words before they're out of your mouth and can't be retrieved...

A wonderful quote by Carl W. Buechner says, “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” How very true....

Have a blessed day....

Welcome to my new blog!

It seems like blogs are the "new" thing these days even tho they've been around for quite a while. So many in my family have one now that I thought I'd give it a try. I thought I'd talk about things that happen during the day, what's going on in the news....and then maybe nothing at all...just a little bit of this-n-that.

I work in special education and enjoy the work tremendously. Not a teacher but in the office where all the plans are written, where futures are mapped out or changed because of a student's poor decision. It is very rewarding to see a student become successful when they thought they couldn't achieve good grades & eventually a diploma. And disheartening when other troubled kids keep making the same dumb mistakes, eventually getting into serious trouble. The highlight of a day is visiting the brain injured kids who give you the biggest smile and are so happy to see you. That makes your day worthwhile!

Have a blessed day....