In My Yard

We saw one of these a couple of days ago...

That's a groundhog...or woodchuck, if you prefer. He was just out in the backyard have a late morning snack!

Maxine Says: Color Is Good!

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my yearly physical.

My blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high,

I'd gained some weight, and I didn't feel so hot.

My doctor said eating right doesn't have to be complicated

and it would solve my physical problems.

He said just think in colors.

Fill your plate with bright colors. greens, yellows, reds, etc.

I went right home and ate an entire bowl of:


And sure enough, I felt better immediately.

I never knew eating right could be so easy.

Four Worms and a Lesson

A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon.

Four worms were placed into four separate jars.
The first worm was put into a container of alcohol.
The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke.
The third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup .
The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil.
At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results:

The first worm in alcohol - Dead.

The second worm in cigarette smoke - Dead

Third worm in chocolate syrup - Dead

Fourth worm in good clean soil - Alive.

So the Minister asked the congregation -
What can you learn from this demonstration?

Maxine was sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand and said,

'As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have worms!'
That pretty much ended the service --

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An interesting theory, anyway! :o)

The New "Do"

Chapman Family Tragedy

This article is from Christianity Today's website. Let us all join in prayer for this family.

STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN LOSES YOUNGEST DAUGHTER IN DRIVEWAY ACCIDENT
by Anne Thomas, Friday, May 23, 2008

Christians the world over have been expressing their sympathy for Grammy Award-winning singer Steven Curtis Chapman after his 5-year-old daughter was killed in an accident on the family’s driveway on Wednesday.

Maria Sue Chapman was the youngest of three Chinese girls adopted by Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, after a visit to China awoke in them a deep love for the country and its people. She was hit by a car driven by one of her brothers on the driveway of the family home in Franklin Tennessee in what local authorities have described as a “tragic accident”.

The Chapmans have three biological children, two teenage sons Will Franklin and Caleb, and 21-year-old daughter Emily.

Brian DeVos, manager of Michigan operations for Bethany Christian Services and a family friend of the Chapmans, was quoted by Michigan News as saying, "They are loving and wonderful parents and a great family - they must be devastated. He's (Steven Curtis Chapman) been such an advocate for adoption - I know their commitment to kids."

Chapman and his wife have helped families adopt children through their charity Shaohannah’s Hope.

Chapman’s manager, Jim Houser, wrote in a message on the Shaohannah’s Hope website, “Your prayers are needed for all in the Chapman family. This is a family who has so generously loved and given to so many.

“Just hours before this close knit family was celebrating the engagement of the oldest daughter Emily Chapman, and were just hours away from a graduation party marking Caleb Chapman's completion of high school.

“Now, they are preparing to bury a child who blew out 5 candles on a birthday cake less than 10 days ago.

“These words are unthinkable to type. And yet we trust in a God who was not surprised by this and because of Jesus I am certain through faith in Him we will see Maria again.”

Local Christian music radio station WJQK-FM said it had opened up its phone lines and that people were calling in to pray on air for Maria and the family.

Everyday Remedies

I get some really interesting things in my e-mail inbox. This was a gem!

1. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONEELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.

2. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK. (Okay, so that one was a bit gross! No...a LOT gross!)

3. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.

4. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.

5. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.

6. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.

7. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.

DAILY THOUGHT: SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS. (Wow! That's mean!)

Via My E-Mail...

The New Survivor Series???

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes.

There is no fast food.

Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money.

In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.

Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time.

Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment.

He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.

He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.

The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.

The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed.

During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties.

They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.

They will need to read a book and then pray with the children each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 7:00 am.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island based on performance. The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right To be called Mother!

After you get done laughing, link this to as many females as you think will get a kick out of it and as many men as you think can handle it.

Just don't send it back to me.... I'm going to bed!

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As a post script...please, men, take no offense. I am quite well aware of the fact that there are many tasks that men tackle each and every day, and throughout the year, that I would have no knowledge, strength, or stomach to handle. I am thankful for my husband.

Still, you have to admit, this one was pretty funny, right????

Have to See It to Believe It

A friend sent me the link to this video clip. The young man featured in the clip has autism, but has a great gift: a photographic memory beyond anything I have ever seen in my life. And artistic skills you will not believe!

Check it out here: The "Camera" Mind

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From Reader's Digest...

I happened to see this in the April issue of RD the other day. Just had to share it.
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Every new senior class at our school brings with it a new senior prank. Recently, a group of students let three pigs loose inside the school. They were labeled Pig #1, Pig #2, and Pig #4. School officials quickly rounded up the three pigs but spent the rest of the day looking for Pig #3.

~Nicole Nietzel, Franklin, Massachusetts

Greensburg in the News Again

As the one-year anniversary of the tornado approaches, Greensburg, KS, is once again in the news. The CBS Early Show is broadcasting from there all week long. The focus is mostly on how the town is rebuilding "green" (read: environmentally friendly). In fact, some of the guidelines that have been set down for their funding include requirements for just that.

But in between all the "how to build green" stories are stories of people who are rebuilding their lives. People who are strong and tenacious. Some of those people I've known all my life. If you see the "beautiful people" photos they cycle through, you'll see the face of one woman with dark hair and glasses. I know her as Sister Helwig. She was my Sunday school teacher when I was very young. You see, I grew up on a farm about 15-20 miles from Greensburg.

I shopped at the grocery store that is now a shell. I took piano lessons from two women whose homes were destroyed. (In one photo, I could see through the roof--which no longer existed--to the upstairs bedroom where I took guitar lessons from my piano teacher's daughter. This mother and daughter also happen to be the aunt and cousin of one of my brothers-in-law.) I went to 4-H fairs at the community building that is gone. I frequently walked on Main Street, and I sat through several bake sales and sat on several parade floats on that same street. (Anyone who is familiar with the Memorial Day weekend parade, art festival, etc. can relate!) I attended services and was married in a church building that is now marked only by an empty basement. (The new church building that was built in recent years was also destroyed, but they are rebuilding.)

As I watch the Early Show, I see the faces of school students who are the children and grandchildren of people I've known, well, since I can remember. I see the residents, and recognize familiar faces among them. I attended school in nearby Mullinville, but Greensburg is the hub of the community. It is so strange to see empy lots and rubble in the place of what "once was".

If you'd like to see photos, updates, or find out how you can help, the Early Show website has all that information. Also, my other blog, Thoughts Along the Journey, has links in the sidebar.

Thank you, Early Show, for keeping Greensburg in the news. They are rebuilding, but there's still a lot of work to do...


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