The younger set of kids are here this weekend…so I posted a few “pics” of things we’ve done during their previous visits. Have a great Sunday! (This is Baby & Sugar waiting for their arrival!)
But the girls forgot we have a new grandpup, Ms. Paisley !
I bought these for the pups! (Chi and Angie)
Woolaroc….and Chi
At Gravity Hill ~ Need to go back there SOON and take our Mad & Erin! Look closely and see the hand print.
Hubby & Me ♥ HAPPY SUNDAY!
Sugar Glaze! (STILL LAUGHING)
Next time, I will add a bit of brown sugar and substitute some orange juice for part of the milk. Link below for the recipe. Our favorites were the ones with dates, coconuts and pecans.
This recipe is completely sugar-free and lower in calories as well!
HAPPY SATURDAY, FRIENDS!!!! Don’t forget to LAUGH a LOT today….
I had heard from several folks that the book “Heaven is for Real” by Todd Burpo, was an awesome book. and that I needed to read it. I am rarely moved to immediately buy a book when someone says this, as my stack of “to reads” is many. The way I choose the next book to be read usually goes like this: It’s the middle of the night, my husband is asleep, I flip on the light and say, “Close your eyes, I’m looking for a book.” I then go through several and wait for one to speak to me. After that, I am the books and the book is mine.
I had finished reading “90 Minutes in Heaven” by Don Piper. The message and info were good, but, in my opinion, the book did not flow very well. That was a “read” struggle for me. But a book, like a person, is placed in your hands for a time in your life because you need it. Maybe for yourself or maybe to help someone else. Maybe to solve a question or a problem or to simply make you laugh. But, I finally decided it was time for “Heaven is for Real”. Putting on my skeptical face, I started the book. I was immediately taken in and just ate the book up in a couple of readings. It made me laugh, think, and cry. But mostly, it made me relive a crisis in our young married life.
In the book, Colton, the little boy who visited heaven, only relayed small bits of information at a time about his visit there. His parents did not force it, but listened when he did recall things to help him and them process it. One such conversation was when he told his mother he knew he had two sisters, not one. He knew that he had a sister in heaven that had died in her tummy. And here is the conversation that followed:
Colton ~ “ It’s okay, Mommy. She’s okay. God adopted her.” Mom ~ “Don’t you mean Jesus adopted her? Colton ~ “No, Mommy. His Dad did.” At this point the mom realizes her son just said SHE, and that they had a daughter in heaven. Colton went on to describe who she looked like. And then he said, “She doesn’t have a name. You guys didn’t name her.” The mom is thinking, ‘How could he know THAT?’ Mom ~ “You are right, Colton. We didn’t even know she was a she.” Colton replied, “ Yeah, she said she just can’t wait for you and Daddy to get to heaven.”
Twenty-seven years ago, we lost a baby to a miscarriage. Raegan was the name we had chosen for our little girl. And I just kept reading the above passage over and over and saying to myself, “but our little girl has a name and she is waiting ever so patiently for us.”
Yes, I highly recommend this book. It makes you kinda homesick for a place you’ve never been. While I am in no hurry to get to heaven, when my day does arrive, I will be thrilled knowing who is waiting there for me. And I truly believe that Heaven is for Real.
March First! YAY! January and February are dreaded months for me. They are the months that are typically so dreary and I want to hide underneath a rock until they are over. But we have been so blessed this winter with wonderful warm weather! And yes, I know we could still get snow in March and April. Don’t rain on my parade. Instead, celebrate that we’ve made it to March and we have much to look forward to in the months to come!
LIKE…spending time outside AND barefoot with friends! Not to mention getting your toes ready! (reminder time….get your feet ready now by smothering in vaseline and then putting socks on. do this several days in a row and use a pumice stone and you’ll be good to go!)
Get your garden ready now! Know what you are going to plant. Prepare your soil. This is prep time and it will sneak up on you!
Don’t forget to sunscreen and wear a hat. Even if it’s just power washing the fence and even if it’s cooler weather. Protect your skin!
Keep a watch out for critters when cleaning out flowerbeds and shrubs. I don’t like spiders and snakes….how ’bout you?
Be ready for the spring weddings! 
If you haven’t already….be wearing your summer shorts now! (in the house if you are in the cold states) That way, if you have a couple of inches or pounds that winter gave you, you can work on losing those ahead of time.
One last but certainly not least item of importance. Storm season has already began as we saw yesterday. Make your tornado plans now. Know where to go if you need to take cover. We do not yet have a safe room or cellar, so we have a designated interior “closet”. Recommended things for your designated place: pillows (to shield you body of debris), blankets, bike helmets and winter coats (again ~ for protection from debris)extra dog leashes, food & water, a whistle or bell (to let people know where you are), flashlights and a battery-powered radio or weather radio. It doesn’t take much to get these items together. Hopefully you will never need them, but better to be prepared.
Start planning now for a fun and safe Spring and Summer! Why? Because it’s MARCH!!!! ♥♥♥
LEAP DAY is just another day…… NO, it’s NOT. It’s an EXTRA day! First, a little explanation from www.dateandtime.com:
“Leap Day as a concept has existed for more than 2000 years, and is still associated with age-old traditions, folklore and superstition. It’s a popular day for women to propose marriage. Leap Years are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth’s revolutions around the sun. It takes the Earth approximately 365.242199 days (a tropical year) to circle once around the Sun. If we didn’t add a day on February 29 nearly every 4 years, we would lose almost six hours every year. After only 100 years, our calendar would be off by approximately 24 days!”
How many of you remember learning this little poem in grade school? (and I’m not ashamed to admit, I still use it!) Think about it, we learned it for this very day. This EXTRA day!
30 days hath September, April, June and November, All the rest have 31, Excepting February alone. Which only has but 28 days clear And 29 in each leap year~
Now the BIG question for you. What will you do with an extra day this year? In a world where we seem to all be running out of hours in a day, this is a gift, right? An extra day. But to accomplish what? A day to sleep, play, work, ignore, spend, save, eat, diet, love, gamble, exercise or maybe go with the tradition, ladies? Propose marriage? And then the next question is, if it’s an extra day and we don’t have time for it today….can we substitute another day? We do have several months left in “LEAP YEAR,” ya know.
Maybe, just maybe, Leap Day might push us to take a LEAP of Faith? What have you been putting off or placed in the back of your mind that you could begin or even end on this day? Pay off a bill, start a budget, learn that new language or start music lessons? Call an old friend, tell someone you appreciate them, or buy the “other” guy at Sonic a Happy Hour drink? Maybe it could simply be the day you say to yourself, “Self~ this is the day I’m going to turn over a new leaf. From now on I am going to (or NOT going to) _______________”. Well, I can only answer that question for myself. I’m leaving that blank for YOU to fill in….but feel free to share with us, if you like.
We have an extra day, people. Make it count. HAPPY LEAP DAY, 2012!
The following is from www.pinterest.com.
Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.
Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. To get started, you can request an invite from www.pinterest.com or ask a pinterest user to send you one. (ask me, I’ll invite you!)
These are Pinterest Boards:
Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.
HAPPY PINNING!!!
It was a gorgeous sunshiny and very windy day in Joplin, had I stopped to notice. But I didn’t slow down as I was in hurry mode that afternoon. I had a check off list with many “to do’s” still left undone. Across town I ran into my realtor’s office to drop off what I hoped to be the last of extensive paperwork before finally selling our house. You see, I had been living in this ninety year old house of our dreams, alone. Now having dealt with open houses, realtors, criticism, frozen pipes and a tree branch that crashed through the front porch, the dream was long gone. It just HAD to sell this time. My husband had been forced to move on to start his new career in Oklahoma where he was living in a hotel. The entire situation was growing older with each day and I’m afraid my usual Pollyanna attitude had turned Cruella. Alright, if you know me, you know that is false. I am rarely Pollyanna. I am a realist. I don’t sugarcoat things, but I do always have a plan. I was beginning to lose all hope. And when you lose hope, ya got nothing.
And then it begin to happen right before my eyes and I didn‘t even realize it until it was all said and done. You know, that moment that will forever change you life? The time you will continue to reflect upon in the years to come and try to draw from it? (I truly think these moments happen often, we just don’t slow down long enough to inhale them.) I was running back to my car when I noticed just on the edge of the parking lot, what looked to be a young homeless man. Having raised two boys, there’s always been a special place in my heart for young men in need of help, but on this particular day, as you recall, “Cruella mode”, I hugged my purse a little tighter and started moving faster to my vehicle making certain NOT to make eye contact. As I reached to open the car door left unlocked (I never leave a door unlocked!), my attention was caught again by the traffic suddenly pulling over and halting. GREAT. A funeral procession and I would be stuck in this parking lot with a homeless man for how much longer?! Purse now thrown inside the car, I stood with my arm draped over the door, just observing. The motorcycle police lead, the hearse, the family cars following, the many friends. The entire world had stopped for this moment. Time stood still reminding me of loved ones I had lost. None-the less, here I am, waiting and giving in to the moment when I’m reminded again of the stranger I should be watching. And there he stood aside this funeral procession, now drawn closer to the road like he was a bystander at a parade. He was at full attention with his body. He slowly pulled off his knit hat, revealing his oily, matted hair; he grasped that dirty hat with all his might, trembling as he placed his hand over his heart and bowed his weary head. He just stood there in that position for what seemed like an eternity, and he waited for the last car to pass.
That forever moment was actually over quickly. He placed his hat back on his head and I jumped into my car, started the engine and turned where I could see him. I looked at this young man down on his luck that day. I cringed at myself for pouring out quick judgment on his life. I thought about his mama and his grandparents. Who had nurtured his beautiful heart that he would still harbor this honor and respect for other’s even when he was in a bad time of his own?
I looked his way through the side window of my car as I began to pull out of that parking lot. He gazed my way too, but I was very careful not to make eye contact. I had an aching feeling that he would be able to read the depth of my soul and I was too ashamed for it to be revealed.
With all the media attention probiotics are getting lately, you might think that the use of “good” bacteria is a relatively new discovery. Actually, the idea of using bacteria to improve health goes back over 100 years. In the late 1800s a Russian physiologist and microbiologist name Elie Metchnikoff was widely scorned for his theories; twenty years later, in 1908, they won him the Nobel Prize.
Dr. Metchnikoff’s work was based on his observations of the eating habits of the Balkan people of Eastern Europe. Dr. Metchnikoff noticed that Balkan people, who typically consumed large volumes of fresh yogurt, lived long, healthy lives–at least compared to people in other ethnic groups. Dr. Metchnikoff’s theory of “good” germs was radical at the time but today, probiotic supplements are sold in pharmacies, health food stores and supermarkets around the world.
How Probiotics Work
One important function of probiotics or “good” bacteria involves maintaining a healthy balance between the beneficial and harmful bacteria that live naturally in your digestive tract. When you eat probiotic foods or take probiotic supplements, you increase the number of beneficial bacteria and keep the population of potentially harmful bacteria in check.
Another very important function of your body’s flora, which is what biologists call the various organisms that live in and on your body, is to aid in digestion. Various strains of microorganisms help break down food, improve absorption of some nutrients and even produce some vitamins.
Probiotics may also help many people better manage conditions like high cholesterol, dental caries and various bowel conditions. Finally, since your immune system is so heavily influenced by the health of your digestive tract, probiotics may help some people strengthen and maintain a healthy immune response.
Can Probiotics Prevent Cancer?
Most of the focus on probiotics and cancer has centered on bladder and colon cancers. And the results are encouraging. While the authors of a 2006 Canadian study stopped short of recommending probiotics to all people at risk for bladder cancer, their study concluded that probiotic supplements containing two species of Lactobacillus may help prevent a recurrence of bladder cancer in some women.
Another recent study, this one focused on the relationship between probiotics and colon cancer, also found that probiotic intervention “significantly reduced” the biological actions that often lead to the development of colon cancers.
Can Probiotics Be Harmful?
Aside from a temporary increase in flatulence, probiotics have no known side effects in normally healthy people, assuming that you take probiotics in recommended doses and aren’t immunocompromised or otherwise seriously ill. Allergies are apparently rare but not impossible.
Of course, if you have any questions about probiotics, the best source of information is your primary care physician. Only your doctor is qualified to give you medical advice and he or she will give you the information you need to make an informed choice about probiotics and their potential health benefits.
REFERENCES:
Reid, G., Bruce, A. (2006). Probiotics to prevent urinary tract infections: the rationale and evidence.
Rafter, J., Bennett, M., Caderni, G., et al. (2007). Dietary synbiotics reduce cancer risk factors in polypectomized and colon cancer patients.
ConsumerLab.com. (2006). Product Review: Probiotic Supplements (Including Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium, and Others).
The following portion is from an article by Deborah Oakes, from YaHoo Voices 101, Probiotic Health 101
Recommended Probiotic Supplements When choosing probiotic supplements, watch for GMP on labels . This stands for good manufacturing practices. and ensures potency of products. Rotate brands to obtain as many strains as possible to maintain good probiotics health.
Probiotics Health Take probiotics according to directions. If taking antibiotics, take 4 hours apart and continue taking once the prescription is over. Probiotic supplements and cultured, fermented foods provide health by keeping good bacteria thriving.
HAPPY SUNDAY TO YOU!! ~ Paula ♥
Last night I went to my first sheep show. Maybe my last one, too. I didn’t “mean” to go. You know how those things happen. Hubby, “Isaac and the girls have their last sheep show of the season tonight”….Me…..”Oh, really.” Silence for a while. Me….”What do kids really learn from doing this?” Hubby, now looking shocked at my question, “Huge responsibility. They commit to being responsible for the lives of these animals…” He then went on to describe to me his experience in FFA and all that he learned from raising hogs. Responsibility, commitment, competitiveness, integrity, finance, health. I finally gave in and said the appropriate words, “Sooooo, you wanna go?” And an hour and a half later, I was at the Tulsa Fairgrounds with my boots on walking oh so carefully so that I did not step in something! It was quite the learning experience. See for yourself:
This is Isaac. He won in his last show. We didn’t get to stay late enough to see how he placed last night, but he was so proud of his sheep ~
Madeline and Lizzie, sister lambs AND sisters. Both placed and did awesome!
I watched with my own eyes last night, the hard work of these young animal owners. They loved and cared for their sheep AND they were knowledgable of the animal and the program. Their parents and siblings were at the show and very supportive; they were sincere in all that they did. They each thanked us for coming to their show. My husband was right, there is a lot more than meets the eye to raising animals.
There is a sad p.s. to this story. After Isaac, the young man pictured above, arrived home last night, one of his mama sheep had lost three babies attempting to give birth. As I write this, Isaac is out in barn with the mama, rubbing her legs and face, trying to comfort her, knowing that she will probably not make it through the morning. I think back to my question last night, “What do these kids really learn?” Isaac is a little boy. He should be out riding a bike or playing a video game, but he is doing what his heart knows he should do…..and it’s breaking his. Good job, Isaac. You are quite the young man.
Well it seems I have been April Fooled today by WordPress as my planned post of “HOTDOGS” will not upload the pics. SO, instead, how ’bout we just relax with a previous post, and enjoy our HaPpY SuNdAy. Be nice to people, you never know what they might be going through ~ ♥
~ Breathe ~ That’s what our neighborhood eagle reminds me to do each time I see him….I hope that today you will take the time to just BREATHE ~
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
stuff i tell my sister 