What Santa brought to me......

Irony anyone??

Go ahead, leave me a caption or two in the comments!!

:-)

Santa will not be visiting his friends here this year.

I have to say....

I love it when my husband posts about me on his blog!!

Go and see!

http://agangershome.blogspot.com/2008/12/lady-is-getting-dangerous.html

Let it snow.

So, tonight Sonshine is lamenting that Christmas has passed. He decides he wants to have snow for Christmas. He tells me

"I want snow Momma!"

I tell him to talk to God cause I can't make it snow in Texas when it's 85 degrees out (yes, weird weather) Only God can make it snow.

He says "Jesus NEEDS snow!!!...Open the door for Jesus so I can tell him to make it snow."

Now, a part of this kid's delays are that he's literal, not figurative. If he says the big bad wolf's driving that car then you will look to find a German Shepard in the driver's seat, in it's owner's lap. (Yup, true story) So can you IMAGINE my surprise when he tells me to open the door for Jesus?? I did a double take.

Now I know why the Angels first words are always, "Do No Be Afraid!"
whew.

Show and Tell/Finished Project!

Yeehaw!!

Now that my oldest is just about ready to lose his third tooth, I decided it was high time to make the family a Tooth Pillow.

Did you have a Tooth Pillow?

I did but Subvet'd never heard of them.

See the little pocket on the front? That's where you put your tooth for the Tooth Fairy. She then comes and takes your tooth and leaves you some money in the pocket.

~~it's easier for the Tooth Fairy than trying to find your tiny tooth under your pillow without waking you up!~~

Once again all the fabric, stuffing and thread came out of my closet. Actually these two fabrics were just what was on the top of the top bin of fabric in the closet. It's a bit wild, but I like how it turned out.

:-)

Merry Christmas!!

Advent Calendar

Wednesday Hero

To the Men and Women of the United States military, and all the armed forces around the world, thank you for everything that you do. And to those who are laying their heads down tonight in a foreign land, away from your loved ones, thank you so very much. Stay safe, you're in our thoughts and our hearts. Merry Christmas.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Advent Calendar

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
Matthew 2:12

Heading for the Endzone

ball's on the 50, offense takes the field

1) make an enormous meatloaf for the clan
Done! it was 3 pounds of meatloaf heaven...and it's totally gone! :-)
first down, ball's on the 40

2) exercise Tues, Thurs and Sat nights
Well, I only exercised on Thurs as sleep intervened the other two nights.
3 yard gain, second and 7. ball's on the 37.

3) finish the cross stitch
Hahaha. Talk about unrealistic expectations! But I did work on it quite a bit over the week.
5 yard gain, third and 2. ball's on the 32.


4) finish the gift bags with the kids
Done! It was my last pre-Christmas task!
First Down, ball's on the 22.

5) wrap kids' and hubby's presents
Done! Sonshine suddenly decided he wanted to search for presents yesterday...made me a bit nervous.......
First Down, ball's on the 12.

New goal arose mid-week as I noticed Sonshine had yet another loose tooth and will probably be losing tooth #3 very soon. So I decided to get down to it tonight and I made a Tooth Pillow for the kids. Another unfinished project marked off the list!

FIELD GOAL!! 3 Points for Mightymom!!!!!


Next week's goals

1) Finish cross stitch (again)

2) Exercise 3 times this week

3) write up new post for MightyMom Monday. (I keep procrastinating....)

4) post all those pictures of the fog rolling in over the graveyard that I took last week

5) PARTY!! It's Christmas.

Tune back in early Tuesday morning to see how I did with this set of goals!

Advent Calendar

And on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:11

Advent Calendar

They were overjoyed at seeing the star, Matthew 2:10

"I think it might be Christmastime..."

Says my son on our way home tonight.

I think he might be right....

After Mass this morning we went to Mimi and Grandad's for a family get-together...30 folks there in all for this side of the family. We had a lot of fun exploring all of Mimi's decorations! As well as playing with the cousins. (Here's a quick intro into Southern Life. They're my step-mother's nieces and nephew's kids...which makes them my kids' cousins! GOT IT??) It's particularly nice cuz one of my cousins has a daughter just Sonshine's age who has Cerebral Palsy and she and I are about the same age so we always commiserate and yak. It's nice to have someone who's "been there"!!

Well, after the party we decided to go look at lights....a Christmas Week tradition for us.


First we went to the house in the previous post. YES!! We saw all that plus this year's additions in person. Including another song. It was FABULOUS!!

The guy who puts all this on has a box by his mailbox. He doesn't ask for any money or anything...but collects cans for the Frisco Food Bank/Family Services Center. I cannot IMAGINE how much his electricity bill is each December. Not only all those lights and the computer that runs them, but also the low power FM radio station that broadcasts the music so you can listen in your car as you watch. Yet, he only asks for donations to the Food Bank. Now that's just something.


THEN


He also decorates the entire TOWN SQUARE set to music....so of course we went to see THAT!!!



This year's is much bigger, they had more lights that were timed to the music and several buildings surrounding the square timed too!!

Oh what a sight to behold!!

My boy was especially happy when they played his FAVORITE Christmas song "Jingle Bells"

Sonshine says "The lights are singing Momma!!"

As we left he said, "bye bye lights, thank you for singing, have a good day!!"

Then later on the ride home he told me "The lights are resting so they can sing again for [Sonshine] tomorrow!!"

Periodically on the way home I'd point out different houses that were lit that we passed. At one point I said "Look over there, look at those houses!"

To which he replied, "NO! Don't say "look at the houses" I'm looking at the LIGHTS!!"

Aaaahhh I think he might be right...it just MIGHT be Christmastime!!


Going looking at the lights with a child will ALWAYS get me in the Spirit of the Holiday, if nothing else will. And it's very easy for me to find a child to go with....since I AM one this time of year!

Advent Calendar

After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. Matthew 2:9

Christmas Lights Display

Stop my music and make sure your sound is on!

This house is in one of 2 neighborhoods that do this and both are only about 20 min away from us....

oh joy! :-)

Advent Calendar

Saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” Matthew 2:2

It's a TREE!!

So, when the boys came down the hall Sunday morning I ran and grabbed my camera.



I finally realized that "it's not bad at all" is a quote from Charlie Brown.

Advent Calendar

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, Matthew 2:1

Thesaurus Thursday

Well, I'm calling it quits for the year folks. I want to get all this year's words added to the Thesaurus Thursday Glossary and I have a few goals to get going on before New Year's. So, there are no new words this week. We'll be back on Jan 8, 2009.

Last Week's Definitions:
pschent (skent, pskent) - the double crown worn by ancient Egyptian kings, symbolic of dominion over Upper and Lower Egypt.


prunt - a small mass of glass fused to the body of a glass piece.





(look around the top of the stem of each goblet.)

My Flock of Silly Geese:

Stephanie D. said... pschent--the sound of a sneeze
prunt--what happens when I try to type "print" in a hurry.

Linda said...
Pschent - the drunken pronunciation of the word "peasant"; generally pronounced this way with a martini in one hand and drunken look on one's face!
Prunt - an even smaller than usual prune; i.e., the runt of the prune litter!

Pam in Colorado said...
Oh no! I came up with my definitions before reading someone else's and then I got here and Linda wrote EXACTLY what I was going to put for Prunt - EXACTLY! Whoa.
So, I shall join for...
Pschent - a pasta spy.
Okay, so that was my weak one, but it was all I had after Prunt. ;(

Birdie said...
As instructed I'm not peeking tho I'm finding that part difficult.
pschent - yiddish exclamation akin to "hogwash" example - Kid:"Mom, I didn't eat any dessert yet, I promise!" (said with chocolate sauce all about the face & neck.
Mom:"Pschent! Just look at your face!"
prunt - Ebonics for the word "front".

Jungle Mom said...
pschent- A scent which only a pshycic can smell.
prunt-when something is pretty burnt but still edible.

Cookie..... said...
Pschent- The opposite of Pschaw.
Prunt- Redneck fer, "Last night I done prunt to God about...."



Thank you to each and every one of you who have played Thesaurus Thursday over the last year!! You brighten each week with your smarts and silliness. Please feel free to display the awards on your blogs as you see fit!
with much love
Mightymom.

Advent Calendar

So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. Luke 2:16

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO TRY AND WIN AT THESAURUS THURSDAY FOR THIS WEEK!!!

Click on the link above, get over there and make something up.

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Melinda

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christian P. Humphreys
28 years old from Fallon, Nevada
6th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force 49
November 15, 2008


A funny, nice guy who loved to fly. That's how Christian P. Humphreys is remembered by his friends. "He was a great guy, always happy and had a joke," said Sean Whitney, a flight medic. "We used to play with our paintball guns in the cornfields behind his house."

Humphreys flew with the Fallon Naval Air Station Search and Rescue Longhorns from June 6, 2004, to May 5, 2006. He left the Navy and joined the Army as part of the "Blue to Green" program to become a helicopter pilot.

Humphreys, along with Chief Warrant Officer 3 Donald V. Clark, 37 years old from Tennessee, was killed when their OH-58 Kiowa helicopter crashed while on a mission over Mosul, Iraq. As a rescue crew chief, Humphreys was in charge of the operation behind the pilots. He made the decisions when to deploy rescue crews out of the helicopter to assist injured people, and he also took care of the equipment.

"He was a funny guy, a nice guy, a lot of character," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin Schmidt. "The guy was always entertaining, always had something to say, but like everyone here, he displayed the professionalism in saving lives."

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christian P. Humphreys leaves behind a wife and parents.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Advent Calendar

When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” Luke 2:15

More than you ever wanted to know about Mightymom!!!

There's a lot of new posts up today so be sure you scroll all the way down!!





To start here are two Bucket Lists

I'll bold the things I've done

Gone on a blind date
Skipped school
Watched someone die
Been to Canada
Been to Mexico
Been to Florida
Been to Australia
Been on a plane
Been On a plane that crashed
Been lost (my mom was driving--it only happened once, we usually have very good senses of direction)
Gone to Washington , DC
Swam in the ocean but prefer to read on the beach and swim in a pool
Cried yourself to sleep
Played cops and robber
Recently colored with crayons
Sang Karaoke
Paid for a meal with coins only
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
Made prank phone calls
Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose & elsewhere
Caught a snowflake on your tongue (what's a snowflake??)
Danced in the rain
Written a letter to Santa Claus
Been kissed under the mistletoe
Watched the sunrise with someone Subvet loves sunrises.
Blown bubbles
Gone ice-skating (once maybe twice)
Been skinny dipping outdoors
Gone to the movies

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang/played a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (this is on my todo list!)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort (where do you get enough snow to build a fort??)
25. Held a lamb
26. Bathed in a river
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Oklahoma!)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (with minimal help)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I'm satisfied, very...but I will always dream)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (I was 3, my mom was the painter...she made several and gave them out one Christmas.)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (I sold a zillion cookies and candies for HS Band though!)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason (often!)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (I ran the quarterly blood drives at the church I left)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (wedding photo :-)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Made a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (right between the eyes, wasn't pretty)
100. Built a house out of mud (it was just right for my lego people)


Any nickname? Sed, Champagne (pronounced Champ-ag-ney)
Mother's name? Janet
Favorite drink? Dr Pepper
Body piercing? one in each ear
Birthplace, Garland, Tx
Favorite vacation spot on the road
Ever been to Africa ? no
Ever eaten just cookies for dinner? Yes
Ever been on TV? well, half of me was....I was standing next to Subvet, HIS interview was aired...not mine.
Ever steal any traffic signs? No
Ever been in a car accident? Yes
Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 5 door minivan
Can you drive a standard car? Yes,
Favorite pie? pecan
Favorite number? who cares?
Favorite movie? Harry Potter
Favorite holiday? Christmas
Favorite dessert? the sweet ones
Favorite food? authentic Cajun cooking
Favorite day of the week? a day off
Favorite brand of body soap? Dial-body wash
Favorite toothpaste? crest
Favorite sound? baby giggles
How do you relax? snuggle
How do you see yourself in 10 years? trying to talk my husband into going on a cruise together to celebrate our 20th anniversary.

Five names you go by: Mom, Sweetie, Nurse, Sarah, She Who Must Be Obeyed (really it's on his website!)
Three things you are wearing right now: slippers, flannel nightgown, glasses
Two things you want very badly at the moment: my son to take a dump (it's been 4 days), someone to deliver me a gourmet meal and clean up after.
Two things you did last night: paid bills, wrote Christmas cards
Two things you ate today: Hubby's homemade chicken and rice soup, Dr Pepper
Two people you last talked to on the phone: hubby and my mom
Two things you are going to do tomorrow: work, open another door on our advent calendar
Two longest car rides: Dallas to Chicago, Dallas to Orlando
Two of your favorite beverages: Dr Pepper and Egg Nog



Subvet tagged me with this one

Link to the person who tagged you.
Post the Rules on your blog.
Write six random things about yourself.
Tag six people to continue the Meme.
Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Six things;
1) I'm legally blind without my glasses
2) I can do 7 different types of handwork
3) I cannot draw or paint.
4) I cannot whistle
5) I always cut up an apple to eat it
6) I always have a dream, it may never come to life, but I always have a dream to aim for.

Linda tagged me with this award and meme:



The only 'hitch' with this award is that it comes with a couple of rules:

Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
Share 7 facts about yourself, some random, some weird.
Tag 7 people (if possible) at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

1) If I'm gonna eat canned chili, it'd better be Wolf brand.
2) I hate to be cold and I get chilled easily
3) I'm a terrible "knowitall"
4) I've never finished the first quilt I ever started, and never will
5) I've been able to read music longer than English
6) I'll watch ANY movie if my hubby sits beside me. (even Five Fingers Of Death!)
7) I LOVED Mystery Science Theater 3000, we've even gotten them from Netflix.


Now, this should mean that I'm considered free and clear of ALL memes from 2008. If you wanna tag me again, wait till 2009!

Advent Calendar

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14

Goal Post

OK, let's see, we'll start at the 50...

1) I want to get the house decorated! That means I need to help hubby move the freezer out from in front of the kitchen window......
Done, first down, ball's on the 40


2) I want to get 60 cards addressed and ready to mail
Done, first down, ball's on the 30

3) I want to take a decent pic of all 3 kids to print and put in the cards
False start, I used the former header pic instead of getting a new one. 5 yard penalty, ball's on the 35

4) Print 60 copies of said fabulous hooligan picture
Done, first down, ball's on the 25


5) stuff 60 cards and mail.
Done, first down, ball's on the 15

6) I want to get the endless cross stitch at least half done with the backstitching....the end is near.
Sacked the QB, didn't touch it, ball's on the 25

7) I want to exercise every night I'm off. I got my Christmas gift early....the box set of Richard Simmons tapes. I love Richie! He makes me laugh.
Unnecessary Roughness, 10 yd penalty, I only saw Richie 1 out of my 4 days off, ball's on the 35.

And the defense takes the field.

For this week.

1) make an enormous meatloaf for the clan

2) exercise Tues, Thurs and Sat nights

3) finish the cross stitch

4) finish the gift bags with the kids

5) wrap kids' and hubby's presents

Tune in next Monday for more play by play coverage.

Mighty Mom Mondays

It's Monday again!!

This week I relay another trip to church. This happened the first week of December. Check it out! Hopefully I can still make you laugh...........

Advent Calendar

And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Luke 2:13

Advent Calendar

“And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12

Decorating

Sonshine and Gator decided to join in the decorating tonight...........

Advent Calendar

“For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” Luke 2:11

Surpise! It's Christmastime!!

The new Thesaurus Thursday post is up!



So, Tuesday night I was off and I decided to bite the bullet and decorate the house. I had been procrastinating the decorating as the task just seemed daunting...despite all my Christmas Spirit here in blogland.

Oh boy do I wish I'd had my video camera ready at 6:30AM Wed morning when the boys came trotting down the hall!!

First Sonshine see this through his barely opened eyes:





And he says "Momma!! You have STOCKINGS Momma!!!"


Then he turns as sees this while rubbing his eyes:



And he says "You have EVERYTHING Momma!!"

I tell him, "Yes, everything's up but the tree....Momma and Daddy will do that on Saturday."


Then he turns around slowly on the spot, taking in every detail:




And he says, "Momma! It's EVERYWHERE! Momma!! The Christmas Decorations are EVERYWHERE!!!"

He's continued talking about all the "Christmas Things" ever since!!

I can't wait till morning when he sees the new additions to the decor:



I'll come back and let you know what he said!


I wonder what he'd do if I took him to visit someone like Stephanie at Scraps, who has not one box of decorations....but 15 bins of them!


UPDATE: He walked in and saw the 2 new wall hangings and now all he can talk about is the "Kitty cats in hats on the angel Momma! yes!! Cats in Hats on the angel!" We may possibly have read The Cat in the Hat one too many times. :-)

Show and Tell/Finished Project!

Scroll down for to play Thesaurus Thursday!






These two wall hangings have been on my to do list for about 5 years...

The one on the left I made at a church Christmas craft function more than 20 years ago. I have no idea how it survived several moves and a fire...but when I inherited all my mom's Christmas decorations (due to her downsizing) this was in the stuff. Except that it didn't have a dowel across the top and was therefore unable to be hung.

Yes, that's all it needed....a dowel.

The one on the right was made for me by a friend, the label on the back says Christmas of 2003. But it had no dowel..no pocket to hold a dowel..and no ribbon to hang it from. So each year it has gone back in the box of decorations till I could get around to fixing it to be hung.

Well, as part of my goal of finishing projects I hustled to get these two done! It took me all of 2 hours total, and hubby cut the dowel to the right sizes in about 5 min.

Shew!!


Now it's on to the NEXT unfinished project that's been laying around here forever.

Right after I get the cards ready to mail!

Advent Calendar

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10

Thesaurus Thursday

OK, here's a hint folks. Don't read the comments until AFTER you post your guesses!! Then you won't be stuck to come up with something cuz someone else's silliness gets stuck in your head!

For next week, work on these:

pschent
prunt



Last Week's Definitions:

kurgan - an ancient burial mound constructed over a pit grave; earliest occurrence 4th millennuim BC in the Russian Steppes.






















kukri - a large Nepalese knife having a heavy curved blade that is sharp on the concave side. (Congrats Smarty Pants Diane!)


















Silly Goose Winners this week are:

Cookie.....
"Kurgan", an Irish Kur.

"Kukri" A new recruit for the KKK

Linda
My brain is fried this week and I've neither the energy to be a smart aleck or a silly goose but I will say that those words like Klingnon to me! They like words that have that hard "k" sound!


For the record, I don't have a Klingnon dictionary.

For any newcomers to Thesaurus Thursday, the "rules" can be found here.

For all winners, the Awards can be found on the sidebar to pick up at your leisure.

Now don't forget to leave your comments for the new words!

Advent Calendar

The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.

Luke 2:9

From Jungle Mom

Dana has been found!
I do not have anymore details that I am able to share with you , but Dana has been found!
Thank you for all your prayers. Our God is a great God!

URGENT PRAYERS NEEDED!!

the following is copied entirely from Jungle Mom's Blog. I cannot imagine the terror this family is facing. Pray folks. Pray. It's our best weapon.




I just received word that the 13 year old daughter of a BIMI fellow missionary has been kidnapped. Please join me in prayer for her safety and quick release!

Here is the message:

Jerry’s mom and dad phoned at 11:45 p.m. last night and said that Jerry and Dawn's daughter, Dana, has been kidnapped! It happened yesterday. Police and family are searching for her. They had just moved to the north island from the south island to work with another missionary. Dana went to the store to purchase a Christmas present. When she didn’t return, they went to the store and the owner said she never showed up. They texted her cell phone and a message came back that said “If you want to see your daughter again, you can pick her up at Christ Church on the 14th.” Other text messages came following that were very nasty. Please pray for Dana at this time … for her safety … for her safe return … for Jerry, Dawn and Justin. Dana is a scrapper and strong, even though she is only 13 years old. Please pray! It is 12 hours later in New Zealand.

Advent Calendar

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. Luke 2:8

Wednesday Hero

Are these getting harder and harder to read as we get closer to Christmas??

Cause they're getting harder and harder to post.

Remember not only these Heros....but their Hero Families this month too!!

Sarah.


Spc. Jonnie L Stiles
38 years old from Highlands Ranch, Colorado
769th Engineer Battalion, Louisiana Army National Guard
November 13, 2008


Louisiana National Guard spokesman Maj. Michael Kazmierzak said Spc. Jonnie L. Stiles had been serving as a gunner on a Humvee doing route clearance when an IED detonated near his vehicle in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. He said the job typically involves checking roads for bombs and insurgents.

Stiles' wife, Launa, said that he was nearly killed last month when a suicide bomber blew up a military vehicle in front of his. She said he was still able to rescue three other soldiers and returned to duty before his 30-day recovery period was finished.

"He was strong and really cared for his men," she said.

Stiles was born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and graduated from Littleton High School in Colorado. He served in the military for 17 years, first joining the Marines and then switching to the Army in 1999. He served three years at Fort Carson, left the Army and then returned as a member of the Colorado Air National Guard in the Summer of 2007.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Monday goals

Reminder! It's time to play Thesaurus Thursday!



So, who knows Lori?

Do you know Lori?

Everyone should meet Lori! She lives in South Dakota, she runs a ranch/farm with her hubby and she quilts. She quilts a lot! :-)

Every Monday she puts up her goals for the week, and then she reviews what she's done on Sunday as a part of her Stash Report.

Well, I decided it's not a bad idea to make a note of my weekly goals...as I always have them. So, here you go.

My Monday goals.

Yes, I know I'm never on the right day. I have an excuse! You try working nights and still knowing what day it is!

1) I want to get the house decorated! That means I need to help hubby move the freezer out from in front of the kitchen window......

2) I want to get 60 cards addressed and ready to mail

3) I want to take a decent pic of all 3 kids to print and put in the cards

4) Print 60 copies of said fabulous hooligan picture

5) stuff 60 cards and mail.

6) I want to get the endless cross stitch at least half done with the backstitching....the end is near.

7) I want to exercise every night I'm off. I got my Christmas gift early....the box set of Richard Simmons tapes. I love Richie! He makes me laugh.

That's enough for now. We'll see how I do with these. I have a habit of planning to do more than I can actually do....

What are your goals for this week?

New Christmas Tradition??

So, we're breaking out the Christmas movies today....

First we saw Mom's favorite "The Muppet Christmas Carol."

Then we moved on to "A Charlie Brown Christmas"....followed by "It's Christmastime Again Charlie Brown"

It was half way through the last one when Sonshine turned to me and said.

"I'm gonna be a sheep!"

"oh, ok, you can be a sheep."

"I'm gonna be a sheep, and Gator-boy's a shepard!"

"Oh, OK."

"YEEEEEEES Momma! And you're the angel! You say 'Hark!'......say 'Hark!' Momma"

"mmmmmm Hark?"

"I'm a sheep, Gator's a shepard and you're the angel...you need white wings!"

"OK, I'll get right on that....but what about Sister and Daddy??"

"Sister's a cow....she says Mooo!......say MOOOOOO sister! .... sister?"

"and Daddy?"

"He's a Rooster"

"Got it. When are we doing this??"

(I got that 'well, duh' look....from a 5 yr old it's scary.)

"For Christmas Momma!! You're the angel and Gator's the shepard and I'm the sheep and Sissy's the cow and Daddy's the Rooster MOMMA!!"

"Oh, sorry, guess I need to practice.....Hark!"

Advent Calendar

And she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

To All of you

If anyone would like a copy of all the scripture and pictures that I put together for my Advent Calendar, leave me your email addres and I will send it to you in a Word document. I can change it to Works, I think, if you specifiy.

To answer Pops, I can take no money as it's already been copyrighted....





by God.



Sarah

Mighty Mom Mondays

Well, it's Monday again and I, Mightymom, have another post up at Extraordinary Mom's Network.

This week it's information about a wonderful way to support our injured troops.

Advent Calendar

While they were there, the time came for her to have her child,

Luke 2:6

Advent Calendar

And Joseph, too, went to the city of David that is called Bethlehem. To be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
Luke 2:5

December 7, 1941

At this time last year I got very caught up in the attack on Pearl Harbor and all that happened that terribly day. I spent hours reading and learning and crying. I posted quite a bit about it during the week of Dec 7, and this year I am going to repost all that was posted last year. Just in case you missed it, or need a reminder of it. If you happen to meet a WWII vet this week, thank him or her. I have had the priveledge of taking care of several WWII vets at work. Most recently on Thursday. I too will be going out of my way to say thank you.

TAKE TIME TO REMEMBER.

"The attack at Pearl Harbor sank four U.S. Navy battleships and damaged four more. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, and one minelayer, destroyed 188 aircraft, and caused personnel losses of 2,402 killed and 1,282 wounded." Wikipedia



The wrecked destroyers USS Downes (DD-375) and USS Cassin (DD-372) in Drydock One at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, soon after the end of the Japanese air attack. Cassin has capsized against Downes.
USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) is astern, occupying the rest of the drydock. The torpedo-damaged cruiser USS Helena (CL-50) is in the right distance, beyond the crane. Visible in the center distance is the capsized USS Oklahoma (BB-37), with USS Maryland (BB-46) alongside. Smoke is from the sunken and burning USS Arizona (BB-39), out of view behind Pennsylvania. USS California (BB-44) is partially visible at the extreme left.
This image has been attributed to Navy Photographer's Mate Harold Fawcett.




Destroyer USS Shaw exploding after her forward magazine was detonated



USS California sinking


USS West Virginia took two aerial bombs (one dud) and seven torpedo hits; of the seven at least five were from aircraft and one from a midget submarine






As I am writing this it is the Saturday before Labor Day. September first. We are trying to spread the word to get everyone to fly their American Flag on September eleventh in memory of the tragedy that took place 9/11/01.

However, you won't be seeing this post until December. December seventh to be exact.

Because 9/11/01 reminds me of 12/7/41.

The day that the American Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was bombed by the Japanese.

My Grandaddy fought in WWII, he lost his only brother in that war then was sent home as the last surviving male member of the family. He flew cargo planes for the US Army Air Corp....perhaps my love of flying and desire to be a (fighter) pilot is genetic.

I remember the sadness and frustration he expressed when we kids couldn't tell him what day Pearl Harbor had been bombed, or the names of the ships lost, or even how many ships, or what impact it had on WWII (The BIG 'un). I remember him saying that the world stopped that day...and when it started moving it was never the same again. I remember wondering what on earth he meant by that. I remember his anger when he went to the VA, that is Veteran's Affairs, hospital for a doctor's visit and found out that his assigned doctor was "a damn Jap!!" This wasn't a man given to fits of anger, but boy he got hot telling me about THAT! I remember wondering what the big deal was.

Then came 9/11/01 and I understood.

I understood the sadness and frustration when the people around me forgot to take note of that day. I remember how the world stopped, how my husband kept saying over and over that nothing will ever be the same again and I understood exactly what he meant. I understood the anger at any member of a specific group of people who were responsible for so much unprovoked bloodshed. I understood exactly what the big deal was.

In light of this understanding, I will never again forget 12/7/41. What it cost our countrymen and how it changed the world.

Do you have an American Flag?

Do you fly it at half-mast on Pearl Harbor Day?

YOU SHOULD!









The USS Arizona. ".... and as you can see from the picture, she still mourns her dead...." Cookie

For more information about the effects of the attack on Pearl Harbor.






After posting what you see above I got curious.

I started reading everything I could find on the attack at Pearl Harbor. That's when I went back and added all the pics. I read and read and cried and cried that night. Well into morning. I don't know (or care) if you believe such things, but I felt like this room was full of soldiers urging me to learn...then to teach. So that they should not be forgotten as another generation comes of age.

Here's what I learned.

1) The United States of America is the BEST damn country in the world.
2) You may knock us down, but you'd better watch out when we get back up.
3) We ALWAYS get back up.


We had 12 ships "sunk or beached" and 9 "damaged" in that attack.
Not to menton all the planes and buildings.

Now, to this city girl, "sunk" means dead. Sitting on the bottom rusting. But "All U.S. Ships except Arizona, Utah, and Oklahoma were salvaged and later saw action."
Most of those ships were saved and sent back to war within the year. And the cleanup was dirty, oily work.

Follow the links folks, look at the pictures. This is an AMAZING story that you won't soon forget! And remember that no matter how bleak the scenery looks, there's always a way to rebuild, and strike back.