Freedom of Thought

Dragonflies

2011-07-06T14:24:00.000-05:00

This poem was selected for publication in Rapids Review's Spring 2011 edition.

Dragonflies
By Sandra Wahl

The scent of lake,
this morning’s rain, a touch of fish
and water lilies
mingle with Hawaiian Tropic;
twisted bottle caps and broken shells shine just below the surface of the water.

Emerging from the shells of their former selves,
the dragonflies hang upside down, drying, stretching.
Discarding their fragile larvae husks,
which still cling, empty, to blades of grass,
they spiral together in a buzz of beating wings.

Tumbling,
graceful damsels dance with cannibalistic dragons
in a cloud of iridescent bodies
and undulating black wings
flecked with blue and green.

With the lightest of footsteps,
a tickle on my shoulder,
I’ve been touched by a dragon.
A moment later, he’s gone.

Published :)

2011-05-06T16:26:00.000-05:00

So I submitted a poem to a "student literary annual" at school a couple months ago. Guess what? I've been published! I realize it's not huge, but the Rapids Review is a pretty good collection of student work & I'm really happy they chose to publish my poem, "Dragonflies" - I might have it posted on my writing blog, sandi-wahl.blogspot.com, otherwise I will have to post it when I'm at real computer. Not to mention that it's Friday & a sunny 70 degrees- what an awesome day!

2011 A.D.

2011-03-14T18:25:00.000-05:00

Testing...testing...1, 2, 3... Yay! I'm finally into the 21st century. Blogging from a smart phone rocks!

Back to School, Back to Blogging

2010-08-24T08:04:00.000-05:00

Yes, I can say that I really am back now. My two online classes started yesterday, so I am officially back to school. Two of my on-campus classes begin today, and with a two-hour gap between those it will not make sense for me to drive home so I guess I will have to write something during that break, right?

This summer has gone by so fast it is almost enough to make my head spin. My oldest son has been working and hanging out with his girlfriend, we did at least tour and pick a college for him to attend next year that we're happy with. My middle son has been working with Hubby when there's been jobs to go to, and he's been socking as much cash away as possible. I think he's beginning to realize how expensive it will be to go to college since we've been discussing it so much lately. My youngest is at that age where he doesn't seem to have anything to do, he's so bored all of the time! If it isn't a video game it isn't worth his time. I am really hoping he can develop some other interests this year since it's his first year of high school.

But beyond the business of transitioning into another school year, the shopping for new shoes, jeans and notebooks, I will admit that I am happy everyone willl now have something to do every day. Summer is a wonderful break, for a while, until the whining and arguing starts. What on earth ever made me believe that once the boys were teenagers that the whining would stop? If you are the parent of a small child, just get used to it. It never really does go away!

School's Out!

2010-05-11T14:41:00.001-05:00

I remember the last days of the academic year when I was a kid in elementary school. The days were way too long. In an era before air-conditioned classrooms, we all ached to get out and run - out of the stuffy, smelly closed-in spaces of concrete block walls and waxed linoleum floors, away from the musty books and the old fifth-grade teacher whose tattered black wig moved every time she scratched the back of her head with an old wooden ruler which resided conspicuously at the top of her square cardboard desk blotter. The same ruler which whistled and then stung as it was wielded with vicious force against the knuckles of ancy children, fidgeting and squirming in the heat, anxious to be done with lessons on grammar and formulas by rote. I can still smell the chalk dust and purple Ditto machine copies. You were truly blessed if you were chosen to take the walk to the A/V room with the master, the prized original text of the day's lesson, carefully typed by the teacher, to turn out copies (quite literally, hand-crank them out) on the Ditto machine.

Wow. Times really have changed, haven't they?

Yesterday was the last day of my computer course. I completed my final exam PowerPoint project, uploaded the finished product into the online class drop-box, and then printed out the slides in handout form, 4 slides per sheet, in grayscale. Both pages were properly formatted and spell-corrected. No white-out or correction-tape was necessary, I had already reviewed all of my work on my full-color, flat-screen monitor prior to printing. The headers and footers were automatically updated with the date and time, my file name clearly showing in the lower left-hand corner of my papers.

Once I had verfied that both versions of my work had been received by the instructor, I silently gathered my coat and bag and exited the carpeted, air-conditioned classroom. I walked to the parking lot in a reserved fashion with a classmate, another working, middle-aged mom. We chatted in low, polite tones until I reached my minivan. After wishing each other a pleasant summer, I shut myself into the quiet, soft gray leather interior of my vehicle and started the engine. Seatbelt securely buckled and almost out of the parking lot, I felt that old familiar rush of adrenaline.

"WHOOHOO!" I yelled. There's still a bit of fifth grader left in me, I guess. I can't say I'm disappointed, it seems like forever since I've been able to go right home after work to take off my shoes and work in the flowerbed. Doesn't matter how old I get, summer still means getting to walk barefoot through the grass and not having to study :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aussiegall/ / CC BY 2.0

Komen for the Cure Deepens Ties With Planned Parenthood Abortion Business

2010-04-01T12:27:00.001-05:00

I saw this on Twitter:

Komen for the Cure Deepens Ties With Planned Parenthood Abortion Business

If you know of anyone who's been affected by breast cancer, read it! Until this support for Planned Parenthood is stopped, I cannot bring myself to donate even one more penny to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Read the article, and you may understand a bit more why I say this. I have donated to friends and family who have participated in the "Walk for the Cure", and I think just about anyone who owns a television set has seen the emotion-laden commercials for that event. I can't say that the work their doing is a bad thing - if it prevents one more kid from losing their mom I think it's great.

But what the...?!? Shout about this, if you can - if you agree with this stand you must also realize how much SGK stands to lose because of this. People should - and need - to know about this. From what I understand, this is her nephew's doing. Maybe I misunderstood - if so, please let me know if I've read this wrong!

I believe stongly that abortion is murder. Period. Now combine that with the increased risks for breast cancer that are outlined in this article, and I'd say this is a perfect example of why some organizations should not be controlled by individuals who don't have taken the original philosophies upon which the organization was founded to heart. And what would Susan G. Koman feel about this?

Never Satisfied

2010-03-30T17:21:00.001-05:00

Some days I feel like I should have become a psychologist or a psychiatrist. People are always telling me their problems, at least that way I'd be getting paid for it. Hmm, I wonder what my mother would think of that...

It will never cease to amaze me that in today's world, there are still so many people out there that will complain incessantly about their jobs. Let it go, already! If what is bothering you will not be a worry to you five years from now - if it won't even matter to you by then, don't let it bother you now. Let it roll away like water off a duck's back. Do your best at what you do. If it's not good enough, learn what you need to do to improve or fix it, or find another line of work.

Life's too short to worry and be crabby. Be happy so people around you don't have to wallow in your misery with you.

What I really said: "Hey - be happy you have a job. Some people don't have a job to complain about!"

Do you think I may have been a little too blunt? Thank God I'm not in Human Resources!

No Rest for the Wicked...

2010-03-05T12:40:00.000-06:00

...And I guess I must certainly be wicked, since lately I don't seem to be getting any rest at all. January 13th I had my first day back to school in years. Quite literally, it has been years. I'm taking advantage of my company's tuition reimbursement program to finish the degree I started a really long time ago. Long enough ago, to my dismay, to discover that all of my credits earned in a previous lifetime are no longer transferable. I guess if you look at it on the bright side, it's like starting over again. And so that's what I'm doing. I attend classes two nights per week, besides my full-time job and of course my other full-time job as mom. That leaves about zero time for a lot of the other things I'd love to be doing. Whatever. I get out of bed around 5:30am and go to bed around 11:30pm, and never really get a chance to just blog much anymore. I miss it.

I've always been a writer. As soon as I was capable of forming a sentence, I found my mother's clunky old 1910 typewriter fascinating. I would spend hours at that black beast of a machine, clacking out stories that made no sense at all. Most never had endings. Some were merely a few short paragraphs of thought that I put on paper just because I could. I find I still tend to write in the same way, which is why blogging suits me. I have no time for it, but yet I will still insist on posting now and then - even if it's just short rants.

The cool thing that I've discovered is I can use my elective credits to go after another degree besides business, so I will end up with an AA in English with a Focus on Creative Writing, in addition to my business degree. Even if I have to pay for those electives out of my own pocket I will. I forgot how much I enjoyed school, so I am really glad I went back. Of course one of my English classes require I write several essays, so I will be posting them to my writing blog, Original Fiction, in case anyone is interested. Often times I write because I need an outlet to all that's going on in my head, and writing by academic standards will be a good thing to help me get more focused on how I write, vs. what I write.

Who knows, maybe this school thing will improve my blog writing :)

Christian One-Liners

2010-01-18T14:41:00.000-06:00

I typically don't keep the chain of email philosophy going, but this one holds many truths worth passing on. I got it from my sister-in-law and wanted to share :)

I added the photos from the fabulous Flickr site. Please click on the pictures to visit the photostreams of the artists who have taken these awesome shots!

Christian One Liners

Don't let your worries get the best of you;
Remember, Moses started out as a basket case.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/spunter/ / CC BY 2.0

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited
Until you try to sit in their pews.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Many folks want to serve God,
But only as advisers.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

It is easier to preach ten sermons
Than it is to live one.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose,
But mosquitoes come close.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

When you get to your wit's end,
You'll find God lives there.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chucksimmins/ / CC BY 2.0

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

People are funny; they want the front of the bus,
Middle of the road,
And back of the church.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Opportunity may knock once,
But temptation bangs on the front door forever.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Quit griping about your church;
If it was perfect, you couldn't belong

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

If a church wants a better pastor,
It only needs to pray for the one it has.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/khrawlings/ / CC BY 2.0

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

We're called to be witnesses, not lawyers or Judges.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God Himself doesn't propose to judge a man until
he is dead. So why should you?

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Some minds are like concrete,
Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Peace starts with a smile.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/prakhar/ / CC BY 2.0

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

I don't know why some people change churches;
What difference does it make which one you stay home from?

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

A lot of church members singing 'Standing on the Promises'
Are just sitting on the premises.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Be ye fishers of men. You catch 'em - He'll clean 'em.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-o/%20/%20CC%20BY%202.0

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Stop, Drop, and Roll won't work in Hell.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

http://www.flickr.com/photos/novahcaine/ / CC BY 2.0

Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Forbidden fruits create many jams.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God doesn't call the qualified,

He qualifies the called.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God grades on the cross, not the curve.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God loves everyone,

But probably prefers 'fruits of the spirit' over 'religious nuts!'

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vincealongi/ / CC BY 2.0

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

He who angers you, controls you!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

If God is your Co-pilot, swap seats!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Prayer:
Don't give God instructions, just report for duty!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

The task ahead of us is never as
great as the Power behind us.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

The Will of God never takes you to where the
Grace of God will not protect you.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7438870@N04/ / CC BY 2.0

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

We don't change the message,
The message changes us.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

You can tell how big a person is
By what it takes to discourage him.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:
1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

If this blessed you in a profound way today,
Share it with a few friends to bless them!

I bet someone else will LOVE it too.

There is no greater treasure than a good friend!

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/crazycatchthecat/ / CC BY 2.0

Activists Missing After Declaring “War on Leather” at Motorcycle Rally

2010-01-13T12:31:00.002-06:00

A girlfriend sent this article to me. I believe it's well worth sharing. Don't ever plan on an anti-leather protest at a motorcycle rally:

Activists Missing After Declaring “War on Leather” at Motorcycle Rally

It's actually supposed to get into the upper 20's or even 30 degree range today in Minnesnowta. Since we've gone from 30+ degrees below zero up to about 11 degrees above over the last two weeks, this is feeling like a heat wave. I wish I could ride my motorcycle, but there's still ice on the roads. Cabin fever's terrible, but what is worse is a winter that lasts for seven months out of the year :(

I guess I will have to go window shopping at the local Harley shop to help curb the urge to pull my bike out early!

Have a great day!

Pray, Praise and Give Thanks

2010-01-11T12:45:00.001-06:00

Repetition can be boring, obviously. However, I still believe that it’s the best way to learn and retain information.

Since I have absolutely no mind for mathematics, I can attest to that fact. Without the constant repetition of the multiplication tables as a young child, there is no way I would be able to remember what 9x7 equals. I can also still name most of the counties in Minnesota. I buckled down and learned them all in spite of my protests during Mr. Klefsaas’ eighth-grade geography class – and that knowledge has actually proven helpful on more than one occasion.

I was reading my copy of Meditations, a daily devotional from Northwestern Publishing House ( https://online.nph.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?servingyou/magazines/meditations ) the other day, when I read a passage from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 3:9-11 (New International Version)

9How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 10Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

I’ve read this before – several times. Again, repetition has a way of not only helping me to remember this passage, the devotion reminded me that when we say we will pray for someone, we really need to do it. It’s easy to say it, then forget to actually follow through.

Prayers don’t have to be long-winded, or full of fancy words. They don’t even need to be said out loud. God knows the hearts of all men.

1 Timothy 2 (NIV)

Instructions on Worship

1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. 7And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.

8I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.

James 5:13-14 (New International Version)

The Prayer of Faith

13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Proverbs 15:29

29The LORD is far from the wicked,

but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

James 5:16 (KJV)

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

I know people who don’t pray. So what's up with that? They might not think it’s necessary. They could read the Bible all day long, but wouldn’t that be like a one-sided conversation? God does all the giving, but you don’t bother to open your mouth to say thank you? It’s good to remember to give thanks for what you have been given.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (New International Version)

16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

The Mississippi's Almost Frozen

2009-12-16T12:56:00.000-06:00

This is of view of the Mississippi River from my in-law's deck. Yep, looks like it's winter in Minnesota again. Pretty soon this little stream in the middle of the ice will be frozen over too, and the snow will be dotted with deer and wolf tracks.

My MIL & I baked all weekend long, and in between the mixing and the sampling I managed to squeeze in a few minutes to take pictures of the feathery visitors to the feeders just outside the dining room and kitchen.

Some were harder to capture than others.

The only way I was able to snap photos of the more skittish birds like this red-headed woodpecker and the bluejay were to aim my camera down the length of the deck while holding it right up to the glass of the patio door. Could've been better pictures, but at least I got them! Zoom is a great thing :)

Winter sure is pretty, but I'm already missing summer. It's supposed to warm up into the 20's today though - a real heat wave compared to the negative temps we've had lately!

With all the bird photos, I had to add this one too - just for a splash of green. I took it along the side of the road in the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge near my house. I made Hubby pull over so I could get this shot of a Sandhill Crane. During the summer it's not unusual to see flocks of hundreds of these in the fields and pastures.

The Pink Glove Dance

2009-12-14T13:33:00.000-06:00

As many of you may already know, I am a supporter of recycling. I belong to a couple different recycling groups, one of which is Freecycle.org. One of the greatest things about this program is that it's a resource for people who are in need but cannot afford to buy brand new. Not to mention it's main goal, keeping still-useful items out of landfills.

Randi Tapio, a fellow-Freecycler, started an awesome program in Minnesota, Big Give MN . It helps connect the resources with the people who need them. She's always working tirelessly on projects that help others. How great is that?

Randi posted the following to our group on Friday, I truly hope you share this video with as many people as possible. If anything at all, it's a fun way to begin the work week, right?

Thought some of you may enjoy this...it's an easy thing to do to support the Breast Cancer Cause:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdVfyt-mLw

Emily (MacInnes) Somers, created, directed and choreographed this in Portland last
week for her Medline glove division as a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness.

This was all her idea to help promote their new pink gloves. I don't know how she got so many
employees, doctors and patients to participate, but it started to really catch on
and they all had a lot of fun doing it.

When the video gets 1 million hits, Medline will be making a huge contribution to
the hospital, as well as offering free mammograms for the community. Please check
it out. It's an easy and great way to donate to a wonderful cause, and who hasn't
been touched by breast cancer?

As she reminds us in her email, "who hasn't been touched by breast cancer?"

Pass this on. There was a story on last night's news, saying that mammograms are one of the things women are skipping right now because they can't afford them. If my mom and my MIL had skipped theirs, they might not be here today.

New Art :)

2009-12-11T23:10:00.000-06:00

In anticipation of my Etsy showcase on Saturday, I wanted to be sure I had a few more things done. This little blue Treasure Box is similar to the red Trinket Box I did earlier.

Here's what it looks like completed:

And here's a miniature canvas I painted. The canvas is painted on all visible angles.

This piece measures about 5"x7". I like painting really large pieces, but the smaller ones are finished much more quickly than the bigger ones, are easier to package and cheaper to ship.

I call this one "Midnight Garden".

It's not as easily seen in this picture, but the white spots are fireflies. Each firefly is a spiraling blend of yellows and white, which fade into green and blue around the edges.

What a busy weekend! Only Friday night and I'm already tired. We went to a nephew's wrestling match earlier (way to go, Josh! - He won 2 out of 3), and we will be getting up early tomorrow morning to go to a holiday movie party hosted by my employer. That starts at 8:00. Then we will go home, pick up the dogs and my recipe box, and head up north to bake Christmas cookies with Grandma Wahl.

I may need to take Monday off, so I can catch up on some sleep!

I guess idle hands are the devil's workshop, so it's good to be busy, right?

Time For a Makeover

2009-12-09T13:57:00.001-06:00

I felt it was time for a change - and since it's close to Christmas, why not something in RED?

What do you think of my new look? I've had people emailing me, saying they can't post comments on my blog. How horrible! I like comments! Even worse than that, I can't post comments on my own blog. That just bites. So let's see how this one works...

Maybe someday soon I will even get to see the faces of my followers. That hasn't been working, either. Well, I know you are out there, somewhere - I'll just have to imagine all of your smiling faces in the sidebar. At least until I get that part figured out.

:)

So Much Paint, Not Enough Time!

2009-12-04T13:04:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite things to do it paint. Oh, and to sew...and to crochet...

Why would I have just one favorite thing to do?

This post is dedicated to the shameless self-promotion of my fairly new Etsy store, Rock Prairie Designs. I've been working on things to sell for quite a while now, and last weekend I was a vendor at my first show, called the "1-Stop Holiday Gift Party."

In spite of the pins and needles in the living room carpet and the continual mess, Hubby's been swell at supporting me in this. I came home yesterday to find that he had arranged my very own "art studio" - well, really it's just a corner of the living room, but hey, I'll take it!

This is what it looks like, of course there's a bunch of stuff loaded onto the table since I'm continually in the middle of a project:

And this is the project I was in the middle of:

I painted this little red trinket box in a brilliant shade of red, then embellished it with Norwegian rosemaling-style shapes of flowers and leaves. The lining work is done in gold acrylic, then the whole thing was finished with Kamar varnish and reassembled.

It can now be found at my online Etsy store, Rock Prairie Designs.

Here are a few more views of the same box:

Artistically, I like this last image the best:

So feel free to stop by my store, http://www.rockprairiedesigns.etsy.com/ - there will be a constant variety of things there. Since I'm a victim of a short attention span and I like to create just about anything, you never know what you might find!

And please, if you do like what you see, spread the word. I will custom-make items as well, just "Convo" me on Etsy.

Speaking of Thank Yous...

2009-11-24T09:39:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Cavebear at Mark's Mews, I now am able to post pictures again! Silly me, it was the "old editor" vs. the "new editor". Whatever. I figured it had to be operator error, at any rate. So thank you, Cavebear, very, VERY much! Be sure to stop by Mark's Mews - especially if you like kitties. I happen to be more of a dog person than a cat person by nature, but I love kitties, too. Better than hubby does, which is why I no longer have kitties at my house. I will have to track down pictures of my kitties. They were so sweet! Norman was a huge, smokey-gray colored tom with green eyes. Ava was a petite, black and tan tabby with blue-green eyes. Then there was Fred. Fred was a stray with a broken tail who hated men but loved buttered popcorn. Midnight was another stray. All silky black with yellow-green eyes, and missing an incisor, or "canine" tooth. Muffin was a sweet tortishell barn cat that kept the mice out of my grain, along with Tiger - her little orange tabby kitten who sat on my shoulder while I fed the pigs and horses each morning, until he grew too big to hang on without seriously clawing into my shoulder. I miss them all, but not cleaning the cat box.

I have had many pets over the years. Dogs, cats, horses, a donkey, pigs, chickens, turkeys - well, I guess they weren't all "pets". We only have two dogs now, Jasmine and Deogie. Not sure if I shared this photo before, this is Georgia, a puppy from our last litter:

The worst thing about having puppies at your house is knowing they will all have to go to new homes.

Christmas is coming up. If you don't want to be alone for the holidays and are willing to make a friend for life, be sure to stop by your local animal humane society.

Let's Say Thanks

2009-11-23T15:55:00.000-06:00

For some reason my blog's compose function is acting weird. So that means no pictures this post! Whatever. What I really wanted to tell everyone and anyone who reads my blog, is there is a new program that's sponsored by Xerox. I have not been paid to tell anyone, and I'm not endorsing their products, but I think this is a really cool idea.

Visit this site, http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html, and you will be able to pick out a card to send to our troops overseas. Xerox will print your card and mail it It's a really great way to say thank you. If you'd like to see some of the messages that others have already sent, there is a "Messages of the Week" link, and also a "Messages From the Troops" link as well, so you can read their responses.

Don't forget to grab their free widget, so you can help to spread the word about this great program. With two nephews in the military right now, I can tell you for sure that there are a lot of our people serving in the military who don't get mail or care packages from home. When our boys get cookies in the mail from Grandma Wahl, they share with their buddies - those cookies are really popular! So why not send a card? No baking or mess is required to do that and you will really brighten someone's day.

Philippians 2:3
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory;
but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

If we all followed that, wouldn't the world be a better place?

Lead or Follow?

2009-11-07T09:13:00.003-06:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whetzel/ / CC BY 2.0

If you are going to follow, you better be sure you know who you are following...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ddebold/ / CC BY 2.0

and have the common sense to know when it's time to break away from the flock...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ddebold/ / CC BY 2.0

And know when it's time to just lead, even if you are afraid...

Joan of Arc

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootbearwdc/ / CC BY 2.0

If you are going to lead others, be aware of what (or Who) is really leading you.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ihar/ / CC BY 2.0

Psalm 143:9-11 (New International Version)
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I
hide myself in you.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.
11 For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

The Latest "Depression" - More Like Moral Bankruptcy

2009-11-06T11:40:00.006-06:00

When will our “powers that be” figure out that it is going to take more than money to fix the mess we are in?

Of course, money doesn’t hurt. If it’s applied where it’s needed. If it’s used as what it is: a tool. Not something that should be worshipped, and certainly not the cure for all that ails us.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hikingartist/ / CC BY 2.0

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt,
and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also.
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can not serve both God and Mammon.
—Matthew 6:19-21,24

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbalaji/ / CC BY 2.0

Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.

And this is probably one of the most misquoted verses from the Bible, note that it is not "money is the root of all evil", but "the love of money":

1 Timothy, 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many
griefs.

Our government is in charge, but it is also there to serve
the people of our country. If it is serving mammon, how can it possibly serve us as well, let alone God?
Not that it can always be trusted as the best source in the world, see how it’s defined on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammon.
It gives what I believe to be an accurate definition.

Here’s what I found on http://www.gospel.com/ regarding mammon:

Mammon - a Christian perspective Mammon represents greed and selfishness. This verse clearly states that no Christian can have any part in the pursuit of mammon; that would be an impossible contradiction, since the values of God and mammon are directly opposed.

There is a way to solve at least some of the problems in the US, but it would require people to actually work – some who haven’t had to work a day in their lives, thanks to our wonderful welfare system.

To figure our what we need to do to fix our future, look to our past. While it may have been necessary to do something, the stimulus plan was the wrong line of action to take. As any action taken at all, it came far too late.

When mortgages were given out to anyone who’d walk into the bank, I knew there would be trouble. When we considered selling our home and the bankers told us we were qualified for more than we knew we could afford, I knew that bubble would have to burst sooner or later. Especially when the house my husband paid $36,000 for ten years ago was now valued by the bank to be $117,000.

Yep, that's our house.

To quote Wikipedia’s article, New Deal, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal#cite_note-Reed-37):

When the Gallup poll in 1939 asked, 'Do you think the attitude of the Roosevelt administration toward business is delaying business recovery?' the American people responded 'yes' by a margin of more than two-to-one. The business community felt even more strongly so"1

Treasury Secretary, Henry Morgenthau, angry at the Keynesian spenders, confided to his diary May 1939: "We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work. And I have just one interest, and now if I am wrong somebody else can have my job. I want to see this country prosper. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises. I say after eight years of this administration, we have just as much unemployment as when we started. 2 And enormous debt to boot."

1Reed, Lawrence W. Great Myths of the Great Depression Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

2Unemployment in fact fell by half, from 22% in 1932 to 11% in 1939. Gene Smiley, "Recent Unemployment Rate Estimates for the 1920s and 1930s," The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Jun., 1983), pp. 487–493, esp. p 488

There are people out of work, while at the same time we still have a ton of roads out there with enormous potholes. I realize the stimulus package did include some money for the states, in Minnesota some was allocated to DOT projects; but what about that huge, unavoidable pothole that is inevitably going to cause a broken tie-rod or something in my van?

Oh, yeah, there was that Cash-For-Clunkers program, but my van is already paid for, and with a husband who hasn’t held a permanent, full-time job in over a year it just wasn’t feasible. Why on earth would I trade a vehicle that’s paid for and runs to extend myself beyond my means? Because the government says it’s okay, of course! Isn’t that the thinking that got us into this mess to begin with?

Another thing that the currently unemployed could be doing (especially the construction workers and contractors), is repair on many of those bank-owned repossessed homes. But wait, that would mean that those banks would have to reinvest some of the stimulus money back into the working class. Isn’t that what it was intended for? But then they won’t earn any interest on that money they’ve just loaned to you.

Instead, they’d rather allow those homes to depreciate further, fall further into disrepair, and be an open target for vandalism.

Why couldn’t they swap housing in exchange for the service of someone who’d be glad to make the house appear “lived in”, which would defray vandalism? They person who lives in the bank-owned house would of course need to maintain it – by mowing the lawn, keeping the house clean and ready to sell. Heck, with that kind of deal that person might even be able to afford a down payment on that same home.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatgrrl/ / CC BY 2.0

As for childcare, I’ve long thought that the problem with affordable childcare and elderly homelessness could be solved in part by one solution: Hire an elderly person to be a live-in nanny. Some of those insolent brats might learn a little respect at the same time, wow, wouldn’t that be a bonus!

I have visited plenty of nursing homes to know that there are a lot of people who either don’t have family or just plain don’t get any visitors. I also know that when I’ve brought my kids to the nursing home, they gain about 30 new grandparents.

But then again, I know how that would go. The smart-aleck kid who thinks he knows it all might just get a spanking, because that’s what I got from that older generation when I was a kid who misbehaved. Then Child Protective Services would get involved, and the nanny would go to jail. At least she’d be fed, clothed, and would have a warm bed at night.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/diegocupolo/ / CC BY 2.0

The Death of Common Sense

2009-11-06T09:15:00.004-06:00

Yesterday's news from the Army base in Fort Hood, Texas really disturbed me. Not only is this country becoming a nation of pansies because we are too politically correct to call a spade a spade (we may appear racist, heaven forbid), we are also allowing unpatriotic, traitorous attitudes and behavior in our military personnel to go unchecked. Regardless of what a person's color or religious beliefs, if they are against this country, they should not be allowed to serve in its military. If you don't believe in something, why on earth would you volunteer to defend it?

Major Nidal Malik Hasan was not drafted into the Army. He chose to enlist, just like the people he shot and killed or injured. Where were their rights, as they were ready to deploy in service of our country?

Common Sense
Obituary of an Old Friend

We are mourning the loss of a beloved old friend who recently passed away. His name was Common Sense.

Common Sense lived a long life but died in the United States from a vicious contagious disease. He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes and factories, helping folks get the jobs done without fanfare and foolishness. For decades, petty rules, frivolous lawsuits, and ludicrous verdicts held no power over Common Sense.

He was credited with cultivating such valued lessons as to know when to come in from the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, and that life isn't always fair. Common Sense lived by a simple and sound financial policy. Don't spend more than you earn. Common Sense also lived by other time-tested strategies like: The adults are in charge and not the kids, and it's okay to come in second or third.

A veteran of the Great Depression and the Technological Revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends such as body piercing, 'whole language' and 'new math'.

But his health declined when he became infected with the I'm not responsible for my own actions and It's alright if it feels good viruses. He watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers.

His health rapidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student only worsened his condition.

It declined further when schools had to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student, but could not inform the parents and get their permission when their children were given mind-altering drugs or birth control pills; and when universities turned into cesspools of debauchery and socialist propaganda.

Common Sense lost his will to live when criminals received better treatment than their victims, the Ten Commandments became contraband, and priests molested young boys. When a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee is hot, and was awarded a huge settlement; and when the president sold security related technology to a hostile nation, Common Sense fell into a coma.

As the end neared, Common Sense drifted in and out of consciousness, but was kept informed of new questionable regulations, such as thought control and partial birth abortion. Finally, when another president, claiming to staunchly protect the country from terrorist atrocities, yet allowing the same villains to invade the country through borders that are strangely very penetrable; being fully aware of what the grave consequences of such deliberate and ominous neglect can be, Common Sense died of sudden cardiac arrest.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Love; his daughter, Responsibility; and his sons, Diligence and Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers, Deception, Greed and Ignorance.
Not many attended his funeral, because so few noticed he was gone.

I wish I could credit the author of that one, unfortunately I do not know who wrote it. If someone out there knows who that is, please drop me a line!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkadog/ / CC BY 2.0

Something's Broken...

2009-11-04T14:17:00.013-06:00

I think everyone's been tightening their belts lately, but what about those whose belts are already too tight?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkadog/ / CC BY 2.0

I got a call from my nephew the other day. He lost his job, and is now living out of his car.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/moriza/ / CC BY 2.0

My sister died a week and a half before her son's second birthday. When he was very young, he lived with my mother and I. Mom remarried the same year I moved away and got married. My nephew moved up north with my mom and my stepfather, but got into trouble up north while living with them.

He was told he could go to live with his dad, so he did. Aside from taking my nephew's monthly checks from my sister's death benefits without setting anything aside for college, his father was selling meth and stealing food to get by. Where else would he go?

I insisted he move in with me. He was seventeen, and would be starting his senior year of highschool in the fall. Everything was fine, for a while.

Falling in with the wrong crowd, my nephew dropped out of school, where he was taking International Baccalaureate math classes, and stole more cars over the course of the summer than I can count on both hands. I told him if he was going to get into trouble with the law, he would not be able to live with me. I had three little boys looking up to him. How could I allow it?

He's 26 years old now, and has a felony record for car theft.

And there's virtually nothing I can do to help. I can't give him a job, and no one is hiring. Our family of five is living in a 100+ year old, 785-square-foot cabin with one bathroom, no laundry room, outdated wiring and a mold problem.

So what could I do? I have no money to help him with. My husband hasn't had full-time employment in over a year. I told him the names of all the emergency resource centers I could think of, like the United Way's First Call for Help, and the Minnesota Workforce Center.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/londonmatt/ / CC BY 2.0

The caption under this Flickr photo reads: "Plaque says 'RIP. Homeless people are 35 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population.' "

Once a man has been to jail or prison, and has that blemish on his record, where on earth will he find a job, when even those without a criminal past can't find work? And without work, where can they live?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/editor/ / CC BY 2.0

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brownpau/ / CC BY 2.0
Believe it or not, there's a man underneath that snow.

Something is broken in this country, and it's going to take more than handing money over to already-rich bank executives to fix it.

There are houses standing vacant in virtually every community in this nation, but we still have homeless people living outside in the winter.

Restaurants throw away garbage cans full of food every day, but there are entire families going without meals right next door to you. And you might not even realize it.

When your teenagers are insisting that they need that new pair of designer jeans or shoes they've been eyeing at the mall, book some time for your family to volunteer at the local emergency shelter or resource center so they can learn the difference between what they need and what they want.

There are so many things that we as a community can do to help this country out the hole we're in - socially, anyway. Even with the limited resources I have, I try to help where I can. Usually with my time, even though that seems to fall short most of the time. But what about those who have a lot, but never seem to care about helping others?

If you are reading this and feel guilty, do something! Even if it's just donating an extra box of mac & cheese to the local food shelf. If you can't get out of the house to help someone, make some quilts for a shelter.

We shouldn't be depending on the government to play nursemaid or act as a parental unit. We should take care of our own if we can.

Freecycle.org - I love to recycle!

2009-10-28T11:59:00.003-05:00

I finally figured out why I wasn't getting responses to my "items offered" posts on the local Freecycle.org web groups. Silly me, my emails were directed to my Yahoo account, which I hardly ever use anymore since I switched to our local service provider for DSL. I guess that will mean I have another account to check, but that's ok - I like getting email from real people that actually have a need for the stuff I no longer have a use for. Much better than getting spammed by weirdos who are promising to make me "irresistible to the ladies with my manhood". Who on earth sends that crap, anyway? Even if I were a man looking for a woman, I wouldn't respond to that sort of marketing.

At any rate, I now have hopefully found a home for my old, cutsey watering-can lamp with butterflies that never remotely matched my decor (a gift from a former co-worker, Will - if you are reading this, the gesture was really appreciated, but I simply have no room & it didn't "fit in" with anything else I own). Also, a fly mask for horses that I no longer have will now be much more useful at it's new home - where someone actually has horses. Stuff like that is more trouble to sell on eBay than it's worth, if it even sells at all.

I'm getting closer to having my storage unit cleaned out, & it feels great! So if you are in the same boat & have too much on hand (or if you have a need for something & you wouldn't mind being on the re-using end of the recycling chain), check out your local Freecycle.org group & help keep useful stuff out of landfills :)

"Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we
faint not."
- Galations 6:9

Oh, I almost forgot - update on the deer: it's currently at the butcher's & in processing. Nice to know it's not going to waste!

My Van Isn't Pretty Anymore :(

2009-10-23T07:36:00.004-05:00

Not that it would have won a beauty contest before the accident. At least it's still driveable. I would have a really long, cold motorcycle ride to work since it's only been in the 30's & 40's here in chilly Minnesota.

I don't think the good people of Pontiac intended to put the logo emblem under the front bumper.

But thankfully, God is good! No one was hurt (aside from the doe), the van is still driveable, and hopefully our friends were able to use some of the venison. I will have to keep you updated on that part. A kid drove a car into an electrical post yesterday, just down the road from us. The power was out for a few hours so we weren't able to call anyone.

I wonder if the pole jumped right out in front of that kid's car? Deer and electrical poles can be sneaky that way.

Slacker!

2009-10-22T10:16:00.002-05:00

I have been slacking HUGELY in my role as a blogger lately. Between my failed garage sale on the weekend of October 10th, being sick and missing three days of work last week and my hunting adventure in the local wildlife refuge (with my van, sans the gun) I am about ready to just take a BREAK!!!

In a nutshell, after spending at least two weeks going through my over-stuffed storage unit and weeding out the things I was willing to part with after storing them for the last 7 years, my garage sale only earned a measley $7.95. Of course, being that it was held on the first snowy day of the year, I am surprised that anyone stopped at all.

I advertised on Craig's List, and all of the other yard- and garage-sale sited there were to be found. Hubby painted an enormous sign for the end of the road, with big arrows pointing the way to our house. Two cars stopped and one adult neighbor. Then the 10-year old neighbor girl from down the road arrived with her Altoid's tin full of allowance, hoping to buy up all of the toys that were deemed favorable. I think I gave more toys away to her and our adult neighbor's nephews than I sold, but at least those Matchbox cars and stuffed animals will be loved and played with. Not to mention that I didn't have to box them up again.

Sunday afternoon, I hauled an entire vanload of leftovers to the local thrift store. They donate a portion of all their sales to the local food shelf and also to the Girl Scouts, so I considered it a worthy cause. Then I noticed a Craig's List ad later on that week, from a newly-divorced man who also has three boys. He was in need of furniture and kitchen things to start over again with. Luckily, he also has a van, and was willing to meet us at the storage unit to take some "stuff" off our hands: an old entertainment center, a recliner and ottoman, a quilt rack, miscellaneous dishes and Tupperware... the list goes on.

I feel a lot "lighter" now. The storage unit is still half-full, but now we can walk through it. I also know where all my old Christmas decorations are!

On a more depressing note, I went hunting in the wildlife refuge last night, with my big red van. From out of nowhere, a huge doe leapt in front of us. I had no time to slow down or swerve (probably a blessing, since we were on a curve with steep banks dropping off on either side of the road). The deer (and parts of it) flew, my hood was pushed and crumpled like an empty pop can, my grill and passenger headlight shattered and the turn signal popped out, only to be left hanging by its wires.

The van still runs, though. I guess it will have to do until I can get the cash to fix it. A man was nice enough to stop and ask if we were going to take the deer home with us, after inquiring how we were.

Funny thing, about this economy. People are still kind enough to ask how you are doing before they ask if you are going to claim your roadkill. I did have my middle son call his girlfriend's dad, once I got home - he hunts quite a bit, and I figured if anyone would want the deer, he at least would know to call the DNR for a tag & be able to butcher it. We didn't have the room in our freezer, anyway.

Stay tuned... pictures will follow as soon as I get them uploaded!

Hope your day goes better than mine:)

Bomb Scare Update

2009-09-30T13:07:00.005-05:00

Here's a new update to the Princeton bomb threat, from the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Sounds like they still don't know what the "devices" are that were mailed to the high school, post office and public utility building.

With such cruddy news about this town today, I wanted to share some pictures of what this area is really like. Thank you to my fellow Flickr photographers for taking such fabulous photos.

This photo is called "Somewhere Between Night and Day", and was taken by 1988~ Rob0t! .

... and this one was taken by D. Bjorn. It's titled "Rum River Bridge, Princeton, MN".

I took this last one. It's "Diane's Yard", in Princeton. I love trees nature and such, and this part of the state is a great place to see God's handiwork.

Bomb Threat at Princeton High School

2009-09-30T09:04:00.003-05:00

When I talk about Princeton, I am referring to Princeton, MN. It's a small town in the middle of the state, where most people tend to either know each other or are related in some way or another.

This morning a friend of mine at work got a call from her daughter. The school busses turned around before they even arrived at the highschool. Turns out there's been yet another highschool bomb threat.

I don't have any solid details yet as to what's going on, other than all the schools in the Princeton district have been closed, and that the busses are going to bring the kids home. If there is visual contact with the parents, the kids will be let off the bus at home, if not, they will be brought to one of the other school buildings for later pickup by a parent.

What on God's green earth is wrong with people? I mean people in general. Adults, kids alike we're all subject to sin & everything evil under the sun. In essence, we are evil by nature. But at least decency - what ever happened to that? Planting a bomb, at any age - mind you, would have never occurred to me. Regardless of how I was treated, or what side of the bed I woke up on, never would I even begin to imagine that planting a bomb in a school - where children spend their entire day - would make me feel better about myself or improve my life in any way, shape, or form.

Here I go, ranting again. But really, hug your kids today. Hug them because you can, and they need it. If you think even remotely that they are showing signs of needing help, get it for them. I have no idea if this is a prank at the school or if it's real, but whomever decided to follow that course needs some sort of help.

Psalm 57 (New International Version), v. 1-2

1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes
refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the
disaster has passed.

2 I cry out to God Most High, to God, who
fulfills his purpose for me.

Mask

2009-09-24T14:34:00.005-05:00

I have been seeing a ton of Halloween stuff out in stores lately. I know

it's not just my imagination, retailers are always in a huge rush to put out holiday merchandise. Not fair! It seems like summer has just begun, now they are trying to tell me it's fall!

Since everyone else is putting out their Halloween decor, I guess we will too. At least here on my blog. My middle son loves to make masks. The one in this picture is made from simple papier-mache, just newspaper and flour paste. It seems awfully smart to me, he took some removable lenses out of an old pair of motorcycle goggles and inserted them into the eye sockets so the wearer can see where they are going. The lenses appear darker from the outside than they do when you are looking through them.

We are a Christian family, and some people might think it a bit sacreligious, but we do enjoy this holiday at our house. Of course, because we all love chocolate. Especially Hubby - he has been known to purchase several large bags of candy for the trick or treaters. We don't usually see any kids at our house (other than our own); since we're out in the country most parents drive their little ones into town. That's alright though. The chocolate doesn't last long, even without the little ghosties and witches knocking on the door.

Our boys are too old to knock on doors for candy now, but they still want to do the costume and party thing. I can't say I blame them. It's fun to dress up and be someone (or something) else for a day.

Huge Spider

2009-09-15T09:52:00.003-05:00

I am not a big fan of bugs in general. I am glad that spiders exist since they do a great job of eating the non-plant-friendly bugs in my garden. This one, however, was something I just had to get a picture of. Courtesy of the zoom function on my camera, of course.

In reality, this little mama spider is really about the size of a penny. I know she's a she because last weekend we noticed an enormous egg sack. I think I will call her Charlotte. I generally don't care for spiders, but she hasn't harmed anyone - yet. If she gets much larger I will post a sign at the end of the driveway, "Beware: Attack Spider." It would be fitting, once we roll into October - with Halloween approaching and all. I wonder if anyone would take it seriously?

She spun a perfect, octagonal web - however, there were no "Salutations" or other messages woven within. Can anyone tell me what the heck kind of spider this is?

Business Cards :)

2009-09-07T17:16:00.002-05:00

I ordered business cards for Hubby's business on Saturday! Between getting that business up and running, getting my own Rock Prairie Designs up and running, all three boys going back to school tomorrow morning and everything else around here, it's no wonder I'm tired. This weekend has really gotten away from me.

I've enrolled in the local community college for Spring term, so my classes will start around January 12th. I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. Well, off to cook dinner - g'night!

God is SO Good!

2009-08-30T22:01:00.002-05:00

Yes, prayer does work. Hubby landed two more ongoing accounts for the new business he and his brother are launching, and another reupholstery job that he can do in his "down" time. I simply prayed in Jesus' name for God to bless this endevor if it pleases Him, so that we can provide for our family. What we got was far better than what I could have asked for!

I put together a mock-up of a business card for the guys. Hopefully his brother will like it as well as Hubby does, and we will have it printed right away. People have already been asking for their cards and arranging future work. Whoohoo!

See, I told you my next post would be more positive :)

Houses

2009-08-28T11:56:00.005-05:00

If I don’t deposit an additional $200 into the bank by Monday, my house payment will put my checking account into the negative. AAARRGH! While I understand that Hubby had been doing his damnedest to work side jobs where he can since his employer isn’t pulling in the customers like he should (he’d rather go on vacations with his family while ours struggles), the cold hard facts are that life is SO unfair!

Not like I’ve ever expected to get a free ride, but even a small break every now & then would be cool. It would be great if Hubby had a good, steady job that paid a livable wage. While we're at it, I could really use the building materials and permit money to raze our old, moldy 784-square foot cabin that we call home & build one with a laundry room so we don’t have to spend $160 per month at the laundromat, too. In my dream house, we would have a bathtub. Two bathrooms would be great, but we’ve gotten by on one so far – it could be worse. At least we have running hot and cold water. In my dream house, I would be able to make toast, brew coffee, and bake a quiche while hubby is in the shower (the water heater would be running) – all at the same time without blowing all the fuses and starting the wiring on fire. My dream house would look like this:

Each kid would have his own bedroom, big enough to fit a bed, a dresser and even a desk and a chair so each boy would have his own quiet place for doing homework. My two youngest boys who are currently living in our tiny attic would be able to stand upright without hitting their heads on the ceiling.

We would have enough room for Grandma & Grandpa to spend the night when they come to visit, instead of having to drive all the way home, an hour and a half's drive in the dark. Hubby's sister wouldn't always have to be the one who hosts Christmas and other holiday gatherings, because I would have a fully-functional kitchen with a dining room big enough to seat everyone.

Sorry. I'm ready to cry now. Between the frustration of my own situation and anger at everyone in this world who seems to be getting free assistance from the government while they sit at home all day watching TV, popping out kids with every Tom, Dick & Harry who happens along while I work full-time and still can't quite make ends meet, I am ready to run away. But it wouldn't do any good. The world still keeps turning and the rich keep getting richer and the lazy keep getting by on welfare. Don't get me wrong - I know that there are people who truly need help, but there are many more that sponge off the system instead of pulling their own weight.

So what do I do? What can I do? Not a damn thing. I put whatever I can afford to part with on Ebay, and although I do not really feel ready yet I will have to put some things on my Etsy store tonight. It’s pretty irritating; I hate feeling rushed. Hopefully whatever goes up will sell right away.

Meanwhile, we are waiting to hear the verdict from Hubby’s doctor on the MRI he had on Tuesday. I believe he’s got a ruptured disk, since his symptoms are the exact same as mine were when I had to have back surgery about 3 or 4 years ago. He can’t move without pain. He broke his back while playing high school football, and then again when we were rock climbing about 20 years ago. Then in 1996 he broke his neck after taking a big jump on his Yamaha WR250. I guess that’s what happens when young men think they’re invincible. They grow old and discover they aren’t. I guess I'll have to leave his back in the care of the good Lord & skilled doctors, since praying is all I've got at this point.

Okay, I've vented. I promise you my next post will be more positive.

Psalm 119:75-77 (New International
Version)
75 I know, O LORD, that your laws
are righteous, and in faithfulness you
have afflicted me.
76 May your unfailing love be my
comfort, according to your promise to
your servant.
77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.

A Community Service Message from the BBB

2009-08-24T16:29:00.001-05:00

My husband told me the other day that our neighbor received a letter in the mail, inviting her to trade in her car under the Cash for Clunkers program. The letter appeared to have come from the government. It sounded shady, because from what I gather, the letter made it sound as though only people who received a letter in the mail were allowed to take part in the program. That, I knew, was false information. I happened to be on the Better Business Bureau’s website this morning and found this article. In case you or someone you know may have received a similar letter, please read this article and forward it on. No letters or vouchers are required to take part in the program; it sounds to me like someone is out there phishing for your personal info for their personal gain.

A Birthday Party!

2009-08-21T13:16:00.004-05:00

My middle son turned 15 today. It’s funny how you can watch someone grow up in front of your own eyes, but it takes seeing a photo from over a decade ago to realize just how much they’ve grown and changed over the years. From two years old to 15 in the blink of an eye. From knee-kigh to a grasshopper to almost 6 feet tall practically overnight. Wow. Where did that time go?

This weekend will be fun. Tomorrow we will have a party. About 10 kids from his school have RSVP’d, along with some family friends that have also watched him grow over the years. We will have a bon fire in the fire pit that my boy and Hubby built a couple weeks ago. It’s really cool, much nicer that the last one – they moved it because it was too close to the tomato plants since I expanded my garden this year.
Tonight I will need to pick up hotdogs, buns, more ketchup and mustard, lots of pop and of course make the salad to go with it all. I will bake the cake in the morning – probably two 9x13’s so there will be enough – and frost that before lunch. I guess I will be busy! And of course I will have to take a ton of photos :)

The Rodeo Was Rained Out :(

2009-08-20T12:55:00.003-05:00

Although it rained all day and the bike games were cancelled, we still had fun! The people who wimped out and went home early really missed out on a good time.

The food was great, the SquidWheelies sport bike stunt team put on a stellar performance right before the rain came down, and the party went on until well past midnight. Live music was performed inside K.J.'s Refuge by the Circle Back Band (one of the absolute BEST local bands I have EVER heard), and a bon fire out back for those who preferred a more quiet & relaxing evening.

If you would like to know more about SquidWheelies, please visit their website, http://www.squidwheelies.com/. I'm still awestruck by the craziness of their stunts. My photos definitely do not do these guys justice! I have video & will probably get that uploaded - sooner or later!

One lone soul ventured onto the softball field in the pouring rain because he really wanted to do the keg roll...

I have a ton of pictures of my boys and also of my friend Lisa's son - this was a family-friendly event. I will have to post those later.
Hopefully next year we will have some sunshine and a ton more people!

Ready to GO!!

2009-08-15T10:46:00.002-05:00

Getting ready to leave for the Sand Dunes Chapter Motorcycle Rodeo - I will take LOTS of pictures!

Social Networking & A Home Business

2009-08-12T10:59:00.002-05:00

I’m all for social networking, especially because it can help you to promote a home business or keep in touch with family and friends. I checked this new site out based on a tip from a Tweet, and if all goes well, this could prove interesting. Possibly profitable, to boot! It’s free, so there’s no harm in trying this out to see how it goes. I got 100 free shares for joining, check it out for yourself: http://www.me2everyone.com/445386. If anything, it will be one more place to promote my new business, Rock Prairie Designs. :)

A Day At The Beach

2009-08-09T18:38:00.005-05:00

We went to the beach on Thursday. I took two days off from work so my nephew's kids could come for a visit, and we had a blast! Having a great family vacation doesn't require a lot of money. Especially if you are close to a good park. We are close to the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, so we use it a lot.

Ann Lake is one of the best lakes around. It's a little weedy right now, but it's probably one of the cleanest lakes around, and full of sunfish and perch that will swim with you and eat Cheerios from your hand. Unfortunately, with all of the "little kid gear" I had to pack (i.e. water wings, extra diapers, sippy cups, etc.) I forgot to bring Cheerios. Crushed Doritos are popular with the fishies, too.

The big kids love the beach as much as the little ones do. They like to make sand sculptures. They are always short-lived, but photos help them to last longer. I hope this guy didn't scare anyone away!

Yep, Another New Blog

2009-08-05T16:09:00.004-05:00

It sounds like Hubby is unemployed again. He went to pick up his check for the few hours he was able to get in over the last couple of weeks, and his boss told him that there just wasn't enough work to keep him busy. Go figure.

So, being the optimist I am, I am starting another blog, Rock Prairie Designs. That is where I will be blogging about my home-business endeavors. If you would like to check it out, please do - and spread the word! It may be a bit premature, granted; I only have one post there so far, but I promise it will be good! My goal is to post pictures of items I have for sale there, and to blog about my experience in getting this business started. Hopefully I will succeed; if anything, it will be recorded so if I don't maybe someone can learn from my mistakes :)

My grand-niece & grand-nephew are coming to spend this whole weekend with us, and I will be picking them up tomorrow. They are two and four years old, so this weekend will be a fun one! It's been a while since my own kids were that size, so wish me extra energy for this weekend - I will certainly need it!

Rodeo Time!

2009-07-30T09:36:00.005-05:00

My husband has often reminded me that I do not have to join everything; however, there are so many good causes I feel obligated to help. I’ve been blessed with two good hands that are willing to work, and since money is not abundant I like to help with my time. The downsides to that being all the major fundraisers occur between the middle of August to the beginning of September. Fall, for some unknown reason, seems to be the best time for charity fundraisers, so here we go – again! Time to dive in to all of the planning meetings and gathering of silent auction and door prize items. A rodeo on August 15th, the company’s United Way campaign kicks off in September, and our church’s fall dinner & sale will be on October 3rd. It sure makes the end of summer hurry past.

The rodeo I spoke of is MN A.B.A.T.E. Sand Dunes Chapter’s 13th Annual Motorcycle Rodeo. Last Sunday we went to a potluck/planning meeting for that, and it will be a lot of fun if everything goes according to plan. For anyone who may not be familiar, A.B.A.T.E. stands for American Bikers for Awareness, Training & Education. We lobby for motorcyclists’ rights and do a lot of community involvement projects to make people aware of motorcycles on the road and reduce the negative stereotype people may have of us. It is our hope that people will learn to share the road and reduce accidents through awareness, rather than legislating mandatory helmet laws. After all, a helmet will help you if you are in an accident, but wouldn’t it be better to avoid the accident in the first place? Not only do we want drivers of cars and trucks to be better educated on how to share the road with bikers, we want riders of motorcycles to be educated and well-trained so that they can safely operate their motorcycles in a way that will help them be prepared to avoid accidents before they happen.

The rodeo will be similar to a traditional rodeo, except the events will be performed from the seat of a moving motorcycle. Barrel racing, wienie bite, slow race, balloon toss and ring-toss are some of the rodeo games. All of these events require both riding skills that are helpful to have and practice that the average rider doesn’t get just by riding their bikes on a straight road.
So if you will be in the Central Minnesota vicinity around August 15th, stop on by. We will start the day off with a ride, when the ride returns to K.J.’s Refuge the rodeo will begin. There will be games, food, vendors, prizes, a silent auction and live music. Free camping is available in the back forty behind the bar so no one will have to drink and drive – party all night! A mere $10 will get you in to the rodeo - and the ride and events are included in that price.

My Boots Arrived!

2009-07-20T20:07:00.009-05:00

Yay! My new boots arrived today. And they are perfect, no, better than that since they cost me $100.95 instead of $150. Oh yeah - I had to post pics of the old ones since they are SO ugly!

And to think of what the tread looked like when these were new! In all fairness, these have been awesome boots and wore like iron so they will now be retired, I may pull them out for doing yard work this fall, since they are ugly but still quite serviceable. I would still recommend the Faded Glory boot if you are shopping for something to wear while riding a motorcycle.

Well, I will quit being so ridiculously childish about finally getting my new boots. I know it seems a very small thing to get excited about, but now that you've seen the old ones maybe you will understand:)

Friday Morning Cup of Coffee…

2009-07-17T10:29:00.001-05:00

I usually don’t drink too much coffee, although I do like a good cup every so often as a wake-me-up. With the recent changes to the old Blogger Coffee Shop (now located in the Help Forum), it seems as though we’ve lost a few people, and those of us that still drop in now & then feel a little lonely – sure, we’ve got some new friends, but what about the old ones? You know who you are, if you haven’t stopped by in a while, the coffee’s always hot & you are missed!

Of course, if you’ve never been to The Coffee Shop, please stop in for a cup! http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/label?lid=4126b43a06fbbecc&hl=en We all love to make new friends, and it can be a little more interactive than simply reading each other’s blogs. In fact, there have been quite a few good discussions going lately, so feel free to jump right in.

How I Saved $50 By Shopping Online

2009-07-16T06:52:00.003-05:00

I finally found a pair of boots to replace the ones I've had for the last 10 years.

My old ones were getting ugly and Hubby's already repaired them a few times, so it was time for something new. I picked Harley Davidson's Hustin, as pictured to the left.

When I get a bit more time I will have to take an actual photo of my old boots, they're pretty bad. I've worn them on the bike, in the factory at work where I've walked through solvents and oily stuff, I've mucked out horse stalls, walked for miles and basically put these boots through hell. I will say one thing, Harley Davidson's Faded Glory boots are built to last!

I wanted to share this with you because I got an awesome deal on these. At a brick and mortar store at the mall 40 miles away from my home, they didn't have the color I wanted. However, they did have a pair in brown, so I tried them on. The nice boy working at RCC Western did offer to order those for me; they could be shipped directly from Harley to my house. They would cost about $134, and I would have to pay shipping, so I was looking at at least $150 or more. I wanted to shop around a bit, so I asked the boy if I could call them with my credit card. Nope, store policy - no credit cards over the phone, but I could mail a check. Then I searched around the web to find the best price. I think I used NexTag to do the comparison. Most were priced around $145, but I'm too cheap to pay full price.

I finally found the boots I wanted for $110, and the online vendor's brick & mortar location is in Wisconsin - much closer than the pair for $109 in New York, so I chose Online Boot Store. When I went to my virtual shopping cart to check out, I was prompted for a coupon code. A COUPON! What a concept. I hadn't thought to look for one, so I opened a new tab on my browser, went to Swagbucks.com, and searched "online boot store coupon". Low and behold, I was rewarded with three swagbucks, plus I found a coupon code for $10 off boots! So I figure I saved about $50. Online Boot Store offers free UPS ground shipping, so my total bill was $100.95. How awesome. I wish I hadn't drove 40 miles to the mall, but it did make me feel better about buying boots online since I was able to try them on first.

Lesson for the week: Don't forget to comparison shop, and more importantly, do a quick search for coupon codes! I am happily awaiting my boots - saving the $50 is worth a few days' wait.

Vote Out the Gangster Government!

2009-07-14T09:27:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Capt. Jack at http://sunsetblog.blogspot.com/ for posting this on his blog. Can we pleeease fire the morons who think it's ok to run the government this way??? Way to go, Michele! I'm glad she's in office - at least there's one person representing us who's doing her job!

Bikers & Teddy Bears

2009-07-13T10:31:00.006-05:00

Hubby & I attended our A.B.A.T.E. chapter meeting on Sunday. In case you haven't heard of this organization, A.B.A.T.E. stands for American Bikers for Awareness, Training and Education. Beyond the political part of the group, which involves standing up for bikers' rights and ensuring our voices are heard on a political level, the group is involved in the community on a social level, as well.

The Buddy Bear donation is one of the activities that is geared toward the entire community, in general. What are Buddy Bears? The Glacial Ridge Chapter has a great definition on their webpage. In a nutshell, these bears are given to children by the fire departments, EMTs, ambulance drivers and other emergency personnel who assist in situations where children just need a friend to hang on to, a little something to help comfort them if their home has burned or if another tragedy has occurred.

This photo, from a previous year, shows some of our Sand Dunes Chapter members delivering Buddy Bears to a local hospital.

On Sunday, we rode along to deliver more bears to a local fire department. The Fire Chief told us that the bears are well-received, and that they really do help to give children something good to focus on and get their minds off of whatever tragedy they've been through.

God willing, no child you or I know will ever get a Buddy Bear. But if you are ever approached by a big, scary-looking guy in a black leather vest that's covered in patches and pins , and he asks you to donate money for a Buddy Bear, please realize that beneath the Harley T-shirt and the tatoos beats a heart of gold.

Friday Favorites

2009-07-10T15:33:00.002-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I went to my employer's downtown location to attend the kickoff meeting of this year's United Way committee. Unwilling to deal with crappy drivers on the Interstate, I left the motorcycle at home. I hate being stuck in the van when the weather's nice, but I just turn on the radio and sing along like an idiot until I arrive at my destination. The radio makes the commute tolerable. I heard a song I like that I haven't heard for a while, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". While I was looking for "Strawberry Fields Forever" for my other blog, Dad's Tackle Box, I came across a version of this song that I haven't heard before. It gave me goosebumps so I had to share :)

MAJOR FAIL!!!

2009-07-08T12:45:00.003-05:00

My oldest son introduced me to Fail Blog about a year ago or so. On a recent trip to the clearance racks of Target, I discovered a Major FAIL all on my own.

I like to think of myself as a good, Christian woman - most of the time, albeit sometimes my sense of humor dwells in the gutter. Is it just me, or does wearing a pair of shorts that is decorated by......

yes, you are seeing correctly... CRABS, seem just a little WRONG???

Back in the day, when I was a teenager, my mother made a very strong point to me, one which I will always hear in the back of my mind when I'm wondering if the little black dress I'm trying on is too short: "Just what kind of message are you sending when you wear that, anyway?"

And to this day, any skirt above the knee leaves me feeling a little, well, exposed, to say the least! Now I think of the woman who is brave enough to wear the above shorts in public. What kind of message is she sending? That she has crabs crawling from her crotch? EEW!

I showed this photo to my husband, and he could hardly believe that some designer would put their name on a pair of crab shorts. My boys thought it was hysterically funny, to the point where my oldest boy could no longer speak, he was bursting with laughter; holding his stomach and pointing at the computer screen, face a brilliant shade of magenta. Heaven help him if his someday wife or daughter ever come home with a pair of these! :)

Making Old Things New

2009-07-02T08:23:00.004-05:00

My hubby has officially gone back to work! Today is his first day back to his old painting job, after being unemployed since the end of October, 2008. Hooray! We've gotten through ok, even though it hasn't been great - but the Lord does provide! During his unemployment, my husband has been really busy volunteering his time and talents wherever they've been needed. From helping our neighbor fix his diesel semi truck to putting siding on a friend's neighbor's house, he's been just as busy with the unpaid work as he would have been at a "regular" job. One of his projects is still unfinished. Now that he's back to work full time, he might have to finish that one on a rain day.

I just wanted to share some really cool photos of this project that Hubby is now close to completing. A very generous family from our church was kind enough to donate a baby grand piano to the church. It had belonged to the mom's mom, and since their kids have grown they haven't used it much. It had seen better days, there were a few scuffs and dings in the wood, and a large water ring from what looked to be where someone had possibly placed a vase of flowers or something. I wish I had been able to get some photos before hubby started, but I didn't get a chance before the original finish was removed. Here in the first four photos, is the piano, all of the old varnish removed and sanded. The water rings have disappeared, and the curved pieces on each side of the keyboard has been repaired with a new wood laminate.

The piano bench in the left side of the picture above is from my own piano. I refinished it last fall, and we thought the same stain would be beautiful on this baby grand...

A lot of people commented on the different shades and variations in the wood. If this piano were mine, I think I would have clear coated the entire thing - I really like the natural look.

After getting the laundry done, I drove back up to church to see the results. Hubby and Middle Kid were still busy...

But it didn't take much longer to make this piano look like a piano again...

After the legs were put back on, it looks like it's almost finished. Hubby has yet to replace some of the tiny 1/4" half-round trim along the sides and some other minor fixes. The final step will be to restore the high-gloss shine. But that will have to wait for another post.

This is how the piano stands currently. I can't wait until it's been tuned so I can play it!

You Can't Always Get What You Want...

2009-07-01T08:56:00.004-05:00

Of course I had to look at all the pretty, shiny, new things at the Harley shop when we went to pick up Hubby's bike yesterday afternoon. For most women, "pretty, shiny, new things" usually equates to diamonds or something in the lines of gold or platinum. Not me. I like shiny things that are LOUD!

Unfortunately for me, my budget will not allow for this brand new Softail Deluxe, like the one I looked at yesterday. The one I liked was powder blue and silver. With my budget, if want to switch from the Suzuki Boulevard I am currently riding to a Harley (which I would prefer, of course), this is probably what I will have to settle for:

Oh, well. At least Hubby's bike is back home, minus the hard saddlebags, windshield, sissy bar and a few other "cosmetic" things that we are waiting for still. The bike was rideable, so he really wanted to pick it up before the other stuff on order shows up.

For now, I will be saving my pennies...

Long Time No See...or Blog?

2009-06-30T11:28:00.002-05:00

I have been neglecting my blog! How horrible! The weather got really nice here, though, so I must admit I had other (more pressing - *gasp!*) things to do, like weed my garden before it becomes totally overwhelmed with things I didn't plant. I've got four potato plants that I didn't plant that must have sprouted from the composted peelings that I do think I will move, rather than pitching out. The tomatoes are almost 3 feet tall now, with blooms, the yellow banana peppers and green beans have little flower buds, and some nasty little fuzzy creatures ate all of my strawberries before they could even ripen completely. Ahh, the joys of gardening. Maybe I will get some berries yet - since they are the everbearing type. I did pick up poison for the nasty little gophers, and now I need a net for the berry patch so the birds don't get the rest. Once I get around to downloading photos, I will share those. Hopefully before the lilies bloom - I want to get those into a post of their own - they are always gorgeous!

Until next time!

Unscripted

2009-06-18T21:50:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I am lucky enough to catch things on my camera, like the little chipmunk in the last post, that make me smile. This was one of those moments. My oldest son has been playing guitar for a little over a year now. He usually keeps the volume turned down so as not to disturb anyone. I really do like to hear him play; he's improved quite a bit over the last year.

I heard the amp turn on and the music start. A few minutes earlier, I had been outside with the neighbor, taking photos of some plants he needed help identifying - so my camera was still in hand. I turned on the video recorder and crept to the bedroom door...

My youngest son was playing a game on the computer, so the lights were out. As I recorded my older son practicing, my middle son crept into the doorway to my left. Out of my peripheral vision, I could see him singing away, soundlessly, as not to distract his big brother. I have no idea where the red lighting came from - must have been my camera.

Maybe it's just me, but I thought it was funny - especially the "quit watching me!" part. We love to bug each other at our house. Like my mom always said, "if they don't pick on you, it must mean they don't like you." We like each other plenty around here!

A Walk in the Woods

2009-06-18T16:14:00.006-05:00

Birch Tree Macro by ~suzukiQ73 on deviant ART

I love to take pictures. I have my camera with me at almost all times - just in case. Some things, like this tree, aren't going anywhere - which means I can capture a photo whenever the light is good.

Other subjects, like this fuzzy little critter, are quick to run and hide...

Chipmunk by ~suzukiQ73 on deviant ART

Which is why it's always good to be prepared. Where I live, on the fringe of this beautiful place we call the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, there are always critters around. Some are welcome, others might not be - but it never hurts to hunt them on film (or digital media - but that doesn't sound as nice)!

My husband took me hunting a few times when we were first married. My dad hunted, so it wasn't something new or foreign to me. After sitting in a tree, freezing my tail off for a couple days (yes, our Minnesota hunting season begins in November, sometimes we have snow or sleet - yuck), I decided it was far more worthwhile to leave the slaying of furry animals to those who like sitting outside in the cold. I prefer to catch mine in their natural state, and share them with others sans a fork and plate.

Hey! I never intended this to be a poetry blog :)

Some Sunshine Before the Rain Came

2009-06-17T10:23:00.009-05:00

Some Sunshine Before the Rain Came Originally uploaded by Bastiaan Schuit

I saw this on flickr - so beautiful I just had to share!

Some Lemonade for a Summer Day

2009-06-17T10:10:00.010-05:00

When life gives you lemons, make a little lemonade!

Thank you AtomBomb! This is the Lemonade Stand Award, given to bloggers for their good attitudes. The recipients (if they want to) are to give the award to about 10 other bloggers of their choice. Here is my list:

SpicyBugz World
...Trek...
Adventures in Time and Space
All in a Day's Thought
Blurb From the Burbs

God's Not Finished With Us Yet
Jodi's Journey

Not What It Seems

England Rents, Rants & Raves

Views From Raven's Nest

Visit these blogs - they are all very good! I've truly enjoyed laughing (and sometimes crying) as I've read the posts of my friends in Bloggerland. It sometimes seems that we get to know each other better here through the pages on which we pour out our souls, than in the "real world", where we all rush through our day-to-day activities and sometimes don't quite connect as well as we should.

Of course there are many more I could give this award to, and since many of those bloggers have already received this one very recently I tried to make a point of awarding to those who haven't just received it. So please, if you would, visit these blogs; if you receive this award, share the love!

Pretty Flowers

2009-06-15T19:45:00.008-05:00

I saw some of the prettiest flowers on Saturday. These first two are Columbines and Marsh Marigolds. They were both found on the Blue Hill Trail in the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge near my home.

This is the first Clematis that bloomed in my flowerbed this year...

And this beauty is a Gerbera Daisy...not wild, though - it's in a pot on a friend's deck.

It's even prettier close up. Bees are lucky. They must enjoy their work. Sure beats sitting in a cube!

And even among all those flowers, sometimes you just need to sit back and enjoy the greenery...

Who ever said it wasn't easy being green?

This little frog looks like he has no worries!

Friday Favorites - 45 Lessons Life Taught Me

2009-06-12T15:28:00.005-05:00

I've seen the following email a few times, but it is so simple and true that I do read it each time I receive it. I may have even posted it before, but it must be re-posted now, because I now know who wrote it.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland,Ohio

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years,will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw every one else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Now Available for Purchase!

2009-06-11T10:10:00.005-05:00

I opened an account with deviantART, so now if you really like my paintings and photos, you may be able to purchase a magnet or a mug (so far - I will have to get better images in order to sell prints). I have added a link to my deviantART Gallery, both here and on my sidebar. It's a very new undertaking, so keep checking back to my gallery, I plan to keep adding things there as well as here on my blog.

With Hubby still officially unemployed I am working every money-making option so we can stay afloat. The trick to this is staying up late enough to write and put together posts while still getting enough sleep to wake up at 5:30 every morning for my other full-time job. I will admit that since the kids are now thankfully out of school for summer break, they are helping out quite a bit with the garden and the household chores. Without them we would be really overloaded! Hubby's now refinishing a baby grand piano that a kind family donated to our church, so it's not like he's sitting around, but we do really miss his paycheck. I guess the kids are also learning a lot about volunteering and helping others, since he takes them with when he does stuff like that. He also has been helping out our neighbor whose semi truck broke down; since they can't afford a mechanic it was probably good that Hubby was home to help, anyway. At least the neighbor is now back to work! Well, thank God for small blessings, I'm sure things will work out - eventually.

Mountains

2009-06-10T13:15:00.002-05:00

This is a

Mountains
Originally uploaded by suzukiQ

nother original painting I did back in 2006. I sold it to pay for a week's groceries when I was out of work recovering from back surgery. Once again, and I can never stress this enough - thank God for back up files!

I think I messed it up by adding the white to the trees on the right side of the picture - yellow or a light green would have been better, if anything at all. What do you think?

Fireflies

2009-06-08T21:49:00.002-05:00

Fireflies
Originally uploaded by suzukiQ

Thank God for MyBook. I painted this in 2006, it sold at a benefit auction for our church that fall. I knew I had taken a photo of it, but my computer had crashed a little over a year ago so I figured it was gone for good. Lucky for me, my Photo Gallery in Windows searches everything, even the old backup files I had stored on MyBook from the crashed PC I had forgotten about from three years ago.

Every now and then I paint something that I'd rather keep than sell, this was one of those.

A Time to Mourn

2009-06-05T16:22:00.004-05:00

A good friend and co-worker of mine lost her boyfriend to a motorcycle accident yesterday evening. A 20-year old girl took a left turn directly in front of him, leaving him no way to escape and no time to react. The article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune reads as follows:

Car turns into motorcycle's path, killing rider in Anoka County

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: June 5, 2009 - 11:58 AM
A car making a left turn at a St. Francis intersection collided with an oncoming motorcycle, killing the rider, authorities said today.
The motorcyclist who died Thursday evening at the scene was a 49-year-old man from Princeton, Minn., according to the Anoka County Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office said:
The driver of the car, a 20-year-old woman from Nowthen, "drove directly into the path" of the motorcycle while attempting to turn left from westbound Ambassador Boulevard onto southbound Bridgestone Drive. The westbound motorcyclist "was not able to stop or take any evasive measures."
Various law enforcement agencies are investigating the crash, but the Sheriff's Office said neither alcohol nor drug use are factors.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

Life is so unfair. Just about a month ago, I watched in horror as my husband crashed on his motorcycle, just a small distance in front of my own bike, as we were riding down a road with a group of our friends. We were truly blessed, as he survived with only minor injuries to himself and fixable damage to his motorcycle. God willing, I will wake up beside him tomorrow morning. My friend will not wake up next to the man she's spent the last few years of her life with. It leaves me with a very hollow feeling inside; how can I be so cruel as to selfishly enjoy the comfort of my husband's embrace when such a wonderful friend has had her own man ripped from her as he was?

They left the house, each going their own way yesterday evening; she to a Tupperware party, he set out on a solo ride to enjoy the fabulous late-spring weather. When she returned home, he was not there. All night long, she waited for him to come home, or at least to call. She called the hospitals, and even the police department. In the morning, since he had still not turned up, she filed a missing person report. A short time before the above article appeared online, State Patrol officer knocked on her door with the bad news.

I say it again, PLEASE - START SEEING MOTORCYCLISTS!

This accident didn't have to happen.

I wonder if the driver was talking on a cell phone or texting... I'm sure we will never know.

Ecclesiastes 3 (NIV)

A Time for Everything
¹ There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
² a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

A House Swept Clean

2009-06-05T06:42:00.005-05:00

Demon possession is not a new concept. There are several instances of it referred to in the Bible. In yesterday's post, I said I would talk more about possession; first, I would find it more appropriate to see what is written about it in Matthew. This same incident is also written in Luke.

Jesus and Beelzebub
22Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"
24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."
25Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29"Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
30"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
33"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
43"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."

It's very clear to me, what the meaning of this is: if your house is unoccupied, someone will happen along who wants to move in. Fill your house, or your spirit, with good things: read the Word of God, keep busy with things that are positive, and don't even allow an ounce of extra room for evil in your life. We are all sinful, so that is really hard to do. Only God knows what is in the human heart, but the devil will find any opportunity he can to destroy you; if you sin, acknowledge that you did do wrong, and ask for forgiveness. Then move on, and let it go - if you believe that Jesus died for you, you have been forgiven already. Don't dwell on the negative in this world, if everyone would focus on the positive, life would be better here for all.

A Haunting In...

2009-06-04T13:25:00.003-05:00

I recently purchased what I thought was a double-feature movie DVD, which ended up being two episodes of a cable-TV series. One was A Haunting in Georgia, and the other was A Haunting in Connecticut. I would consider myself a good, Christian woman, however, I still like the occasional spooky movie. I can enjoy the storyline and special effects, while having the discernment to know that it's not real, anyway. Spooky movies are not to be confused with slash and gore films, like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Hills Have Eyes, both of which I have seen and not cared for in the least. I've seen enough evil in humanity on a day-to-day basis that I have already had more than enough to last an entire family's worth of lifetimes. I like movies that have twists and turns, and a touch of the unexpected and unexplained. The DVDs I purchased are two that I probably won't watch again. I did watch them, rather than returning them to the store, unopened. I figured, what the heck, so they're documentaries. I enjoy an occasional documentary as well.

I have a strong belief that we as humans are powerless; without God we are nothing more than dust. There is not one thing, no action that we can do, that will save us from hell and get us to heaven. Only by the grace of God, and by the blood of Jesus Christ are we saved. Without God, we have no faith. Without the Holy Spirit working faith in our hearts, we are unable to believe that Jesus Christ is our savior. As it is clearly written in 1 Corinthians, 12:3,

Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

If we are saved by Jesus Christ, then God is the one who is in charge of what happens to our spirits when our physical bodies die. Not only believers, but also non-believers as well, for we are all creations of the same Maker.

Luke 23, vs. 32-43
³²Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. ³³When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. ³⁴Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
³⁵The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."
³⁶The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."
³⁸There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
³⁹One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
⁴⁰But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
⁴²Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
⁴³Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

There was no waiting period indicated. Jesus, in his own words, tells the criminal that he will be in heaven that very day. I asked my pastor how this was possible, because in other places in the Bible the term, "resting in the Lord" or "fallen asleep in the Lord" is used. He explained to me that time is irrelevant when we die. As used in other passages, "asleep in the Lord" explains it. Have you ever fallen asleep, only to wake up eight (if you're lucky) hours later, feeling like no time had passed at all? It makes sense to me, although I do still ponder it.

I do have a point to make here, sorry, I digress - if human souls do not haunt the living, the only other explanation would be demonic forces. Alright, I realize there are people who will stop reading right now because they will think I'm crazy. I'm not. In my next post I will write more about demons and possession. But as it applies to this post, there was a common thread in both of the stories (based on actual events, of course). Neither family had a strong faith. Both families were what I would call, "susceptible". One did not have a firm foundation of faith at all, from what was depicted in the story, and the other had only a shaky relationship with the Catholic church. Both families turned to a church for a resolution to the problem, without looking to the root of the problem, which from where I stand, was a weak relationship with Jesus Christ. There was no display of faith in God's word; both families were looking to physical actions of the people around them to save them from the hauntings in their homes, with no dependence on the Word of God. One girl and her aunt were depending on a rosary for protection and comfort. My grandfather was Catholic, and I understand why a rosary is used. If a person prays because that is what in their heart, and if they are repentant for their sins, that prayer will be heard, no doubt. But to depend on a rosary to save your soul is to have false hope - which is no hope at all.

I could go on and on with this post, so I'll end this one here. I will go into it again, probably tomorrow - so if you have any comments or questions, please add or ask! I love the interactive qualities of blogging, so feel free to chime in.

My Artist

2009-06-01T23:51:00.006-05:00

My middle son made this lovely example of pointillism for an assignment in art class. I'm so proud! He was a freshman this year, and so he was jumbled into Introduction to Art with the rest of his classmates. When speaking with his art teacher a few weeks ago, she commented that he never should have been in an "introductory" course, and would it be ok if she moved him into an advanced drawing class? Well, of course! I had to agree to that, we recognized artistic talent in all three of our boys at a young age, so why keep him back? The picture above was made using a series of dots - even the completely black parts were filled in with dots. Talk about patience!

I had to take two pictures of this next project he did, it was scratch-art, with gold foil underneath - hard to capture clearly without too much glare:

Yep, he's a Black Sabbath fan. He likes all sorts of creepy stuff, too - kinda like his mom & dad, go figure. I know he told me this was based on album art from someone or another, but I don't remember which band. If I remember to ask him when he's awake, I'll have to update this post!

All of these from my middle boy. He wants to be an architect someday. I really hope he will be, too. Once upon a time, his mom wanted to be an artist, and a writer; then life happened. If it kills me, this kid IS going to college.

Creatures

2009-05-30T11:43:00.005-05:00

I love computer programs that do more than just require the player to click to jump or shoot something. My oldest son downloaded a free trial of Spore Creature Creator - and it's really cool.

Of course I had to try my hand at this - so here's my little creature.

I named it Snapdragon. He/she/it - whatever, had three babies - they do whatever the big creature does. If you have kids (or not), this is a really cool program. It goes beyond what a typical game does, in the sense that the player gets to use their own creativity. If you want to see some cool examples, go to YouTube and search "Spore".

I can already tell I will have to get the full version of this program. Everyone in our house gathers around the monitor when someone's designing a new creature.

I found another video on YouTube, called Kiwi Mad World Version; I think I read somewhere that it was done with this software, but this version (by the original artist) was made with Maya.

After we saw this, late one night after the kids were asleep, Hubby said "That's so depressing! I'm sad now," and then we saw this one:

My Immortal Kiwi - probably not what Evanescence had in mind, but at least we feel better, knowing where Kiwi went!

Sick

2009-05-27T09:23:00.000-05:00

I am sick. Like anyone else in the world, I truly hate it. The worst part about it is that it's just a cold, nothing major which will make me look physically ill other than the black circles under my eyes. When a mother gets sick, it's business as usual. Dinner still needs to be cooked, laundry still needs to get washed, and sibling quarrels still need to be broken up. Allergies and asthma have been the norm for me for a long time, so when the sneezing and wheezing started I believed it was just the beginning my normal spring malaise. At that point I was tired, but I just figured that it was due to stress at work combined with the allergies. On Saturday, my oldest son came along with me to the garden market to pick out some tomato and pepper plants. I have been truly blessed with three strong boys - when it comes time to buying things like paving stones and bags of peat moss for the blueberry plants I got for Mother's Day, I thank God that he's given me good helpers for the heavy stuff.
I did manage to make it to church on Sunday, and as soon as the service was over I went out to nap in the car while my husband met with the voter's assembly to vote on a new membership. At that point I was in such a congested fog that I wouldn't have cared who we elected as a new church member, so it was a good thing that I wasn't voting. Once home, after a short nap and with the help of an over-the-counter allergy and cold remedy, I was out in the garden, planting the seedlings we purchased the day before. I was a little tired, but I had been working all day, pulling weeds, transplanting strawberries which had taken over my entire flower bed, putting in some flowers a friend had given me. Some things you can't put off for long. If you wait too long to take care of some plants, they die. Even though they are only plants, I cannot stand to allow another living thing to die - it's just not in me. When realizing how late in the afternoon it was and at 5:30 pm I had not yet decided what everyone would eat, I decided it was time to call it a day and go inside. I couldn't even tell you what we did for dinner that night. Luckily, I had the foresight to teach all of my children at a young age how to cook; so I think someone may have thrown together something. Maybe it was sandwiches. Wait, no - it was pizza. I guess Hubby "cooked". Or at least paid. We've got a couple of really great delivery places in town that will deliver to our house.
Thank God for Memorial Day, and that I gave up working in retail! The three-day weekend was much-needed. Although I did still go outside and work in the garden on Monday, as well. I knew by then that my "allergies" were actually a full-blown cold, however, so Hubby and the boys were good enough to do most of the heavy stuff. Tuesday I went to work for a little while to get the mandatory reports run and follow up with some gage calibration work we've subbed out to another location. Once the necessary stuff was done I went home, hoping to sleep; ended up at the laundromat with all three kids since supposedly no one knows how to wash a few outfits by hand to hang on the line. If we don't build on and add our own well soon, it won't be pretty. I really need my own laundry room.
This post is mainly just me venting, I know - but we all need to do that every now and then. Thanks for listening.

Friday Favorites - Hallelujah!

2009-05-21T21:15:00.005-05:00

Click on the picture or the link below to watch the YouTube video of of Espen Lind(on guitar), Askil Holm, Alejandro Fuentes and Kurt Nilsen(World Idol) - Four great Norwegian singers, singing 'Hallelujah', be Leonard Cohen. I love this song - and this is an awesome performance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2NEU6Xf7lM

Have a WONDERFUL Memorial Day weekend! Don't forget to thank any veterans you know - and remember the ones who can no longer be thanked. THEY are the reason we celebrate this holiday, and the reason we need to remember that freedom is NOT free.

Crash Update!

2009-05-21T10:35:00.005-05:00

Good news! Well, we'll see if it pans out that way - but the insurance company is now saying they will pay for all of the damages to Hubby's bike :D Soon it should be back to showroom floor condition like it was on Easter weekend (the above photo was taken on Easter Sunday), so I won't have to ride all my myself!

I was beginning to feel really bad that his bike was in the shop. The estimated damages totalled out to approximately $8400.00. Not wanting to rub it in, my own bike's been waiting patiently for me in the shed. I did ride it on Tuesday, but it was only 48 degrees when I left the house (there was snow in Duluth)! I figured if I could tough it out for the 40-minute ride to work, riding home in 80 degrees would be worth it. It was pretty windy, but not bad. Yesterday I had to drive the van, because there were wind advisories of up to 60 mph. That stinks when you're on a bike, by the time I would get to work I figured I'd be ready for a nap. Not that driving my van in that wind was a picnic either!

Hubby's hand and arm are healing up quickly.

Stubborn guy that he is, he didn't want to spend

more money at the clinic so I had to take his stitches out. Yuck! I hope he realizes how lucky he is that his wife's got a stong stomach. Those scars will be bad ones, but at least he's got the use of his hand. He picked up a new jacket the other day, this one's got built-in armor. I think the style suits him:

But I still prefer the traditional biker style, myself. This style does suit my hubby since he started out on dirtbikes & has been notoriously "unlucky" - thank God the good Lord's got his back!

Another Award! Life is Great!

2009-05-20T23:11:00.005-05:00

I am so flattered - I have been honored with the "Most Wonderful Favorite" award by Myra at A Hard Life for My Daughter . According to the rules, in order to accept this award I need to nominate eight other bloggers to pass this on to (who in turn each choose eight more...). There's some text also needs to be included, so here goes:

"These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in
self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut,
even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these
writers."
Kimberly at Camera Commune
Raghu Gollapalli at Digital Photo Talk
Poet at Experience, Tips, Wisdom & Anecdotes
Sarah at God's Not Finished With Us Yet
bxn at In My Sad Little Opinion
Christine at Now What
PC User 101 at PC Knowlege For Me
BeautyisasBeautyDoes at The Journey Within Yourself
(I'm also adding an honorable mention to Anne, aka Chicamom85 and SquirrelQueen - so many great people out there, I could keep going!)
So please follow these blogs and kindly show your support by visiting their
sponsors.
Thanks for reading my blog! If you'd like to visit my sponsors as well, you are more than welcome :)

He Created Man in His Likeness

2009-05-20T09:17:00.005-05:00

My son emailed me a link to this article. I've posted part of it below, please follow the link if you'd like to read more. I think it's fascinating, but leads me to wonder, why not just interact with real human beings? This robot looks like the nice young receptionist at your dental office or the nice lady on the street who will tell you what the time is because you've left your watch at home. I suppose it would be nice to have a robot to scrub the toilet and do things like that which no one really likes to do; but at what point will this get out of control? The movie, 'I, Robot' comes to mind...

Japanese develop 'female' android
By David Whitehouse Science editor, BBC News website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4714135.stm

Japanese scientists have unveiled the most human-looking robot yet - a
"female" android named Repliee Q1Expo. She has flexible silicone for skin
rather than hard plastic, and a number of sensors and motors to allow her to
turn and react in a human-like manner.
She can flutter her eyelids and move her hands like a human. She even appears to breathe.
Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University says one day robots could fool us into believing they are human.
Repliee Q1Expo is not like any robot you will have seen before, at least outside of science-fiction movies.
She is designed to look human and although she can only sit at present, she has 42 actuators in her upper body, powered by a nearby air compressor, programmed to allow her to move like a human.
We have found that people forget she is an android while interacting with her
Prof Hiroshi Ishiguro"I have developed many robots before," Repliee Q1Expo's designer, Professor Ishiguro, told the BBC News website, "but I soon realised the importance of its appearance. A human-like appearance gives a robot a strong feeling of presence."

Monsters...Well, at Least One is Heartless

2009-05-19T06:32:00.005-05:00

My oldest son has made some pretty weird & wild little sculptures during his school years. He named the blue one Ivan and the black one is Heartless from the Kingdom of Hearts video game. Yes, this is the mommy-blogger coming out in me. It never ceases to amaze me how imaginative my kids can be. I just didn't see how funny they really were until he put these two together to take this picture. I hope this doesn't reflect in some Freudian way upon the mother-child relationship in our house! Somehow when I see this I keep hearing the oft-repeated phrase, "I told you to clean your room!"

What captions would you put with these two? Let's hear 'em!

Prayer and Coincidence

2009-05-18T13:51:00.004-05:00

I'm sure I have mentioned in previous posts that it sometimes seems as though "Someone" is occasionally trying to make me see His point of view. Although I know it shouldn't, it still strikes me as coincidental when it happens. Friday's post contained a command to be joyful. Along with that command came the message that we are to pray constantly. Lo and behold, I go to church on Sunday morning, and what did the pastor base his sermon upon? Pray Continually. Go figure. We do see our pastor during the course of the week, especially when there are activities for the kids and meetings of different sorts beyond our regular church services. However, I can promise you that I had no idea what he'd be preaching on yesterday!

Many people have different ideas regarding prayer. I see it as a conversation with God. We are His children, so it's good that we talk to our heavenly father often. I like to think of it this way: if I "talked to" my children all of the time, and didn't stop to listen, it would be a rather one-sided conversation, and I really like hearing what they have to say, as well. The Bible is God's way of talking to us, so pray constantly, but also listen to what He has to say back to us. We shouldn't just focus our prayers on constantly asking and complaining, but we should also be praising and thinking Him for everything we've been given. Try to focus on thanking God for what He's done, versus what you think he hasn't done for you - you'll find you are happier when you focus on the positives, rather than the negatives.

You don't have to be in church to pray. God knows our thoughts; it always made sense to me that if I talk to him "in my head", he would hear it just as if I were praying quietly in a church pew. Most of the time when we really need Him, we're not necessarily sitting in church, so don't put it off, you don't need to be anywhere special and you don't have to be on your knees to do it, either. Although, if you do get on your knees and start praying in public, be prepared. You may be ridiculed, or surprised - someone may join you.

Your Own Drum

2009-05-15T16:06:00.004-05:00

My new theme for Fridays: Friday Favorites

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmVn6b7DdpA

This music video is probably my all-time favorite from the early 90's.

I've always marched to the beat of my own drum, usually one only I can hear! That's okay, though; I'd rather lead than follow.

You are responsible for your own happiness. If you are unhappy about something, either accept it and move on, or change it.

If you are happy with who you are, others will usually follow suit.

We are commanded to BE JOYFUL!

1 Thessalonians 5, v16-18 (New International Version)

16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for
this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

That means - put a smile on your face! Act happy! Eventually, you will forget what you weren't happy about, and you will BEE happy!

2009-05-14T22:44:00.004-05:00

Some things have been built to last generations, like this old barn. It's over 100 years old. I, on the other hand, will live but a short time here on earth.

Psalm 90 (New International Version)

A prayer of Moses the man of
God. 1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
2
Before the mountains were born or you
brought forth the earth and the world, from
everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn men back to dust,
saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men."
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep men away in the sleep of death;
they are like the new grass of the morning-
6 though in the morning it
springs up new, by evening it is dry and
withered.
7 We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your
presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
10 The length of our days is seventy years—
or eighty, if we have the strength;
yet their span
is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly
pass, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of your anger?
For your wrath is as great as the fear that
is due you.
12 Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Relent, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all
our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.
17 May the favor
of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish
the work of our hands for us— yes,
establish the work of our hands.

A picture is taken, freezing a moment in time. A glance, a heartbeat, captured on film or in a virtual world where we take pause to reflect on others' dreams...
Each year passes, another line appears.

I'm glad this world is not the end.

My Hometown

2009-05-13T13:19:00.004-05:00

VanCleveParkJuly1963
Originally uploaded by suzukiQ

Last night I went to a wake for my friend’s sister. It’s been a lot of years since I graduated from high school, and I was able to visit with a few people whom I hadn’t seen in a very long time, which was nice, but we all wished it could have been under happier circumstances. It’s funny, the things you think about and remember when you see people you haven’t seen in a long time. Boy, has the world ever changed.

The town where we all grew up isn’t exactly what you’d call “small town USA”, but our school district wasn’t very large. Most of us kids attended one of a small handful of churches in the area, and went to school from kindergarten through graduation with the same group of people. Our school was small, considering we were located right on the border of North Minneapolis. We only had about 650 students in the high school, which contained grades 7 though 12; we weren’t big enough to need a middle school. When most of our parents moved there in the 50’s and 60’s it was a suburban paradise. We slept with our doors and windows open at night to keep the house cool, no one had air conditioning then. There were plenty of places to go to cool off, like the wading pools or the beach at Twin Lakes. There were no gangs, the schools did not have security guards, and they did not have lock-down drills. We weren’t all little angels, and when we weren’t there was usually a wooden kitchen spoon or a belt that handled the situation. A simple spanking didn’t ever warrant the opening of a child protection case, and in most cases that kid didn’t end up in jail as an adult.

There were no cell phones. Well, a few “rich people” had car phones, but no one I knew personally. They were about the size of a brick and weighed the same, and your car had to be specially outfitted for one. If you needed to make a phone call, you could easily find a public pay phone, and it only cost you a quarter. Going to the movies was affordable, but the 100 Twin Drive-In was even better. My mother always popped enough popcorn to almost fill a brown paper grocery bag, and us “little kids” got stuffed under a blanket on the floor of the backseat of our old Impala station wagon when we went through the admission line.
When my girlfriend & I decided we didn't feel like going to school, we'd hop on an MTC bus & in about 15 minutes we would be downtown, shopping at the Crystal Court or City Center. The busses I remember were like the one in this picture. They drove down the street where I lived about once every fifteen minutes to a half an hour. As long as you had some spare change, you could go anywhere in the Twin Cities metro area.

Our parents generally didn’t buy us new cars. Kids worked an afternoon or weekend job to earn money to buy a cheap beater car, and if they earned enough money to fix it up so it would be really cool, they would get a lift kit and maybe work on a rebuilt motor. Shiny new paint was optional. Some of these cars were the Chevy Cutlass, Nova or Monte Carlo, big 70’s model Ford Thunderbirds, Fairlanes, even a Barracuda or two thrown in. My hubby & I went to the same school & grew up in the same town – the car he had was a kick-butt 1968 Ford Mustang. In the summers we would hop on the Victory Memorial Drive Parkway and cruise the lakes through Minneapolis: Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet and Lake Nokomis. Driver’s Ed was cheap; I think $50 or $60? I paid for mine out of my own pocket, as did most of my friends. My sixteen year old son will have to work his tail off to earn the $350.00 his Driver's Ed training will cost. Nice.

I hope you like old photos - this has just kicked off another tangent for me. Funny, once you start remembering things, it just seems to rush back at you like a waterfall.

More Flowers

2009-05-12T06:54:00.002-05:00

These flowers are for Tyke.

I Don't Ask For Help Often

2009-05-11T20:24:00.003-05:00

I usually will not ask for help, even if I really need it. This time, however, I will - because it's not for me. If you look to the Dawn Flory Benefit info on the sidebar, you will see that there is a very good reason to ask for help. I have known this family since my girlfriend Marie & I were babies in the church nursery together. Our fathers both died when we were young, now we've both lost sisters. This really hits home; Dawn's son is only twelve (which is such an impressionable age to begin with), and although he's older than my nephew was when my sister was killed he will no doubt have a very difficult time dealing with this loss.

If you can spare a buck or two, please find it in your heart to click the "Donate" button to the right. This will probably be the only time I blog about this (at least the asking for donations part), so thank you in advance from me & on behalf of the family.

Flowers For You

2009-05-11T08:23:00.003-05:00

I love spring. Not only does the weather up here in my chilly little section of Minnesota actually warm enough to lose the parka for a few months, we even get to grow things! I wanted to share some spring prettiness with you...

The company I work for has lovely flowering crabapple trees around the outside of the building and through the parking lot...

And my mini iris have finally started to bloom...

Even the rhubarb had made an appearance...

For Mother's Day, I got two new blueberry plants. Once I get some peat moss to mulch them with, they will join the rest of my little green friends in my garden. They are supposed to grow to 8 feet tall - hopefully we will get berries this summer, even one during the first season and I will be happy!

If I am lucky, Hubby will have the hen & chicks that my mother in law sent over planted. If not, oh well - I like to play in the dirt anyway. This last picture is a view of the Mississippi River from one of my mother-in-law's tiered gardens (one of many!). I wasn't able to get out my camera quick enough to capture the deer on the other side of the river, maybe I will be lucky enough to get those next time!

A Favorite Place

2009-05-09T21:40:00.002-05:00

Jim in the studio
Originally uploaded by suzukiQ

People often find comfort being in a certain place, whether it is at home, at a cabin in the woods, on a boat in the lake, or even at the mall. Those are the places we retreat to when we are stressed out, bored, or just want to get away. My sons take after a long line of writers and artists, so it's no wonder that each one loves to spend time in the art studio at school. It's a great place to be on a Saturday, when the teacher occasionally opens the door to anyone who needs to catch up or just wants to be creative.

You never know what you'll find in the art room at our local high school! Maybe even a goofy wig...

But really, where else can you get away with this? Ahh, to be a kid again!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there!

Building on Fire

2009-05-08T13:20:00.002-05:00

Building on Fire 14
Originally uploaded by suzukiQ

I knew something was up last Friday when I was on my way to Home Depot. The smoke was visible at least a mile away. I don't know if this was an accidental fire, or if it was "planned" (legally or otherwise)...the local fire departments have been known to use vacant buildings for practice. Of course, being the good little amateur photographer that I am, I just happened to have my camera with me.

I am very sorry for anyone who may have suffered any type of loss during this fire, but this is a lot of excitement for our little rural area. This fire actually happened in a neighboring town; our little town is too small for a Home Depot!

Once again, there sits the crazy lady in the red van, in the Home Depot parking lot, snapping photos of an old building burning down. Doesn't she know that it will probably end up in the newspaper anyway? Why bother with a photo?

Because our little local papers don't get shots like this!

I Have Another New Blog!

2009-05-07T22:09:00.000-05:00

To my most dear & valuable followers:

If you like reading fiction, please check out my new blog, "Original Fiction" . I love to write, but I need some boundaries on my blogs - so here goes another! I am getting the feeling that this is becoming an addiction...I hope there are no negative side effects beyond carpal tunnel...

I have a couple short stories (short so far, anyway) that are in the works, so the layout may change if I find one better than what I've picked for organizing my thoughts into a legible way, so thanks in advance for your patience! My goal is to post at least a little on one story or another each day; if I start slacking shoot me an email if you need more to read :)

Have a great day, and thanks for following!

Sandi

April Night Sky in MN

2009-05-07T15:06:00.001-05:00

April Night Sky in MN
Originally uploaded by suzukiQ

Since you so politely listened to my ranting over our #%@&!*$ insurance fiasco yesterday, I think I owe you something better today. How about a cool picture?

I love to take pictures. The worst part about it is that most of the time I seem to be in my car, rushing to work or to pick up the kids, when I see something I want to shoot. One evening a short time ago, my middle son had to sit through a long city council meeting for a civics report that was due; needless to say they've been pretty long winded lately since out little town is so far slated to be the final stop on our new Northstar Commuter Rail. My oldest and I went back to town to pick up my middle kid, and all three of us thought the sky looked so cool that we HAD to stop to get a picture. My oldest took this one, leaning out of the open van window as I parked on a side street.

The lady in the yard across the street must have thought we were crazy. But that's ok. If any readers out there see a crazy lady in a red van stopping to take pictures of weeds in the ditch or the dog in your yard or something else that seems absolutely odd, it's probably me.

My Angry Vent: Are All Insurance Companies Crooked?

2009-05-06T15:54:00.000-05:00

Consider this a warning: I’m really angry today! This post is my way of venting, so if you’d like to read my rambling and cursing, enjoy:

A couple of years ago, we had a very nice Pontiac Montana van. The van was only a couple of years old, and even better yet – it was paid for. It was a lovely shade of forest green, with lots of bells and whistles. I loved the automatic sliding door on the passenger side, when dropping off children and their friends at their various events and activities, it was nice to know that a kid with arms full of books and musical instruments would not have to fumble with opening the door and getting it closed properly. It was the extended version, so we not only had room for the kids, we could toss suitcases or groceries in the back. The digital display would tell me how warm or cold it was outside, and how many miles per gallon my driving speed would rate. If I got turned around, I knew which way North was, because my van would tell me!

My hubby was unfortunate enough to hit a patch of ice while driving around some twisty roads one night in 2007, and slid off the road and down a very big, steep hill, crashing into some very large trees. That was the end of our lovely van. It was totaled. I hate this term, but we really did end up getting screwed by the insurance company, too. The insurance adjuster who came out to look at the van said we would get about $10,000 for it; it was in the most pristine condition she’d ever seen in a van – except for the damage to the front end and driver’s side. The actual check that was issued by the insurance company was about $4600. I was so angry that my husband accepted that money. He had argued with the agent, that we would never be able to replace the van with such a small amount; they sent us a list of vans that were listed for sale in our state, most of them at least five years older and with higher miles than what we had. Not to mention with fewer bells and whistles. My hubby didn’t think we had an option, as hiring an attorney would cost money.

This time we will not get screwed! I can be a really nice person, but I am not stupid. Not to say that my husband is stupid, not by far! But he is very polite. He hates to impose, to the point of putting himself at a total disadvantage. Then, when the other party gets away with more than they ever should have had & he ends up paying for it, he’ll stew about it. He’ll get pissed off, only it will be after the fact, when it’s too late to act upon all those good ideas that pop into his head when the adrenaline starts pumping. I think that our insurance company will have to find themselves a really good negotiator if they think they will get away with not paying for the Harley. They pissed off the wrong biker bitch! I got a call at work today from Hubby: according to the insurance company, all of the “aftermarket accessories” on his bike won’t be paid for.
“Aftermarket accessories?” I asked, “you have no aftermarket accessories on your bike.”
“They consider the windshield, the saddle bags, the crash bars, etcetera, to be aftermarket,” he replied.
“But the bike rolled off the showroom floor with those things,” I cried. “Do they know that?”
“I told them that. That bike comes stock with those items,” he said.
“I think we need to get a lawyer,” I told him. “One that doesn’t charge unless you win. So what percentage would they end up paying if they get their way?”
“About half.”

AAARGH! So, does anyone agree with me? I’m sick of being nice. What really stinks is that you need to lawyer up to get your insurance company to cover something they assured you they would cover in the first place. When my husband totaled the van, he was with AAA Insurance. I think it had been some sort of “good deal” for him to switch, so that van went to Triple A for a couple of years – but I had two other vehicles and two motorcycles on American Family. Between Hubby & I we’ve been with the same AmFam agent since 1983, and we haven’t filed a single claim. The only insurance claim we’ve EVER filed, for that matter, was with Triple A. So how is it that someone can get their 15 year old Yugo bumped into in a parking lot and end up with a million bucks, and we can’t get our Harley covered?

So, if anyone has a difficult time trying to figure out why I have a personal grudge against Big Business vs. The Little Guy, and am really ticked off over the US government bailing out insurance companies, here’s a prime example:

26 years of monthly insurance payments to the same company:
(312 months x approximately $200 per month, I know we pay more than that) = $62,400
let’s say they have that money invested at about 2% annually….
Well, I’m not figuring the math since it was never my strong suit, but I’m smart enough to know that they’ve easily made at least $100,000 on our accounts without having to ever pay a claim on any of our houses or vehicles. Will the government bail us out if we can’t pay our bills? Nope, sorry – how silly of me, we own our own home and pay our mortgage on time!

It is days like this when I really need to remember that this world is not perfect, and that a better home awaits us – someday – I love this life, but really look forward to heaven! I am glad that God has patience for even sinners like me!

1 Timothy 1, v. 12-17 (New International Version)
The Lord's Grace to Paul
12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

5/3/09 Motorcycle Accident Crash Bars

2009-05-05T11:31:00.001-05:00

5/3/09 Motorcycle Accident Crash Bars Left
Originally uploaded by suzukiQ

This is the crash bar that probably saved Hubby from a broken leg... doesn't look like much, but the bike was in mint condition about 1/2 hour before this photo was taken. I think I will get crash bars on my bike now.

5/3/09 Motorcycle Accident

2009-05-05T11:27:00.001-05:00

5/3/09 Motorcycle Accident rh tank closeup
Originally uploaded by suzukiQ

First photo of Hubby's dented gas tank... the picture's aren't very good, since it was taken in a poorly lit garage as a quick thought before we left for the emergency room.

Hubby's Motorcycle Accident

2009-05-05T06:18:00.000-05:00

My husband had an accident on his motorcycle Sunday evening, at about 6:45pm. I don't know what he hit, either a pothole or rock or something - but it caused his front tire to veer to the left, and he hit the big square curb of the median. He tried to ride it out, but couldn't. He slid with the bike a ways, then he managed to get away from the bike before it flipped over. I was riding my motorcycle in the right lane of travel in the same lane as him, about 10-20 feet behind; I had to avoid running over both him and his bike without slamming on my brakes too quickly because there were three more bikes behind me. There were seven of us on six bikes when the accident happened; as soon as everyone had stopped the guys all helped us pick up what parts we could, Hubby picked his bike back up as quickly as he could and said, "I'm fine! Let's just go!" - typical guy, didn't want anyone to see him fall off his bike! He limped it back to our friend's house which was only about 2 miles away, then we spent the rest of the night in the emergency room, so he could get his left hand stitched back together. Luckily, his pride and his motorcycle were damaged more than his body. The theme for that day's sermon at church earlier: The Good Shepherd Will Protect His Flock. Boy, was that ever fitting!

I gotta run - after missing a day of work yesterday, it may be a couple of days spent catching up - so if you are wondering where I am, I'll probably be swamped this week between work & dealing with insurance claims!

Have a good week!

My Creative Boys

2009-05-01T16:29:00.001-05:00

Alex & His Bass Guitar April, 2009
Originally uploaded by suzukiQ

My boys never cease to amaze me, from the time they uttered their first words, to the present day - it seems as though each day they either come up with a thought-provoking sentiment or create something so amazing that I wonder who their real parents are.

This photo is of my youngest son, Alex - and his bass guitar. He wanted a "cool photo" to put on his MySpace page, so of course he took the original pic my husband took and loaded it into my Adobe program. Hubby's first response was something along the lines of, "that's just queer"; and then, "just do a normal picture already."

After hearing those comments, of course I ran to the computer to see what sort of weird image he'd come up with. I must say I totally disagree with Hubby. The resulting image is reminiscent of an old Ramones album cover - don't ask me which, but I thought it was pretty cool!

I, of course being the mother I am, have to brag on my boys - especially when it's due. The next few posts I will dedicate to my boys and their artistic selves!

OK, One Last Snowy Photo of The Season...

2009-04-30T09:57:00.001-05:00

Frosty Pines in Big Lake Township, MN
Originally uploaded by suzukiQ

I forgot to post this photo. It turned out well, I think - I was getting to the point where I couldn't handle any more white, but now I'm ok...I think... although this rain could stop any day, now!

At least the grass is green. I just had to share this though, since I forgot it was on my camera!

"Are YOU Tough Enough? CONTEST"

2009-04-28T10:47:00.000-05:00

Here's a cause worth blogging about! BeautyIsAsBeautyDoes is the woman-in-charge for this year's Cheney Rodeo in Cheney, Washington. In hopes of raising awareness for this cause, please join me in participating in her "Are You Tough Enough?" contest. To participate, please follow her blog, The Journey Within Yourself , and see Monday's post for the rules.

I can honestly say that everyone I know has been touched by this disease. My mother is a 17-year breast cancer survivor; as are my mother-in-law and her mother, who have battled cancer for an even longer amount of time and who have both had masectomies in order to save their lives. Just last summer, a friend of mine and fellow biker-chick lost her battle to this horrible disease. Please do this for ALL of us - moms, sisters, daughters, wives, friends - and yourselves! Not only will this help the women who get breast cancer, but having these women stick around for their families and friends will also save one more child from losing a mother, and one more parent from losing a child.

And the Award Goes To...

2009-04-27T12:30:00.000-05:00

It is with most sincere gratitude that I accept the Kreativ Blogger Award, awarded to me by the Squirrel Queen on her blog, Through Squirrel Eyes. What a great way to start a Monday!

I guess there are two rules that I must now follow. First, I need to tell you about seven of my favorite things (only seven? I could list so many more!):

* My family – both human and furry family members, too!
* Being outside on a warm, sunny spring day
* Dove® Chocolate
* Gardening
* The smell of wood smoke on a crisp fall day
* Antiques
* Architecture/Interior design

And now I must pass the torch on to seven of my blog friends. I hereby bestow upon the following talented bloggers the coveted Kreativ Blogger Award:

Street Guru at What the World Needs Now

Karla at Tales of a Texpatriate

Kit at That Unreliable Girl

Stacey & Mike Huston at A Focus in the Wild

P Maillet at Homeward Bound, and especially for her blog My Kinda Humor . Clean humor! Gotta love this!

Demoiselle at Something Fascinating

BeautyIsAsBeautyDoes at Journey Within Yourself

And again, thank you for reading my blog!

I Love Friday!

2009-04-24T17:16:00.001-05:00

YES! It's finally here! This has been a very long week, and now I sit, still at work - but not working. I signed out and had my time slip signed off by my boss about 10 minutes ago. Now I am waiting for Hubby to pick me up to go to a surprise party at Old Chicago for a dear friend, who is now finally done with a long, horrible journey through chemotherapy. His life has been changed dramatically, but the light at the end of the tunnel has finally arrived, the worst part of his treatment is over! That light at the end was not an oncoming train, after all!

It's funny how life takes you places that you never thought you'd go. When you are young you feel invincible, you get sick with the flu but you know that you'll get over it. Then you start to get a little older you begin to feel aches and pains in places you never thought of before, but life's still going on, so you have to keep up. Sometimes, if you are lucky, things happen to put everything all into perspective, and you realize how fleeting each moment is, and how precious the people around you are. The unlucky people are those who realize too late that really living life is all about getting out of your comfort zone, pushing yourself to try new things and to meet new friends and to get the most out of every day. Old friends are to be cherished, too - if you haven't made that phone call to someone you haven't seen in forever, don't put it off any longer! Even if it seems as though it's been so long that that person wouldn't even remember you, give them a call anyway. It's the things we don't do that we will regret once it's too late. I am totally not a fan of sports in general, but Nike has the greatest slogan: Just Do It. Quit thinking about it, and just dive into the pool. Procrastination and fear are probably the biggest culprits behind things that are left undone. Broken friendships go unmended because people are afraid to admit they were wrong, loved ones die and we realize we didn't write as often as we should have, all sorts of things like this happen every day. Forgo the housecleaning this weekend and go visit your neighbor, a relative, or a friend you don't see often. The vacuuming will wait.

Good Boy, Blitz

2009-04-22T13:44:00.001-05:00

My husband and one of our current dogs, Jasmine

To all my Tweets out there, you may have already read this article; if you haven't, it's a good one! I have had many dogs, by choice and also by chance. My favorite breed by far has got to be the American Pit Bull. They are intelligent, loyal, loving dogs - never yippy or annoying. My three boys have all been raised around this breed; I've never had to worry about their physical safety or whether or not someone was going to snatch them out of our fenced yard. When I lived in North Minneapolis, I could walk anywhere with my 100-pound Doberman-Pit Bull mix, Warlock. When I was pregnant, he never left my side. My husband worked nights, when I was alone with the kids in the house I never feared a home invasion. I also knew that if one of the boys fell and scraped a knee, he would be the first to rush to their side with plenty of kisses to wash the tears away. Once, when our oldest was about two years old, he was crying for what seemed to be no apparent reason. My husband yelled at him, just out of frustration, "STOP CRYING!" It was then that my husband, for the first and hopefully only time in his life, saw straight down the dog's throat. Warlock did not bite, but he had my hubby's face in his mouth, his teeth just holding enough pressure against my husband's face so as not to hurt him, but to let him know that Warlock would not tolerate any abuse of "his boy". The boys are bigger now, and Warlock has been dead for about 8 years. We've got a different dogs now, a Pit Bull named Jasmine and a 1/2 Pit, 1/2 dacshund named Deogie (D - O - G). The dogs we have are really good dogs, but no dog will ever replace Warlock.

Here's a true story about Blitz (another good dog!):

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=107779

Please share this! We don't hear enough good things nowadays.

Perez Hilton & The Real Miss USA

2009-04-21T11:56:00.000-05:00

I must admit that when I was a little girl, I loved watching the Miss America competition. It wasn’t because they were talented, beautiful women who wanted world peace. I just loved the evening gown competition. My mother made the majority of my clothes, except for the rustler jeans with the reinforced knees that would refuse to unbend with my own knees once I stood up from crawling around on the floor. When I was small I never got the store-bought clothes the other kids got, because my mom had a sewing machine, my mom could draw up her own patterns, and my mom had worked in a dress shop before she got married. Had I realized at the time what a fashion designer my mom was I would have been paying far better attention when she was teaching me how to sew. I can sew quite well, actually; in spite of my repulsion to the sewing machine when I was younger I have learned to love the soothing hum of its motor running at high speed when I’m on a roll.

One thing I did learn while watching the Miss America competition is that those girls, while pretty, were definitely not on the stage because of what their political or moral views were; as long as they all wanted world peace we would be okay with whichever candidate won the vote.

Now it seems that we’ve got a girl from California who wanted to be Miss USA, who is not afraid to state that even though it’s great we can choose in this country, she believes marriage should only be between one man and one woman. I love it when people have the discernment to know that just because you can do something, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should . That is what I call a REAL Miss USA! The applause was pretty loud after she made her statement, which would lead me to believe that the audience, for the most part, supported her stand on that issue. Albeit that, she still lost the crown to Miss North Carolina. What on God’s green earth is this country coming to? If freedom of religion, freedom of thought, and freedom to simply be who we are is no longer politically correct – just because we hold a more conservative view than a handful of loud-mouthed liberals, I’d rather move away. Wait, no – I take that back, because I can be just as loud as any liberal, and I’m not going away.I’d like to tell Perez Hilton to go to hell. Well, that wouldn’t be very polite, let alone a very Christian thing to say. That’s the sinful me speaking. Martin Luther once said, "If you are a preacher of Grace, then preach a true, not a fictitious grace; if grace is true, you must bear a true and not a fictitious sin. God does not save people who are only fictitious sinners. Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly. For he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are here we have to sin. This life in not the dwelling place of righteousness but, as Peter says [2 Pet 3:13], we look for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. . . . Pray boldly-you too are a mighty sinner. (LW 48, 281-82) http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Luther

I know, all people have been created in God’s image, and so we should love even our enemies; yet I find it really difficult to find love in my heart for people like him. If his heart is as hard on the inside as it appears to be on the outside, he’s going to end up there anyway, and in that I hope to heaven that he has repentance in his own heart for his own sins; that is something none of us can see, only God. I must admit that I am a true sinner if there ever was one; but I will believe and rejoice in Christ boldly as well – and pray to God that His grace will cover even my sins, since His Son died for them as well!

My Bike

2009-04-16T13:14:00.001-05:00

Me - First Ride of 2009
Originally uploaded by suzukiQ

This is me on my motorcycle. Nope, it's not a Harley - I am often asked what it is, it's a 2006 Suzuki Boulevard C50. At about 810cc's, it's enough for me to keep up with my husband and our friends who have Harleys, without being too heavy for me to pick up on my own if I ever have the misfortune of dropping it! (SHHH! I didn't say that - wouldn't want to jinx myself!)

Coming into the warm weather, you may have to bear with me, motorcycling is kind of a family affair at our house, even the kids like to ride - so I'm sure I will have more pictures to post. Since losing almost all of my pics that were in my old computer when it broke :( I am working on taking a slew more to make up for the ones that are no more.

There's an old Irish blessing that comes to mind whenever I start out on the road, no matter where I may be going, and I always say this prayer before any trip: "Lord, may I ride in the safety of Your hand."

There's a lot more of us on the road as the weather keeps getting nicer, please keep an eye out for us and keep us in your prayers, too. Thanks!

First Ride of 2009!

2009-04-14T09:33:00.000-05:00

With the exception of a few shady spots in the woods, the snow is finally gone from my little section of Minnesota. On Thursday my husband awoke our bikes from their winter snooze, eager to hop on his Road King and tear up the road. It was great, he told me that evening; the weather was warm, sun shining – not a cloud in the sky. Heart pounding, adrenaline rushing through his veins, it was like a religious experience – at last, motorcycle weather was victorious over winter’s tyrannical, frigid rule! …Until the tragic moment of realization when you he discovered that the tabs on both bikes were expired. No! It was so unfair! At this point he had already done the beginning-of-season check-up on each bike and blasted up and down our little county road. Not eager to push his luck with the county sheriff, he reluctantly parked both bikes in their new summer home on the deck (yes, did I mention we are bikers? We park our bikes where normal people put their patio furniture).

On Friday, I was a good wife and took a trip to the DMV for new license tabs while my hubby worked, since I had the day off. Of course we went to Good Friday church service that evening, so riding was out – but the weather man was promising Saturday to be really nice, so a little more patience on my part would be worth it. Finally, Saturday morning arrived. Twenty-seven degrees and the sun was shining. Twenty-seven degrees? What?!? What happened to sixty? Well, by noon it was up to about 45. By 3:30, I was determined to go for a ride, even if the snow started back up again and the roads turned to ice!

Lucky for me, it did warm up a little more. I know, I should be tough – I live in Minnesota, where the average winter temp in my area is about 12 degrees. However, unless you’ve got the winter fat store of one of our other natives (a.k.a. the black bear), even 40 degrees can feel a bit chilly at 55 miles per hour. We pulled out of the driveway around 3:30. Finally up to 54 degrees and warm enough to ride without my fleece-lined leather bandanna across my face. Our first stop: the gas station in town, 2.5 miles away. A short jaunt, just enough to get the wind in your hair. Hubby looked like he was in pain, when he got off of his bike to top off our tanks. Turns out that working on Friday after sitting on his unemployed butt all winter long was enough to make him feel those muscles he had forgotten about. We made a stop at the liquor store, turned around and went home. First ride of the season: 5.25 miles. Does that qualify us for an iron-butt award?

Sunday was Easter – Happy Easter to everyone, by the way! It’s my favorite holiday of the entire year. We always spend this day together as a family, even if we don’t visit Grandma and Grandpa or other out of town relatives. Our church puts on the most fantastic Easter breakfast: about 8 different kinds of egg bakes, home made muffins and pastries, fresh fruit, coffee, milk & orange juice. I believe each of our boys went up for seconds. After church, the boys decided that it would be a good day to play Frisbee golf at a park in a neighboring town, so that was going to be our non-commercial, sans-Easter bunny family-fun activity for this year.

Easter Sunday is a good day to reflect on what God has done for you and the blessings the good Lord has given you. I am grateful to have been blessed with a lot of good friends and family that we are close to. We don’t always see everyone year-round, especially those friends that we ride with during the summer months. When winter blows in, we’re all pretty much snowbound to home and have to work extra to pay off the heating & school lunch bills. We were right around the 9th or 10th hole on the Frisbee golf course when Hubby was fumbling through the pockets of his leather vest and came across a phone number belonging Randy & Leslie, a couple of friends whom we hadn’t seen since last September. How cool, I thought, we could give them a call, maybe have them over for dinner & drinks. I stuck the scrap of paper in my pocket with the intention of giving them a call sometime this week, and we played on through to the end of the course.

We were home, watching a movie with the kids by around 3:00. A knock at the door, then the chaotic rush of barking dogs and teenagers, and who was to walk into our living room, but Randy and Leslie. How bizarre! But then again, 60-degree weather brings all sorts of good things. Within an hour, two more bikes were in the driveway and Randy’s brother was twisting my arm to go for a ride. It wouldn’t be far – just a few miles to another friend’s house for a beer. How could we pass that up? Hubby and I both had to work the following day, but it was only around 4:30. The kids had by then seen enough of parents to last them a while, and were practically pushing us out the door. Of course we’d be back soon since it does still get pretty cold once the sun goes down, right?

Long story short, we finally rolled into the driveway at 10:15, a whole hour and fifteen minutes past my workweek bedtime! The stretch of road from the last stop to our doorstep was only about 5 miles. Boy, was I ever glad it wasn’t further. At a chilly 33 degrees, even the quick trip home in the dark, dodging potholes, was enough to freeze both of us to the bone. It’s Monday afternoon now, and I think I’ve finally thawed

out.

Our last stop on Sunday's ride, KJ's Refuge (this picture was taken 3/31/09). Soon the parking lot will once again be full of bikes!

Paul's Conversion & My Argument with the Atheist

2009-04-08T09:56:00.000-05:00

Some days, or even weeks, it seems as though there is a recurring theme in the things I hear in church, over the radio, or just from random sources in general. One week it seemed as though I was hearing about the importance of silence. That’s a really hard thing for me to do, to keep silent. I’ve always been a little on the outspoken side. I was shy and quiet until I had to take a Speech class in high school. Once I learned how to speak in front of people, I’ve had a hard time trying to shut up (can you tell?). It was a good reminder, at any point. When you stop talking and start listening, it’s amazing the things you will learn. Even if it’s not my strong point, I am reminded that it’s something I can improve on.

Over the last week or so, I have struggled with the fact that not everyone’s opinion will agree with my own. It drives me crazy when I know the truth and people who are disagreeing are either uninformed or just plain wrong. There’s a lot of deceit in this world, and in that sense nothing has changed since Eve took the fruit from the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and Adam didn’t step up and say no when it was offered to him. Ever wonder how that would’ve turned out if he had? Boy, those men really would have had something to gloat about!

I like to stay informed, and do so by reading the news on CNN.com and other political and news-oriented websites. When there’s a story worth commenting on, I am usually one to comment (yes, did I say outspoken?), via Mixx (If you’d like to add me to your friends list on Mixx, my user name is Sandi_K). Often when the discussion turns toward religion, I can’t help but to say my piece. Usually, I am countered by someone who’s either agnostic or atheist. I can always argue until they are blue in the face; but then I remember Proverbs 9:7-8 that reads,

7 "Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
8 Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you”.

It may be useless, but I always hope that if anything, my words to them will be seeds of faith planted, an instrument for the Holy Spirit to grow faith in the heart of an unbeliever. It was troubling me, to a certain extent, how hardened the hearts of people can be. Whether through some experience with a hypocrite or overly aggressive evangelist, most non-Christians have had some sort of prior exposure to something that has turned them off and made them shut their hearts down to God. Otherwise, it’s a complacency that has overcome them – just accepting life as it comes and wondering why God would allow bad things to happen instead of asking Him, and actively listening for His answer.

This morning, a thought just occurred to me out of the blue; during that moment when the dream you’d been having starts to shift into that half-awake state where you’re actually conscious enough to realize that the alarm has been going off for the last five minutes and the dogs are whining to be let out. The thought that came to me was about Paul. I am referring to Paul in the New Testament, who had once been Saul. He was the self-described biggest enemy of the early church. He not only persecuted early Christians, he held the cloaks of those men who stoned Stephen to death. There was nothing he wanted more than to enforce The Law – the very Law the Pharisees and Sadducees attempted to follow to the letter; the same people whom Jesus referred to as “white-washed tombs”. Whitewashed and holy in outward appearance, they were full of death and decay on the inside. Saul was probably the biggest enemy of the church, until God called him.

When that call came, he had no choice but to follow. He had been struck blind – in an age where there would be no Seeing Eye dog to help him, no Social Security to pay his bills, and had there been anyone to sue for the blindness, that wouldn’t have happened, either. He was basically at the mercy of God and the people he would encounter. For a man with his track record to be left totally vulnerable must have been a huge shock to Saul. The only thing he could do was to trust in the God whom he’d fought against tooth and nail, the God who spoke to him directly, and asked, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”

He was shown mercy, not only by the God whom he’d assaulted, but also by the very people who he would have just as soon put to death only a short time before. Paul’s account of this is in Acts, chapter 22.

That’s what I will be constantly reminding myself of, especially when faced with the occasional argumentative atheist. As a Lutheran woman, it is not my place to preach; I am just sharing what I’ve learned and how I’ve gotten through things with the help of God’s Word. Although I will take advantage of every chance I get to defend my belief in Jesus Christ, I do not believe that preaching is one of the roles God wants me to play on this earth. It is very clear that this is a job for the men – we are created differently, and even though there are plenty of women out there who could do a great job of it, that’s just not what God’s plan is. In my own opinion, there are plenty of men out there who aren’t stepping up to fill their God-given role as spiritual leaders in their own homes. It can be hard for a wife to lead in all arenas, even if she’s capable – so men, bring your kids & wives to church! Kids especially need to see a strong male role model who will positively impact their relationship with the Lord and lead by example! The men in this photo are my Uncle Trueman and my cousin, Doug. They are both what I call Real Men. They both put the Lord at the head of their families, and lead by example. Both got up extra early to milk cows before going to church on Sunday morning, making sure every family member could attend. These are the things that matter. Football can wait – set the VCR or TiVo or whatever you have to record, if you really have to see that game. Please don’t allow the time you spend reading my blog to take the place of going to church, because there’s more to it than just showing up and putting in face time in the pew. I hope anyone who reads this will be given food for thought, and will be encouraged to read his or her Bible to see what I’m writing about. I love discussions, and I love this subject, so feel free to comment – even if you don’t agree. I’d love to change your mind.

The Dirty Little Secret

2009-04-07T12:11:00.000-05:00

The last post calls for more info. I catch myself sometimes, getting up on the soapbox, wanting to scream to the world about all of the imperfections I see, and why does it all continue when everyone seems to agree that these sins are horrible?

When I refer to my “writing background”, I am referring to various classes I’ve taken in high school and college, articles I’ve read in Writer’s Digest, my own amateur writing experiences, and, most importantly, what I’ve learned from reading – voraciously. One thing I have learned from “my writing background” is that one must involve the reader in the background of your characters and/or storyline to a point where they will understand the context of the story. I wrote the last post, venting about all the horrible things I’m seeing in my community. It goes much deeper than that, though – and it really strikes a nerve.

The first item in my last post, about the murder/suicide in Big Lake, never made it on the national news. While everyone in town will agree that it was a horrible thing that happened, it is unlikely that no one else (national media) will pick up this story because the family affected by it is not one that has been touched by the glamour and fame of Hollywood or the music industry.

Domestic abuse happens to far more people than the statistics will show, because there are many cases that will never be reported. If you’d like to learn more about those stats, the American Bar Association has some on their website:

http://www.abanet.org/domviol/statistics.html#prevalence

I personally have been a victim of domestic abuse. At this time I do not care to share any details about that here, as it is a very personal issue for me to write about so openly. It's my own dirty little secret. Maybe someday that will change. All I will say about my personal experience with this is that there is a lot of denial involved; people (not just women) who have been subjected to domestic violence often believe things will get better. Sadly enough, they don’t always get better, and too often end violently.

Do violent crimes need to happen to famous people in order to raise awareness? It’s a sad state of affairs, if that’s the case. The Rhianna/Chris Brown case wouldn’t have made the news if they lived in Big Lake, either:

http://www.mixx.com/stories/4568445/chris_brown_in_intense_plea_dealing_over_rihanna_beating

Sorry – I just had to share the background so people know where I’m coming from. What does it take for people to open their eyes? If Chris Brown had killed her, instead of just hitting her, he probably would’ve gotten off scot-free like OJ, and his record sales would have increased.
One more reason to look forward to heaven!

Love the Sinner & Hate the Sin... Not Impossible, Just Difficult!

2009-04-07T10:48:00.000-05:00

I will have to find some more pretty pictures for you to make up for this post! I apologize in advance!

OK. I want to know what the h-e-double-hockey-sticks is going on in my small town. March 28, 6:30 am, I roll out of bed, throw on a pair of sweatpants and my Carhartt to drive the 10-minute trip to a local church to pick up my 16-year-old son from a youth group lock-in. The main road I take into town, Eagle Lake Road, has been blocked off with police cars, lights flashing, and officers standing in the road. Of course I just took a left turn and re-routed my short trip. On our return, the road block was still in place, leaving us with a sense of dread – generally accidents don’t take too long to clean up in our sleepy town; minor fender-benders typically get towed to the local repair shop only a few blocks away, and we have several local and county law enforcement always nearby. Later on, around 10:30 or so, my youngest son commented about the sound of a helicopter above our house; we don’t hear those often, and when we do it’s typically from a local hospital. Around noon, a woman came to our house with her two young boys, to look at the puppies we have up for adoption. When I spoke with her on the phone, I mentioned the roadblock, in case she was to get turned around. When she arrived, she mentioned that she was able to get through, but there was yellow crime scene tape still around a house on the corner.

We found out that evening on the news that there had been a “domestic dispute” between the woman who lived in the house and her boyfriend/husband – whichever – and when her adult son stepped in to stop the fight, the man shot him in the head. What on earth?!? Here’s the link to our local newspaper’s report on the incident:

http://www.westsherburnetribune.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=62&ArticleID=13221

On Friday, April 3rd I was coming home from work, hoping to make it to my two older boys’ track meet in time to see them compete, when I was re-routed 15 miles out of my way because of this accident:

LOCAL NEWS
THE SHERBURNE COUNTY SHERIFF'S Dept. and emergency vehicles responded to a two-car collision on Co. Rd. 5 just north of Lions Park in Big Lake Twp. at 3 p.m. Thursday. Details were not available at press time. (Photo by Ken Francis.)

Needless to say, I never made it to the track meet. The following day, I learned from my kids (word travels fast through the high school) that a kid who had been smoking while driving dropped his lit cigarette. He bent over to pick up the smoke, and when he came back up, noticed too late that there was another vehicle – right in front of him. Lucky for both of those kids, God was watching over them. One boy was able to walk away, and the other only ended up with a broken leg or something relatively minor.

There was yet another accident, yesterday evening, same road. I have no details on that one, except that it involved a small black SUV and a gold minivan. A neighbor who had walked down to the end of her block to see what had happened told us that there had been a baby in one of the vehicles, who had just been taken away by helicopter, and that the family members in both of the other vehicles had to be taken away by ambulance.

Of course, this all happened after I was nearly sideswiped by some guy in an over-sized testosterone mobile (you know, the big 4x4 trucks with tires the size of a house – someone must be compensating, hmm?). He was talking on a cell phone, rummaging around for something, and probably brushing his teeth all at the same time. After I got in front of him, I looked back – all I could see of him was a head bobbing back and forth & up and down like some sort of squirrel on meth.

Some people make it really difficult to love the sinner & hate the sin! I pray more people pull their heads out of places they don't belong before we get out motorcycles out of storage!

I Couldn't Resist...

2009-04-03T16:39:00.001-05:00

Spring Sprung 1
Originally uploaded by quiksilver_ice

This was so pretty I had to add another shot of green, with a gorgeous tulip - so springy!

The Green Stream #3

2009-04-03T15:42:00.001-05:00

The Green Stream #3
Originally uploaded by BamaWester

This photo is really green! After a long winter, I can't wait to see things like this up close - but for now a photo will have to do.

Green Pastures

2009-04-02T14:15:00.000-05:00

Psalm 23 (New International Version)
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me
beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my
enemies. You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the
days of my life, and I will dwell in the
house of the LORD forever.

Ok - I think you all get the picture that I'm done with winter. I started looking through some of my old photos; thinking today would be a good day to start my “green” theme. The picture above is one of my favorite places in the world. This pasture was where my sister and cousins and I spent a lot of time when we were young; I know my cousins did a lot of work out there when my uncle farmed the place, and in the summers when we came to visit it was where my cousin Lori and I ran through tall grass and mud, finding painted turtles and frogs.

It’s been about 4 years now since this picture was taken. Before that day, I hadn’t been to the farm for almost 20 years. Since that day, I haven’t been back. This land was in my aunt’s family for generations. I believe her mother, gone several years ago now, was born there. I know my cousins’ grandparents owned the place, and I believe their great-grandparents had, too. My aunt and uncle moved to a home on a lake years ago, and sold the farmhouse. They kept some land, and the parcel in the picture above is the last part of it to go up for sale. I laughed when my uncle told me it was selling as “lake shore” property; the slough was so weedy and shallow you could hardly row a boat across it. In the winter it would freeze all the way through to the bottom, so ice fishing was definitely out of the question. I remember trying to wade in it once when I was about 9 years old. The bottom was so mucky I nearly got stuck; once free of the black sticky mud it was time to do a mad search between the toes for leeches.

A trip to the farm for a weekend was never long enough. Longer stays were much more fun. My dad would get up early with my uncle to go milk cows, and if I arose early enough, I would get to sit on Dad’s lap and drink a cup of coffee with lots of sugar and fresh cream. Before long, they would come back in with a big metal pitcher full of milk for the day’s use; by then pretty much everyone else was up and moving around.

After all of the chores were done for the day we did a lot of fun things together. When we were all there, we had enough people to play softball by the bean field. Other times we would hop in the car and drive to one of the many nearby lakes and catch sunfish all day. At night, sometimes we would go to town to roller-skate. Little towns can be very resourceful when they need to be. The roller rink in this town was located upstairs from the funeral parlor. I always thought that was pretty funny.

In today’s society, with so many people moving from one place to another so frequently, it seems like we’re missing out on having a “family home” to go home to. At least I think I am. The house I grew up in was sold in 1989, the year before I got married. My mother also remarried in 1990. I’ve tried to get along with my stepfather, thinking at least we could have a civil relationship; I doubt if that will ever happen. I haven’t spoken to my mom in over two years. I guess it’s true when “they” say you can never go home.

Psalm 27:3-5 (New International Version)
3 Though
an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.
4 One thing I ask of
the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.