Christmas shopping

well i finally started christmas shopping last friday and it happened...

i lost my shopping mojo.

it happened the moment i walked through the doors at target. it was gone and there was NOTHING i could do about it. never in my life have i had such trouble shopping for anything. i had an easier time buying presents the christmas that i was dead broke and literally had nothing to buy gifts with.

the only people i knew what to buy for were pollyannas who had given me gift ideas.

i have to shop again today and i am dreading it! never in my life have i dreaded shopping.

the fact that christmas is on a monday this year is messing with my head. it doesn't matter that it is always on the 25th of december, when it falls on or right after a sunday it's as if there is one less week to get anything done.

but i am dreading the cleaning even more. last week i did my annual spring cleaning. forget the fact that it's now winter. i always spring clean right before the holidays. of course i only got the 1st floor done. that means that the second floor is a disaster. the pobble will be here on the 22nd and her room is a storage bin. now she assured me that was fine... but unless i get moving she will be reenacting that first christmas when there was no room at the inn except that i don't have a stable out back for her to crash in.

ok, i'm done complaining. time to get in the shower and get to work!

God's peace y'all

lost cats and dead plants

last week i noticed that one of the kitties was missing. we have 2: cinderella and jasmine. they are pretty antisocial and so i don't pay too much attention to their whereabouts on a daily basis. but it had suddenly occurred to me that while jasmine was "around" cinderella wasn't.

at first i thought maybe she was just hiding, but at night, when they are most active and most often together, jasmine was by herself.

i started to worry that i was going to find a dead kitty or that suddenly a pregnant kitty would show up at my door. neither are fixed, but neither have ever shown any interest in going outside for any reason.

i didn't want to tell the princess kitty, but after day 3 she heard us talking and it couldn't be avoided.

and then hubby heard mewing. we followed the sound to the attic and there she was. i can't wait to discover what she used as a litter box up there.

so the cat was alive and found... the plants in my kitchen, which were never missing... are now dead. apparently i over-watered the sage hanging over my sink and another set of plants on one of the windowsills. they had hung outside on my porch, but when the weather got cold i moved them inside, but continued to water them as i had watered them when they were on the porch.

i knew the sage wasn't going to make it. it was just a matter of time before i gave up on it, but as of last night the others looked healthy and beautiful. this morning they were wilted over the sides of the planter.

of course i had just said to someone last night that i was impressed with myself for even having plants. it's been awhile since i've been able to grow anything inside and i'm only partially successful outside.

at least i have some clippings from the ones that died overnight that i can replant and this time... i think i'll keep them a little thirstier.

God's peace and green thumbs y'all

postsecret

i always go to postsecret.com every sunday to read the new postcards. if you have never been there before it is sadly beautiful.

this was the first one this week. (no, he's not the silent prince... but it certainly made me think of him.)

God's peace y'all

9:01PM

so i had to make an ice cream run for the princess kitty and her sleepover friend last night. it was about 8:45 when walking out the door hubby asked me to make it a beer run as well. "hurry," he told me "because you can't buy beer in the market after 9PM".

at the store i grabbed a cart and threw in a 12 pack of something or other and a 6 pack of something else and trotted down the ice cream aisle to get some fudgsicles.

i heard the announcement that it was time to close up the beer area, but i had mine in my cart already and i had a few minutes to spare. i decided i wanted some pita bread and hummus for a snack and got into the only line open behind 2 very full carts.

another cashier opened for another man with a few items and i snuck behind him and put my beer up on the conveyer only to be told by the cashier that by the time she would ring me up it the register would probably not let her sell me the beer. "go to customer service quick and see if she can do it."

so i take off for customer service where i also wind up in line. by the time she scans my beer it is 9:01 and it will not scan.

now... it's just beer, but come on! i had it in my cart and i was in line before 9:00. and because i had to wait in line i can't buy it!

oh, but i can go out to a bar drink all the beer i want and try to make my way home. but, if i want to buy beer to drink safely in my home... forget it!

one minute... one stinking minute...

ah well...

God's peace y'all

world AIDS day

december first (today) is world AIDS day. the princess kitty is having a sleep-over, the silent prince came home from school and passed out asleep, i have 2 meetings tomorrow, the bishop is coming to visit on sunday, there is an ordination sunday afternoon i need to attend, and i have a funeral first thing monday morning, which means that...

i have no time to write about a topic near and dear to me. so i will say this quickly... please remember all those whose lives have been affected by AIDS, use a condom... EVERYTIME... and pray for an end to this terrible disease.

God's peace and healing y'all

SHE'S BACK!

well, i lost everything on my hard drive, but my 'puter is back!

i have stuff at work that i can transfer... so i haven't lost everything. guess i need to invest in some disks to save my stuff from now on.

but i'm back... and just in time too. i was going through wicked withdrawl.

God's peace y'all...

and pobble... IM ME PLEASE!!!

NOOOOOOO!!!!

my 'puter has crashed!

it is now in the hands of God and a guy named scott who can hopefully fix it.

please pray for my baby.

God's peace y'all

"this isn't my first rodeo"

... has become hubby's new favorite quote. funny, since the person to first speak it was george w at a press conference where he informed the nation that donald rumsfeld was being replaced by robert gates.

i forget what the question was that got this particular answer, only that hubby and i were watching when it came out of the president's mouth and it made us laugh. if nothing else, the president supplies some funny lines.

i suppose that i watch the daily show with jon stewart too much since now, whenever i hear the president say anything, i hear stewart's voice in my head giving a running commentary.

george w: "and i say to the people of iraq: do not be afraid."
jon stewart's voice in my head: "that's for the american people, not those who have bombs going off on a daily basis in their backyards..."

sigh

so i received several comments on my prayer at yesterday's veteran's day celebration. i appreciate the positive words. for some reason i was actually nervous about the whole thing. i suppose it was because the first draft of the prayer (which i did in my head) was pretty political. in the end i decided that it wasn't a day for me to be political, but thankful for those people who wear the uniform of a soldier.

the key note speach was delivered by a police officer who had served in afghanistan after 9/11. he began by saying he wasn't a public speaker, but he did a fine job.

one thing he said, which has been weighing on me, is that it is important for those currently serving to believe that the american people support the mission that they are doing. i found it an interesting statement because all along i had said that i don't support this war... haven't from the beginning, but that i have tremendous respect and gratitude for those who are fighting it.

in other words, i am one of those who likes to say that i support the troops, but not the war and what he said was... that just doesn't work.

except the word he said wasn't "war" it was "mission."

i take what this man said to heart, because he was a soldier and i am not. he has been in combat, i have not, nor do i ever want to be either.

so i've begun to ask myself: do i support this mission?

and i can't bring myself to say yes and that frustrates and angers me. somewhere along the line, if i give credence to his words, my ability to support american soldiers has been taken away from me. i can't support them because i don't support this mission.

i never agreed with the decision to go to war; i don't agree with how we have fought this war; and i don't agree with the decisions on how we equipped (or didn't) those fighting this war in iraq.

there aren't enough troops, they don't have the right kind of equipment, and they are fighting against an enemy willing to blow themselves up for the good of their cause. how can we win?

and can i really support the people who are fighting now when i cannot support the mission?

i don't have any answers. i hope and pray that bob gates does.

i do know that i am still thankful beyond any words i could articulate for the men and women who have put themselves in harm's way because they serve in our military. it is because of them that i enjoy the freedoms i do. but i can't support what they are doing in iraq. and while i am not one to place blame or one to shirk responsibility i can't help but believe that it isn't their fault or mine that i feel this way.

and so the rodeo goes on...

God's peace y'all

thanks

i had the priveledge of being asked to do the invocation (or opening prayer) at the veterans's day festivities in town today. when i arrived at the place where i thought i we were all supposed to gather i was told that the parade was first and then the ceremony i was involved in would take place.

it wasn't quite what i had been told, so i took off, in my high heels, down the main street to find where the parade was going to begin. once i found them i asked a police officer where i should go and he suggested i join the parade. i told him i felt funny doing that since i had never served in the armed forces, but he encouraged me to join the other dignitaries so i did.

so i wound up marching with the veterans and the politicans who had shown up for the day. (in my high heels).

this was the prayer i offered:

Let us pray,

O God, today we give you thanks for brave men and women throughout the history of our country.

We give you thanks for those who yearned for the ideal of liberty and independence.

We give you thanks for those who struggled to keep a divided country united.

We give you thanks for those who stood against the desires of madmen and their bloody solutions.

We give you thanks for those who answered the call to serve on foreign soil in nations divided by civil war.

We give you thanks for those who came home unappreciated and scorned.

We give you thanks for those who were captured by our enemies and those who were lost and remain missing, but not forgotten.

We give you thanks for those who give aid to our allies, for those who fight to protect not just Americans but people of all nations, for those who wear a uniform many of us can not.

We give you thanks for those who have paid the ultimate sacrifices so that the ideals of liberty, independence, freedom, and justice are not just ideals we hope for, but realities we live.

We give you thanks, O God, for our veterans who have given of themselves in times of peace and in times of conflict.

We lift them up to you and ask for your blessing on them and on this day of remembrance.

And we pray for a world of such peace that their work and courage will never have been in vain.

Amen.

and God's peace y'all

vote early and vote often

and i might just vote again on the 11th too...

a day that will live in infamy

first of all, my mother-in-law always reads my blog (hi mom!) and while she doesn't post responses here she does often comment about what i wrote.

and so i got the email reminding me that we vote on december 7th, not the 11th.

so please don't go to the polls on the 11th...

wasn't it dan quail who made the mistake about the anniversary of d-day? suddenly he doesn't seem so stupid to me anymore... of course i was sick when i wrote my last blog...

God's peace y'all... and don't forget to vote (on the right day of course.)

you can't complain if you don't...

VOTE

my dad has been pushing a particular candidate to hubby and me; he's a person we've already decided to vote for so he can stop now. the other night, hubby got roped into a phone poll from the other candidate and when asked why we were voting the way we were told the pollster that our candidate didn't make him want to vomit the way the other candidate did.

and the pollster typed it all down.

then today i stopped by dondon009 who had this on his blog:

Dear Friend,

It's come down to this. After months of hard work and big hopes, we've got seven days left to change America - seven days to affirm our belief in better days ahead.

In seven days, voters across America will have the opportunity to vote for the America we dream of - to vote for a change in Washington that will allow our government to start working for the people it represents.

It's a change that means renewed efforts to make health care affordable and available for all Americans.

It's a change that means the oil companies won't be writing our energy policy so we'll have a chance for real energy independence in this country.

It's a change that means a new Iraq policy so that we can change course and start bringing our troops home.

All of this - and more, is possible - but only if you show up and VOTE.

If you stay home, and don't demand change with the power of your VOTE, we'll face two more years of the same failed leadership and the same failed course.

We can do better. We must do better.

It's this easy:

Exercise your right to VOTE.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Barack Obama

i don't like to publicly endorse candidates or a political party, but i will say this: if you don't vote you can't complain.

my parents always took my brother and me with them when they voted. i loved the idea of going into that curtained booth with them and helping them to pull the lever. i couldn't wait to turn 18 and be given the chance to go into that booth by myself.

i turned 18 right before a presidential campaign... my candidate lost, but i remember feeling like i had been part of a very important process none-the-less.

i plan on taking the princess kitty with me on the 11th so that she can have that same experience when she grows up. it won't be the first time that she's been in a voting booth and i will do my best to make certain it's not the last.

please take the time to vote next tuesday. if you haven't registered to vote then do it now, even if it means you can't vote until the next set of elections. this country is great for so many reasons, but won't remain so if we become apathetic to who serves in public office.

i won't say that i don't care who you vote for, the fact is i do... i just won't tell you who to vote for... and to vote!

trust me... it feels great!

God's peace y'all

happy halloween

you can find more of mike's cartoons here.

this one came from my uncle.

God's peace y'all and a happy samhain

calgon, take me away...

remember that commercial? i don't remember ever using calgon, but i remember the feeling that it promoted of relaxation and bubbles. ahhh...

both the kids are sick; the green snot, fever, and coughing kind of sick so it's only a matter of time before hubby and i give into the aches we are feeling.

and just in time for halloween too. the princess kitty missed trick-or-treating last year because she was sick. i don't know how we'll handle the disappointment if we have a repeat tomorrow.

i made both their costumes. the princess kitty is going to be (are you aready for this?) a fairy cat. (her idea) and the silent prince is going as his favorite food: a slice of apple. after working so hard on the costumes i hope they get to wear them. at least the princess kitty went to a halloween party at the ymca yesterday so she had the chance to meow and flap her fairy wings.

the good news is that the new church secretary started today. she's wonderful and i'm looking forward to feeling like someone else can staff the office. it's been over a month since the last secretary up and quit without warning. at least she left the password for the computer...

and i'm trying to take some of the afternoon off. after working 8 straight days i need a break. the time change was wonderful sunday morning, but now it's starting to wear on me. i climbed into bed at 11:00 last night... but really it was 12 and then it took an hour to fall asleep... so i was up until midnight, but really it was 1am.

and that's all i have to say, but at least i said something...

God's peace y'all

she took the words right out of my mouth

i haven't had lots of time to blog or read anyone else's blog lately. the church secretary up and quit about 3+ weeks ago without any notice and i've been pulling double duty ever since. (the good news is that we've had one really great interview and have 3 more scheduled next week... )
but today, i decided to take a look at abb's blog (she's first in my alphabetized list of favorites) and read this and decided it was well worth giving you all a link and then a thought... what if it had said this:

John 13:34
"Jesus said, 'I give you a new commandment, that you tolerate one another. Just as I have tolerated you, you also should tolerate one another.'"

God's peace y'all

our hero

uncle jefro raised $200 in his name towards autism.

this past weekend we travelled to see hubby's family and i got permission to put his picture up on the blog.

and i got to say a big THANK YOU to him.

if you are looking for something to watch on tv this sunday check out night of too many stars on comedy central.

and this friday, hubby and i will go to the fencing company to see about fencing in our backyard so that the silent prince can play outside without our worry that he'll run away if we turn our heads. this, because of the money that was raised at the children's cabaret last month equalled almost $3,000.

wanna donate somehow? you can go here.

God's peace, y'all

Jesus loves the little Children

finally, i've posted two sermons on the sermon site.

both are about children.

God's peace y'all!

except the first time i was saddam

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

You Are Surrealism

Dreamy and idealistic, you've created a world that is all your own. It's very likely that you've either dabbled in drugs or are naturally trippy. You are always trying to push beyond the boundaries of your culture and society. You believe that art, love, and freedom can change the world.

What Art Movement Are You?

What Your Soul Really Looks Like
You are very passionate and quite temperamental. While you can be moody, you always crave comfort.

You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. You feet may be on the ground, but you're head is in the clouds.

You believe that people see you for how you are, not how you look. But deep down, you know that's not exactly true.

Your near future is still unknown, and a little scary. You'll get through wild times - and you'll textually enjoy it.

and finally...

You May Be a Bit Borderline...

Your mood swings make a roller coaster look tame! When you're up, you're a little bit crazy... And when you're down, your whole world is crashing Scary thing is, these moods can change by the minute!

What Personality Disorder Are You?

God's peace y'all

I DID IT! or potty-mouth

I GOT THE SILENT PRINCE TO GO PEE-PEE ON THE POTTY TWICE NOW!!!

yeah, it's good enough news to share in caps.

God's peace y'all

be our guest

back in june, the congregation i serve had a big celebration to commemorate all that we had gone through and accomplished with the lead project. as a side note, the silent prince's lead levels are now: blood level 39 (too low to treat, but close) and body burden: 70 (that's down from over 500.) i asked my mom if she would ask some people, from her congregation, who were musically inclined, if they might be willing to come and bring their talents to the service.


my mom has the ability to get people to do things and this time was no exception. she brought along a flutist and a soloist named kristen huffman.

apparently kristen was pretty moved by the whole service, especially hubby's sermon and later on mom told me she wanted to do a benefit for the silent prince. i have to say that i was a bit confused... did she want to do a benefit for the silent prince, the congregation or the lead clinic at yale (where the donations from the service were sent)?

then, a little over a month ago, mom and dad informed us we had to keep last saturday's date open because kristen and their organist bill, had organized a children's cabaret to raise money for the prince.

the cabaret would cater to children; the waiters and waitresses carried around trays of food, including chicken nuggets and juic boxes, and entertained tables by singing songs from disney movies. the performers, mostly children and teens, played the piano, sang songs, and performed musical numbers from children's shows. the room was decorated with white lights and balloons and each table was strewn with lollipops and fruit snacks.

kristen and her cohost for the evening, a 12 year old girl, dressed up like belle from beauty and the beast and asked all the young performers what they wanted to be when they grew up. the opening number was the song from the movie: "be our guest."

what none of them knew before hand was that it is one of the prince's favorite movies and when they sang the song to him there was such recognition on his face...

i could easily have called this post "the kindness of strangers." about half of the people there were members of my parents' church, but the rest were family of the performers and didn't know us.

about half-way through the caberet kristen asked us to say a little bit about the prince and our situation. not to be left out of the spotlight the princess kitty stood next to me and helped explain what life was like with a child who was autistic. (btw, she wants to be a ballet teacher.)

the princess and i explained how we'd like to have a fence built in our backyard so that the prince can play outside (which he LOVES to do) without fear that he will run out into the street if we turn our head for a moment (he's done it before, the quick little bugger).

the other day, mom called and said: build the fence. the caberet had raised $2,800.

$2,800! i was floored and it's been until now that i could get up off the floor and write about it.

so we are building a fence and who knows what with what's left over. i feel filled with possibilities.

on the way home from the cabaret that night, hubby and i agreed that we really didn't care about the money. it was the fact that so many people, many of them strangers, had offered us such support... such amazing support.

and i am so grateful.

God's peace y'all