Rhonda's Ramblings

Create a Sunny Day Rule and other activities - FamilyEducation.com

2010-07-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

Create a Sunny Day Rule and other activities - FamilyEducation.com

Do You Appreciate What's Around You?

2010-07-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007:

He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later:The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.
6 minutes:A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes:A 3 year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time.
This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.

45 minutes:The musician played. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while.

About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32.

1 hour:He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. (It might hurt his ego that he only made $32 for 45 minutes)

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be:If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ....How many other things are we missing?

We live in an awesome world. Make it an awesome day.

It's true - check out the full story at snopes (the number 1 place to go when you get a forwarded email and you wonder if it is true). http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/bell.asp

Winner!

2010-07-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

Anonymous said...
I like Mr White Guy he looks like he is smiling with a bit of mischief in his eye. Plus the contrast between the dark background and his cool white color just makes him really really fun to look at. It needs a caption at the bottom right (I like a good laugh)
July 13, 2010 9:07 AM

Please Help Me! Pick your favorite photo

2010-07-09T09:54:00.001-07:00

I want to enter my friend Taberah's photo contest, but can't decide on which one entry to submit. Faithful readers, please leave a comment telling me your favorite pic. I will have a random drawing on Thursday, July 15th at 4 pm PST, from all of the comments, and one reader will win a surprise gift from me. Thanks! :)

Number 1 - Disneyland Castle at Night

Number 2 - Easter Pals

Number 3 - Fountain

Number 4 - Australian Bearded Dragon

Number 5 - Venetian Court Fountain

Number 6- Scabiosa (Pincushion) Flowers

Number 7 - Mr. White Guy

Andy

2010-07-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

Rasta dies and goes to Heaven.

He is at the Pearly Gates and is met by St. Peter himself. But the gates are closed as Ras approaches the gatekeeper..St. Peter said, 'Well, You seem to be in the wrong place as I don't seem to have you on my list, but as there is such a crowd behind you and it would cause such a disruption, I will give you an entrance examination - if you pass it, I will let you in. The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven.'

Fair enough sais the dread - I sure hope that the test ain't too hard. Life was a big enough test as it was .'

St. Peter continued, 'Yes, I know, but the test is only three questions. Here they are:
First: What two days of the week begin with the letter T?
That one is easy. That would be Today and Tomorrow.'
The Saint's eyes opened wide and he exclaimed, that is not what I was thinking, but you do have a point, and I guess I did not specify, so I will give you credit for that answer.
Second: How many seconds are there in a year? asked St. Peter.
How many seconds in a year? Now that one is harder,' replied ras, 'but I think about that, and I guess the only answer can be twelve.'
Astounded, St. Peter said, 'Twelve? how in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?'
Well it got to be twelve he replied: January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd....
'Hold it,' interrupts St. Peter. 'I see where you are going with this, and I see your point, though that was not quite what I had in mind....but I will have to give you credit for that one, too.
Third: What is God's first name?'
well'Sure,' he replied with a big grin . . 'it's Andy..'
'Andy?' exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St Peter. 'Ok, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you come up with the name Andy as the first name of God?'

'Shucks, that was the easiest one of all,' Whenever I went to church I would hear them sing "ANDY WALKS WITH ME, ANDY TALKS WITH ME, ANDY TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN."

St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates, and said: 'Run, man, run!!!'

Wherefore we pray Lord, Give me a sense of humor, Give me the ability to understand a clean joke, To get some humor out of life, And to pass it on to other folks !

An Honor To Serve, A Tribute

2010-06-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Ray Boltz - Fallen Not Forgotten

2010-05-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

When Do I Shift Gears?

2010-05-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

May is bike month! If you're a newbie to cycling, you may not know what that means... basically, the month of May is set aside to encourage people to bicycle to work, run errands, and for recreation. Not only is it good exercise, but it also helps save the environment! :) Anyway, although I've had my bicycle for over 10 years, I really don't know "how" to ride. While I was searching online for when to shift gears/speeds on my bike, I found this article which was really helpful for me. Maybe it will help answer your question about "why does a bicycle need 21 speeds anyway?"

My God Is Real

2010-04-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

Terry Warren sings "I Remember Calvary" from his new album "Amazing Love"

2010-04-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

Free President's Day Homeschooling Curriculum

2010-02-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

CurrClick is one of my favorite sites for inexpensive home-schooling literature. They have a nice set available for FREE this week.

Presidents' Day Holiday HelperFrom Living Books Curriculum
Presidents' Day Holiday Helper is a short collections of high-quality literature, artwork and quotations which are easy to use during busy holidays; each one is designed to provide your children with uplifting and inspiring ideas and images. Read aloud and enjoy the stories. Encourage the practice of copywork and enjoy the study of great art of both Lincoln and Washington.
Picture Study:Portrait of George WashingtonGeorge Washington Crossing the DelawareAbraham Lincoln Reading to His Son TadAbe ReadingAbe the Rail Splitter
Copywork:Famous Quotes of George WashingtonFamous Quotes of Abraham Lincoln
Stories:The Cherry TreeAbe Lincoln Gets His Chance

Beware of Terrorist Groups in Church

2010-01-29T15:27:00.000-08:00

I received this as a forwarded email message from a dear friend, but liked it so much, I wanted to share it with all of you. ...

Have a blessed weekend, and make sure you're in the right "group" in your church. :)

Latest news reports are that five terrorist cell groups have been operating in many of our churches. They have been identified as: Bin Sleepin, Bin Arguin, Bin Fightin, Bin Complainin, and Bin Missin.

Their leader, Lucifer Bin Workin, trained these groups to destroy the Body of Christ. The plan is to come into the church disguised as Christians and to work within the church to discourage, disrupt, and destroy.

However, there have been reports of a sixth group. A tiny cell known by the name Bin Prayin is actually the only effective counter terrorism force in the church. Unlike other terrorist cells, the Bin Prayin team does not blend in with whoever and whatever comes along.

Bin Prayin does whatever is needed to uplift and encourage the Body of Christ. We have noticed that the Bin Prayin cell group has different characteristics than the others. They have Bin Watchin, Bin Waitin, Bin Fastin, and Bin Longin for their Master, Jesus Christ to return.

NO CHURCH IS EXEMPT!

(However, you can spot them if you bin lookin and bin goin.)

The Christmas Orange

2009-12-14T10:30:00.001-08:00

I just found this story (along with a plan for a family night activity) here.

The Christmas Orange

I'd like to tell you a story my grandmother told me when I was six or seven years old. We had gone to her home for Thanksgiving dinner and the drive was rather a long one. I had filled the time with making a list of all the things that I wanted for Christmas that year.

Later that evening after I was ready for bed, I showed the list to my grandmother. After she read it, she said, "My goodness, that really is a long list!" Then she picked me up and set me on her lap in the big rocking chair and told me this story:

"Once there was a little girl who came to live in an orphanage in Denmark" (Now my grandmother was from Denmark, so this story might even be true.) "As Christmas time grew near, all of the other children began telling the little girl about the beautiful Christmas tree that would appear in the huge downstairs hall on Christmas morning. After their usual, very plain breakfast, each child would be given their one and only Christmas gift; small, single orange."
At this point I looked up at my grandmother in disbelief, but she assured me that was all each child would receive for Christmas.

"Now the headmaster of the orphanage was very stern and he thought Christmas to be a bother. So on Christmas Eve, when he caught the little girl creeping down the stairs to catch a peek at the much-heard-of Christmas tree, he sharply declared that the little girl would not receive her Christmas orange because she had been so curious as to disobey the rules. The little girl ran back to her room broken-hearted and crying at her terrible fate."

"The next morning as the other children were going down to breakfast, the little girl stayed in her bed. She couldn't stand the thought of seeing the others receive their gift when there would be none for her."

"Later, as the children came back upstairs, the little girl was surprised to be handed a napkin. As she carefully opened it, there to her disbelief was an orange all peeled and sectioned."

"How could this be?" she asked.

"It was then that she found how each child had taken one section from their orange and given it to her so that she, too, would have a Christmas orange."

How I loved this story! I would ask my grandmother to tell it to me over and over as I grew up. Every Christmas, as I pull a big, juicy orange from my stocking, I think of this story. What an example of the true meaning of Christmas those orphan children displayed that Christmas morning. How I wish the world, as a whole would display that same kind of Christ-like concern for others, not just at Christmas, but throughout the year.

My Husband Is an Overbearing Jerk … and I’m a Pouty Little Snot

2009-11-23T09:49:00.001-08:00

This is a really good article that I just read from Family Life. Check it out. :)

P.S. My husband isn't an overbearing jerk, but he does have his faults, just as I have mine. I am thankful for my husband - like the song says that was sung at our wedding... I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars; He sure knew what He was doing when He joined these two hearts.

The Family Room archives - FamilyLife.com

Posted using ShareThis

K-Love's "Making a World of Difference Campaign" OR "Thank You, Pastor!"

2009-11-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

This week, our local radio station, KLOVE, is having a contest in which they ask you to share your story about the first person who truly let you know "Jesus Loves You." Below is the story I submitted.

Although many Sunday school teachers were instrumental in teaching me "Jesus Loves Me," I would have to give honor today to my current Pastor, Kenneth Sullivan. Pastor Sullivan truly lives his life in a Christ-like manner. He is merciful and compassionate, and strives to teach his church to be the same. He is always preaching the power of the cross and forgiveness, stating that although most everything in this life will fail us, the power of the cross can never fail. Since being under his leadership, I have noticed that I am more compassionate and merciful. If someone treats me badly, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. I am so thankful for the mercies of Christ which are new everyday, and which Pastor Sullivan, teaches to us often. He truly leads by example, and I am so thankful that God brought him to our church three years ago when our former pastor retired. I give honor to all of the church leaders in my life, but feel that Pastor Sullivan has been the most instrumental in teaching me how to be Christ-like and let His light and love shine through me. Thank you, Pastor Sullivan, and your wonderful family, for being examples of Christ, and for your servant-like leadership style.

Remembering

2009-09-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

Guest Post - Walk into the Extraordinary

2009-09-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

I "borrowed" this article from a weekly e-newsletter that I receive from SISTERS.

I found it uplifting and encouraging, and wanted to share it with you.

Walk into the Extraordinary

By Bonnie Peacock

It was a day just like any other. As Gideon threshed wheat near the winepress, the unexpected happened. An angel appeared before him, "The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour" (Judges 6:12).

Gideon knew immediately that this was one lost and confused angel. Why, he was the youngest of a poor, obscure family. What could he do? He was powerless. How could God possibly use him?

Born into a nation that had walked away from God, attempting to hide wheat from the Midianites was a way of life for Gideon. Tired of living under the heavy hand of their enemy, the children of Israel began to call upon God to save them. Now an angel had come with a message of deliverance, but he had picked the wrong person. Of the entire nation, he had selected a young man with little prospects for the future.

It is easy to relate to Gideon. He had the audacity to ask the outrageous questions that we are reluctant to put into words. "If You are with me, God, why am I in such a mess? You delivered us out of Egypt only to allow us to fall prey to the Midianites. You want to use me to deliver my entire nation? If this is really You, You have to show me a sign!"

The angel did the miraculous before Gideon's eyes, yet he still fleeced God. Not once, but twice. At last he was convinced that he was hearing from the Lord.

With thirty-two thousand men at his disposal, everything seemed promising. But then God began the process of selecting and rejecting until Gideon was left with just three hundred men. God took this small group, armed with only trumpets, pitchers, and lamps (torches) and caused the Midianites to utterly destroy themselves.

What an amazing, wonderful story! From our perspective, we can smugly wonder why Gideon ever questioned God at all. Surely if an angel appeared to us, we would immediately, without

hesitation, obey.

But we all ask questions. God beckons us down a path that we have never walked before, "The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour!" We quake, question, and flea in fear. How can God use us? What if He lets us down? The task is too great! He expects too much of us. Doesn't He know who we are? Isn't He aware of our lack of experience and abilities?
God is looking for those who are willing to obey. Perfection is not a requirement. Self-sufficiency and tremendous confidence are not either. "Peace be unto thee; fear not!" (Judges 6:23) God's reassurance is needed when we stand at the crossroads of the familiar and a new assignment

from the Lord.

Just like Gideon, we are weak, defenseless, and without adequate resources to accomplish what God requires of us. But, "our sufficiency is of God" (II Corinthians 3:5). "The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon" (Judges 6:34) and he was able to face and accomplish the task that God had placed before him. Without God's assistance, it is impossible to boldly accept the challenges that lie ahead. But it is not up to us! When we face the enemy, task, or ministry that God has called us to do, we too will hear His assurance. "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left" (Isaiah 30:21).

In the Spirit today, can't you hear a voice gently speaking?

"The Lord is with thee, thou mighty [wo]man of valour!"

Becca & Jeff's Wedding

2009-08-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you cross an overworked, stressed, too much to do, mom with a broken foot for the better part of the summer, and trying to cram in a lot of activities during the last three weeks before school starts, with a person who doesn't have their own computer? You get someone who hasn't blogged in 6 weeks or so! ME! :)

We had a fabulous time driving down to the Pismo Beach area for my sister-in-law Becca's wedding. The event took place July 26th - and it was absolutely perfect. The Gardens at Peacock Farms are so beautiful, and the owner, Jessica, did an amazing job with the flowers and coordinating the wedding. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the event.

This was the first time I'd seen "unity sand" instead of a unity candle... very neat idea, and as one friend pointed out, a much better visual for the couple sticking together - unlike a candle flame that can burn out or be blown out.

Super cute boys - this is my nephew, Jude, and Jeff's nephew, Vinny

My niece, Hannah, reading from The Love Chapter, 1 Corinthians 13

I thought this was neat - both Mom & Dad walked Becca down the aisle

My husband and girls, along with Grandpa Parker

So beautiful - and scrumptious too! All I know is that the baker was a lady from Paso Robles, CA. The chocolate cake had fudgy filing, and was delicioso! The bottom layer had white chocolate with raspberry, I think.

My mom, sister-in-law Megan, and her daughter, Hannah

The girls with Daddy and Uncle Ben

The fountain is just one of the many places available for portraits at The Gardens

Handsome Jude

This is a pic of my most amazing in-laws. Mom & Dad Parker are simply THE BEST! Too bad they live thousands of miles away! I know the Lord will bless them, though, as they are serving as missionaries to the island of Malta. (Along with several other countries which were added to their job in the last year or so).

This picture is for my friend, Sonia. This is Aida, Jeff & Becca, and Aida's daughter, Cat. They are long-time friends of Sonia (a mutual friend), and Aida helped me book our hotel room for the stay - which was a miracle, since all of the hotels in the entire area were booked completely due to the Pismo Beach car show that weekend.

This is my absolute favorite shot of the wedding - I stole the idea from their phenomenal photographer, Sam Hassas. You can check out his amazing portrait artistry here.

The flowers were so gorgeous! And these arrangements in the urn were actually free. They were left over from a wedding the evening before, and Jessica, the flower-artist, and host of the Gardens, removed the purple flowers and put pink ones in their place for Becca's wedding.

Cell Phone Karma

2009-07-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

A coworker sent this to me - and yes, I chuckled! :) What about you? Do you find people who must always have their phones on annoying? How would some people today have survived if they lived 40 years ago?

Old Sacramento & Photography

2009-07-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

Again - it's been a long time since I've blogged - I'm issuing another "sorry" to my readers. :) Also, I owe a big apology to my dear friend, Staci (yes, my baby's namesake). In the 100th time I tried to post my last blog post, I neglected to mention how wonderful Staci was in visiting me, helping me assemble a jigsaw puzzle, and bringing me much-needed reading materials for when I was first down with the broken foot. Staci you are a terrific true friend - and I'm sorry I skipped over you on my last post.

Here's today's new post:

After seeing the amazing pictures that were taken for my sister-in-law Rebecca and her fiance Jeff at Hassas Photography I was inspired to try my hand at getting "new" shots of my girls instead of the 'same-ol, same-ol'.

We headed to Old Sacramento to see the traveling Disney's A Christmas Carol train (that was the reason for the girls, but my reason was to take pictures. ) When we got to Old Sac, the girls weren't all that interested in the Disney thing ... Shauna's main concern was whether or not she'd get to go to a museum. She wanted to go to the Railroad Museum (which train buffs have told me is one of the best in the nation) or the Schoolhouse Museum. Since we'd been to the train museum before, and the schoolhouse museum was free, we chose the schoolhouse.
The girls were both enthralled with the "teacher." She is a teacher by occupation, but Staci didn't grasp the time concept, and asked if she really taught "way back then"

I love this flag salute - and that it proclaims the truth - One God!

Staci does "okay" on writing her name
Shauna can write her name in cursive very well.

I'm proud of my first-grader - she is an excellent reader! "Class, turn to page 37" she told those in attendance at the museum.

And, here are my "Hassas-type" photos of the girls:

Can You Feel The Love?

2009-07-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

To my faithful followers - I've missed blogging so much! I can't wait until I can get a new laptop and better internet service. Ours has been down for the last few days, and I tried about 10 times before that to get this post done. Hopefully it will work this time!

I have many pictures to show you from the last month or so - but for this post, I don't want another day to go by without saying THANK YOU to some super special people.

First, I want to thank my daughters for their love and support while I've been hobbling around with my broken foot. Shauna drew this delightful picture for me in church one night. I especially like the way she got my purple clothes that I've been wearing to match my purple cast and that the "after" picture shows me wearing a more colorful rainbow shirt. :) Staci pointed out that the cast is on the wrong foot - I hadn't even noticed that; but I think the picture is wonderful anyway. The girls have also been helping me with the laundry. Shauna can put the clothes in the washing machine and start it - Staci's not quite tall enough to reach in, so I have her help me remove them from the dryer.

Also, my mom has been super wonderful - she's been my morning chauffeur - she wakes up VERY early so that she can get to my house at 6 am - we try to get the girls dropped off at daycare at 6:30, and then she takes me to the bus stop after that. It makes for a long day for her - by the time she gets back to my house after work, it's 6 pm. Then, she takes me to do other errands. If anyone has some great ideas for a thank you gift for her, suggestions are welcome. My husband has been picking me up after work; and my sister drove me to work the first week. I'm so thankful I have other people willing to drive me, but I am SO looking forward to driving myself again soon. (I used to take that for granted; no more after this).

Also, my dearest, best in the whole world, in-laws, have been sending cards and emails, as well as my sister-in-laws. I do appreciate all of the love and support, and want to say

THANK YOU!

The second group of people I need to thank is my dear church friends. The first week of my broken foot, a family from church delivered dinner to our house - chicken alfredo, salad, and french bread - delicious! Then, a few weeks later, we went to pick up the girls from daycare, and were delightfully surprised with a full dinner. Sis. Connie, the school principal, who is also our church drummer, had made chicken noodle casserole (so yummy) and Sis. Sullivan, our pastor's wife, had made a home-made apple pie for dessert. There was also a fresh green salad, homemade dinner rolls, and strawberry lemonade.

I think this was THE BEST meal we've eaten since the accident

You ladies are awesome!

THANK YOU, thank you, THANK YOU

I also have a few other dear friends, Amy (another gracious driver), LaNell, Pat, and Jennifer, who have been super supportive as well. And of course, I cannot forget to thank you, my dear blog readers and followers, who have left comments. Thank you all!

P.S. As I was typing this, a dear friend from work, Victoria, told me she brought me some leftover steak and corn-on-the-cob from her barbecue because she knew I didn't have yummy food for the 4th of July. Thank you, too!

Give Them an Inch and They'll Take a Mile

2009-06-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

A week or so ago My mom and the girls and I went to Round Table Pizza for their family night. They have the pizza and salad buffet, games, balloons, and face painting. I usually don't allow my girls to get their face painted, but thought - it's summer time, there's only a handful of kids at the daycare, the Round Table employee doing the face painting looked bored as she had no customers - so I figured this could be a small summer treat for the girls. I expected them to have a little flower or heart on a cheek, and that would be that. I let the girls know they could do it AFTER they ate their food. :)

The next thing I know, I look over to where the face painting is happening and can't believe my eyes. Shauna looked like Jezebel! I was completely shocked and actually surprised that the worker did a full face painting without asking me first. However, the thing that really made me angry was the black eyeliner around the eye. She's 7 years old for goodness sake! And Shauna has sensitive skin - I don't see how this could be good for her face. After Shauna was done, I told Staci to just get something small; of course, she wanted to look like her sister, so I said "just the eyes, but not the black liner." You can see from the pictures that she didn't listen.

As soon as this happened, I thought - what a good blog post that would be - it's true what they say - "Give them an inch, and they'll take a mile." It also reminded me of a church sign quote I've read before: "Never give the devil a ride, he always wants to drive."

My pastor is always preaching about how we need to be careful what we do and allow into our lives - it may be something that seems insignificant and small, but it can have profound effects that we can't even begin to fathom.

Have you ever allowed your kids to do something, and then regretted it? Well, I certainly did in this case.

So, what did I do - I said "as soon as we get home, I'm taking your picture, and then we're washing it off - and DON'T go in the house and let Daddy see it." So, what do you think happened the second we pulled into the driveway - Staci jumps out of the car, runs into the house and says "Daddy, look at us!"

Well, Daddy wasn't too happy either - and the faces were immediately washed off. The girls were sad that they couldn't wear their face painting to daycare, but oh well!

I know this really wasn't that huge of a deal (at least I hope so), but it certainly gave me food for thought to be extremely specific the next time they want to do something.

It's also a reminder of the importance of good communication. If I had specifically told them ahead of time = you can get a small heart or flower on your cheek, and that's it - then we could have avoided the entire drama! :)

That's my thought for Friday. May you all have a blessed weekend!

Rhonda

My Baby's A Kindergarten Graduate!

2009-06-24T06:09:00.001-07:00

As some of you already know, I got behind on my blogging when I broke my foot the end of May. So, although it's been three weeks since June 2, I wanted to show off my little graduate. Staci is 5 1/2 years old - with her birthday being November 28, she is the youngest person in her class, making the December 2 enrollment cut-off by only 4 days. She is a super bright student who already loves reading and spelling. She likes to say "Is it time for l-u-n-c-h?" and things like that. There's no tricking this child from hearing what you don't want them to hear by spelling the words! :)

Staci and the best kindergarten teacher ever, Mrs. Riddlesperger

Staci, the night of graduation

Staci with our pastor's wife, Sister Sullivan

She is also one of the best readers in her class. Her teacher said that she's always had good readers (my oldest daughter was also a "reader" at her kindergarten graduation), but that Staci has the best expression of any kindergartner she's ever taught (and she's one of the oldest teachers at her school). Each year at Faith Christian Academy, the graduation is an involved performance where each class demonstrates something they've learned through the school year. They start with transitional kindergarten (the 4 year olds) who recite the books of the Bible and read some blends and simple words. The t-K's get their diplomas to graduate to Kindergarten; and then it moves on to the current Kindergarten class. The K class recites a Bible memory verse for each letter of the alphabet, and counts by 2s, 5s, and 10s to 100. Then, two readers are chosen to show how they learned to read in Kindergarten. Staci was the second reader. She only made one little mistake (left off one word at the end of a sentence). I was actually a teeny bit disappointed because Staci thought she would get to read a story that had exclamation points so she could show off her expression, but a different story was chosen for her to read at graduation. So, although she has great expression, you can't tell from this video clip. (side note - YES, I bought a new camera to replace my lost one - and it can record video; this is the first video I ever recorded in my life. HA HA!). After the Kindergartners get their diplomas, the rest of the grades do their performances, then the 8th-grade valedictorian gives their speech, and the 8th graders get their diplomas. All in all, it's about a two-hour long performance. The children always dress nice and do an excellent job. I'm very thankful that my girls have a positive, Christian learning environment!

Here is the video clip of Staci reading (the very end is cut off - I'm sorry; I guess when the clips upload to YouTube, it cuts off a few seconds at the end). Click here to view the video.

More From "Squids Will Be Squids"

2009-06-23T14:32:00.001-07:00

Shauna's favorite story in the book is "Horseshoe Crab & Blowfish."

The moral: It takes one to know one.

Staci's favorite story in the book: "Straw & Matches."

The moral: Don't play with matches.

A Monday Musing ~ Mrs. Octopus and the Flip Flops

2009-06-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

This story was written by my 7-year-old, Shauna, on April 23, 2009 as part of a class assignment. We all thought it was funny, and wanted to share it with you.

Mrs. Octopus and the Flip Flops

One day I saw an octopus in the shoe store.
The octopus was looking for a pair of shoes.
She couldn't decide which ones she wanted.
Suddenly her money started flying everywhere!
Mr. Snail the cashier started saying "I'm rich! I'm rich!" but Mrs. Octopus quickly put it back into her purse.
Finally she decided which shoes she wanted
the pink flip flops.

My husband asked me to type this up and email it to my mother-in-law, but since she reads my blog, I thought I'd go ahead and post it here for your reading pleasure. :) We're pretty sure that the inspiration for the octopus shopper and Mr. Snail as cashier came from the reading of "Squids will be squids." If you haven't read this book, and have school-age children, we recommend it. It has several short stories and they usually have a moral at the end of them.

Here is an excerpt from one of the pages - this story is "Grasshopper Logic":

And you can read a review on Amazon by clicking here

Fabulous Friday! Thank You Jesus and fellow bloggers!

2009-06-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to my fellow bloggers who left encouraging comments regarding a speedy recovery for my broken foot! I am so THANKFUL to Jesus Christ. I was able to do a limited amount of walking last night, and my foot did not throb as it had done before. Also, I slept better than I have since the injury. Thank You, Jesus! God is so good - and we really can have things go so much easier when we maintain a happy, positive, thankful attitude.

I've been having fun "scooting about" on the knee scooter that I rented from Carol at www.scooteron.com - what a great invention this is! It is SO much easier than using crutches. I've been able to take the bus and light rail train to get to work, and I can carry my lunch bag and shopping bags on the handlebars! By the time my cast gets removed, I won't have any calf muscle in my right leg, but my quads and thighs should be super muscular!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Rhonda

Update on Me and My Attitude (and a Broken Foot)

2009-06-18T18:03:00.001-07:00

Dirt road leading to the trail - I love the beautiful blue sky!
The start of our ride ~ this trail is really neat; over 30 miles long with many different access points

New friends: Sheldon, Alex, Tristian & Katti

Me and my beautiful daughter Shauna. She wasn't too thrilled about being near the river and not able to go into the water (we didn't have any life jackets with us)

Documenting her "first solo ride" on the trail

My sweet Shauna doesn't like her helmet, but hey, it's the law!

Some of you may have been wondering why I've been moody/depressed lately, and why I haven't felt like posting much. Well, it all has to do with MY BROKEN FOOT. That's right. On Saturday, May 30, Shauna and I went to the American River Bike Trail with a family from church. It was a glorious day - perfect weather, good company, a nice little breeze; it was wonderful. This was my first time being on the bike trail in about 3 years, and Shauna's first time riding on the trail, as the last time I went, she was pulled in the bicycle trailer behind me. I was so proud of Shauna! She did not complain about being tired or her legs hurting the entire time we rode - and the most she'd ever ridden before that day was about 1/2 a mile to the school down the street from our house.

We rode about four miles, and were debating amongst ourselves whether or not we should continue on to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery, which would have been about another mile or so east. I joked that I didn't know if I'd have the energy to make it all the way back, and that we'd have to send Alex (the husband in the family from church) back to the truck to come get us. We decided to head back west on the trail. After only about a half-mile into our trek back, I sped up as I approached a hill, and went to pass Alex's seven-year-old son on the left. Unfortunately, his bike wheel decided to turn to the left at the same time, and as our wheels touched, a crash was imminent. I veered my bike to the left so as not to fall on Sheldon, and then fell off on the right side of my bike, my right foot twisted inward, and then my overweight body landed on my foot. I immediately knew it was broken. Since Sheldon was understandably terrified (his left ankle was a little bruised and minorly sprained), I just sat on the bike trail and tried to take deep breaths and keep myself calm. It was just a freak accident; nobody's fault - just something that happened. The funny thing about it is that I was trying to avoid riding close to my own child, as she was a little wobbly. :) Anyway, Alex did end up going back to get the truck. We had to ride about another half-mile to get to the vehicle access lot, so I got back on my bike and pedaled with my left foot. I guess I could have been a DRAMA QUEEN and freaked out myself and called 9-1-1 to have the paramedics come carry me off the trail, but that's just not in my nature. HA HA!
Immediately I was very thankful - because things could have been so much worse. As we were heading east on the trail earlier in the day, there were very many serious cyclers on the trail. However, at the time of our accident, heading west, there was no one on the trail behind us for a good 5 minutes or so. I was also thankful because Alex had a big enough truck that he was able to get us all and then he drove us back to where we had parked, and Katti drove me home while Alex drove my truck home. Then, Alex went to his house and brought me by some crutches so that my husband Matthew could take me to the ER. When we got home around 3, I told Matthew to go ahead and do his errands because it didn't matter if we went to the ER at 3 or at 6 pm, because it always takes forever (like a 3 hour wait) at the ER if you aren't seriously dying. Here I had another reason to be thankful, we were able to get in touch with my mom and my sister, so they watched the girls for us while we went to the hospital. When we got to the ER, there was practically no one there! Kaiser had some sort of fast track process, and we were in and out of the hospital within one hour (x-rays, splint, and everything). I was really amazed and thankful.
I hate to admit this, but unfortunately my thanks did not last very long. I am not a homebody, and I'm a melancholy personality, so being unable to drive has been very taxing and depressing. I am on day 19 of this injury, and although I still have pain and am unable to put weight on my right foot, I'm actually doing okay physically, but not so swell mentally and emotionally.
I think what depressed me the most about this whole situation is the timing of the event (Shauna feels I've ruined her summer plans as I nixed the Disneyland trip for the end of this month and we won't be able to go to a water park any time soon) and the fact that it seems like I'm having a very hard time exercising.
In March I decided it was about time I put some emphasis into working out and losing weight. I went back to Curves after a long absence and went for about 3 weeks. In mid-April, my back went out. The pain was so bad that I went to the chiropractor for the first time in my life, even though I was terrified. This put me out of commission regarding exercise for about one month. I had been feeling great for about one week before the bike ride, and thought what great exercise this would be. I envisioned myself riding weekly and losing a lot of weight. :) Well, so much for that great plan. HA HA!
I know that there is a purpose to everything and I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude. I appreciate all of your prayers in this situation.

Ribbon Border - Cardmaking/Scrapbooking idea

2009-06-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

For all of you crafters out there - I just found a great blog site called Inspirational. The latest blog post introduces us to a lovely lady named Claire, who lives in Ireland. Check out this post by Inspirational.

Click here for Claire's tutorial on the ribbon border

Here's another cute scrapbooking idea that can also be used for cardmaking:
Compelled by Circles

Happy Crafting!

Flag Day 2009 & American Cuties

2009-06-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

My friend, Jean-Elle
My cutie pie, Shauna, age 7 years, 8.5 months

My All-American girl, Staci, age 5 years, 6.5 months

From wikipedia

In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.

Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, though on June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday.
Title 36 of the United States Code, Subtitle I, Part A, CHAPTER 1, § 110 [2] is the official statute on Flag Day; however, it is at the President's discretion to proclaim officially the observance. The longest-running Flag Day parade is held annually in Quincy, Massachusetts, which began 1952 and will celebrate its 59th year in 2009. The largest Flag Day parade is held annually in Troy, New York, which bases its parade on the Quincy parade and typically draws 50,000 spectators.

Thursday's Thought ~ The Will of God

2009-06-11T12:10:00.001-07:00

I was just getting ready to prop my feet up and read a book on my lunch break, but when I saw the quote at the beginning of Part One of the book A Slender Thread by Tracie Peterson, I had to share it with you.

"Let a man set his heart only on doing the will of God and he is instantly set free! No one can hinder him. It is only when we introduce our own will into our relation to God that we get into trouble. When we weave into the pattern of our lives threads of our own desires we instantly become subject to hindrances from the outside." A.W. Tozer

I must admit, I don't know who A.W. Tozer is (to find out who he is, click here), or that I'd ever heard of him before I read this quote. However, it compelled me to stop reading and write this quick blog post. I'm of the type who loves to use the concordance to complete a Bible study - Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is my favorite; however, if I'm at work, or unable to use Strong's, my online reference tool is BibleGateway - This is a fabulous site that lets you search by passage, keyword, or topic, and it has several versions of the Bible; and also several languages. (Side note: last year, for a back to school bulletin board, I looked up 2 Timothy 2:15 in many different languages, and placed them on the board, with a bulletin board border made up of flags of different countries.)

My favorite verse in the Bible that specifically states what the will of God is concerning us:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 - In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Anyhow, I went to BibleGateway and entered in the phrase "will of God." This phrase is found in the King James Version of the Holy Bible only 23 times. Below are the most pertinent verses to understand what the will of God is for our lives, but 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is the most direct, specific verse.

To make intercession for the saints according to the will of God – Romans 8:27

To be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

To give yourself to the Lord – 2 Corinthians 8:5

That we be delivered from this present evil world – Galatians 1:4

Not to please men, but to be the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart – Ephesians 6:6

That ye should abstain from fornication – 1 Thessalonians 4:3

To give thanks in every thing. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

To receive the promise, if we have patience – Hebrews 10:36

That with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men – 1 Peter 2:15

To suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. – 1 Peter 3:17

To not live in the flesh to the lusts of men – 1 Peter 4:2

To abide for ever – 1 John 2:17

May we be thankful in EVERY thing, and not weave our own tendencies and desires into the fabric of our lives that we are trying to shape after the will of God. Have a blessed day! Rhonda
Well, my lunch break is over now, so I didn't get to read any of the book yet. I'll let you know how it turns out when I'm through with it. :) Happy Thursday, all!

Rejoice in the Lord Always

2009-06-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

I couldn't decide which one of these I liked best... what's your favorite?

Cherries - Frame Cherries & Pasta
Fruit Frame - Vertical

Cherries

Sunflower

Life Happens (May 29, 2009)

2009-06-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

Guess what happens when you're working so hard to get the house clean and make a nice dinner for the friends from church you've invited over for dinner? LIFE HAPPENS.

I was boiling water (I know it doesn't look like water - I'm lazy, and used the same spoon to stir the marinara sauce as the boiling water - I figured that would help give the pasta more flavor). I didn't understand why the sauce and sausages I had transferred to the back burner weren't cooking much, even though it was on simmer. Well, when I went to put the second bag of pasta in the pot, I figured out why!!!

I think the worst part about it all was how to get the burnt plastic off of the burner... it's still not all the way gone (can you tell I don't use the oven to cook that much - I LOVE my microwave!).

That's right - I had turned on THE WRONG BURNER! Bummer - I was great about it though - I said "oh, man!" and proceeded to clean up the mess - no evil thoughts or bad words entered my head; no way, Jose! What I instantly thought about was the verse in Philippians - Rejoice in the Lord always. Attitude makes such a difference in life - I want to "always be praising Him" - even in the midst of bad circumstances - I know that a bag of spilt pasta is nothing major - but sometimes in the busy lives we lead as moms and wives, it's little things like a spilt bag of pasta and an "extra" mess to clean up that can sap our energy, joy, and victory. Just a reminder to all to not let the little things in life bother us. :)

Rejoice in the Lord, always; and again, I say - REJOICE!

Speaking of which, I'm going to go work in Power Point and see if I can come up with some cute pictures with that scripture. Check back soon to see my next post!

Catching Up ~ Becca's College Graduation

2009-06-09T08:46:00.001-07:00

I have a lot of catching up to do with my blog, so I'm going to start where I left off in the "digital scrapbooking" that makes up about half of my blog - I've had many other ideas and Christian thoughts to post, but haven't felt up to it (that will be a separate post to come in the next few days).

To begin the catching up, we'll go back three weeks to mid-May.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were able to drive to Oakland to see my in-laws and celebrate Becca's graduation from Patten University. Becca graduated with a high GPA, and she had the best senior thesis in her major (Psychology). We are all proud of Becca and wish her the best in her future endeavors. As you know, my camera was broken, but my fabulous mom-in-law and sister-in-law Megan (pictured below with Becca) graciously shared some of their pics with me.

Isn't the lei she's wearing lovely? Her fiancé, Jeff, bought that for her! They make such a cute couple and we are looking forward to traveling to Southern California for their wedding in late July.

Monday's Mention - Cheesecake Factory

2009-05-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we were able to go out of town for my sister-in-law's college graduation. It was great to see all of my siblings-in-law... except for my camera being broken! Becca wanted to eat at Cheesecake Factory in Pleasanton, so that's where we had a nice family dinner. Although the food was good, and my 7 year old loved it, I was not thrilled with their lack of a kid's menu. It is definitely not a frugal-friendly place to eat. Also, there was an hour wait; this was on a Saturday, but it was only 4 pm, so it wasn't even the dinner rush. Since we were at "Cheesecake Factory" my husband said we had to order cheesecake for dessert. Truly, the portions are so large that you do NOT need dessert - but we ordered, and it came back looking very pretty!

Pretty and delicious ~ very decadent and scrumptious - who knows how many calories we consumed! See the beautiful border on the plate - my husband thought it was painted! :) Does anyone know how to make this? (I've looked online, and found similar ideas, but none for this small of a design)

I set about looking to see if I could figure out how they decorated the plate to look like this (my husband thought it was painted on - silly guy!) I could not find anything online, but I did find a couple of links for plate decorating,some cheesecake recipes recipes, and an impressive looking dessert.

Sour Cream Dreams Ingredients:
HERSHEY'S Chocolate Syrup
Sour cream
Directions:1. Start by making a round pool of HERSHEY'S Chocolate Syrup in the middle of the plate. 2. Then, pipe on two thin, concentric circles of sour cream. 3. With a toothpick or the tip of a knife, draw in a circular motion around the edges of each to create a swirled paisley effect.

Coral Snake Ingredients:
HERSHEY'S Chocolate Syrup
HERSHEY'S Strawberry Syrup
Mango puree
Directions:1. Alternate drops of each ingredient around the edge of the plate. If you overlap the edges of each drop, you'll have a single three-color band of sauce that looks like a coral snake.

Chocolate Strawberry Drizzle Ingredients:
HERSHEY'S Chocolate Syrup
HERSHEY'S Strawberry Syrup
Directions:1. Take a plate, place it on a spinnable surface, and spin it while drizzling HERSHEY'S Chocolate Syrup to create a spiral effect.2. Finish with droplets of HERSHEY'S Strawberry Syrup.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful church service we had yesterday morning! We always have great church, but I loved the patriotic slant of this morning's service. We started out with a couple of worship songs, followed by several patriotic songs, and then the kid's choir singing"It's a Grand Old Flag." We also presented two more flag certificates. It's become an annual tradition that started three years ago. We have a large flag for each veteran in our church, and yesterday two additional flags were presented: one to one of the elder ladies in our church, in honor of her late husband's service, and one to our guest speaker, Bro. Ron Krantz, from Oroville, CA. (To learn more about ordering a flag that's been flown over the U.S. Capitol, see the bottom of this post.)

We also watched a special presentation that our pastor's son Tyler put together to honor our church veterans and members of our armed forces. I told him that he needs to put his presentation on YouTube or his blog so that I can share it with my blog readers. :) The video in my last post to the song "I Still Believe in America" was create by Tyler as well. He hasn't posted in a while, but his last blog post is very appropriate for this weekend. You can view it by clicking here.

Bro. Krantz' message was regarding the "Importance of the Rank and File in Pentecost Today." Too many times the average saint will sit in the church pews and leave all of the soul-winning to the pastor. He reminded us that the world doesn't need more preachers, what the world needs is for the "rank and file" to show the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Have you ever asked yourself "how can I win someone to Christ" and wanted a practical answer? How about by baking cookies and taking them to your neighbor, letting them know that if they ever have a need to call you, and then stopping by their house 3-4 days later and asking them if they have a need yet? This is not crazy! We need to show the love and grace of Christ to others, and they will eventually ask you why you have peace in the midst of the storm and where you turn in times of difficulty. At that time, you can share of the grace God applied to your life.

Here are a few pics of the service. Thanks again to all those who have given their lives for our freedoms. The fallen heroes deserve to be honored and remembered every day, but especially on Memorial Day! God Bless America!

Kids' choir led by our pastor's daughter, Sis. Kadee

Bro. Krantz & family in front of the flag bearing his name and service

The embroidery on the side of the flag - E.R. Krantz, U.S. Army

Family Pic - Shauna in the "stars," Staci in the "stripes," Matthew is wearing a red with white striped tie, and me in my "Memorial Day outfit."

Anyone can purchase a U.S. Flag that has flown over the United States Capitol building in Washington D.C. This can be accomplished writing a letter to your Senator with your request. Their address can be obtained by calling your local Public Library and asking for it or use the Senators of the 109th Congress web site to locate contact information for your Senator.You may request that your flag be flown on a certain date such as a birthday or anniversary. Be sure to mail in your request at least 4 weeks prior to the date you have selected. Your flag will be mailed to you and arrive 3-4 weeks after the date you have specified (Since September 11th, 2001 it may take longer to receive your flag). Enclosed with your flag will be a Certificate from The Architect Of The Capitol certifying that your flag was flown as requested. If you mention in your letter that this flag is for any specific occasion, that information will be included on the certificate. In addition, you can also order flags from your U.S. Representatives. (For CA, google Dan Lungren's official site, and then click on Constituent Services)

Thankful Thursday ~ I Love America!

2009-05-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

As the Memorial Day weekend is upon us, my patriotic feelings are stirring more and more. I'm so thankful that I was blessed to be born and live in the United States of America. I know that a lot of things have changed in the 200+ years since this nation was founded... but I still believe in America! May we remember the sacrifices that have been made by our forefathers and our service men and women to keep us free. God Bless America and God Bless Our Troops. Pray for our President and our country!

I love this video - it's of a quartet called freeWAY - my pastor's son Tyler, is the lead singer on this video... I think they do a great job with the song!

Do You Have A "Yes" Face?

2009-05-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

Do you have a "yes face"?

I am posting an excerpt from this Family Life article.

Charles Swindoll tells a story reported by Dr. Karl Menninger about the importance of "yes faces":

During his days as president, Thomas Jefferson and a group of companions were traveling across the country on horseback. They came to a river which had left its banks because of a recent downpour. The swollen river had washed the bridge away. Each rider was forced to ford the river on horseback, fighting for his life against the rapid currents. The very real possibility of death threatened each rider, which caused a traveler who was not part of their group to step aside and watch. After several had plunged in and made it to the other side, the stranger asked President Jefferson if he would ferry him across the river. The president agreed without hesitation. The man climbed on, and shortly thereafter the two of them made it safely to the other side. As the stranger slid off the back of the saddle onto dry ground, one in the group asked him, "Tell me, why did you select the president to ask this favor of?" The man was shocked, admitting he had no idea it was the president who had helped him. "All I know," he said, "is that on some of your faces was written the answer 'No,' and on some of them was the answer 'yes.' His was a 'Yes' face."

Do you have the kind of yes face that makes your kids feel comfortable asking? Does your yes face say, "It's okay to make mistakes; I'll still love you"? Do they feel as if you'll really listen to childish requests? Do they believe they're important enough that you'll react to their needs with flexibility?

This was part of question #5 in Linda Weber's "What Makes An Incredible Mom" article.
1. Am I creating a positive environment?
2. Am I creating an environment that's motivational?
3. Am I creating an environment where we really communicate?
4. Am I creating an environment that's safe?
5. Am I creating an environment that's gracious?

To read more of this excerpted article, and about the five points of being an incredible mom, click here.

Excerpted from Mom, You're Incredible! by Linda Weber. Used by permission of Broadman and Holman Publishers, copyright © 1999 by Linda Weber. All rights to this material are reserved.

Thankful Thursday ~ I Love My Mom!

2009-05-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

I know I should have posted this last week, BEFORE Mother's Day... better late than never, right? :) I am so thankful for my mom ~ she is a helper, supporter, confidante, and friend. My mom raised my sister and I by herself with NO family help whatsoever. She says this is one of the reasons why she helps my husband and I so much with our girls... because she knows how it is without help, and doesn't want me to do the same. Most of all, I'm thankful that my mom is a godly woman, and brought us up in the church. Mom was not born into a religious or church-going family; to this day, she is the only sibling we're aware of who even attends church. I'm so glad that Jesus found her and that I was saved in the process!

Thank you, Sis. Connie, for not giving up on my mom when you asked her if she wanted a Bible study. Thank you, Bro. & Sis. Wrinkle, for giving her that Bible study. Thank you, Jesus, for turning on the light bulb in my mom's head when she received the Bible study. Thank you, Bro. & Sis. Geurin, for being our first Apostolic pastor. Thank you, Bro. & Sis. Wrinkle, for your leading after Bro. Geurin passed, and thank you, Pastor & Sister Sullivan, for being our current pastor and continuing to lead us in the paths of righteousness!

Thank you, Mom, for everything you are and everything you've been to me in my life. I do not have the gift of words, but hope this post shows you just a little bit how much I love you and how thankful I am that God let you be my mom. You are the best friend I've had throughout the years. I Love You!!! XOXOXO,
Love,
Rhonda Ann

Today's CurrClick Freebies ~ $35 worth of homeschool materials

2009-05-12T09:30:00.001-07:00

Today's freebies from CurrClick are the following four items:

Bookmaking Bonanza Publisher: Creative Teaching Press Regular Price: $13.99

Dan's Doodles Coloring Book Publisher: Sather Homeschool Regular Price: $5.95

Daily Discoveries for JUNE: Thematic Learning Activities for EVERY DAY Publisher: Teaching & Learning Company Regular Price: $12.95

Seeds Publisher: Unit Studies by Gwen Regular Price: $2.50

Enjoy!

Mother's Day Freebies continue ~ $14.70 of free homeschool curriculum TODAY only

2009-05-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

I recently stumbled upon this site while looking for Mother's Day freebies. Although I do not homeschool my children, as they are in a fabulously awesome Christian private school, I do like to find them educational fun activities. This site is great! And, you can check back tomorrow for 4 new free downloads; there may even be two or three days left! :) You will need to create a free account to access the downloads, but it's totally worth it!

Click here to download today's freebies, which include:

Simple Rhymes for Little Children Coloring Book - Regular price $1.25 - FREE download TODAY only

My Book of Continents - Regular Price: $4.95 - FREE download TODAY only

Psalm 16 Copywork Notebook - Regular Price: $5.00 - FREE Download TODAY only

Silly Snail: Parts of Speech Game - Regular Price: $3.50 - FREE Download TODAY only

Friday Funny ~ Fax Hint

2009-05-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

As a professor at the Air Force Institute of Technology, I taught a series of popular courses on software engineering. The program was highly competitive and difficult to get into, but one student made our decision whether to accept him quite simple.

When asked to fax over his college transcript, the student told me, "Well, I would, but it's the only copy I have."

More Birthday Pics

2009-04-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

My mom got me exactly what I "suggested." Arch Support socks and a black backpack purse, as well as a new pair of workout shorts. :) Thanks, Mom!

Me and my fabulous girls

My dear friend, Jean'Elle, who shares her birthday with me (I'm 28 years older)

New cross-training shoes from my husband

My favorite birthday card ever! I'm not a huge fan of arcade gams, but I love Ms. Pac-Man! :)

from my sister, Cristi, who manages a Mark's Hallmark store

Birthday Treats

2009-04-27T14:23:00.001-07:00

Last week I used most of my free birthday treats that I've posted about a few times, now. I enjoyed a free meal at Rubio's; on my birthday, I had my free lunch at Daphne's - I only paid $1.95 for my soda; and on my birthday evening, we ate at HomeTown Buffet; and I got my dinner free with the purchase of an adult meal. If you haven't done so already, head on over to Free Birthday Treats right now and sign up to receive your goodies in your inbox!

Flowers from my husband, courtesy of Trader Joe's
Family pic at HomeTown

Love from the girls

Gyro and Steak Kabob combo plate from Daphne's

Staci, modeling, in the parking lot at Rubio's. I thought she looked so cute and grown-up, like Auntie Becca, in her jean skirt, boots, and purse on her shoulder.

Retro Pepsi can ~ enter to win

2009-04-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

One of my dear friends is a true Pepsi lover - her email is lovinpepsi! So, I first thought of her when I saw this blog post by Denise over at The Centsible Sawyer.

Check out her post and enter to win a "Pepsi Throwback" gift pack.

I Survived My First Visit to the Chiropractor! :)

2009-04-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday morning I woke up with a very sore back and a right hip that was lower than my left hip. Yes, you read that right - I was CROOKED! And in pain! :) As any of you with back problems know, sitting puts the most pressure on your back. It's kind of hard to avoid sitting when you work a desk job. I think what bothered me most about this incident is that I was just getting into the swing of things with diet and exercise. I'd been going to Curves on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and then doing yard work, gardening, or my elliptical machine on the off days. This whole back thing has put a wrench in my workout plans!

The first time I ever threw my back out was 7 years ago when our firstborn was about 6 months old. During that episode I was on my back, bed-ridden, for a week. Literally - I could not move at all. After the week was up, I went to Kaiser, and was referred to a physical therapist. He suggested I purchase an exercise ball and work my back and stomach muscles daily. I promptly went out and got the exercise ball - but have I used it for exercise? Of course not - the girls just think that it's a giant beach ball. :)

I was hoping that if I just walked around a lot, the back problem would go away on its own, as it's done in the past. The next day, my friends from work picked me up to take me to lunch for my birthday. Victoria took one look at me and the way I was walking and said "you've got to get that fixed." I told her I was scared of going to the chiropractor, because I've heard stories of people who "once they've gone, have to go for the rest of their lives." Victoria assured me that Dr. Heidi of Sierra Valley Chiropractic was a very good doctor, and that the most times she's had to see her is about 3 times to be fully adjusted. I got back to the office and called Kaiser to verify my eligibility for chiropractic visits, and then promptly made an appointment for that afternoon.

When I first got to the office, Dr. Heidi conducted a visual examination of my back. She informed me that yes, I was definitely crooked, and that the muscles on the right side of my back were having spasms, and extremely tight. She did "stem and ice." "Stem" refers to some sort of electromagnetic massaging type thingamajig. :) I wish I could explain it better, but basically, it felt like Dr. Heidi put smooth stones on my back, and that it started massaging me similar to a heated massaging chair pad. She also put a giant frozen gel pack on my lower back. After she let that work for about 20 minutes, she came back into the room and was ready to do the "adjustments." Adjustments consisted of me laying in certain positions (almost like special stretches), and taking a big breath in; upon the "exhale" movement, she pushed really hard on my muscles to "adjust" them. She did about 5 or 6 adjustments, and told me to come back on Friday (2 days later).

For my Friday appointment, Dr. Heidi stated that I was still crooked, but not as bad as Wednesday. She then did "stem and heat." After that, she did only 3 adjustments, and told me that I was much easier to adjust that day compared to the first time I saw her. I'm scheduled to go back tomorrow (Monday, which is three days later); so we'll see what she says then.

I am still crooked, and in pain; however, the pain is less in my back, and now feels more like it's pain in my right hip.

I just wanted to let you all know that if you're in need of chiropractic care and am nervous about it, if you have a friend who can give you a good recommendation, I would suggest you try chiropractic care, and not be scared.

P.S. Victoria, my friend who recommended Dr. Heidi in the first place, has not had to see her for chiropractic care in about a year. Since Victoria has been doing yoga and strengthening her core muscles, she has not had a need to see the chiropractor. Dr. Heidi told me that once I'm fully adjusted, not crooked, and back to normal, she will give me some exercises to do to strengthen my back and abdomen muscles. Guess I better do the exercises if I don't want to see her again, huh? :)

Self-portrait of me as I'm laying on the table, while the "stem" massager does its magic.

Things I'd Do Differently the Next Time I Get "FREE manure"

2009-04-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, inspired by one of my facebook friends, I started looking on craigslist to see if I could find some free manure to help with my plans for a garden. (After checking out several books from the library, I've learned that the cold wintertime is actually the best time to get manure for your lawns - you just need to dump it, and it will do its work during the winter). Oh, well - we'll see how my garden turns out this year.

I found this ad on craigslist and thought how wonderful - they'll load it for you ~ my friend who inspired me had to do her own shoveling into her truck, so I figured I was "ahead of the game" so to speak. I wanted to share this funny post with you and perhaps give you some pointers in case you want to get your own free "gardener's gold."

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**AGED HORSE MANURE** "Gardeners Gold" (Fair Oaks)
We have tons of FREE aged horse manure\fertilizer ready for your garden. Great compost!! We can load your open boxed truck and\or trailer or for smaller amounts please bring your bucket & shovel. Please call prior to coming out to ensure the tractor operator is available to load you up. We are located off Hwy 50 & Hazel Ave - where Sunset and Main dead end. Shadow Glen Stables 4854 Main Ave, Fair Oaks 916-989-1826. thank you and happy gardening.
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Things I’d do differently the next time I get “FREE Manure”

1. Go earlier in the day as opposed to the 4:00 pm Sacramento heat.
2. Line my husband’s truck bed with the free landscape fabric we have in our side patio before going to the stables (would have been SO much easier to just “drag” the stuff out of the truck, and not have to worry about sweeping, hosing, and washing the truck afterward).
3. Not stop and unlatch the tailgate before backing up to the tractor that would load it (this would have avoided the embarrassment when the tractor-operator told the ranch-hand – “the tailgate needs to be up, otherwise it will just fall out”).
4. Not be upset when the tractor-operator said “that’s all she can handle” after dumping only half a load of manure = he’s right – that’s all the weight the truck could handle, AND it was all that I could handle when it came to unloading it once I got home.
5. Move my car to the other side of the driveway, so there would be less distance to haul the buckets of manure between the truck and the garden area.
6. Ask for a wheelbarrow for Christmas so that it would only take 4-5 trips to get the truck unloaded as opposed to the 25-30 trips with the bucket.
7. Start working out months before, rather than just two weeks before, to build up those arm/shoulder/back muscles before attempting such feats. :)

Hope that brought some smiles to you! Happy Tuesday.

Happy Burger-Day from Red Robin

2009-04-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

We very rarely go to Red Robin because it's so expensive. Since I signed up for my Free Birthday Treats I received my "Happy Burger-Day email from Red Robin." With that email, I would receive a free gourmet burger of my choice for free; no additional purchase was required. I also have my free birthday meal coupon from Rubio's - this one is not on the list at Free Birthday Treats, so if there are any other restaurants that you like to eat at, be sure to check if they have an e-mail club you can join. So, yesterday after church, my sister asked me if we were going out to lunch, and I said either Red Robin or Rubio's. I wish you could have been in the car with me - both girls were screaming "no, we don't want to go to Red Robin - it's too expensive! I'm not eating there!" I finally told them to hush, and if they wanted, they could "go home and eat toast and water." "Fine, we'll go to Red Robin."

It is expensive! :)

Here's what we ended up ordering:
Shauna - kid's pepperoni pizza meal with melon slices (she received two slices of cantaloupe; of which Staci wanted to steal one).
Staci - kid's hamburger with mandarin orange slices. I kid you not, there were probably only 6 slices in her little condiment cup. (This kid can eat a whole can of fruit if she wants to). The kid hamburger consists of bread and patty; Staci said she didn't want lettuce and tomato; so she got it plain. Then, she only ate the meat patty. Shauna's pizza was a lot more food compared to Staci's - if we ever go back, I won't let her order the kid's burger next time.
I got the California chicken burger that comes with bacon and guacamole. The guacamole was spciy! :) I am a wimp when it comes to spicy, so I wasn't quite expecting that. :)
I also ordered a DietCoke, which tasted flat - I should have just ordered water.

This was our bill:
Soda $2.39
Rad Beef $4.59
Pizzeria Pizza Pepperoni $4.79
CA Chicken Burger $9.79
BDayBGeclub (9.79)
Subtotal $11.77
Tax $1.03
Total Balance Due $12.80

While we were eating, our server surprised me with singing, a balloon, and a hot fudge sundae (of which the girls fought over the strawberry on top). If we had ordered the sundae, that would have been an additional $2.99 charge.

I always want to leave a good example for my kids and leave a good tip. I know that you're supposed to tip on coupon amounts, so I got out my cell phone and calculated what a 20% tip would be if my burger wasn't free. It came out to $4.32; so I left a $5 tip.

So, all told, I spent $17.80. If we'd been charged for the birthday burger and sundae, the total out of pocket would have been $32.00 ~ do you see why I think Red Robin is expensive?!

NOTE: If I'd gone by myself, and ordered a soda, I would have spent $5. If I just had water, I could have gotten by with just a $2 tip.

I was pleased with how well this photo turned out ~ you can see my pink birthday balloon in the background.

I love the USA, I'm very patriotic, and I like baseball "America's past-time" - so this baseball flag was one of the highlights of the restaurant.

The girls both really like the Statue of Liberty with the burger! We had to ask another little girl to move so that we could take this picture - I felt bad, and I offered to take a picture of the girl and email it to her mom, but she declined.

Frugal Friday ~ Hand-made Birthday Card

2009-04-17T10:19:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday, all!

Today I want to share with you the beautiful card Shauna made for her teacher's birthday this week. Granted, this is not the prettiest card, and is not embellished with ribbons or stickers, the handwriting isn't even neat - it's just cardstock and pencil, but the heartfelt note makes up for what it lacks. Shauna created this all by herself (after bedtime), the night before her teacher's birthday - which somewhat explains the lack of embellishments. When she showed me what she had created, I almost cried. I tried to get a good picture, but my OLD camera wouldn't cooperate! :)

The front side of the card reads "I hope your birthday is filled with lots of fun"
The inside reads "and I hope your heart can BEAR my love."

Of course I was shocked and asked her if she came up with that quote all by herself - of course, mom. :) And then she said "oh, I forgot to draw the bears," so she then proceeded to draw the two bears hugging each other. I'm confident that her teacher appreciated this card more than a $3.95 Hallmark card.

Frugal Friday ~ one day left for these Walgreens Deals - 4/18

2009-04-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

My favorite Register Rewards deals at Walgreens this week:

Scunci elastics - 18 count - on sale for $2.00 ($2.00 register reward)

Colgate max*white toothbrush - on sale for $3.29 ($3.50 register reward)

Edge Energy shaving gel - on sale for $2.99 ($3.00 register reward)

I purchased these three items last night - total with tax was $9.00. Received $8.50 in Register rewards; so I actually will have spent 50 cents for a good toothbrush, ponytail holders, and shaving gel! Woo Hoo!!!

* The best part: if you have the time and patience, you can break your sale up into different transactions.

For example: you can first purchase the elastics, and pay $2.16 out of pocket. Then for your second transaction, you can purchase the other two items, and use your $2 RR from Scunci. Since the RR's (which are basically manufacturers coupons good only at Walgreens) are from different manufacturers, you will still get the RR from the toothbrush and the shaving gel.

This scenario also works vice versa - you can purchase the toothbrush first, and then use the RR from the toothbrush to pay for the elastics and shaving gel.

* If you're lucky enough to have newspaper insert coupons, you can also use those and still get the RR. For example, if you have a 50 cent coupon for a Colgate toothbrush, you can purchase the toothbrush, hand over your 50 cent coupon, and still get the RR!

I hope you're enjoying shopping at Walgreens as much as I am. Since us Northern Californians don't have CVS, I'm glad to have three Walgreens that are super close to my house!

ThankfulThursday ~ I Love My Girls!

2009-04-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

God has richly blessed us with two beautiful daughters! Shauna, our eldest, is 7 and a half years old, and is constantly cracking me up. Staci, is 5 years old, and is always in competition with her older sister over everything ~ constantly fighting, but ready to stick up for each other if they feel someone else has mistreated their sibling. Today I want to publicly say how thankful I am that God brought them into our lives; they are true treasures! I love you, Shauna & Staci!
XOXOXO
Love,
Mommy

Jesus of Nazareth ~ Easter Drama pictures

2009-04-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

Our (FAC's) first Easter drama in about 15 years was a huge success. Everyone worked together as a team, and there was a LOT of hard work, toil, time, and money spent - but it turned out great. Since I was in the cast, I was unable to take pictures. Combine that small fact with the poor image quality of my OLD camera, and you won't have a good recipe for success regarding quality pictures. Of the hundreds of pics that my mom and friend graciously took for me, there's a handful of good ones. Here they are, for your viewing pleasure. Thanks to all who were able to attend, those who wanted to attend but were unable, and those who live miles away, but were with us in mind and spirit. Hope your Easter was as blessed as ours was.

"Freedom" worship song

2009-04-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

Recently, ANONYMOUS left a comment on my freedom post asking where to find the best version of this song. Up until today, I had not been able to find the song anywhere online. Just now, I searched, and was able to come up with three versions that are on YouTube I am still disheartened though, that I cannot find any more information on this song. I'd like to know the song writer, the official lyrics, the copyright date, and if it's been recorded on an album? Anyone know?

My personal favorite version is from the Pentecostals of Alexandria:

The other two versions I found, are:
Indiana Bible College (IBC) October 2008

New Destiny Worship Center, Clearwater Florida

What to blog about?

2009-04-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately that if I'm going to have a successful blog, that it should be more than just an avenue to post photos for Grandma and Grandpa to see. Although that will still be a big part of my blog, I just think I should spend more time writing stuff. I know it's been a while since I posted, and I felt like I was overdue. While trying to think of what to write, I came across this great blog post from Rather Be Shopping Rather Be Shopping which made me feel better about my blog in general. I really like the ideas presented here, and his comments on commenting.

Happy Monday!

P.S. A special thanks to those who've started following my blog... if I don't personally know you, welcome to my world! If you have any questions or ideas for things you'd like to see me blog about, I welcome them all! Thanks again for being a follower.

P.P.S. I recently stated that the first three followers would get a prize from me. I'm still trying to recover from severe fatigue related to drama practice, but am working on your prizes. For my current three followers, please send me an email with your mailing address so I can get your prize to you in the next week or so. :) My email is rhonda.parker@dgs.ca.gov

Have you visited Free Birthday Treats yet?

2009-04-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

Since Matthew’s Birthday was last Friday, he's received all of his email coupons for the goodies he selected (well, actually, I enrolled him) from Free Birthday Treats. My birthday is in a few weeks, so I'm looking forward to receiving all of these emails for myself! ;)

Black Angus – free steak dinner (choose any steak up to $19.99) with purchase of an entrée – expires 2 weeks after birthday

Offers expiring one week after his birthday
Cold Stone Creamery – coupon good for one FREE Like It Crete Your Own Creation (ice cream + 1 mix-in) served in a cup
Daphne's Greek Café - Free Plate; no purchase necessary
Fresh Choice – 35% off coupon – valid for a party of up to 6 people on the same check (discount applies to adults only, not children's meals, since kid's meals are already discounted). Do the math before you go in case the cashier doesn't know how to enter the coupon - this happened to us, we had 3 adults, so we should have gotten 3 discounts at 35% - instead we got two discounts at 25% - the manager reimbursed us the difference, but it was a small hassle).
Hometown Buffet - buy one adult meal, get one free
Marie Callender's - $5 off entreee’ AND a FREE slice of pie (excludes fresh fruit pies and cheesecakes)
Orange Julius – buy one get one free coupon for 20 oz smoothie or $1.50 off one smoothie
Red Robin – free gourmet hamburger; no purchase necessary

Happy Birthday, Matthew & Frugal Birthday Posters

2009-04-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Matthew's birthday, but with all of the extra work we've been putting in for our drama practice, I did't get to plan the kind of birthday celebration that I wanted to. I would like to share just a few ideas for frugal birthday celebrations that we used.

From the Dollar Store, we purchased a world map and a foam poster board sheet, along with a helium balloon and one of the small plant balloons.

I was so proud of Staci and how great she is doing at school. I told her to write "Happy Birthday to the Best Daddy in the World." I then proceeded to give her the spelling, and she said "no - I know how to spell it!" And she did - she did a great job. Here are the pictures of the special birthday posters the girls made. Shauna was especially proud of her "smiley face" balloon she drew.

Although not quite so frugal, we also celebrated by going to dinner at Black Angus. We used the certificate from The Prime Club through Black Angus to get Matt's steak dinner free. He's also gotten a lot of other great birthday freebies through Free Birthday Treats. Check it out if you haven't done so already.

For the extended family, here are some pics of the girls and Daddy.

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

2009-04-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

A friend posted this on facebook, and I felt it was well worth sharing.... something to ponder on this terrific Thursday.

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique. However; after they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!!

Joke of the Day ~ April Fool's

2009-04-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

An atheist was quite incensed over the preparation for Easter and Passover holidays and decided to contact the local ACLU about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by the constant celebrations afforded to Christians and Jews with all their holidays while the atheists had no holidays for them to celebrate. The ACLU jumped on the opportunity to once again pick up the cause of the downtrodden and assigned their sharpest attorney to the case.

The case was brought up before a learned judge who after listening to the passionate presentation by the ACLU representative, promptly banged his gavel and said,

“Case dismissed!”

The ACLU lawyer stood up and objected to the ruling and said, “Your honor, how can you dismiss this case? Surely the Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. And the Jews, why in addition to Passover they have Yom Kippur and Hanukkah … and yet my client and all other atheists have no such holiday!”

The judge leaned back in his chair and simply said, “Obviously your client is too confused to know about or for that matter even celebrate the atheists holiday!”

The ACLU lawyer pompously said, “We are aware of no such holiday for atheists … just when might that be?”

The judge said, “Well it comes every year at the same time … April 1st!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalm 14:1 - The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Psalm 53:1 - The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James 2:19 (King James Version) - Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Great deal on Staples Paper and Coupons!

2009-03-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

I just read this post on Precious' website about the great deal she did to get FREE paper (and a LOT of free paper!).

Also, check out this cool website where you can get free printable Staples coupons as well as awesome coupons you can purchase. Staples coupons are available at staples-coupons.com.

UPDATE: I went on my lunch hour and used my Staples coupons from Staples coupons to receive $25 off of my $100 purchase. The cost of the coupon was $5.49, so I still saved almost $20!

Auntie Becca comes for a visit

2009-03-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

The girls were thrilled beyond words to find out Auntie Becca was going to be "spending the night" with us last Monday. She had come up for her great-Uncle's funeral, which was sad; but we were glad to see her.

It's been 10 years since I first met Becca. She's the youngest of my sibling-in-laws, and was only 12 years old at the time. Here's a picture that was taken in June of 1999. This is Becca, Matthew (my boyfriend at that time), me (much skinnier then) and my fabulous in-laws.

Becca is now 22, about to graduate from college, and then a summer wedding is planned! We are so excited for Auntie Becca, and the girls can't wait to meet Uncle Jeff.

Me & Becca, March 2009

Being silly, Staci just wants to sit by Becca

FIRST IMPRESSIONS ..... OR ..... What Does Your "Readability" Say About You?

2009-03-16T15:38:00.001-07:00

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

While browsing through craigslist, I came across this listing under "rideshare." my name is jared and iam trying to earn some money by driving around the area and helping who ever needs help if you do not have a car or you need something to be drop off or pick up i can do the job the right way the first time i am dependable and trust worthy i have clean driving record clean cut and respectful 30 years old and can lift up to 250 easy please call #916-627-6795.tHanks

I used the spelling and grammar tool to find out the "readability statistics," which looked like this:

I spent about 4o seconds editing the listing to come up with this:

My name is Jared and I am trying to earn some money by driving around the area and helping who ever needs help. If you do not have a car or you need something to be dropped off or picked up I can do the job the right way, the first time. I am dependable and trust worthy. I have a clean driving record, am clean cut, and respectful. I am 30 years old and can lift up to 250 pounds easily. Please call me at #916-627-6795. Thank You

The new readability statistic looked like this:

I recently took a writing class, and the instructor was telling us how amazed she is at the resumes that she's reviewed recently. Since so many people are using text messages these days, emails have begun to be written like text messages. She noted (and I agree) that it is very unprofessional to have abbreviations and such in business writing. Therefore, many people are losing out on their dream job because of the bad first impression they are making on a prospective employer.

It made me stop and think a minute about my first impression on those I meet.

When they first see me do they think of me as:

* a Christian * a godly woman * modest * classy * friendly

or, instead - do they see someone who is:

* upset * frustrated * tired of traffic * unfriendly * dressed like a bum

Matthew 7:15-20 (King James Version) states:
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

What kind of fruit do people see on the tree of my life?

Proverbs 18:24 says "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."

When people see me do I appear friendly? Do I have a good spirit? Can they sense Christ living within me? Am I portraying His righteousness? Am I giving His love to those around me?

It made me think. May it also make you think today.

Have a blessed day!

Rhonda

The Wisdom in Hot Chocolate

2009-03-10T09:08:00.001-07:00

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate. When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: “Notice that all of the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each other's cups.”

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups.

The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate!

FREE Garnier Products at Walgreen's again

2009-03-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

This week Walgreen's is doing the 99 cent sale on Garnier Fructis hair products! Yeah! I went to the Dollar Tree yesterday and purchased 5 newspapers because I knew the RedPlum coupon insert had two $1.00 off coupons for Garnier Fructis.

Now I will be able to use this month's Easy Saver Coupon (ESQ)* to get the items for free.

This is what my transaction will look like:
5 Garnier Fructis shampoo/conditioner - $4.95 with the ESQ
5 Garnier Fructis hairspray/mousse/or gel - $4.95 with the ESQ
3 packs of Orbit gum - .99 with the ESQ

Give the cashier the coupons in this order: FIRST, the 10 Garnier Fructis manufacturer coupons; then the gum ESQ, then the Garnier ESQ.

The total out of pocket should be about $1.65, to cover the cost of the gum and the taxes.

I'll let you know if it turns out differently.

Because the coupons for the Garnier give you a penny difference, you want to make sure to buy something small so there are no problems. Also, at Walgreens the system is set up so that you cannot have more coupons than items. With this transaction, I'm using 12 coupons, but I'm buying 13 items. If I did not buy the gum, the transaction would not work the way I want it to.

Even factoring in what I paid for the newspapers: $5.40 with tax, I'm still only paying $7 out of pocket for 5 bottles of shampoo, 5 bottles of hairspray, and 3 packs of gum! That's cheaper than the dollar store, and it's name brand product!

Also, don't forget to take advantage of the Register reward deal from Kimberly Clark. www.coupons.com currently has $5 off Huggies Gentle Care and $3 off Huggies Natural Fit. You can print each coupon twice. (scroll through the coupons until you find the Huggies = they will be there, but may not be on page 1, and may not be together). Purchase two packs of diapers on sale for $10 each and one pack of refill-wipes on sale for $6. Use two $5 coupons and one $3 coupon. Spend about $18 and get a $10 register reward, which is just like cash - a $10 coupon off your next purchase at Walgreens. If you don't have the Garnier coupons, you could use this on Garnier.

* ESQ stands for EasySaver Coupon. Walgreens has a monthly coupon catalog (EasySaver catalog), which can usually be found by their weekly fliers in the stand as you walk in the door of their store. You only need 1 ESQ for the entire transaction. The register will automatically multiply it for each item it refers to. Match it up with manufacturer and it'll be free! You will need to purchase something very small as it will give $.01 overage, and that can be a problem.

Bro. Clark

2009-03-04T11:19:00.000-08:00

I'm including both pictures here, since monitors are all different - on my camera, I thought the first picture was too dark, and the second picture was perfect... but actually, the lighting on both is not the greatest. I do like Bro. Clark's smile better in the second picture - there's just something about teeth showing when you smile! :)

Sheldon and his "Holy Ghost" smile!

More Revival

2009-03-04T11:17:00.000-08:00

This picture cracked me up. Kadee's shoes remind me of shackles, and I felt like singing

"Take these shackles off my feet, so I can dance - I just wanna praise Him, I just wanna praise Him!"

As Kadee says, Hey, you gotta do whatcha gotta do to get the Holy Ghost!

Revival With Bro. Clark!

2009-03-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

First Apostolic Church was blessed to have evangelist Carlton Clark from Arizona with us this past weekend. We've had him many times before, but it had been several years, and he had never met the Sullivan's. The Spirit of the Lord manifested itself in such a mighty presence and move of God.... thank you, Bro. Clark, for helping us reach the next level, as our Pastor has been trying to do, and has prayed and sought the Lord for us, our church, and our community.

The Hardest Puzzle Yet!

2009-03-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

You will see that the bottom was the only "easy" part of this puzzle... and Shauna did most of it!

When I told my mom that I didn't think all of the pieces were here, she said "well, we can always count them." I had to inform her she was wrong... the box says "approx" 1000 pieces. :) LOL

The puzzle has many pieces that are odd shaped and just "fit together" but don't interlock.

My Wild Monkeys

2009-03-04T11:05:00.001-08:00

You can't really tell in this picture, but I love Staci's ponytail! It's so beautiful - God has given her blonde highlights and the ends are naturally curly. (Shauna's was just like this when she was 4 years old, but as her hair gets longer, it no longer has the curl at the end).

Ladies Car Wash

2009-03-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

Saturday, February 21 we had a Ladies Car Wash at the church to raise funds to help out with those of us who want to go to the Annual Northern CA Ladies Conference. The girls of course wanted to do their part to help.

Watch out when Sis. Amy has the hose!

Puzzles ~ My "Rhonda Time"

2009-03-04T10:43:00.000-08:00

A dear friend of mine recently asked me if I ever have "Rhonda time." At the time, the answer was no. I have since begun to work on puzzles quite frequently (which I think is a minor annoyance to my husband...) I told him he could help me work on them, but he wasn't too keen on the idea. My mom has been my biggest helper, although the girls like to help.

This puzzle was HARD! Many of the inside pieces looked like edge pieces, due to the round shape.

I love this one - it's a collage of old Hershey's ads/wrappers. It states "MORE SUSTAINING THAN MEAT" and the other one below states "A Meal in Itself." Ha Ha!!! I think those were from the 1940s.

The bad thing is that with my frugality, I buy almost all of my puzzles from thrift stores and Goodwill. Many times they are missing 1 piece... which is very frustrating... but I always like to think of it as a visual reminder that we all have a piece inside of ourselves that is empty and can only be filled by Jesus Christ and His spirit living within us.

Staci's Performance in Chapel

2009-03-04T10:32:00.001-08:00

It's really hard to get a great picture when the object (my child) keeps moving around! :)

Don't Get Wrapped Up In Sin

2009-03-04T10:28:00.000-08:00

That day at chapel, Mr. Sullivan (our pastor's son and church worship leader, who also teaches the upper grades at Faith Christian Academy) gave a really great object lesson. He spoke about Lazarus being raised from the dead; and although he was brought back to life, he was still "bound by the grave clothes." He had some volunteers show how easily we can get wrapped up in sin and other bad habits, and that God can deliver us, but we still have to get "unwrapped."

Chapel, 2/20/09

2009-03-04T10:24:00.000-08:00

Since I'm a State worker on "Friday Furloughs," I've been blessed to be there for chapel the last two furlough days.

Monopoly Junior

2009-03-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

This post is mainly for Grandpa & Grandma and our aunties and uncles who live far away....

a pic of everyday life....

Here's a picture of the girls and our very nice, dear landlords, Richard & Arlys. You can see that the girls talked Arlys into playing a game.... Staci ended up winning, much to Shauna's dismay. :)

Yes, that is a gigantic hole in the right knee of Shauna's tights... I've yet to discover the solution for girls who like to wear their new tights just once before they get a hole in the knee. (Staci had an enormous hole in her tights, also, but on the left knee... you can also see that Staci likes to change clothes even more often than Shauna).

President's Day 2009

2009-03-04T10:07:00.000-08:00

We had a girl's party at our house on Monday, February 16th. Here are a few pics of the event.

Sweet sisters, Marissa & Brianna

My dear young friend, Jean' Elle, who calls me "Parker" (not Mrs. Parker or Staci's mommy, just Parker)

The five girls (yes, it did get quite loud ... Grandma Rozana remarked at one time that my "party was getting out of hand") LOL

We thank God for godly friends that we can hang out with; and I'm glad that my girls are beginning to forge friendships that I pray will stay with them through the teen years and on into adulthood.

Valentine's Day 2009

2009-03-03T18:36:00.000-08:00

Our Valentine's day was packed with lots of goodies. The morning started out with a visit to Pastry Heaven in Citrus Heights, CA to see Good Morning, Gina of 103.9 The Fish. Gina was there to kick off her 10,000 hugs campaign - she's trying to get 2,000 hugs by May and 10,000 hugs by 2010. You can send her a virtual hug by emailing her at gina@1039thefish.com . We then headed to Round Table to have lunch with my friends Bob & Staci from Vacaville. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture to document that visit. :(

Then it was back home to rest for an hour or so before I took the girls to Picture People to take advantage of the Valentine postcard special. After we had our pictures taken, Grandma Rozana paid the $5 so Shauna could "ride a dinosaur" at one of the shops in the mall.

That evening the girls stayed with my mom while Matthew and I went to our church banquet. We sang karaoke - Matthew and I sang "Groovy Kind of Love".. it was a blast.. I love to sing, and the lights were off, so it wasn't quite as embarrassing as usual.

Sis. Sullivan, our pastor's wife, reads the Mad Lib love poem I created as the game for the banquet.

A dear friend, Sis. Maudie Burns, whose husband passed away last year. February 16 of this year would have been their anniversary if he was still alive. This was her first Valentine without him in over 60 years.

Our pastor's son, Tyler, who was the "emcee" of the evening ... he delighted us all with his humor and wit and the great jokes!

My valentine and I

Freedom

2009-03-03T13:34:00.000-08:00

We've been having some wonderful church services where the Lord has manifested Himself and His presence in a very powerful way. One of the revival nights we sang a new song "Freedom" which the girls had sung before in kid's choir. I may be off a little bit on the first verse, but you'll get the gist of it. The song is celebrating the freedom we have since Jesus Christ has set us free from the bondage and addictions of the world.

The song goes something like this:

I'm gonna sing a little louder than before, Oh, oh, oh, oh

I'm gonna jump a little higher than before, Oh, oh, oh, oh

I'm gonna shout a little louder than before, Oh, oh, oh, oh

I'm gonna praise a little harder than before Oh, oh, oh, oh

Freedom, freedom Freedom, freedom

He set me free, yes, He set me free; He broke the bonds of prison for me

I'm glory bound my Jesus to see; Glory to God, He set me free!

Freedom, freedom Freedom, freedom

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hal-le-lu-jah!

**********************************************************************************

After I picked up the girls from daycare last night, Staci was singing this song in the backseat, and she CRACKED ME UP because she sang these words:

He set me free, yes, He set me free; He broke the BOMBS of prison for me; I'm GOING DOWN my Jesus to see, Glory to God, He set me free!

I was laughing so hard as I explained to her the "mishaps" she was saying. :)

It was so cute! (At least this momma thought so)
Hope everyone is having a blessed day!

School Friends

2009-02-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Staci and some of her classmates on Thursday, February 12, and Friday, the 13th, as they were getting ready to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Trip to RC Willey and HSM Disney on Ice Tickets from The Fish

2009-02-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night before church, we drove out to RC Willey to see if we could win tickets for the girls to see Disney on Ice's High School Musical - The Ice Tour. The Fish was giving away tickets every 15 minutes between 5 and 7 pm. We arrived at RC Willey at 5:30, and won the 6:15 drawing. I was praying that we would not win a t-shirt, CD, or movie passes, because then we would have been out of the running for the Ice tickets. The girls were so jazzed, and my mom had wanted to take them anyway, for Valentine's. The girls went with my mom and sister the next evening. The group of 4 tickets was over $100 value. Yeah us!!! Thank you, to The Fish!
The girls had a blast exploring RC Willey - it's a beautiful home decorating store that we had never visited. Since we had to leave shortly as we didn't want to be late for work, I told the girls that we would come visit some other time. Here are some pics of the girls at RC Willey.

Organ Recital

2009-02-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

After Brenda's birthday lunch, Shauna and I went to an "Organ Recital." Our landlady, Arlys, is the organist for her church, St. Matthew's Lutheran. They recently purchased a beautiful new organ, and invited Dr. Roger Nyquist to play for their organ dedication. This man is incredible! Shauna's comment was: "If there was Organ Olympics, he would definitely win first place."
Shauna was getting lulled to sleep by the beautiful classical music, so we left at intermission, but it was a great event to attend. I also liked the way they decorated the refreshment table with the black and white keys.

February Happenings

2009-02-21T00:26:00.000-08:00

I think it's time that I start saving for a new camera (to replace the one I lost in October and am still sad about, boo hoo) and a new computer! "My computer at home" doesn't have internet access (too old, too many viruses, etc), so I have to wait until really late to use Matthew's laptop and get online. I also can't post without pictures...well, I don't like to, so I avoid it.
I've finally had a chance to upload some photos, and can share.
Sunday, February 8, met Brenda and her son Caleb for her birthday lunch. Shauna and Caleb are "best buddies." Here are some pictures of them sword-fighting with chopsticks and other random shots.

Not a favorite pic of Shauna, but I like the reflections of their faces. (unintentional shot)

Email from God

2009-02-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

This has been around a while, but its message remains true...

To: YOU

Date: TODAY

From: GOD

Subject: YOURSELF

Reference: LIFE

Message: This is God. Today I will handle all of your problems. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you. And, remember... If life delivers a situation that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, stop worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life. Should you decide to send this to a friend; Thank you. You may touch their life in ways you will never know!
Now, you have a nice day.

Love,

God

Valentine Games!

2009-02-13T15:03:00.000-08:00

Valentine's day is just around the corner, and I still have so much to do! :) I want to take the girls to Picture People to take advantage of their current holiday special. I try to go each year around this time. Their current coupon is for a free portrait sheet and 12 valentine postcards for only $12. The great thing is this year they have a postcard where you can place two pics - this is great for when you have more than one kid, like me, but they want to have their pictures taken individually. Go here to print out the coupon.

I've also been working on some games for the church Valentine's banquet which has become an annual youth fundraiser. The cost is only $20 per couple, so it's a great deal. I've searched online, and so far my favorite ideas are: (1) have the couples wrap a present, but each spouse has one hand tied behind their back. First couple to complete the job wins a prize; (2) shoe relay where the husband removes his wife's shoe; they're all placed in a giant pile at the other end of the room, and first husband to get his wife's shoe back on her feet is the winner; and (3) Valentine mad libs... Let me know if you have any other ideas.

Hope you all have a super Friday, and a Happy Valentine's Day!

Emailed Prayer for Financial Blessing

2009-02-10T15:30:00.001-08:00

FINANCIAL BLESSING

I claim it for you - now claim it for me. God has more than a thousand ways to provide for us, that we know nothing about. Here is your financial blessing! It's a simple prayer . . . got 30 Seconds?

Don't sleep on this...Someone recently read this for the first time and received exactly enough for a $0 balance on all credit cards.

If you need a financial blessing, continue reading this.

“Heavenly Father, most Gracious and Loving God, I pray to you that you abundantly bless my family and me. I know that you recognize, that a family is more than just a mother, father, sister, brother, husband and Wife, but all who believe and trust in You.

GOD, I send up a prayer request for financial blessing for not only the person who sent this to me, but for me and all that I have forwarded this mess age on to. And that the power of joined prayer by those who believe and trust in you is more powerful than anything! I thank you in advance for your blessings. God, deliver the person reading this right now from debt and debt burdens.

Release your Godly wisdom that I may be a good steward over all that you have given me GOD, for I know how wonderful and mighty you are and how if we just obey you and walk in your word and have the faith of a mustard seed that you will pour out blessings. I thank you now Lord for the recent blessings I have received and for the blessings yet to come because I know you are not done with me yet. Amen”

Peace and Blessings....Have Faith

25 Things About Me

2009-02-09T15:16:00.000-08:00

1. I always try to back in to a parking space so it's easier to pull out. I always do this at work or church. Or, if there are two empty parking spaces parallel to each other in a parking lot, I'll pull forward to the other side.

2. My church is my life.

3. I miss my relatives who live far away, and wish they lived closer. I feel bad that my girls don't get to spend time with their cousins.

4. My hair has never been permed or dyed. In addition, it's been uncut for most of my life (about 27 years).

5. I love to sing and "shout to the Lord." One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 100:1 - Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

6. I like to search www.biblegateway.com and the Strong's Concordance. "Make a joyful noise" is also found in 6 other psalms.

7. I am very opinionated. And stubborn. And hard-headed. Many times I have to learn a lesson "the hard way."

8. I'm so thankful for God's unending mercies and unconditional love.

9. I've recently become addicted to facebook.

10. I have a fondness for fast food and eat too much.

11. I like to exercise, but don't seem to "make the time" to do it.

12. I like to play sports, but am not very good, so I'm usually too shy to do it.

13. In high school I joined the cross-country team so that I could get a "sports" letter for the letterman's jacket I never bought.

14. I really like to eat dark chocolate. A lot. I don't care much for white chocolate - brings back memories of a fourth-grade incident at a friend's birthday party = ate too much of the stuff, and haven't cared for it much since.

15. I became the baseball scorekeeper when I was a sophomore in high school because I had a crush on one of the players.

16. I don't like movies, and can't stand it when that's all kids want to talk about - especially in Sunday School.

17. Acts of service is my love language. Please don't say you appreciate me - show me. Buy me lunch (or a bag of chocolate).

18. I love to sing in choirs, and wish that some church people weren't so condescending toward those who aren't blessed with a great singing voice. I believe the point of a church choir is to magnify and exalt Jesus, and He will anoint and make a beautiful harmony.

19. I like to attend baseball games, but not without a scorebook.

20. Scrabble is one of my favorite games; but I like to play most any thing. I really like word games, and used to play Boggle with my mom a lot. I'm not good at trivia. I like to win, but think I'm a pretty good loser and have good sportsmanship. I don't like to play Monopoly (or Triopoly).

21. I don't consider myself a computer junkie, but I can waste too much time surfing the internet.

22. My mom recently told me I have ADD because I'm always starting a bunch of projects, but don't seem to finish too many.

23. When I get a notion to do something, I go all out. For example, my current relaxing past-time is working jigsaw puzzles - so every time I go to the thrift store I'm looking for more. I've probably bought 16 puzzles in the last two weeks.

24. I'm a pack-rat, and I love Christmas decorations. Everything in the garage is mine, and about 50 percent of it is Christmas stuff.

25. I love to bargain shop. I'm not into brand names - Although I love anything patriotic and the colors red, white, and blue - I try not to buy Tommy Hilfiger just because of the principal of not buying brand name stuff.

Shoe Score at ROSS Dress for Less store

2009-02-04T13:36:00.000-08:00

Etienne Aigner Carmelina SKU #7483625 on zappos.com
Regularly $68.95; sale price $62.06! (That equates to a 10% off sale).

It’s $69 at shoes.com and amazon.com.

I purchased these exact shoes for a coworker today at ROSS at lunchtime.

How much did I pay?

Well, the Ross price was $21.99, but it was marked down to $14.99. So, with tax, I paid $16.15.

Zappos’ sale price with tax is $66.87. I only paid 24% of the Zappos price!

I’ve hence dubbed myself “Office Personal Shopper.”

Thankful Tuesday ~ A Pastor Who Preaches Mercy

2009-01-27T08:32:00.001-08:00

Today I want to let the whole world know that I’m thankful for my pastor and his family.
(I apologize for the poor pic, but you know I don't like to do posts without pictures).

Tyler, Sis. Sullivan, Pastor Sullivan, Kadee, & Trent

My pastor, Ken Sullivan, is awesome! He is always preaching about showing mercy and forgiveness toward others. He preaches love, kindness, mercy, and empathy all of the time. And, he doesn’t just preach it, but he lives it. I’ve seen times where people have made big mistakes; and he’s given them mercy. He has also taught us that you can tell if someone who calls themselves a Christian has the work of the cross in the life or not by observing their actions. We are all human, and we all make mistakes. Erring and sinning is just a way of life – however, it’s our responses to our mistakes, failures, and sins that show whether or not we truly have the work of the cross in our life. God’s word is very clear that in order to be forgiven, we must forgive others. If the cross is working in your life, you will show mercy and forgiveness to others, even when it’s undeserved; especially when it’s undeserved. After all, that’s what Jesus Christ does to us every day. It’s mentioned many times in the Bible. Just this one quote alone “His mercy endureth forever.” is mentioned in 42 verses (King James Version).

Pastor Sullivan relaxes after my sister's wedding; November 15, 2008

This morning on my drive in to work, I was listening to Good Morning, Gina onThe Fish , and she was having a discussion regarding the Christian high school girls’ basketball coach who was fired after winning a game 100-0 and refusing to apologize as the school board wanted (story on Fox News here ). I chimed in with my two cents saying “It shouldn’t matter whether it’s a Christian school or not - I don’t think it was nice of him or that it taught good sportsmanship for him to chant “100, 100, 100” and not put in his second string until the last few minutes of the game. I think he should have put in his second string after half-time. However, the school is being hypocritical by not showing him mercy and firing him.” This is what I thought of instantly because my pastor preaches mercy.

There were many other good quotes I heard from other callers such as:

· God’s word tells us to follow through with something we start; so if we say that the losing team should have forfeited, we’re telling them it’s okay to quit if we aren’t winning or things aren’t going our way. We’re also sending a message to the winning girls that we should quit when we’re doing a good job; that we shouldn’t finish it through to the end.

· By firing the coach, they’re telling the other team that they aren’t responsible for their actions of not making any points.

· Another caller thought it was terrible and that he has no idea of what mercy and empathy means, but that he shouldn’t have been fired, he should have been suspended until he wrote an essay on mercy and empathy.

What do you think?

Pray for Keith Smith

2009-01-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

Please pray for Keith Smith, tenor of freeWAY, who was involved in a car accident Monday night, and is facing further surgery tomorrow at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. He is a long way from home (San Diego) and needs everyone's prayers. More info can be found on Jana Allard's blog.

The Stranger

2009-01-21T09:10:00.000-08:00

This has been circulating around the internet for some time. It was not written by me, nor does it pertain to me; however, I think it has an interesting message and should be read by all.

The Stranger

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.) Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.

My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... and NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?

We just call him 'TV.'

He has a wife now....We call her 'Computer.'

Welcome to Citrus Heights ~ Traffic Laws Strictly Enforced

2009-01-20T10:05:00.000-08:00

21453. (a) A driver facing a steady circular red signal alone shall stop at a marked limit line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or, if none, then before entering the intersection, and shall remain stopped until an indication to proceed is shown, except as provided in subdivision(b). (b) Except when a sign is in place prohibiting a turn, a driver,after stopping as required by subdivision (a), facing a steady circular red signal, may turn right, or turn left from a one-way street onto a one-way street. A driver making that turn shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent crosswalk and to any vehicle that has approached or is approaching so closely as to constitute an immediate hazard to the driver, and shall continue to yield the right-of-way to that vehicle until the driver can proceed with reasonable safety.

As I was running late to work this morning, I approached a busy intersection on the way to the freeway. My light was red, but the opposite traffic was turning left. I made a "very quick" stop and proceeded to turn right. A car followed me, and then a motorcycle officer. I noticed the officer's lights were on, and thought he was pulling over the other vehicle, but he was pulling me over.

He gave me a citation for CVC 21453(a) "red signal", failure to stop

I informed the officer that I thought I did stop, and his reply was "tapping your brakes is not coming to a complete stop."

So now, I'm trying to decide .. should I go to court and contest the citation; or do I just go into debt and pay the astronomical fine and pay for traffic school so that I avoid the "1 point" being added to my driving record?

I am praising God and thankful that it was just a citation; I wasn't in an accident; and money is nothing to God. God is good all the time, in the good times and bad, the happy and sad. I am praising God for this wake-up call to ALWAYS STOP COMPLETELY, DON'T JUST TAP YOUR BRAKES... and may this serve as a reminder to all you drivers out there... traffic laws are strictly enforced; especially in these bad economic times where cities and jurisdictions are hurting for money.

How to Knit ~ Continental Style

2009-01-15T15:33:00.000-08:00

I first learned to knit almost 6 years ago when I was pregnant with Staci. My audit partner at the time, also named Rhonda, was knitting, and she got me interested. She was able to make scarves for Christmas presents using just one skein of Homespun yarn; and she made it look easy and relaxing. Since my commute to work was light rail at the time, I thought it would be perfect to learn how to knit, as this was something I could do and feel like I was accomplishing something on my ride home from work each day.

Off to Wal*Mart I went. I returned to work the following week with my size 11 needles and Lion Brand Homespun yarn. Rhonda showed me what to do, but then when I got home, I couldn't remember exactly what she did. I looked online and used Lion Brand Yarn's website (a great site with tutorials and free patterns), and used the pictures to teach me what to do. I fell in love with knitting, but as I watched Rhonda the next day, I realized that she knits differently than I do.

I then discovered that I knit "Continental" style. To me, it is so much faster and easier... and I am one that if there's a faster way to do it, count me in.

Rhonda has continued her knitting classes and is currently working on a sweater for her granddaughter's first birthday. She uses tiny needles that are the size of chopsticks, if not smaller.. ... I still prefer size 11 needles as my all-time favorite, but I adore the larger size needles as well.

I was browsing knitting patterns online and found this tutorial on Continental Knitting and wanted to share.

Have a great day!

I Am Pentecostal, and I'm Not Ashamed

2009-01-14T15:42:00.001-08:00

The CLC Mass Choir will be conducting another live recording! Friday, January 27, 2009 at 7 pm. The sanctuary seats 6000 people, so all are invited to attend. I was at the last recording in 2006 when they recorded this video ... it was a great night - fabulous Christian music; like a free concert! Yeah us!!!

If God Is For Us

2009-01-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by Mariah's post to google songs with the lyrics "If God is for us, who can be against us", and found this one:

If God Is For Us

Verse 1:
We may stumble on our own
But in strength we cannot fail.
We were weak but now we’re strong
And we are destined to prevail.
Cause when we stand to fight the fight
We will conquer by His might.

Chorus:
If God is for us, who can be against us
When God is on our side?
If God is for us, who can be against us
When God is on our side?

Verse 2:
No enemy can stand against the power of His sword.
We are safe within his hand and battle is the Lord’s.
Whenever we face sure defeat God assures us victory.

Repeat Chorus

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-07T19:24:00.000-08:00

Staci asleep at church under the pew chairs, with her legs through the arms of her jacket!

A Clutter of Patterns

2009-01-06T11:16:00.001-08:00

When I became a blogger, a post on Pattern Rescue was one of my first topics. Jacki, one of the three members who make up Pattern Rescue, has created a blog entitled A Clutter of Patterns. They are currently hosting a logo contest, in which I've submitted the first three entries. I am not a graphic designer, and have not taken any classes in graphic design.... these images were created in Power Point and saved as jpg's. The one thing I don't like about this route compared to PhotoShop is that once the images are saved as jpg's, the text pixelates (not sure if that's a word or not, but I think you know what that means).

Thought I'd share with you my entries ... check them out here.

How To Be An Overcomer

2008-12-29T14:42:00.001-08:00

There are two things that make children of God overcomers: 1) the blood of the Lamb; and 2) the word of our testimony.

The blood of the Lamb: Jesus Christ was the Lamb slain for the sins of the world, and his blood that was shed at Calvary is the only thing in the Christian’s walk of life that cannot be compromised. Doctrine can be compromised, holiness standards can be compromised, but the work of the cross can never be compromised. If we will forgive those who hurt us, and allow the cross to work in our lives, we will continue to grow in our walk with God. If we do not practice mercy, grace, and forgiveness, but focus instead on our hurt, and the offense, we will instead become bitter – which only hurts ourselves.

The word of our testimony: this is appropriate and proper speech.. saying positive things, rather than negative, and praising Jesus rather than complaining about our problems.

We say "I forgive you, but..." don't let it happen again... and we somehow choose not to forget the offense.

However, God tells us all the time … “I forgive you,”… and His mercy endureth forever.

I’m so thankful that God does not stop his mercy and grace, because he has certainly extended it to us far more than we deserve it. A preacher once stated the following: Grace is getting from God what we don’t deserve and mercy is not getting from God what we do deserve. May we always be thankful for the mercy and grace and unconditional love that we receive from Christ Jesus, and may we present ourselves a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service.

The next time you are hurt or dealing with the offenses and disappointments of life, remember Revelation 12:11, and think of how many times the Lord has been disappointed. Let's allow the cross to work in our lives by forgiving others and extending mercy and grace to them, and let us speak positive words and praises to Jesus, so that He will not be disappointed in us.

Have a blessed day!

Dealing with Disappointment

2008-12-29T09:00:00.001-08:00

The mother then sat back to wait and see if she would get her requested gift. Keep in mind that what the mother wanted would cost around $1 and maybe take 20 minutes of this person’s time. The mother felt this was a very reasonable request, especially since she had spent so much money on this person’s present. However, Christmas day came and went, and the mother’s gift request was not fulfilled. She was so disappointed. Well, actually, at first she was angry, but then she just felt hurt.

Then the Lord prompted her … “My child, how do you think I feel when people do not give me my reasonable service? I gave the most perfect gift – I gave my son, who came to live on earth and die for your sins so that you could have eternal life.
I request so very little back… yet so many people do not even want to give me that, and so many of my children won’t even acknowledge me as their Father. My word says in Romans 12:1-3 that I beseech you to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to thing of himself more highly than he ought to think, abut to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

A few days later, the mother went to church, and her pastor preached about forgiveness and how to ensure we stay saved. Revelation 12:11b states that the children of God overcome the work of the devil by “the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony….”

There are two things that make children of God overcomers: 1) the blood of the Lamb; and 2) the word of our testimony. For more on this, see the next blog post.

Official Christmas Day Family Picture ~ This one is especially for the Grandparents & Extended Family

2008-12-26T10:28:00.000-08:00

A Little Naughty, but . . . A Lotta Nice

2008-12-26T10:24:00.000-08:00

Cute Hallmark wrapping paper

Christmas Decorations

2008-12-26T10:21:00.001-08:00

Uncle Nelson & Auntie Cristi Lor

2008-12-26T09:34:00.000-08:00

The Newlyweds

Uncle Nelson, Auntie Cristi, Grandma Rozana, Momma Rhonda, Shenghai, Shauna, Staci