Random Musings

Kids say the funniest things. Yesterday we watched 5 munchkins for some friends, and we were laughing as we talked over the day last night. Here's a few snippets of conversations from the day: L, 7 years old, while tending to medical needs and discussing medical stuff: L: Has Mr. Bobby ever fallen off the bed? M: Not out of this bed or since he's been in a wheelchair. He might have when he was a child. You'll have to ask him. L: Was he in a wheelchair when he was a little boy? Me: No, he was almost 25 years old when his accident happened. It was 31 years ago. L: 31 years. Hmmm, that was before we came to your church. The 5 year old twins, while discussing how "low" my (9ft) ceilings are and tossing Pooh and a stuffed squirrel up to see if they'd bounce: B:  Wow, Pooh can hit the ceiling! C: I bet if Mr. Bobby stood up out of his wheelchair, his head would touch the ceiling! Me: Um, I don't think so. B: But if Pooh can touch the ceilin...

Seven years. 88 pounds. December 28, 2010 at 6:15am, Charlotte Ann Parrish stopped fighting her earthly battle with breast cancer, and heard the words "well done". I go shopping with my mother-in-law.  Charlotte went to chemo treatments with my Aunt Ovelene. They found things to laugh about together - like the man who brought sardines to eat and made everyone else in the room sick, and shared the trials and sorrows. Charlotte not only lost her cancer companion when Aunt Ovelene died, but she also watched as her husband grieved the loss of his Mom, and her grandchildren grieved for their great-grandmother. Charlotte defied the odds, again and again.  Doctors would laugh when they'd give the prognosis, saying things like "The normal statistics are... and then there's Charlotte's statistics." And when people would ask how she was doing, she'd always respond "I'm still buying green bananas." I don't want to know the depth of pain f...

Hahaha!...okay. I know this is NOT the vehicle picture you've been waiting for.  But I did want to show off the really cool car tag I got for my birthday!  And here it is...the new van! (Well, new to us!)  A "bench" seat of sorts. I specifically like this because the seats fold down, making it easier (I hope!) to store luggage and such when traveling.  And while it's a very tight squeeze, you can fit three adults here.  And trunk space!!! The spare tire is hidden! Whoohoooooo! (Can you tell that's been a problem in the past?)  One of the many delays in the new vehicle...the turn signal controls.  For the first time ever, these are not controlled by his shoulder, but are now controlled by the elbow and is actually a toggle switch as opposed to a bump pad (for lack of a better word).  The lock controls on the tie downs are different in this vehicle in that they are somehow connected to the door locks. For the longest kind of time they wouldn'...

One day last week I noticed a flock of four-five birds consistently coming to the bird feeder.  They were HUGE, and a species I was unfamiliar with.  With the snow and the bird feeder being almost empty (and me not wanting to fight the snow to refill it), I simply through the feed out towards it from the back porch.  And they came, and came, and came.  Bobby says they are doves. Fluffy and fat...does that mean a long winter is ahead? I like seeing the new birds, but I miss seeing the cardinals, bluebirds, and little yellow bird (I don't know its name). Maybe they will be back tomorrow!

While re-arranging one end of the house this summer, we/I discovered that the "broken" window handle in one of the bedrooms was actually not really broken.  The windowsill had simply rotted. Nice. Since there was a tax credit on energy efficient windows installed before the end of the year, we upped this repair to top of our maintenance "to do" list.  And while taking down all the curtains so the workers could get to the windows, I decided it was time to wash the curtains and sheers. Past time, actually. before washing So I read the instruction labels.  Wash gently, warm or cold water. So I did. I used the almost never used delicate cycle on my washing machine, for the least amount of time possible. after washing....ummm....hmmmm Perhaps the translator forgot say Hand wash as opposed to machine wash? There is a difference, you know.  So those were my "expensive" drapes. (They came from either Linens-N-Things or Target.) And my not-so-expensive dr...

um, yes, I've now realized that I added incorrectly and you're getting the 12th day of Christmas on Christmas Eve, but it's too late to do anything about it now! On the twelfth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, twelve blades of grass, eleven sparkly lights, ten recycled bows, nine ranks of scholars, eight modes of worship, seven crazy feelings, six proclamations, five broken dreams, four upset parents, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets , and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep. There's nothing more disconcerting than to reach your teen years/early adulthood and discover things about your beliefs, that you were so steadfast on, are simply drop-dead wrong. My junior year of high school, after two years of desperately praying for a Christian friend in my grade, a girl transferred into my school. She was a devout Church of Christ. Her family didn't put up a Christmas tree, for trees were pagan.  HUH? Her chur...

On the eleventh day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, eleven sparkly lights, ten recycled bows, nine ranks of scholars, eight modes of worship, seven crazy feelings, six proclamations, five broken dreams, four upset parents, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets , and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep. Is a star pointed, or is it just a blob of light?  If you think about the sun, which is a medium-sized star (so they say), it is a sphere of light.  So why do we think of stars as pointed objects, like snowflakes without the holes? The whole Star of Bethlehem has always fascinated me. Stars have always intrigued me.  How can a sailor look at them and know which direction is which?  I look at the sky, and I am in awe, but have never been able to get a sense or feel for time or direction from them.  I mean, if the earth is orbiting around the sun, does that mean stars are stationary, or do they orbit, too? And how did the magi kno...

On the tenth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, ten recycled bows, nine ranks of scholars, eight modes of worship, seven crazy feelings, six proclamations, five broken dreams, four upset parents, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets , and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep. Yeah,  you read that right.  Ten recycled bows.  I never realized that my family recycled things (before recycling was vogue, I mean).  Every year at Christmas, my Grandmother (known to us as Rea-Rea), would have two garbage bags.  One was for paper and trash; the other for bows.  I seldom remember anyone in our family buying bows.  They can be reused several years, you know.  And if they come apart?  Then they get taken apart and made into festive little loops.  And buying boxes?  Who ever heard of such a thing? Everyone in the Guyton clan knew that if you opened a box and it said "Ritz crackers" or "Jello" that it had differ...

This Christmas I pray for a Christian brother imprisoned for the crime of being a Christian, for his case which has unexpectedly come up for review to be handled in a fair and just manner, that he will be granted access to his lawyer and for his lawyer to be granted access to his records. I pray for his young wife, that she will be strengthened, and for his two young boys, that God will become very real to them during this time that they are grieving not having their Dad at home and are questioning why a just God would allow his servant to be taken and tortured. I pray this young pastor will find some sustenance and comfort in the days ahead, and that should it be God's will, he will be reunited with his family by Christmas.

On the ninth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, nine ranks of scholars, eight modes of worship, seven crazy feelings, six proclamations, five broken dreams, four upset parents, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets , and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep. God's ways are not always my ways. And the more I ponder that principle, the more appreciative I am of my parents, who were open and honest with me.  Granted, my mother is not one of those people who believe children should be taught or told everything - far, far from it.  But I do remember in high school being aghast as a classmate (who came from a church-attending family) laughingly told about his mother dropping a glass bowl, cutting herself in the process, and letting out a swear word. He called his mother on it, to which she responded "I guess I can't say anything if you say those words, can I?" and my brain was reeling with a resounding "WHAT?!?!" Had such a scenario ...

On the eighth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, eight modes of worship, seven crazy feelings, six proclamations, five broken dreams, four upset parents, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets , and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep. Not everyone is going to like the same thing. I think that's why the "worship wars" are so hurtful and damaging to people.  We all have something that sparks our emotions and makes us feel in tune with God, but is that really what worship is all about? One of the songs we sang in our Christmas cantata this year took the words from Christina Rosetti's poem "What Can I Give Him?".  I have always loved the poem; the song, not quite so much. But what I did absolutely love was Lucado's narrative placed before the song. Here's an excerpt: When the wise men did find the Christ child, they fell down and gave Him the gift of worship. In worship, we simply stand before God with a prepared and willing...

On the seventh day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, seven crazy feelings, six proclamations, five broken dreams, four upset parents, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets , and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep. What were things like for you when your children were infants and you had to be somewhere?  I imagine things were rushed, hectic, kind of crazy. And how did your husband respond?  Did he help change that last minute wet diaper?  Get exasperated because the baby woke up early for feeding right as it's time to go? Or did he help you get things ready and not complain when your schedule had to change at the last moment? I've often wondered what things were like for Mary the day they headed to the temple for the purification rights and Jesus' dedication. Was it a crazy, rushed morning?  Was she still too tired and exhausted to desire to see anyone? Was she concerned about taking such a small thing to the busy, crowded temple?  And...

On the sixth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, six proclamations, five broken dreams, four upset parents, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets , and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep. It may be that there were numerous angel visits on earth during ancient days that we simply don't have records of. After all, the Old Testament is full of recordings about the "angel of the Lord" coming to earth and speaking with people, and the Apostle Paul warns us in the New Testament that we could be attending angels unaware. But it does seem that in a short amount of time, there was a flurry of angel activity in the middle eastern part of the world. In no particular order, here's the known listing of angelic activity during a two year period: 1) Luke 1 - angel Gabriel to Zacharias 2) Luke 1 - angel Gabriel to Mary 3) Matthew 1 - the angel to Joseph 4) Luke 2 - angel  to the Shepherds 5) Luke 2 - a "host" or battalion of angels singing ...

On the fifth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, five broken dreams, four upset parents, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets , and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep. Our Light has Come!  One of the hardest songs to sing from the Incredible Moment cantata, but the words in this song gave me absolute chills!   We have seen the Messiah (our deliverer & Savior!), Promised One (He is FAITHFUL!), Mighty God (He can't be shaken, overthrown, overpowered, blind-sided, nor overwhelmed!), Prince of Peace (He's not the ruler of chaos! That is so comforting!), Heaven's Son! Our Light has come!  Do ever wonder the depths of God's disappointment with us?  Oh, we often think about our disappointments with Him when things don't go as we think they ought, but do we ever think about it in reverse? If I spent my time and energy on a quilt, and it turned around and cut up its stitches, allowing the batting (the stuffing) to fall out, I would be qui...

On the fourth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, four upset parents, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets , and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep. Okay, four upset parents is probably an understatement.  My guess it was more like two upset families, multiple upset extended family members and friends, and a horde of gossip-mongering neighbors. Pregnant before marriage?  That's a stoning offense buster! Can you imagine Joseph trying to explain that one to his parents and friends? His clients?  What upstanding person in the community wants to buy a kitchen table from someone guilty enough to be stoned? And Joseph wasn't the only one encountering all sorts of questioning and rude comments. Mary goes to visit Elizabeth (sorry, but I didn't look up their familial connection) { Luke 1} and comes home about the time she'd start showing. I think we can all imagine what types of conversation that spawned.  I find it cool that after Mary's news, ...

On the third day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets , and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep. One of my favorite songs from our church's cantata was "We Will Find Him" . Of course, I love most pieces done by an all men's group, but I was thrilled even more when I looked in the book today and saw this was written by Michael Card (one of my many favorite music authors).  Every time our men's group sang this song, I could close my eyes and envision a music video playing out the lyrics. The following video doesn't portray everything my imagination does when I hear the song, but it's very similar.   I was always taught that according to Matthew 2, the Christ child was no longer in the stable when the wisemen found him (it says he was found in a house).  Others say based on Herod's order to kill all the baby boys 2 and under, it's possible that Jesus was at least a year old before they fo...

On the second   day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, two speaking prophets , and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep. Luke 2: 36-38 (NIV) There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.  I love this passage of Scripture.  In church we hear a lot about the men of the Bible, but seldom are we taught about the numerous women mentioned. I have always found it interesting that a widow, and not just a widow but a barren widow is mentioned in the Christmas Story. We always hear about the other prophet, Simeon, and how he blessed the Christ child, but did any of you even know A...

For the next 12 Days Leading up to Christmas, I'm going to highlight things that have been on my ever crazy mind this holiday season. On the first day of Christmas: sheep Sheep are stupid.  Sheep stink. Sheep are dirty.  As a child, when I heard comparisons of people to sheep in the Bible, I thought it was a wonderful description.  After all, what could be better than to be a white or black fluffy animal, all soft and cuddly? Then one day in China while biking with my students in the countryside, we encountered a herd of sheep. There was no shepherd; they roam freely. They saw us on our bicycles, and then decided to follow us. My students told me to ride uphill, quickly. Did I mention I don't bike very well, especially on a bike with skinny wheels? So I took the lower path, and the sheep overtook me.  Literally.  I came to a stop, and all these dirty, stinky, ugly animals that are as tall as my thigh are bleating and bumping me and then decided not to follo...

Dear Mr. Jake Coyle, Do you even KNOW what the word imagination means?  Did you read the Narnia books as an early elementary child? Are you even aware that are many people who ENJOY books and find movies based on them that deeply delve away from the original plot line horrific? It must not have ever crossed your mind that many CSLewis fans were very concerned to discover Disney was making the first movie. After all, Disney is known for its political correctness, not its accuracy to original sources. And I actually complement you for noting that the news of Prince Caspian deviating from its original plot line actually decreased its following instead of enhancing it. I'm looking forward to seeing the toadstool people, the dragon/Eustace, the magic book and Lucy's bitter lesson, not to mention the mermaid.  Are the creation of those characters not imaginative enough for you? Or is this yet another movie that has deviated from the plot line so much that it dims the action of the...

the outdoor nativity scene :) After picking this thing up and repositioning it (and I STILL haven't found what I did with the flood light and holder!), I simply pulled the thing apart and placed it flat on the ground.  Maybe I'll figure out a way to make it stay upright. I really do like this set and its simplicity, but I would like it even more if it would remain face up! And my indoor nativity set is up. I don't remember if it was the third or fourth year we were married, but this gift shop was going out of business and had everything 60-75% off.  I fell in love with the set, and Bobby surprised me by letting me purchase quite a few pieces.  We've added to it every year.  And since I have it in a different location (meaning a different size table), I can do the layout different almost every year. We've had a year when I didn't put up a tree (and I've half-way jokingly stated that once I become a widow I might not ever put up another tree), but my nat...

We hurried off to our 8:30am appointment this morning only to wait for things to be finalized.  We made it back to Garner around noon, stopped by the doctor's office for even MORE paperwork, then on to home...IN OUR NEW VAN!!! By the time we finished lunch it was around 1pm. As crazy as it sounds, all this "newness" spawned a small cleaning session.  The extra driver's seat for me must be stored somewhere, which meant cleaning out a corner of the laundry room to make room for it. That actually took up most of my afternoon. (I mean, if you have to drag everything out of the room anyway, shouldn't you go ahead and scrub the baseboards while you're at it?).  And the little pile of things from the old van that has found refuge in the garage entryway has almost totally been dispersed to new locations. A few items are still pondering where their new address will be. Like most changes, this van will take some adjusting to.  We've already discovered a few things...

I had about an hour of "spare time" Saturday, where I was determined to put up the outdoor nativity scene. It's out. It's "up" (as in upside down on the ground) thanks to the wind.  It's also lightless, seeing as I borrowed the ground fixture for a makeshift heat lamp when we had biddies this summer. So seeing as I set the thing upright Saturday, pulled it up again yesterday evening and by the time we left for church it was face-down AGAIN, I am now debating whether to just take the thing down or re-configure it's set-up. Meanwhile, if you drive by the house and see a white triangle-shaped thing in the yard, just know it's the nativity scene.  You know, the fence is the point, Mary, Joseph & the babe are the mid-section, and the stable with the star on top...the base of course!!! Gotta love Christmas decorations!

Less than 30 days. That's it. And then my "to do" project list for the year will be refurbished. (but that's a different post) So today as I start this marvelous December 3rd, realizing that all my calendars are still on the month of November, I get to focus on priorities.  Like changing my calendars. For real. Otherwise, these next two weeks are devoted to housework and church.  For starters, the children's play is SUNDAY! And then I'll spend Monday morning putting costumes into bags and away for another year or two. And the rest of next week?  Well, it's safe to say I've been very negligent in focusing on cantata music, so I foresee a lot of time quilting with the CD player going or in front of the piano between now and December 12th.  Oh, and sometime this weekend I hope to put up the nativity set, and maybe next week the Christmas tree. After that, I have three sewing projects I'd like to finish, and some photos that are demanding space...

For non-Alabama natives, the IronBowl is THE game of the year. It is the day which the other 364 days revolve around. It is one of the two days no one in their right mind would attempt to get married on (the other being first day of deer season), and the day everything somewhat stops, including Black Friday shopping.  If you thought the after 3pm sales were created for everyone, you're wrong.  It was to give people something to do to release pent up energy after the game that Friday.  In the state of Alabama, you must choose one of two teams: Alabama or Auburn.  Anyone who doesn't shows they are either a poorly watered transplant or simply an alien. And a mixed marriage in Alabama has nothing to do with race; it means an Auburn fan married and Alabama fan. My husband likes the t-shirt that says "Alabama - we don't play football.  We LIVE it!" And sadly, it's true. And then there's me. Football is an interesting thing.  But I don't live it. I helped...

I grew up in a family of puzzle lovers. Some people think I'm crazy, but my favorite puzzles are the detailed ones.  I find them interesting and a little easier (there's more to match up) than just one single color of sky with a straight wisp of sky. Some of my family thinks I'm insane on this point. (But if you notice more people help out when I buy the puzzle! :) I got my puzzle catalog in the mail yesterday.  www.bitsandpieces.com  They have the coolest puzzles around (kind of like Hallmark's old puzzles).  The only problem is that they cost a little more. Sometimes I can find comparable puzzles at Michael's (and they have 40% off coupons!). This year we worked a 1,000 piece I Spy puzzle from Michael's.  Well, that was the first puzzle we worked.  We actually did two more and NONE on Thanksgiving Day!  I'm seriously contemplating getting two for next year...and one of them without borders! :)  Now if I can just convince the in-laws to let me...