Favorite Foto Friday Oct 10, 2008

Favorite Foto Friday - OCTOBERFEST!

One of my favorite memories of October was a few years ago when I decorated the front porch as shown in the picture. We called the "thing" on the bench Scary Guy and he sat there for about a week when one day I decided to scare my son who was 16 at the time. One day when it was time for him to get home, I put on the Scary Man suit and took my place on the bench. Two of my daughters and their children decided to watch so they pretended to be playing outside when he got home! As he walked by me on the porch, directly in front of me - I jumped up and yelled something (can't remember what it was) and scared him SOOOOO BAAAD! It scared him so bad that he reacted immediately by kicking me . . . hard - right in the shin! I couldn't decide whether to laugh because of his reaction or to cry because of the pain in my leg! Laughing won out at the time, but I wore my "badge" - a big bruise on my shin that lasted for several weeks! We all still remember that day and we still laugh about it!

You can see more FFF photos here.

In His Love and Blessings
annb

Friday 5

October 10, 2008

Friday 5 for October 10: Ties that Bind

1. “My hands are tied” is an English-language cliche that means “I’d like to do something about this unfortunate situation, but I don’t have the ability or authority.” In what current situation do you feel your hands are tied?My 18-year old son is making some choices that are not in his best interest and I feel like "my hands are tied" in this situation. I pray for him daily and know that God is hope and love and He can change the situation.

2. Railroad ties are the evenly-spaced slats that lie perpendicular to train tracks and whose function is to hold the tracks in place and to distribute the weight of the train. Who are the railroad ties in your life?The strongest railroad tie in my life is God and His promises. The other ties are my family and friends - Elizabeth and Michael for the amazing help they have given me since being off work; Dr. S - who provides me support and teaches me ways to cope in difficult situations; J - who I greatly admire and she also offers great support and life skills; Gina, my friend who is able to give me emotional support.

3. What are your feelings about Thai food? I've never tried Thai food.

4. Whose thighs do you admire?There is actually one of the daycare moms (grandma raising granddaughter) who has the most amazing thighs I've ever seen! She used to compete in water skiing and her legs are so muscular. She now rides a bike or walks many places she goes.

5. A red tide is a proliferation (in ideal circumstances) of oceanic algae that often seem to discolor seawater and threaten other sealife. If the ocean is your life and the algae the harmful attitudes, thoughts, or moods that crowd out the good stuff, under what conditions in your life is red tide most likely to become a problem?I believe that I have separated myself from the "Red Tide" that was crowding out much of the "good" emotional stuff in my life. I have the leftovers - the pain from those years still creeps up and I have to be aware of where it's coming from and work through it!

Join in! Visit Friday 5!

In His Love and Blessings
annb

Amadeus Home Music School

I’ve thought often about taking piano lessons and actually took guitar lessons for a short time at a location other than my home. It would have been very convenient to be able to have the lessons in my home and I probably would have continued them much longer.

Schedules are so busy these days with school, work, kids activities that it’s sometimes hard to find time to fit in another activity – like music lessons. The convenience of having lessons scheduled in your home . . . at your convenience would make those music lessons much more accessible for a busy lifestyle!

Check out Amadeus Home Music School for quality, private lessons . . . in your home . . . at your convenience.

Wordless Wednesday Oct 8, 2008

For more "Wordless" fun, visit here!

In His Love and Blessings
annb

"In Other Words" Oct 7, 2008

...in other words...

A journal writing prompt or meme.

Get your creativity flowing...

what does this quote inspire you to write?

Quote for Oct 7

There are two ways to slide easily through life;

to believe everything or to doubt everything.

Both ways save us from thinking.

-- Alfred Korzybski

I, somewhat, agree with Mr. Korzybski on this one. There are two ways to slide through life - but in my opinion, I don't think either way is so easy!

Going through life believing everything opens one up to a lot of disappointment and hurt, which in turn could very well cause one to doubt everything! "Both ways save us from thinking". I think both ways require thinking on many levels.

From my own personal experience, when I was young I trusted people and believed the things I was told, but as I experienced life I'm afraid I began to doubt - not everything - but many things!

I think it would be very easy to say that you trust everything but I honestly don't know anyone who trusts all people in everything they say. As you go through life and experience disappointment in people and are hurt by people you least expected to cause you pain, it's very easy to build up walls of protection.

The only exception for me is and His teachings from the Holy Bible. My greatest goal in this life is to put my complete trust and faith in the Lord in everything!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

To trust that He will carry me through even the darkest storms and, seemingly impossible, trials. I know that the only way to conquer fear and completely trust is to put my faith in God and that's what I strive for each day.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;

but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

In so doing, it also helps me to trust people more. We are to have a spirit of discernment, but that doesn't mean, even after being hurt, we can't learn to trust!

Titus 3: 9) But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10) Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. 11) You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

I might have phrased the quote this way:

There are two ways to slide through life;believing everything or doubting everything.Neither way is easy and both require thinking- about why you would choose either.Neither way will save you from thinking. . . nor will either way give you peace!
Alfred Korzybski paraphrased by annb

To share your thoughts on the quote for today, visit In Other Words

In His Love and Blessings
annb

Far infrared saunas

Infrared Saunas-More Than Relaxation!

Have you ever wished you had a sauna? Can you imagine how relaxing it would be after a long day at work? I’ve thought about it, even looked into it – and what I found at far infrared saunas really sounds good!

They have 1-5 person models – for relaxing alone or inviting friends for a little relaxation! Midwest Saunas also uses Color Therapy applied to specific areas on the body to help bring physical and emotional systems into “balance”.

Infrared Saunas are not just for relaxing. Did you know they can assist or alleviates symptoms of many conditions including: The pain of Arthritis, increase blood flow, and also help relieve symptoms of High Blood Pressure, Detoxification of the body, Asthma, Sunburns and many more health conditions!

If you’ve ever thought about the benefits of Infrared Sauna, see what they have to offer at Midwest Saunas.

Saturday 9 - Oct 4, 2008

Welcome to Saturday 9 hosted by "Crazy Sam":

9 questions posted every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: Let's Get Ready to Rumble

1. When was the last time you lost your temper with someone? I can't remember losing my temper - and verbalizing it - in a very long time! I still get angry, but keep it to myself most of the time. I actually was angry just this past week, but said nothing to the person!

2. What was it about? It's been an ongoing problem with a particular group of people for about 20 years now. I am married - but separated - and when I married I also became stepmother to two little girls who lived with us full time. I grew to absolutely love the girls and considered them mine - just as my own two biological children were mine. This group of people decided, I guess, that I was not a good mom to these girls and it felt like they fought my husband and I continuously about the way we were raising the girls. When my husband and I talked about the frustration and tried to understand why they were acting the way they did about the girls, he just kept saying that talking to them wouldn't matter - it wouldn't change anything. He said he had felt "left out" of the family for a very long time. Still today, they treat my husband as a "non-family member and it still hurts me - and angers me - to see it.

3. Were you totally right or totally wrong? As a parent you raise your children in the best way you know how, we're not perfect - there's no instruction book. I think parents should have the final say - about everything involving their own children, unless of course there's abuse or neglect involved. So I felt like my husband and I were right - they were, after all, our children!

4. If wrong, how long until you realized it? If right, how long until the other person realized it? The group of people act like they never do any wrong and so, of course, never realized or never acknowledged that fact.

5. Did you go a length of time without speaking? I have not spoken to them in years and really see no need to do so. I was so angry for a long time that I refused to see them at all. I'm no longer angry, but also feel that you don't repeatedly put yourself in situations that are hopeless or that only cause pain.

6. Who made the first move? No move by either

7. Do you feel the situation is resolved now? It's resolved with me only because I no longer have to deal with them. It actually contributed to the breakup of my marriage. It's very difficult to live in circumstances that cause you to feel unaccepted, unworthy!

8. Do you ever give in, knowing you weren’t wrong, to keep the peace? I do - much more than I did when I was younger. You learn to pick your battles and most of them are not worth the time!

9. Was there permanent damage even though you’ve made up? There is permanent damage and, as I said, for me the anger is gone - but the hurt remains. I think if we had been able to talk - constructively - the results may have been different.

Join Saturday 9 by visiting Crazy Sam - find the list of participants, visit and leave a comment.

In His Love and Blessings
annb