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A little alliteration for you

Sadie sits silently, steadfast as a statue, surveying the squirrels serenading her safely from the sky, surrounded by stillness and soft rustling leaves.

Jenny and Ben delivering Grandpa's shoe box to the OCC processing center.

Yes, Ben rolled out of bed about 30 seconds before this was taken.
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Get Packin'

Hey Everyone! Just wanted to give a plug for Operation Christmas Child because:
1. That's who my sister works for this year.
2. This is national collection week.
3. My family is volunteering at the Denver processing plant over Thanksgiving.
4. It's a really easy way to make a difference this Christmas.
5. Oksana's story rocks.

I hope that's enough reasons to encourage you to pack a single shoebox with simple gifts for a young child, wrap it up, and drop it off somewhere this week (Nov 15-22). You can even download labels online, pay your $7 shipping fee online, and track your box online at http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/ .  Please consider taking an hour out of your busy week to pack a box and change a life. It's really the least we can do!

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Happy halloween!

I may have had a little too much fun with the pumpkins this year!









Also had a great time working the mechanical bull at Highland's fall festival!



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Does it matter what your kids listen to?

Well, maybe it does...

He may have won top regional and state science-fair honors, but probably at least some of his friends aren't talking to him. Sixteen-year-old David Merrill, a student at Nansemond River High School in Suffolk, Va., thought that the loud sounds of hard-rock music must have a bad effect on its devoted fans and came up with a way to test that damage.


Merrill got 72 mice and divided them into three groups: one to test a mouse's response to hard rock, another to the music of Mozart and a control group that wouldn't listen to any music at all, rock or classical.

The young vivisectionist got all the mice accustomed to living in aquariums in his basement, then started playing music 10 hours a day. Merrill put each mouse through a maze three times a week that originally had taken the mice an average of 10 minutes to complete.

Over time, the 24 control-group mice managed to cut about 5 minutes from their maze-completion time. The Mozart-listening mice cut their time back 8-and-a-half minutes.

But the hard-rock mice added 20 minutes to their time, making their average maze-running time 300 percent more than their original average.

We finished the chairs!

Life is good.

For the first time in my life, I am finding myself with very few responsibilities. And loving it. After 8 years of studying and projects, I am enjoying all the free time I can get. You may think that keeping a job, owning a home and having a pet count as big responsibilities... but really they are privileges. I find myself thanking God often for the many blessings He has given me. I'm trying not to get too comfortable with this lifestyle, because I know that time will fly and I don't want to look at my life 5 or 10 years down the road and realize I've done nothing with my time. I am still looking for how best to make a difference here in Waco, but I want it to be something I am really passionate about so I'm not just doing it to check something off a list. Please pray for me that I would find a place to plug in, serve, grow and share. For now I am enjoying the blessing of having a little time to myself. What a concept!

Before & After

I've been trying to clean up my bedroom since I moved into my house Memorial Weekend. It seems to be taking forever since I am never home and when I am I tend to get distracted. Here is an example of my latest sidestep:

Before






After





1 down, 3 to go... This could take awhile...


P.S. Thank you, Aunt Linda, for this opportunity. We'll see if they stand the test of time!

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Another great recipe

Summer fruit tart:


Very easy and delicious, and perhaps even somewhat healthy. I'd like to think so, at least!

Proof

Me, Joey, Jenny, mystery lady and mystery baby:)


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Spicy spaghetti

Tonight, I attempted to make this:


It turned out like this:


I decided it was a good thing I put it in a fancy bowl because that's about all it had going for it in terms of presentation. As for taste.... My lips are still on fire!

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Molding

Growing up, I loved kids. I played house all the time, took my baby doll "Joey" with me almost everywhere, and thought I wanted to become a pediatrician. As I got older, I babysat almost every single weekend. I loved playing with kids, and when I started out at Baylor with a Communication Disorders major, I originally thought I'd be someone who worked with hearing impaired kids to teach them how to talk.

Somewhere along the way, I decided I'd become an audiologist rather than a speech pathologist. As I started out at Callier, I realized quickly that I prefered working with adults over kiddos. I still like kids, but I find that it is much easier to be their friend than their doctor. I do not find it satisfying to try and bribe a kid to do what you want them to, and pretend like it's the most fun they'll have all week!

Now that I work at Waco ENT, I see kids and adults every day. We do testing on kids, but we currently only fit adults with hearing aids. And believe me, I'm okay with that. It takes out a lot of the guess work. I enjoy working with adults of all ages but have found that I have a particularly soft spot in my heart for the 70 plus population. And although I am all too aware of the process of aging (something I deal with every day), and have at least one conversation a week about death and dying (that's the name of a class at Baylor that I probably should have taken), these special people actually have me looking forward to my 70s and 80s. Imagine that! Maybe God is molding me for something special.

Taco Burgers

I tried a new recipe tonight that I'd highly recommend. It caught my eye on the cover of the food network magazine while I was in line at Home Depot last week.



Lightly mix 6 oz ground beef with a pinch of salt to make patties. Then sprinkle each patty with cumin, oregano, and chili powder before cooking. (I also added some French onion soup mix to each patty.)

Preheat grill to high. Lightly brush the grate and each patty with canola oil. Grill about 4 minutes per side.

Serve on a soft bun with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, tortilla chips, lettuce and cheddar.

Enjoy with friends! Very delicious. We may have round 2 very soon.



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Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending some time with my aunt and cousins in Branson, Missouri. I do intend to post some pictures as soon as I'm able to upload them from my camera. Since I was going to be gone, my parents so kindly offered to keep Sadie for me free of charge. She thoroughly enjoys all of her time spent at their house and is spoiled with sometimes multiple walks a day. This particular trip she also enjoyed a trip to the hunting camp with the boys. As I was having a fun and relaxing weekend with the cousins, Sadie was apparently showing off her keen hunting instincts. (Warning: the following picture is kind of gross.) Here is what I received from my dad Monday morning.


I honestly have to say I love Sadie's look of pure satisfaction, like she has done something really great. Apparently Sadie snatched this dove out of the air, carried it half a mile back to the camp, ate her breakfast, and then buried the bird. Strange instincts this dog has, but I must admit I was impressed.

I'll try to post pictures soon!

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It came!

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A tribute

May 8, 2010
It seems a little strange for all of us to be gathered here today without Grandma among us. She has always been a strong presence in our family. And although she never said much, at least while I knew her, she was always there, observing, with a big smile on her face. Jenny and I remember her always laughing as she watched. What exactly she was laughing at, we’ll never know. But she was always happy.

In my younger days, I remember Grandma always playing music. On her piano, and even her accordion – when we could talk her into it. There is one song in particular that always brings me back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house on Carmel. It’s the one that says, “When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory!”

So even though it seems strange that Grandma is not here with us today, and most of us think this day came a little too soon, we know that she is in a place today where she has always longed to be. In fact, it was just this past fall when my mom and I came for a visit at Holmgreen and found Grandma lying in her bed.  When we asked how she was feeling she said that she thought she may be getting ready to go to heaven. We looked at each other, perplexed, and told Grandma it probably wasn't going to be today. Then she asked if we could take her to the hospital, because I guess she thought that she'd have a better shot at heaven if she were there.  We told Grandma it wasn't her time to go yet, and she looked at us and said, "I've lived a good life, and I am ready to go."

So even though we miss her dearly, we know that this day came not one too soon for her. In her own famous last words, "Praise the Lord!"

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

p.s. Click on the title of this post to see a picture slideshow of Grandma's life.

Two young boys walked into a pharmacy one day, picked out a box of tampons and proceeded to the checkout counter.


The man at the counter asked the older boy, "Son, how old are you?"

"Eight," the boy replied.

The man continued, "do you know what these are used for?"

The boy replied, "not exactly, but they aren't for me. They're for him. He's my brother. He's four. We saw on TV that if you use these you would be able to swim and ride a bike. Right now, he can't do either."

Grandma

Ruth Irene (Bebee) Moore went to be with the Lord, May 1, 2010 at the age of 86. She was born to Hazel and Roy Bebee on September 10, 1923 in Garber, Oklahoma. She was married to her husband Marvin of 56 years. A job transfer in 1957 brought them to Corpus Christi where they lived until they moved to Portland in 1963. She enjoyed caring for her family, church activities, playing the piano and reading. She was a life long member of the Assemblies of God church.

Her son, Jim Moore, precedes her in death.

Ruth is survived and will be greatly missed by her devoted husband Marvin Moore; her daughters: Linda Moore of Corpus Christi, Texas. Cheryl (Ed) Butler of Houston, Texas. and Mary (Jorge) Font of Sugar Land, Texas; five grandchildren: Lauren Butler of Waco, Texas, Jenny Butler, Ben Butler, Michael Font, Stephen Font and dear sister Betty Ann (Charles) Rury of Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

A special thank you to the many friends, family and caregivers at Holmgreen Assisted Living Center/Trinity Towers where she resided the past two years.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Food for Thought

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Couldn't be any simpler than that.

My dad is currently in Syria on a mission trip. Here is his latest email:

We met a Kurdish lady, Zena, at the church. John (Pastor Samara's son) had been to northern Syria earlier in the week to visit the Kurds. He met her then and she came to Damascus surprising John. Zena told us she had breast cancer. Her brother, who had been kicked out of the family because he had become a Christian, came to visit her because she was not expected to recover. He told her about how Jesus gave him hope for the future. She accepted Jesus as the way to heaven. A month later when she went in for her test, her cancer was clear. Her friend who was treating her for the cancer asked what medicine she was taking? She told her she was healed by Jesus. Now Zena's entire family (the ones who had kicked her brother out) have accepted Jesus.

Today we visited in Iraqi homes in the suburb of Giovanni. The first home was one room with blankets on the floor to sit on. A family of five lives here. The father was out looking for work. The mother received us. We noticed no one was wearing shoes, so we left ours at the door. The three children are just like mine. The oldest, Joseph, was very compliant behaving just as his mother asked him. The second boy, Daniel, was very expressive - smiling ang giggling using hand motions to communicate with his older brother. The youngest, David, was just happy. They are hoping to move to Canada where she has a sister living. She sends her three boys to the Iraqi school at the church. When asked why they left Iraq she replied "Because of the bombs".

The second home we visited was much nicer. This home had furniture. Living here was a mother with two boys. Her husband had been killed in Iraq by a bomb in the market. She could afford the nicer apartment than the first home we visited because th UN gives her money since she had no husband. She also is wanting to move to Canada.

Closing Day

It's not til tomorrow, but tomorrow is going to be a whirlwind, so I am posting about it today. Assuming all goes as planned I should be a homeowner in just over 24 hours. Even though I probably won't move until may, I have already set up the electricity & water so I can start working in and around the house. I went ahead and filled out my change of address form online. Now I'm just waiting for them to tell me when to be there and how much to bring =)

Right after work tomorrow I'll be dropping Sadie off at the vet and driving down to Houston with Jenny to catch a sunrise flight to NYC on Thursday. I will definitely post pictures soon after!

P.S. Check out my photos link on the right to see pictures from our trip to Corpus a couple weeks ago.

Sanctified

I am...

chosen by God. (Deuteronomy 7:6)
redeemed by His blood. (Romans 5:19)
like God, righteous and holy. (Ephesians 4:24)
sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)
blameless and holy. (1 Thessalonians 3:13)
without fault. (Jude 24)


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Today is a good day...

Today is a good day because...

I got coffee and a muffin at Starbucks this morning for only $2.50.
I was able to get out of the office during lunch and experience a perfect spring day.
I received perfectly crisp, fresh & hot fried okra at Bush's.
I got locked out during lunch and my sister was close by and semi-available to let me back in so I could make it back to work on time.
I was also lucky enough to have my windows cracked just enough on my car to reach in and unlock it to get my phone and call for help.
I managed not to get stung by the wasp that was trapped in my car.
I made someone's day by getting them a discount on a hearing aid.
I received my REI divident for $99.42!
And, I get to have chicken spaghetti for dinner!

FDA Approves First Totally Implanted Hearing System

FDA Approves First Totally Implanted Hearing System

Waco in Bloom

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My (soon to be) New House!

In Case You Were Wondering.....

21 Tips For Removing Crayon Marks From Walls

Toothpaste (regular paste–not gel). This one’s my first pick always (good old regular Crest), it also helps clean up permanent marker stains pretty easily.

Artgum Eraser – gently rub on marks in a circular motion, can also try a regular pencil eraser. Done carefully, this might be an option for wallpaper stains.

Baking Soda – make a paste with water and use it to gently scrub the mark. You could also just sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge and rub.

Baby Oil – apply directly to crayon stains then rub off.

Mayonnaise – Glob some on the stain and scrub a bit in a circular motion, then wipe off.

Shaving Cream – apply to markings, rub in, then wipe off.

WD-40 – spray some on the marks and rub off. Wash walls with hot soapy water once the crayon has been removed.

Turpentine – dab some on a damp cloth and scrub into stain to remove crayon.

Lighter Fluid – apply as you would turpentine

Goo Gone – Same directions as for turpentine

Ammonia – soak a section of cloth in household ammonia and scrub markings. You may also luck out with an ammonia based cleaner like Windex and a hot soapy cloth.

Vinegar – soak a toothbrush in white vinegar and scrub marks off.

Heat – Take a hair dryer to the crayon stain and allow it to heat the wax. Wipe heated crayon wax off with a hot, soapy cloth. You could try a clothes iron as well (no steam), just make sure it’s on a low heat setting so it won’t scorch the paint. Place a few paper towels between the wall and the iron.

Hand Lotion – rub directly into crayon and wipe off.

Powdered Dishwasher Detergent – make a paste with water and gently scrub area. Some detergents contain bleach so be careful on wallpaper.

Powdered Household Cleaners – such as Ajax or Comet. Mix with some water or sprinkle on a damp sponge then scrub gently.

Non-stick Cooking Spray – just spray it on then wipe off the marks. Not the best solution for wallpaper since this could leave a grease stain.

Hairspray – spray generously on walls then scrub off the crayon.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser – go gently, you don’t want to rub off any paint.

Rubbing Alcohol – Saturate part of a clean cloth then rub stains.

Moist Baby Wipe Towelettes – Rub them directly on the crayon stains and scrub markings off. The homemade baby wipes should work too!

Conversations outside my door

At work, we have a sitting area near my door for people waiting to be scheduled for surgery. I hear kids say the darndest things outside my door sometimes.  But today, this is the conversation I am hearing. So sweet. Picture a 7 yr old sister reading to her 14 month old brother, one word at a time:

Our.. Father.. Who.. Art.. In.. Heaven...
"Hollowed".. Be.. The, thy.. Name...
Thy.. Kingdom.. Come.. Thy.. Will.. Be.. Done...

"Bubba, are you lllistening?" (in her sassy seven-year-old voice)

On.. Eeaarrth.. As.. It.. Is.. In.. Heaven...
Give.. Us.. This.. Day.. Our.. Daily.. Bread...
And.. For.. Give.. Us.. Our.. Tres.. Pass.. Es...

"Bubba, take that out of your mouth. Right now. I mean it."
 
As.. We.. Forgive.. Those.. Who.. Tres.. Pass.. Against.. Us...

The tightrope walker.

"But believing in Jesus is not just a matter of the head, it’s a matter of our whole being. It's like the old story of Blondin, the famous French tightrope walker. One day he strung a cable across Niagara Falls, and there's a huge crowd watching. And as they watch, he walks across. And all the way back. Like he was out for a Sunday stroll. The crowd goes wild. He says to them, do you believe THAT I COULD WALK ACROSS TO THE OTHER SIDE WITH THIS WHEELBARROW? And they all cheer and scream and say YEAH! We believe THAT you can walk across there with a wheelbarrow. No problems. They've seen him walk it easily. Shouldn't be too much harder with a wheel barrow. They believe that he could do it. But here's believing IN. Blondin says, okay, you believe I can do it. You've seen me walk across there. WHO'S GOING TO GET IN THE WHEELBARROW? And come with me. And there was a deathly hush. See, it's a different thing altogether, isn't it? You can believe THAT he can do it. You can believe BECAUSE he‘s done it before. But when it comes to BELIEVING IN, there's an element of personal commitment being called for.Finally one man puts up his hand. He gets into the wheelbarrow and Blondin slowly but surely pushes him across the rope to safety. That man was the only one who really believed, because he backed his intellectual belief with a physical trust Jesus says we need to have that sort of belief. Its not good enough to believe that God exists, or that Jesus was a good teacher. Its not enough to believe there is a heaven and that God is gracious and loving. Its about putting your money where your mouth is. And your life and your relationship and your future, and your everything."

Snow day!

Sadie's snow dandruff!


We are like the mail man, "rain or shine, sleet or snow..."


Paw prints!


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Me and Mom

Last weekend I went to Houston and got to see my mom's office for the first time. It is on the 30th floor and has quite a view from the terrace.

The building also is very reflective so I took a picture of us while we were out there.

This is our actual reflection in the window! It reminded me of the Chicago bean!

(Chicago 2006)

Sadie n Me

 Today is the 2 year anniversary of when I brought Sadie home! I had been visiting the SPCA with Lori and had my eye on the cutest little black dog. I think she had her eye on me too! When I would come and look at all the dogs, Sadie would stand up on her hind legs and watch me walk around the whole place until I left. Then one day Lori talked me into adopting her. It was January 17, 2008.

Sadie's story really starts with Nick.

Nick was very old and pretty sick when I got him in 2006. He lived with me almost a full year and when we said goodbye I thought I'd never be able to love another dog the same way. Well, I lasted almost 3 months before I ended up with Sadie.

Needless to say, I am completely smitten by her.  She is my alarm clock, my faithful companion, my exercise program, and my friend. I still love her ears and her playful personality. Even people who don't like dogs tend to like Sadie. She is very sweet and definitely knows how to put the "puppy eyes" to use for her good. I have really enjoyed having her and today I am celebrating our 2 year anniversary. Haha!

Christmas in pictures

Sadie helped Dad carve the turkey on Christmas eve.

After a delicious feast with Mary, Jorge, Michael and Stephen, we all headed to Corpus to spend Christmas day with Grandma and Grandpa.  Along the way we crossed the Navidad River!

We took G&G out for steak and loaded them down with gifts.

Then we all went to Grandad's house for dessert.

Jenny taught Sadie how to be a therapy dog at the assisted living center. The residents all love petting her when we come.