Look at the time...

Came back from vacation all rested and my mind and body totally rejects the idea of going into drive. This did not bode well with the workload waiting for me which was only exacerbated by an abrupt absence of #1, me being #2, this now made me 1.5 - where upon I was forced into overdrive.

However, having been summarily chastised by my huge (ha ha) following or as it is said 'back due to popular demand,’ I am here to blog.

• Celebrations - My dear ‘dahli'ng friend had her birthday and I hope she was blessed with a wonderful celebration. My brother's son had a birthday as well. He's a senior in high school. I'm very proud of him.
• Speaking of relatives! a cousin and her daughter, both of whom I haven’t seen in over 10 years, came from NJ for a visit. Her two brothers live out here, the youngest of which was getting married! She and her daughter, my youngest, and I spent a lovely day in Palm Springs. They and her brothers, the groom's son, and I spent another day traipsing around Victoria Garden's having lunch at Lucille's. Speaking of which! It is impossible to be nutrition conscious there! I enjoyed a hot link and ribs with greens. Yeah, I could have had chicken but c'mon!
• Second Chance - have you seen that movie? It is well worth the watch! It will make you think about how you walk with Jesus.
• I've been praying for a lot of people, of course including of course Virginia Tech and Johnson Space Center - and online especially. The weight of people’s woes seems particularly heavy right now. Please pray endurance for me.
• In case you haven't noticed I've lost 10 pounds!
• The giant had a car accident but he is okay; however the car was ‘put to sleep’.
• Sunday the 22nd was Earth Day – check this out ‘Gen 1: 26-31

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.

• Err of Imus – I think the issue here that stands out above all most common obnoxious speech aired is this was directed at specific people who came to hear and their families and friends hear this awful talk – a total lack of concern about these ladies’ feelings.
• NBA Playoffs – I love this game!

Oooo, look at the time! There is just not enough time in a day! I'm going to try to get back here real soon; the month ain't hardly wrapped up yet!

Thanks to all of you who actually read this stuff and blessings to you all.

The Giant had a birthday this week and my mother's birthday would have been this week also. Just thinking about the both of them in the midst of this very busy week. The Giant requested my meatloaf and said the result was one of the best! There's a few things I make well, as attested to by my family - and meatloaf is one of them! Mom would have loved it too!

Too today my youngest cousin on my mom's side was married on a cruise ship - right now they would be asail to the Mexican Riviera. My oldest cousin is in town from Jersey for the occasion. Hoping to spend more time with her before she returns home the end of next week.

Hoping to catch up with my brother too; I haven't been too sucessful in doing that. His son will have a birthday the end of this week as well.

God bless us every one!

Being a film aficionado, Holy Week is not without some good watches. Here, in no paraticular order, is a list of possibilities (check the ratings for family viewing):

• Rugrats - Easter
• Easter Parade aka "Irving Berlin's Easter Parade" On the day before Easter in 1911, Don Hewes is crushed when his dancing partner (and object of affection) Nadine Hale refuses to start a new contract with him. To prove Nadine's not important to him, Don acquires innocent new protegee Hannah Brown, vowing to make her a star in time for next year's Easter parade.
• VeggieTales - An Easter Carol The theme is the founding of the state of Israel.
• The Easter Story Keepers
• Ben-Hur When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.
• The Greatest Story Ever Told The life of Jesus Christ
• "Jesus of Nazareth" depiction of the life of Christ using the Gospel accounts
• King of Kings the Bible story unfolds through the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
• The Robe tribune in the time of Christ in charge of the group that is assigned to crucify Jesus wins Jesus' homespun robe after the crucifixion. Tormented after the event, still not believing in Jesus, he returns to Palestine to and learn what he can of the man he killed
• The Ten Commandments he Egyptian Prince, Moses, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people.
• Exodus The theme is the founding of the state of Israel.
• The Animated Passion Trilogy
• He Is Risen the greatest miracle of all, the resurrection of Jesus (interactive)
• When Do We Eat? A family's Passover
• The Silver Chalice A Greek artisan is commissioned to cast the cup of Christ in silver and sculpt around its rim the faces of the disciples and Jesus himself.
• From the Manger to the Cross (1912) the life of Jesus Christ, based on the books of the New Testament
• I Beheld His Glory (1953) (TV) the centurion who presided over Christ's crucifixion
• Spartacus The slave Spartacus leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman empire.
• The Passion of the Christ detailing the final hours and crucifixion of Jesus Christ - April 7th on TMC 8pm, 10pm)
• Quo Vadis (1951) a general meets a Christian and gets Emperor Nero to give her to him for services rendered. Meanwhile Nero's atrocities get more outrageous; when he burns Rome and blames the Christians, Nero captures them and all the Christians to throw them to the Lions
• Barabba (1961) Barabbas, the criminal they set free so that Christ could be crucified, is haunted by the ghost of the prophet for the rest of his life.
• Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus (1973) Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, which was shot on location in Israel - Johnny Cash appears in, narrates and performs a number of original songs.
• The Prince of Egypt An Egyptian prince learns of his identity as a Hebrew and, later his destiny to become the chosen deliverer of his people
• Lilies of the Field - strict mother superior believes that someone has been sent by God to build a much needed church in the desert. (my favorite even though its relation has nothing to do with the week in particular).
  

I sense a marathon; hmmm...

the husband ...

Okay, so I had an appointment to get my hair done today. I thought it was at 12 or 1pm, so I call the stylist only to find out it was at 9am. I told this to the husband and he says "so what are you going to do?" I relayed that I am going to call back as the stylist suggested to see if there are any cancellations - but tomorrow being Resurrection Day, I don't really expect there to be any, so I'll do it myself. Then he says "well I liked the way your hair looked last night" (sweet, huh?). I said "well my hair is dirty and itchy so I need to wash it". He replies, "well how about some Benedryl?" Diphenhydramine (Benedryl) is frequently ordered for patients to aid in controlling nausea and itching.

The husband ... gotta love him. I'll be washing my hair!

¡Feliz Pascua de Resurreción!

The more I study spanish culture and language the more in large part I think they get things right with regard to christian celebrations and so this week ¡Feliz Pascua de Resurreción!

They seem more to make their faith part of their daily life rather than make their daily life part of their faith! Enjoy the link about their celebrations. I pray your holy week is blessed in the remembrance of Christ!

Twinkie, Twinkie, little triv...

this is so out of left field and have nothing to do with price of tea in China but I guess appropriate to the day! I learned what a twinkie defense was

"a derogatory term for a criminal defendant's claim that some unusual factor (such as allergies, coffee, nicotine, or sugar) diminished the defendant's responsibility for the alleged crime. The term arose from the trial of Dan White, who was convicted in the fatal shootings of San Francisco mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk.... (Compare Chewbacca Defense - here's an audio.)

and everything and more (or not!) you'd ever want to know about the Twinkie invented on April 6, 1930!

Hunting Season

I struggle with Easter eggs, bunnies, and the like (hunts) as they seem to be founded in Spring celebrations and such rather so much the Holy Week that culminates in the Resurrection.

So I looked a little more into the season of the hunt:

The Jewish celebrate Passover and during that celebration some have hunting for hametz - true to form, the traditions of Passover reserve a place for children as we ready our homes for the holiday. The cleaning culminates with a family search for hametz on the evening before the seder, and our children fall over each other to participate in this ritual.”

A part of the Jewish Seder is hiding the Afikomen - For most children the afikomen, which means dessert, is the highlight of the Passover seder. In fact, its whole purpose is to keep children awake, alert and attentive throughout the ceremony as they look forward to the game at the end.

I like these types of activities as it is important that the fun and games and activities help us remember the object of our celebration. Moses was hidden and then he was found. Because of Christ, my passover, while I once was lost; now I am found!

May your find blessing in your celebrations!

A friend's needle

Can I needle you for a minute? Listen (read)...

“Did I tell you about the needle story?”, she said. We agreed that she had not. She urged us on to finish with what we were doing and then she would tell us. But we knew her stories were always excellent and so we assured her we were done. “Tell us the needle story now!”, we said. So, as best as I can recollect, here is the story told to us by our friend who had not been with us in awhile because of the things going on in her life:

When I left you guys last Tuesday, I went home and got on my computer. I was on there for about an hour arguing with my ex, so absorbed I lost track of the puppy and you know how when its quiet they are up to something.

I went to get up to see what the puppy was up to and it felt like something was slicing around my ankles. I looked down and there was thread all around my feet. I had had a large spool of thread that I had used to repair the puppy’s teddy bear and the puppy had gone crazy with it! There was hardly any thread left on the spool. The puppy had been up and down the stairs and all over the house with the thread. He had run around the chairs wrapping my feet in the thread and he had it all over himself, some of it too tight. I had to cut it all off of him. But the darning needle was gone and I was suddenly afraid the puppy had swallowed it.

I felt awful, having been wrapped up on the computer arguing with my ex and not paying attention to what the puppy was doing and, now, he might have swallowed the needle. I had a cat that once had swallowed a needle, and only because it had gotten stuck in the upper part of his body, it hadn’t made it fatally to his guts. So I began to look all over for the needle, up and down the stairs. The thread was everywhere, but I couldn’t find the needle. I got very upset because I was worried the puppy had swallowed the needle and it was very late and I had to get some sleep in order to go to work in the morning. But I couldn’t sleep without knowing where the needle was – the puppy!

I felt I had to find the needle. This was not something you ask God. It was my responsibility. I was supposed to be watching the dog. I had to find it. And then I grew very upset! In despair, this became my life. I can’t find this needle and I can’t find my life – something in my life is lost! I wanted God to show me where the needle was; to find it! If He couldn’t find the needle, how could He find my life? That part of me that ignores that I know better kept saying God couldn’t find the needle, right? He’s not down here – He’s out there.

Early in the morning, I arranged with the veterinarian to x-ray the dog. But I had to go to work! How was I going to do all this? But I had to know where the needle was! I asked God please find the needle and I heard Him answer me, clearly, “Go upstairs, and stand by the window and wait.” “Right,” I responded and then immediately said “I’m sorry Lord”. I went upstairs and stood by the window. It was still overcast. All I could think about was that I had to go to work soon. How long was I supposed to wait? Why am I waiting? It is silly of me to ask God to find a needle. How long should I wait?

As I realized the sun was beginning to lighten the sky, I just had to get ready to go to work. I started to turn to do so, when a glint of something below caught my eye. It was the needle! Buried in the carpet with only a glint of it exposed by the sun showing, was the needle! God showed me where the needle was. God could do that. God did! God can find my life! How wonderful is our God!

The only thing God asked me to do was tell people. So I am telling everyone; I am telling you!

Thank you my friend for sharing God in your life; it ministered to us all. What a wonderful treat for our Tuesday Women's Study. So many messages to us in there. We serve a mighty, loving, unfathomable God.

So I’m sharing my friend’s story with you.

April in December for Fools!

What does christianity have to do with April Fool's Day - at least somewhere? I read this great bit of info - especially in regards to culture and to christianity - the counterpart to April Fool's Day (4/1) in Spain is in December. Check it out!