'Twas the month after Christmas, and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store, (less a walk than a lumber).
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt---
I said to myself, as I only can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"
So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
"Till all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!


~Author Unknown

KIDS
IN CHURCH
3-year-old
Reese :
'Our Father, Who does art in heaven,
Harold is His name.
Amen.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A
little boy was overheard praying:
'Lord, if you
can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it.
I'm having a real good time like I
am.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After
the christening of his baby brother in
church,
Jason
sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.
His father asked him three times what was
wrong.
Finally, the boy
replied,
'That preacher said he wanted us brought
up in a Christian home,
and I wanted to stay with
you guys.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One
particular four-year-old prayed,
'And forgive us
our trash baskets
as we
forgive those who put trash in our
baskets.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A
Sunday school teacher asked her children as
they
were on
the way to church service,
'And why is it
necessary to be quiet in church?'
One bright little
girl replied,
'Because people are
sleeping.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A
mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5,
and Ryan 3.
The boys began to argue over who would
get the first pancake.
Their mother saw the
opportunity for a moral lesson.

'If Jesus
were sitting here, He would say,
'Let my brother
have the first pancake, I can wait.'

Kevin
turned to his younger brother and said,
' Ryan ,
you be Jesus !'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A
father was at the beach with his
children
when the
four-year-old son ran up to him,
grabbed his hand,
and led him to the shore
where a seagull lay dead
in the sand.
'Daddy, what happened to him?' the
son asked.
'He died and went
to Heaven,' the Dad replied.
The boy thought a
moment and then said,
'Did God throw him
back down?'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A
wife invited some people to dinner.
At the table,
she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said,
'Would you like to say the blessing?'
'I
wouldn't know what to say,' the girl replied.
'Just say what you hear Mommy say,' the wife
answered.
The daughter bowed her head and said,
'Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people
to dinner?'

Finding Time For Joy In Our Lives

This is a true story and very interesting I think!
A Violinist in the Metro

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but 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. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 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. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. 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 his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story.

Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Christmas Through Jared's Eyes

Christmas is Jared's favorite time of year. At 11 years old, most kids are well past the Christmas magic phase, but Jared still "believes." Every day he enthusiastically asks me if "Christmas tomorrow?" This morning when I woke up he had taken out every present under the tree and had put them in piles on the couch. He wears a Santa hat to school every day. Plugging in the Christmas lights outside and on the tree seems to have evolved into his responsibility. If someone is arguing or unhappy, Jared is the first to say, "We a happy family." He reminds us continually that Christmas is about peace. He does constant little acts of service daily; making his sister's bed, setting the table without being asked, helping his sister clean the kitchen, and of course his ever constant hugs and kisses. He makes us remember that the best gift is giving of ourselves. Jared brings the light of Christ and peace of the season into our home. Some people only see that Jared is handicapped, but all we see is love. We are so grateful for his presence in our family!
Pictures by BAP photography www.brittanyandersonphotography.com

My Beautiful Missionary

Sister Sorenson and my daughter Whitney
Quito, Ecuador

December Chuckle

My Dear Friends and Family,

Somewhat embarrassing to admit, I'm not getting an annual bonus and Christmas is tight this year. I will be making bedroom slippers for you all as gifts. Please let me know your sizes. You'll most likely agree that it's a splendid idea, and should you wish to do the same, I've included the instructions below.


How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads:

You need four maxi pads to make a pair.
Two of them get laid out flat, for the foot part.
The other two wrap around the toe area to form the top.
Tape or glue each side of the top pieces to the bottom of the foot part.

Decorate the tops with whatever you desire, silk flowers (this is most aesthetically appealing), etc.

These slippers are:
* Soft and Hygienic
* Non-slip grip strips on the soles
* Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh
* No more bending over to mop up spills
* Disposable and biodegradable
* Environmentally safe
* Three convenient sizes: (1.) Regular, (2.) Light and (3.) Get out the Sand Bags.

I've attached a photo of the first pair I made so that you can see the nifty slippers for yourself....

Awaiting your response. It's crucial that I get the right size for each one of you.

A friend invited people to bold what they have done on her list...
for you to do: copy and paste this to your blog and bold the ones that you HAVE done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
What a fun list! Although there are some things that I know I'll never do... Thanks ) I tag Lyn, Aly, Amanda, Brittany, and anyone else who wants to...