In Fry Bubble Hodgepodge

Once again, our hostess Joyce  has inspired us to express ourselves and get to know others, based on a hodgepodge of weekly questions.  Thank you,  Joyce.  

After reading my answers and hers, please go a-visitin'.   Might I inspire you to go pick two blogs in the HP  and then  leave some comment love?

1. . Share one way you think the world has changed for the better since you were a kid?

Affordable long distance telephone service for most folks.

     I remember the days of my youth when making a call from Maryland to my grandparents in Kansas meant doing it Sunday evening after 7 pm. My mom had her list of topics jotted down in front of her to remember to talk about.  Then she'd gather the whole brood  around the phone (which was attached to the wall and had a rotary dial).  She also sat facing the clock on the stove, seeing seven cents a minute rack up a huge bill with one of my grandmothers who had a habit of repeating herself--every third minute.

I smile as I write this.  Oh, to hear my grandparents' voices again. That would be priceless.

2. How 'bout one way it's changed for the worse?

 Terrorism on the rise. It's about to crescendo again, I think. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

3. Starlight, starfish, starling, Starbucks...your favorite 'star'?

Absolutely NOT Starbucks! I have been boycotting it since March 26th because of what their CEO said on March 26, 2013.

That said, my favorite star would be starlight.  It boggles my mind to think how many stars  there are that we CAN see in the sky, let alone all the bazillion jazillion that we CAN'T see. And yet, God has named each one of them.  How much more does He care about me, a living human being  that He created in his image, and care about the billions more people He created for His pleasure.  Seeing starlight makes me feel loved by God!

When my youngest boy was  about 3 years old, his favorite song was "Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin. Joel couldn't pronounce many of his starting consonants.It was so stinking cute how passionately he'd sing out when he heard the chorus of "In-fry-bubble."

 The real words go; 
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God

But my ALL TIME FAVORITE way of hearing it, which remains solid as concrete in my memory,  is the way that t0e-headed three-year-old of mine sang it in the backseat of the van: 

"In FRY bubble, 'un ten tain bubble,
You pwaced da 'taws in da 'ky and You know dem by name, you aw amaaaaazing, God..."

4. Name a song that's overplayed, but you love it anyway.

The first one I can think of is "Cinderella," by Steven Curtis Chapman. It's old and overplayed, but always reduces me to tears and causes me to stop and pray for the Chapman family when I hear it. 


5. When did you last have home made ice cream? Your latest favorite flavor?

A very long time ago, as in probably 15 years when my husband was leading Pioneer Club for a while at church.  At the conclusion of the year, we all gathered for a mini camping trip. One of the dads served homemade strawberry ice cream and I just absolutely loved it.  I also loved those sticky-fingered little boys who didn't think it necessary to wash hands after handling worms, sticks, and tadpoles.  

6. What do you think is the best way to inspire or motivate people?

By example.  Enthusiasm is contagious, and a little "show and tell" goes a long way.

7. When was the last time you were without power?

During Superstorm Sandy.   But only, thankfully, for about nine hours.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Please pray for the folks in Lindsborg, KS. The flooding has been so bad--three feet deep in many basements, folks displaced, much loss, kayaks in the street.   My bloggy friend Laurie lives there. I'm sharing this photo of a street in her town. 

 

This n That

I seldom rant here,  but this has been bothering me for a while and maybe I'm not the only one.
Isn't  it rude for a hostess of a meme not to come say hello if you've linked up to her meme? They get bent out of shape if you draw traffic to your blog via theirs without linking up (which is usually a technical oversight on the writer's part, not intentional), but I think a hostess who doesn't want to take the time to drop a line to say hello to her virtual guests should rethink being a meme hostess.  I've been to many other sites where I see a plethora of traffic on the hostess's site but her poor readers get little to nothing back from their link-up. Sad.  (And I am not referring to my faithful hostess friend, Joyce.)

In fact, I think it's rude to keep getting comments but not giving them. Excuse it for lack of time or bother, but in real life would you let someone carry on a one-sided conversation with you all the time?

Thank you to those who give as well as take. I appreciate your comments.

Yesterday was the memorial service for my friend Carol.   There must have been some 450 people in attendance. She touched the lives of so many and will be deeply missed. The last letter she wrote (ie dictated) was to her hero, Joni Eareckson Tada, to encourage HER to keep the faith, keep trusting, keep doing good in her walk with the Lord.

I got a job! Or at least I hope it pans out. It's supposedly tutoring a boy from England  in English (go ahead, laugh!)  while (whilst?) he's here on vacation. Not that sitting in a library taking English classes twice a week sounds like the vacation a high schooler would want, but I will do my best to entertain him and maybe teach him to enjoy the writing process. He might be the closest I ever get to royalty, poor kid.

A dark cloud hangs over me.  I hate this feeling of dread and despair.  It visits me from time to time and then leaves for a while.

I want to show pictures of  my new crafting/guest room but it means I'd have to actually get it camera-ready again. And I'm in the middle of a baby quilt so there's lots of stuff out and about, waiting for my sewing action.

I need to set a date about that with pictures and just use that to motivate me.

Speaking of pictures, I cannot access mine and am frustrated. My  IT genius son fixed the PC but I am not able to import photos from my SD card like I used to. Can't figure it out.  Not that that comes as a shock. My husband bought a MacBook mini for my son and me (because we supposedly were responsible for all the viruses the PC kept getting).   But the laptop didn't come with camera cables.What should I do? I hate change sometimes, especially where technology shows my ineptitude.

 I don't want to keep blogging sans photos. No one reads those,do they? You know there are some readers who cheat and just look at the pictures to make a comment--IF they make a comment. You know who "they" are.

Happy Tuesday to my bloggy friends.  KEEP CALM AND COMMENT ON.

Her Marathon is Over

Earth lost a saint and heaven gained one this past Wednesday. My dear friend Carol crossed the Finish Line on Wednesday after a 26-year battle with MS.   Her memorial service is this afternoon.  I was going to say "my heart is heavy today" but truthfully it isn't. Oh, I am certainly sad for  those of us left behind, but the weight of her suffering is now gone. As her daughter told me yesterday at the viewing, it's like the burden that everyone has been carrying, has been lifted.  

The last time Carol spoke was on Sunday. She said, "I'm ready for heaven." 

Of Good Eggs, Rulers, and Airplanes in the Hodgepodge

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge, a place where you are highly encouraged to be yourself.  I rather enjoy this  little Q&A session on Hump Day.

Or, as in the case of us wordier people, Dump Day.

Guess we could call it HumpDay DumpDay.





1. July 24th is Amelia Earhart Day.  Earhart was the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.  What's something you've recently accomplished solo? 

I always manage to get the proverbial egg on my face without any help whatsoever.  Unless you count the set-up by someone else.

Most recently I was in a local quilt shop for only the second time. The cashier was explaining a reward system to me, a new customer.

Her: If you spend $50 a month, you get a charm for that month.
Me: Do I have to spend the $50 in a single purchase, or can I spread it out?
Her: Well, normally in a single purchase, but I'm sure the owner would give you a charm if you spent $50 in a couple weeks.
Me: Okay, cool.
Her: And when you collect all the charms in a year, there's a special reception for all those customers.
Me: How many charms do I have to collect in a year?

As soon as I said it, I wished so hard I had taken a millisecond to think about my question. We both laughed and I said something about math never being my forte. She was probably thinking, "Lady, if you can't figure out  1x12, maybe you should find a hobby that doesn't require rulers!!!!


 


 2.  What's one product you use that never ever fails?

Bleach. For better or worse.


 3. Have you found your place in the world? Where is it?

My place is still in the role of wife and mother mostly at home, but I am still trying to find my niche, where I belong, what other things God has prepared for me in this awkward stage of middle life with a middle schooler, three grown kids and two new daughters-in-law.  We still haven't found a home church, although we've been attending the same one since last December, on and off. I don't know what (or if) my teaching position will be this fall, or if I will be employed elsewhere.

Where do I feel most gifted? In an art or English classroom.  When do I feel most needed? When I 'm giving practical aid and companionship to someone with disabilities.


 4.  Worst movie you ever saw?

Oh, dear, I try to forget those time wasters.   How about the most recent one I can remember?  I don't even recall the title. Some "thriller" that wasn't thrilling, but rather a bunch of bad acting, horrible special effects, and comical stunts that weren't supposed to be. I mean, when someone falls over a steel fire escape from supposedly the top floor to the ground, you shouldn't hear them land on a squeaky mattress.

 5. What's the last fun thing you did?

Fun? I have pondered this concept for many weeks and concluded I don't really do much of what I'd call "fun."  As in "yeehaw, wowee!" stuff. But my happy place is anywhere I am creating or thinking creative thoughts.


 6. The month of July is named for Roman Emperor Julius Caesar...ever been to Rome? What's your favorite Italian dish?

I've never been to Rome, but I babysit every Friday and am putting my piddly paycheck faithfully into a savings account I call my Italy fund.

Fave Italian dish? Seafood linguine.


 7. What is one piece of advice you'd offer new mom Kate Middleton?

Get the heck out of Dodge, or  London, as the case may be. Take your little future ruler with you, plus maybe his daddy and 12 nursing bras.  Go to Wyoming and live in a hut to raise your son.

No, in all seriousness, I would tell her to trust God with her baby, and to trust her maternal instincts.

Speaking of all this royal baby hoopla, I simply MUST tell you that my very own brother-in-law and his wife had the distinct pleasure to be on a bus tour that let them off at Buckingham Palace just in time for the royal announcement to be set out for all to see!   Their vacation just HAPPENED to correspond with the Royal Infant's entrance into the world!

 8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I was able to spend a wonderful LONG evening with a dear friend this past Monday. Hadn't seen her in a few years. So good catching up, but one bit of sad news she reported. Back on Mother's Day weekend, a mutual acquaintance named Tom, was flying a small airplane with his dad in preparation for a Virginia air show. The plane crashed and both Tom and his dad were killed. Tom and his wife Yvonne, have 10 children. Yes, 10.

She is still homeschooling 4 of them, one of whom has severe CP.   I was never close with them, which is why I guess I'm just now hearing about this tragedy. Please take a moment to pray for his widow, his 10 children, his mom,  his siblings and friends who lost a dear person. He was strong in the faith of Christ, and he is safe in God's arms, but there is a huge, gaping hole left in his absence. He was 51.