Thursday, April 30, 2009

The More Worrisome Pandemic


While a lot attention is being paid to pandemics of the flu, I find myself more focused on the pandemic of kidultism. Adults behaving and dressing like adolescents is not new to this current generation; indeed, over twenty years ago I had difficulty fitting in with my college aged peers because I found them to be immature, living off their parents money while whining about wanting to be treated like adults, and with no clue as to what direction they wanted their lives to take. These characteristics of the kidult still exist today, but the disease is more widespread and reaches even retiree age. Not many of us can claim immunity to this illness. Even I have fallen prey to some of its symptoms at times. It's something I find myself struggling with a lot. But why does the typical American find it desirous to dress intentionally inappropriately, shirk responsibility and mooch off his fellow man? This is not something I'm going to answer right now because I'm still mulling it over, but I am very much interested in any thoughts or insights you might have. Please feel free to rant. ;)

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Swine Flu



The word pandemic strikes fear in the heart of many. Still, others will laugh it off; after all, the bird flu never materialized. Predicting the mutation of a flu virus is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Every generation or so experiences a pandemic that devastates many communities. But what should our response be when alarms are sounded?
I believe every wise mother should be prepared for family illnesses, be they the flu, the common cold, or chicken pox. When our daughter was small, I had a "Momma is sick" basket that I always kept stocked for those times when I was ill. In the basket were paper plates, plastic cups & utensils, and prepackaged foods. These items that I normally turned my nose up at were very much appreciated during those times. I also keep my medicine cabinet well stocked at all times. Here are a few of the items I never run out of:
Advil
Delsym - has a higher concentration of dextrometh.
Meclizine - great for nausea and/or dizziness (must be purchased from pharmacist, but no prescription is required)
Sudafed - also must be purchased from pharmacist because of Meth. laws
Immodium AD
PeptoBismal
Claritin
Benadryl
Bandages, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, gloves, surgical masks---yes, you read that right. If there ever is a pandemic, these may be on short supply.
While this is not a complete list of what is in our medicine cabinet, these are things I never want to be short on. Do I believe there will be a pandemic in my lifetime? Yes. Do I believe it will be the Swine Flu? No, no one really knows. Am I worried? No. God is sovereign over all things and whatever He does is best. Does that mean we don't need to prepare? No. We should prepare for illness the same way that we prepare for Winter, or any other change in our lives.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Before & After











Yesterday was my mother-in-law's 81st birthday, so today we gave her a not-so-extreme home make over. I weeded and redid her front flower bed, our daughter scrubbed her bathroom, and my husband cleaned her carpets. It was a fun family project and my mother-in-law was thrilled.
























Just for Laughs --- part three


Just for Laughs --- part two
















Just for Laughs
















Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Tuesday Tip



I love tips that make life easier; don't you? Keeping my kitchen floor clean has always been a problem for me; it just never seemed clean enough. Today, while browsing the internet for help, I came across a site that recommended using SoftScrub with bleach for kitchen floors. It worked beautifully! Dilute 1/4 cup of SoftScrub with bleach in one gallon of water and mop. Who knows what else I'll find it useful for! If you have a product that works on your kitchen floor, please let me know and I'll try it! :)

Sourdough Bread



For years, my mother-in-law made sourdough bread every week. I know white bread isn't exactly health food, but it was something we all loved and looked forward to every week. Last week, I finally decided to make my own starter after 3 years without our lovely weekly treat. This morning 3 loaves are rising in my kitchen and the aroma is sheer delight for me. I can hardly wait until this evening's meal!
Right now, Spring has me quite occupied. My to do list seems to be added to faster than I can cross tasks off. Our home is in need of deep cleaning and our gardens need to be loved. My mind is brimming with projects and ideas, and my reading list is getting full; so, blogging will have to wait.

Monday, April 06, 2009

Spring Freeze




Tonight, I fear for Spring's buds and blossoms; we are expecting a low of 29 with snow in the forecast. I have so many rose buds on my back fence....it will be a shame to lose even one...

Friday, April 03, 2009

Tightwad Gazette

What ever happened to Amy Dacycyn of the Tightwad Gazette??? Click on the link above to find out. :)

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Like vs. Love


Below is a facebook note posted by an acquaintance of our daughter, Leland Dantzler. Hope you enjoy!


You say, "I love him/her!" I say, "No, you like him/her..."I've heard it before, you've heard it before; you might have even said it before: "I love my boyfriend." Or, "If you really love me, you'll let me..." Or the worst ever, "I love you."What am I talking about? The word "love". Specifically, that word used incorrectly. In the good ol' days, "love" was not something to be trifled with. It wasn't something to be played with, or some silly little phrase to be tossed at a potential boyfriend/girlfriend. It's noteworthy that the phrase "Love at first sight" wasn't really invented until quite recently. That's because, up until around the last century, love was serious. It wasn't something you said or gave unless it was sincere, mature, and, if you were a Christian, pure.Love has been dethroned. Stripped of its power. Its beauty has faded on us...or, more accurately, we have caused it to fade. What the heck am I talking about? I'll tell you: Our generation doesn't know what love is."Quite simply, we're clueless. We think love is chocolates on Valentine's, passionate kisses, or fluttering hearts. We use "I think I love you" as a pick-up line for a girl or guy we'll hate within a week. Love has been stereotyped as that gushy, emotional, butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling that guys don't talk about, and that girls always dream about. But none of that is love. None.Love is so much more than attraction. I'm so tired of hearing people say that they "love" someone. Quite frankly, they don't. The girl who says "He's perfect. I love him!" really just means that she likes him until she finds his faults. Once he slips a notch on the "Prince Charming-meter," he's gone like yesterday. Or, the guy who croons "She's so hot. I just love her..." What he really means is that, if another girl comes along who's prettier, then this "love" of his will mysteriously disappear. It's conditional, and that's the problem. This is called "liking" someone, not loving someone. You like someone because he or she makes you feel good, or because he's sweet, or she's hot, or whatever. You don't love someone because of his or her cute dimples...love is not about feelings. Whoa, let me say that again. Love isn't about feelings. Did you catch that?Then what the heck is love? I've told you what love isn't. Now let me tell you what love is.Love is a choice.People don't realize that nowadays. That's where the stupid "We fell in love" came into being. Oh, right, check, you were just walking along one day, tripped, and found yourself "madly in love" with someone you hardly even knew two minute ago. "Madly in love" is just as dumb; like, only a complete idiot or insane person could love. Those phrases treat love as our society does: Like love is something you're thrown into, captured by, or, worst, something you feel. Love is not "Ooh, I like you right now, and you haven't hurt me yet, and, heck, you're even cute, so...I love you! Well, at least until you do anything bad. Then I hate you." No, no, no. All wrong.Love is choosing to love someone in spite of who he or she is. It's saying "You are more important to me than what I feel. No matter what you do, who you are, what you say, or how you feel, I will always be there for you; I will never leave you because of something you did that hurt me. Even if I don't like you at some time, I will always love you."Love isn't based on actions, feelings, words, or looks. You see, love is not conditional; it doesn't change. Love isn't taken back when someone does something wrong or mean. It doesn't disappear when someone is being a jerk. It doesn't hide its head when you don't feel like loving someone. That's because love doesn't base itself off of anything but a single choice. Love does not waver in a relationship depending on who likes who because it is stronger than feelings. Its strength is found in its innate ability to continue on even when the attraction fades. It is more beautiful than anything else because it survives hardships, pain, humiliation, envy, anger, anything. Please don't abuse such a powerful term. It sickens me when I hear someone who has been going out with her boyfriend for three days say "We're in love." Not only is it completely and totally wrong and untrue, it's hurtful to the other person. It's saying that you are pretending to be there for him through the thick and thin, but you really only want him as long as he wants you. Anytime things get rough, you're gone. Really old married couples know what real love is. Ask one. Did they always like each other? Heck, no. They were often so mad that they wanted to kill the other. However, they still loved each other. That means that they didn't give up on each other because of faults, short-comings, or wrinkly skin. Their love ran deeper than that. They were in it for the long fun, regardless of what was thrown their way.Why all this rambling? I'm just tired of seeing people my age throwing themselves onto every good-looking person who walks by, claiming that "love" has overtaken them. The person doing the "loving" is wrong, as is the person who thinks that they're being loved. It's OK to like someone, don't get me wrong. But do yourself and everyone else a favor and only say you like them. In case you didn't understand what love is from my ranting, try this perfection: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ---"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.Main points to remember: liking someone is conditional...but loving someone is not.