OK, so I didn't get my post done earlier.....we got home yesterday and it's been non-stop since then. WHew! It was SO wonderful to sleep in our own beds last night. Even Little Critter appreciated being home again.
Tuesday we went to the LBJ Presidential Library. I figured we'd spend an hour or so....well, boy was I wrong!!!! Little Critter got to going thru the exhibits and I explained how the things he was looking at (and reading about) related to what was going on in the world at that time period. We watched a short video about his life, and then went to the 10th floor to see the replicas of the White House. It took me 4 hours to drag Little Critter out of that library!!!! Who would have believed a squirmy wormy 9 yo boy would have so much fun at a Presidential Library?!
Once we left there, we walked across about 1/2 of the UT campus to our next bus, (This was about 3/4 of a mile), rode the bus three blocks and then walked another 2 blocks to the Bob Bullock Museum (also called the Story Of Texas Museum). We walked thru about 1/2 of it, went to see the movie "The Spirit of Texas" (which wasn't working so we didn't get to see it....bummer) and had a quick bite of lunch. Some really neat exhibits, but without the 'hearing wand' (which we didn't know we had to buy until it was too late) it was not much that we couldn't have found on the internet. I was disappointed....but Little Critter LOVED seeing all the knives, guns and cannons. Sigh.....boys!
After that we got on the bus again (we got really good at buses!!!!) went to Republic Park and took a picture of Little Critter at the Treaty Oak. (we think....it wasn't tagged, but that's where the website said it was). The Treaty Oak is supposed to be where Sam Houston signed the Treaty with Santa Anna to end the Texas War for Independence, hence making Texas a sovereign country in it's own right. Pretty cool huh!
Finally we went back to the hotel, ate dinner with Dodi and watched the bats come out from the bridge. I have several pictures to post, but they'll most likely have to wait a couple of days. Tomorrow is preparation day for Shabbot and I have to go back into work for a bit. (Not to mention laundry and cleaning the house since we weren't here to do it earlier this week.....sigh) S
So, my sweet friends, as we thank Papa for our dear home with our own little beds and our own little kitchen for me to cook in.....be sure to thank Him for all the blessings He's given you. He sends you love letters everyday too! And He loves you like crazy! Shabbat Shalom, Spitfire
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
On the road....again!
This week is Coach's School. So, we're in Austin Texas this week while Dodi attends his classes at Coaching School. Little Critter and I are attending classes ourselves....sort of. We got here late Sunday afternoon, spent over an hour trying to get checked into our hotel and then spent another hour trying to find a restaurant to eat at. Whew! After all that, (not to mention a couple of 'scenic routes' which translate into Dodi read the map/directions and gave incorrect info to me the driver) we just watched a little TV and went to bed!!!
Monday, we got up, went to breakfast and then dropped Dodi off at his classes. Little Critter and I asked at the front desk which bus to catch and took off for the Capital building. We walked all over the place!!!! The Texas Capital Building is a HUGE building set in the middle of about 2 1/2 acres if ground. The Capital itself has 8.5 acres of office floor space (and we walked almost 8 of those 8.5 acres!!!!!). It's an impressive building with beautiful granite floors and more staircases than I ever want to see again, thank you! There's also a 650,000 sq ft extension that was added in 1995 that has 4 floors to it and several skylights. (the entire extension is underground!) We've been there before, but he was only 5 and we made that last tour a short one. This one, we looked in most every nook and crannie! He had a blast! We looked in the Agriculture museum inside the Capital building, the original Supreme Court and Court of Appeals for the State of Texas, the Senate and House of Representatives chambers and even the President of the Senate's reception/receiving room...complete with massive chandeliers (3) and it's own kitchen. We also saw the Governor's reception/receiving room and the basement offices. We walked underground and visited our Representative's office and then went back to the original Capital building to visit our Senator's office. Both secretaries were incredible!!! They took us into the men's offices and we got to sit in their chairs! (The Representative has the better seat....the Senator has a very clean, spare and fussless office, but his chair is not real comfortable.) They both asked Little Critter questions and if he had any questions, and then gave him goodies for his lapbook/scrapbook pages. He did a real good job answering questions and using his manners. He even signed both guest books himself, and told the Senator's secretary that last election he'd voted for our Senator. (He did....he filled out a voter registration card, marked he was NOT 18 and took it with us when Dodi and I voted. The registrar then gave Little Critter a practice ballot to vote on and had him place it in the box for counting later. Our county now uses the computers to vote so it's not like Little Critter's ballot ever really got counted, but she was sweet to not tell him that!) We spent about 5 hours going thru the Capital building and grounds. I got a great picture of him at the gates in front of the Capital, but can't load them up till we get home. I'll try to remember to post them later in the week.
Next week, he'll have to prepare his pages for lapbook/scrapbook and write up all the stuff he learned while at the Capital. I'm looking forward to seeing what he writes about. He learned lots of cool stuff. Then we'll start working on how a bill becomes a law....not too shabby for a 9yo heh?
Well, I'll try to post again in the next couple of days....we still have to go to the LBJ Museum, the Story of Texas Museum (Bob Bullock Museum), the LadyBird Johnson Wildfire park, the Treaty Oak, and hopefully the children;s museum. Whew! I think I'm tired just thinking about it all!!!! But he's learning lots, having fun and having a blast riding the buses downtown.
So I'm thanking Yah for public transportation, (so we don't have to walk eleventy million miles), for being able to visit these historic and wonderful places, for living in a great state in a great country, and for family and friends. I'm also grateful we homeschool so we can go with Dodi on his yearly trip to Coach's school! Hopefully next year will be in Ft Worth. (That's where I grew up and there's some incredible museums for kids...not to mention a working Log CabinVillage that Little Critter would have an absolute blast at!) Well, take care my friends, look for the love letters that Papa sends you everyday....Shalom, Spitfire
PS We're still trying to follow Dodi's diet, but boy is it tough down here!!!! So many restaurants and so little we can eat!!!! LOL!
Monday, we got up, went to breakfast and then dropped Dodi off at his classes. Little Critter and I asked at the front desk which bus to catch and took off for the Capital building. We walked all over the place!!!! The Texas Capital Building is a HUGE building set in the middle of about 2 1/2 acres if ground. The Capital itself has 8.5 acres of office floor space (and we walked almost 8 of those 8.5 acres!!!!!). It's an impressive building with beautiful granite floors and more staircases than I ever want to see again, thank you! There's also a 650,000 sq ft extension that was added in 1995 that has 4 floors to it and several skylights. (the entire extension is underground!) We've been there before, but he was only 5 and we made that last tour a short one. This one, we looked in most every nook and crannie! He had a blast! We looked in the Agriculture museum inside the Capital building, the original Supreme Court and Court of Appeals for the State of Texas, the Senate and House of Representatives chambers and even the President of the Senate's reception/receiving room...complete with massive chandeliers (3) and it's own kitchen. We also saw the Governor's reception/receiving room and the basement offices. We walked underground and visited our Representative's office and then went back to the original Capital building to visit our Senator's office. Both secretaries were incredible!!! They took us into the men's offices and we got to sit in their chairs! (The Representative has the better seat....the Senator has a very clean, spare and fussless office, but his chair is not real comfortable.) They both asked Little Critter questions and if he had any questions, and then gave him goodies for his lapbook/scrapbook pages. He did a real good job answering questions and using his manners. He even signed both guest books himself, and told the Senator's secretary that last election he'd voted for our Senator. (He did....he filled out a voter registration card, marked he was NOT 18 and took it with us when Dodi and I voted. The registrar then gave Little Critter a practice ballot to vote on and had him place it in the box for counting later. Our county now uses the computers to vote so it's not like Little Critter's ballot ever really got counted, but she was sweet to not tell him that!) We spent about 5 hours going thru the Capital building and grounds. I got a great picture of him at the gates in front of the Capital, but can't load them up till we get home. I'll try to remember to post them later in the week.
Next week, he'll have to prepare his pages for lapbook/scrapbook and write up all the stuff he learned while at the Capital. I'm looking forward to seeing what he writes about. He learned lots of cool stuff. Then we'll start working on how a bill becomes a law....not too shabby for a 9yo heh?
Well, I'll try to post again in the next couple of days....we still have to go to the LBJ Museum, the Story of Texas Museum (Bob Bullock Museum), the LadyBird Johnson Wildfire park, the Treaty Oak, and hopefully the children;s museum. Whew! I think I'm tired just thinking about it all!!!! But he's learning lots, having fun and having a blast riding the buses downtown.
So I'm thanking Yah for public transportation, (so we don't have to walk eleventy million miles), for being able to visit these historic and wonderful places, for living in a great state in a great country, and for family and friends. I'm also grateful we homeschool so we can go with Dodi on his yearly trip to Coach's school! Hopefully next year will be in Ft Worth. (That's where I grew up and there's some incredible museums for kids...not to mention a working Log CabinVillage that Little Critter would have an absolute blast at!) Well, take care my friends, look for the love letters that Papa sends you everyday....Shalom, Spitfire
PS We're still trying to follow Dodi's diet, but boy is it tough down here!!!! So many restaurants and so little we can eat!!!! LOL!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Two points for me!
Earlier this week, we had an appointment to go talk with the Dietitian. This was a requirement from the new specialist Dodi went to a few weeks ago that angered me so deeply. So I was not excited about this 'visit', but we went anyway. As some of you know, Dodi is diabetic. Has been for 15 years or so. And the first 5 years, we managed his blood sugars with diet alone....no meds. After 5 years, he started on oral meds and over the last 10 years the dosages have progressively gotten higher and higher with more and more drugs going into his system. This has bothered me for years.
Now, I will admit I have not always been good about cooking all our meals from scratch....but for the last year or two have gotten much better about it. I have, since his diagnosis, been good about trying my best to all I could to use foods and supplements and spices that would help control his blood sugars as naturally as possible. (I'm not sure I trust all these man made drugs to not screw things up worse than before.) So we've been on an Atkins type diet for about 4-5 months now. We don't even keep sugar in the house (unless dear cousin buys it for his coffee and occasionally I buy him a small pkge), we grow as much fresh veggies as we can, and I buy fresh when I have to. I can or freeze our produce and use it during the off seasons. So I felt we were doing pretty well.
Surprise, surprise, surprise! The dietitian agreed that we were doing quite well! WOHOO! Now, she advocates adding more carbs into our diet and eating less protein...but that doesn't make sense! Why add foods that turn straight into sugars into the diet of someone with uncontrolled high blood sugar?!?! So we're taking some of her advice and going with the advice of the wholeistic doctor on other parts. What does this mean for us? Well, for those of you who prepare Shabbat dinners.....it's like making Shabbat dinner for most every meal only in smaller portions. But we're beginning to see some really positive results from this. Dodi has lost almost 50 lbs, his blood sugars are now running 200 and below (they were in the 400's!) and he's feeling much better most the time. Now if we can just get him off the insulin shots at night, life will be awesome! (He only takes the insulin at night, during the day he still uses oral meds.) So your prayers would be appreciated as we attempt to defy the medical community at large and cure him of his diabetis. I realize everyone says you can't cure diabetis....but I know the Creator. And I also know HE didn't create diabetis......He created Dodi with perfectly functioning body parts, and healed him of this wretched disease over 2000 years ago. We're just waiting for Dodi's body to line up with the Word of YHWH and show that healing.
I pray things are going well for each of you and you're enjoying your summers. We're trying to stay as cool as you can in triple digit temps but we're still having fun....just inside. LOL! You know it's hot when even the lizards don't want to come out and play until after sundown!!!!! Have a blessed weekend, a restful Shabbat and know I pray for each of you daily. May Papa load you up with love letters this weekend. Shabbat Shalom, Spitfire
Now, I will admit I have not always been good about cooking all our meals from scratch....but for the last year or two have gotten much better about it. I have, since his diagnosis, been good about trying my best to all I could to use foods and supplements and spices that would help control his blood sugars as naturally as possible. (I'm not sure I trust all these man made drugs to not screw things up worse than before.) So we've been on an Atkins type diet for about 4-5 months now. We don't even keep sugar in the house (unless dear cousin buys it for his coffee and occasionally I buy him a small pkge), we grow as much fresh veggies as we can, and I buy fresh when I have to. I can or freeze our produce and use it during the off seasons. So I felt we were doing pretty well.
Surprise, surprise, surprise! The dietitian agreed that we were doing quite well! WOHOO! Now, she advocates adding more carbs into our diet and eating less protein...but that doesn't make sense! Why add foods that turn straight into sugars into the diet of someone with uncontrolled high blood sugar?!?! So we're taking some of her advice and going with the advice of the wholeistic doctor on other parts. What does this mean for us? Well, for those of you who prepare Shabbat dinners.....it's like making Shabbat dinner for most every meal only in smaller portions. But we're beginning to see some really positive results from this. Dodi has lost almost 50 lbs, his blood sugars are now running 200 and below (they were in the 400's!) and he's feeling much better most the time. Now if we can just get him off the insulin shots at night, life will be awesome! (He only takes the insulin at night, during the day he still uses oral meds.) So your prayers would be appreciated as we attempt to defy the medical community at large and cure him of his diabetis. I realize everyone says you can't cure diabetis....but I know the Creator. And I also know HE didn't create diabetis......He created Dodi with perfectly functioning body parts, and healed him of this wretched disease over 2000 years ago. We're just waiting for Dodi's body to line up with the Word of YHWH and show that healing.
I pray things are going well for each of you and you're enjoying your summers. We're trying to stay as cool as you can in triple digit temps but we're still having fun....just inside. LOL! You know it's hot when even the lizards don't want to come out and play until after sundown!!!!! Have a blessed weekend, a restful Shabbat and know I pray for each of you daily. May Papa load you up with love letters this weekend. Shabbat Shalom, Spitfire
Monday, July 13, 2009
I've been tagged!
This is just too cool! While on vacation, Ahava tagged me for having an inspirational blog. This just blows my mind! So thank you Ahava for your kind comments....just remember, you were the one who pushed and prodded me into starting a blog! (You are a Sweetheart and I'm blessed to know you and count you as a friend!hugs)
So, in response to the tag, I'm to list several groups of eights....this should give you a chance to know me a little better and perhaps understand how my little 2 cylinder brain functions. (or not-sometimes I don't understand how my little pea brain functions!) Here we go:
8 things I'm looking forward to:
1. Dancing with Papa everyday, whenever I want (while in heaven with Him!)
2. Meeting the 4 children I had to return to Heaven before getting to know them.
3. Asking SO many questions of the great men and women of the Torah about their faith, their lives and their families.
4. Being able to be debt free in the next year (except our house...that will take 3 more years!WOHOO!!!!)
5. Being able to have Dodi retire and enjoy being home with Little Critter and I...(that's in the plans as soon as Papa releases him from his current job as coach!)
6. Being able to move outside of town and have as many chickens and goats and kitties and puppies and horses and .....well, as many critters as we can feed and a garden to feed us.
7. Becoming the woman Papa intended me to be....sometimes I feel I haven't even begun the journey, otherdays I feel the journey has been going on forever and I haven't made any progress. sigh.
8. Reuniting with family and friends that have already returned to Papa and seeing so many friends I have all over the world that I've never met except online. (Lookout Ahava, Cindy, Alaska Bea, Steph, Rachel-I'll be looking for you my sweeties!! Can hardly wait to sit down with a great big cuppa and some serious girl talk!!!!)
8 things I wish I could do:
1. Ease the pain of all the moms and children of the world....sigh
2. Learn Hebrew.....this has been a couple years I've worked at it and still don't have it down yet...I'd love to learn the language Yeshua used when here. Perhaps one day.
3. Influence one life a day to learn more about our loving Papa so that they'd follow Him.
4. Be more like that Proverbs 31 woman that so often makes me feel like I'm not beginning to stack up....
5. Bring a smile and a giggle to Papa at least once a day.
6. Be the wife, mother, and grammie my Dodi, children and grandchildren need me to be.
7. Have a house outside of town that is big enough to provide a safe haven for any and all who'd need it with a huge garden, lots of critters and enough joy, peace and nurturing to repair the hurts this world dishes out.
8. Bring all I meet into a real relationship with Papa so we can spend eternity together with Him.
8 things I love:
1. Abba, Ben Adam, Ruach HaKodesh (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
2. Dodi, Little Critter and the rest of my family
3. Being able to do things for my parents to make their lives easier in their elder years. (They're both in the Hebraic age of "The Gray Age" being in their 70's)
4. Being able to teach Little Critter and the kids at church about their wonderful Papa!
5. Gardening, growing, canning, freezing, cooking, preparing new foods...Ok, if it deals with food, I love it!!!!! (Hence the 40 lb weight gain in the last 17 years!!!!! Grin)
6. Critters....especially the unconditional love they share with us for such little things as providing food and water for them. Not to mention the lessons about Papa I learn from them!
7. Learning new things and being able to do them reasonably well.
8. The wonder in children's eyes when they see something or learn something new and understand it. The excitement of splashing in rain puddles, chasing and catching 'lightening' bugs, seeing a green stem suddenly have a beautiful flower the next morning, learning to read...I could go on far too long. I reckon I just love children....
8 things I did yesterday:
1. Taught the children at church about their nearing age of accountability and the many faces of Papa.
2. Visited with my parents and did the ironing for Nana. (She's blind, ironing is a real trick when you can't see what you're ironing! Smile.)
3. Read a few blog entries of my friends and posted some responses.
4. Got most the laundry done....(we celebrate Shabbat so Sunday is a work day, we rest on Saturday)
5. Prepared an early dinner of corned beef, steamed cabbage and broccili with cheese.
6. Went to evening services at the church Dodi enjoys going to. (I get bored...they spend 20 minutes talking about 1 Tanak verse....But Dodi enjoys it and I like the people there. So we go.)
7. Prepared a care package for eldest son who's now stationed in Colorado. (He just returned from Iraq a couple months ago.)
8. Read some interesting articles and posts on some favorite Messianic sites and studied Torah before bed.
8 shows I watch:
yikes, this is gonna be hard....we don't watch that much TV.
1. Little House on the Prairie ( Little Critter loves to watch this one....)
2. The Rifleman (another of Little Critter's favorites....I'm not overly excited about it....I usually doze thru it. smile)
3. Beck (on FoxNews channel....I agree with him that we need far less government and far more personal responsiblity!)
4. MannaFest with Perry Stone (lost of interesting digging into our Hebraic roots)
5. Saturday mornings we watch several cartoons and shows on the Christian stations.....
That's about it....we watch the Hallmark channel some, the history channel some, the FoxNews channel some.....the Food Network some, HGTV some.....but not really anything we have to rearrange the schedules for.
Oh, I was watching Spiritual Warfare with Rabbi Moshe Laurie almost daily until they changed the time he's one....now I seldom get to watch him. Sniff, sniff. I love his show!!!
I think that's it. sorry, couldn't come up with 8. Oh well.
Ok, last but not least, I get to tag some of you!!! So, let's see......
1. Heart of Wisdom blog...Robin is an inspiration to all! I always gain something good from her blog on any one of several areas.
2. Blasting Caps and Dynamite....My friend and her husband are a hoot! They're full of spit and vinager and that's one reason we like each other so much....if she weren't a brunette, I just know she'd be a red head!!!
3. Conservative Outrage... Pops is a real Sweetie who loves Papa dearly.
So, in response to the tag, I'm to list several groups of eights....this should give you a chance to know me a little better and perhaps understand how my little 2 cylinder brain functions. (or not-sometimes I don't understand how my little pea brain functions!) Here we go:
8 things I'm looking forward to:
1. Dancing with Papa everyday, whenever I want (while in heaven with Him!)
2. Meeting the 4 children I had to return to Heaven before getting to know them.
3. Asking SO many questions of the great men and women of the Torah about their faith, their lives and their families.
4. Being able to be debt free in the next year (except our house...that will take 3 more years!WOHOO!!!!)
5. Being able to have Dodi retire and enjoy being home with Little Critter and I...(that's in the plans as soon as Papa releases him from his current job as coach!)
6. Being able to move outside of town and have as many chickens and goats and kitties and puppies and horses and .....well, as many critters as we can feed and a garden to feed us.
7. Becoming the woman Papa intended me to be....sometimes I feel I haven't even begun the journey, otherdays I feel the journey has been going on forever and I haven't made any progress. sigh.
8. Reuniting with family and friends that have already returned to Papa and seeing so many friends I have all over the world that I've never met except online. (Lookout Ahava, Cindy, Alaska Bea, Steph, Rachel-I'll be looking for you my sweeties!! Can hardly wait to sit down with a great big cuppa and some serious girl talk!!!!)
8 things I wish I could do:
1. Ease the pain of all the moms and children of the world....sigh
2. Learn Hebrew.....this has been a couple years I've worked at it and still don't have it down yet...I'd love to learn the language Yeshua used when here. Perhaps one day.
3. Influence one life a day to learn more about our loving Papa so that they'd follow Him.
4. Be more like that Proverbs 31 woman that so often makes me feel like I'm not beginning to stack up....
5. Bring a smile and a giggle to Papa at least once a day.
6. Be the wife, mother, and grammie my Dodi, children and grandchildren need me to be.
7. Have a house outside of town that is big enough to provide a safe haven for any and all who'd need it with a huge garden, lots of critters and enough joy, peace and nurturing to repair the hurts this world dishes out.
8. Bring all I meet into a real relationship with Papa so we can spend eternity together with Him.
8 things I love:
1. Abba, Ben Adam, Ruach HaKodesh (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
2. Dodi, Little Critter and the rest of my family
3. Being able to do things for my parents to make their lives easier in their elder years. (They're both in the Hebraic age of "The Gray Age" being in their 70's)
4. Being able to teach Little Critter and the kids at church about their wonderful Papa!
5. Gardening, growing, canning, freezing, cooking, preparing new foods...Ok, if it deals with food, I love it!!!!! (Hence the 40 lb weight gain in the last 17 years!!!!! Grin)
6. Critters....especially the unconditional love they share with us for such little things as providing food and water for them. Not to mention the lessons about Papa I learn from them!
7. Learning new things and being able to do them reasonably well.
8. The wonder in children's eyes when they see something or learn something new and understand it. The excitement of splashing in rain puddles, chasing and catching 'lightening' bugs, seeing a green stem suddenly have a beautiful flower the next morning, learning to read...I could go on far too long. I reckon I just love children....
8 things I did yesterday:
1. Taught the children at church about their nearing age of accountability and the many faces of Papa.
2. Visited with my parents and did the ironing for Nana. (She's blind, ironing is a real trick when you can't see what you're ironing! Smile.)
3. Read a few blog entries of my friends and posted some responses.
4. Got most the laundry done....(we celebrate Shabbat so Sunday is a work day, we rest on Saturday)
5. Prepared an early dinner of corned beef, steamed cabbage and broccili with cheese.
6. Went to evening services at the church Dodi enjoys going to. (I get bored...they spend 20 minutes talking about 1 Tanak verse....But Dodi enjoys it and I like the people there. So we go.)
7. Prepared a care package for eldest son who's now stationed in Colorado. (He just returned from Iraq a couple months ago.)
8. Read some interesting articles and posts on some favorite Messianic sites and studied Torah before bed.
8 shows I watch:
yikes, this is gonna be hard....we don't watch that much TV.
1. Little House on the Prairie ( Little Critter loves to watch this one....)
2. The Rifleman (another of Little Critter's favorites....I'm not overly excited about it....I usually doze thru it. smile)
3. Beck (on FoxNews channel....I agree with him that we need far less government and far more personal responsiblity!)
4. MannaFest with Perry Stone (lost of interesting digging into our Hebraic roots)
5. Saturday mornings we watch several cartoons and shows on the Christian stations.....
That's about it....we watch the Hallmark channel some, the history channel some, the FoxNews channel some.....the Food Network some, HGTV some.....but not really anything we have to rearrange the schedules for.
Oh, I was watching Spiritual Warfare with Rabbi Moshe Laurie almost daily until they changed the time he's one....now I seldom get to watch him. Sniff, sniff. I love his show!!!
I think that's it. sorry, couldn't come up with 8. Oh well.
Ok, last but not least, I get to tag some of you!!! So, let's see......
1. Heart of Wisdom blog...Robin is an inspiration to all! I always gain something good from her blog on any one of several areas.
2. Blasting Caps and Dynamite....My friend and her husband are a hoot! They're full of spit and vinager and that's one reason we like each other so much....if she weren't a brunette, I just know she'd be a red head!!!
3. Conservative Outrage... Pops is a real Sweetie who loves Papa dearly.
4. Nazarene Chabad This is a friend from Tabernacle. He doesn't post real often, but they're pretty meaty and interesting.
5. The Door Post This is a great place to learn more about our Hebraic Roots. You have to join to look thru everything, but it's free and easy to join. It's more of a webring (I think) than a blog, but I've enjoyed it.
6. Let the Truth Be Known This is a blog run by an Orthodox Catholic Priest. But he's a hoot. Sometimes he gets really angry about things, but his love for Papa is evident in all he writes. And his puppy Munchie gets to put in some really fun posts too!
7. Recovering Christians This is Ahava's blog. It's wonderful!!!!
5. The Door Post This is a great place to learn more about our Hebraic Roots. You have to join to look thru everything, but it's free and easy to join. It's more of a webring (I think) than a blog, but I've enjoyed it.
6. Let the Truth Be Known This is a blog run by an Orthodox Catholic Priest. But he's a hoot. Sometimes he gets really angry about things, but his love for Papa is evident in all he writes. And his puppy Munchie gets to put in some really fun posts too!
7. Recovering Christians This is Ahava's blog. It's wonderful!!!!
8. The Quiet Life-A work in Progress This is the blog of an army wife with three small kids. She's inspiring as she does all that she does with a quiet spirit. Truly amazing!
Well, as you can see I have an eclectic list of folks I keep track of. I hope you enjoy them too if you choose to visit them. Now, I have to get to work today.....before the day is over!
Thanks again Ahava for tagging me. You've blessed me Sweetie. I hope this has been interesting for you and that those of you who were tagged are blessed also. Look for the little Love Letters from Papa... He sends them everyday if we'll only look for them. Shalom, Spitfire
Well, as you can see I have an eclectic list of folks I keep track of. I hope you enjoy them too if you choose to visit them. Now, I have to get to work today.....before the day is over!
Thanks again Ahava for tagging me. You've blessed me Sweetie. I hope this has been interesting for you and that those of you who were tagged are blessed also. Look for the little Love Letters from Papa... He sends them everyday if we'll only look for them. Shalom, Spitfire
Friday, July 10, 2009
Lessons learned from a quail....
I hope you all had a wonderful week this past week, dear friends. Ours was a bit aggravating. After taking Dodi to a doctor who intimated I had been poisoning my beloved Dodi, and an insurance company that would not accept the prescriptions said Doctor wrote for Dodi....I was just about ready to do physical harm to someone or something. Well, the clutter in our bedroom bore the venting of my wrath. (Much better than anyone living in my house!!!) So our bedroom is now much better arranged and minus a huge pile of things we no longer need....
We also had a 'funeral' for one of the quail that Grandpa (Dodi's father) had given Little Critter about 4 or 5 years ago. It was a simple service....Dodi dug a hole, we each prayed for/about Bob White the quail (yes, that was his name....what can I say, he's a Bob White Quail!) We threw dirt on him and then Dodi finished filling the hole while Litte Critter fashioned a marker to mark the spot. It was simple, sweet and quite innocent. Although we're getting quite a 'pet cemetary' out there by the chickens....hmmmm.
Later as I contemplated the day, I thought about the lessons we'd learned over the past several years from the quail. Here are some quite foolish little birds, that seldom appeared to recognize us as the ones who fed them daily or provided their water, didn't seem to like us much and tried to ignore us whenever possible. So what lessons did we learn from them? Well, we learned that worry doesn't really help anything. These little birds didn't worry if we were late with their feed, they just seemed to know there'd always be food. If the temps went up, and the water got low, they knew we'd fill their water bottle for them, or Papa would send some rain for them. When the 'house' Little Critter had made for them started to fall apart, they didn't panic, or try to sue us for faulty workmanship....they just calmly moved the pieces of the cardboard box into an arrangement that met their expectations. They never let us pet them or hold them without a frenzied flight around their cage, they never gave any lavious or showy displays of affection for us, they didn't even provide enough eggs for us to use for anything. And yet.....
We learned Papa will always provide for us in one way or another. If our shelter doesn't look the way we wanted, He'll make sure we have shelter that is sufficient for our needs. When it becomes too hot to do much of anything, Papa will provide a breeze to cool us or rain to dampen us, or clouds to cut the heat a bit. When we're lonely, Papa will send other birds to talk to us, cheer us or just listen to our cries and commiserate. And when it's time to leave this place, Papa will provide those that love us with the ammenities to 'plant' us with love.
All this we learned from these silly little birds. Hmmm. I wonder what other things we could learn from our pets if we took the time to really think about it? Could be pretty amazing, ey?
Now I have a question for my readers to help me with. As we buried Bob White the quail, Little Critter's prayer which was amazingly sweet and innocent, conveyed a certainty that only a child could have that Bob White and our other now gone pets will be waiting for us in Heaven. I can find no mention in Scripture that says critters will be in Heaven other than the comments Papa made when the critters were made and He pronouced them good. So what do you think? Will critters be in heaven or not? I would love to have Scriptural references, but they aren't required. I personally find it hard to believe Papa would create all these wonderful critters, pronounce them good and then say "Well, you were cute, you were fun, but when you die you just rot." Somehow that doesn't sound right to me. Let me know what you think. And as you go thru this week, may you find the love letters Papa sends you in your everyday life....even if they're from quail...heheheh. Shalom, Spitfire
We also had a 'funeral' for one of the quail that Grandpa (Dodi's father) had given Little Critter about 4 or 5 years ago. It was a simple service....Dodi dug a hole, we each prayed for/about Bob White the quail (yes, that was his name....what can I say, he's a Bob White Quail!) We threw dirt on him and then Dodi finished filling the hole while Litte Critter fashioned a marker to mark the spot. It was simple, sweet and quite innocent. Although we're getting quite a 'pet cemetary' out there by the chickens....hmmmm.
Later as I contemplated the day, I thought about the lessons we'd learned over the past several years from the quail. Here are some quite foolish little birds, that seldom appeared to recognize us as the ones who fed them daily or provided their water, didn't seem to like us much and tried to ignore us whenever possible. So what lessons did we learn from them? Well, we learned that worry doesn't really help anything. These little birds didn't worry if we were late with their feed, they just seemed to know there'd always be food. If the temps went up, and the water got low, they knew we'd fill their water bottle for them, or Papa would send some rain for them. When the 'house' Little Critter had made for them started to fall apart, they didn't panic, or try to sue us for faulty workmanship....they just calmly moved the pieces of the cardboard box into an arrangement that met their expectations. They never let us pet them or hold them without a frenzied flight around their cage, they never gave any lavious or showy displays of affection for us, they didn't even provide enough eggs for us to use for anything. And yet.....
We learned Papa will always provide for us in one way or another. If our shelter doesn't look the way we wanted, He'll make sure we have shelter that is sufficient for our needs. When it becomes too hot to do much of anything, Papa will provide a breeze to cool us or rain to dampen us, or clouds to cut the heat a bit. When we're lonely, Papa will send other birds to talk to us, cheer us or just listen to our cries and commiserate. And when it's time to leave this place, Papa will provide those that love us with the ammenities to 'plant' us with love.
All this we learned from these silly little birds. Hmmm. I wonder what other things we could learn from our pets if we took the time to really think about it? Could be pretty amazing, ey?
Now I have a question for my readers to help me with. As we buried Bob White the quail, Little Critter's prayer which was amazingly sweet and innocent, conveyed a certainty that only a child could have that Bob White and our other now gone pets will be waiting for us in Heaven. I can find no mention in Scripture that says critters will be in Heaven other than the comments Papa made when the critters were made and He pronouced them good. So what do you think? Will critters be in heaven or not? I would love to have Scriptural references, but they aren't required. I personally find it hard to believe Papa would create all these wonderful critters, pronounce them good and then say "Well, you were cute, you were fun, but when you die you just rot." Somehow that doesn't sound right to me. Let me know what you think. And as you go thru this week, may you find the love letters Papa sends you in your everyday life....even if they're from quail...heheheh. Shalom, Spitfire
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy Birthday America!!!
Happy Birthday America! I realize this post is a little behind...but it's still the Fourth of July here. I'm just behind on getting this posted. (Oops.) Here's hoping as folks are watching their fireworks, eating with family and friends, and listening to patriotic music or watching great old movies about our country that we all remember that this county WAS founded as a Judeo-Christian country! I don't care what Mr. Obama tells the world about us not being a Christian country. He's wrong!!!Our entire form of government and our laws are based on the 10 Words (Commandments) and the form of government set up by YHWH in Deuteronomy! We have a Democratic Republic form of government. One set up of the people, for the people and by the people.
I thankful to live in this country...even if I don't like the road we appear to heading down. I still believe there's enough people with backbone to turn us back toward what our founders intended. I'm also incredibly proud of our military personnel. (yes, I have two foster sons in the military and a dear friend just leaving Iraq but heading for Afghanistan, so I'm biased!) We have a volunteer military, and they do a fine job! They're underpaid, underappreciated, and dishonored on a regular basis. They do the best they can without the equipment they need and without the support of our government, President, media or large sections of our population. But those men and women risk their lives every single day to protect our freedoms! And while there's always a few screwballs in the group, for the most part, they are cream of the crop! I pray Yah blesses and protects each of them!
Now I pray each of you dear readers, have a blessed Fourth of July and remember to thank Papa for the blessings He's given us. For my friends in other countries, may you have a blessed weekend and now we'll praise your countries as I find out about your Independence Days. May Papa bless each of you and may He bless The United States of America. Shalom, Spitfire
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