Mission Mississippi

I know, I haven't posted in a while. I forgot to tell you that I am on a mission trip to Slidell, Louisiana and Pearlington, Mississippi. We left last Friday night, met up with 34 others and continued driving down on Sat. I am staying back at the church every day to sew curtains for the houses that IDES is building for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Yeah, I know, you are thinking that was over 3 years ago. But you wouldn't believe the amount of devastation and destruction that is still very visible. Back home we don't give them another thought, but being here in person changes ones perspective. More about this mission to come, but I right now I need to rest. I sewed 12 pairs of curtains today!

Pond Progress

We are still working on our koi pond. My husband and nephew have dug the whole thing by hand (actually they used shovels). Nephew and I transported the huge stones from the rock pile to hubby who arranged them on the sides of the bottom, lining the sides all the way up. Then we carried pebbles to him to fill in the holes and the bottom. Still have lots more work to do before we can begin adding the water. I worked until my arms were so tired that I could barely pick them up. I'm glad I am able to move this morning so that I will be able to continue the work. To be continued.

Inspirational Video

While watching the Today Show yesterday I was able to see the Lion video from You Tube. If you haven't seen it, please check it out. The original was shot 34 years ago, but is worth seeing.

Saving Money to Feed the Poor

Our granddaughter, Toots, stayed the night with us last night and will stay this morning. We have already had an exciting morning (it's always exciting with her.) Last night she was putting more coins in her fish bank. Actually, it is a savings bank for IDES, International Disaster Emergency Services. When the bank is full, we are to send the money to IDES so they can use it to fight World Hunger. When I explained this to Toots last night she seemed to understand. Well, this morning she picked up the reminder note about where to send it and began "reading" it to me. She said, "This is what big people take away from little kids so they don't have it any more." Somehow I don't think she got the message.

Toots' Side of the Story

The granddaughter, Toots, came over to play on her playset Sat. evening. While here, her aunt called to chat. While chatting with Toots, H asked if Toots had gone to the 4-H Fair. It was cute to hear a 3 year-old's details of the fair. When she tried to tell what goats she had held, she tried to pronounce pygmy goat and said pig on me. Since she saw pigs at the fair, I'm wondering what she is thinking of when she says pig on me. At one point in the evening, Toots and I came in the house for her to use the bathroom. She turned to me and said, "Mimi, you are the best Mimi ever." When I asked her why, she smiled and replied, "Because you are so, so good to me." My heart was like putty. There is not greater feeling. Thank you, Lord, for our granddaughter.

Wish I Had a Pond

I rode to the Big City with my husband yesterday to pick up the supplies for us to build our pond. The business had several ponds and waterways built on site for customers to see, drool over and want. There were signs posted listing the name of each pond, cost for the supplies, along with cost for their company to install the whole thing. Wish I had the money to be able to hire them to do it. But then we would miss the opportunity to "bond" while struggling through the process. We would also miss the opportunity to drive all over creation searching for the rocks to use in the project.

Pool of Fun

Every afternoon this week I have gone to my sis-in-law's house to get in the pool. My sis, two sisters-in-law, and me are attempting water activities to burn some calories and have fun. The four of us are enjoying talking, exercising, drinking left-over strawberry punch (NOT spiked), and trying not to eat left-over brownies. The exercise is good for my sis who has had several strokes. She says she is feeling stronger and has more endurance. I'm getting more brown and my hair is getting lighter, kind of matching the gray that is peaking out. Perhaps today I will find some tapes for us to use to inspire more activities. Then perhaps I will search for the left-over brownies.

Photo Book Adventure

If you know me, you know that I am not very techno. Just ask my daughter H or my hubby. I am always asking them to help me do something with the digital camera, my cell phone or the computer. So it was out of character for me to go to the local CVS to make a photo book from my digital SD card without either one of them with me. My goal was to make a photo book of my nieces showing their cows at the 4-H fair and give it to my sister-in-law. The photo lab technician was friendly and somewhat helpful, but was the only one manning the cash register, so was interrupted in helping me maneuver through the steps to make the book. At one point she said it was easy, just follow the steps. I began selecting the pictures I wanted for the 10 page book. Before I had gone too far, she came back to help and suggested that I could edit the pictures. She quickly did one for me, and it was so much better. BUT, you cannot go back to the pictures already chosen to edit once you select them, because if you do, you have no idea which pics you have now selected. At one point, after clicking DONE 5 times for each picture edited, I accidentally clicked DONE when I had not edited. Oops. That ended the whole program and was ready for me to print. Help!!! No icon to select previous page nor icon for I goofed. Alas, I had to start the whole process over again. When busy helpful photo lab lady came back to me, she was a little annoyed with me for the first of many times. (In fact, I'm sure she wanted to scream, "Where's your husband?") After much toiling, I was ready to select done for the last time. I asked photo lady how I select the collage pages of the book, like the one she had as a sample. She had this terrible look on her face and this pregnant pause before she said I should have selected the icon that told me to do that. I assured her that although I am stupid when it comes to technology, I can read and did listen as the voice told me exactly what to do. At no time did it tell me to choose the collage. Frustrated, she rounded the counter to try to help me without starting all over again. I won't bore you with the hour-long process, but will say that when she tried to help me, she realized that there was not an icon to tell me what to do to select the collage pages. She fixed it by helping me manually (is there such a thing as manual when you are using a computer generated program?) choose the four pictures I wanted per page and scramble them to fit the way I wanted. I left the store with my claim ticket and a promise that the photo book would be done in 3 to 4 hours. Photo lab lady called me in one hour to say the book was done, not good, I didn't have to accept it, or I could purchase it for half price. I picked it up, was pleased and paid half price. Without overall instructions to tell us how to do it, it wasn't that bad. I'm tempted to try it again with my son's wedding pictures that I took at rehearsal and the wedding. Maybe I can mess it up again and get it for half price.

Visiting the County 4-H Fair

Our county 4-H fair is going on this week in all the heat. Last night was the annual Jonah fish fry. I trekked to the fair, hunted for a parking space, and stood in a long line just to eat one piece of fish (I don't care for the other stuff that goes with the dinner for twice the price). I was not the only one to endure the heat, the smells, and the aggravation of finding a parking space. There were literally hundreds and hundreds standing in the long line to eat the expected treat. Tonight it will all happen again as the food to buy will be rib eye steak. I enjoy visiting the fair and remembering all the good times spent at fairs past. I was a 4-Her many years ago. We took pigs to show. We raised the pigs for food and income and not for winning prizes so we were never successful in winning ribbons. In fact the only ribbon I ever won was a participation ribbon. My sis won a second and would have had a first had her sow not laid down. But the ribbons didn't matter. We got to enjoy all the fun of being there and participating no matter what our hogs did. All three of our children were participants in 4-H, showing dairy goats. We had one milker who would produce 2 kids each year. Once in a while we had to buy a wether (a castrated male) to have enough animals to show. Honey Bunch, the milker, won many prizes throughout the years to the chagrin of the original owner of that goat when we beat her herd. (I like those two words together and don't think I have ever written them.) We were small time goat farmers, transporting them to the fair in our car. They stood with their feet on the floor in the back, straining to look over the front seats. Never had an accident in the car and since we always smelled like them from working with them, we never noticed a smell in the car. Ha! When I took my granddaughter to the fair to see all the animals, she really liked the goats. I told her that Mimi would get her one if she wanted one. Her response was, "I want a kitten." That's too easy.

Dog Eats Dog

I walk with a friend almost every evening for the exercise. She has a Jack Russell terrier, Jetta, that is very active and loves to out-walk us, and is not afraid of anything. Well, Monday night I was unable to go walking but found out that another dog attacked Jetta. It grabbed her behind and shook her. My friend held on to the lease and began screaming. People came to help. Someone called 911. A woman drove her car up and had the friend who somehow got her dog out of the teeth of the attacker get in the car. The other dog even put several scratches on the car door while trying to get Jetta again. Jetta spent time in surgery and the night at the vet hospital. She is lucky to be alive. My friend probably saved her life by keeping Jetta,s neck away from the other dog. Jetta will not be walking with us for a little while. Don't know if this will cause her to be afraid. What scares me the most is that many young children, including my granddaughter, have walked the course. The dog could have easily gone after any one of them. The sheriff showed up immediately. Maybe he will have a solution to get rid of the dog. But we need to be prepared for this to happen at any given time. Perhaps I will do some research today to see how to best protect ourselves.

Wedded Bliss

What a wild and crazy morning we had the day of the wedding. It had rained heavily overnight and again in the early morning. The garden was very wet, but usable. However the tent was extremely wet and the path to it was about 4 inches deep in water. We had to make a decision about what to do. So among T, aunt K, brother-in-law, best man, and mom and dad, we put our collective brains together to come up with a different place to have the reception. We had several good possibilities, but began striking out as phone calls were made. Suddenly I remembered a new reception hall that had only been open for a couple of months. None of us had seen it, but I knew the owner very well. So I called. As an answer to many prayers, the hall was available. A crew of us went to check it out all the while the bride and bridesmaids were transforming their beauty to the max at the salon. To make a long story short, all agreed that the place would be just right AND it was air-conditioned!!! The bride arrived to see it and agreed that it would be better to have the wedding there also as the weather prediction was for 90% chance of thunderstorms all day. With many hands and a flurry of activity, we transformed the place into a beautiful wedding setting, complete with our rented tablecloths and decorations. Many phone calls were made to tell people of the change. Hubby constructed a map and left it at the original site along with a nephew to direct people to the new, cooler location. The wedding was delayed by only 10 minutes, to assure that all would be present for the beginning of the ceremony. And it was beautiful. Both T & K were pleased with the results as they were happily married. As we cleaned up the place and carried out the stuff to take home, we were practically overcome with the hot, muggy 92 degree heat. Again we were thankful for the change to air conditioning.

The Day of the Wedding

The thunder is booming as the rain crashes to the ground on this morning of the day of our son's wedding. Normally that would not be a problem, but since the wedding is an outdoor event as is the reception, this could mean some creative thinking. On old wives tale says that if it starts before 7, it will be done by 11:00. That tends to be true. Only time will tell as the day wears on. But no matter what the weather, T & K will be married as of today!

Change in Weather, Change in Plans

Well, the forecast for Saturday, the day of the wedding, is not looking good. Current predictions are for 50% chance of severe thunderstorms with large hail. Question--if it does rain/hail/lightning, will we be safe inside the tent? The lightning is a scary thing. It can strike up to 15 miles away from the storm. I've read of victims being struck while looking out the door of the garage. So, a tent with center metal spikes, probably would not be the safest place to be in the time of a storm.

Count Down to the Wedding

My son's wedding is in just 2 days. Time to be making a checklist and checking off jobs done or things yet to do. As I look around my house I see evidence of an impending wedding. The bride's rehearsal dress and wedding dress hang from one of my closet doors. The bridesmaid's rehearsal dress and attendant dress hang from another door. Two more dresses for two more people to wear to the wedding hang from yet another door. Shoes, bras, and other accessories are stacked in my bedroom, ready for each wearer to step into. My dining room table is full of the flowers for the wedding. Another table in the dining room is loaded with yet other arrangements that may or may not be used. My freezer is full of the strawberry punch for the reception. My counters are laden with necessities for the rehearsal dinner and reception. Lists are started on several notepads and awaiting further attention. And the refrigerator is bursting with items that will be used during the next two days. So what am I doing posting this morning? Yeah, I'm not sure about that either. Maybe it will cause me to take action and get this whole thing organized a little better so that I don't forget anything. But if I do, I'm sure it will not cause my son to be any less married.

What Did You Say?

My granddaughter spent the night with me last night. Do you know how much a small child can talk in her sleep? Some of the time she mumbled, but most of the time she made complete sense with her statements or questions. Do you know how light of a sleeper grandma is? Let's just say it was a rough and long night. I am expecting her to pop her head up any minute, ready to start the day with a smile and big plans! Hope I am ready for those plans.

Ouch!

Went to have allergy testing done today. Wow, had a reaction, had an asthma attack so couldn't finish it today. Have to return for the last part tomorrow. That will make 3 days in a row that I have had to travel to their office. So much for saving gas this week.

Life Can Be Simple

Life can be so simple. I saw a video on how to close a chip bag without using a bag clip. When I googled it for the address, I got 7,800,000 hits. So I guess it is not a secret to very many of you.

No Fireworks for You

The rain washed out the chances of fireworks on the 4th and along with that the chances of making a lot of good sales on food. (See previous blog.) When people heard that the fireworks were postponed, many did not come to the park for any of the celebration. Sad to say, but true. Oh, well, we put our name out there saying who we are and what we do. That was our number one goal. Now we have unbaked potatoes, sour cream, real bacon bits, etc. to return or sell to someone. I figured that if we sold the items for less, we would be money ahead because we would not be spending money for the gas to return the items. And we can always use the pop for upcoming parties. On my way home from the park last night, late, I saw several home/yard fireworks displays. I was amazed at the professional look of them. They were not as high in the sky, but still very impressive. Wonder how much they cost? As I passed the fireworks store, I noticed that two parking lots were full to overflowing with cars while people shopped for those last minute items. From the looks of what I had seen, they will surely get a lot of bang for their buck.

Happy 4th of July

Well, it is pouring rain, like really pouring for a long time. We don't need to worry about flooding here in our house, but so many others near creeks and rivers must be a little uneasy again today. All those planning to go to Fourth of July celebrations complete with picnics and fireworks are probably wondering just how much fun there will be today. Could be that things will clear up and we will be able to celebrate as usual. Hope your day is filled with all the fun things that you choose.

This and That

Well, I'm trying to catch up on all the things I let go during my 3 hour graduate class. Blogging wasn't one of them. Sorry. Our Bible Bowl teams and families are manning a food booth at our local park. It is a lot of work, but is beneficial in spreading the word about who we are and what we do. We are selling baked potatoes with the works. Hopefully people will enjoy and buy them as a better alternative to eating healthy. But then who goes to the carnival to eat healthy? I have my dress for the wedding and my shoes. Now I need to alter the hem. I only have a few more alterations to do before the wedding. I'm sure I will be able to complete the list. I have blogged before about how Toots, my granddaughter, will appear shy to people, usually by her own choice. Well, she is talking non-stop this week. While at the fish fry, she carried on a conversation with the lady across the table during the whole meal. At the doctor's office she talked to everyone in the waiting room, telling them about her new swing set, her Mimi doesn't have any gum, her new pink flip flops, her boo boo on her knee that she got from sliding at the park, etc. She wears me out just listening to her. I especially loved it when she announced that I did not have any gum, which was an open invitation for one of them to pass her some. None picked up on the hint.