Happy Father's Day

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1,000 WORD THURSDAY

Tuesday's Quotes

“If you ever start feeling like you have the goofiest, craziest, most dysfunctional family in the world, all you have to do is go to a state fair. Because five minutes at the fair, you'll be going, 'you know, we're alright. We are dang near royalty.”
Jeff Foxworthy

Laughing with

Funny Friday

~ Love to Laugh

Read this story sometime back. It continues to circulate....and contues to make me give a hearty laugh. This one is called

"CHAPSTICK"

We had this great 10-year-old cat named Jack who justrecently died.
Jack was a great cat, and the kids would carry him aroundand sit on him and nothing ever bothered him.

He used to hang out and nap all day long on the mat in our bathroom.

We have three kids, and at the time of this story, they were 4 years old, 3 years old, and 1 year old. The middle one is Eli. Eli really loved Chapstick. LOVED it.


He kept asking to use my Chapstick and then would lose it. Finally one day I showed him where in the bathroom I keep my Chapstick and explained he could use it whenever he wanted to, but he needed to put it right back in the drawer after he finished.

That year on Mother's Day, we were having the typical rusharound and try to get ready for church with everyone crying and carrying on. My two boys were fighting over the toy in the cereal box. I was trying to nurse my little one at the same time I was putting on my make-up.

Everything was amess, and everyone had long forgotten that this was awonderful day to honor me and the amazing job that is motherhood. We finally had the older one and the baby loaded in the car and I was looking for Eli. I searched everywhere and I finally went into the bathroom. There was Eli.

He was applying my Chapstick very carefully to Jack's ... rear end. Eli looked right into my eyes and said, 'Chapped.'

Now if you have a cat, you know that he is right -- their littlebottoms do look pretty chapped. And, frankly, Jack didn'tseem to mind. The only question to ask at that point waswhether it Was the FIRST time Eli had done that to the cat'sbehind or the hundredth!?!

And THAT is my favorite Mother's Day moment ever because it reminds us that no matter how hard we try to civilize these glorious little creatures, there will always be that day when you realize they've been using your Chapstick on the cat's butt.

Keep dancing

Yesterday my friend Tracy sent me an email “7 keys to starting a movement” http://www.ragamuffinsoul.com/


I love Carlos Whittaker’s passion and writings. Tracy turned me on to his blog sometime ago.
When I opened her email, clicked on the link, read the 7 keys and then watched the video… well as I told her, “the Holy Spirit jumped inside of me”. I watched that man dancing and all that came to mind was

THIS IS HOW LIFE SHOULD BE ALL THE TIME. Dude!!!

I love what Tracy said on her blog…”watching people be unleashed.”
Oh to embrace the power and miraculous works of the Holy Spirit. If we could discover who we are in Christ, be ourselves, use our God given gifts to set in motion the full potential available through God's Holy Spirit. ... "Unleash our Purpose”…Oh my we could set the world ablaze for Jesus! Amen


We decided to blog together on this one. I don’t mind “dancing” alone, but prefer to grab my Bff’s by the wrist and drag their behinds out with me. I am honored to be one of your “first dancers” Tracita.

Some of my words that came to my mind in relation to “MOVEMENT” were
· Alteration
· Stirring
· Shift
· Momentum
· Adventure!



Straight from Carlos' blog!

A few things I think we can learn from this video.
1. One man can start a movement.
2. A movement need not be started by the most skilled member of the movement.
3. When beginning your movement and you look around and no one else is joining the dance, just keep dancing.
4. When the one guy who joins your movement slowly fades away, keep going.
5. Before you know it, the people joining your movement won’t even know you started it.
6. When your movement takes a life of its own, just let go. There will be no stopping it.
7. The very people who are staring at you like your nuts as you movement alone, will be the very same people dancing the hardest in the end.

1,000 WORD THURSDAY

Guest Blog day

I have had this idea since my friend TRACY got me a blogging.
To have guests join in from time to time with their ideas, musings, inspirations or just plum funny stories.
My friend Laurie is an amazing writer and I am thrilled to share "THOUGHTS FROM LAURIE" and to "lock keyboards" in this blogosphere.

“I Am Ma’am, Hear Me Moan!”

Ok, so when did I pass over from ‘Miss’ to ‘Ma’am’?

I know it’s been going on for a while, but maybe I’m just feeling older today and more sensitive to the title! Maybe it happened the same day I looked down at my hand and was sure it was my mother’s hand! Or the day those funny little brown spots appeared on my arms. Oh sure, I tried to pass them off as ‘freckles’, but I’m pretty sure freckles don’t come in that size! Was it when those random, long black hairs started popping out in strange places – like the middle of the back of my thigh? Was it when I smiled and all the ‘smile wrinkles’ stayed long after the smile had dissipated? Or was it when I complained to my younger, beautiful female doctor about some of the ‘strange’ things that are happening to my body and she just patted me on the shoulder and prescribed antidepressants? (You just wait honey! Your day will come!

I really don’t know, but it has happened. And why, may I ask, does it always have to be some cute young thing that says it? “Are you finding everything alright, ma’am?” “Can I help you with your groceries, ma’am?” “May I push your wheelchair for you, ma’am?”

Ok, so maybe I’m exaggerating just a bit, but when I hear ‘Ma’am’ I feel like I’ve gone from 45 to 105 in less than two seconds flat! I guess I should just enjoy the fact that someone is showing respect?

…naaaa! It just sounds old!

The problem is I DON’T FEEL OLD! I feel young and sexy and the same, if not better, than at other times in my life and for that I’m grateful.

When I hang out with my daughters I feel more like a sister than a mom! That is until I’ve picked out an item of clothing I think they would look cute in and they politely inform me “that would look good on you, mom”. That’s the universal phrase for “that’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen!!!”

Or my youngest daughter tells me she loves that flabby section of my upper arm – you know the section I’m talking about ladies – she loves the way it jiggles back and forth – it reminds her of grandma! Ahhh!!!

I guess there certainly could be worse things in life than this dilemma (though none are coming to mind at the moment.) Don’t get me wrong…I love being a mom and a wife, and having just a tiny bit more wisdom than I did 20 years ago. I love that my kids are more and more independent and I’m not lugging around diaper bags and car seats.

I love being married to a man who is my best friend and who I can just jump in the car with and go on a ‘date’! I love that I can impart advice to a younger wife & mom because I’ve been there and done that – not always well, but I have done it and maybe they can learn from some of my successes as well as my mistakes? No, I wouldn’t trade any of this for the world!

I guess it is just all part of the circle of life (Lion King music playing softly in the background ), but I don’t have to go quietly, right? Maybe this ma’am thing isn’t so bad. Maybe I will wear it like a badge and take what I have learned and encourage other women who will someday cross over into the world of ‘ma’am’hood.

I am Ma’am hear me roar!

LAURIE

Tuesday's Quotes

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether this happens at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps on learning not only remains young, but becomes constantly more valuable regardless of physical capacity.

~Harvey Ullman~