I just received, and am breaking in, a pair of contact lenses that you wear at night and they shape your cornea so that during the day you can go without them and see!!  Cool technology in these!!  They remind me of a fairytale where the princess is locked up in chains at night so that by day she can have the power to fly.   Yeah, going without glasses or contacts during the day and being able to see (after 30+ years of glasses) is a mythical seeming thing....   I am somewhat in a daze from walking in fairyland....

Sparkles and moonbeams on your Christmas season!!

Beauty calms my soul.

This is another fun game from @saintvi:  (I like these music shuffles too, lol)

You don't need to have Christmas music loaded on your iPod to play; in fact the results will probably be funnier if you don't. Here's how it works:

1. Put your iPod on shuffle.
2. Use a song title to answer the following Christmas-themed questions or fill in the blanks.
3. You are allowed to move up to three songs forward and three back to find the best answer.
4. Reshuffle for each question.
   
5. Tag me or leave a comment on this post if you do your own post.

(You can do this using iTunes, as well. Just open your music folder and put your songs on shuffle using the Control menu.)

Ready? GO!

1. It’s beginning to look a lot like _______ everywhere YOU go.
        -Rhapsody (gershwin)

2. City street lights, even stop lights, blink a bright red and green as the shoppers ______ show up?
        -Nobody knows (dillards)

3. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. How much fun is it in a one-horse open sleigh?
        -Somebody touched me (dillards)--Oh no, here come the lawyers!!! lol
       
4. I’m dreaming of a white Christmas. What are you dreaming of?
       -Meditations on God, the Father (sacred music)-- so you asked??

5. Have a holly jolly Christmas and as you walk down the street, say _____.
        -Happy Man (chicago)

6. Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had (a) ______.
        -An Paistin Fionn (niamh parsons)--I think that's a passionate minute, lol

7. I saw Mommy kissing _____.
        -Carol (of the birds)(manheim steamroller)--- what?!!

8. Frosty the snowman was (a) _____.
        -Walking man (james taylor)  -- that's not what I heard!! lol

9. You will get a sentimental feeling when you hear ______.
        -It had better be tonight (michael buble) --- or maybe not...

10. Hang your stocking and say your prayers ‘cause ________.
       -you're Waking up alone (paul williams) -- sigh, I knew it would come to this!!  :/

11. Christmas Eve is coming soon, now you dear old man, tell me ______.
        -I'm your man (michael buble)

12. Santa baby, slip  ________ under the tree for me.
        -Jacobs' well (nicol sponberg) --  it must have something I didn't know about? lol

13. I don’t know if there’ll be snow, but have a cup of _________.
        -who comes this night (james taylor) --- could be messy!!!

14. We’ll be singing the songs we love to sing without a single stop, at the fireplace while _________.
        -Another rainy day in New York (chicago)  --- ny always a troublemaker

15. A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight, walking in ________.
        -If my heart was a house (owl city)  -- w ell ok that one just DOESN'T lol

16. _______ roasting on an open fire…
        -Elgar (hamburg symphony orchestra) -- and who IS Elgar?????? oh my!

17. I’ll be home for Christmas, you can _________.
       -Auld Lang Syne (james taylor) -- or something

18. ‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house ________.
        -Fairest Lord Jesus (glad) --- that would be a good thing, I'm thinking!

19. Frosted window panes, candles gleaming inside, painted ________ on the tree.
        -just as I am (the marksmen)  --  I guess we all are, aren't we?

20. Deck the halls with _________.
        -fire and rain (james taylor) -- this one is really hot!!!


Merry Christmas!

@MyxlDove wants to bring back a few xanga trends (does he really?)  so I borrowed this from @saintvi,
My creative powers seem to be very low lately. How are yours?

Fill in however you like and let me know if you do it too!!

1) I ____ tempguestbrief.
2) Tempguestbrief is ____.
3) If I were alone in a room with tempguestbrief, I would ____.
4) I think tempguestbrief should ____.
5) Tempguestbrief needs ____.
6) Tempguestbrief will never ____.
7) I want to _____tempguestbrief.
8) Someday tempguestbrief will be ____.
9) ____ is how I would describe meeting tempguestbrief.
10) I read tempguestbrief's blog because _____.


Whatever your answer to the above, I love you all.




Happy Thursday...

Taking photos at 6:30 in the morning....yum!!

                                   ...What's yours?

We have dense fog this morning but no one needs to go anywhere! 
These flowers look as happy as I feel...
I hope that you all have a lovely relaxed day of visiting with family and friends.

Thankfulness - 

#Ghostly photos I've taken recently.... (for @saintvi)


Moon set  over the beach....

Ribbons of water at sunrise....

Have a good holiday....

This was the fantastic beach house we stayed at.
Yes, that IS a wrap around porch.  Awesome!!

I spent a lot of time on this porch...

Porch friends:

Sandcastles and their moats!!

What a way to relax and let the stress just waft away..... sigh!

We spent last week on the coast at a beach house.  It was the loveliest week EVER!!!!   I have never had such a great time at the beach before.   The house was beautiful, the weather was totally AWESOME and the sea was different every single day. 

The first day we were there we found tons of these tiny little hermit crabs and took some pictures....

They were all alive and if you put them down on the sand, immediately started
digging and burrowing down.   We kept them wet most of the time...

You can see the body inside the shell here, amazing creatures!

This beach was not heavy on scenic landscaping,
but the ocean view was from vista to vista.
It was so relaxing!

Josh Groban -- Bells Of New York City

There's a pale winter moon in the sky coming through my window
And the park is laid out like a bed below
It's a cold, dark night and my heart melts like the snow
And the bells of New York City tell me not to go

It's always this time of year that my thoughts undo me
With the ghosts of many lifetimes all abound
But from these mad heights I can always hear the sound
Of the bells of New York City singing all around

Stay with me, stay with me
Refuge from these broken dreams
Wait right here awake with me
On silent snow filled streets

Sing to me one song for joy and one for redemption
And whatever's in between that I call mine
With the street lamp light to ILLUMINATE the gray
And the bells of New York City calling me TO stay
The bells of New York City calling me to stay

....***sigh**

Borrowed this from: @LadyofWaters

Where is the person you like right now?
...going to get milk.

Last time you consumed alcohol?
... 25th anniversary cruise, 4 years ago

What were you doing at 8:00 this morning?
...listening to birds and dogs through my window...

What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
.... napping.

What are you doing this weekend?
...shopping today, church tomorrow.

How do you feel about the person who texted you last?
....we have our ups and downs.

Have you ever been around someone who was high?
....actually, no. 

Where are you right now, and how do you feel about where you are?
...home, its warm and making me sleepy (I guess I did that already).

Three words to explain why you last threw up?
....vicious stomach flu.

How’s your heart lately?
... happy mostly.

Where did your last hug take place?
...at home.

Who was the last person to hold your hand?
...I held hands with my 6yo dd in the parking lot yesterday.

Who are all the texts from in your phone?
...hubby, sister, and a friend.

What is the last text in your inbox and from who?
...Dear Rhonda, you were resting so nicely didnt want to wake you. R is taking me to get milk.   from dh

Did you have a good birthday this year?
....it was quiet.

What did you do?
....i don't remember.

Have you ever been called a tease?
...no

Last facebook message from?
...don't remember

Last phone call?
...wrong number

Three days from now will you be in a relationship?
...I can always hope it will last that long.

Do you have curly hair?
...No.

What time did you wake up this morning?
...about 5:30.

Why did you wake up at that time?
...hubby was up.

What color is your hair?
...dark brown and silver.

Is there anyone who doesn’t like you because of something you didn’t do?
...probably, people get their feelings hurt pretty easily. me included.

As of today, do you like anyone?
... I like almost everyone, what do you mean? lol

Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
....with baby twins, probably but the memory has been lost in the sleep deprivation....

Is your sister a slut?
...NO

Last thing you ate?
...bbq beef and bread and butter and milk.

Last person you cried over?
... a friend who is distant.

Do you cry easily?
... it seems so.

What should you be doing right now?
...just what I am doing.

Are you a heavy sleeper?
....yes.

Beer or Liquor?
...for what?  vodka is pretty good for making vanilla....

Do you have any piercings or tattoos?
....I have pierced ears.

What are you listening to?
...AOL radio.

Do you think its bad to have sex at your age?
...no, they tell me it's a pretty good aerobic exercise...

Where is your boyfriend/girlfriend at the moment?
...don't have one.

Were you happy when you woke up today?

...not hugely, I was stiff and sore.

What was the last beverage you spilled on yourself?
...coffee.

Do you like tattoos and piercings?
...in moderation.

Are you in a good mood?
...neither up nor down at the moment.

Do you smoke weed regularly?
...lol, I have never even seen any....

Miss anyone?
...yes, I miss my grandmother.

Have you ever watched a movie drunk?
...I have never seen a movie drink anything.

Has anyone ever told you they were in love with you?
...No

Do you believe in true love?
...No.

Do you miss your past?
...no.

Have you ever walked outside completely naked?
...there are stories of myself as a 2 year old....if you believe them.

Are you proud of the person you’ve become?
...I see too many faults.

Would you ever want to swim with the sharks?
...No.  absolutely not.

Who was the last person to call you baby?

...no one ever has, unless my mother did before I remember it.

What DVD is in your DVD player?
...It's empty. 

Where did you buy the shirt you’re wearing now?
....someone gave it to me.

Are you a partier?
...what's that?

When should people stop wearing Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle, etc?
....is that a travel brochure or some luggage?

Do you bother painting your toenails in the winter?
...actually I keep them painted all the time right now, because it's better for them.

Are you easy to talk to?
...yes, but hard to find.

Do you find destroyed jeans good looking? How about rhinestones on the butt area?
...I think they are both pretty stupid. rhinestones are hard to sit on and holes let bugs and dirt in....????????

Are your legs shaking right now?
...no.

Honestly, if you were a millionaire would you donate to charity?

....of course, why not? the more I have, the more I would give.

Do you like crab legs? If so, which type is your favorite?
...no, I find crab too sweet.

If I were to hand you the keys to a brand new Camaro, would you be excited?
...it's not my favorite car, but who could turn down free?

Tell me about the funniest commercial you’ve seen lately.
...I don't usually watch broadcast television.

One interesting fact about your father?
...alcoholic.

...not the best note to end on is it?  He was also sober for the last ten years of his life.  Died six years ago.

Ok, I'm not used to being sick! Pregnant? yes, nursing? yes, sick for a long spell? no... So this is trying to my soul. I have been told to rest and wait, that things would resolve themselves in 4 weeks to 6 months! wow, all the things I can sit here and think of that I NEED to do, it's mind blowing! My children were already great babysitters, but I teach school, I cook, I clean, I drive... I shop... and here I sit.

I am learning more patience, I am learning great sympathy for those who have even more dire conditions than mine (or even more permanent!)... I am learning to seek Christ for directions on what to do each minute of the day, (is that really one of the prayers I prayed back when?) and I'm learning to ask in prayer for each thing/word to speak, say, or do.... it's great in some ways!

Answered prayer is pretty thorough, isn't it??

Ok, so how can I learn this lesson as quickly as possible, so I can get onto something else??

Now I have to pray for my attitude too! I'm so glad it never ends.

Lord, Your mercies and new every morning and Your longsuffering is from everlasting to everlasting... I'm so grateful! o/

My daughter's horse had his 90day evaluation yesterday....
He is part Arabian and I think he looks like the carousel horses
you see in the park!

He did pretty well, but he really loved it when he was
told to run or turn sharp, 
lol he's VERY good at turning sharply!!

Daughter getting ready to try another saddle!

and just for fun....

This has been a confusing summer...

What's usually cool has been hot,

What's usually warm has been frigid indeed,

Safe havens have been dangerous dens,

My energy levels have been ridiculously low,

My freakishly low levels of fitness came up only to tear something in the process and need to rest...ugh....

degree path which looked so promising last semester suddenly hung up on me...but I'm not quitting.

happy Sunday!!

@Inspectorgrampy5, @Babyboomerjill, @C_L_O_G, @buddy71, @k8tthelate, @My_HAT_is_older_than_you

sail on a  four masted sailing ship...which we found in a sailing ship festival in Bremerhaven, Germany

drive the streets of Paris... with a million other cars..on a trip to Paris, we got this shot of the busy street. Paris we did not drive in, we let the taxicab drivers do that. Still I've never been in a city where they got 5 lanes of cars side by side in a marked 3 lane road, they basically saw a hole and put the car in it!!!!!!  Hair raising!!

take pictures of roses in my garden.. or in a vase on my counter, which is what this one was!

visit the chimpanzees in the zoo....and yes, I did take this picture at the Dallas zoo. I was on a tour they called the Photo Safari. They let us in an hour early and waited to feed the animals until we showed up. Then we got to go behind the bars or in a special side yard on most exhibits so we could photograph without chains in the pic.  The alligators had a special platform for viewers and even that didn't feel entirely safe!

take pictures of my family!!! (If you can believe that?) This is my husband and one of my six daughters at the zoo another time.

went to a wedding...

my 6yo twins were flower girls, here they are practicing...

Went to the desert..on the road to Az and something just exactly like I grew up around.

stayed in a historic motel....

Yes, actually spent one night here and took this picture.
The sign was that colorful in real life!!

went to the mountains..(I tell you they made me do it)
lol, I love the Az mountains!!! But they were very brown this year!

and had a very brown summer!!

...how was yours?

...I never thought of it that way!.... lol

To see "after" pictures and videos of Hurricane Irene go here:  http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/29/irene.aftermath/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

from the Federal Emergency Management Agency:

 Be aware of the latest weather forecast.

Make sure you have plenty of cash on hand in case your area loses power, causing ATM machines and banks to close down as well.

Make a plan for your family, business and property.

Assemble a disaster preparedness kit stocked with critical supplies, including important documents and medications. Click HERE to see a list of the items you should put in your kit.

Purchase flood insurance in advance of the storm.

Visit www.ready.gov for the latest hurricane news and preparedness tips from FEMA.

The National Weather Service suggests you have a plan for your beloved family pets, and determine safe areas inside your home, as well as escape routes if flooding turns dangerous.

More wonderful advice... including great weather apps here:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricane-preparedness-tips-resources-family-safe/story?id=14376306

Leave me a one word comment 
that best describes me using the THIRD letter of your LAST name. 
It can only be ONE word. 
Then, post this to your blog 
so I can leave a word about you.

Don't just post a word and not

Copy the post.  Do it!  It is fun!!

copied from @buddy71

... and I do love you too....


still

This was part of my own study, but you're welcome to enjoy it too.

This is the same passage as yesterday but in the Amplified version,
with the key words expanded [in the brackets] for your further study.

[Let your] love be sincere (a real thing);

but hold fast to that which is good.

Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family],

giving precedence and showing honor to one another.

Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor;

be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.

Rejoice and exult in hope;

be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation;

be constant in prayer.

Contribute to the needs of God's people [sharing in the necessities of the saints];

pursue the practice of hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you];

bless and do not curse them.

Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others' joy],

and weep with those who weep [sharing others' grief].

Live in harmony with one another;

do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive),

but readily adjust yourself to [people, things]

and give yourselves to humble tasks.

Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits.

Repay no one evil for evil,

but take thought for what is honest and proper and noble

[aiming to be above reproach] in the sight of everyone.

If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Blessings!!

"I'd like to make myself believe...."

"Fireflies" ...by Owl City (link to video?)

My son got a new cd and I had to check it out for myself....  


....the universe is never as it seems...       :}

This article was very encouraging to me. I hope you may find something in it too.

Motherhood is a Calling (and Where Your Children Rank)(LINK)

"The Bible is clear about the value of children. Jesus loved them, and we are commanded to love them, to bring them up in the nurture of the Lord. We are to imitate God and take pleasure in our children. ... excerpt from article  "

"Stop clinging to yourself and cling to the cross. There is more joy and more life and more laughter on the other side of death than you can possibly carry alone."

Blessings!

@seedsower, @K8tthelate, and @WildWomanoftheWest,
@C_L_O_G and @saintvi,  did these first,


What's Your #Favorite....

fast food:
Jack In the Box- fish and chips

cuss word:
Shoot

greeting:
Hi!

soup:
Homemade Beef Barley soup

Idiom:
"...on the road again"

place to be( besides home):
in a hotel

color:
green

tv show:
Lie to Me

ice cream flavor:
Baskin Robins' Daquiri Ice
or Ben and Jerrys' Tirmisu

ride at a park:
The Train or Elevated...

smell:
desert at night, AC air in my face

thing to listen to:
bubbling creek water, baby laughing

song to hear on the radio:
"crocodile rock" by Elton John or  "dive" by Steven Curtis Chapman

movie you can see over and over
Around the world in 80 days (old version)
Robin Hood (Disney's animated version)
Cars by Pixar
Kate and Leopold (I've always been a sucker for time travel)

sweet:
French silk pie (homemade version with real whipped cream)

This is guestbrief

I am staying away from xanga for a while for health reasons.

I tried to send everyone a note about what I was doing but xanga didn't send out the mass

message before I deleted it. This caused me to lose my list of friends/subs. If I

missed you when I was doing it from memory, I'm sorry.

Keep well.  Blessings!

"Hi!"