Sunday, November 30, 2008

Angels Too Soon - A Remembrance

December 1, 1958 - Our Lady of The Angels fire where 92 children and 3 nuns perished.

My sister was in 3rd grade and escaped with her class unscathed. We are attending the 50th anniversary mass today in remembrance.

Tomorrow at 2:20 pm (time the fire broke out) there will be a moment of silence observed at all Chicago schools.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Pieces or Peace?

A dear Internet friend of mine was recently hurt by the words of a loved one. Her situation brought to mind the following story that is a favorite of mine and reminds us all to, not only choose our words carefully, but to use them to 'build up' and not to 'tear apart'. Our mouth can be a lethal weapon if used recklessly. Let us be mindful this holiday season to slow down and simply be kind to one another. And if we've hurt someone with our mouth, to mend our 'hurt' fences.

**************

Did you hear the story of the little boy with a bad temper? Handing his son a bag of nails, the boy's father explains each time his son loses his temper and shouts angry hurtful words he must hammer a nail into the back of the wooden fence in their yard. On that first day 37 nails went into the fence. Over the next few weeks the boy began discovering it was easier to hold his temper and his tongue than trek all the way out to the back fence and pound those nails into the fence.

After some time the boy proudly approached his father and announced he had not lost temper at all for several days. His wise father suggested his son pull out one nail for each temper-free day. Finally, boasting that all the nails were gone, the boy takes his dad's hand and leads him to the fence without nails. "You have done well, my son. Now look at the holes in the fence. It will never be the same. When you say things in anger your words leave scars, just like these holes."
I've heard some people try to justify, rationalize or excuse their harsh words and disrespectful attitudes by proclaiming "You're just too sensitive, don't take it so seriously!" or "This is me...so get over it." "What's the big deal anyway?"

Anger itself is not evil, but unchecked angry and aggressive words can cause paralyzing fear, painful hurt, distancing and loss of intimacy. The truth is, harsh, harmful and hateful words can be just as deadly to our spirit as weapons of mass destruction are to our lives.
In Eph. 4:19 Paul reminds us it is okay to be angry, but don't sin--don't use damaging words, condemn or tear down someone's self-esteem. The sin doesn't lie in the expression of anger, but in the way we use it. We can choose to express anger in healthy or unhealthy ways--in ways that heal or hurt. There is a difference between getting angry and being an angry person. When the expression of anger dominates our life and personality we are no longer a person with anger, but an angry person.

A study, by Mary K. Biaggious, discovered students who were quick to express anger had less self-control, less tolerance and less flexibility than those who were able to keep their anger in check. Students who were slow to anger demonstrated more dependability and social maturity. Maybe that is why James 1:19 tells us to "be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger."
As a child I remember my mother telling me, "If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all." This is not about stuffing or repressing anger, it is simply about respect and self-control. A word search in my Bible software found 2,315 references to "respect." One reference--the golden rule--to treat others as we want to be treated (Matt. 7:12), is truly about respecting others as well as loving them with honor and respect.
Galatians 5:14-15 states "...Love your neighbor as yourself. If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other." Paul is clear, "biting and devouring" is not how we are to treat others, not in the church, not in the home, not anywhere. Some verses later Paul provides us with a list of guideline for our actions. He calls them "fruits of the spirit." His list includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindess, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Words are powerful. They can tear down or build up those closest to us. In the story above, the boy's wise father gently, but effectively pointed out the destruction angry words produce, and the permanency of their scars. Maybe now is a good time to look at your own words and actions. Is your talk and walk matching? Have you left holes in someone's fence? Are you still leaving holes? Is it time for a change? Choosing words to build up and not tear down requires a conscious choice and a commitment to change. Change may require asking for forgiveness and the willingness to give up power, control and intimidation that accompanies harmful, hurtful words. Change can be an incredible act of vulnerability as well as love. Do people refer to you as an "out of control angry person" or as one who is "respectful and respected"? There is incredible strength in "self-control"-- not weakness. Be careful. Don't fall into the trap of "biting and devouring" one another. Proverbs 12:18 says, "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Reckless words can rip the ones we love into pieces. Words that build up and are patient, kind, good, gentle and loving create peace. Which is it? Pieces or peace?

Monday, November 17, 2008

Be Quiet!!!

I keep telling myself to stop coughing but I'm not listening.
THIS stuff however, will do the trick.
If you've ever had a cough that just won't quiet and you think none of the OTC syrups work?
You've NEVER tried Buckley's


Note their slogan?
'It Tastes Awful. And It Works.'
Here is truth in advertising at it's very best.
Do not, I repeat DO NOT try to coax anyone into taking this by reading them this blurb.
You may also want to leave out my own personal opinion of the taste...
...think Vick's Vaporub (yes the stuff you are NOT supposed to ingest)...
okay, have that smell in your memory bank?
now imagine it melted down into a syrup, poured into an entire teaspoon
Now DRINK it!
What? It tastes Awful?
Didn't I warn you?
But you were able to say 'It tastes Awful' without coughing, right?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Giveaway-A-Day!

Found a new blog and wanted to share! Come take a look and see how you can win her giveaways right here!

You can also check out her site by clicking on the 'Mom-Preneur Shop-a-Thon' button on your right (sponsored by Tip Junkie).

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

New Quilt Giveaway

Click on the quilt giveaway on the right and see how you can win one of THREE great quilts!

Friday, November 07, 2008

CONFUUZED MUCH??

I had this odd phone conversation yesterday with an older and obviously confused woman who thought she was calling 'Home Depot' (figured out later she meant Office Depot but the fact that she used the wrong store name only strengthens my argument). This is the nice thing about blogging. When odd things happen, I now have a forum to vent about them. Okay, so the phone call went something like this:

ME: Hello?

HER: Is this Home Depot?

ME: No, you must have dialed the wrong number.

HER: She repeats my phone number and asks again if this is the HOME DEPOT? Then goes on about whether or not I carry printer ink.

ME: Maam, you've dialed the wrong number, you're reaching a home residence. As soon as the word 'Home' left my lips I realized she stopped listening after that and assumed she had, in fact, reached the 'HOME DEPOT' (aka known as OFFICE DEPOT) who ironically are located right next to each other on the same street in our town so when she insisted on repeating the address and town location my explanation to her fell on deaf ears...............literally perhaps.

HER: I'm looking at the yellow pages and it says the number is (she repeats my number again). By now, I'm online looking up the number for Home Depot for her but it's no where close to my number so I'm thinking maybe she's got an ancient book of yellow pages that really DOES have my number listed in it so I don't offer her Robin's Directory Assistance.

ME: Maam I would re-check that number again because you are calling a HOME residence.

HER: What did you say to me? (seriously, in a tone that would have implied I had said something very rude and inappropriate). I repeated it again and this time hung up on her to fend for her (bewildered) self.

......................about 2 minutes later my phone rings again and my caller ID reveals that Emily is calling back. I feel like I know her well enough by now to be on a first name basis. Besides, I forgot to mention before that she introduced herself by name (first and last) along with her request for printer ink. As though that would somehow miraculously transform my kitchen into a brick and mortar mecca for office supplies and put her frantic search to an end. It didn't....

The beginning of this conversation was almost verbatim to the one above so I won't bother retyping it here. Just think Shampoo, condition, rinse and repeat...

...and finally

ME: Ma'am you are reaching a house -- a HOME RESIDENCE, not a store.

HER: (Rambling) A house? What? A house? You're NOT Home Depot? Oh dear...... maybe I'd better look at those yellow pages again. I'm sure I wrote it down right. Hold on for a minute while I look again {me thinking: oh sure because THAT will change the fact that you HAVE THE WRONG NUMBER} ...........rifling through pages and then I hear - Oh, never mind, click -

Only after this exchange did I think of the Office Depot confusion and looked them up this morning to discover that their phone number is only one digit off of ours. Surprised this hasn't happened before. I'm almost tempted to call her back today and see if she found what she was looking for. I hope she has a daughter to help her out with this stuff - this SO could have been my own confused mom making the call.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Motivate Me List

I'm feeling a little un-motivated lately so this is my TO DO list for the day. Don't expect anything exciting here - this makes ME feel good to cross things off of my list and I need this today.

  • FOLD CLEAN LAUNDRY DONE
  • RUN TWO LOADS OF LAUNDRY DONE
  • PUT AWAY GROCERIES DRY GOODS DONE
  • PICK 10 ITEMS FOR EBAY AND BEGIN AUCTIONS
  • CLEAN OFF DINING ROOM TABLE (CATCH ALL) DONE

Extended list to do throughout the end of week and into the weekend:

  • CLEAN OUT AND ORGANIZE PANTRY
  • FIND A PLACE FOR THE BAGS OF HALLOWEEN CANDY (SIGH)
  • BUY INGREDIENTS AND PREP FOR TACO SALAD FOR PARTY
  • BUY GIFT FOR PARTY
  • PLAN MENU FOR COMPANY LATER THIS MONTH (I'M THINKING CHILI?)

Sunday, November 02, 2008

HALLOWEEN 2008


HANNAH MONTANA




PUNK ROCK GHOULIE



MAD HATTER GHOULIE




THE JOKER




MY GRUESOME FOURSOME


Who am I?

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I'm a SAHM of 4 kids living in the Chicago burbs and enjoying life!

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