More Micah photos

Micah was born on 6/11/09 at 9:36 AM. These photos were taken at about 1:20 PM.

Look at his sweet little face!!

And yes, that's the big sister, chomping on a cracker...not too sure yet what to make of the whole matter ;)

A little holy humor :)

A father was approached by his small son who told him proudly, "I know what the Bible means!"His father smiled and replied, "What do you mean, you 'know' what the Bible means?The son replied, "I do know!""Okay," said his father. "What does the Bible mean?""That's easy, Daddy..." the young boy replied excitedly," It stands for 'Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.'

There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family Bible to her brother in another part of the country."Is there anything breakable in here?" asked the postal clerk."Only the Ten Commandments. " answered the lady.

"Somebody has said there are only two kinds of people in the world. There are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it's morning."

A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter.Then he put a note under the windshield wiper that read:
"I have circled the block 10 times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses."When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note "I've circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give you a ticket I'll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation."

There is the story of a pastor who got up one Sunday and announced to his congregation: "I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new building program. The bad news is, it's still out there in your pockets."


A Sunday School teacher began her lesson with a question, "Boys and girls, what do we know about God?"A hand shot up in the air. "He is an artist!" said the kindergarten boy."Really? How do you know?" the teacher asked."You know - Our Father, who does art in Heaven... "

A minister waited in line to have his car filled with gas just before a long holiday weekend. The attendant worked quickly, but there were many cars ahead of him. Finally, the attendant motioned him toward a vacant pump."Reverend," said the young man, "I'm so sorry about the delay. It seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip."The minister chuckled, "I know what you mean. It's the same in my business."

People want the front of the bus, the back of the church, and the center of attention.

Sunday after church, a Mom asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about.The daughter answered, "Don't be scared, you'll get your quilt"Needless to say, the Mom was perplexed. Later in the day, the pastor stopped by for tea and the Mom asked him what that morning's Sunday school lesson was about.He said "Be not afraid, thy comforter is coming."

The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building. Therefore, he was annoyed to find that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been brought in at the last minute. The substitute wanted to know what to play."Here's a copy of the service," he said impatiently. "But, you'll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances."During the service, the minister paused and said, "Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected and we need $4,000 more Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up."At that moment, the substitute organist played "The Star Spangled Banner."And that is how the substitute became the regular organist!

While driving in Pennsylvania , a family caught up to an Amish carriage. The owner of the carriage obviously had a sense of humor, because attached to the back of the carriage was a hand printed sign... "Energy efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and grass. Caution: Do not step in exhaust."

Give me a sense of humor, Lord,
Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some humor out of life,
And pass it on to other folk!

Say Howdy to God's Rules

while researching the latest speech, I came across a couple articles on Cowboy Churches...

Anyway, one of the articles included this:

The Ten Commandments are posted in a little sign on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Fairlie, Texas. But all the "shalt" and "shalt not" biblical dictates are delivered with a cowboy twang:
• Just one God.
• Honor yer Ma & Pa.
• No telling tales or gossipin'.
• Git yourself to Sunday meeting.
• Put nothin' before God.
• No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
• No killin'.
• Watch yer mouth.
• Don't take what ain't yers.
• Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.

He's Here! He's Here! He's Here!

Do you remember this post, nearly 20 months ago??

Well, guess who's here now? :)

Announcing

M

6/11/09, 9:36 AM

7 lbs, 2 oz

18 1/2 inches

Is he precious or what??!!

The happy family, D, M, A, and M

Auntie B loves you, little M! And Auntie B loves you too, sweet A! :)

Creative, Unusual Foods

Not to bore you, but I thought y'all might enjoy reading the rough draft of the speech I will be giving this evening. Please remember that I wrote it exactly as I will be saying it, so punctuation is not always exactly correct. Enjoy! :)



Think back with me for a moment. What was the last thing you ate for a meal or snack?

Now that you’ve got that in your mind, think again…what was the last time before that, that you ate that exact same thing? And the last time before that? And the last time before that?

If you’re like me, it’s very easy to get into a rut of eating the exact same thing over and over and over again. There are certain things that just taste good to you, or they fit in your budget, or maybe they’re quick and convenient to make, and nutritious at the same time. In my family, it’s quesadillas. We all like to eat them, they’re inexpensive, easy to make, and have the protein and carbohydrates to satisfy hunger. Whatever it is in your diet, chances are you probably eat quite a bit of it. And so I’ve noted down a few creative, unusual foods that still fit the four requirements, taste, budget, convenience, and nutrition, but will help break you out of your eating rut.

The first of these foods is the Bologna Burrito. Now don’t say ‘ewwww’…it’s actually very tasty. Very quick and easy to make for eating on the go, they’re also very inexpensive: all you need is a large flour tortilla, and two slices of bologna. You can also add cheddar cheese or other extras if you like. And believe it or not, they really are nutritious. The bologna, which is processed meat, has plenty of the protein that your body needs – even better if you add cheese. The tortilla contains carbohydrates to keep you feeling full and satisfied.

A note, however, on eating processed foods: a study done by professors and researchers at the Research Center of Hawaii at the University of Hawaii found that processed foods, including processed, prepackaged meats, may be linked to a risk of lung cancer. So try to keep highly processed foods in moderation as a part of your diet.

The next food I want to tell you about has a story behind it. One day when I was about six or seven years of age, I was spending the night at my grandparents’ house, and feeling rather creative. I wanted to try eating something unusual that I had never eaten before. On a wild hair, I combined what might seem to be two of the most unlikely foods to go together – Cheese Nips and honey. The surprising thing – they taste good together. I dubbed my mystery food No One Knows, but now I want you to know about it.

It’s really very simple, and the kids will love helping you make it. Cheese crackers of any kind will work, so choose low-fat and low-sodium crackers if possible. Simply break the crackers into small pieces so that they can easily be eaten with a fork when mixed into a sloppy mess with the honey. And guess what: honey is very, very good for you. In an article written by Janet Raloff and published in the Science News in 1998, May R. Berenbaum, professor of entomology and department head at Cornell University, told the results of the chemical analysis tests her team ran when studying various types of honey. They were surprised to find extremely large quantities of antioxidants in honey. And as you might know, antioxidants are, quote, “non-nutritive agents that can retard biologically destructive chemical reactions that…have been linked to many chronic diseases”, endquote. So any way that you can get honey into your diet is a good thing!

Another creative food is an unusual type of sandwich. We all know about the proverbial peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, but what about a peanut-butter-and-onion sandwich? It’s definitely original, a little out of the ordinary. Quick and easy to make, of course, and inexpensive. But taste? I’ll leave that up to you to decide whether or not the flavor is to your liking. It is nutritious, though – the bread gives you carbohydrates, and even protein if you have a good, whole-wheat bread. A good quality peanut butter has a good amount of protein, but it can also have a good deal of fat, so watch what kind you buy. Trader Joes sells an excellent, ground-peanut peanut butter, much better nutritionally than something like Jif or Skippy, which are almost pure lard. And onions? Oh, let me tell you about onions. Sure, they might make you cry, but the same chemical in onions that give them flavor and potency can actually help fight cancer! No really! Maura C. Flannery, a professor of Biology and director of the Center for Teaching and Learning in New York, wrote an article for The American Biology Teacher in 1991 entitled ‘Hearts and Onions: A Second Look at the Commonplace,” in which she stated, I quote, “the onion’s lacrimatory (or tear-causing) factor is an antibacterial and antifungal agent,” endquote. She also mentions allicin, the chemical found in garlic, and its anti-clotting effect. These vegetables sometimes looked down upon in Western culture actually have impressive nutritional benefits for our bodies.

The last type of unusual, creative food I want to tell you about is called Soup de Leftovers. This is easy and convenient, and it is unique every time you make it. So how do you make it? Very simple. Start with a can or two of soup – any kind of soup – and empty them into a saucepan on your stove. Next, rummage through your refrigerator, and any leftovers you find – or just about anything you find – toss it into the pot too! When you have finished adding leftovers and other ingredients to the pot, you may want to add another can of soup or some water to help thin it down some. Good leftovers to add are pasta, vegetables, and meat, but you can add really anything you find in the fridge, as long as it doesn’t have mold! Just remember that you are planning on eating the soup, so watch what you add – some things don’t go together very well! Also, be careful of what soup you are using, as a study done by the Department of Epidemiology at Maastrict University, in the Netherlands, found that salt added to foods, and the high sodium levels usually found in prepackaged soup, actually increase your risk of cancer. Always choose low-sodium soups – you might live longer that way.

In conclusion, there are several creative, unusual foods that you can eat to help break you out of the rut of eating the same thing over and over. I have mentioned four foods for you today, the Bologna Burrito, No One Knows, Peanut-Butter-and-Onion Sandwiches, and Soup de Leftovers. All of these fit into our four general food requirements, as they are tasty, nutritious, convenient, and inexpensive. But these four foods are not the only dishes that you can use to keep out of an eating rut. Next time you go to eat the same old thing, one more time, instead look in your cupboards and cabinets, and in your refrigerator, to see what creative, unique, unusual foods you can find, combine, and eat. And who knows? Maybe next time you’ll come up here and tell us about your favorite crazy combinations! :)

Photos and a Joke

Hello again! How are y'all doing?

Let me warn you, like most of my posts lately, this is a very random post, it goes in several totally different directions!! :)

One of my cousins graduated this year, so I made her a pearl and gold necklace (plus earrings)...and of course I had to photograph it and put it on my blog! :)

I made the earrings on post backs because my aunt told me that my cousin does not really care much for very dangly earrings... My mom, who is there with my family right now, says that my cuz really liked the set!

As long as I'm posting jewelry photos, here's a pic of the red/orange/white set I made myself. I LOVE this set!! I did not include the earrings in this photo, they're simply the orange seed beads with the white and red cubes.

So last Sunday my mom and I decided to wear matching clothes, which we love to do...here's the result:

I think the photo turned out pretty well, don't you? Here's a zoomed-in version of our faces:

And so because I don't have any more photos to share with you at the moment, I will leave you with my favorite Christian joke:

There was a Christian man in Florida once who died of a massive heart attack while in his jacuzzi. He was not found for a couple of days, so when he was found, needless to say he was slightly, um, cooked. Well, we figure that when he got to heaven, the Lord probably took one look at him and proclaimed, "Well done good and faithful servant!"