God's Coffee

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:

"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.

What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."

God brews the coffee, not the cups.......... Enjoy your coffee!

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything."

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

-Author unknown-


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~Tidbit~

Honey is good for sore throat; also good for bee stings.

Family!

(Boy, do I need a tri pod)

The food was good.

The weather, perfect.

Conversations were rewarding

But,

Having family around was the

BEST!

Off to help our Daughter move back into their home.

Have a great weekend. I know I will!

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~Tidbit~

To clean the bottom of an iron, use a 4 ought steel wool, rub the bottom of the cold iron until you've gotten it clean. Heat the iron to the warm setting and run it across waxed paper. Then run the iron over an old white cloth to remove any excess wax.

#6 - What I am truly Thankful for...

I can't think of anything more important to me then,

MY FAMILY.

I thank God (everyday), that He has given me a loving husband and beautiful children. Our children have grown up as happy adults and are successful at what they do and are.

Our son,Todd, lives about an hour away from door to door (ours to theirs). We don't see them as much as I would like. Both Todd and Stephanie (his wife of two years), have busy lives with work and going back to school for their Masters degrees in Biology.

Our daughter, Kimmy, has been married to Mark for almost five years. I feel very fortunate to have a son-in-law who loves our daughter so much and works hard to provide for his family. Kimmy has the enormous job of nurturing and teaching their two children on a daily bases. They have blessed us with Lulu and Levi, are our two grandchildren. I love being a Grandma or "Gammie", as Lulu calls me.

I've been married to Tom for almost 31 years. It doesn't seem like that long ago, we walked down the isle. God has given us so many blessing through the years. Our lives has been good. Thank you Tom for loving me and being there when ever I needed you.

Our Family is growing and I am so happy for each and everyone of them!

Over the past few weeks, I have shared just a few of the things that I'm thankful for. Today, I saved best for last!

So this Thanksgiving, I pray that you spend sometime with the ones you love. Just like we will be doing.

Happy Thanksgiving !!

Just When IS Thanksgiving?

OK, so you must know by now that I'm not one who goes by ALL the rules. So with that said, Thanksgiving for us is on Friday not Thursday. This started about three years ago. With married children and working the day before, I found it very hard to enjoy cooking a big dinner. So we came up with the idea of having our Thanksgiving on Friday. We invite who ever wants to come, family, friends, neighbors and even people we work with.



So when everyone else is shopping . . . . . . .





We are having a delicious turkey dinner . . . . . . .

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~Tidbit~

Last year, I tired a time-saving idea. After Thanksgiving dinner, all those dirty dishes were put in a warm, soapy ice chest to soak, until I was ready to wash them. This gave me time to visit with my family and a somewhat clean kitchen!

Traditions = Excitment

This is the time of year when the traditions come out and the excitement starts. Today was the start of many family traditions. I changed around the living room and dining rooms. For most of the year the dining room is the dining room and the living room is the living room (have I lost you?). Today, we change the dining room into the living room and the living room into the dining room (now I know I have lost you!).

This tradition started a few years ago when we were hosting Thanksgiving for a huge crowd. I couldn't figure out how to get everyone around our table. So, we came up with this idea of changing the two rooms. Our children loved the idea and so every year now, we make the change. The excitement and traditions start building from there.

Here are the before pictures:

Couch in front of the fireplace

Dining room with table and chairs

View of both living and dining rooms

(Boy, do I need a tri-pod!)

Theses are the after pictures:

View from the entry

The dining room now as the living room.

Living room now as the dining room.

I love having the dining table in front of the fireplace.

Our living room and dining room are one big, long room. For Thanksgiving we set up another table right on the other side of the dining table. This makes one long table and everyone eats all together, kids and all. This arrangement will stay set up this way until after the first of the year. This makes it exciting and now has become a tradition.

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~Tidbit~

If clothing smells smokey, put it out in the fresh air.

Most Important Question

An Inspirational Story

(I found this story and wanted to share it with you, just as a reminder for all of us)

....................

During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop

quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the

questions, until I read the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely, this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times.

She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.

Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely", said the professor.

"In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello".

I've never forgotten that lesson.

I also learned her name was Dorothy.

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~Tidbit~

To Soften Corks: When corks are too large to go into a bottle, throw them into hot water a few moments, and they will soften

#5 - Things That I'm Thankful For...

Arthur sunbathing or sleeping on the chair

"A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, big or small, young or old, He doesn't care if you're not smart, not popular, not a good joke-teller, not the best athlete, nor the best looking person. To your dog, you are the greatest, the smartest, the nicest human being who was ever born. You are his friend and protector."

-Louis Sabin-

Lucy being very shy

Arthur and Lucy have been such a big part of our lives. I am thankful that they are part of the family.

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~Tidbits~

To stop a puppy from chewing on wooden furniture, dab oil of cloves on the wood.

Count Your Blessing...

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;

Count your gains instead of your losses;

Count your joys instead of your woes;

Count your friends instead of your foes.

Count your smiles instead of your tears;

Count your courage instead of your fears.

Count your full years instead of your lean;

Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.

Count your health instead of your wealth;

Count on God instead of yourself.

~~Author Unknown.~~

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~Tidbit~

Freshen up you dog by lightly dampening a microfiber cloth with water and wiping over its fur. If you cat or dog needs to get the gunk out of it's eyes, a microfiber cloth will do the job nicely, And if your pet gets dirty beard after eating, the cloth will remover that food curd.

Sunday Thanks

"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;I will recount all of your wonderful deeds."

Psalms 9:1

More Turkey Talk....

Just had to share!

Ok, this is it for the funny pictures!

Turkey Talk....

I found this picture and I can't remember where. Betsy over at My Five Men, showed us her funny turkey picture. So, I had to join in with this picture that I found.

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~Tidbit~
If you store clothes and other items in boxes on high shelves, put a finger hole in the front of the box near the bottom. It's great for sliding the box off the shelf.

Quick - Grab a broom!

This is weird but true!

When I first heard about this from Betsy over at My Five Men, I thought it was a trick.

I was at work and remember the broom idea. It didn't work there. When I came home and showed my husband & daughter, I couldn't believe it. So I took a picture!

Sure enough it stands on it's own!

If you want to try it, hurry. The gravitational pull won't last long.

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~Tidbit~

To keep was paper form curling up or slipping around when rolling a pie crust, wipe the counter top with a damp cloth or sponge before placing the was paper on it. The moisture will keep the paper flat and prevent it from sliding.

#4 - Little Things That I'm Thankful For

My husband and I have lived in our home for 26 years. It's the only home our children have ever known. They were pretty young when we move in. Our home defiantly isn't huge but it isn't tiny. It's not fancy but it isn't plain, either.

When our daughter and son-in-law got married, they bought their first home five blocks from our home! Oh the fun we had riding our bikes back and forth. I would often stop by on my way home from work, to hold our grand daughter, after she was born.

Then last year our son-in-law lost his job. They quickly rented their home and moved in with us for a few months. That's when we learned that they were expecting their second child.

Our home got smaller and smaller, with all of us living in it. That's when we all decided that they could rent the "little cottage" we owned, which is in another town!
This "little cottage" is miles away from our home.

"The cottage"

Next month our daughter, son-in-law, grand daughter and grandson are moving back into their "old" home!!!!

I am so thankful that they are returning back home!!!

You can read this story from my daughter's point of view. Kimmy has her own blog. Please go over and meet her and her little but growing family.
(Let her know that you are one of my blogging friends.)

Looking forward to being neighbors again!

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~Tidbit~

If you use a liquid eyeliner, try dotting it on along the lash line, It will look less harsh the a solid line.

#3 - Little Things That I'm Thankful For

I work in a High School of about 2,000 students, as the Attendance Secretary.

It is a busy job and I love it. Over the years, I have used volunteers to help me with the filing and phone calling. I won't go into to much detail but I use these volunteers everyday! Our PTA has been good to me and have recruited ten moms, who come up on their assigned days,

(two a day).

I am so thankful for these moms who take time from their day to come up and file notes and make phone calls home. I have enjoyed getting to know them and look forward to each new day.

So twice a year, Thanksgiving and Mother's Day, I give out Starbucks cards with a thank you card. I write a personal note to each of them. This is my way of giving a little something back to these special moms. Plus, they have to put up with my dumb jokes and stories, when they come to "work". I have gotten to know some really wonderful women.

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~Tidbit~

A simple but effective way to relieve dry skin and winter itch is to completely dissolve one cup of salt in a tub of water and bath as usual. For a more luxurious bath, try sea salt. Bathing in salt often works better than using expensive bath oils, but if you really want to use oil, a plain mineral will generally fulfill your needs.

#2 - Little Things That I'm Thankful For...

I'm Norwegian and I really like my coffee - black.

I only drink one cup a day and as you can see, it's a big cup.

I am thankful for that first steaming cup of coffee in the morning. Tom usually prepares the pot and sets the timer in the evening, so when I get up, it's already for me. I savor that cup all morning long.

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~Tidbit~

Don't sleep under more than three layers. A third blanket adds virtually no insulation because it squeezes out the air layers. A down or fiberfill comforter over a wool blanket and flannel sheets is good combination.

Little Things That I'm Thankful For...

I have so much to be thankful for. My family and health are two of the real biggies.

But I thought, this month, I'd share with you some of the small and simple things that make me happy and thankful.

Every morning at 5:30, my husband and I watch Joyce Meyer on T.V.

Afterwards we read from her book, New Day New You.
We end our time in a prayer.

Then I race out the door, to start my day, knowing that God will be with me and I will be serving Jesus.

I am so thankful for this special time of learning, growing, understanding, and sharing with Tom.

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~Tidbit~

A bar of soap makes an ideal place to stick needles and pins. It lubricates them so they will go through stiff fabrics with ease.