One Part Inspiration...

  I was moving some things around in my walk-in closet the other day, and to my chagrin, I saw some fairly major scratches on my hardwood floor. Did I mention that I say hello to my beautiful hardwood floor every morning?  This is because because for two years, I woke up to this flooring: and then it got even better and I looked at this for another year.   Needless to say, I try to treat the hardwood with the deference it deserves.   Scratches are NOT cool on hardwood.  Fortunately, I like to look at random webistes and peruse their 'life hacks'.  On one such website, I read that walnut meat can take away the scratches. I went to the pantry and grabbed some.  Then I rubbed the meat into the scratches.  Look at that!  They receded!  I will give it one more go and they should disappear all together!  I have to say, I almost felt like I had magical powers seeing that awful scratch disappear into the w...

Remember this?  This was the floor that we took up to replace with new hardwood flooring.  It had some potential, and we kept it in storage.  In fact, my Dad removed it piece by piece in the dining room and kitchen when he knew we had to do some remedial work below the floor.   Well, my husband has been in the process of renovating his new office.  He did the same thing in the office that we did in the house - ripped out walls, removed flooring, redid the ceiling, added walls and so on.  The flooring was industrial strength carpeting.  Although he wanted an industrial look in the office, he didn't want that                                                                   carpet, so out it came. Eventually, he decided to use our old flooring to create the look he wanted in the off...

I like good news stories. They light up the world in the midst of dark news.  This week, I ran across two - both of which brought a tear to my eye.  I am posting the links here so you can enjoy them too.  One is a story of the Calgary girl who won 60 000$ for Habitat for Humanity by writing an essay on "Home".  She was born in Ethiopia ( a place close to my heart) and was adopted by a Canadian family.  She expresses herself so well, and I love at the end when she says her thank yous.   http://www.cbc.ca/video/news/audioplayer.html?clipid=2189828430 The other is a love story - a man who wanted to propose to his girlfriend in a very romantic way. He got WestJet involved and 50 of the passengers on the flight. I have never met this man, but I was so impressed with the thought he put into how to express his love for this lady. http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/story.html?id=6092026

If you look in my freezer in any given week you will see bananas.  I put them in there because they tend not to get eaten in time for them to still look like bananas.  Once they are in the freezer, they are a testament to the minimal baking that I do.  I move them around to make room for other things.  I look at them when the door is open and make (another) mental note to use them up.  But sometimes it is months before I do.  This week, however, when I was snow-bound, I needed an excuse to use the oven.  So out came the bananas.  I decided on banana bread.  It was a calculated decision.  The recipe required the oven to be on for a full hour, whereas muffins only call for 25 minutes. Did I mention that our pipes had frozen in the wash-up area during the deep freeze? I didn't want to use any more dishes than I had to, and it's a lot more work to clean up muffin tins in a little tiny sink, than one loaf pan...

A little while ago, a friend of mine, who lives far far away, shared that her husband was going in for surgery. I always wish I could make the miles shorter, when I hear news like that. If they lived closer, I would be able to do something useful, but I know it doesn't work that way. To express support, I told her I was dropping by with a virtual casserole. To my surprise, her husband loved the casserole and asked for the recipe. So I made one up and am sharing it with you :) Virtual Casserole : Ingredients: 2 Pounds Friendly Concern 1/2 Cup Internet Connection (may substitute Phone Connection, if easier to access) 1 Teaspoon Salt (may use tears to collect) 2 Tablespoons Advice (minced) 1/2 Teaspoon Reponse (fast-acting) 1 Cup Cream Of "Praying for you" 1 Pinch Shared Experience Take the friendly concern and fast acting response and add it to the internet connection. Mix thoroughly. In another small bowl, mix salt, and advice. Use these sparingly. Too much of either and t...

In choosing the program for Easter at my #1 job, I did some sleuthing on various songs I could use. I ran across this song which is a version of "Londonderry Aire" and was struck by the message in it. I decided to share it with you cyber readers as a way to celebrate the message of Resurrection Sunday. I also found a beautiful version of it played by a brass ensemble, so if you would like to read and hum along, you can. I tried to embed it into this post, but it won't let me, so you can copy and paste the address into another tab if you would like to listen and follow the lyrics. http://www.cimarronmusic.com/audio/CM211.mp3 I Cannot Tell (William Fullerton) I cannot tell how silently He suffered, As with His peace He graced this place of tears, Or how His heart upon the Cross was broken, The crown of pain to three and thirty years. But this I know, He heals the brokenhearted, And stays our sin, and calms our lurking fear, And lifts the burden from the heavy lad...

I listen to an afternoon show on CBC (National Radio) and the host invites people to send in their pictures. They are then posted on the website. When he described this one, I laughed out loud. Check it out. http://www.cbc.ca/bcalmanac/photogallery/

I heard an inspiring story tonight on CBC's "As It Happens". An eighty year old woman is wheeled to the wrong area to catch a connecting flight after a visit with her daughter in Texas. She is told she has to take a flight to Chicago in order to get to Winnepeg. On that flight, a man across from her, takes up a conversation with her, and ends up taking her under his wing, and what happens next is worth some sort of movie. If you have time to listen to it, here's the link http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/ Make sure you find the program for Monday January 4. It is Part Two - scroll through to about half way through. Trust me, it will make your heart sing, and your eyes swim.

Today, studio audience, I am going to show you how to save time, save face, and stretch your dollars on dinner. I like this product. It fits my criteria for a meal I can serve in a hurry. It is delicious and quick and easy to prepare. The ingredients are good - it has protein, carbs and veggies, - and the sauce is really yummy. I found it earlier in the year, when my family was away more than they were at home. Served for two, it goes a long way. Served to voracious consumers of food (kids ), it doesn't go very far at all. And to buy two or more packages to serve the family is cost-prohibitive. So I haven't served it since the summer. Still, last night, as I was coming home - knowing I was the last to arrive there - and knowing I only had only half an hour from the time I arrived until I had to be out the door again, the ease of preparation appealed to me.... I knew two things: Time was of the essence and every one was hungry. I rose to the challenge. I took out two ...

Ever played the game "Gossip"?. It's a party game with the intent to prove how inaccurate our listening skills are when receiving information. When the game starts, the first person in the circle whispers something into the second person's ear like "The sky is falling". The second person whispers it into the next person's ear and so on, until the last person gets the message and says it out loud. "This guy's bawling". Sometimes mothers feel like they are playing that game with their own children. Only the game is is called "Life Lesson Gossip". It is entirely possible that the interpretation of the original message may be skewed by the following generation. One example would be the young wife who was cutting the pot roast in half before putting it in the roaster. Her husband asked her why she did that. She said her mom had always cut the pot roast in half. Sometime later, she asked her mom why she did that. Her mom said HER mom h...

Storms By Margie DeMerell There will be storms, child There will be storms And with each tempest You will seem to stand alone Against cruel winds But with time, the rage and fury Shall subside And when the sky clears You will find yourself Clinging to someone You would have never known But for storms.

I found this poem this week in my search for the other poem which ended up to be a fruitless endeavour. I thought this was quite cute so I am passing it on. If You Give A Mom A Muffin If you give a mom a muffin, She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it. She'll pour herself some. Her three-year-old will spill the coffee. She'll wipe it up. Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks. She'll remember she has to do laundry. When she puts the laundry in the washer, She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer. Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan for supper. She will get out a pound of hamburger. She'll look for her cookbook ("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger"). The cookbook is setting under a pile of mail. She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow. She will look for her checkbook. The check book is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old. She'll smell something funny. She'll change th...

if you wander over to http://random-ponderings.blogspot.com/ there's an amazing video about underwater creatures ...unbelievable how God's creative streak runs through even to the deep

I am a person who likes visual reminders about life lessons. For instance, I have a small cottage ornament that has a light inside. I keep it on all the time to remind myself about hope. It came to me at a time when hope was scarce for us as a family. Ever since then, I just like to see it on. I don't know what's up in your life cyber-reader. Perhaps you are going through a smooth path at the moment, but perhaps you are facing some very difficult times. I ran across it again while preparing for Thanksgiving services. It was a reminder to me that God knows our path. http://mrmom.amaonline.com/stories/thankfulforthethorns.htm