The Origin of Snow

With thanks to Cathy K. on the House Mouse group :)

The Origin Of Snow

 When the angels sweep out heaven,

 Bits of dust drop down below;

 And as they fall upon us,

They become little flakes of snow.

 So, if the snowfall's very light, 

Though we know it comes from God,

 The angels must be doing then, 

A spit and polish job.

 

 But if the snowfall's fast and furious, 

And seems to be unending,

 Then major cleaning's taking place,

And a blizzard is descending.

   Thus, the kind of cleaning angels do,

 Determines winter weather, 

And softly floating snowflakes,

 Means they're dusting with a feather.

 

 But if the snow is thick and heavy, 

And cold winds blow across the sound,

 That spells heavy duty cleaning, 

And they are moving clouds around.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Ever wonder about the meaning behind this carol? Well wonder no more.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were

not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone

during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning

plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each

element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality

which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness,  Faithfulness,  Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

My Mother Taught Me

**I Owe My Mother**

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

 1. **_My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE _**. "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

 

2. **_My mother taught me RELIGION_**. "You better pray that will come out of the carpet.."

 

3. **_My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL_**. "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

 

4. **_My mother taught me LOGIC_**. " Because I said so, that's why."

 

5. **_My mother taught me MORE LOGIC_** . "If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

 

6. **_My mother taught me FORESIGHT_**. "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

 

7. **_My mother taught me IRONY_**. "Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

 

8. **_My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS _**. "Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

 

9. **_My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM_**. "Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

 

10. **_My mother taught me about STAMINA_** . "You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

 

11. **_My mother taught me about WEATHER_**. "This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

 

12. **_My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY_**. "If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

 

13. **_My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE_**.. "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

 

14. **_My mother taught me about BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION _**. "Stop acting like your father!"

 

15. **_My mother taught me about ENVY_**. "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

 

16. **_My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION_**. "Just wait until we get home."

 

17. **_My mother taught me about RECEIVING _**. "You are going to get it when you get home!"

 

18. **_My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE_**. "If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

 

19. **_My mother taught me ESP_**. "Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

 

20. **_My mother taught me _HUMOUR.** "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

 

21. **_My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT _**. "If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

 

22. **_My mother taught me GENETICS_**. "You're just like your father."

 

*23. **_My mother taught me about my ROOTS_**. "Shut that door behind you... Do you think you were born in a barn?"

 

24. **_My mother taught me WISDOM_**. "When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

 

25. **_My mother taught me about JUSTICE _**. "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

Someone Has Way Too Much Free Time

The Middle Wife

I have to wonder if the child's mother knew 1) she took the pillow to school and 2) was going to perform:

 

 

The middle Wife' by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher :

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best "birth" story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students.. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.

She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday.'

'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.'

She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are
watching her in amazement.

'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)

'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.' (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall)

'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)

'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe. They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother.. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, (placenta) so there must be a lot of toys inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for crawling up in there.'

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another 'Middle Wife' comes along.

Snowman's Last Request

Snowman Body Building

Another Snowman Funny

Surprised Kitty

This is so cute. Love this kitten :)

Surprised Kitty video.

Get the Beat

Nose Picker

Snowman Humor

Pink Glove Dance

I love this!!! What an amazing staff and a fun way to raise awareness of breast cancer.

Check it out:

Pink Glove Dance

Bohemian Rhapsody

I love the Muppets and have for as long as I can remember. I have been a fan of the genius of Jim Henson my whole life. My favourite Muppet is Animal, but I truly love them all (well, Miss Piggy isn't exactly at the top of the list). 

Here's a fun video of the Muppets doing Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody (love it!!!!!). You can view it on YouTube here.

Man I love these guys!!!!

(Thanks to Shelley for sharing this)

Thanksgiving Wishes!!!

I'm wishing all of my American friends and family a very happy Thanksgiving day!!!! May you all enjoy your time with family and friends, and cherish the many blessings that you have in your lives.

To all -- have a wonderful day filled with many blessings!!!

Holiday Tips

A friend of mine shared a list of holiday tips on one of the forums I am on. It is a list created by her friend and posted on her blog here. I think it is wonderful advice as we enter the holiday season. Check out her blog for the tips and take a look around while you are there.

 http://theboldlife.com/ 

A Pittance of Time

Lest we forget.

Take a moment and watch this video. It is very moving. Pittance of Time

God bless all of our veterans and our soldiers who have served and are serving. Thank you for the sacrifices you have made for our freedom.

Open Happiness

Check out this new Coca Cola song. It's time to Open Happiness :)

I Gotta Feeling

I love this!!!!

The Black Eyed Peas on Oprah. Check it out here.

Wishing Everyone a Safe and Happy Halloween

Mad World

For some reason this song has been stuck in my head for the last few days. I love the tune and I love this version. I barely remember the original Tears For Fears version, but listened to it on You Tube last night and didn't like it as much as this one. Now I'm on the hunt for the Gary Jules CD that has Mad World on it. That piano has me hooked :)  

I love how they did the video. Check it out here.

The Fun Theory

Check this out:

The Fun Theory

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

This weekend we are celebrating Thanksgiving here in Canada. Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian family and friends!!! I hope you all have a happy and blessed year.

I feel so lucky and blessed. Despite my current health issues I have so much to be thankful for. I have a fabulous husband who is my soulmate, two beautiful and healthy children, a wonderful loving family (Mom, siblings, cousins, etcetera), a lovely home, dear and treasured friends, a good paying job (when my health allows me to return), the love of my heavenly Father, free health care, a diagnosis that isn't fatal and will only make me stronger, food and clothing, craft supplies, and so many more blessing both big and small. I am truly grateful for everything my Lord and Father have blessed me with.

Blessings to all, whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving today or not. May your life be blessed in more ways than you could ever imagine.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!

Rules from God for 2009

1. Wake Up !! Decide to have a good day. 

"Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" Psalms 118:24

2. Dress Up !! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. 

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart." 

I Samuel 16:7 

3. Shut Up!! Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. 

"He who guards his lips guards his soul."Proverbs 13:3 

4. Stand Up!!... For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything.

"Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as w e have opportunity, let us do good..."Galatians 6:9-10 

5. Look Up !!... To the Lord. 

"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me." 

Philippians 4:13 

6. Reach Up !!... For something higher. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, And He will direct your path." 

Proverbs 3:5-6 

7. Lift Up !!... Your Prayers. 

"Do not worry about anything; 

Instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING." 

Philippians 4:6 

I thought this was mighty special, just like you. 

Pass this on and brighten someone's day, and remember: 

God answers prayer. 

Imperfections

This is very touching. You will need a tissue.

I know it is a commercial, but it serves to remind us how endearing the somewhat more annoying qualities of people can be. And how much we will miss them when they are no longer there.

I am blessed to have a life partner whose imperfections are a constant reminder of how blessed I am to have someone to love.

Imperfections.

Need a Shower?

Go here. What a cat!!!!!

Tranquility For My Friend

"Why did you do all this for me?" he asked.  "I don't deserve it."

"You have been my friend," replied Charlotte.  "That in itself is a tremendous thing."

-- from "Charlotte's Web" by E. B. White

Hershey

Our first full day in Pennsylvania was spent enjoying Hershey's Chocolate World. Wow! Wow! Wow!!!!! It's like being in chocolate heaven :)

Just driving up to the attraction is amazing. You can see Hershey Park in the background and the Hershey characters are displayed in all their glory on the sign as a big welcome. The trolley cars out front are a great touch.

Our first act once we were there was to take the Chocolate Tour Ride. We really enjoyed that -- with the singing cows and the visual journey through how the chocolate is made. It even smelled of chocolate in there. We didn't want the ride to end. They take a photo of you just before the ride ends, which you can purchase if you wish at the end.

Then we decided to do the new Chocolate Tasting Experience. It's like a big classroom. The professor led us through the tasting adventure, which included a chocolate drink and five sample chocolates. There was a regular Hershey bar, a Special Dark bar, a Bliss bar, a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, and a Hershey's Kiss. My favourite? The peanut butter cup of course :) Yum!!!! (Don't click on the image below, the link doesn't work).

We had some time to fill, so we went on the Chocolate Tour ride again. It was just as good the second time around, although we didn't buy the photo this time. Then we went to see the Really Big 3D Show. I cannot stress this enough --- go see the show!!! It was incredible!!!!! Not only were there 3D characters, but we actually experienced the confetti falling from the ceiling, drops of water hitting us, the sweet aroma of delicious chocolate. It was an experience to remember forever!!!!! 

Sara really wanted to experience the Factory Works Experience, so that is where we went next. She had her photo taken for her ID badge, wore an official factory worker hat, operated the machine to fill her gear with Kisses and put it on the conveyor belt to be sealed for purchase. She was even able to punch out at the end. Of course we had to purchase the whole package, so Sara came home with her ID badge, the hat and her Kiss filled gear. She was thrilled. Then we explored the store area that is part of that section. There are opportunities for a more personalized chocolate purchase --- like actually filling your own tin of chocolates. Gary and the children all had their photos taken with a five pound chocolate bar.

No experience at Chocolate World would be complete without some chocolate shopping. There were chocolate bars that we'd never heard of and formulations of our favourites that were brand new to us. Gary bought me a T-shirt --- Reese's of course :) We'll certainly be enjoying our chocolate purchases for a long time. Yummy!!!!!!!

Then we headed over to the Hershey Outlet Mall. I think we were all a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of stores for us to explore. We didn't visit them all - there just wasn't time. We found some fabulous bargains at Gymboree, Children's Place, Disney, Carters, and Bath and Body Works. I even found a really nice scrapbook store called Time To Remember with lots of Hershey related papers.

The children fell asleep almost the moment we got back into the van. So we didn't end up trying any exciting restaurants that night. We just returned to the hotel room and ordered a pizza, but it was a delicious one.

Hotels and Sundaes

We took a fabulous vacation last week and began our journey by heading to Pennsylvania. We saw some amazingly beautiful scenery during our long drive. We ended up staying in a beautiful hotel in Harrisburg called the Crowne Plaza. We had a fantastic room with plenty of space for the four of us. Gary loved the valet parking. Here are some images of the hotel from their website

The front desk and lobby as you enter the hotel:

The lobby:

Close up of the elegant staircase to the second floor:

Sitting area under the stairs:

The king size bed in our room:

The swimming pool (the first time we went in it was freezing, but the second time is was much warmer):

After driving all day to get there we weren't up to doing much, but we were starving. We headed across the river and found a Friendly's. This was a new experience for us and we highly recommend it. The service was wonderful, the food was fabulous and the price was right. They currently have a great deal on that we took advantage of. I had the most delicious chicken sandwich and the waffle fries were yummy!!!!!

But the absolute best part of the whole meal? Dessert of course!!!!!! I had the absolutely decadent and fabulously delicious Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae!!!!!!!! Heavenly!!!!!

So if you are in the Harrisburg area looking for a place to stay I'd definitely recommend the Crowne Plaza hotel. And don't forget to grab a meal at Friendly's (try the sundae, you won't regret it :)

Can We Say Yummy Fun?

Get the picture?

Are you a Twilight fan?

If so then you should check out Stephenie Meyer's official website. There's all sorts of interesting information and updates. You will also find, if you go to the "Twilight Series" heading a link to "Midnight Sun". This is a partial draft to a novel that is Twilight from Edward's perspective. If it had been a hardcover novel I wouldn't have been able to put it down. I've been glued to my computer reading it the last couple days. Two words: Love it!!!!!! If you love Edward (and I do), then you'll want to read this.

I Believe That Life Is A Miracle

How do you live your life?

“There are two ways to live: 

you can live as if nothing is a miracle; 

you can live as if everything is a miracle.”

~Albert Einstein~

I hope you will join me in living life as if everything is a miracle. It's a fabulous way to live :)

Where To Go From Here

'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?'

'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.

'I don't much care where --' said Alice.

'Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.

'--so long as I get somewhere,' Alice added as an explanation.

Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

My Favourite Doctor Who

As a cartoon ....

Which Doctor Who Is Most Like You?

I happen to be a Doctor Who fan. Not of the older black and white episodes, but some of the later stuff and definitely the 

new series.

If you are a fan, there's a quick little quiz that tells you which Doctor is most like you. You can take it here.

My result was exactly what I expected it to be :)

Tenth Doctor (David Tennant)

The Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the fictional character known as the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. The Tenth Doctor generally displays a light-hearted, talkative, easy-going, witty and cheeky manner, but combines this with a somewhat egocentric sense of unstoppability when facing his enemies. He is perhaps as ruthless and dangerous as his seventh incarnation ever was, although much less inclined to complex schemes and set goals.

Cute, Cute, Cute

Do it!

Do the one thing you think you cannot do. 

Fail at it. 

Try again. 

Do better the second time. 

The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. 

Own it.

Oprah Winfrey

Random Thoughts From The Internet

These were shared by one of the ladies on the Cricutlovers group that I moderate. I got a chuckle out of them and hope that you will too.

·         I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

·         More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.

·         Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

·         I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

·         Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

·         I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

·         The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

·         Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

·         There is a great need for sarcasm font.

·         Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what on earth was going on when I first saw it.

·         I think everyone has a movie that they love so much; it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

·         How are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

·         I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

·         I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

·         The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

·         Was learning cursive really necessary?

·         Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

·         I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

·         Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

·         How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

·         I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

·         While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

·         MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

·         Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

·         I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

·         Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

·         I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

·         Bad decisions make good stories

·         If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

·         Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem....

·         You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

·         Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

·         There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

·         I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

·         "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

·         I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

·         I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

·         I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

·         I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

·         As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

·         Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

·         It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

·         I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

·         Even if I knew your social insurance number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

·         Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

·         It really ticks me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

·         I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

·         I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

·         I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.