A woman was asked by a coworker, “What is it like to be a Christian?”

The coworker replied, “It is like being a pumpkin.” God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff.

He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.”

It’s Halloween night. Erica, Alisha, Kristin and James are going around to a few select houses to collect candy. The girls are dressed in formal prom dresses … it’s raining, too, so that should be interesting. I told them to take an umbrella … or two or three. So far we’ve had 4 kids come to the house trick or treating. I’m sure the rain is keeping most of them away even though it’s just a drizzle. I’m gonna have a lot of candy left over.

Today is Saturday. Erica is at a Military Skills meet and will be home around 3 or 4 o’clock, I’m guessing. Mike and I worked in the yard this morning and then went shopping for Chase’s birthday. I’m not going to tell you what we got him because he’s the administrator of this blog so that means he can read everything. But his package should arrive by UPS on Tuesday, which is his actual birthday. I can’t believe he’ll be 23 years old!

Erica’s friend Alisha is due in from Dallas about the time Erica should get home. She’ll stay the week with us and then go to the Bastrop orienteering meet next weekend. I enjoy having her visit us. She graduated last year.

Well, so far the day has gone well. I might post more later. Until then ….

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you’ve had a baby . . somebody doesn’t know that once you’re a mother, normal is history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct . . . somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring . . . somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver’s permit.

Somebody said if you’re a “good” mother, your child will “turn out good”… somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.

Somebody said “good” mothers never raise their voices . . . somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor’s kitchen window.

Somebody said you don’t need an education to be a mother . . . somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.

Somebody said you can’t love the fifth child as much as you love the first. . . somebody doesn’t have five children.

Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books . . . somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery. . . somebody never watched her “baby” get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten . . . or on a plane headed for military “boot camp”

Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back . . somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies to sell cookies.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married… somebody doesn’t know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother’s heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother’s job is done when her last child leaves home… somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don’t need to tell her . . . somebody isn’t a mother.

(Thanks, Kathy!)

1. People who point at their wrist while asking for the time…. I don’t point to my crotch when I ask where the toilet is.

2. People who are willing to get off their rear ends and search the entire room for the TV remote because they refuse to walk to the TV and change the channel manually.

3. When people say “Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too. Darn right! What good is a cake if you can’t eat it?

4. When people say “it’s always the last place you look”. Of course it is. Why the heck would you keep looking after you’ve found it?

5. When people say while watching a film “did you see that?”. No stupid, I paid $12 to come to the Cinema and stare at the darn floor.

6. People who ask “Can I ask you a question?”…. Didn’t really give me a choice, did ya sunshine?

7. When something is ‘new and improved!’. Which is it? If it’s new, then there has never been anything before it. If it’s an improvement, then there must have been something before it.

8. When people say “life is short”. What the hey?? Life is the longest darn thing anyone ever does!! What can you do that’s longer?

9. When you’re waiting for the bus and someone asks, “Has the bus come yet?”. Hello! If the bus came, would I be standing here?

In the hospital the relatives gathered in the waiting room, where their family member lay gravely ill. Finally, the doctor came in looking tired and somber.

“I’m afraid I’m the bearer of bad news,” he said as he surveyed the worried faces. “The only hope left for your loved one at this time is a brain transplant. It’s an experimental procedure, very risky but it is the only hope. Insurance will cover the procedure, but you will have to pay for the brain yourselves..”

The family members sat silent as they absorbed the news. After a great length of time, someone asked, “Well, how much does a brain cost?”

The doctor quickly responded, “$5,000 for a male brain, and $200 for a female brain.”

The moment turned awkward. Men in the room tried not to smile, avoiding eye contact with the women, but some actually smirked. A man unable to control his curiosity, blurted out the question everyone wanted to ask,

“Why is the male brain so much more?”

The doctor smiled at the childish innocence and explained to the entire group, “It’s just standard pricing procedure. We have to mark down the price of the female brains, because they’ve actually been used.”

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Thank you, Birgit!! Woo hoo!!

Another thing … if you want to read the various things I’ve posted since I started this blog (way back in July), look at the right hand side of this page. Near the top you’ll see the individual months listed under “Archives.” The current month is the only one that displays when you open the website. But you can click on July or August or September and read those posts also.

I just thought I’d take a minute to clear up something. Ya’ll do know that you can also post a comment, don’t you? I mean, you can reply (comment) to any of my posts, but you can also post your own original one if you want to. Just click on “Login” and then click on “Write.” That gives you the template and you can write to your heart’s content. I’m hoping ya’ll will post things when you feel like you have something to say or share, not just leave a comment for me. But remember that if you post something, everyone who has access to this website can read what you say. So don’t be naughty! Heh heh heh heh …

I was looking through old photos today and found these:

THEN . . .

NOW . . .

Times flies, doesn’t it?

This is something my sister sent me. I thought it was worth sharing with the rest of you ladies, especially those who hate doing housework:

1. Open a new file in your PC.

2. Name it “Housework.”

3. Send it to the RECYCLE BIN

4. Empty the RECYCLE BIN

5. Your PC will ask you, “Are you sure you want to delete Housework permanently?”

6. Answer calmly, “Yes,” and press the mouse button firmly….

7. Feel better?

Erica just completed her second dinner for her Home Economics project. She made dinner last week (Mexican lasagna and other side dishes) and she made hamburgers tonight. But she also made sugar cookies (from scratch, I might add) and German Pancakes (from scratch also). The meals were really good. She had a bit of a problem figuring out how to make the french fries, though. She knew she had to peel and slice potatoes but she wasn’t sure how to “fry” them. She decided to spray the skillet with PAM but that didn’t work. When Mike and I got home from our Bible study class, I showed her how to really fry them. Overall she did a tremendous job.

Change of subject here … I heard on the news that the Bill Mraz Ballroom burned down. Most of you probably aren’t familiar with the place but it’s in the part of town I grew up in. My sister and brother in law (Pete) used to go there on weekends to dance. I don’t think I ever went there with them but I remember hearing them speak of it. Mostly it was country music but it was a really popular place back in the 60’s and 70’s. As a matter of fact, it had been recently designated as a Texas Historical Building. Anyway, the authorities said they thought the fire started because of an electrical problem. I couldn’t believe it actually made the news!

Well I’m going to call the office manager at Classic Personnel tomorrow and see if she’s come up with any temp jobs for me. I really need to bring in some money.

“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ~ WOO HOO what a ride!”

It’s Sunday afternoon and that means only one thing in this house … football. Kansas City beat Indianapolis and now Green Bay is beating the Cowboys. I came home from church after singing in 2 services and I was extremely tired. So having football on TV is conducive to helping me nap.

Yesterday we went to a wedding. Andrea Darling, who we knew from ROTC when Chase was in high school, and David Pavlik, got married. The wedding was very nice but I’ve not been to many Catholic weddings so most of the time I was wondering what to do next. The attendance was somewhat on the small side … maybe 200 people. The reception was held at the Marriott at Intercontinental Airport. It was a sit down dinner. The food was wonderful. We had filet mignon AND some type of grilled chicken breast with a wondeful sauce on it. We also had mashed potatoes, green beans and broccoli.

Joe and Birgit sat at the table with us as did Colleen Mace and her mother Doris. Colleen was in ROTC with Andrea also. We also met two new people … Gina and Amanda. Both of them have fiances in Iraq. So since Joe and Birgit were a military family for a long time, they were giving Gina and Amanda encouragement.

All in all it was a nice evening. Gina is a hoot …. more on her later!

I was just sitting here thinking about how much I love Mike.

I mentioned some posts ago that we had argued and that I was feeling really down. The depression I battle was overwhelming me. But after Mike and I talked, I think he realized how close I was to doing myself in. (You see? I can’t even bring myself to call it what it is … the “s” word …) I admitted to him that I was having those feelings and even asked him if he thought I ought to check myself into a hospital. But he was there for me and that made all the difference. Having support and understanding from the family is so important to a depressed person.

Ladies, I’m glad you’re here. Now you’ll know ALL about me because I get pretty honest in some of my entries. No more secrets! Ha! I better be careful now ….heh heh heh

Chase is the one who set this up for me. I wanted a way to write down my feelings and thoughts and keeping a diary just wasn’t working. I also have the means of writing private stuff in this blog but it doesn’t get posted for all to see. So don’t worry that you’ll be intruding into personal stuff. If it’s here, it’s available for you to read. And sometimes I need to hear back from you all with encouragement and/or suggestions. Chase is the administrator and he’s the only one who can read EVERYTHING that’s put in the blog … even private stuff.

By the way, Chase sent me an American Express gift card for my birthday. Wasn’t that sweet of him? I already used part of it to buy a new pair of shoes and a purse. If I’m going to be working temporary, I need to have proper clothes. I have several dresses but I was really hurting in the shoe department. I mean, I have a lot of cute sandals but those won’t do with a dress and especially since one of these days soon we’re going to have cooler weather … at least I hope we do. I still have about $20 left on it. I’ll save it for when I’m feeling really depressed and need to perk myself up.

Gotta go for now. Terri … Susan … I’m glad you’re here now.

What do you get when you goose a ghost?
A handful of sheet!

Why shouldn’t witches lose their tempers?
Because they will fly off the handle!

What subject do witches like best?
Spelling!

What do you call it when a ghost makes a mistake?
A boo-boo!

What do you get when you cross a Snowman with a Vampire?
Frostbite!

How do you fix a broken Jack-O-Lantern?
With a Pumpkin Patch!

Why did Dracula take cold medicine?
Because he was coffin!

Why can’t skeletons go trick or treating?
They have no body to go with!

What do naughty ghosts use in school?
Cheat sheets!

What did the monster do when he lost his hand?
He went to a second hand store!

What do skeletons order at a restaurant?
Spare ribs!

What kind of candy will a ghost never eat?
Life Savers!

Why did Frankenstein?s monster go to the psychiatrist?
He thought one of his screws were loose!

Where do vampires put their money?
Blood banks!

Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road?
He didn’t have the guts!

Why did the vampire go to the orthodontist?
To improve his bite!

Why do mummies have trouble keeping friends?
They’re too wrapped up in themselves!

What type of dog do vampire’s like the best?
Bloodhounds!

What do you call a skeleton who won’t do anything?
Lazy Bones!

What does a vampire never order at a restaurant?
A stake sandwich!

How do you know if a ghost is lying?
You can see right through him!

What city do witches always pick for their annual convention?
Wichita, Kansas!

What kind of street does a ghost like?
A dead end!

I’m hoping my friend, Terri Norris, will register and visit this site. I saw her this afternoon when I went to pick up Erica at ROTC. Her son is also in ROTC with Erica. Anyway, Terri and I share a common passion … our love of Harley motorcycles. We made a trip to Mancuso’s Harley shop on Highway 290 some months ago. Now I discovered there’s one in The Woodlands so we’ll have to make a trip there, too, of course. We missed the Texas Rally in Galveston a few weeks ago. If I ever tell you that she and I are going somewhere, better be praying that we stay out of trouble! Ha! Ha!

Oh well … change of subject here … I signed up with a temporary agency today. They’re in Deer Park and the office manager said it was very likely she’d call me Monday with a temporary assignment. I told her I’m not looking for a permanent job since we hope to move when Erica graduates. But I told her I didn’t mind taking long-term temporary assignments. So we’ll see. I’ve got to do something. Unemployment ran out.

Gotta get going for now. The FINAL GAME is on in about 20 minutes. Go Astros!!!!!! (I am SOOOOOO glad New York lost!)

Well, tomorrow night will be the game that determines whether or not the Astros are in the World Series. It was a close game tonight. It took 12 innings to break the tie … St. Louis won. So now we play the 7th and final game.

We had Praise Team rehearsal tonight like we always do on Wednesdays. But we listened to the game on the radio and didn’t do much singing. Ha! But the songs we’re doing Sunday morning are songs we already know so there really wasn’t any use in us staying until 9 o’clock tonight.

I taped one of my favorite shows … “Lost” … because it comes on while I’m at practice. So now I’m going to go watch it.

I just finished sending an email to my Hong Kong “daughter,” Jenny Chan. I think I mentioned Jenny and her sister Leona in a posting on this website a month or so ago. Anyway, Jenny’s new American name is EMMA. Isn’t that a beautiful name? We met Emma and Leona a couple of years ago when the Hong Kong Orienteering Club paid for them to come to America and attend the orienteering camp Erica goes to each summer. Then after camp, they spent a week or so with us. I would love to be able to see them again. Maybe one day I can.