I wanted to say “Eat, Pray, Love” but Julia Roberts already took that one. No fair!
Well, I can still tell you that I could be eating more, as I just got off the phone with my nutritionist, and she’s concerned that I’m not eating enough calories.
And, I can attest that we all should be doing more praying, of late.
Also, there is never enough love to go around, these days.
Now do you see why I wanted to use that title so badly? It was just perfect, but I’m not one to steal from another, so Julia wins this time.
Hmmmmm… I could have used Shake, Rattle, and Roll, possibly. Then there’s Live, Love, and Laugh, or maybe even Take a Walk on the Wild Side, but they just don’t sound the same, you know?
I awoke this morning, to questions that don’t seem to have satisfactory answers, as far as deciding on what to write for my normal Friday post. I’m going to be fully honest when I say that Barnyard Business episodes may not be the right fit for WordPress.
While my heart wants to continue with the stories, the response on WP has not been what I’d anticipated. Now, don’t go getting your feelings hurt or anything, because I’m certainly not blaming any of you.
The imaginative stories I come up with are really meant for children, and let’s face it, there aren’t any little ones knocking on my WP door. If folks are reading any of them to their children, I’ve never had any comments or such that might reflect someone’s interest.
I published a children’s book, but it was mainly for testing the waters. I think I’ve sold one copy, but I wasn’t surprised. My books are meant for children’s hands, not in the form of a futuristic Etch a Scetch!
This will be my third Christmas spread that I’ll be putting together, and as you already know, nobody ever seems to show up for the party. You can be butt hurt about this statement, or you can simply accept it as truth. You all have busy lives, I get it! Plus, the bottom line for this site is to reach hearts, not collect back pats and overly wordy accolades… it’s not about me!
Unfortunately, I have a tendency to make it more about me than about sharing the Gospel. Maybe it wasn’t my primary reason back when I started… but it is now, more than ever! I try not to overdo it, but let’s face it… that’s what the cookies are for, right?
As I am the president of my own Overthinkers Anonymous Club, it’s important that I make no rash decisions about a thing. Prayer comes first, then looking at said thing objectively, follows. After that, I write my thoughts down, usually here on WordPress. Any following steps come into play, once I receive your feedback. You may or may not even realize how important you are, in terms of what I write, how I write it, and when I publish said thing.
You are my family, and your thoughts matter to me, especially when it comes to what I put on this website. Why? Because you are important to me… very important!
I really would appreciate your feedback, as to whether or not I continue with any of my children themes, here on WordPress. It may be a situation where I simply journal on WP, but pull all of my main character episodes to a different venue. My desire is to write that which is useful for your edification, inspiration, encouragement and overall blessings. If it needs changing, so be it! I love you enough that I’ll write however I must, if God can use it to reach your hearts!
Can you believe that we’re already halfway through September? Summer is rapidly dwindling, as the cooling winds of the fall season begin transforming the lush green foliage to all those differing shades of glorious reds, yellows and golds.
I think that it should be a law that the moment the fall arrives, everybody has to put their Christmas lights up! Well, think about it for a moment! There’s far less lighting in the fall and winter months, so it would make things far brighter.
I think Halloween and Thanksgiving can still do their own thing, but just work around the lights, that’s all.
I mean, come on. All the stores put all their holiday products on the shelves at least two months before the actual holiday, so I say we fight back!
From the moment the stores start piling up candy and pumpkins all over the place, we should all put up our Christmas lights as an act of defiant solidarity!
Maybe I want to celebrate Valentine’s Day in December on my birthday, I don’t know. That way I might get an actual gift. Honestly, I feel sorry for anyone who is born on or near a holiday. Everyone just figures they can do a twofer… no fun! I am praying my granddaughter is born on or near my daughter’s birthday in November, because her due date is the day after Thanksgiving.
Also, why can’t we just combine Mother’s day with Father’s day and just call it Parent’s Day. You know, I asked Google how many holidays there were. First of all, it has to break them down into categories. That should be our first clue that we humans have far too many holidays, memorials, tributes, Month long celebrations for nearly every nationality out there, and special events commemorating this or that! Seriously, we should really think about extending our 365 day cycles to like 600 or so, just to really have recovery time in between parties!
Remember watching Little House on the Prairie, when they would celebrate Christmas? They gave each other handmade gifts and items needed for survival, and they didn’t have cars to drive to and from their festivities… they had to risk life and limb to travel through the wilderness in six feet of snow, just to bring gifts!
I don’t know, in a world where time waits for no man, as they say, we sure do have a lot of time to waste on all these “pat yourself on the back” parties. Now, I’m not saying that everyone behaves this way, so don’t go there! I’m simply basing my findings on what I see, hear, and experience from where I’m sitting. You wouldn’t believe the immense pressure that is put on folks living in poverty. It was so humbling for me to attend my daughter’s baby shower on Saturday, with no gift to offer… nothing.
Of all the things I’ve ever done wrong in my life, the people I’ve hurt, and the pain I’ve caused others, namely my children, God tells me I did something right. You know how? In the character of my children. My youngest daughter, who turned 30 this year, pulled me aside, and produced a gift for me to give her sister. Maybe it was for my sake, or perhaps it was her sister she was thinking about, but I don’t suppose it really matters.
Why am I rambling on about all this silly nonsense about too many holidays and celebrations? First of all, everyone is already seeing the stores gear up for cavity night, so I know you are feeling the beginning birth pains from your wallets… and the parties haven’t even started, yet. And, secondly, because I am fairly confident in saying that many of you already purchased holiday items for this year, but at the close-out after holiday sales from last year. Don’t panic, nobody will call you out on it, most of all myself. I get it! A bargain is a bargain, am I right?!
I suppose that I wanted use this mid-September Monday Messages just to start prepping you for what’s inbound for these upcoming months, so nobody can say they DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH NOTICE to get me their virtual Christmas list, which seems to be very difficult. This will be our third Virtual Christmas, and I have plans! So suck it up, Buttercups, and get it together!
I mean it!
If you don’t, it may spoil the whole thing. I know I’ve probably said this in the past, but this time, I’m being fully serious! I have some major surprises, not to mention my third installment of Tilly and Santa’s adventures. Oh, and there’s so much more, but I can’t say a thing, yet. So, now do you see why it’s so important that I get your lists ahead of time. I need time to put everything together.
So, your jobs… virtual Christmas lists mailed before Thanksgiving, and, show up for the party on Christmas morning. Last years idea of a bag of puppies was exhausting! I had to hand deliver most of them, since there were too many absentee guests… holes in the corners of my couches, poo doo on the floor, and somebody peed on the Christmas tree, shorting out the lights!
So, if a puppy is on your list… you better show up this time, or it won’t be charcoal that Santa leaves in your stocking! Tilly has quite a bit of influence with ole Saint Nick, seriously. If I were you, I wouldn’t risk it!
I wanted to drop in and say Happy Saturday! It’s glorious out there, if you happen to live in the northwest. The month of September is always up for grabs in the weather department. One day hot and sunny, the next is pouring rain and winds. I love it!
I attended my daughter’s baby shower this morning, so I’m all giddy at the moment. May it last for days.
My daughter is absolutely glowing, and literally, nothing but baby! It’s so beautiful to see her two sisters fluttering around her, and fussing over her. My heart is full!
May everyone have a wonderful, and meaningful weekend with family, and friends… God Bless!
Thought #1 – Why did we ever stop writing letters to one another?
Thought #2 – Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, during the winter months, families regularly met to read and share stories from when they were young?
Thought #3 – If a bag of chocolate chips spill all over the kitchen floor, but there’s nobody in the room, does it make a sound? I know my kids could hear a candy bar wrapper being opened from the neighbor’s house across the street.
Thought #4 – I hope it doesn’t rain on Saturday. At least, not until after my daughter’s baby shower.
Thought #5 – Whatever happened to that Samaritan woman, after Christ left her village? I wonder how differently her life was, after the fact?
Thought #6 – Then there’s Simon of Cyrene, the man forced to carry Jesus cross. What must his life have become, after encountering the Son of God on the day of his crucifixion?
Thought #7 – I miss watching Little House on the Prairie!
Thought #8 – Well that last thought did it! Now I’m thinking how much I miss shows like Grizzly Adams, Land of the Lost, J.P. Patches, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Leave it to Beaver, Fantasia, the early Sesame Street episodes, The Electric Company, and so many others that filled my childhood with imagination… aaaaahhhhhhhh, the good ole days of television.
Thought #9 – If I were traveling for years, on foot, in the desert, and with nearly a million other tired, frightened, and grumpy fellow walkers… how long would it take before I, myself, began to whine about eating only manna and quail?
Thought #10 – Why can’t my cup of Peppermint tea stay hot longer than 10 minutes?
Thought #11 – If I were given a bag that could only hold 10 items for survival, just before being dumped in the middle of nowhere, what would I choose… and could I survive? When I say nowhere, I mean no cell service, no electricity, and no other people. Ewwww!
Thought #12 – How old is too old for one to skinny dip?
Thought #13 – Why is it that I can sing to the skies when I’m in a church, or alone on a walking path, but the thought of doing it in front of a Karaoke machine fills me with dread? There’s other people in both places, so what’s the difference?
Thought #14 – I used to wish that God would make me smell like cookies, whenever children passed by, but I also really love the smell of Cotton Candy, so now I’m not so sure which I like better.
Thought #15 –
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105
There are actually two differing sleeps that bring us rest. The sleeping sleeping, and the wakeful sleeping… the kind when your eyes are open. You know? Most would probably recognize this better, if I were to say daydreaming instead of sleeping with your eyes open. A very boring prompt title, if you ask me!
My dreaming could derive from my own imagination, or sometimes, from a book I’ve read, or even a really great movie. The point is, when I’m wanting to relax, I like to let my mind wander to wonderful and dreamy places that are devoid of humanities normal nastiness!
Don’t blame me for checking out sometimes, but real life can be truly unfun at times, so what’s a girl gonna do?
Besides, that’s where most of my best cookies come from… and I haven’t heard any complaints so far, so I must be doing something right…
Today must be one of the laziest days we’ve had in quite some time. Honestly, I didn’t realize how good it would be to get back to the barnyard. There isn’t much better of a feeling than sleeping in your own bed, after a long time away from home.
Eustace was invited to a company retreat, so I’m not exactly sure what he’s doing, just this moment, but I can hear snores coming from the porch, the barn, and my upstairs bedroom. It seems that everyone around here is sleeping in, this lovely Friday morning. Everyone, that is, aside from myself.
While I might not be able to enjoy coffee anymore, I still love to sit in the still of the morning, with a good cup of tea. It’s so quiet, aside from the wind in the trees or the occasional birdsong floating across the meadow.
Well, I should say that it’s usually very quiet. As for this morning, it’s a fair bit away from being the normal serene calm that I’m used to experiencing. Funnily enough, I’m not bothered in the least from all the snorts, mumbles, and growls calling to me from every corner of the barnyard. In fact, I find it rather comforting, like a warm blanket on a winters day.
Snoring babes means happy babes, as far as I’m concerned. Life at sea has it’s benefits, but when it comes to rack-time aboard a massive ship on the water… well, you never know if you’ll wake up in your bunk, or on the floor, what with rough waters and high winds!
Take Osrig, for instance. He barely came out from under my bed while on the ship, but now that we’re home, he rarely comes in the house. His favorite spot for napping is just outside the kitchen window, on the porch…
Honestly, I don’t know that we’ve ever seen him so happy and relaxed.
Speaking of seeing someone happy, oh my goodness, you should see miss Tilly! Well, you can’t actually see her, right this second. She woke up when I did, begging me to help her pack a basket of fruit for young Henry, and his family. She left straight-away, headed for the river where the two lovebirds often meet. I don’t suspect she’ll be back til this evening…
Ahhhh, young love! Something tells me that she will be spending a great deal of time with her sweetheart’s family, which I am glad for. Tilly has grown up right before our eyes, and in such a short time, it seems. Besides, Henry spends a lot of time here with us, as well. I’m thinking of inviting them all for Thanksgiving dinner. There’ll already be an army of ants, from Lilly’s kin, and Squagon has invited family members from both his Acorn and Pinion Valley clans. The more the merrier, I always say!
Well, my tea has gone cold, and my tummy is shouting “Oatmeal… Oatmeal… Oatmeal!” I best get busy making breakfast.
Oh, yeah… and it’s FRIDAY, everyone! Have a blessed weekend… hugs
Journey With Me! 