It's the Process

Hello, good friends!

I'm moving!  This moving process has been in the making, but the kinks are not completely worked out yet.  Yes, I'm going to Wordpress.   It's just a personal preference. 

My new address will be http://dcwisdom.wordpress.com/  If you want to keep following, please come on over.  Or this is your opportunity to dump me like a hot rock.  I won't be bothered by it, but I'll just write you out of my will. 

I'll still be around for a little while, but I will export myself from here within a week or so. 

I've written my first post, and it's a good one.  You will be amazed!   Please check it out.

I'll talk to you funny people later!  :)

Missed Opportunities

Kid #4 Sam is coming home.  How I miss that young whipper-snapper! 

Sam has big plans this summer.  The school he attends sends missionaries abroad every summer, and his group has elected to go to Asia.  He'll be going to four different countries - Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Cambodia; yes, he'll be traveling without his mama.  I cannot imagine the experiences and opportunities he will have.

Years ago, I had an opportunity to travel to Brazil.  I got my passport and then backed out at the last minute, afraid to leave my husband and daughter and my country.  How I have wished many times to have that opportunity back!

And in thinking about missed opportunities this morning, my mind settled on the daily opportunities I miss.  When I get all wrapped up in blogging or errands or television, I am missing those times to minister.  Of course, I need to blog.  Really?  Honestly, I choose to blog.  I need to run errands.  Well, I choose to run to Wal-Mart and pick out a new purse and pick up bath soap and toilet paper. 

And I need to turn off the tv.  I don't normally have it on in the day, but in the evening, that monster blasts its spew all over my house.  In the 80's, Rick and I participated in an experiment of watching tv program and rating them.  Then we tried going without tv for a month.  Wow!  It was awesome!  (Why didn't I learn something from that...)

I am reading in Galatians this morning.  Chapter 6:9,10 says (The Message) "So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued in doing good.  At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit.  Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance (opportunity), let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith."

So, I'm making my little list of opportunities to take on a daily basis:

Go ahead and be angry - You do well to be angry -

but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge (meanness).

And don't stay angry.  Don't go to bed angry.

Don't give the devil that kind of foothold in your life. 1

Let's see how inventive we can be in

encouraginging love and helping out... 2

Guide slaves (I'm reading children here)

into being loyal workers, a bonus to their masters

--no back talk, no petty thievery. 

Then their good character will shine through their actions,

adding luster to the teaching of our Savior God. 3

Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk.

Be gentle with one another, sensitive.

Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as

God in Christ forgave you. 4

...dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you:

compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline.

Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to fogive an offense.

Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you.

And regardless of what else you put on, wear love.

It's your basic, all-purpose garment.  Never be without it. 5

Five opportunites.   Daily opportunities and strong principles to build a good life on.   My kids have called me "perfect," being sarcastic, of course.  I am FAR from perfect, as anyone that knows me well can testify, but I do know where my hope of reaching perfection is, and all I can do is strive toward that mark.  

There are certainly more opportunities I can take, but these will do for today.  Now, if I could just be convinced to stay out of Wal-Mart.

Y'all have a wonderful weekend.

Flea Bag Motel

Howdy, out there!

I just had an interesting text from Kid #3 Jere:   "Hmmm well I just sat on the couch and looked down at my legs and i had fleas all over them."

Poor Flea Bag Millie.  Left all her little friends at the rent house.  So Jere has tossed the flea-ridden blanket out the door, stuck his clothes in the washer, and is vacuuming the flea-heck out of the couch and hardwood floor.  Poor guy.  The things one has to endure in a rent house!

Several posts back, I told you about Kid #4 Sam's wreck in Dallas.  His car is now fixed and on the road again.  Hmmm, that rings up a song in my brain:  "On the road again.  I just can't wait to get on the road again."  hahahahaha

Queen Mother had a follow-up appointment in Dallas yesterday from her radiation treatments and surgery in December.  She is doing great!   I thank the Lord for that good report.

Tonight, the homeschoolers met for the monthly meeting and a marshmallow roast/campfire.  The weather was a little nippage and the open fire warmed our toes and our hearts.

Mary edited this picture herself, so I left it as is.

Very cute!

Las Tres Amigas - Rosa, Mary, Janie

Beautiful girls!

See all you beautiful peeps in the funny papers.

Wordless Wednesday

Paper Roses and the Tulip Tree

How weird, I thought.  I'm walking into Wal-Mart singing, and I mean singing where I could be heard, Paper Roses.   Not blasting, mind you, but if you just happened to walk close enough to me, you could have heard me.

Driving to Wal-Mart, my radio was off.  Walking through the parking lot, that silly song just came to my brain and off I go...

but they're only

imitation

like your imitation love

for me

How random is that?  Have you ever wondered how things just *pop* into your mind?  Do you remember weird stuff? 

Like, I remember one boy named Steve that liked me when I was 14.  We would sit by each other at lunch, and one time on the bus, we held hands.  His fingers were short and stubby, and I remember thinking what a fat hand he had.   He also wore thick glasses.

Or the time in fifth grade when I accidentally kicked our only class soccer ball onto the building's rooftop, and my old teacher, Mrs. Drake, who had wickedly long painted fingernails, came to me in class and pinched the beegeebees out of my arm and was mad at me all day.  She scolded, "I'll have to ask the maintenance man to get on the roof to get the ball down!"  We didn't know things about post-menopausal things back then, but that must have been what she suffered from.

Or the days in junior high when I would sneak my mom's nylons from her bathroom and wear them to school under my fishnets.   At school, I would take the fishnets off and wear hose all day.  Very grown up.   Boy, those old nylons would sag at the knees and only attach with a garter belt.  But I know they made me especially beautiful, if you didn't look at my skinny legs and boney knees.

One summer, my mom actually made my bathing suit from cotton fabric.  It was about the color of the tulip tree flowers.  The top was all right enough, but the bottoms were made like little girl panties, and they held the pool water like a water balloon.  The boys would call me 'water butt.'  "There goes water butt!"

Or the time I ran my bike into a trailerload of canoes in a parking lot.  Don't even ask.

My tulip tree (which is actually a type of magnolia) has opened her first spring buds.  Isn't she beautiful!?  The willow tree has budded, too.  The paper whites are happy along with the daffodils. 

Today, I planted Chinese fringe, camelias, shrub rose, and dahlias while Mary rode her bike around the neighborhood.  Thank goodness, this time she wasn't dog bitten. 

Paper roses

Paper roses

Oh how real those roses seem to be

See you good people in the funny papers.

A Visit to the Graveyard and Some Texas History

I always thought that people that visited graveyards were weird.  They are, you know. 
Especially people who travel great distances just to see where their ancestors are buried are in their own bubble.   Have you ever talked to those sorts of folks?  You know, the ones who go on and on and on about their frightening escapades through the cemeteries? 

My pastor recently told our congregation a story from his teenage years.  Bro. Bill and his best friend liked to wonder through the cemetery going from his house to his friend's house.  One late evening, they were walking through and noticed a bright light shining out from behind a very large marker.   They had the fight or flight thing going on; one of the boys fainted and the other took off.  They later learned of a big brush pile being burned somewhere beyond the marker.

When I was in high school, a group of us girlfriends bound and blindfolded another girlfriend and took her to the black cemetery in town and dumped her.  It was her birthday.  A few minutes later, we turned the car around to go find her, and she was hightailing it up the road, screaming all the way.  I'm sure her therapist has attributed all of her life's problems back to that one incident.

Anywho, Rick and I went to visit my dad today at the cemetery.  Actually, he's not really there.  Just his earth suit.  I sure miss him.

This massive magnolia tree is probably one of the oldest trees in the county - probably even the world! 

Underneath the tons of branches are markers that date back to the early 1800's.  One such family was the Lumpkin family.

In 1988, my dad and mom purchased their homestead and fifty acres from my dad's aunt, which was a fraction of land previously owned by my great-grandparents. 

But, back in the mid-1800's, the Lumpkin family owned the land.  And here's the rub:  My sister married a Lumpkin whose ancestors were prior owners of Mom and Dad's property. 

The old water well still exists where the Lumpkin home once stood.  Interesting, huh?

Thirty years ago, I didn't give a whiff about information found in a graveyard.  Is it just me?  Or does history seem to come alive when one gets older?   Is it the appreciation of life and legend?  Or is it knowing that the old bones in the wooden boxes indicates a life fully lived in another time?

1803.  Thomas Jefferson was in the White House.  He ordered the expedition of Lewis and Clark.  President Jefferson acquired the Lousiana Purchase from Napoleon for $15 million.   In Tejas, the settlements were sparse and miles apart with friendly Caddo Indians in this area.  Then began an inpouring of Irish, Scott, and German settlers wanting to purchase cheap land from Spain who required all new land buyers to convert to Catholicism.

Settlements and small towns were being established.  In 1844, the King of Spain heard of Texicans wanting independence, so he sent Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana to quell the unrest.  Santa Ana won the famous Alamo battle (yeah, like, the Spanish outnumbered the Texicans 400 to 1!) and chased fearful Texicans to San Jacinto.   That's when Sam Houston entered the picture.  A small, loosely formed band of Texicans that SA had just run over just about brow beat Houston to lead them to fight old SA.  The Texicans were out for blood!   And not theirs.

I love this story.  Such a picture of a chicken.  War was somewhat different back in those days.  Respectful, even.  The Spanish are famous for their siestas, and Santa Ana required at least a two hour siesta every day for him and his troops.  Siestas were also reserved for his 'manly time' with local mulatto women.

Sam Houston, knowing that the soldiers and Santa Ana himself would be off duty for siestas and 'manly time' in mid-afternoon, slipped his troops across a bayou at San Jacinto, launching a surprise attack on the Spanish camp about three o'clock.  Santa Ana came to the door of his tent with his pants down (really) and turned and ran chicken.  Just left his troops.  He was later found a few miles away at a farm house dressed in some dude's farm clothes, hiding in some bushes.  Such a picture of bravery!

He was then marched back to camp and tried, even offered an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with the president.  At the end of negotiations, the old bas coward fully surrendered and told his men to walk home.  That's a long walk from Houston to Mexico.

And, the rest, as they say, is history.

Glorious Spring Is Almost Here!

This day was perfect!  Perfect wind, perfect sun, perfect temperature.

And we worked like banchees!

Rick cut up a fallen tree and burned brush piles.

And I raked and raked and raked.  And when every single body part hurt

(except my ear lobes), I got out the camera.

I never get tired of this view.   One day soon, you'll see Jane out here.
She's beautiful!

A good day's work.  Tomorrow, we'll rest.

And then, on the way back home, I saw one of my favorite people in the world,

Lori, and her new husband, Paul.  I've known Lori since she was a wee one.

They live in my larger neighborhood across the railroad tracks 

 and were out walking.   Aren't they cute?!

While Rick was finishing his work, I came home and put some supper

together.  Rick came in, showered, and now he's watching Andy Griffith right now

while we're waiting on the Mexican rice. 

Ol' Barney's giving us some smack.

Y'all have a wonderful day of worship tomorrow.

I see the moon, the moon sees me...

I see the moon

The moon sees me

God bless the moon

God bless me

~ Author Unknown

It is 1:20 a.m.

This is a wonderful new day, already.

I have now finished my corporate taxes!

A huge reason to celebrate!

Hooray!

Now I'm going to bed, so...

Goodnight...

Sleep tight...

Don't let the bedbugs bite!

God bless you all!

Cake In a Mug

Scenario:

Home alone

Favorite movie on the tube

Craving chocolate

No Snickers in the house

What to do?

Chocolate Cake in a Mug

I discovered this recipe...don't know where or when...but have kept it tucked away just waiting for the right time to try it.  And Friday night was the right time.

Queen Mother has been at her sister's since February 2, and when she arrived home Friday evening, I invited her for homemade pizza and Cake In a Mug.

This recipe is simple, and, from beginning to end, takes about five minutes.  Really.

Cake In a Mug

4 Tbsp. cake flour (or all purpose flour with 1/2 t. soda and a pinch of salt)

4 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. cocoa

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

3 Tbsp. milk

3 Tbsp. oil

1 coffee mug

Mix flour, sugar, and cocoa in a mug.  Add egg, milk, oil, and vanilla.  Mix well with a knife, incorporating all ingredients to make cake batter.  There's NO need to spray the mug.

In the picture below, the Fruit of the Spirit mug has unmixed ingredients. 

The white mug has mixed ingredients.  Chocolate sweetness is in the bowl.

Put mug into microwave (1000 watt) for three (3) minutes on maximum power.

After using a mug, I tried cooking it in a cereal bowl.

As you can see, one recipe easily makes two servings,

or one recipe can be divided into two mugs.

Stir ingredients together in a separate bowl and pour into mugs.

Remember to shorten the cooking time in the microwave.

"Flowers and champagne may set the stage, but it's chocolate that steals the show."

~ Unknown

Enjoy!

Triple Date Night

Queen Mother rang the telly this afternoon:  "I haven't done anything fun in a long time; let's catch a movie this afternoon."

I was ready.  I'd been going cross-eyed with corporate tax figures and ready to see something entertaining and not have to 'think.'  I was ready to laugh and celebrate since my corporation figures are showing a good loss. 

We picked The Tooth Fairy for something to laugh about.  Besides, I will see every movie Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is in!  I normally don't swoon over the romantic Hollywood men, but the knee-slap characters like "The Rock," Jethro Boudine (The Beverly Hillbillies) and Kramer (Seinfeld) and Klinger (*MASH*) just tickle my funnybone.    

So, we triple dated - Mom, Mary, and I.

Between a light supper at the bakery and the movie, we shopped in B-A-M, and looky what I found for $6.97!  How old do you think the woman is on the cover?   My guess is sixty-nine, and not a day over.

Now, for all you beautiful, younger bloggers, I would like to say 'thank you' for making the competition so tough.  I remember the days when I could turn a few heads; these days, they look at my face and then my body, and go throw up.  Who knew back in those early days what motherhood could do to a body, and nobody told me.  I feel totally disadvantaged now.

The other day, my much younger friend and I were talking to a man about my age.   (We weren't talking about my age.)  He totally focused on speaking to me just because he wants my vote in the upcoming election.  Bless my young friend's heart.  The young thing was actually jealous because the man wouldn't look at her.  And she's not ugly.  After it was all said and done, I thought, 'I've still got it!'   Whatever 'it' is.

After I first dyed my hair blonde (better to go blonde than gray, that's my motto), I was sitting on a bench in the mall, and this twenty-ish boy walked by, staring at me and giving me that 'hey mama' look.  Really.  I thought 'what's up with him?'  I tried to read his expression.  Was it 'will you be my mama' or 'will you buy me something to eat' or 'can I have $20.'  I just don't get the seduce-the-older-woman thing.   I mean, what's the point?  I've trained one already. 

Unless you are a Hollywood woman --

Now, who would look at her lips?   Hmmm?

I'm beginning to think there are no more real women in Hollywood.  Everything is lifted, plumped, painted, plucked, colored, lazered, lipo'd, capped, veneered, tanned, straightened, curled, fluffed, flattened, buffed, whitened...  Yeah, look at Sharon Stone in matte red.  Just pitiful.

The message here is...faux is better.  That's right.  Fake 'em out.

Forevermore, don't show your age.   And certainly don't act your age.

So, I'm going to read about how to 'manage your wrinkles.'   I saw this thing on tv once about this woman that looked very young.  Then she revealed her secret:  Every day, she performed her own plastic surgery by using Scotch tape.  She then proceeded to remove all the tape from her scalp underneath her hair which was holding her face up.  Amazing!

My daddy used to tell us about the couple who recently married.  The guy just knew he was the luckiest man in the world marrying such an extraordinarily beautiful woman.  On their honeymoon and before bed, she began to remove all her 'aids,' her hearing aid, her glass eye, her false teeth, her wig, and her lift-and-separate bra.  The man promptly had a heart attack and died. 

Oh, well.  Hollywood doesn't have a thing on me.  I'm a real woman.  But, I'm going for the ten years younger tricks for $6.97.  I'll let you know how they work out for me. 

See you in the funny papers.