Comic Relief for FREE!

I got talked into finding dirt for the backyard. Trying to be thrifty, I signed onto a local website to see if anyone had some for free. One post started out, "FREE IS A VERY GOOD PRICE."

Tracie posted yesterday that life is really hard right now for so many people. That resonated with me to the core. Yet in the midst of it all, God is good and faithful, and He's providing comic relief in odd and funny ways.

So I thought I'd share some of the FREE stuff listed that got a smile from me. (I'm posting them here without correcting typos or punctuation.)

Free Hot tub to good home
4-6 person Hot tub free to whoever can haul, must go.

(The hot tub is very sensitive and needs to be appreciated... but no one took it. So now ANY home will do. If your home isn't all that good, maybe the hot tub will make it better.)

Enamel formula
Offering an opened can of Infamil Premium infant formula (Exp Nov. 2011). We used 4 scoops out of the 8oz can. Son switched to whole milk. If you can use it, please take it. Please specify pick up time.

(Enamel formula must help kids have strong teeth.)

FREE****TWO FRIENDLY GUINEA PIGS!**
Two VERY friendly and mellow guinea pigs. One short, one long hair, both brown, both male! A 9 and 6 year old have taken good care of them for 1 year but they need a good, caring home. The duo comes with one large and one smaller cage as well. THANK YOU!
(I read this a couple of times. This woman is so desperate, the ad sounds like she’s trying to get rid of the kids!)

FREE salt packets
We have a lot of salt packets. Why buy salt, when it's free. Some pepper packets too.
(I opened this, thinking it might be rock salt for out water softener. Imagine my surprise when I saw what they were offering.)

Grapefruits - Free for the Taking
Come NOW Wednesday, July 13th, until 5:00pm for ALL the Grapefruit you can carry. Ripe and my grandson is picking them for you!!! ... JUST SHOW UP until 5:00pm ONLY, then he's gone ... DO NOT pick your own.

(I gotta love this Grandma. She watches the grandkid after school, is teaching him agriculture, is thrifty and civic minded. And I can just hear her saying that "DO NOT!" in a voice that would make a gun-totin' U.S. Marine stop dead in his tracks.)

free freee lots and lots and lots stuff
man o man this is the give away of give aways lots of free stuff household stuff lots of it lots of it also some stuff for salecall me to ###-###-### thanks most stuff in the back so just come and ask for NAME

(Did he mention that there's a lot of stuff?)

cone and get it
Bed frames, scrap metal furniture chandelier kitchen stuff in back alley behind ### STREET It is gated, just look for the people melting in the heat carrying stuff out, we will gladly let u in.
(CONE and melt with them. Are you craving ice cream now, too?)

Weight Scale*Doesn't Work
Great for any handyman out there.It's a great digital weight scale but don't know why it stop working.Will leave it out by the lamppost next to my trash bins on Freedom Way.
(Getting rid of the scale would make me feel like I'm living on Freedom Way, too.)

Random household junk
Pick it up tonight or it goes in the trash. Most of it is probably useless but I just hate throwing things away.
( I like this guy. Which makes me wonder if I'd like what he's getting rid of...)

Natural looking rocks
I have several pieces frock that can be used for a landscape project, it's all free!
(What did one rock say to the other? Look natural.)

Free bags of Organic Herbs
Free bags of Organic Herbs.best to reply by phone............###-###-####

(So just how legal are these herbs?)


Small white child's table and chair
Small child's white table (25" x 23' x 19" tall) with matching chair. Great for coloring, reading, art projects and TV meals. Free to a good home.
(Does it matter what race the child was? Oh. They phrased it differently in the actual posting. But I'm singing...Red, brown, yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.)

FREE Worm waste for your garden!
I've got a big worm farm and it was time to process the worm waste. For free are water bottles of processed worm waste. One bottle would easily fertilize your front yard. Take as many bottles as you need. Worms were fed organic vegetable matter and paper. Directions for use are printed/pasted on each bottle. Tithing to the community!
(The sentiment is nice, but the sediment is.... not what I hope to see in the offering plate on Sunday.)

FREE Elder potty
free to a good home. CleanGoes over the toilet - like pictured but missing bottom
(You provide the bottom. Especially an older one. BTW: This was posted directly under the listing about worm waste.)

Free wedding dress

Free wedding dress used to be my mother in laws but I had a divorce and don't need it pls call ###-###-#### I can also send pics.

(Yowza. )

SO.... California is the land of grapefruits and herbs. Of rocks that look natural, and senstive hot tubs. If you salt your food and eat ice cream, you don't have to worry about breaking a scale. The people in my community are interesting and odd. They don't just give you the shirt of their back; they'll give you their mother-in-law's wedding dress!

God stands by us through every moment of life. He makes some of them breathless with wonder, breathless with grief... and sometimes, breathless with laughter. I'm so glad He's my Father. I'm not so sure about some of these neighbors, though.

Cathy

Where is God?

Where is God when bad things happen?

So many tragedies have gone on around me, and I'm sure in your own life, over the last few weeks, and so often I've heard people comment about where is God when these things happen? Or why does God allow this in the life of His children - the very ones who have given their hearts to Jesus and trust in Him for salvation?

It's so hard sometimes. Especially when we are taken off guard. I read so many accounts of children dying over the last few days. A little girl was killed in a car accident - no doubt only one of many. Another family of children were murdered. Soldier sons died overseas. A friend lost her youngest son to an unexpected heart attack. Where was God in all of this?


Then you have the horror of what happened in Norway. More earthquakes for so many places around the world. Every time I turned on the news there was something horrific and full of sorrow. It was enough to leave me longing for the day when Jesus would return and set things right. And that got me to thinking about where God was in all of this and why bad things have to happen.

Jesus told us there would be problems. He said in John, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I've overcome the world." He also said that He would be with us always, and in the night before being led to face His own death - Jesus prayed for us. After praying for His disciples, Jesus said,

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.


24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

How precious to think that Jesus prayed for us before we were even born. He knew there would be hard times and that the world would be against us. He knew we'd face sorrow and trials of every sort. He knew we'd feel unloved, lonely and overwhelmed at times, so He prayed for us. Just imagine it. This was the first prayer ever prayed for you, and it came from Jesus Himself.

Sometimes God seems distance in times of trial, and sometimes He seems quite near. The truth is, He is always there, even when we cannot "feel" or "see". That's where faith comes in. We can be assured in faith that God will never leave us. Sometimes it's hard to rest in that, but I want to encourage you to do just that. I also want to remind you again of what Jesus said when He prayed for us.

22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.


You are loved and you are never alone. We are one in the Lord.

Tracie

Letting go

Tuesday I hit the "send" button on my computer which launched my newly completed manuscript through cyber space to my editor's desk. There are always mixed emotions with such an action: joy that another story is written; apprehension as to how it will be received; a hint of disappointment that my time with those particular characters is now done...; and eagerness to dive into the next project (which will have a WWII setting, something I've wanted to do for a long time). Sometimes it can be hard to balance all of those different feelings in one heart.

I can remember battling those same emotions when I was pregnant with my third daughter. She was my summer baby (in fact, she celebrated a birthday last week), and unlike my two winter pregnancies when I hardly gained weight, I blew up like a balloon. I was ENORMOUS. Uncomfortable. Bordering on miserable. There were moments I actually moaned aloud, "When will this baby come out so I don't have to carry it around anymore?" I was thrilled to become a mother again, although a little apprehensive about the necessary labor (I don't give birth easily). And as eager as I was to meet this new little soul, I also experienced the sting of disappointment, realizing I'd never be as close to the child as I was while it was nestled in my womb, beneath my heart. From the moment they're born, they grow apart from you. So giving birth can be a little bittersweet.

Now I watch that youngest daughter--a young woman expecting her first child in just a few more weeks--go through the same emotions. Being summer and very hot (we've experienced record highs for several days in a row), she's so uncomfortable. One minute she'll ask, "Can't it come out now?" And the next she says, "I like feeling the baby move inside me. It's like we're one." Yes, the parting can be hard. But eventually that child has to enter the world...just as the story characters have to find their way from my computer into the hands of readers.

Life is a constant series of letting go. Of moving forward and treasuring the steps left behind.

Below is a picture of my daughter. The setting is a Kansas sunset. So appropriate, given the stage of her pregnancy. Yet every sunset is followed by a sunrise--a new beginning. I anticipate the beginning of life blossoming within my daughter's womb. Funny how every goodbye leads to a hello...

May God bless you muchly as you journey with Him~Kim

The Row House or Eating Well

Before Justin returned to Phoenix last month, we had dinner at The Row House Restaurant here in Topeka. It’s one of my very favorite places to eat on special occasions. They are open only four nights a week and each week there is a new menu. Wednesdays are my very favorite because it’s the night when they host their tasting menu. The tasting menu permits guests to try all of the dishes, or you can elect to try only one of the entrees. Since I usually have “food envy” when I see what everyone else has ordered, I opt for trying everything.

The restaurant’s name is based upon the fact that it is housed in one of the old Ross Row Houses constructed in Topeka in 1882. They’ve maintained much of the original integrity of the building which means there are lots of small dining rooms—and some very steep steps to climb for those who are able. I’ve enjoyed meals in a number of the rooms, both on the first and second floors. The food and atmosphere are always exquisite. So, here we are enjoying our dinner and I made sure I snapped pictures of each course for you.

Our salad was fennel, feta and apple with white balsamic vinaigrette and fresh bread. Isn’t it beautiful on that green plate?
Next came the carrot and ginger soup topped with herbed oil. Very tasty although both of my kids thought it tasted a bit like baby food. I’m not sure how they remember what baby food tasted like—and I didn’t ask.

The vegetarian entrée was lemon toasted pinenut, asparagus, parmesan cous cous. It was very good, but not so good as to turn me into a vegetarian.

This is the cornflake crusted halibut with smashed peas and white wine butter sauce (Justin’s favorite) and the chimichurri beef with roasted sweet potatoes and charred corn (Jenna’s favorite).

And then the desserts: Vanilla bean cupcakes with whipped strawberry cream cheese, lemonade and basil sorbet, and a mocha chocolate brownies. Both of the kids voted the vanilla bean cupcake the winner, but I really loved the lemonade and basil sorbet.

It was a wonderful time of enjoying one another before his departure. But the good news is that those farewells won’t be happening much longer since Justin received a promotion and will return to the corporate offices in Kansas City. Although I loved visiting Phoenix, I am thrilled to have him returning home—well only an hour away so that counts as home, right?

May you find joy as you savor life. ~Judy

P.S. Tammy was late listing the book winners from last week's giveaway, so if you entered, go to the bottom of her blog and see if you won a book! The Judy who won isn't me, but the Judy who reminded Tammy IS me. ;) I think old age is making her forgetful!!

"Ma'am, would you step to the side?"

That's what I heard recently as my daughter and I went through airport security on our way to NYC. Then a kind and mannerly TSA screener escorted me to the dreaded glass booth where she instructed me to step on the rubber mat and put my feet exactly on the printed footprints.

Meanwhile, Kelsey was snapping pictures with her camera, laughing hysterically and loving every minute of it!

No matter what it looks like, I wasn't praising and singing hallelujah in that moment. But I was laughing like crazy this past weekend when––at an annual brainstorming retreat––a sweet friend gave me a special gift that she and her daughter had made "commemorating" that public pat down. Someone snapped some pictures right after she gave it to me...

If you can't read it, it says, "I got to second base with a TSA screener." LOL! Oh gracious, we laughed and laughed. And of course I wore the shirt this past weekend as we brainstormed each others books, which was such fun! We took walks every day (to help walk off the Chocolate Rolo Cake and Chocolate Chip Cookies). Below, Karen Ball is giving me "a hug" as we ventured out one afternoon. At least a "hug" is what she called it...

But now, it's back home and back to work. My galleys for A Lasting Impression were waiting for me when I returned last evening so I'm diving into those––after meeting a friend (who I haven't seen since college days) for a quick tour of the Belmont Mansion this morning followed by brunch. Not to worry, I'm takin' my camera.

It's wonderful to be home but oh...what a precious time of fellowship with my writing sisters this past weekend. And that shirt...what a kick!

More next week,
Tammy

 **********

Thank you to Judy for reminding me about posting the winners from last week's giveaway! Duh! What would I do without you, Judy?

Nowhere Carolina goes to CASEY
A Distant Melody goes to MEGHAN
McKenzie goes to JUDY
Coming Unglued goes to SUSAN HOLLOWAY
Pearl in the Sand goes to TAMMI

Thanks to everyone for commenting on last Tuesday's post. You gals are terrific! Now...using my contact page on my website (http://www.tameraalexander.com/contact.html) send me your address and I'll get your book in the mail!

Where Ideas Flourish

As I write this blog post on a Sunday afternoon, another brainstorming retreat has come to an end. This is the 9th year our group of writers has been meeting. Over the past three days, we have brainstormed nine novels. I love the free exchange of ideas, the give and take, the honesty, the laughter. Most of all, I love the way we have become a family, praying one another through the highs and lows of personal and professional lives.

A reader on Facebook asked me to please blog about how our brainstorming sessions work. I promise I will share that in a future post (Tammy, don't you dare beat me to it!)

Until then, here are a couple of our group photos. I think you can tell that we are having a terrific time.

Brandilyn, Janet, Sunni, Karen, Robin, Tamera, Tricia, Gayle, Francine, Sharon

Front to Back, Left to Right: Brandilyn, Gayle, Sharon, Tricia, Janet, Tamera, Karen, Francine, Robin, Sunni

I'm not headed home just yet. Hope to have more pictures to share next week.

~robin

P.S  Pinky and house sitter are doing fine, and Poppet had a terrific time at the Pet Resort up here in Northern Idaho.

Not Looped Yet?

Noah Gering was a farmer during the Depression. Until he passed away, I never saw my grandpa wear anything other than his Sunday suit or overalls. One of my first memories of him is holding onto the hammer loop of those overalls as we walked. In my next book, I had a little girl curl her fingers around her daddy's hammer loop.

OOPS! I'm fact checking, and it occured to me, I didn't know when that addition was made to men's jeans. Three hours later, I still don't know.

The dictionary didn't even list the term. Levis, Carhartt, Dickies... none of their websites gives that little fact.

I discovered all sorts of other things. Levi Strauss changed his name. Originally, it was Leob Strauss. No, he didn't make brown pants and dye then blue. It's a myth. The Pony Express didn't actually wear Levis, either.

Jean is made of one color thread going both directions of the weave.

Denim is made of two colors: one is white, the other is... well, any other color.

In 1864, one store boasted they had 10 colors of denim including "New Creek Blues" and "Madison River Brown." (Doesn't that sound contemporary?)

Jean was lighter weight and used for middle- or upper-class men's suits, shirts, and pants.

Denim is thicker and more durable. Working-class men wore it.

Levi Strauss owned "jean pants." As some point in history, the terminology is shortened to "jeans" for pants made of that fabric--but those aren't denim blue jeans.

"Bibless overalls" or "waist overalls" or even "denims" were the original names for jeans. They had buttons for suspenders, not belt hooks. Levi Strauss originally made them from blue denim and brown cotton duck (it's like sailboat canvas and doesn't grow soft with use.) They only had one rear pocket and featured a buckle at the back to adjust the waist because they came in only a few sizes.

Rivets were the idea of a Nevada tailor. He contacted Levi Strauss, and they put in for a patent. Levis got rivets in 1873.

BUT WHEN DID THE HAMMER LOOP COME ABOUT?

Maybe I could find a picture. The 1910 farmer above has a pistol and canteen... but his arms are in the way. I can't see if he has a hammer loop. The 1870s tintype of brothers in overalls is neat. The 1920 Railroad workers... the 1930 man and his son out on the porch... the 1940 farmer... I can't see whether they do or not.

In 1950, Bing Crosby was informed he wasn't welcome at a Vancouver hotel because he was wearing denim pants. (Too low class, don'tcha know?) A bellhop recognized Mr. Crosby, so they suddenly decided to welcome him afterall.

Persistence is the name of the game when it comes to research. But at this point, I have three things to say:

1) If you know when hammer loops were invented, please tell me!

2) The little girl in the book is going to have to do something else.

3) I'm glad denim jeans are now women's wear, too! (I'll do without the hammer loop. It's not flattering for a woman with thighs the size of Easter hams to wear that style.)

Blessings,

Cathy

I'm Back - At Least for A Little While

Hello from sunny, but not too hot, Montana.

I took a couple of weeks off to tend to homefires and want to thank Steph Whitson for her great contribution to the blogsite. Isn't she amazing? I can't wait to read her new book.

Montana is enjoying warm weather, but low humidity, unlike most of the rest of the country. I've decided to invite you all to come up and enjoy our wonderful summer. First I will take you to a lovely view of the Gallatin River where you can rest your feet in the cool water. This was actually taken during spring melt a few weeks ago so the waters aren't the crystal blue they are now.






Then we'll watch some of the wildlife











and enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Maybe we'll camp out and have a campfire and enjoy the chill of 50 degree mountain air. You'll need a jacket! Me and some friends from church went camping last week in the mountains. This is my friend Dineen trying to stay warm.


Tomorrow we can enjoy a mountain drive.







We can even head down to a rodeo or two. Here's my friend Merrill getting ready to sell cotton candy at one of the biggest rodeos in Montana on 4th of July weekend. I helped for two nights at the rodeo in Three Forks last week and we had so much fun.




I wish I could just have you all over for a nice break from the heat and humidity. My husband Jim and I grew up in Kansas and we know very well how bad it can be. Jim always says, "If you live a good life in Kansas, God rewards you with Montana." I think he may be right.

God Bless You!
Tracie

Fluttery-Ever-After

A week ago Monday morning, I came downstairs and found my kitty, Clyde, draped over the back of the sofa, intently watching...something. I looked out, too, and noticed two little birds perched in the flower box right outside the window. I told Clyde he could look but he could NOT touch, then I went about my day. But by the evening, I found myself as intrigued as Clyde.

You see, when I went out to water my flowers and got a closer took at the birdies, I noticed they were both babies but one was significantly smaller than the other. Apparently the smaller hatched later, or perhaps didn't get as much food? For whatever reason, he wasn't as strong as his sibling. The larger one flew away (rather clumsily but effectively) when it saw me approaching, but the little one could only hop into the bushes. Of course, Clyde greatly enjoyed this entertainment.

By Tuesday morning, the little bird had made its way out of the bush and spent most of that day in my flowers. That was a good spot, actually--secluded, cool...and still in sight of Clyde who, I'm convinced, was starting to view the little birdie as a pet.

Wednesday morning when I went out to water the flowers, I was sad to discover the bird had disappeared. But that afternoon I spotted some movement in the grass. Sure enough...he'd made his way clear out into the middle of the yard. He'd discovered he could flap his wings and make better distance than hopping--two feet as opposed to two inches, but he sure didn't understand "airborne." Fluttering a few inches above ground is just high enough to attract attention but too low to find a safe perch in a tree (think Woodstock from the Peanuts cartoon...).

Now, the middle of the yard wasn't a safe spot for him. For one thing, it's HOT in the sun (we've had record high temps--112 one day!). For another, we have marauding cats in our neighborhood as well as lots of children, all of which could be hazardous to a small, helpless bird. I encouraged him to get out of the sun, and he did quite a bit of sassing me, but eventually I was able to "herd" him beneath a tree. I said a prayer for his safety before I went to bed that night. Silly as it sounds, I was growing attached to the little feathered fella.

Thursday morning, first thing, I went to check on "my" bird. To my delight, he was fine--under one of our pine trees with Mama-bird in the tree. She let me know quite emphatically that I needn't trouble myself--she'd keep an eye on him--but I had a hard time staying away. This was the fourth day he'd been on the ground--out of a nest, in unsafe territory. So periodically over the day I went out and checked on him. Around three in the afternoon, guess where I found him???

Perched on a low branch in the pine tree! He looked a little nervous about the whole thing, but he'd managed to find his way to safety. I was so proud! Later that evening, he'd gotten well above my head in the tree. Made my heart happy to see him nestled there amongst the pine needles like a grown-up bird.

Hubs thought I was a little nutty, worrying about a baby bird, but I couldn't help myself. He was so small, so helpless, my heart just went out to him. Besides, my looking out for that little bird reminded me of what God does for us. Luke 12:6 says, "Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight. Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted; you are worth more than many sparrows!" I like to think He "herds" us out of "hot" or dangerous spots into areas of safety...and He celebrates when we find the courage to spread our wings and fly.

(Oh, btw, this little guy is a Kingbird. I like that.)

Friday morning my feathered friend was still in the tree--much higher, singing his little lungs out. The neighbor caught me talking to him (it's okay--they already think I'm a little weird...writers and all that, you know), but I wanted to tell him he was doing a great job, staying safe, learning to use those wings. I spent the day away from the house, and when I looked for him that evening I couldn't find him, which I hope means he's discovered the ability to soar and is off chasing millers. The thought makes my heart smile.

But it sure has left Clyde without anything to watch outside the window...

God bless you muchly as you journey with Him! ~Kim

A Feast for the Eyes

I wish I could offer you a taste of the foods I experienced while on my European adventure last month, but I’m afraid you’ll have to feast with your eyes instead of your mouths. Just remember, I’m saving you loads of calories!

I know some of you have already tasted these dishes during your own travels, and some of you may have the opportunity to indulge some time in the future, but I think experiencing the cuisine is one of the best things about traveling. I couldn’t let any more time go by without sharing some pictures of the dishes a few fellow travelers and I tried.
One of my fun discoveries was this pretzel stand in a Salzburg market place. I’ve never seen or tasted such a variety of pretzels. My purchase was an apple pretzel. It was so good that I snapped a picture of the pretzel stand. I knew I would forget the varieties, and you can see there are a lot! And then there was Dresden where I decided on soup and a dessert for my lunch. Although I loved the asparagus soup, dessert was my primary target. Especially when I eyed what was called a sturmsäckel. I could have bypassed the desserts if they hadn’t described them in English. A strumsäckel is described as follows: Chou bun with sour cherry stuffing, vanilla ice-cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. How could I resist? The Chou bun is what I call a big what I call a big cream puff—and the filling was delightful. At right is lemon cream kuchen that was delicious and reminded me of cheesecake. And below the kuchen is an ice cream offering. I wish I could remember the name of the berries, but my memory fails me.

I’d never heard of them before, but they had little seeds inside so I wasn’t as thrilled with them as some of the other folks at my table. I do wish I had taken pictures at our breakfast buffets, but I was so busy filling my plate each morning that I forgot about my camera. The huge platters of meats, cheeses, brochen, breads, eggs, fresh fruit (and even fresh vegetables) was quite different than what we see on our American buffets.

As for the heartier fare offered at lunch or supper, feast your eyes on these typical German meals at the left. German French fries have a wonderful flavor all their own and dipped in mayonnaise, they’re wonderful. I know—you’re turning up your nose. I did too, until I tried it.

Our farewell dinner was at the Ronneburg Castle where we were required to eat without any utensils except large knives. Fortunately we were furnished with bibs and I wielded my knife with great skill.

Some of our group sang for their supper and they did a fine job of it, too! The Midevil feast provided a wonderful conclusion to our tour--and a not-so-wonderful conclusion to eating all that fine food. I think I gained at least five pounds.

May you find joy as you feast upon the Lord's Word. ~Judy