Hi, Guys!

Hi, Guys!

How ya'll doin' this mornin'?
Well, I am going to enjoy this day. Today is payday, and it's sure a good thing, cause we're broke..lol. I have the day off today, which is sure gonna be nice. I normally take Lee to work, but the car is very low on gas, so I wasn't sure if there'd be enough to take Lee to work, then back home, then back to his work again, once he got his paycheck cashed, so, since I really didn't have anything to do today, or need the car, Lee just took it to work. This will at least save on the gas, and then he'll be able to fill up when he gets off. So, here I am, with absolute NO way to get anywhere!!!! I haven't been stuck like this for a long time. lol I think I'll enjoy it. It's been quite awhile since I was able to stay at home, and not have to worry about going anywhere, or doing anything!

Well...not that I'm not gonna do anything....I definately need to do some work on this house, so that will be one thing, and there is a bit of laundry to do. There really isn't much, so hopefully, it's not going to take me long. I've got some laundry going already.

I'm sorry I didn't get around to checkin' in last night. Last night I just buckled down and decided to do some work on my blog, which I've been wanting to do, but just never seemed to get around to it. I'd always end up answering post, or finding things to post, and before I'd know it...it's would be too late to start on anything. I got quite a bit added last night, but still have a few more things I'm working on. I'm hoping that I can get around to them sometime today. I'll make sure and let you all know when I get the new stuff added.

We were suppose to have a chance of some much needed rain....30%, last night, and this morning. When we got up, it was evident that we didn't get any overnight, but the sky was cloudy, and looked as though it might give us some. But now, not long after, the sun is out, and the clouds are disappearing, so it appears that no rain will come our way. I'm not sure when the next chance is, but I know that it's needed. At least today it is only suppose to be in the upper 80's. A BIG difference from the 100 we had yesterday! Right now, it's about 78.

She did it! Mary brought her thermometer to work yesterday. It registered at 100, the entire afternoon. Boy, was it hot in there! Around 5:00, the sun starts to beat in the front doors of the store, and we noticed then that we were pushing the 101 mark. It's no wonder that the company doesn't want a thermometer in there! lol

It seems there was somethin' else I was gonna tell ya, but, for the life of me, now, I can't think of it...lol This is a rather short check in post for me, but I guess there's no use to sit and blab about nothin'! hehehehe Maybe I'll think of what it was later, or other stuff to share.

I hope that you all have a great day. I'm sure gonna do my best to enjoy mine!

Talk to you all soon!

Love,
Lev

Oooops...I know what it was. And sorry for the repeat, cause I've already told some of you about this problem. Anyone else got any ideas, I'd sure appreciate it.



When defraging my computer, I notice that I have several fragmented files, that won't defrag. #1, I have no idea what they are. I've gone into my puter, and check my files, to see what might be on there that's taking up so much room. I've deleted everything that I can think that this would possibly be, or that I don't need, trying to free up space. I normally have about 49% free memory on my drive....now, the past few times, when I go to defrag, it's telling me I have anywhere from 25-33% free space, and these files that won't defrag. So...here's what I wanna know. Can I find out what/where these files are, so that I can see what they are, and delete them, if necessary? Is there a way to "make" them defrag?

If any of you have any ideas, I'd sure appreciate it. In the meantime, guess I'll just keep workin' on it.

There's just nothin' I can say about this....except Wow...the first time I read it. You'll understand why when you've read it for yourself. Pretty powerful, and I just had to share it with everyone.
Love,
Lev


BE THANKFUL
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a effort.
It's to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

Checkin' In

I'm finally here, back from the land of "no internet". I don't know what the deal is, but last night, after my son using the puter most of the night, and it working fine, when I tried to use the puter, I couldn't connect to the internet. It kept trying to tell me that there was no internet connection, but yet, my internet said it was working right. I finally just turned it off and went to bed....I was SO discusted!!!! I was sure that when I got up this morning, it would be back to the way it sould....just figured there was some kind of problem. Well, needless to say, I got up this morning, and it was doing the same thing. I was sure getting frustrated! I finally just unplugged my moden, and let it sit awhile. Just before leaving to take Lee to work, I plugged it back in and....SURPRISE!!!! Internet! So, now that Lee's at work, and I'm back home, maybe I can get something done on this thing! I don't know what causes it to do that, but it is very frustrating, and certainly aggrivating to me, when I can't get my puter or internet to work right!

I was sooooooo looking forward to those 5 days in a row off....boy, that bubble sure got burst yesterday at work, when Rex told me that the schedule had been changed. Of course, guess there's nothing I can do about it! It seems Rex, and Mary are both going to take some vacation days that are due them, so Rex is having Jacob and I come in and work the store by ourselves on Fri. and Saturday. It will be the first time he's turned the store loose with either one of us. I've been there almost 8 months, and Jacob has been there about 3...or so...I guess. Can't remember when he started. So, Rex informed me yesterday, that he was gonna trust us to hold down the fort. Hopefully, with the holiday weekend, as Rex stated, we won't be as busy either of those days as we normally are. So, it work today, off tomorrow, and back to work on both Fri. and Saturday. Lee has Sat. thru Mon. off. I was looking forward to spending the weekend with him here, but guess that's out of the question now. At least we won't have Rex, or "Miss Mary", down our backs all day. Nothing like workin' when the boss isn't around...hehehehehe!

Moriah's going to a friends today, and will be spending the night. It's a B.D. party. She'll be back sometime tomorrow. We're broke again, as usual, until Lee gets paid, tomorrow. Moriah needed some sort of little gift to take to Allie's, so when I took Lee to work, we put together a nice little chain, and pendant of her zodiac for her. We don't have to put out any money upfront, when we get something from the jewelry store...it will just be taken out of Lee's check. So, that helped. Moriah was all bent outta shape that she wasn't going to have a prez to take to the party. I assured her that we'd come up with something. I sure wouldn't have let her gone to a party empty handed.

Well, today is the day that is suppose to be the day from "hell"....according to the weather guys. Temps today are to close to 100, with heat index of 105 or greater. Boy, it's gonna be a hot one!!! It wasn't too bad yesterday, at work...I was kinda surprised. But, it's hard to say what the heat will be like in there today. Mind you, this is a drycleaners...with NO AC!!! All we have are fans, and when you get 4 presses, all blarin' hot steam, you can imagine what it feels like in there! Hopefully, it won't be as bad today, but it's gonna be hard to say with temps. as high as they're suppose to be. Mary has worked there for 4 years, and she says she's seen it get to about 120 in the cleaners at times. Thats HOT! She told me yesterday, that at one time, Rex had hung a thermometer in the cleaners....the company made him remove it! Guess they didn't want their employees knowing how hot it gets in there. I guess there have been suggestions of trying to put in AC...but from what I hear, the company isn't willing to swing for that expense! You'd think that would be against some kind of work code...or something, to have people working in a sweat box that can reach 120. I've got a small one that I'm tempted to take with me either Fri. or Sat. when I work, and just see what temp it reaches in there! Might be interesting!

Well, guess that's about all I have to report today. There isn't much exciting going on right now! Just the same ole' same ole'... lol Hopefully, I'll be back here tonight...if the internet don't do it's thing, again!

Hope that you all have a great day...and hope it's a little bit cooler than mine is gonna be!

Take care....
Much love,
Lev

HELLO..... :-)

Hi eveybody...how are you all doin' so far this morning? I'm sittin' here working on my 3rd, and last, I do believe, cup of coffee, and decided to drop in on all of you. Sorry, I didn't get in last night before heading off to bed. Amanda had to work last night, so Landon and the boys came over and had supper, and spent the evening hangin' out here, then Amanda came and got them when she got off. She spent some time on the puter when she got here, and while she was doin' that, I made the mistake of sitting in the recliner to watch some TV. The AC was crankin' and I was a tad on the chilly side, so covered up with an afgan to warm up a bit.... hahaha that was "all she wrote" for me...next thing I remember, it was a little after midnight, and Landon was tappin' on my leg, sayin' "Nite, Mama". I'd passed out like a light! lol A bit after they left, I got up and came in to recheck emails, clean disc, defrag, all that stuff I do before turning off the puter for the night. It wasn't that it was so late then, but I was half asleep, and then on top of that, when I feel asleep, my head must have been cocked in the strangest position, cause when I woke up....talk about a case of "stiff neck". I couldn't even hardly move my head, much less hold it strainght. All I could think of then, was being able to lay it down on a pillow, and hope the crick would go away! lol

Landon, Moriah, and Kenny did some swimming yesterday afternoon, but I didn't go. With Gabriel, not being able to go swimming, because of the stitches in his hand, someone had to stay with him. We did all go to the pool, which I knew wasn't going to be easy, cause as I suspected, it was tough keeping Gabriel away from the edge, and making sure he didn't stick his hand in the water. Poor little guy would sit there at times, and just stare at everyone else in the pool....you could just tell by the look on his face, that he wanted to be in there so much! He is 3, and this is really the first time he's had access to a pool/water on a regular basis. He's been in the water before at a younger age, but just not much. The first couple of times that they took him, he didn't know much what to think. He enjoyed being in, but wanted to cling to you like a vine. We had the floaties on his arms, and kept trying to show him that he wasn't going to sink...but...that's rather difficult for a 3 yr. old to understand. He would just have a fit if you tried to let go of him. I kept sayin' that once he figured out the kickin' of the feet....you couldn't get him to do that for nothin'!....I knew he wouldn't stop. lol A couple of days later, I'm hearing Landon talk about Gabriel's swimmin' all over the pool, like a fish! hahahaha... And Kenny, jumpin off the diving board...he wouldn't do that the last time we were swimming with them. So, we find out later, that "Daddy", finally took matters into his own hands (he was really tired of hearing the screamin' and cryin', everytime someone would try to let go of either of them, or have them try something, to teach them more), so, at one point, I guess, or to the best of my understanding, Landon picked up Kenny, who is 6...mind you, he'd go into the deep end, just not off the diving board...anyway, Landon picked him up, got on to the diving board, and manually, assisted Kenny off the end. LOL.... Needless to say, he got right out of the water, and wanted to go off the dive again! So...we broke that problem. Kenny jumps off the board, and is now starting to learn how to dive off the board. GABRIEL....there is just meaness poppin off the look on his face....hehehehehehe He is SO MUCH LIKE HIS DADDY....it's like lookin' at Landon when he was a little kid. lol Gabriel would cling to you like Saran Wrap...hehehehe I guess Landon was getting a little perturb at this also, so decided that one day, he just give Gabriel a little nudge into the pool...by himself...(don't freak...he had the floaties on)...then stood there and watched him...Gabriel having a fit, I suppose, and Landon, constantly telling him to kick his feet...It finally sunk in....the fit stopped, and now Gabriel too will go from one end to the other of that pool, and NEVER wants to get out...lol We still haven't gotten him to do the head under the water....and he won't jump in off the side, but he just paddles like a little row boat, all over that pool.

I got Lee dropped off at work this morning, then came home, and spent sometime searching through the manuel to his cell phone (I got him one for Father's day). We're still tryin' to figure out some of the settings. He's got it set now on what is called "auto answer". The phone rings, then he has 15 secs. to answer it, or it automatically answers for you. This is GREAT if you're driving down the road, he doesn't even have to touch his phone, just wait for it to answer, then start talking! He really liked this feature....until.... The first day he went back to work, I decided to call him on my break...just to give him a chance to use it....like a couple of kids, playin' with a new toy. The auto answer rang, but no Lee! "Lee", "Lee"...."Hello"...."Hello"...."Leeeeeee"....this went on for awhile....I can hear people talkin'. I finally just hung up, cause no one answered...except the phone...lol. Well, not only is it set on auto answer, it is also set on SPEAKER PHONE...so, when I had called Lee, at work, remember, he was waiting on a customer, his phone sitting on his work bench,.... TALKING...speaker phone blaring... "Lee"..."Lee"... He's getting dirty looks from his boss... and I guess when the customer finally left, Rob told him... "Something has to be done with that phone...we can't have it goin' off like that in the middle of work!" Well drat...for the life of us, we can't figure out how to get it off of "auto answer". It isn't anywhere in the book, or not listed as "auto answer". I'm sure it is under some other setting, but we can't seem to find it. We're going to have to though, cause right now, Lee just turns his phone off when he gets to work. Hopefully, we can figure out how to get it set right. One of the reasons for getting it was so that i could get ahold of him, without having to call his work number. Kinda defeats the purpose, if the phone is off the entire time he's at work.

I'm looking forward to this weekend even more now, than I was before. I mentioned, that it's gonna be 5 days off in a row for me, and I'm going to enjoooooooy that! Lee told me last night that the store is going to be closed Sat. and Mon. They're normally closed on Sunday anyway, except the weekend before Christmas. So, Lee is going to have Sat, Sun, and Mon. off also. I work today, and tomorrow, and then that's it for me, till next Tues!

I'm still battin' around ideas for the 4th. There are several different things we could do. We may even try and combine some of them together. Landon told me that Amanda does work, but she works at a convenience store, they're open 24-7, holiday or not. But, she'll be getting time and 1/2 on pay, so that will be nice! Landon just started a new job, so he's not sure if they're closed or not, but we are assuming that they will be, since it's a family establishment. No one's going to be going out to eat on the 4th....they'll be packin' their picnics, and firing up their backyard grills. So, I don't really expect Landon to have to work on Mon. I haven't check with Kirk and Tara-Lee yet. I'm not sure what his plans are or if he works. Something tells me that a 4**** restaurant, won't be open on the 4th either. So, we'll just have to see what we can put together.

It is suppose to be another scorcher her today. It is suppose to reach 93 today, and 98 tomorrow, with heat indexes of 105 today...and tomorrow reaching 100 or over. So, the next couple of days are going to be miserable ones, as far as the heat goes. The next two days would definately be the days to be stuck in the pool. Noooooooo...not me! I'll be stuck in a HOT drycleaners all day....Lord only knows what the heat index will be in there today!!! Thursday, we have a chance for some much need rain...they're not saying what %age, just isolated thunderstorms. It's been over a week since we've had any. I've been watering my plants outside, like crazy, but they could sure use a good drenching!

Well, from the looks of the length of this email, it appears I've had tooooo much caffine! hehehehe Guess I really got to blabbin'! LOL I suppose I'll lay off the coffee now! Better lay off this email too, or you'll all get bored to death...LOL

Hope that you're all having a great morning, and a wonderful afternoon to come. Think of me in that hot drycleaners, while you're all relaxin' by the pool, or playin' in the surf! Take a dip for me! I'll be back to night to check in with ya'll!

HAVE A GOOD ONE!
Much love,
Lev

Good Mornin' everyone....
Just thought I'd drop in this beautiful morning, and say "Hey!" How's everyone doin' today...wonderful, I hope!
I got Lee off to work, and am headed out to Landon's in a bit. Moriah spent the night out there. I've got to hit the store today sometime, and then don't think I'm gonna do much else. I'm not even sure if I'll try and do any swimming later, when I go to Landon's. I guess I'll just see how I feel when I get there. It may just all depend on how hot I am...cause it's suppose to be another scorcher today too! But, summer is finally here, and I'm LOVIN' it!!!
Lee already told me, when I dropped him off at work, that he just wanted to go home after work, so I don't guess I'll try and set up an type of get-to-gether for tonight. We had a good night together last night, but it is nice to spend a restful evening in your own home. I'm sure that we'll be back out there within the next couple of days. We don't stay away from the grandkids, (or the pool...hehehehe) for very long! They were at their other Nana and Papa's last week. Boy, was it quiet, and were we glad to see them again, when they got back. But they sure had a great time while they were there.
Well, guess I'll head outta here. I've got a couple of things to do before I head for Landon's, so I'll let you all go, and get about your day. I will be back here later...the good Lord only knows when...lol....cause I sure don't, But probably in the later afternoon sometime. I hope that you all have a wonderful day, and I see you all later, and catch up on all that's new with you.
Talk to ya soon
Much love,
Lev
 

Rounding out the weekend

It's late again, and I've finally gotten around to dropping in and saying "Hi!" It has been a full day today. It was WONDERFUL not having to set the alarm, and get up this morning. I didn't get up till a little after 10. We just hung out around the house this morning. Lee watched TV, and I drank my coffee, and messed on the puter.

We left about 1, went to the grocery store, and picked up a few things to fix for supper, then headed to Landon's to take in some swimming. We had a great time at the pool. Unfortunately, Gabriel couldn't go swimming. He ran into the bedroom window, and cut his hand. They had to put 6 stitches in the back of his little hand. So, no swimming for him, for awhile. He really wanted to go, to...he just couldn't understand why.

Dinner was great, and then we watched some movies. Moriah decided to stay at Landon's tonight so she could swim again tomorrow. So, just Lee and I headed for home. I guess we got here a little after 11. Lee heads back to work tomorrow, but I have the day off. I work Tues. and Wed., and then will have that GREAT 5 day holiday coming. I normally have Thurs off, and would work Fri, since this is my Sat. to be off. But, I worked one day for another lady, so she's taking my place of Fri. With Monday being July 4...Lee will have the day off too...and possibly a long weekend. I'm not sure what our plans are for the 4th, but it's a big deal for our family.

I've got a couple of more links I'd like to add to my blog. Maybe I can get around to that tomorrow, and a couple of other ideas I'm working on. I'll make sure and let you know when they're added. The house isn't in too bad a shape, so maybe I won't have to spend too much time on it tomorrow either, and can spend a little more time here, which is always nice.

I hope you all had fabulous days! I know ours was great, and it was a very relaxing day! I hope yours was the same!

Hope to talk to you all soon...

Much love,
Lev

HAVE A WONDERFUL LORD'S DAY...LEV 

Today has been one of those days, kinda like yesterday was, non-stop, from the time I got up. I was adding to my blog last night, as if it wasn't already late enough, and I should have been in bed, since I had to get up so early, and naturally, when you're in a hurry, nothing seems to go right. I click "send" on a post, and then proceed to "view my blog", to see the recently published post. Much to my surprise...all of my messages are way down at the bottom of the page, and not where they should be. I PANICED!!! hehehe
Help, Bella, Help!!!! And, as usual, she came to the rescue, giving me a couple of ideas, and they worked like a charm. It did require having to save, then delete, then repost, 4 different posts, but at least my blog is back to looking like it should! Thanks again, SOOOOO MUCH....Bella!
Considering that I didn't get to bed till almost 3 a.m.,it was amazing that I was able to get up when I did. At least it wasn't quite as bad as Friday morning. This morning, I didn't get up till a little before 8. Friday, it was 6:30, cause I had to work a morning shift, which I normally don't do. I headed off, took Lee to work. Kirk, Tara-Lee, and Eva, got here about 10:45, and Tara-Lee fixed us a nice breakfast, bacon, and eggs, and biscuits. I had to leave for work around 11:30, and they were going to hang out here at the house, and do some laundry. Kirk had to be at work at 4. I headed out for work, and decided to give Landon a buzz on my cell....see what his plans were for the day. He too, had to work tonight, but Amanda was off. I told him that we might be out tomorrow to do some swimming...it's a possibility we may be doing some babysitting too. Landon has to work tomorrow night, but he wasn't sure about Amanda. We may have to stay with the boys, if amanda has to work too.
Lee's gonna try and spend some time looking at the car, and seeing if he can figure out why the silly thing stopped running. As if I need to dump anymore money into cars... And I've still got stuff that HAS to be done to mine. Right now, I'm riding on a tire with the steel belts showing through. I need a front end allignment, and a new tire! BAD!!!! and SOON!!!! Plus, we still have to figure out what the deal is with the oxygen sensor....or whatever the problem is! If we have to watch the boys tomorrow night, Lee may have to try and do that tomorrow morning sometime. I know for a fact he sure won't set the alarm, and that is a wonderful thought, in itself!!! So, hopefully, we'll be able to accomplish a little bit of everything that we need/want to do....the car, some swimming, babysitting.
I figured out the deal with my pictures not showing up. It was just a setting that had to be changed under my cd drive. Also, just had to pop in the disc and reinstall my microsoft picture it express. Somehow it had gotten taken off.
Work went pretty good. It wasn't terribly busy, and the day seemed to go by fairly quickly. It was horribly hot in there again today. Mary, the older lady I work with, has warned me, ever since I started, about how hot it got in there in the summer. I love summer, and hot weather. I'd take 100 over 30, anyday, if given the choice. I do not like cold weather. All winter long, I talk about how I can't wait till summer comes. How I wish it were summer!!! When it finally gets here, you will definately hear me complain about the heat, BUT...you'll never hear me say, "I wish it were winter again." We have a huge fan in the back...a drive up window, and a sliding glass patio door at work. They stay open all the time, and we almost always get a wonderful breeze through there. Strong enough to have us chasing tickets across the floor, that have blown off our decks. But, without that fan, you would swear you'd walked into the Sahara!!! It is soooooo horribly hot and humid in there from all the steam of the presses. Mary has said that she's seen it hit 120 in there on really really hot summer days. We've been having mid 90's for the past few days, and the humidity is awful. It is so miserably sticky! THAT....is when you want the pool!!! .... or ocean! Anywhere, where you can stay coooooooooool!
Well, it's a little after 1 here. Even though I don't have to get up tomorrow morning, since it's been 2 and 3am the past couple of nights before I even got to bed, maybe tonight, I should try and make it not far from the 1 am. mark. I'm really looking forward to this sleeping in tomorrow! I haven't had much in the past couple of days, and I think it's starting to catch up with me...hehehehe I'll have to get some sleep, or might fall asleep in the pool tomorrow and drown myself...heheheee I have been know to fall asleep in a hot tub before. It's a wonder I wasn't blowin' bubbles then. LOL
I hope that you all had a beautiful day. I hope you some is beautiful, and blessed, as well.
I look forward to talking to you all tomorrow.
Sweet Dreams...Nighty Nite
Much love,
Lev
 

I read a post in one of my groups, a member who was concerned for a friend of hers, that might possibly lose her job, along with other problems in her life. She was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say, or tell her friend. She was looking for suggestions from other member of the group, on what might need to be done, or said to help out her friend. Naturally, her friend is upset, and worried about what the outcome will be if her job is lost. On several occasions, I have talked with friends who have gone through difficult times, and there are times when they felt as though there was no way out...that one thing just kept piling on another. It is VERY easy to be overwhelmed, and feel as though your world and life are falling apart. Boy...do I know that feeling! I have shared my thoughts with many of these friends, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to share them with you now. All of us, at one time or another, have faced attrosities, that we thought would destroy our lives. We were sure our lives would never be the same, or right, ever again! But.... Somehow, we make it through...
Below, you will see how I make it through some of the trials that I've personally faced in my life.
I actually had a friend tell me the other day, that she missed my "preaching"....hehehehe Although, I know some of you sure don't...lol But, to answer this, as I would, it is going to involve a little.
I believe that everything happens for a reason.... "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3. I truely believe that God never closes a door, unless He opens another one for us somewhere else, or at least cracks a window, so we can get some air, until He can open the door at the right moment. I've seen it happen too many times in my life. Some would call it something else other than God. ...coincidence...luck...but I don't really believe it that. I only have to look back at my life, the things that have happened. And, because of alot of those things, at times, by life went in a completely opposite direction. But, it the long run, it has all lead me to where I am today. Had all that not happened....where would I be?
I was 22, and 7 months pregnant, when I found out that my husband of almost 5 yrs. was having an affair. I remember thinking that my life was over, and my world falling apart around me....what was I going to do, where would I go...how would I EVER live without this man in my life? This is something that was NEVER going to happen to me!!! There have been several jobs, that when all seemed to be going smoothly...out of the blue, it was over. What's going to happen, how will I pay the bills? I've received word of the death of loved ones, and my heart be so broken that I thought it would never repair. But, each one of these incidents lead me on a different path, and the husband that I was so sure I could never live without, faded from my life, and was replaced by one that ..... well, guess I can't finish that sentence....cause there are just no words to describe what Lee is to my life. There was always another job that came along....often with better pay, or more hours, or better hours. The sadness of the loss of loved ones gone, have always been replaced with happy memories. It has brought me three beautiful children, 3 beautiful grandchildren, and another on the way. It has brought me into friendships that will last a lifetime. Every path in my life, brought me here, and I wouldn't change where I am now for ANYTHING in the world, or ANY amount of money. All of these daily happening in our lives, take us through life, and mold us, and make us what we are. Without having to face all these things we have, we wouldn't be the people we are today. They make us stronger, more aware, more compasionate, more loving, and more understanding, of all that goes on around us in this world.
For me...the one thing that has gotten me through all the trials in my life, has been my faith,... that there was a God,... watching me, guiding me in the right direction, and caring for me. Faith can be a VERY hard thing, at times. I sometimes wonder why...because we don't need very much at all....just enough faith the size of a mustard seed, the bible says. And if you've never seen one, you will be amazed how small they are. Surely, I can have that much faith!
Probably the thing I hear most from people, when things are going "bad" in their lives, is...."How could a God of love, let all the horrible things happen in this world?" I guess I can understand that to a point. He IS all knowing, and all powerful, so why doesn't he just stop all this? He is allowing it to happen! I hear that a lot. I guess people need to blame someone, but I could never understand why they would blame such attrosities on God...a God of love, rather than on the evil that is in the hearts of men. THAT is what causes a lot the horrors of this world. One other thing that I hear a lot of also, is why did God allow this to happen to me? Boy, I can sure testify, that I have asked God that very question, on several occasions. Why did God let my husband get cancer? Why is one of my children bi-polar. Why did God allow my house to burn, and we lose so much? I don't know! But... I do know that God has put a stop to my husbands tumor growing. It hasn't increased in size in 5 years. PRAISE GOD! I do know that God spared 2 of my children, and has His angel spread their wings about them, the night my house caught on fire. I do know, that God touched and healed my husband, as he lay near death. So why should I say that He caused so much pain, when He worked miracles in my life on all those occasions?
Not long after our house fire, a dear friend of my sent me something. It has touched me more than almost anything I've ever read before. In the previous year before she sent this, I had faced the death of my aunt, Lee's hospitialzation with a bleeding ulcer, the death of Lee's step father, Lee's diagnosis of cancer, and a fire that destroyed about 1/2 of everything we owned. Believe me,... I sure felt like it was pouring....and pouring ONLY ON ME AND MINE! I was TIRED of being in the HOT SPOT!!! This email she sent also hit very close to home, because of the fact that my husband Lee is a jeweler. I remember, after reading this for the first time....and read it a loud to Lee also, I turned to Lee and said..."is this really what you have to do?" With all that we had just been through, this hit him very hard too. He looked at me with tears rolling down his cheeks, and said..."yes. That's the way it HAS to be done."
So, as you read this, you can think about all the times that you've felt like God was holding you in some sort of "hot spot"....This helps us understand why, at times He does.
I would remind everyone, that we must have faith...that God will supply EVERYTHING, we need...including a new, and probably better job, if that's what it comes to. If you feel like you're in the hot spot, just remember, this is your chance to shine, in the eyes of God. Not one sparrow falls to the ground that God is not aware of. He feeds the birds of the air...they want for nothing. So, how much more does He care for us....His Children?
Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered
what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of
the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get
back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a
silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She
didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her
curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the
silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He
explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the
middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the
impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot
spot. then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a
refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there
in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The
man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver,
but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the
fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would
be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the
silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and
answered, "Oh, that's easy...when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God
has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in
you.
Love,
Lev

 

The weekend is underway. I am definately glad about that!
I got Lee off to work. On our way into work, we passed a yard sale. They had a tent set up that appeard to be in pretty good condition. We use to have one, but it bit the dust...hehehehe We've been wanting to do some camping this summer with the grandboys. The one they had at the sale was a little domed 2 sleeper....perfect for two little boys. I suggested to Lee that I stop and see what they wanted...and he agreed. We figured we could buy a new one for about $15-20. We figured we'd pay about $10-12 for this one. The tent was in really good condition, except for one small hole in the door screen, but I think that can be fixed. She wanted $1 for it, and I could have probably talked her down to less...which is what you do at garage sales, and yard sales...but....I didn't, and just agreed to give her the $15. So, we now have started to rebuild our camping collection. I think we can do it for not too bad of an expense. Plus, if we do it a little at a time, it won't be so bad on the pocket book, as going out and buying it all at once. About 3-4 times a year, at work, they go through and pull old clothes, etc. from our lines at work; those clothes that people have never picked up, and pull out those that are over a year old. Then they're usually donated. I'm not sure if we have any, but I may ask Rex if they'd happen to be any sleeping bags. If there are, I might ask if I can pay for the cleaning and take them. That would sure be cheaper than buying new. I think we charge about $12 bucks to dryclean a sleeping bag. You sure can't buy a new one for that.
I only had a chance to drink about a cup and 1/2 of coffee before leaving to take Lee to work. Sure not enough to wake me up...hehehehe So, here I am now...starting on my 4th cup...lol! Maybe this one will do the trick. I think after this one, I'll be coffeed out! lol
Kirk and Tara-Lee and Eva should be here pretty soon. We're going to fix some breakfast, and they're gonna hang around till I go to work. I'm not sure what they're going to do after that. I don't guess we have anything planned for this evening, like going to Landon's or getting together with the kids. Or at least, no plans have been made yet. I'm not even sure if Landon works today...or Kirk. I have a feeling that Kirk will. He is a waiter at a 4 **** star restaurant, here in town. Saturdays are busy nights for them. So, depending on what everyone is doing, will probably determine what we're doing tonight. Lee may not feel like going anywhere, and just wanna come home after work. Guess we'll see how the day goes! He does enjoy going to Landon's at times, and having a nice relaxing swim in the pool, just to unwind from the stresses of the day.
Both of my boys love to cook...and have ever since they were little. Landon use to stand on a stool in front of the stove when he was about 6, so he could scramble his own egg! LOL I tease Kirk, that he is a much better cook now, than when he was younger. One time when he was about 9, he decided to fix a grilled cheese sandwich! HA HA HA...... I had to explain to him why you don't fix a grilled cheese sandwich....cheese side on the griddle!!!! Boy, talk about a stinkin' burnin' mess...LOL Kirk has always been one for the fancier cuisine. Landon, is a down home, gravy and biscuits cooker like me! lol Kirk waits at a **** restaurant... Landon cooks at a small local diner ... and boy do they have the BEST catfish!!!!
We still haven't heard anything else from Lee's mom on the motorcycle. I know that it's probably eatin' a hole in Lee's gutt, wondering what's going on....(even if he isn't saying anything). I know how badly he's been wanting a bike, so I know he is really anxious about whether this will take place. I know that the anticipation and waiting is exciting and nerve wracking, all at once. I know it is for me, and although I'd be TICKLED TO DEATH, to have another bike, I know it doesn't mean near as much to me, as it does him. I guess it means so much to me, because I know how much it means to him....when Lee's happy, I'm happy. I guess that's what it's about though...seeing those that you love when they are happy, makes you so happy for them! Our last bike was taken from us by a very deceitful acts. It was not right, and that made it all the harder to deal with...plus it was done by a relative, which even made it worse....wondering how someone who claims to "love" us, would do such a thing. But, anyway, Lee and I both have always said, since that day, that one day, God willing, we "would" have another one. We have trusted Him to make it possible! It looks now as though it may happen. We'll just keep praying, and wait and see! Now that Moriah is older and can stay by herself for awhile, or go visit her brothers, Lee and I would love to get involved again with the CMA (Christian Motorcyclists Association), as we were before, when we had our bike, while living at the lake. There is a CMA Chapter here in Columbia. Even without a bike, we would have been welcomed to get involved with the chapter here, but it always makes it so much more fun when you actually HAVE a bike...
Well, it looks like I have a full fledged book started here...hehehehe....guess my mouth got a little carried away...lol I do have a tendency to do that at times...
I hope that all of you have a great day! Even at 9:30 am, you can tell it's gonna be another scorcher here! I'm not sure what the temp is suppose to be today...haven't seen any weather yet. But, I'm sure we're lookin' at at least the lower 90's. I will, no doubt, be back here tonight, at some point or another, depending on whether we go do anything after work. I get off at 5:00, anyway, so should still have some time to come home and touch base with everyone here, before having to leave to do anything. So, I'm sure you'll see me later....( I know that you're all SOOOOOOOO thrilled at that!
Have a beautiful day, and I'll talk to all of you later on this evening! Be Cool!
Much love,
Lev



 

HAVE A BLESSED SABBATH...LEV 

Friday's come and gone

Boy...has it been a long day. I feel like I haven't stopped all day long.Well, as you may see, when you visit my blog...it is ALLLLLLLLL messed up!!! I have no idea what has happened, or how to fix it. It was fine when I was in there this afternoon, but when I posted tonight, well....it's not right! If anyone has any ideas how to fix this, I hope you'll let me know. Lev is not going to be a happy camper if I have to do this all over again!!! You may see some fur fly!!! lolI took Moriah's negatives back to Wal-Mart, and they're going to redo the disc for me. I'm not sure what's going on there either. ??? When Wal-Mart put the CD in their computers, the pictures show up fine. But when I put the CD in my puter this afternoon, there wasn't anything showing up...like the CD was blank. Anyone got any ideas what might cause that? When I got home from Wal-Mart, I even took another picutre disc I had here, that I know works, but when I put it in....nothing! Why would none of my pictures on my CD be showing up?????I'm tellin' ya, between both of our cars actin' up, Moriah's pictures, all the runnin' I've done...it has just made it one DOOOOOZIE of a day! Where's the rubber room? lolIt's off to work again tomorrow. I never know what to expect on a Saturday. They can sure be nuts at times. When I left today at noon, we hadn't had that much stuff come in. Hopefully, they didn't add a ton of clothes to it when the afternoon shift came it. I definately don't wanna be stuck there tomorrow any longer than I have to be. After the week I've had, I'm going to be MORE than ready for 5:00 to get here tomorrow, so I can head into my weekend! Boy, that sleepin' in will sure feel good come Sunday morning!!!It was a hot one today. The temp. reached about 93...but with the humidity that we have in Missouri, it probably felt about 98. It was a scorcher today! I sure hope it's this hot come Sunday...this Nana will be headed for the pool at Landon's!!! I am sure hoping that next weekend is going to be nice. With the July 4th holiday coming...I have really lucked out at work. Naturally, we're closed on the 4th. Next week, Rex has me working a coupld of days that I normally don't, and by doing that, I've ended up with Thurs, Fri., Sat. Sun., AND Mon. off!!!! Wow...how did I rate that!!! You can bet that I'll be spending a few of those days at the pool!Well, it's getting late...about 1:15. I didn't get much sleep last night either....didn't get to bed till about 2:00, and then was up around 6:45, and then ran all day to boot. lol Still only the one car, so I'll have to get up tomorrow to take Lee to work. Kirk and Tara-Lee, and Eva are coming over tomorrow morning. She's going to borrow my hair scissors. They're also going to bring some stuff for breakfast, and we'll share some breakfast together. I don't go in till noon. I'm not sure what Kirk and Tara-Lee are doing tomorrow, if Kirk works or what. They've been doing alot of fishing on his days off, so if they do that tomorrow, Moriah may want to hang out with them rather than spending the afternoon here by herself. Guess we'll find out what all is happening tomorrow. I know she gets bored, so I let her spend quite a bit of time with them, or with Landon, when she wants. Since Kirk and Tara-Lee are going to be leaving around the 1st of Sept. for Australia, I'm really glad that Moriah is able to spend time with him. She has already told me, that she doesn't much like the fact of him leaving. She's never been away from him...especially that far. We've always been within driving distance, and always less than an hour away. It is really going to be hard on her...as it is the rest of us. I sometimes really worry about Landon. He is going to be totally lost without his brother.I'm sure with company in the house tomorrow morning, my puter is lible to be occupied...unless I can get to it before them...hehehehe Hopefully, I'll be able to spend a little time on here tomorrow before leaving for work, and as far as I know...unless plans are made tomorrow, I'll be back here tomorrow night. I hope you all had a beautiful day! Sending loads of love your way!

Lev

HOW DID YOU SURVIVE?

If you lived as a child in the 40's, 50's, 60's or 70's how did you survive?

Looking back, it's hard to believe that we have lived as long as we have...

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. (Not to mention hitchhiking to town as a young kid!)

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times we learned to solve the problem.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable.
We played dodgeball and sometimes the ball would really hurt. We got cut and broke bones and broke teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.They were accidents. No one was to blame, but us. Remember accidents?

We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it.

We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank sugar soda but we were never overweight... we were always outside playing. We shared one grape soda with four friends, from one bottle and no one died from this.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, video games at all, 99 channels on cable,video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, Personal Computers, Internet chat rooms ... we had friends. We went outside and found them. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rung the bell or just walked in and talked to them.

Imagine such a thing. Without asking a parent! By ourselves! Out there in the cold cruel world! Without a guardian. How did we do it?

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment..... Some students weren't as smart as others so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade..... Horrors.
Tests were not adjusted for any reason.

Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. No one to hide behind. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law, imagine that!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 years has been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

And you're one of them.

Congratulations!

Please pass this on to others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before lawyers and government regulated our lives, for our own good

 

What a long day

Welp...here it is, almost 6:00. So much for wanting to come home and spending a relaxing afternoon. As I mentioned, I had to work this morning...8-1. I thought I was going to be doing pretty good, as everything was caught up and done by noon, and my boss said I could go ahead and leave. That was great news! Naturally....there had to be something get in my way. There usually is! Kirk finally got his car done today and needed a ride to go pick it up. After i left work, I called Moriah, and told her to be ready, that I'd come get her, then we'd take Kirk to his car, and then head to Wal-Mart to exchange a ( bra) lol...that didn't fit her(too little...hehehehe wish I had that problem..lol). Well, needless to say, after going to get her, taking Tara-Lee to go pick up a Western Union, drop Kirk off at his car, go to wal-mart...spend $85 that I didn't really have, we finally got back home a little after 5! Then, to boot, I have to go pick up Lee from work in about 1 hr.As most of you know, a few weeks back, we were working on both of our cars, trying to get them up and running, and some problems fixed. We finally got that done, and things were going rather smoothly. Our Buick was running better than it has in years, and the gas mileage was GREAT! It was REALLY nice not having to take Lee to work every morning, and having to pick him up each night. Well, that luxury hasn't lasted long. My car, started acting up again...the same thing, about a month later. Any mechanics around that would have any idea what would cause a oxygen censor to go out/short out. We have put in two, and neither of them lasted over a month...so something is causing it to go out. So..my car runs, although horribly!!!!! It misses and jerks something awful!Yesterday we were at Landon's swimming. Lee left around 3:30 to head back to town, pick up his check, and cash it, then was headed back to Landon's for supper. He arrived at work. Picked up his check, went next door to the bank, and when he got in the car to leave...it wouldn't start!!!! He tried for over an hour to get it started with no luck...so we ended up having to have it towed home, to the tune of $40. As if we needed that!!!!! So now, here we are, back to only one car running...and not running right on top of that. I just don't know when it ever ends....all the crap, that is. I guess, we should be thankful that it happened yesterday, on payday, rather than the day before, or we would have been screwed. We wouldn't have even had the money to have it towed, and with it being parked downtown Columbia, if we didn't have it done...the city would have it done for us. So, thankfully, we at least had the money to take care of it. The guy that lives across the street from us, that drives a tow truck, is the one who came to get Lee. Lee rode with him to our house, where they dropped off the Buick, then he picked up my car, and came on out to Landon's. We have already dumped so much money in that car...now, who knows what is wrong with it, and how much more that will cost, on top of still trying to figure out what is causing mine to blow oxygen sensors! I'll tell ya, between car repair, and the price of gasoline....I'm about ready to get me a horse and buggy, like the Amish, or Mennonites. I know grass, feed, or hay for a horse has got to be a whole lot cheaper than trying to maintain a car. If it's not one thing...it's something else!!!!!But...it has been a beautiful, hot, sunny day...which I loooooove! So...I guess I really don't have much to complain about. There are sure some with worse problems than cars that don't run right.I guess I'll head out of here for a bit. I'm going to leave a little early, and run some negatives by Wal-Mart.....again! Moriah had some of her pictures developed from the last day of school. We had then put on CD, but when we got home and put the CD in, there wasn't anything on it. So, I called, and they told me to bring them back by, and they'd do it again. I'm not sure what happened, but there wasn't a thing on the disc....empty as it could be! Once I drop that off, I'll run pick up Lee, then back to Wal-Mart, they said it would only take about 20 mins., and then head back home to the cool, AC. It's so hot here, I don't even want to cook, so we're doing a fruit plate...frest strawberries, bananas, oranges, cantelope, peaches, and apples. We also have cottage cheese to go with it, and I made some tuna salad...it's always good on crackers, and makes for a nice coooooool supper. I sure don't want to turn the stove or oven on, with the temp. the way it is outside. It's just so hot, you don't even feel like cookin'! So...I'll leave you all for now, but will be back later tonight to spend time with you all.Hope you had a GREAT day! Talk to you all soon!

Much love,
Lev

Good Morning, this Friday

Just wanted to drop in real quick and say a "Good Morning" to you all. Yeah...as you might notice it's a little early for me...I'm usually not up and around this early....but unfortunately, I have to work today...and a shift I don't normally work, on top of that. 8-1. It will be nice to be off in the middle of the day, and have the rest of it to myself. Hopefully, I can get back in touch with you later this afternoon and fill you in on all the latest. It was a CRAZY night last night....once again, when things seem to be running smooth, there always has to be something to try and add difficulty to everything. If it's not one thing...it's something else! Oh well, will try and get back to you all later with that story.

In the mean time...hope you all have a wonderful morning. I'd sure rather be spending mine here with you, and my coffee, that having to go to work, but will hurry back to spend the afternoon with you here. Have a GREAT day!

Much love,
Lev

Well, it's getting late, and it's been a long day, so I think I'll hit the sack. I just thought I'd drop in quickly and say "Good Night".
I didn't get much posting done tonight...I'll have to appologize to all my groups. I spent most of the night working on my blog, adding some new links, and changing colors. Hope you'll all drop by and see what's been added. I'm still thinking on more things to add.
I hope you all had a great day today(yesterday), and a wonderful evening. I think my Wednesday has caught up with me. I hope to drop in on all of you tomorrow!
Much Love,
Lev
 

Howdy!

Good Morning all....Hope you are all fine this Wednesday morning!

I'm sitting with my coffee, doin' good to see the puter screen, lol....doin' my best to wake up. Boy, this is one of those mornings that I could just crawl back into bed soooooo easy. That would feel SO good! But, unfortunately, I can't do that.

I'm meeting Kirk again today at about 11:30, to follow him to the mechanics to drop off his car, then run him back home, and head for work. I sure hope that today wasn't like yesterday was. We close at 6, but yesterday, starting about 5:00, the clothes, and people starting piling in sooo fast, and clothes piling up so high, we couldn't get anything done. When we finally locked the doors at 6, we still had clothes piled all over the place. By the time we got them all tagged and ready for today, we finally left work at about 7:15. Guess that's the latest that I've ever had to stay since working there. We're open from 7am to 6pm, so I sure don't understand why people wait till an hour before we close to start dropping things off. Believe it or not, we even had someone pull in last night a little after 7. Mary and I both laughed, saying that if he thought he was gonna get in after 7, he was CRAZY!!! I know, because we have had some mention it, that most of the customers don't realize what we have to do. They assume, that when 6 comes, that we can just turn off the lights, lock the door, and leave, regardless of the clothes that are piled in the floor. But, things don't work that way. All of the clothes that are brought in have to be tagged, and ready to go the next morning. We can't leave piles of clothes for the other employees to have to do the following morning. We've mentioned this to some customers, on different occasions, and it was evident that they didn't realize we were stuck there till all the clothes were done. Of course, it sure hasn't stopped them from showing up with tons of clothes at the last minute.

Well, guess there's been a change of plans. Kirk just called and isn't going to take his car in after all. It has been overheating, due to a couple of different problems. The radiator is leaking, plus the thermostate has gone out. Lee removed the thermostat last night, so that the car won't overheat, and this morning, Kirk ran to Wally World, and bought some "stop leak" to add to the radiator. That seemed to do the trick. That sure isn't the best thing to put in a radiator, but we know for sure that it is on it's last leg anyway, and at some point, will have to be replaced...so it sure isn't like the radiator is going to be damaged from it. Maybe this will hold them over for the next few months, rather than having to dump a bunch of money into their car. Considering that they're going to be leaving probably around the 1st of Sept., headed for Australia.

Kirk has the day off....Tara-Lee just called, and they're going to go fishing today...Landon, and his friend Dean are also going, so Tara-Lee called to see if Moriah wanted to go along, rather than be stuck here all day by herself. Listening to Moriah on the phone, I heard her say, "yeah, sure"....but, she's just rolled back over in bed, and is asleep again...lol. I'm not sure what time they're going to go, but evidently, not anytime soon....or she wouldn't be going back to sleep. LOL!

Well, Lee and I got lucky again. We both have tomorrow off! I'm not sure what we're going to do, but may head out to Landon's to do some swimming. It seems the past few times we've tried to do that, we've always ended up getting out there later than we'd planned, then our swimming time gets cut short. Maybe tomorrow it won't!

Lee and I have been pretty excited the past few days. As some of you already know, as I've mentioned it before, Lee and I use to have a motorcycle...which we LOVED...and miss TERRIBLY! We have not had it since 95'....way too long to be without one. Lee has been riding bikes ever since he was a boy, but we never had one as a married couple till 93', when we got an older Yamaha 750....not Lee's choice of bikes, (he's a Harley man), but it was better than no bike at all. We were blessed the following year to finally get our Harley....Wowwwww...we just loved it. But, due to circumstances beyond our control, it got ripped out from underneath us...(that's another story in itself, and one that still sets me on fire emotionally when I think about it). So, we've been without a bike now for almost 10 yrs. Anyway...Lee's mom called us the other night, and was talking to Lee. Lee's cousin, Craig, has a motorcycle for sale, (they live in Indianapolis), and Lee's mom was talkin' to Lee about what kind it was, etc. At one point Lee asked her how much Craig was wanting for it....to which she replied...."that doesn't matter"....SO...it appears that she is going to buy the bike for Lee!!!! I know how excited Lee is that he might have another bike before too much longer...he's tickled to death! We haven't heard anything more from her, but hopefully when we do, there will be some good news. It isn't a Harley, but like Lee says, it's better than no bike at all. It is a Yamaha Virago 920....so it isn't a "itty bitty" bike by anymeans...it's a good size bike! Being able to get back on a bike again, will make Lee SOOOOOOO happy! I sure hope that it all works out!

Well, guess that I'll head outta here for now, and try to catch up on some posts, and other stuff around the net. I hope that you all have a great day....it's beautiful here in Missouri. Hope it's as pretty where you all are! I'll be talking to you all soon!

Much love,
Lev

Out of the mouths of babes...

My 9 year old granddaughter was going to work with me. She asked how the Big Flood came to be, and I attempted to explain to her about the 40 days and 40 nights of rain and Noah building the ark, etc. After thinking about it a minute, she looked at me and said, "Were you alive?" -- Linda, Indiana When my oldest son was 5, he was asking me about the sun. I told him it was a giant ball of fire. After a few seconds, he asked me, "Does God light it every morning?" -- Melissa, Alabama My husband and I were having a new furnace and replacement of heating vents. My 5 year old son, Phillip, had been sitting on the basement stairs all day watching the furnace company employees work. I had come downstairs to check on my son and found him looking dejected with his head hanging down with a sad expression on his face. I asked my son "What was wrong?", and he told me "It is a shame that they had to kill ducks to make tape". Evidently, my son had been hearing the furnace workers throughout the day asking for the duct tape for the heating vents. -- Linda, Michigan While driving home from daycare one afternoon, my 4 year old daughter asked me "Mommy, where is God?" I stated that God is all around us. My daughter looked around the car and out of the window and stated "Well Mommy, I don't see him". -- Melody, Texas One Christmas season we were riding around looking at the Christmas decorations. This one house had a big Santa on the roof with the Santa's arm raised. My granddaughter who was 3 at the time said "look Grandma Santa's praising the Lord" -- Margie, North Carolina My son and daughter were only 3 & 4 years old when this happened. We were riding in the car and Matthew, age 4, ask me if Jesus' had a last name. I told him that Jesus didn't really have a last name like we did. Jennifer, age 3, quickly spoke up and said "Yes, he does! It's Jesus Price (Christ)!" -- Lori, Pennsylvania My wife and I spent many days explaining all of the relationships -- his mom, my wife, his dad, her husband, etc, etc. So one night I came home from a church men's meeting and as my habit I called out "I'm home, where is everyone??" And from our bedroom comes the small voice of my son -- "I'm in bed with your wife!" -- Raymond, Minnesota My granddaughter WAS TWO YEARS OLD and I was babysitting with her. She wanted something from the refrigerator and opened the door. After a long while she put her little hands together as if praying. Becoming impatient I said "Will you please shut the door if you have decided?" She turned to me and put her little finger up and said "I'll be with you in a moment! God's helping me to decide!" -- Joan, Ohio We were on our way to church one Sunday morning. My six year old son was sitting unusually quiet in the back seat. When I looked, he appeared to be in deep thought, so I left him alone. After a few minutes he says, "Hey Mom, I know what GMC stands for, God Made Cars!" He was so proud of himself that all I could say was,"yeah, I guess he did." -- Jolie, Florida My four year old daughter June and I were talking about God. She asked about Heaven and what we would have to eat. I told her that Heaven was flowing with milk and honey. She looked at me with great concern and said " I'm going to pack my lunch because I don't like milk or honey." -- Marcia, Tennessee When our daughter Macy turned 3, we had a party for her at Chuckee Cheese's, which she proudly told everyone about. Except she called it Chuckee JESUS! -- Janella, Missouri When my son, Bryan, was 8 years old, my husband and I took him and his 6 year old sister, Stacey, up in our airplane for a ride. We were flying through some clouds when we noticed there was a slight crack in the upper portion of the windshield. I asked my husband "What do you think could have caused that crack?" Bryan quickly responded "I think an angel's foot accidentally kicked it" -- Rene, Virginia. A Catholic Priest was visiting a family for dinner. He asked the children if they knew where God is. The children answered that God was in the flowers, the trees, etc. 5 year old David raised his hand and said, "I know where God is. He's in the bathroom". The Priest asked him how he knew God was in the bathroom. "Because every morning when my brothers and sisters are getting ready for school, they go by the bathroom and say 'God, are you still in there?'" -- Lillian, North Carolina My friend's husband said to his family "Oh I have a headache". His little 4 year old girl said "Daddy can I pray for you?" He griningly said to her that he would love that, and she began to pray with her little hand on her Daddies head. "Jesus, I thank you for my Daddies head and please make it stop hurting". Just in case you think the little ones don't learn anything at church...-- Susan, Texas My little niece was at the beach with my Dad. They were standing on the pier. She looked at the ocean and then at the Holiday Inn and said, "Isn't that nice that they built an ocean for the Holiday Inn?"--Karol, Ohio While keeping my six year old granddaughter, Emily, for an overnight stay we were talking about loving people. She said "I know you are supposed to love everybody, and I do, but I got my favorites."--Deanna, Ohio

 

Good Morning, everybody!
Hope you are all having a good day, so far.
I already feel like I've run a marathon! lol Kirk is having some problems with his car, and had asked me last night if I would follow him over to the mechanics this morning, and then drop him off at his groups. Naturally, he deeds to leave his house at 9, which means I have to get up a little earlier...which isn't my favorite thing to do. But, naturally, I agreed. I was his taxi for sooooo long, and it was definately nice when he got his car. Now, I'm remembering what it was like to have to run him here and there. So, before going to bed last night, I told Lee I needed to be up around 8. I hate getting up at the last minute, and then having to make a mad dash around the house, to get out on time. Needless to say, my eyes opened this morning at about 8:40! GREAT!!! So, here I am trying to swig down some coffee real quick, and wake up, then was going to call Kirk and let him know what was going on. I had only been up about 5 mins., when the phone rang...it was Lee, all of a sudden remembering that he was suppose to get me up! I called Kirk, and he hadn't gotten up and around as fast as he was going to either, so we decided we weren't in too much of a rush. Not more than 10 mins. later, he called back, saying that the mechanic had called, and had to reschedule their car. So....at least that was one thing we didn't have to worry about. I got them picked up a little before 10, dropped Kirk off and his groups, then Tara-Lee and I stopped by the store to grab a couple of things she needed....then back to her house, and finally home. I didn't get home till almost 11.
It's been hot and dry here, so when I got home, I decided that I'd better water my plants. Goofball me, ran off and didn't water them before we left for the lake, so they went two days in the heat with no water. Some of them looked a little on the wilted side. I watered them good yesterday morning and again this morning. Depending on what they look like, I may give them another soaking again tonight when I get home from work.
Got, my flowers watered, got ready for work, now, I'm able to sit down and spend the next little bit messin' here on my puter, before having to leave for work. Yep....it's back to the old work grind today. I always hate it, especially after a 3 day weekend...and such a great one, at that!
I don't guess we have anything planned for tonight. We've been at Landon's the past two nights, so I guess tonight we'll just be homeward bound after work. I've got a couple pieces of steak that I laid out to defrost for tonight. I think I'll come home from work and make beef strogonoff for supper. It doesn't take too long, and is really simple to make.
Kirk gave us one of his old cell phones. Of course, he won't be able to use it when he leaves for Australia. Moriah, of course, being the grown up 15 yr old that she is, thinks that she DESPERATELY needs one. lol We've been hearing it for some time. I'm definately not going to turn her loose with one...hehehehe. But, this one is pre-paid, so it won't be bad. We figured that it would be a good idea, with her getting older, and out more. Now, if she goes to the show, or a function at school, we're able to reach her. She knows that it's just for certain occasions like that, and not a everyday talker! lol It seems that she's going to do pretty good with it. Of course, she thinks shes "all that", now that she has her own cell, and her own number...hehehehe! We got 145 mins. for $20, so I don't think that's too bad. I wil need to add at least $20 to it, every 90 days, to keep it active. Hopefully, I can do that.
Well, I feel like I've written an epic here...lol Guess I'll sign off for now, but I wanted to touch base with everyone, letting you all know what exitement is going on in my life!!! HAAAAhaaaaaaaaaaaa There's time I could lay off on the excitement! lol
Hope that all of you have a beautiful day....and I'll check back in tonight, I'm sure.
Much love,
Lev
 

Good Morning to everyone!
It a little after 9, and here I sit with my coffee, trying to wake up enough to function. hehehehe I haven't been up for long. Hopefully, after another cup or two of coffee, I won't be so fuzzy! lol
It's going to be a beautiful day in Missouri. I'm glad I have the day off, so that I will be able to enjoy it. Moriah and I are thinking of going out to Landon's later today, and maybe do some swimming.
Well, we had a fabulous weekend! I sure didn't mean to run off without saying bye to everyone. We left Saturday afternoon for the lake. I tried 3 different times to post, letting everyone know that we were headed out of town for the weekend, but alas, my puter was not going to cooperate. All three times, the sucker froze on me, loosing my message. We finally had to leave, and I couldn't wait around any longer, to try sending another. So, I appologize to you all for just dropping off the "face of the puter"...hehehehe
We went down Saturday, to spend the afternoon, and evening with Lee's cousin Mike, his wife Paula, and their daughter Kelsey...who is just about 2 yrs. older than Moriah. We got there around 3, and had a wonderful visit with everyone. We had not seen them since Christmas. Mike is also the pastor of the church that we attend/attended, when we use to live at the lake. The church is called the "Rock House", and sure isn't your "typical" church. Their main ministry focuses on youth, and those who would probably not be accepted (even though they should be) by most churches as we know them. It is nothing to see several with spiked hair, tatoos, or piercings. They have great programs for those who are suffering with addictions, be it drugs, or alcohol. There are always several in attendance who are released from the local detention center, to attend church on Sunday morning. Those who are normally detained all the time, due to some type of trouble, are allowed out on Sunday morning, IF they will go to church. There have literally been 100's of people whose lives have been touch by this ministry. Saturday evening, we went to the Rock House, where they were having a vollyball game. We had a great time, and it was lots of fun watching some of the "older" ones try to play, and keep up with the youth...lol! We got up Sunday, and attended church, which was a BLESSING, as always! We sooooo miss not being able to attend on a regular basis as we once did when we lived there.
After church, we drove to Lebanon...about 25 miles, and spent the afternoon with my Dad and Mom, for Father's Day. We went out to lunch when we arrived, and then spent the rest of the afternoon visiting. We had a fabulous time, and it meant alot to my Dad, that we were able to come visit on "his" day. I know it was a special time for Lee...being a father, and being able to spend time with my Dad. Lee lost his step father about 4 yrs ago, and his father last year, so for him, my Dad is all he has left, and he completely enjoyed being able to spend the day with him.
We arrived back in Ashland, not far from Columbia, at Landon's house, a little after 8, where we were to spend the evening with Landon, and Kirk. Kirk ended up having some car overheating problems, and wasn't able to make it, but we did spend time with Landon, having supper, and watching some movies. All in all, it was just a wonderful weekend!!!!
So...today, I'll go pick up my check around 1, pay some bills, and then I think Moriah and I will head to Landon's and try to get some swimming in. It should be a beautiful day for that! If I'm gonna head out there this afternoon, I'm going to have to do something to this house before we leave. It is a little on the disasterous side, after being gone all weekend...unfortunately, it got left that way when we ran out of here on Saturday. Hopefully, I can get that done, and it won't take me too long.
Well, guess that's about it with the "catch up". I hope that all of you had a great weekend, and for those of you who celebrated Father's Day, I hope it was wonderful for you as well, whether it was spending time with your Father, or reflecting on wonderful memories of a Father that is no longer with you. Hope you all enjoy this beautiful day! Tomorrow, for a lot of us, we will usher in the first day of SUMMER!!!! YIPPPEEEE....Summer will FINALLY be here !!! Offically, that is!
Love to you all,
Lev
 

HAVE A BLESSED SABBATH SHALOM ...LEV 

Hey, Guys....GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE!
How's everyone doing,this "fine" Friday morning? I feel awful that I didn't even get in to say Hi, yesterday...not to any of my groups, didn't even get into my blog yesterday to post.
I was off yesterday....but needless to say, the phone always seems to ring early...waking me up, on a morning that I'm trying to sleep in just a bit. Yesterday, the phone rang just a little after 9. It was Kirk, wanting to know if they could come over and do some laundry. So....needless to say I was up a bit earlier than I would have chosen to be. But, it turned out that we did have a rather fun day here...despite the fact that they were doin' laundry...(i wasn't doing it, so it was a fun day...hehehehe) They were here till about 3. I enjoyed it though, it gave me an opportunity to play with Eva. She is just growin' like a weed!!!!
A little after 4, I left to go do some running around. I had to go pick up Lee's check when it came it, and then run to wal-mart to pick up a few things...not to mention some gas, considering that my car was on empty!!!! And I mean empty. I think it was runnin' on fumes! LOL On top of that....it's gone back up again... $2.05 a gal. REDICULOUS!!!!!! It cost $30 to fill up my little car....just a small Dodge...a 15 gal. tank, I think. There for awhile, it had gone down to about $1.95, which is high enough, but it was definately better than the $2.09 it had been. But, the minute the Memorial Day weekend kicked in....there it went....up again!!! Not surprising at all! They gotta stick it to ya on those holidays, or weekends, cause they know everyone has plans to go do something.
It seems every year, that I always have problems figuring out what to get Lee for father's day. It is this sunday, here in the states. It seems I always end up getting him something that isn't too exciting...hehehehe like underware, or socks, if he needs something like that! LOL Well, this yr., I think I came up with a good one...or at least he seems happy...(yeah, I gave it to him early...hehehehe) Back in Jan. for his birthday, I'd considered finding out what it would cost to add another cell phone to our service, but somehow just never got around to it. And, also, I was really not sure at the time if that's what I should do, so I just backed off. Well, I decided that it was probably a good idea, so I went yesterday, and added another cell phone to our plan, so that now Lee has one. I really think it is a good idea for him to have one. It doesn't cost anything between our phones...regardless of the amt. of calls. Lee is a diabetic, and there have been several occasions when he has had problems with low sugar. Times when he should have been home, and wasn't, and I had no way at all to reach him. So, hopefully this will be a little safety factor for him, and also give me some peace of mind, that I'm able to contact him at any time...regardless of where he might be. Moriah, and I met him at our favorite Mexican restaurant after he got off work, and we enjoyed a nice dinner. And...as I said, I decided to give him his Father's Day prez. early. He was really pleased!
We got a "lucky" weekend, this weekend. Lee and I both have Saturday off. It doesn't seem like it happens very often, or often enough, anyway. We've talked about possibly going to the Lake Saturday evening, spending the night with Lee's cousin, and family, then to church with them on Sun. morning, and afterward, about a 30 min. drive to go spend the afternoon with my Dad...for father's day...and Mom, of course. I don't know that we've really definately decided on whether we're going down Sat. night, or just going to drive to Lebanon to see Dad, on Sun. I guess that's something we're going to need to decide tonight, cause we'll have to give Mike and Paula a call, and let them know we're coming...or make sure they don't have plans. I guess, if they have something planned for the weekend, we'll just go to Lebanon on Sunday. Another question....what to get my Dad, for Father's Day????
Landon wanted us to come over last night, be we didn't get out of El Maguay's till almost 9:30. So, we may try to go out there tonight, for awhile. Landon, and Kirk both work on Sunday(through lunch), so, we're hoping that we can all get together Sunday evening for abit...probably at Landon's, on our way home, so that Lee gets to spend sometime with his children on Father's Day. It should be a great weekend here....the weather is suppose to be beautiful!
Well, got to work today, but my beloved, 3 day weekend isn't far away. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday....NO WORK!!!! So...once I get there today, I'll sure be looking forward to that 6:00 time!
Well, guys, guess I'll head outta here. But, I wanted to drop in and say "Hi", since I didn't get in to do that yesterday, at all. I hope you all have a great day! It is beautiful here in Missouri, and I'm going to do my best to enjoy mine. Hope you all do the same! LOVE YA ALL!
LEV 

SWEET DREAMS  

GOOD MORNING! 

Welcome to Wednesday

Welcome to hump day!!!
I'm so glad that Wednesday is here, now I'm headed down hill towards my weekend, which I always LOVE!

How is everyone doing this bright sunny morning? Or, I hope it is bright and sunny wherever you are. It is a beautiful day again in Missouri....I LOVE it!

Got to do the ole work grind again today. Yesterday wasn't too bad. It was a really slow day, compared to what we have been having. Usually, if it's that slow, the day also seems to creep by, but fortunately, it didn't seem to do that yesterday. It seemed to go by rather quickly.

We had a lovely time last night at Landon's house. Tara-Lee fixed lamb, which was ABSOLUTELY delicious....melted in your mouth. I haven't had lamb very often at all....only on a few occasion, at a pizza place here in town, that uses lamb to make their sausage...it is wonderful. The roast she fixed last night was soooo good. Lamb is as common in Australia, as beef is here in the states, so it is a regular staple there. It seems here in the states that lamb is more of a delicacy. It was fabulous though!

Amanda goes for an ultrasound today. So, I will have another picture of a "gerbil" to add to my refrigerator...hehehehe. We joke, that the first ultrasound picture they took of Eva, one of which I got, she was just so little, that she looked like a gerbil! lol You sure couldn't destringuish any features at all, at that early stage.

Do any of you have plans for this Father's day weekend? Lee had last Sat. off, but hopefully, is going to be able to get this Sat. off too, since I do too. We'd like to go to the lake on Sat., spend the night with Mike and Paula...lee's cousin, and then attend church Sunday morning. Lebanon, where my parents live, is just about 25 miles from the lake, so then after church, we plan on driving to Lebanon to spend the afternoon with my Dad.
I'd like for all of us to be able to get together here, with Lee and the kids. Hopefully, we can work out something for Sunday evening. I know that Kirk said last night that he had to work on Sun., but I'm not sure how late. Maybe at some point we can all get together, even if it is just for a bit. I know that it means alot to Lee, even if he doesn't say anything, because just a couple of yrs back, we didn't know if he'd ever see another Father's day. Now, since God gave him the miracle of another, it really means so much more to him, knowing how close he came to never having one again. It does, at times, take drastic measures to get our attention....doesn't it? A wake up call....God givin' us a thump on the head saying.... "Silly....wake up and smell the roses!!!" Lots of times, it those wake-up calls that makes us appreciate so much more, the beautify that fills our lives. I think, for the most part, this is something that doesn't seem to hit us, until later in our lives. I think it is ashame though, that we seem to not see it in our younger years. How much more fullfilled our lives would have been with this realization. I do know that it is something that Lee sure appreciates more now....more than he ever did before. Since his illness, there have been several times that he's mentioned that he realizes he came very close to never seeing another Father's day, or birthday, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. It makes those days, and everyother day, so much more precious!

Well...guess I'll get outta here...maybe do more email reading, and posting.
I hope that you all have a BEATUTIFUL day!
Enjoy it....treasure it!


Much love,
Lev

Three Old Men

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards, sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them, so she said: "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat." "Is the man of the house home?" they asked. "No" she replied. "He's out." "Then we cannot come in" they replied.
In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. "Go tell them I am home and invite them in." The woman went out and invited the men in. "We do not go into a house together" they replied. "Why is that?" she asked. One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth" he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."
The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!!" he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth." His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?" Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"
"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice" said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love to be our guest." The woman went out and asked the three old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."
Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other two also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?" The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but you invited Love, and wherever he goes, we go also. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!"
~ Author Unknown ~

Headed for work

Well....or at least it is still morning as I begin to write this. By the time I'm done, and it is posted, it will probably be afternoon. lol I had just a little bit of time before I have to leave for work, so thought I'd drop in on you all, and say "HI"! I hope that you're morning has been a good one, so far, and that your afternoon is even greater!!!!

It's beautiful in MO...about 74, and the sun's shinning brightly! It's suppose to be a beautiful day. We went for soooo long without rain, and needed it desperately, then it seems as though the past few days, that is all we've gotten...to the point of having too much, and flash flooding in places. They say it will be several days before the rain is headed our way again.

Well...as some of you know, I've been trying forever, it seems, to figure out how to share music, via email, groups, etc., without having to send it as an attachment. Well, I believe that I have figured it out as of last night. It was late, and I haven't really had the opportunity to "test" it out, but you can bet that if I've got it right, you all will be in for it...hehehehe I'll be sending music left and right!!!! LOL

I think I mentioned in my post last night, that the whole family's going over to Landon's tonight for supper...a little family get-to-gether. It's been a couple of weeks since we've done that. Sometimes, it's hard to get everyone together due to work schedules. But...we try as often as we can...especially if there is a special occasion...which tonight there is. But, that is a rather lengthly story, which I'd love to share with you, but don't have the time right now, as I have to head out for work in a bit. But, even after tonight, I will have a few more details to share. So, I'll make that another post.

Well, guess I better get outta here. Not that I really want to.
I hope you all have a great day, and I'll be talking to you all later.

Much love,
Lev