SCRIPTURE for SUNDAY

...the grass withers and the flowers fall

but the word of the Lord stands forever.

1 Peter 1:25

Painting: 'The Flower Seller'
Augustus E. Mulready, UK
1844-1905

SILLY SATURDAY

It's my story, and I'm sticking to it....
(well, maybe the first seven, anyway!)



*I don't do windows because ... I love birds and don't want one to run into a clean window and get hurt.

*I don't wax floors because ... I am terrified a guest will slip and get hurt then I'll feel terrible.

*I don't mind the dust bunnies because ... They are very good company, I have named most of them, and they agree with everything I say.

*I don't disturb cobwebs because ... I want every creature to have a home.

*I don't Spring Clean because ... I love all the seasons and don't want the others to get jealous.

*I don't pull weeds in the garden because ... I wouldn't want to mess with God's design.

*I don't put things away because ... My husband will never be able to find them again.

*I don't do gourmet meals when I entertain because... I don't want my guests to stress out over what to make when they invite me over for dinner.

*I don't iron because ... I choose to believe them when they say "Permanent Press."


(You think I'm kidding?) S: )

By the way, don't forget to turn your clocks back one hour tonight!
Yea! An extra hour of sleep!!

FALL FUN

We've had company over the weekend. What a great time we had driving through the mountains. They picked the perfect time to come up from Florida, as the colors here are about at their peak.
In fact, we were enjoying ourselves so much that we thought only once to take pictures. Here they are:
This particular area was just outside of Franklin, NC.

Susan & Toni

Johnny & Toni


Susan , Bill & Toni

We stopped to check out all of the quaint little shops in downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia, and also took a trip over to Mercier's Apple Orchard Shop. It's very popular (especially this time of year), & we could hardly find a parking place. They grow & sell every type of apple imaginable, as well as jellies, jams, pies, breads, etc.

Toni and Johnny are two of our favorite people. The weekend went by much too fast, though, and now they're on their way back to Florida.

CAN YOU RELATE?

'Please note that this Bank is installing new Drive-through ATM machines enabling customers to withdraw cash without leaving their vehicles.

Customers using this new facility are requested to use the procedures outlined below when accessing their accounts.

After months of careful research, MALE & FEMALE Procedures have been developed Please follow the Appropriate steps for your gender.'



MALE PROCEDURE:

1. Drive up to the cash machine.

2. Put down your car window.

3. Insert card into machine and enter PIN.

4. Enter amount of cash required and Withdraw.

5. Retrieve card, cash and receipt.

6. Put window up.

7. Drive off.



FEMALE PROCEDURE: What is really funny is that most of this part is the Truth.!!!!

1. Drive up to cash machine.

2. Reverse and back up the required amount to align car window with the machine.

3. Set parking brake, put the window down.

4 Find handbag, remove all contents onto passenger seat to locate card.

5. Tell person on cell phone you will call them back and hang up.

6. Attempt to insert card into machine.

7. Open car door to allow easier access to machine due to its excessive distance from the car.

8. Insert card.

9 Re-insert card the right way.

10. Dig through handbag to find diary with your PIN written on the inside back page.

11. Enter PIN.

12. Press cancel and re-enter correct PIN.

13. Enter amount of cash required.

14. Check makeup in rear view mirror.

15. Retrieve cash and receipt.

16. Empty handbag again to locate wallet and place cash inside.

17. Write debit amount in check register and place receipt in back of checkbook.

18. Re-check makeup.

19. Drive forward 2 feet.

20. Reverse back to cash machine.

21. Retrieve card.

22. Re-empty hand bag, locate card holder, and place card into the slot provided!

23. Give dirty look to irate male driver waiting behind you.

24. Restart stalled engine and pull off.

25. Redial person on cell phone.

26. Drive for 2 to 3 miles.

27. Release Parking Brake.

GO GATORS!!

This past weekend, the University of Florida GATORS had their Homecoming Parade, Gator Growl and Homecoming Game! It's a really BIG weekend for
all Gator fans!


My daughter, Jami, who is employed @ UF Libraries, made this fabulous papier mache Gator head for the Library's parade car. Oh, by the way, did I mention that she also drove the car in the parade? (She wasn't about to let that gator out of her sight!!) LOL


She didn't like any of the pictures of her driving, but I've posted a few other photos below...............

UF Library parade car with Gator and book on the hood....

Close-up of the papier mache GATOR head....

Judy Russell, Dean of UF Libraries, and Gator's Outstanding Freshman of the Year 1996 , #92, Reggie McGrew....

All set for the parade to begin............

Jami and former Gator football player, Reggie McGrew....

Close-up of Gator.....................

The Gators have won eight Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships, and three national championships (1996, 2006, 2008). The Gators have won more games than any other college football team in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as "Division I-A") since 1990.

The Gators beat Arkansas 23-20 this past Saturday, and remain undefeated so far this season @ 6-0.

GO GATORS!

SHOEBOX TIME!

A bit of History:

The concept of Operation Christmas Child began when a couple in Wales were watching a broadcast about Romanian orphanages.
They asked the question: "How can we help the real victims, the children, who live in these situations day after day?" They knew they couldn't stop the wars, but could offer something...the gift of love. Together, they filled a convoy of nine trucks with medical supplies, food, clothing and Christmas gifts for children, and headed into Romania, which had recently been devastated by war.
This was the beginning of the world's largest childrens' Christmas program.

In 1993, Franklin Graham, International President of Samaritan's Purse, adopted Operation Christmas Child. Since then, more than 61 million shoeboxes have been delivered to hurting children in more than 135 countries.

Would you like to fill a shoe box?

First you'll need an empty shoe box (standard size, please). If you wrap the box make sure to wrap lid separately, but wrapping is not required.

Next you need to decide if your gifts will be for a boy or a girl, and the child's age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Make sure to tape a label to the top of the box.

Now for the fun part, filling it with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child. Here are some suggestions from their web site.

TOYS: small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, small Etch A Sketch®, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), Slinky®, etc.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES: pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.

HYGIENE ITEMS: toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (in a plastic bag), comb, washcloth, etc.

OTHER: Hard candy and lollipops (please double bag all candy), mints, gum, T-shirts, socks, ball caps; sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries).

Once your box is filled they request a $7 donation for each shoe box to help cover shipping and other project costs. You can make a check to Samaritan's Purse (note "OCC" on memo line) and place it in an envelope on top of the gift items inside your box. If you or your family are preparing more than one shoe box, please make one combined donation. You can also give online by using our EZGIVE option.

Lastly place a rubber band around each closed shoe box and drop off at the Collection Center nearest you during our collection week: Nov. 16-23.

You can also send your shoe box gift to:

Samaritan's Purse
Operation Christmas Child
801 Bamboo Road
Boone, NC 28607

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage.

--the above quote is attributed to H. W. Prentiss, former president of the Nat. Assoc. of Manufacturers. The 'From bondage to spiritual faith' portion is thought to have originated with AlexanderFraser Tyler (1747-1813), a Scottish-born British lawyer.

SCRIPTURE for SUNDAY

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of Your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. -Psalm 8:2


This is Zoei Toh; singing Amazing Grace.
(Please mute Playlist first)




And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because He was before me.’”) And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
—John 1:14-17

ROCKET SCIENCE?

Just in case you need a laugh:

Remember it takes a college degree to fly a plane, but only a high school diploma to fix one; a reassurance to those of you who fly routinely in your jobs.

After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a 'gripe sheet,' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.
Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.




P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
*
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
*
P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.
*
P: Dead bugs on windshield..
S: Live bugs on back-order.
*
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a
200-feet-per-minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground..
*
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
*
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
*
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
*
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF is always inoperative in OFF mode.
*
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
*
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.
*
P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up,
fly right and be serious.
*
P:Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
*
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.
*
And the best one for last
*
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel.
Sounds like a midget pounding on something
with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from the midget.




(By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has
never, ever, had an accident).

HUNGARIAN CABBAGE ROLLS

A fellow blogger requested the recipe for our Cabbage Rolls, so I've included it here. This recipe (which I got from my MIL) is the one I use. My husband, however, doesn't use a recipe &
they always taste wonderful.
He prefers to use the refrigerated packages of sauerkraut instead of canned. He also likes to include chunks of Kolbasi in with the sauce around the rolls.


Hungarian Cabbage Rolls

1 large head Cabbage

Ingredients for cabbage rolls:
1 lb. ground Pork Shoulder*
1 Onion, minced
1/2 c. uncooked Rice
1 clove Garlic, minced (or
1/4 t. Garlic Powder)
1 t. Salt
1/4 t. Pepper

Cut core from cabbage; wash, shake,
& put in large pot of boiling water.
Cook about 5-7 min., covered. Remove
from heat and let stand in the water
10-15 min. to soften leaves; then drain.

Mix thoroughly next 6 ingredients.

Separate cabbage leaves carefully,
keeping them whole. Put one leaf at a time
on a board, and with a sharp knife, shave
off rib to the thickness of the rest of the
leaf. Put a spoonful of the meat mixture
at base of leaf and roll up loosely (to
permit swelling of the rice as it cooks).

Ingredients for mixture to pour over &
around cabbage rolls while cooking:

1 large Onion, sliced
1 T. Bacon fat
1 can (18 oz.) Tomato Juice
1 can Bavarian Sauerkraut (approx. 2 cups)
1 t. Brown sugar
1 cup Water

Cook sliced onion in fat in Dutch oven or
large kettle until golden. Add tomato juice
and sauerkraut. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

Arrange cabbage rolls in pot and pour water
over all. Make a couple of layers of rolls.
Don't crowd them too closely together.

Cover and simmer over low heat for at least
1 1/2 hours. Check to see if rice is soft.

Makes 18-20 rolls. About 6 servings

*Ground beef can be used, or half beef and
half pork, but the original Hungarian recipe
uses all pork, & I've found it to be softer and
tastier.

These freeze very well, so we always double
the recipe and put some in the freezer for
another day.

SCRIPTURE for SUNDAY