Neighborhood Hayride and Bonfire

oops. We got a flat tire. Had to change wagons in the middle of the ride.



Iva - our wonderful neighbor, hayride driver and hostess of the party!




Like father....



...like daughter.




Some scenes along the way:







Olivia gave an ear of field corn to one of Iva's horses when we returned from the hayride.



Laughing with friends.



Butch, chief chef extraordinaire and host of the party.



Olivia enjoying the day.



The burning embers.



We had a fun afternoon and are blessed to live in our little part of the countryside with wonderful neighbors whom we call friends!

55 and counting...

No....not my age, but rather the number of socks that are presently on the floor next to my side of the bed.

What's even more ridiculous than having 55 socks on the floor next to my bed is that NONE OF THEM MATCH to make a pair!

In my dresser - another DRAWER FULL OF MISMATCHED SOCKS!

In my closet - TWO pull-out closet organizer baskets FULL of socks.

At the foot of my bed - a small laundry basket full of socks.

In my garage / studio / catch-all space - a large Rubbermaid container FULL of socks.

90% of them do not match another.

I have socks from as far back as high school. Tube socks with the number '78' printed on the side, just under the green stripes. Tube socks. They don't even MAKE tube socks anymore.

After spending five minutes sorting through the pile at the side of my bed and not finding two that matched, I decided that I was going to head to Wal-Mart to buy MORE SOCKS! The only reason I did not was because I called my friend, Dawna, and told her that I was coming over - I was in the middle of a sock crisis - "I'll tell you more when I get there"....

Dawna is just so sweet --she told me that if properly cut and dissected, all of my socks could be crocheted into tote bags, then gave me the pattern to crochet said bags. Then she took off her shoes and modeled her own fabulous socks and instructed me on where to buy them. Six pair for $7.50 at StuffMart (a.k.a. WalMart).

I love it! I'm going to go get some really, soft, comfy, arch-supportive, non-binding socks....and my friend loves me just the way I am...socks and all!

P.S. Don't ask Brillo Man what HE thinks about all my socks!
And if Dawna actually believes that I'm going to CUT UP my precious stash of mismatched socks and turn them into totebags??!?!?!....She's got another thought coming!

Television

Tonight, I was flipping through our satellite television guide, looking for something interesting to watch.

And I discovered that Obama actually has a CHANNEL all his own. The OBAMA CHANNEL. Unbelievable.

I didn't tune in.

I rarely talk politics unless I know where others stand on the issues. And since I don't know where all my blog readers stand on the issue, I have not brought up the presidential election at all in this space.

But tonight, I was pushed over the edge. Obama has a channel. How pitiful is that?

Are there any other McCain/Palin fans out there?! I truly believe that Sarah Palin is like Esther - placed in her position by God for such a time as this. God has a plan. And it's bigger than what any of us can imagine.

I believe that it's our responsibility as Christians to be interceding for our nation. In case you haven't noticed - our country is facing some pretty tough issues right now. A friend at work mentioned that she just lost $6,000 from her retirement fund. Our neighbor lost $25,000. Then there's the coworker who contributes 30% of her pay towards retirement....I'm sure she lost way more than anybody else I know.

Trust in God. That's the answer to all of the turmoil and panic about our economy. It doesn't matter how much money you have or you don't have. It's not really your money anyway. It all belongs to God. That ticker on the NYSE is just a number on a digital screen. Up. Down. Up. Down. We should not be placing our trust in those numbers and stressing over the economy for "who of us by worrying can add a single hour to our lives?" (Matthew 6:27)

Whoever wins in November...It really doesn't matter. Whoever wins will be there because God wants them there to fulfill His purpose for this nation. That doesn't mean we stop praying.

---

I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
-Psalm 37:25

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BLOGGERS ALERT!

To all my blogging friends...

Dawna is back on the blogging scene!!! Yahoo! Wander over and say hello...


Myself and Dawna today at her surprise 50th birthday party!!
She's a friend who is as close as a sister. A heart connection - for sure!

---

My intercessor is my friend
as my eyes pour out tears to God...
-Job 16:20

---

Copycat

Copying sara.

The View From Here:

1. Misty fog on the pond.

2. Changing Autumn leaves in various hues of gold and orange.

3. Olivia's bed head hairdo!

4. Clear blue sky - not a cloud in sight.

5. My felt bird mobile.

6. The unique porcupine watercolor brush holder which I picked up at The Good Shepherd Center (my very favorite thrift shop!)

7. Stacks and stacks and stacks of paper.

8. Earrings made from WheatChex Cereal.

9. Piano parts.

10. Diamond Glaze Dimensional Adhesive.

My Ministry....

To be used of God...to sing...to speak...to pray...
To be used of God...to show someone the way...
I long so much to feel the touch of His consuming fire...
To be used of God...is my desire...

Anyone remember that song? I'm dating myself here....that's an oldie but goodie.

Here's what I know: I am blessed to be working in the position in which I'm working. Last evening, on my way up to the lab, I had to pass the ER. There sat my pastor. I just looked at him and asked him how and what and for whom should I pray. Turns out that a little boy - age three - had come to church with a huge bruise on the side of his head --they felt they needed to have the situation investigated. Which explains why the police car was parked next to me in the church parking lot while I was leaving... I prayed all night for the the little boy and for the father and for the truth to come out and for resolution and peace...etc.

Then...three hours later, I was called to the ER to draw a legal alcohol level. (Usually our lab assistants draw all the blood - but with a 'legal', in order to eliminate a long chain of command should we be subpoenaed to court, only one of us would have to attend.) When I walked into the exam room, there lay a young person from our church. She had been driving drunk - and had an accident. She was on a back board - with a neck brace - and when she saw me, she started to cry. I was able to pray with her and remind her that God loves us even when we make mistakes - that His love is unconditional - His arms are always open. When her aunt arrived minutes later (also a friend of mine), I was able to comfort her. And later, when I found out that instead of sending her home - which had been the original plan, she would have have to have surgery on a broken bone --I was able to pray some more.

God is good. He has placed me strategically in a place where I can do what I love to do most - pray for others. A dear friend (some of you remember, Dawna) recently told me how touched she was when I said that I pray over people's tubes of blood when I hold them in my hands - especially if it's someone I know. To me -it's no big deal. I just follow God's lead and thank Him for the opportunity to be used. It's actually very humbling to think that He would choose to use me. Me. I'm no one special and certainly undeserving of this honor.

I give Him praise - for His goodness - and for making me a blessing!

---

...and you will be a blessing.
-Genesis 12:2

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Vacation

Here are a few photos - not many because in most of them, I look frumpy. Olivia is always cute. And Brillo Man is Brillo Man. Mostly, I look frumpy. (If you click on them, they will enlarge for a more close-up view of the frumpiness.)

Olivia took this one of us - late one night outside Petrizzo's Italian Restaurant where ten minutes prior we had stuffed ourselves with pasta.



Olivia doing her best "Statue of LiVerty" immitation. Note - she says 'Liverty', not 'Liberty' - There's no changing her mind on this one.



Olivia and I with Lady Liberty in the background.



More of she and I at the Statue.



The view on our way to Ellis Island.



Olivia pointing to her great-great-grandparents' names on The Wall of Remembrance.



My great grandparents: Anthony and Adeline Mandaro Sorbo



Brillo Man and Olivia goofing off at the base of The Statue of Liberty.



Another Statue shot.



Brillo Man and Olivia after seeing The Lion King on Broadway.



Olivia hugging her "I 'heart' NY" bear. (Which you can't see because she has her hand in front of the bear's belly.)



Brillo Man on location for the cover shoot of "GQ" magazine. Ritter's Cider Mill - hay barn.

---

For now (Brillo Man) would be lying down in peace;
(he) would be asleep and at rest.
-Job 3:13

---

Vacation....

---

"My Presence will go with you,
and I will give you rest."
-Exodus 33:14

---

...leaving for vacation in ten minutes -
headed for the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania -
Pennsylvania's little Niagra Falls.
NYC for a day trip - Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero,
Tickets to THE LION KING! and anything else we can
cram into that day!

We'll be doing some geocaching and relaxing
and just enjoying some quality family time!

I'll miss reading your blogs!
...praying you all have a blessed week!

What are you doing?

Right now - as I type this - I'm eating the last bite of a Dark Chocolate Easter Bunny I bought (last Easter), surfing the internet, and successfully avoiding packing for vacation.

What are YOU doing?!?

---

Whatever your hand finds to do,
do it with all your might,
for in the grave,
where you are going,
there is neither working
nor planning
nor knowledge
nor wisdom.
-Ecclesiastes 9:10

---

Brand NEW Thought

....wondering how much hiking we'll be doing in the mountains of Eastern Pennsylvania and the streets of New York City while on vacation next week since Brillo Man just BROKE HIS TOE!!! (again - ask me about the Chauncy poop incident later....) UGH.



Note: This is not a cartoon of Brillo Man. This cartoon man has way too much hair - on his head - and not enough anywhere else.

---

For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a (chair) stone.
Psalm 91:11,12

---

Things I Thought Today

1) Remembered how much I loved my husband when he secretly scraped the dead cardinal I hit out of the car's front grill when we stopped to eat at Cracker Barrel while driving somewhere on our honeymoon...at least he thought he was doing it secretly. ...don't know if he knows that I knew...he didn't want me to feel badly because I murdered the bird...

2) Thought how crummy it is that I'm going to be getting together with an old friend tomorrow who I haven't seen in over a year. Why is it crummy? Because I am getting over a bad cold and have been blowing my nose with cheap kleenex (which are not actually kleenex because had they been kleenex, I wouldn't be having the problem which I'm about to share...). My nose is all scabby and gross and starting to peel. There's a mental image for you. Not a fun face to show an old friend.

3) If I don't stop eating all this junk food, I'm going to rapidly gain back the 24 pounds that I just lost. (As I type this, I'm reaching for a Big Hunk which I know I have stashed somewhere...and YES, Pat, it’s the candy that you sent me. I STILL have a little left! - and it's still good --which makes me wonder how many years it would last in a landfill...)

4) Wondered if I put resin on a booger and glued it to a paper and called it art - would someone buy it. Yes - I thought this today. Don't ask why. Andy Warhol said that art is anything you can get away with....and he was right. It's amazing what people will buy from my website. Earrings made from cheezit crackers....

5) I thought that my friend running over a chipmunk while riding her bike was a lot worse than me hitting a cardinal with our car.

6) 30 years old is way too young for the woman in CCU to be having a heart attack. But she was. As I reach for another Big Hunk.... (What is wrong with me?!)

7) I decided that going to midnight shift at work is going to be great in more ways than one. One of which being that I will no longer be as tempted to be sucked into the gossip ring that I’ve managed to allow myself to be sucked into. Why is it that we often think we “fit in” better if we’re mutually complaining about others? Who wrote that rule?

8) I decided that ketchup is the new red.

9) I thought that if I looked through the lens of the microscope AFTER I cleaned my glasses, the cells would look less like the surface of the moon.

10) I thought Bailey would be a good name for a dog. Bailey also happens to be my grandmother’s maiden name. Which is NOT one of those secret questions that websites ask you in order to protect your password security.

11) I thought that it might be fun if giraffes were purple. Gotta work on that one.

I've Just Been to Church - Twice

Yes. Church. That place where we all congregate to worship. Amazingly, tonight we talked about communion. Communion not only a time to remember the Lord's sacrifice but also to remember that we are to commune with one another. That as Christians, we are called to minister, share, give, serve, help, uplift and encourage one another. We are the body of Christ. Each one of us with an important job to do. Each one loving and serving our King through all that we do.

Then I came home from church and read one of my favorite blogs before going to bed. God is incredible in how He orchestrates and orders things in our lives. Sara couldn't have said it better.

If you haven't yet, come join us in communion. I didn't have any wine or grape juice handy. Iced tea worked just as well.

I have prayed for you all --and cried a river.

Now - I'm going to bed!

Blessings all!

---

So in Christ
we who are many form one body,
and each member belongs to all the others.
-Romans 12:5

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Things I Did...

...while the power was out for THREE days! (yes, mrs. mac, because of Ike!)

1) Read my Bible more
2) Took sponge baths in ICY COLD artesian spring water from our well! (THAT will wake you up!)
3) Curled my hair at work
4) Ate less
5) Burned more candles
6) Prayed more
7) Cried me a river...
8) Played Scrabble with Brillo Man (and LOST - because he is now the KING of Scrabble since he plays CONSTANTLY on the computer.)
9) Found myself eager to get to work, knowing that there were LIGHTS there!

10) Spent a lot of time missing my computer!

The Little Lady

---

After church on Sunday.
She is growing way too fast!

---

Be imitators of God,
therefore, as dearly loved children.
-Ephesians 5:1

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Let Me Tell You...

....about how great God is...(in case you don't know!)

As you do know, I've returned to work full-time for what I thought would be a short season of time. God provided the job - opened the door whenever I thought the door was shut.

As much as I love working as a Medical Technologist and being part of a great health care team, saving lives and providing the test results which allow the physicians to better care for their patients, I have to admit that being a stay-at-home Mom is a job I enjoy more.

And I have been scheduled to work primarily afternoon shift which means I have very little time to spend with Olivia. We have 45 minutes in the morning while she gets ready to get on the bus and that's it for school days when I work. For several weeks now, I have threatened to quit my job...but have been hesitant because I believe that I am to remain in this position. I just have not had a peace about leaving the workplace behind. But I will not miss my daughter's childhood either.

Enter God.

Two days ago I learned that the technologist who works full time midnight shift has resigned. Guess what? No one else (thus far) wants the position. Guess who's bidding on it? And...what's even more remarkable is that it's 10 hour shifts (yeah!!). Presently, I work eight hour shifts. The longer shifts will mean less days worked --which will allow for longer stretches off --which will mean that every third week I will have six days off in a row - without having to use any of my vacation time! In those six days, I will be able to work on my art --which is another great passion of mine.

God is good.

I will have no trouble sleeping during the day while Olivia is in school and will then have all evening to spend with she and Brillo Man before I head off to work at 9:30pm.

God is good.
All the time.
He knows our needs and supplies every one!

---

Many, O LORD my God,
are Your wonderful works
which You have done;
and Your thoughts toward us
cannot be recounted to You in order;
if I would declare and speak of them,
they are more than can be numbered.
Psalm 40:5

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Last Year I Cried....

This year, I cried again.

Olivia's first day of First Grade

On this day, I'm reminded of my responsibility
to teach her the ways of the Lord.
Father, grant me wisdom to pour into her
what you've poured into me.
Help me to be the best mother I can be.
Grant me patience and give me an extra measure of love.
Help me to choose my words carefully
and to praise her because that is how she will learn best.
May my life be an example to her.
May she always see Jesus in me.
Help me leave a legacy...

---

Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
-Psalm 34:11

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Last Day of Summer BASH!

Olivia is enjoying her burger and corn on the cob
-evidenced by the mess on her face!--
which Brillo Man has prepared
for her "Last Day of Summer BASH!"

---

Then they rose early on the next day,
offered burnt offerings,
and brought peace offerings;
and the people sat down to eat and drink,
and rose up to play.
-Exodus 32:6

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Watermelon Summer Salad

Sunday morning we had our church service at Pymatuning State Park. It was a beautiful day filled with open air worship - complete with our sound system and entire worship band. Fifteen people were baptized in the lake and we also received 27 new church members - ME being one of the brand new members of Bethel life Worship Center. Ever since the first Sunday I attended over six months ago, I have felt like I've come 'home' and am SO BLESSED to be a part of this great body of believers!

Afterwards --the 3 'F's --FOOD FUN AND FELLOWSHIP!

Here's what I made --(first time to make it --and definitely NOT the last time! This was SO delicious that I had to share it! Sounds a little different --but TRUST ME --it's so tasty and refreshng, you'll keep coming back for more!!

Watermelon Summer Salad

3/4 cup halved, thinly sliced or chopped red onion
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 1/2 quarts seeded, cubed watermelon
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup pitted black olive halves
1 cup chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons olive oil

Place the onion slices in a small bowl with the lime juice. The acid of the lime will mellow the flavor of the raw onion. Let stand for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the watermelon cubes, feta cheese, black olives, onions with the lime juice, and mint. Drizzle olive oil over it all, and toss to blend.

Dig in and be prepared for a pleasant surprise!

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We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. -Numbers 11:5

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Summer is Winding Down Fast

It's hard to believe that school is starting next week. Olivia will be in First Grade....to where has time escaped? Wasn't it just yesterday that she was a baby in my arms?

Being the end of summer, we have been busy trying to cram in a bunch of fun stuff. One of the more recent fun things was a trip to nearby Wagon Trails. What a blast we had!


Olivia fell in love with a baby camel named Ralphie and spent quite a bit of time petting and feeding him.
On the safari ride, I was 'attacked' by Ralphie's mother who was determined to eat all the feed I had in my bucket.

Brillo Man was pecked by this lovely creature which left a bruise on his hand.


All in all - a fun-filled day spent together as a family. I am indeed blessed.

The Bird

click here:

Pat's Partridge


I couldn't resist.

Then he shall let the living bird loose outside the city in the open field...
-Leviticus 14:53

Word of the day:

Mangelwurzel



Now you're all scrambling to type that into the dictionary to check the meaning.... go ahead. admit it. You had no clue what it meant.

Neither did I.

....oh the things I find to amuse my mind on a slow Friday evening in the laboratory....

4 am in the Lab

It's 4 am --a quiet night thus far in the hospital laboratory. I thought I'd take a break and type a blog entry.

After two weeks of working the midnight shift --I am off this morning and don't return until Monday at 2:30 pm. YAHOO! What to do with all this time?!...

For one thing, we will be celebrating Olivia's sixth birthday. Her birthday was on Wednesday and I didn't even get to hold her and love on her because she has been staying with my Mom. Mom volunteered to take her on a "vacation" while I worked the midnight shift, knowing full well that I wouldn't get much sleep during the days when Olivia would pounce all over my bed..."Is it time for you to get up yet Mom??!!" Praise God for Grandmas! My Mom has been incredible - offering to watch Olivia and keep her occupied for a few days. Not that Brillo Man isn't capable of doing the same --but it's nice for Olivia to have a little mini vacation at Grandma's - and it also gave Brillo Man some time to do some things around the house that he wanted to get done. Mainly - SCRAPPING. (He is the KING of SCRAP!)

....well....the "stat light" is flashing...meaning my break is over...gotta go save a life....more later