THOUGHTS OF PINK - BREAST CANCER

Valentine Pink

2012-02-09T00:43:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is almost here! It is not really my favorite day. When I was single and that was a few years, it always seemed like whoever I was dating would break up just before Valentine's. Either I was dating jerks or just tightwads. LOL! My first husband used to complain when I gained weight, but would give me pounds of chocolate on Valentine's. I couldn't resist and then he had something else to complain about.

Sweet Ray knows better than to give me chocolate. He gives me jewelry and I buy him dinner. He likes food in restaurants. Don't get me wrong, he loves my cooking, but likes to eat dinner with me when I don't have to cook and clean. He likes it when I focus on him. I like it when his focus is on me too.

One of my quilting friends passed away. Her name was Mary Helen Porter. She was a dear sweet lady and she had just turned 71. Since we have a couple of ladies in their 80s, Mary Helen was one of the younger ones, other than me. She was very precise with her quilts and had a wonderful sense of color. She was a wonderful Christian woman who shared her faith with others. She retired as a school teacher and retired from the Newport News School System where she continued to substitute and tutor after she retired. Her obituary and comments on the Legacy network are wonderful. We will surely miss her sweet smile and good humor.

There is a mess going on in our area. A company called "Mo Money" made a big mistake and did not properly file taxes or pay the customers on time. Now the IRS and the Government are all tied up in it. WTKR (CBS) jumped on a report about someone not being able to cash their check from "Mo Money". From everything I have heard, they are charging exorbitant amounts of money to do the taxes in the first place. I am not sure I would have entrusted my tax information to a company that could not spell. I hope they get this all straightened out and those poor people get their money.

I discovered Pinterest. It is just so much fun. I have pinned everything I can think of so far. I even pinned my SweetTweets on Twitter. I made having their real smiling face and real name the only way that I will pin them. Slumberparty is a little different. It is a fun thing. It is a Party.

Oh well, Craig Ferguson is coming on. I need to go to bed now. Love you all

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME

Traveling Pink

2012-01-31T07:49:00.000-05:00

Ray and I went down to our home in NC this past weekend. It was a very restful trip. We don't go the way that our GPS wants us to go. It wants us to go down HW 17 to New Bern and we go down HW 13/11 through Greenville. If we go the GPS way, we would get to drive through parts of The Great Dismal Swamp. Of course, there may be some better places to stop for a potty break. NC has never been a great place for that. We have a list of places that are acceptable to stop at.

It was really funny, Sunday on the way back, we stopped at a small grocery in Whaleyville. Not a fancy place at all, but the bathroom (not pretty) is reasonably clean. A lady and I stood there for about 10 minutes waiting to go in and she finally gave up and went to the Men's room. An employee came to the back and I told her I thought someone had taken up residence in there. She asked me if I saw someone go in there and I said "no, I was waiting because another lady was waiting and finally went into men's room". She tried the door and it was stuck. It came open and no one was there! I felt a little dumb, but the relief of having an empty restroom soon overrode that. When I came out, the other lady was coming out of the Men's Room. We had a good laugh about waiting for no one.

Of course, then I had to buy something, that is the least you can do when you have used the facility. No Diet Dr. Pepper, it was all gone. So I tried a Diet Mt Dew. How refreshing. I was really surprised. I have never had one before. Then I had to have Creole Cheese Popcorn. Not bad, a little hot thought. Ray liked them. Why do we feel obligated to spend money when all we want to do is use the bathroom? I guess it is just courtesy.

Another thing I have discovered when we have traveled, NEVER eat in a place that has a dirty restroom. Can you imagine what the kitchen is like, if no one cleans the restroom. There is a difference between a clean restroom and a mess one. A clean restroom is clean (it may be a little messy from careless customers), but a dirty one has nastiness. Women definitely know the difference. It is pretty bad when you go into a place, you cannot even pee in. LOL!

I guess that is my soapbox complaint for the week. (Don't you hope so?)

Saturday, I went to Ft Barnwell Baptist Church for my granddaughter's Girl Scout Brownie Meeting. It was a very good meeting. They made enough money again this year to take an overnight trip to one of the Amusement Parks within driving distance. Last year, they earned enough money to go to the Great Wolf Lodge and Busch Gardens in Williamsburg VA. They had a grand time. Also, there is a trip scheduled to go to the Washington Mall for the Flash Dance by the Girl Scouts to celebrate the 100th Anniversary. I was looking for the video of the instructions but cannot find it this morning.

I love Pinterest. Take a look at this. It is my nephew and friends "planking" in Kentucky. Thoughts of Family By the way, if you want an invitation to Pinterest, you need to send me a DM on Twitter with your email address or subscribe to me on Facebook.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

SOPA Pink

2012-01-21T16:08:00.000-05:00

I may be just showing my ignorance, but I supported SOPA, I think. I am not sure exactly what it means but I do know that the government has too much control over almost everything in our lives. At least, we have free speech and can pretty much say what we want. We have the rights because a few hundred years ago, a bunch of Christians came over from Europe and founded a colony that is supposed to protect our speech and our basic human rights. That is kind of what Christianity is all about - Freedom. Freedom to worship, make our own decisions, say what we feel, and protest things that are not good for the majority of people.

Personally, I am offended by a lot of people on the Internet, druggies, hookers, jerks, etc. I am offended by the way they use the "F" word and other words that people tend to use when they cannot think of anything really intelligent to say. Why in the world would someone want to pose for a picture in the nude and then upload it to Twitter or Facebook where children can see their disgusting body parts. Or, why would they want to let the world know that they are so stupid that even though they were born in the USA, they cannot speak English. I am not talking about the English language, I am talking about those people that think that if they use the fewest letters they can in a word, everyone can understand what they are saying. I am not a medium, I cannot read your mind. Say what you mean in a language I can understand. The point is, if I don't like your language or nudity, I can delete you or block you. I really don't want to see your body parts or stupidity in my timeline. That is because this is the USA and I may not like your language or your morality, but I defend your right to do it. I don't think that it is proper in social media, but that is just my opinion.

I had a wonderful 30 hours. I went to a Doctor Appointment, and 2 Bible Studies yesterday. It was great. I picked my ladies at the Chesapeake and we had dinner at church. I got some housework done. It was very difficult not to turn on the computer, but I didn't. I thought I would turn it on at midnight, but instead, I went to bed early and had a great nights sleep. I probably spend too much time on the computer anyway.

We had quilting at church today. It was great. I found some new ways to cut and put things together from watching quilting videos on YouTube. I know that one night, I stayed up until 3am looking at quilting videos. There are all kinds of videos out there, you can learn just about anything you want to learn how to do on YouTube.

Rebecca started a basic drawing class on Tuesday evening. She had to take Benita, her mother who has Alzheimer's. Poor Benita was so miserable, I told Rebecca to come by and pick me up to ride with her and Benita can stay here and watch TV in a nice warm house. The gym was cold and kind of not a fun place to take a class. Imagine my surprise when I got there and the other 7 students in the class are all 9 years old. Well, I am a little older than that. They called me "Ms. Barbara" and called Rebecca "Miss Edwards." Actually, my grandchildren, twins Garrett and Taylor are 9 years old. So I got along well with the other students. And, I did learn a few things. Got to practice though.

I just got back on the Internet after I came home this afternoon and got dinner on. Wow, loads of email, Empire Avenue is crazy, Twitter is great, Facebook I haven't even looked at yet. I be Farmville is stuffed with things to do. I know, you thought I quit Farmville, and I did, but I didn't delete it. I am playing catch up and will probably get out again soon. I just like to do it sometimes. It is just fun to do sometimes.

Well, that is my couple of days without computer. I am so tired I am probably going to have to have a nap just to go on.

Love to you all,

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!

Pain Pink

2012-01-17T16:34:00.000-05:00

Monday is Methotrexate day. Sunday, I took the Enbril shot. Every day I take Folic Acid along with about 12 other pills each day. The only benefit I can see is my hands are not getting deformed. Yaaaaah! This Rheumatoid Arthritis is for the birds. Wish I had a bird I could give it to. LOL! No, I am nicer than that. I couldn't hurt a little bird like that. Everyone thinks that RA is just arthritis. That is really very far off the truth. It is an Autoimmune Disease, related to Osteoporosis, Lupus, and a myriad of other diseases. I do have Osteoarthritis in my knees. In face, I had shots in both knees this morning at the Knee Orthopedist office. Did you know that they have different orthopedists for each part of your body, back, knee, foot, hip, elbow, hand, shoulder, etc.? I have been to a hand doctor for a anular cyst on my right hand. He drained it and gave me a shot of cortisone in the palm of my hand and said it would not come back. The next day, it was back. Then my rheumatoid doctor shot it full of cortisone, and it is still there. It makes my hand hurt a lot. I think it is pressing on a nerve.

On a lighter note, Ray took me to York County and I signed up for a basic drawing class. My friend Rebecca is teaching. After we got home, I was replacing our coffee pot with one we bought at Walmart. I set it on the table while I was setting up the new one. I turned around to get it and it fell on the top of my right foot which immediately started to swell. I am sitting at my computer perch with the portable keyboard typing this. I have had a Vicodin, a cup of extra coffee from WaWa, and now am drinking a Dr. Pepper. I will be wired by the time my class starts at 6 p.m. I may call Rebecca and have her pick me up.

I just went into Triberr and approved all the bloggers in my Tribes. This is really a fun thing. Oh, and have you tried Pinterest. If you want, let me know and I will send you an invitation for Triberr or Pinterest. I could become obsessed with Pinterest. It is more fun than Farmville on Facebook. Triberr is great because it really gets your blog posts out there for people to see. I have had a lot more interest in this blog since I joined. I started a Tribe of my own called SweetTweets and I am going to tie it to my SweetTweetslifeplan.blogspot.com blog.

I just love @DabneyPorte on Twitter. If you know someone who would like to be a sponsor on the big Twitter #slumberparty from 11 p.m. - midnight every Friday. I would like to get some sponsors for this so I can become more involved with #SMGirlfriends (live 24/7) or #latteclub (live 24/7). Tonight at 10 p.m. EST is Social Media Manners (#smmanners).

Twitter chats involve using a #hashtag to bring everyone together in one column on either Tweetdeck or Hootsuite. Personally, I like Tweetdeck. I think it is because the background is darker with white print and is easier to read. All you have to do is click on the #hashtag and it automatically creates a column at the end. You just go there and press the arrow on the left at the bottom to bring it back to your normal screen so you don't miss anything there while you are in the #chat. We would love to see you there tonight or any Tuesday night.

Oh, and the #slumberparty is a place where you can win terrific gifts if we have a sponsor. I know @Udderly Smooth has sent me a lot of Udderly Smooth cream to share with my girlfriend who are making quilts for the children's hospital. Last Friday 5 ladies won purses from Rebagz.com They are just awesome. I am going to get one to take my art stuff to class. They have purses, computer bags, rolling bags, and all kinds of bags.

My foot is numb with cold now, at least it is not hurting, or I am just feeling no pain. Maybe Ray will drive me to class if Rebecca can't pick me up.

Midnight Stars

Check this out: http://pinterest.com/barbarapduke/sewing-and-quilting/ and take a look at some of my Pinterest stuff. This is one on quilts. I have Dream Home, My Style, My Virtual Puppy, etc. It really is fun.

Got to go get my stuff together for class, if I can walk, that is.

I love you all, and please remember:

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!

(even when a coffee pot falls on your foot!)

Quilting & Slumberparty Pink

2012-01-12T19:18:00.003-05:00

We met at the church to quilt today. It was a quiet day for us to learn some things. I spoke about finding all the quilting videos on YouTube and showed some of the things that I learned watching those videos. I made a small sample about 9" by 18", Lena worked on a quilt for her new great-grandbaby, and Judy worked on a binding for a quilt. We needed a small break to do our own thing today. We are starting today going to met every Thursday. I am thinking about creating the squares here and then we can put them together and quilt at church. If I can ever get the garage fixed into a craft room, it will be a dream come true. I need a place I can go to each day and get on some kind of schedule. I really need to feel like I am useful. The quilts put together in the picture are from the AIDS Quilt. The one in the lower left-hand corner is the one my mother created in memory of my brother, Paul L. Burns. Paul was in one of the first waves of people to die from AIDS in this country. That is when I became interested in quilting. So, when Judy asked me to join the Joy Quilters, it was a no-brainer. It helps to make me feel useful and also helps others. Since I believe that the only way to serve God is to serve others, this works for me.

Sometimes I wonder why I am writing this blog. People have joined and maybe even read it on a regular basis, but they comment very little. I am going to make an effort to leave comments on blogs in the future. The thing we need to remember about making comments is to be nice. There is a big difference between critique and criticism, but some people cannot seem to walk that fine line. If you are not positive in your critique, it comes off as criticism. Maybe I need to print this out so I won't forget.

I watched the People's Choice Awards last night and really enjoyed them. I think I will watch the Awards show this weekend with Ricky Gervase. I have been watching all the interviews this week of people who are nominated. Dolly Parton is one of my favorites and so is Queen Latefah. We will see.

#Slumberparty last Friday was awesome. We all had so much fun and the hour just went by so fast. Our sponsor had bags. Can you believe it? One of my favorite things, purses. @Rebagz was there with BAGS, PURSES, COMPUTER BAGS, MONEY BAGS, etc. Eco-friendly purses. Try http://rebagz.com/ and see some of the wonderful designs by award-winning designer, Marty Heebner.

FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/Rebagz

Us gals and guys at Twitter's Friday night #Slumberparty from 11pm-Midnight EST

Come join the magnific @dabneyporte and @mamabritt for a wonderful FUN time.

We have virtual food, drinks, and throw virtual silly string and water balloons. A great time is had by all!

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

By the way, I am not rewarded with any goods or services for my little ads of businesses promoted by the #Slumberparty. I do it because I love the people who attend and want them to win wonderful gifts and have a good time. I have even hosted on occasion when things are going on and there is no sponsor. If you or someone would like to be a sponsor, please contact me and I will set it up for you.

Love you all!

Blood PINK

2012-01-09T09:20:00.000-05:00

It seems I am always having blood tests. One last Friday for Coumadin check, today for appointment w/cancer Doc next week, one later in the week for Rheumatologist appointment next week. I feel like a pincushion. Why so many? My doctors don't all belong to the same group so they cannot see tests from other doctors. The Cancer Center is part of the major hospital group that I belong to, so all of their doctors can see my tests, but those outside of my group cannot. They have to rely on people faxing them with the info. They may fax today, or next week, or not at all. I am surprised the insurance companies don't make them transfer them electronically. I am sure that this adds to billing with all these duplicates. Oh, I forgot about the doctors offices that have their own little labs.

Then think about the x-rays. When I had pneumonia, I was in the hospital in New Bern NC for 10 days. Do you think the x-rays taken there were sent to my primary care doctor who is responsible for my major care? A summary was sent that was the opinion of the doctor who saw them in NC. While I was there, I saw almost every doctor in town, except the fertility docs and pediatricians. They agreed I had pneumonia, but there was another thing that they could not figure out. When I came home to VA, I was put back in the hospital and all the same kinds of doctors came to see me. All the same x-rays, blood tests, etc. There were gastro, pulmonary, heart doctors involved. Even my vein doctor became involved. He was so concerned, he had them do a full body scan to see if there was any cancer involved in my bones (it was after I was declared cancer-free from my cancer doctor).

I am finding out now that the term "cancer-free" does not mean that it won't come back. I met a lady the other day who has had 2 lumpectomies previously and now has been diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. She was at the cancer center to speak with her cancer nurse to set up her chemotherapy appointments. Evidently, once you have had cancer there is a pretty strong possibility that it will come back. I know this is not a popular opinion and it is just my own. No one tells you this when they tell you that you are "cancer-free." It doesn't mean "cancer-free" forever.

By the way, all three times she has had cancer, she found it herself just like I did. So, please remember that self-examination is so-o-o-o important!

Anyway, in keeping with my own positivity, I declare me "cancer-free." So, I will keep getting stuck like a pin cushion for as long as it takes.

I think that when I had breast cancer, it had been caused by extreme stress instituted by a very unprofessional bully boss. Then when he retired, the new boss was nice but the bully spoke to him at lunch the first day he was in the office and declared me an incompetent person. It was strange because, the boss I had before him was very positive and loved my innovation and dedication to my work. He praised me constantly and provided me with training that involved sending me to California and Seattle occasionally.

When he retired, the bully boss came. He didn't like the previous boss, so therefore, he did not like me. Luckily, I had become friends with the region chief, who became one of the top people in the agency. I called him on occasion or emailed him with info about what was going on at his request. I even went to personnel about the bully occasionally. I think he finally retired when he was told to retire of get fired. Not a good situation. He had demeaned me so much in the office that the other employees began to believe him. I was at my wits end and when the time came that I could retire, I did. I thought I could get another job and continue to work but once I got settled down enough to look for another job, I had cancer. Tell me stress doesn't harm your health. Over three years later, I am still not doing so well.

If you are in a situation where you are being bullied, get out, any way you can. Life is too short to let others bully you. At the same time all this was going on, I was ordained as a deacon in my church and I became lead usher. I was elected President of my Lions Club 2 times and held positions in my Woman's Club and NAP Unit. I have never had anything even comparable to happen to me in my life. I am not stupid and have a reasonably high IQ. I am a nice person who lives to help others, because I believe that the only way to serve God is through service to others. Why do you think that this man had such evil notions toward me?

Personally, I think that it is because he is a part of LDS (Mormon). He knew that real Christians believe that LDS is a cult. We believe that they have gone against specific Bible tenants about not believing in new prophets after Christ. We believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God and cannot be replaced by fairy tales of being gods of planets and such (I have read the book of Morman-which has had over 4000 revisions since originally printed). They also don't have much respect for women. So, even though I think of myself as a Conservative, I cannot in good conscious vote for a Mormon for any office, just as I would not vote for a Muslim, Jehovah's Witness, Scientologist, etc. (I have also read the Koran, and many books about religions)

Here I am on my soapbox again. I really don't like to do that. If you want to quit following me, go ahead. I didn't say I didn't love them, I just wouldn't vote for them. As a child of the one true God, I love you all.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

EAT LESS - MOVE MORE PINK

2012-01-05T22:29:00.001-05:00

On my SweetTweets LifePlan Blog I issued a challenge on Jan 5. Eat Less, Move More. Click on the link a take a peek. It doesn't require a diet, just common sense. The reason that I decided to start this is because everywhere you turn, someone is talking about diets. We need to learn how to live. "Live-it" as Richard Simmons used to say.

I am having a wonderful time. I went to PT this morning and zipped right through it. After I got home, lots of leg cramps. That is what I get for trying so hard. I am praying to get me back. I am not sure that I will ever reach that point again. Rheumatoid Arthritis is an awful thing.

And, even when they tell you that you that you are cancer free, the cancer word keeps coming back into your brain. Then you hear about people that are survivors, and then you hear that cancer was found in another part of their body and metastasis. It is always there hanging over your head, no matter how positive you try to be or think. They just don't tell you this could happen again.

We didn't have quilting today because we are having Port at our church this week. Each week a local church gives the homeless dinner, a place to sleep, and breakfast. They have mats, pillows, and blankets that are carried around to the churches and used each night. I haven't heard how many we have this year. It has been so cold, I am sure glad they are not out on the streets. We are not allowed to preach to them or try to convert them in any way unless they specifically ask for help in understanding the life of a Christ-follower. It is an awesome ministry. We have seen many people who have changed their lives and we have helped them to reach a new level. They have places to live and jobs. You cannot help everyone, mainly because some of them don't want any help, either from pride or just plain stubbornness. They get their 2 hot meals and a place to sleep.

Every Thursday throughout the year, we have Need A Meal. It is a dinner for anyone who needs a meal. There are no qualifications to come to it. There are some homeless, but there are also people who are retired on fixed incomes, or single moms with children. If prayer is your thing, please pray for these people that are visiting First Baptist Church of Newport News this week.

I have been trying to get my house in order. You know what they say. "You can eat an elephant, one bite at a time." So, I am working on my house, one little step at a time. Lots of rest breaks which are mostly spent right here on the computer. It is the sorting that drives you nuts. I did get the Christmas things down today, packed up, and put in the shop. I bought clear plastic boxes to put things in so I could see what is in them without opening them up. If you pack things in cardboard boxes, you end up with mice or bugs. Plastic also keeps things from smelling musty or dusty.

By the way, you know the nice looking coat hangers that are coated in felt so that clothes won't fall off, they are one of the biggest scams around. If you hang a coat on them, the weight of the coat will take the hanger part separate from the rest of the hanger and there is no way to fix it. They are just something to fill the land-fills with. For Pete's sake, don't waste your money.

If you have something that you know doesn't work, let me know by putting it in comments. I will check it out and we will try to make sure that other people don't get scammed.

Lets have fun with this. Love you all.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME

Beginning 2012 Pink

2012-01-03T19:57:00.000-05:00

Here we are into the New Year and I am falling behind already. I have been having trouble keeping food down. I am not sick with the flu or anything. I think it is because over the holidays, I ate things that I shouldn't, now I don't feel good. My tummy is upset and legs are swelling. Got to get over this. The only way is to start eating right like I am supposed to.

My house need a good cleaning, but I cannot really do that until I get some stuff out of here. I am beginning to feel like a hoarder. I put things by the back door in the kitchen for Ray to take out and I don't think he has taken anything out to the shop in 6 months. I hate to keep reminding him. Is that what women do, we just get tired of asking and start doing it ourselves. Now I am not able to do it myself and Ray doesn't know he is supposed to do it. Go figure. I am not a nag and just hate to have to keep reminding him. He says he forgot. My problem is that when I ask someone to do something, I expect them to do it now. That doesn't happen with Ray, he is busy and will do it later. Only, later never comes. Then I ask why he didn't do it, he says I never asked him to do it. Are all men like this? I am not really complaining, I hope. Ray is one of the most wonderful men I have ever met. He has a strong faith in God, very even tempered, and one of the sweetest men you would ever want to meet. Not to mention, he is a hard worker and he can DANCE!

I had such a great time in NC. I almost feel guilty. I was by myself, no computer the first few days. I didn't have to cook or do anything I didn't want to do. Just think. I didn't even watch a lot of TV. I did read and enjoyed it immensely.

Charles Ladson

This past Friday, a friend in our Sunday School passed away. The wife, Lou, was in Williamsburg at her brothers and Charles was at home. The weather was so nice that he went out into the yard and was cleaning it up some. They live near the water with some very tall trees in their yard. There are always twigs to pick up. He was cutting a small tree coming up and a limb fell out of a really tall tree. It broke his back in 2 places. The neighbors heard him calling and called the Rescue Squad. Lou drove up about the time they got there. They got him to the hospital and were going to operate. The doctor said he would never walk again and went to prepare for the surgery. He came back a few minutes later and told Lou that Charles was gone. She had a chance to speak to him in the ambulance, but he was in so much pain. We went to Peninsula Funeral Home and just got home. There were so many people there paying their respects. It makes you wonder. I know where Charles is, he was a devout Christian. He is with the Lord.

If you were to die today, where would you be? I know where I will be. I hope to see you there in the future.

GOD is Good, ALL the time!

END OF YEAR PINK?

2011-12-31T09:08:00.000-05:00

Check out this site: Modlandusa Article: Are You a Twitter Snob?
This is my response:

"Good article to a point. There are also those of us who don't have an agenda. I tweet because I love to. I have been on Twitter since March 2009 and my friends have seen me through a lot of illness and were always there praying for me, giving hope when I felt hopeless. I am not selling anything other than encouragement, joy, and God, not necessarily in that order.

I use Tweepi to delete people who are essentially gone from Twitter. I follow anyone who is clothed and doesn't use profanity. Personally, I prefer to see people on my TweetDeck who are dressed and swearing is offensive. I am eternally searching for those who need friends. I have spoken on the phone with people in the middle of the night when they are troubled. I like to think I have helped in some way."

Dear Friend, I hope you know that I am not a Twitter Snob. I follow everyone. I really don't care how many followers you have. If you are a reasonably nice person who is intelligent enough to converse without profanity, I want you on my timeline. It is that simple.

Tweepi.com is a great way to delete people who don't think enough of others to follow them back, or people who are only trying out Twitter and haven't tweeted in months (or years). I will be using Tweepi over the next few days to clean up my timeline.

This is the end of 2011 and I am glad to see it go. It has been a year of innumerable tragedies. There have been so many natural disasters, it breaks my heart to even think about. There have been so many political careers that have been destroyed by their own stupidity, and so many celebrities who use their celebrity to act totally idiotic.

There have been incredible people who have helped others and done more good in the world in one year than most people do in their lifetime.

We have lost a lot of good people to death and a lot of really bad people too. Sometimes it makes you stop and consider your own mortality. Are you ready to meet your maker? I know that I am, do you? As a Christian, I am taught that there is only one way to Heaven, through Jesus Christ. This is what I truly believe.

"I would rather live my life as if there was a God and die to find there isn't, than to live my life like there was no God and die to find there is. Albert Camus"

This makes a lot of sense if you really think about it. What have you got to lose? Okay, I will quit preaching.

I love you all and pray for you collectively every day. You have become an extended family and your life really means something to me. You don't need to be a Christian to follow me, I don't discriminate, I love you all.

Have a Happy New Year and may you be prosperous and joyful.

Tweet Love To You (#TL2U)

Barbara

Santa Claus PINK

2011-12-28T16:18:00.000-05:00

Holiday Romance in the Keys ~ The Diva Gets Engaged!

This is the big story, my dear friend, Dabney Porte got engaged to Vic Maranto (@DabneyPorte & @VicMaranto on Twitter).
As we vacationed in the Keys at the beautiful Hawks Cay resort, my family and I were surrounded by all things fabulous! This resort is simply amazing. Even more amazing and romantic is . . . . (click on link above)
Vic still had on his Santa Hat. Such a cute couple. I pray for the very best for them and their family.

Home Again
We are back home in Virginia. I had a lovely week in North Carolina. The weather was mild and it didn't feel like Christmas until I woke up one morning with frost on the windshield. There were so many decorations to put up. Garrett and Taylor counted over 100 Santa Claus' in the great room. There was so much red. I had chosen a lovely red shiny paper to wrap with. I usually use the same paper for everything. I wrapped a lot of presents and still had a little left over. Last year I used red and white pinstripe and I had some of that left to mix with the current paper. It made some beautiful LARGE candy looking pieces for those round or odd shaped gifts. I used most of my boxes on my daughter's presents and ran out myself. I will definitely purchase more boxes next year.

Ray took me down and went back to VA on Sunday. I stayed by myself most of the time. The grands did spend the night on Tuesday. They are afraid to stay there because there is no telephone. Our cells seldom work there. I had a phone installed on Thursday before Christmas with Internet and Ray came that night. I first asked for phone and the girl said "$23.95." So I asked about Internet, she said. "$39.95." I said I didn't want to pay that much since we are not there but 2 or 3 days a month. Then she said, "If you get the Internet, the phone is free!" I said, "Sign us up!" It took a week to get it installed and I had to become a computer expert again to get the Internet working with my computer. Everywhere you go, things are different.

So, now I guess I will stop telling everyone I am going to Verizon Wireless Purgatory when we go to our NC Get-Away. Although, having a land-line doesn't make the cell phone work. We have a dish from my daughter's so we do have TV most of the time.

I certainly missed my friends on Twitter and Facebook, mostly the Twitter friends. I still haven't been on Google Plus enough to get used to it and LinkedIn is too professional for me. I am behind on my blog posting for Triberr, but will catch up today. Twitter seems so much more "in time" for me. I guess because I don't chat on other venues.

I wish I had pictures of the week in NC, but I don't right now. My daughter will be sending me some, I hope.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

Holidays Pink

2011-12-15T21:25:00.000-05:00

The Singing Christmas Tree at our church went very well. Pastor Seley said they estimated at least 1500 people showed up over the 3 days. It was a lot of fun with cookies, hot cider, hot chocolate, and lots of singing. Joyeaux Noel!

I bought myself this little Clap Camera on Amazon. It is so small, it looks like a usb thumb drive. It didn't come with the Micro SD Card that it needs, so I haven't been able to take any pictures yet.

Photo and Movie Feature, 2 MP

Utilizes Micro SD Card up to 16GB (Not included) (I evidently didn't notice this)

Plugs directly into your USB

For Windows and Mac, No Driver needed

1280 x 1024 Resolution, Fine Glass Lens

I cannot wait to get the card to put in it.

I hope that everyone is doing well. I have been going to physical therapy for about 5 weeks now. They are wearing me out. For some reason I am more nervous lately and my regular doctor has upped my nerve medicine. I took two a day for the past week and I have been having a problem driving, so I think I am going back to one a day. I ran a red light at least into the middle of the street. My car has very good brakes. And, the people with the green light did too. Later that day, I almost side-swiped someone. When I went to my therapist yesterday, I had to be extra careful. I have only taken one today and my head feels clearer already. I think being depressed is better than having a wreck.

I am going down to stay in NC over Christmas. Ray is taking me down to our house tomorrow and coming back to finish up his work before Christmas. It will give me some time to get caught up with my present wrapping, cleaning, shopping, etc. My daughter lives about a mile away and I can use her car or go shopping with her. I don't know my way around there well enough to go very far by myself.

I have a very poor connection when I am down there since we don't have a land line. If I go to my daughter's with the laptop, it is ok, but they don't understand my being on the computer a lot. Most people don't. The reason I am saying this is that I probably won't be on line much for the 10 days I plan to be gone. It might be good for me. I have become a couch potato with laptop attached. I really like tweeting. I like Facebook alright, and Google+ is just okay. I guess I should try it more, but I just cannot see the point yet. I am sure the kinks are being worked on.

I have joined Triberr. It helps to get your blog out to more people and I do have a bigger following and more people reading the blog since I started. If anyone who has a blog would like an invite, let me know. I am starting my own tribe. Also, you can join 10 tribes, a different account for each and get lots sent out. I am still working it out. Nothing is automatic. Just about the time I got if figured out, they had to take out the automatic feature at Twitter's request.

If for some reason, I don't get back on here before Christmas, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas.
Just remember: Jesus is the Reason for the Season

God is Good, All the Time; All the Time, God is Good!

Singing Christmas Tree Pink

2011-12-08T15:48:00.000-05:00

First Baptist Church of Newport News will have the "Singing Christmas" Tree starting on Friday night this week and will continue through Sunday night Dec 9-11, 2011. It will be outside in front of the church where the great big tree is. Reverend Dennis Adams will be leading the singing with the various choirs and groups at First Baptist. The public is invited to attend. I have it on good authority that there will be hot apple cider and cookies. The time is 7:00 p.m. Bring friends for fun and fellowship.

As Virginia's #1 Tweet, I hope to see you there. Please come up and say HELLO!

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

Sunday Rest Pink

2011-12-04T14:21:00.000-05:00

Me and Ray

I am blogging, Ray is watching the Redskins play the Jets and reading the paper. He keeps reading to me about the sales. Why is the only time he really wants to talk when I am blogging.

We went to church this morning and I was the Lead Usher for the first service. Sandra took over so I could leave before the second service. I wasn't feeling too well. I may be a little depressed. I have been the Lead Usher for 5 or 6 years and now all of a sudden, I was asked to resign so someone else could do it for a while. I really didn't want to, but you just don't argue with God. There must be something that He has in the plan for me that will take away the hurt that I have felt because of this. I said a couple of times that if someone else would step up, I might be persuaded to give it up. Well, I guess the nominating committee found someone to do it. They never called and asked me if I wanted to stay on and help out. But, then I guess it will be easier for that person taking over, to do so without me in the wings.

Garrett and Taylor

I used to walk around the sanctuary to greet and hug people before the service. I know some of the elderly probably don't get a hug all week. So, I guess that is what I will do for a while. Meanwhile, I am going to take a couple of weeks and go to North Carolina and stay, so I can enjoy my grandchildren. I know my Sunday Bible Class will be glad to see me again.

Mother, Pat, Cindy, Jeremy

I still need some help in my house. I went into the upstairs in the shop yesterday and brought some Christmas Items out, but I am not going to do a lot. (Just enough to make me feel like Christmas is coming!) I just love Christmas. I love giving gifts much more than I do receiving them. I try really hard to get something that I think the person really wants and will not re-gift. My mother-in-law from my first husband is the original re-gifter. I always like to give her something that is personal, like a book. I even inscribe it. I still give her something, even though her son has been gone about 7 years and I haven't been married to him in almost 25 years. I always told her that I didn't divorce her, just him. She is a real sweetie and I love her dearly.

Mother and Taylor

Karch, Jason, Heather, Tabitha

Speaking of mothers, my mother, Bertha, was doing well when I saw her at Thanksgiving. We were all at my brother's and it was so very nice there. Everyone had plenty of room and the children had a ball in the Movie/Play Room downstairs. They guys even enjoyed the play room, since part of it had a pool table. Most of the ladies took turns putting together a jigsaw puzzle. We didn't get finished but it was on the game table in the basement, so it may be there to finish when we go back. (I hope).

Jesse and Bryan in kitchen

I have been having fun on Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, and Google+. I just love all the wonderful people in my streams. Only occasionally, do I come upon someone who makes me pause. If someone is not nice, uses profanity, or is undressed in their Avatar, they are gone from my stream. I have a low tolerance for fools. LOL! I try to follow all who follow me, Sometimes Twitter hiccups and won't let me follow any more until I un-follow some, so I use Tweepi.com to see who has not tweeted in the past couple of months, and un-follow them. That way, I can follow people who will actually engage.

It is an absolutely beautiful day here, I hope that you are having the same. Just remember, God is Good, All the Time!

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!

Home Again PINK

2011-11-29T20:16:00.001-05:00

Jason, Cindy, & Jeremy

We went to Kentucky for the week of Thanksgiving and had an absolutely wonderful time. We stayed at my brothers' home in Nicholasville. My mother let us use her suite and slept across the hall. It was nice to have a room with a sitting area. I was able to set up my computer, but we kept so busy that I didn't have much time to use it.

Cindy and Heather

Riding for 10 hours in our car did not make for a fun time for my legs. They were almost numb by the time we got there. Our room was upstairs and I practically had to pull myself up the stairs using the hand rail. There were 17 stairs since the ground floor has 12 ft ceilings. There were about 15 stairs to the basement where the movie room and pool room are located. It was up and down stairs the whole time. And, guess what, by the time we left, I could actually climb the stairs without pulling myself up and I was using alternate feet, instead of pull up and drag. I am feeling better than in months. I did take more pain medication but I was able to do therapy yesterday without much trouble. I only got dizzy afterward. I haven't had any ill effects with the rheumatoid arthritis. That is sure a blessing.

Wyatt, Owen, & Karch

W

Everyone was so nice and made sure that I didn't do too much. We went downtown to my nephews and walked to Chipotle, a new fast food place from McDonald's. The food was very good, although the atmosphere was nil. My daughter, her husband, and the twins were also there. They really enjoyed everything. They watched all kinds of movies downstairs and played with their cousins. They got there a little later than everyone else because they did some sight-seeing on the way. They stayed at the Comfort Inn and really enjoyed it. There was a swimming pool, free WiFi, and a great breakfast included in the price of the room.

Garrett & Taylor

It is amazing that when we have stayed at the Hilton, Hyatt, Doubletree, and other high-end hotels, they charge at least $10 for WiFi per night. You would think they would include it in the price of the room, considering the cost of the rooms. Even a bottle of water costs $3. We always take our own food for snacks. We are not cheap, but we certainly aren't stupid either.

Jesse & Rhonda

Anyway, my brother had Thanksgiving catered, with servers. It was one of my best Thanksgivings ever. The ladies got to enjoy the children, watch the parade and football, movies, and we put a puzzle together at the game table in the movie room.

The Movie Room

There was my brother, his wife, 2 sons, daughter-in-law, 2 children; my mother; me and my husband, daughter, son-in-law, 2 children; my sister, her daughter, son-in-law and 2 children; friend of my brothers', his wife, and two daughters. Twenty-four for dinner. The caterer was a local company that serves homemade type food and we couldn't have had better if we had cooked it ourselves.

Bertha (my mother)

Saturday, we took my mom to her house and Ray and I went shopping. Didn't buy much, but it was nice to get out and walk some. We picked up mother and met my brother, his wife, and a son at Malone's. Malone's is a great restaurant in Lexington. They evidently eat there a lot. I really loved the food and the wait staff were superb.

Sunday morning we got up and packed and left Lexington about 8 a.m. It was raining, but by the time we reached Charleston WV, it had quit. Sonny had bought some pastries at Panera Bread Saturday night and we had them for breakfast. We stopped at Wendy's and I had an apple, craisens, chicken salad. It was great with blue cheese dressing.

My mother gave me loads of yarn to make lap blankets for hospice. Got to get busy with them. I have been making dish cloths to sell for the children's new playground at church. I hear that it is going to cost $30,000. That is a lot of yarn. LOL.

I hope you all are having a lovely season, just remember that Christmas is only about 25 days away. Take a look at my other blog for: (click to go to link)

A Familiar Poem for the Holidays! (Christmas)

Check it out. It circulates every year, usually on email, but I decided to give it a permanent home.

Jesus is the reason for the season!

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

Cate Masters: Emmy Swain in the Author Spotlight

2011-11-13T23:03:00.000-05:00

Cate Masters: Emmy Swain in the Author Spotlight: Emmy Swain in the Author Spotlight

I read the book and was so pleasantly surprised at the wonderful message for children. It inspired me to buy the book for my Kindle account so my grandchildren can read it on the kindles they are getting for Christmas. I loved the book and can't wait for Book 2 to come out.

FALLING PINK #2

2011-11-11T21:11:00.001-05:00

I fell again yesterday. This is actually the third time I have fallen in 5 weeks. The first time I was going out to get into the car and fell into the rose bushes; I got thorns in my hand. The second time was about 2 weeks ago and it was in the back yard. My neighbors helped me up, since Ray was in the house watching the Redskins. I had to go to the doctor and he put me into physical therapy. Yesterday, I was getting ready to go get blood tests and fell over my big feet and into a bookcase. There was a small metal ornate candleholder on a lower shelf and it cut my right hand up pretty bad. My knees were bruised and I totally destroyed our metal basket hamper. It will never be the same.

I was alone, so I had to pick myself up and take care of the cut on my hand and the abrasions on my forearm. It was bleeding so I washed it off and put on Neosporin and bandaged the entire hand to stop the bleeding. It was over an hour before Ray came home. I had called cancelling my appointment. He helped to change the bandage before we went to bed. This morning, there was blood coming through the bandage. Ray said I should go to the doctor. The nurse bandaged it again, then gave me a tetanus shot and since I was there, a pneumonia shot. She placed some bandages to use today and a sulfa cream in a bag for me to put on the cut. Also, the doctor wrote a note not to go to physical therapy until Monday. Good thing, a nap is what is needed.

A professional organizer is definitely needed around here and a garage sale. I should try Craig's List, I guess. I will have to take a look and see what I can do. Anybody know someone who has a Hoarders Reality Show. We are prime candidates. Help before I fall and can't get up. LOL

I called my friend Cindy and she is coming by tomorrow. Ray will be in Richmond at the Alpha Parliamentary Unit for a meeting and a teaching session. I thought it would be nice to have some company, she hasn’t been here in a while. Everyone else is so busy.

There is a yard sale down the street. If it is not too cold, I may walk down there. Tonight is #Slumberparty night at 11 p.m. First time I am able to just participate in a while. Last week I hosted and I think everyone had a good time. It was fun.

My brother called this morning. He and his wife Pat are home from South Africa. He assured me that there were plenty of photos to see; there are at least 4K. He said he would have a video show set up in the movie room with plenty of colas and popcorn. They really do go on lots of vacations. Sounds like fun. He has worked so very hard to get where he is. I am so proud of him and proud he is my brother.
Below is the Annie Moses Band. They were at the conference we went to Monday. They performed all three days and were totally awesome. Their music can make you smile and make you cry. Listen to this song, it is so beautiful. They are mostly Julliard trained musicians.

BGAV and the BOOK PINK

2011-11-10T14:04:00.000-05:00

Ray and I went to the Baptist General Association of Virginia Conference in Richmond Monday and were there until Wednesday. It was held at the Greater Richmond Conference Center. It was wonderful. We had dinner at the Marriott where were were staying on Monday night with the BGAV Board of Directors. Ray is one of their Parliamentarians. It was very nice, although it totally messed up our #SweetTweets Life Plan. There was the most delicious Chocolate Cake I have ever had. I couldn't resist. Just goes to show that the best laid plans can get kicked in the teeth by the nicest people.

Anyway, after eating chocolate cake, it was easy to eat every piece of chocolate we could lay our hands on through Wednesday. We are back on the diet plan today. It is so difficult to resist those carb loaded foods. But, nobody is perfect. I am going for my blood tests today and will see what my weight is. I prefer to make their scale the official scale for my diet. After losing 27 lbs, I hope my small lapse won't completely derail my plans. Ray has lost 37 lbs. We are both doing alright and I have no intention of eating any more chocolate in the near future.

The Rheumatoid Arthritis has been acting up lately. Sometimes, I think I take too much Vicadin. I try to limit myself to 1 or 2 a day but some days are just too difficult. I wish I cold take regular anti-inflamatories. The doctor thinks that if I took enough to do any good, I would have liver failure. My hands are really causing a lot of pain lately. The cold weather really doesn't agree with me at all. I want to do so many things. Sometimes I think I just don't have enough time, but I really do have lots of time. I think all the medications that I am taking keep me immobile. I just cannot seem to focus sometime.

I am working on a book of my experiences on Twitter. It has been so much fun. It will be about people that are my SuperStars. They are not "Celebrities". in the Entertainment sense of the word. They are my Celebrities. People who have inspired and cared for me over the past couple of years. People who have prayed and encouraged me. I love them all so much, I wanted to do something to spotlight them and show them my appreciation. So watch out for my book, it will be coming soon.

I was able to connect with old friends at the conference and Dr. White, my former pastor, was there. He is currently the Editor of the Religious Herald. Our friend, John Upton, was able to meet the Pope, see article:

"Two top leaders of the Baptist World Alliance brought “the fullness of what it means to be Baptist” to an interfaith summit of peace and justice, hosted Oct. 27 by Pope Benedict XVI and attended by about 300 world religious leaders. BWA general secretary Neville Callam and president John Upton joined other Christians as well as a wide range of other religious adherents in Assisi, Italy."

John Upton lead the BGAV Conference in Richmond. We actually made history by electing an African-American Pastor, Mark Croston." It was an amazing meeting. Click on the link for the full story.

Better go for now, got to get over to the Riverside Cancer Center for my blood tests. Love you all.

FALLING PINK

2011-10-25T09:00:00.002-04:00

My younger sister, Cindy, (in the uniform) sent me some wonderful pictures of my nephews. I just wish I knew them both better. It seems that the older I get the more family oriented I am. Christopher is the real photographer. He has such a good eye. I hope that I get to see them on Thanksgiving, along with Cindy's daughter, Heather with her family. She has such beautiful babies. I haven't seen her daughter at all, but little Karch is a handful.
There is a picture of Cindy with her new grandaughter, Tabitha below.

Cindy and Tabitha

I fell Sunday afternoon in the back yard. I hurt both knees and shins, big bruise on my upper thigh, and hurt both hands trying to catch myself. Ray was in the house and couldn't hear me. Neighbors came and got him. They wanted to call 911, but when I discovered that I could actually stand, I said no. I did call and leave a message for my rheumatologist to let him know. I am supposed to let him know when I fall. I fell into the bushes last week when I was trying to get in the car and the neighbor across the street helped me up. I am thinking I need one of those buttons on a necklace. "Help, I have fallen and I can't get up." LOL.

This disease is really making me feel old. Dr Cole says that I definitely have PTSD, too. My housekeeping lady has been taking care of her ex-husband who has Alzheimers and hasn't been here in months. I am beginning to feel like a hoarder. You might see me on Reality TV soon. I seem to save everything, thinking I may use it later. I used to move every couple of years but I have been in this house for 18 years and it has filled up gradually. There is room to walk around, but if this goes on much longer, we may have to close off a couple of rooms. I need some help, but I just don't know who to ask. I think I need to find a family to donate to. Maybe some who have lost their home in a fire or something.

So, here I am this morning. Yesterday was kind of hazy. I had so much pain that I was on Vicadin most of the day and even took a nap, which is unusual for me. Feel somewhat better today. I have a Circle Meeting today. No, it is not about Google, it is a church meeting. They have been called Circle Meetings long before Google was thought of. We meet and support missions with gifts and prayer. We donate school supplies, donate to our benevelent fund, send letters to military, donate to the foodbank, etc. It is a lovely group of women who care about our community and the people in it. We pray for the un-churched that they may come to know Christ and join us in our efforts.

By the way, I am making dishcloths and selling them for $4 each, plus shipping. I will be setting up a PayPal site later today. I donated 80 of these to our children's ministry to sell and use the money toward a new playground for the children. They are just the right size to use in the kitchen. Made from 100% cotton thread. They are also good for using as washcloths. Great exfoliators!

I am going to stop now, I have to go get dressed to go get my blood checked.

Lots of Love -

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

Weekend PINK

2011-10-20T22:42:00.000-04:00

I have been having a few bad days since I am still trying to cut down on the prednisone. I get so tired all the time. We had quilting today and I didn't get much done. I think I broke my sewing machine and now I have to take it to the shop. I want a new one. Anyway, most of what I did was cut squares. I am looking for a specific quilt pattern that I don't even know the name of. It is similar to the Cathedral Window Quilt, but more like a frame. I may see if I can find it online later. We have about 25 quilts almost ready to go. I brought 2 home with me to work on. I cannot decide whether to quilt them or tie them. I need to get one of my other sewing machines out and see if I can work on them.

Saturday, we will be in front of Harris-Teeter Grocery Store on Warwick Boulevard for Lions White Cane and Broom Sale. Ray and I are scheduled to work from 1-3 p.m. I sure hope I feel better than I do right now. Rheumatoid Arthritis bad enough, now I am swelling and my back aches. Rheumatologists don't do Osteoarthritis. Now I have to find another doctor to take care of that. Doing well, lost 23 lbs and 4 inches off my height. Guess I will end up being a little old lady after all.

We have been trying to do some yard work. I cannot do much. but I can cut branches off bushes. Ray does the heavy-lifting. Our neighbor put up a 6 ft. vinyl fence. A handyman was supposed to come last Saturday and take down our chain-link fence. He didn't show up, so I just cut branches myself. We had a nice day outside after we got back from VA beach. We went of the Lions District 24-D Fall Conference. It was good but we did not stay at the Cavalier Hotel. We just came home this year. We usually stay the weekend but there was no need because for the first time in 17 years, we were not on the Cabinet. It was nice to be able to leave and come home.

Sunday I drove back to Va Beach for training as a mentor for membership. It was really nice and I learned a lot about mentoring and membership. I can't wait to get started. There was a Lions International Vice President that held the training. He was originally from Germany, but is from Birmingham Al now. That was where I was born so we had something to talk about. He really didn't get to finish the training. They didn't allot him enough time. We have lots of books to read and then we are getting together to brainstorm.

When I got home, Ray had brought a roasted chicken dinner for us both from church and I didn't have to cook. We could even eat the chicken and the green beans, just had to get rid of the rice. It was great. I took a nap and rested the most of the day. It sure was nice.

I heard something about depression that stuck for some reason. Of course, it could be that I felt that maybe it could be about me. It was talking about when people become depressed, they don't feel like doing anything and sometimes feel immobile. Then their homes become a mess which makes the depression worse. I do know that I have got to find Catherine. I need someone who can clean my house. I do feel like everything is piling up. I used to clean all the time and loved to do it, but now, I just don't. I am seeing a therapist and he says that I just need to start small and get rid of stuff. My house is starting to look like one of those houses on the Hoarders. LOL. Well, maybe not that bad, but if I don't do something soon you might see me on one of those reality shows. LOL.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME; ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD

Jamie Layton Cagle PINK

2011-09-27T21:14:00.001-04:00

Still praying for Jamie.
Please join this group on Facebook, and invite your family and friends to join. We want as many people possible praying for Jamie and her family.

Jamie is 34 years old, she is the wife of Brandon, and mommy to two sweet girls, Erin (8) and Emily (4). Jamie was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of cancer called small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma in April of 2010. Jamie’s cancer was contained to the pelvic area and had not spread to other areas, she enjoyed a few months of remission, but found out recently that her cancer is back, and has spread to other areas. She has several spots in her liver, a spot in her lung, and in a lymph node in her chest.
While Jamie's prognosis is poor, and her cancer is aggressive, we pray to a God who is bigger than any trials we may face, He is certainly bigger than this cancer. We are praying for a miracle, praying for complete healing, praying that in all things God is glorified, and His will be done!
Jamie Lynn is the cousin of my sister Jan (below). I would appreciate it if you would pray for her. We know that all things are possible with Christ. He is the creator of the Universe (in the beginning there was the Word); He can make a difference for Jamie, her family and for us all.

Click on title to go to Jamie's Facebook Page.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME.

2011-09-21T07:58:00.001-04:00

My friend Sandy Guerriere posted an update on her blog this morning concerning Michael Jackson and the devastating effects of Autoimmune Diseases.

King of Pop
Michael Jackson

1958 – 2009
BY: Sandy Guerriere

"Gone Too Soon"....that is one of my favorite Michael Jackson songs and now it has been appropriately sang for him.
I was affected deeply and shocked by Michael's sudden death and my heart goes out to his family, friends and fans all over the world. It came as a big surprise to many that Michael Jackson suffered from the autoimmune disease Lupus. But, it was in 1986 that Michael Jackson was diagnosed with Vitiligo and . . . . . .

Sandy Guerriere has been suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis for over 12 years. She has some well-written articles on her blog about the different "conditions" caused by Autoimmune Disease:

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Vitiligo

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Polymyositis-Dermatomyositis

Systemic Sclerosis

Sjogren's Syndrome

various forms of vasculitis

If you have any of these diseases or know someone who suffers from them, you can only benefit from subscribing to Sandy's blog. Sandy suggests 'healing' foods and ways to combat some of these diseases in a 'natural' way. Sandy contacted me shortly after I found out about my Rheumatoid Arthritis and her blog has helped me immeasurably in dealing with the constant chronic pain. I don't care if you follow me, but please follow Sandy. She has such a grasp on this issue, that it could even help you to understand other medical problems and a healthy way to deal with them. She is much more knowledgeable than I am.

I also have Osteo-Arthritis and I always assumed that Rheumatoid and Osteo-Arthritis were just Arthritis. I never considered there was a big difference. The one thing they do have in common is chronic pain. I have a strong feeling that we will be learning more about Autoimmune Diseases in the future. Our environment is crippling our bodies.

Love to you all.

God is Good, All the Time - All the Time, God is Good.

September Pink

2011-09-08T23:47:00.000-04:00

There are so many wonderful things about September. Children are back in school, some moms are breathing a sigh of relief, the weather is changing for the good, I am dragging out the winter things and giving them a steaming or cleaning. Putting away the sandals and dragging out the boots. I am making arrangements of flowers and leaves, getting out the fake pumpkins, and some of the funny little Fall elves. Bringing is the tiny tomatoes before they turn red and the bugs eat them and cooking them with onions in olive oil. They really are good. I love fried green tomatoes, but cannot make them the Southern way, just the carb-free way.

September brings memories of September 11, 2011. What a terrible day for the US. Everyone has a story of where they were and who they were with. There was a lady on THE TALK today who was in one of the towers. Parts of her body weren't just burned, they were cooked and she is still living with the pain. I can only imagine how horrible it must have been. A friend at church had to hear that her granddaughter was in one of the planes that hit the Towers. I know it will be a particularly difficult day for her.

People that were there at the World Trade Center Towers and EMT's are coming down with cancer now, probably related to the many toxins they were exposed to the day of the terrorist attacks and for many days later. I hear that Al Qeida is planning something to celebrate the memory also. Probably to see how many Christians they can send to heaven. Although that is not where they think Christians go. They would commit suicide to take us out. All the time they think if they kill us they will get many virgins. That is a laugh. Not many of them around now.

Unfortunately, today wasn't a good one for my friend Benita. She had a horrific headache. I gave her pain medication, ice packs, warm wash cloths, etc. I made homemade chicken soup and finally got some down her this afternoon. That and some peanut butter with crackers. I am afraid she is not getting enough liquid, but I cannot make her drink. I try to tell her that if she gets dehydrated, she will have to go in the hospital. Then she drinks a little bit. It is so hard to help people with Alzheimers. She may agree one minute and the next wonder where we are going as we walk out the door. Ray is very patient with us both.

I hope and pray that September 11th goes by without bad memories for the future. Stay safe and keep it low key. I would hate to have a bad memory of the this Sunday. It is the Lord's day and it should be quiet and safe for us all.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME! ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!

FRIEND PINK

2011-08-25T12:43:00.000-04:00

Service is Power

My friend Benita is back with me today. Her daughter, Rebecca, is a teacher's assistant and teachers are back in class. Children start sometime next week. You may not know, but after a bad experience with a care giver, Benita stayed with me for 3 months until school was out. She has dementia (Alz). We have been friends for years and we used to have lunch on Sundays after church with our husbands. Unfortunately, that stopped in 2007. We couldn't figure out what was going on, but finally decided that since Norman retired, maybe they just wanted to spend time together. In November 2010, Norman had a heart attack and passed away while he was waiting in traffic for the light to change. It has been a difficult time for them, because Benita is not able to stay alone. I love her dearly. In fact, at one time, we were thinking about introducing Rebecca to my son Jeff. Anyway, here we are two friends supporting each other through hard times.

Ray and I started on the Induction Phase of Adkins Diet on Monday, August 8, 2011. Ray has diabetes and was afraid that they were going to increase his medication if he didn't get his blood sugar down. I had gained about 20 lbs because of the steroids that I am on and if I wanted to get into my fall and winter clothes, I need to lose some weight. I have been very inventive and will be chronicling our venture on one of my other blogs, along with recipes. I will let you know when I get it going. We both lost weight by day 15: Ray, 15 lbs - Barbara, 12 lbs. I am so excited. Ray didn't realize it before but he was out of his medication that morning when we started. He had to call it in to Express Scripts and to took 3 days for delivery. His blood sugar stabilized between 93 and 110 so when his medication came he didn't take any. He still hasn't and his blood sugar is still between 93 and 110. He is so happy and feels so much better. I am trying not to weigh in every day. I get a PT/INR test every 2 weeks and they weigh me, so I am being weighed at the doctor. We do have a good scale here, but I figured that was "official." I cannot cheat on that one. LOL! (Not that I would.) I will periodically mention the diet on this blog and carry a link to the other one. I did see an article yesterday that I think everyone should read.

I am also doing a blog called "Twitter SweetTweets" where I will be commenting on our parties on Twitter. #slumberparty #SMmanners #CMchat #MomEoChat Etc. I will have days and times there.
SMgirlfriends & #latteclub are 24/7.

Britt

People starting these are @DabneyPorte @MamaBritt, @JessicaNorthey, etc. They have made Twitter a much nicer place to be. If you look in the right column, you will see the #SMgirlfriend link to Facebook. If you are on Twitter, just put #SMgirlfriend in Search or on TweetDeck, you can click the #hashtag and it will create a column for you.

Have fun on Social Media! I am still trying to get used to Google+.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME; ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!

Insomnia Pink

2011-08-16T00:40:00.001-04:00

Taylor & Garrett with me at our home
in North Carolina.

I say insomnia Pink because I was tired and went to bed early. TweetDeck was acting up and chaining words vertical instead of horizontal. So I went to bed. I lay there thinking, pondering, then watching Frazer on TV. I saw the last Frazer and right after that was the first Frazer. Strange that I never watched it when it was on one of the big three channels, only after it went into syndication. It was that way with Law & Order too and a few more. I seem to find that watching older shows are better than some of the new shows. I sure hope they come up with something better than the Bachelor or Lost this year. Personally, I am not a big fan of the new "reality" shows. They just don't Entertain me at all. Snooky was on Regis & Kelly the other day, and I have seen her on Ellen too. She is just too much. If my daughter dressed like her, talked like her, and acted as slutty as she does, I might just disown her. Though I would never disown one of my children, they were raised better.

This brings me to something that I have been thinking about. I created a "YAYA Sisters" page on Facebook. A couple of weeks ago a friend from Twitter called and we talked almost an hour. She was just starting a new job in addition to a business she has on line. Her husband has been ill and the needed to supplement their income a while. Anyway, she had been talking with someone of the West Coast who is concerned about the "moral compass" of this country. It seems to be going South of late.

In fact, I have seen it deteriorate during my lifetime. I have seen children exploited by the politicians, the media, and the courts. When I was little, the worst thing we had to worry about being addicted to was alcohol, which was bad in of itself, but now we have to worry if our children are sniffing glue, spray cans, smoking herbs, smoking marijuana or crack cocaine, etc., the list is endless. The little girls run around in clothes that look like they were made for prostitutes and 8 year old's are wearing heels and makeup already. The boys have their heads stuck in front of a TV but they are not watching it, they are playing games on it. They would sit their for hours if they are not made to get up and go outside.
American children are becoming obese because of their inactivity and being fed too many fatty, carbohydrate foods. When I was a child, sweets were a treat that usually only happened after Sunday dinner.

While we were talking, my friend said she had been thinking about the YAYA Sisters that I tweet out on Twitter. She was wondering if they could use that to spread the word about the "Moral Compass." She thought about the YAYA Sisters because it was kind of a universal name. The Moral Compass would not encompass only Christianity, but all religions. It would encourage people to raise their children with more conviction and purpose. People need to be parents to their children, not their friend. There is plenty of time to be their friend when they become adults. I love this idea so I am going to be working on the YAYA Sister page and see how many people I can get to jump on the bandwagon.

I was at the gastro doctor today and they are working on helping me with a problem that I have been having. They changed my medicine again. Sometimes I wonder about doctors. I saw a doctor on TV the other day who said, "What do you call someone that goes to medical school and has to take tests over and over to pass and it takes them 8 years to do what they should have completed in five? Answer: Doctor. He said that a lot of times if you go in to see a doctor and tell them what is wrong they may leave the room for a minute and look it up on the Internet, just like I do at home. Go figure.

I guess I better go and see if I can go to sleep now. I am yawning so much.

Good night Sweeties,
Remember:
GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

GAME PINK

2011-08-09T08:53:00.001-04:00

I was going to say good morning, but I looked at the clock and it is almost noon. I made a big decision yesterday and I quit Empire Avenue. I really enjoyed it and find that I am much more competitive than I like to think that I am. @ChrisVoss on Twitter got me involved but it was not his fault that I became engrossed with it. I was doing very well, but I found that it was taking up too much time out of my day to work on it. It is another one of those things that we let eat up our time when we should be doing something else, even if it is meditation. I remember how consumed I was by Farmville on FaceBook. That was consumed to the ridiculous extreme. I found myself thinking about it when I wasn't even playing. I know how I get hooked on things easily. What I want to be hooked on now is writing and blogging. No more games for me, unless it is Angry Birds while I am waiting at the doctor's office (only if I forgot my Kindle). Games are nice to relax and there are a few that I like to do that are not all-consuming. I would really rather my life be a learning experience than an experience of mindless game playing. In my real life, I a not really partial to games, either sports or the games people play or try to play with my head.

Roses from the Garden

I have been feeling a little strange lately. My doctor is trying to wean me from prednisone, but I don't know if I can endure the pain. My shoulders and neck were hurting so bad last week that I found some stronger prednisone and took it. The pain went away, but what is going to happen tomorrow when I have to drop another milligram? Friends tell me to rest and get plenty of sleep. This goes against my basic nature. I have always only slept about 5 hours a night. Now I am up to 7 hours, but it is very difficult to sleep any more than that. Although, it is easier to take little naps in my chair during the day. When I get totally exhausted, I just lean back and nod.

I have also been updating my blog for my Lions Club this morning and am so happy to be out of the loop on that. The newsletter and keeping up with the blog are my jobs this year. I also updated the District 24-D Facebook page and the Newport News Host Lions Facebook page. I have been a busy bee this morning. I even tweeted a little.

It was not a good day. All those members of the Navy Seal Team who died in the helicopter really had more effect on me than I thought. I just couldn't send out my normal #MilitaryMon on Twitter. It seemed so ineffective. I just put a few thoughts on Twitter about the tragedy. I just cannot even imagine the loss of the families. These were fathers, husbands that just cannot be replaced. At least they have the knowledge that their fathers died doing what they loved.

Someone sent this to me and I have no idea who wrote it, but it is very interesting.

· Atheism - The belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing and then nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything and then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself for no reason whatsoever into self-replicating bits which then turned into dinosaurs - Makes perfect sense.

Your beliefs are yours, and you do not have to agree with me to be my friend. If you have been reading my blog, I think you know where my heart is, with Jesus.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!