FOR ANY WHO ARE STILL INTERESTED

at 12/04/09 10:15PM *

There are still people joining us from time to time on the "long distance icebreaker" post of 11/20. A BIG thank you to all who have participated. There is not a single person, to the best of my recollection, that did not include at least one thing that even I did not already know. So I WILL continue to check it. Have a good weekend!

THANK YOU! I definitely don't feel like whining anymore.

at 12/03/09 7:05AM *

Just making up that poem helped a bit. And the hugs and comments helped more. Then I was in a better frame of mind to work on my class material. Sharing the lesson with my wonderful class definitely was "the icing on the cake"!

(tune: Jingle, Jingle Jack)

"I will stand for God,
No matter what the price.
In this world,
Temptations come,
But I will do what's right."

P.S. Then Brett got on the phone and said, "Hi, Grandma" as plain as day, which even shocked his mother. THAT was the sprinkles!!!! I love all my grandkids, but, oh, how this quiet one tugs at my heartstrings!

Writing is great therapy. And when you add icing & sprinkles, it has a way of lifting your spirits, doesn't it?

I have a friend who refers to her grandchildren as her "grandjewels". I like that. :)

by leaflady at 12/03/09 5:34PM
I've never heard :"Jingle, Jingle Jack", but I like the words to your song. I have two young ladies in my Wednesday night class. One is a senior in high school & the other is in the 8th grade. They brought a visitor last night. We've been studying scriptures to live by. Last week we studied ICor.13, & talked about what "agape" is. Last night we talked about Biblical contrasts, focusing on contrasting the "wise" & the "fool".

To answer your question about our "muddy" experience yesterday - we got stuck in the mud after looking at the house. It's an interesting little house. I'm not sure what it was originally, but it looks kind of like a little Pennsylvania Dutch barn. The outer walls & some of the interior walls are painted concrete block, & it has an unusual layout. It's like it was converted from something into a home. It needs work, but I'm sure Lisa could turn it into a cozy little starter home for them.

by leaflady at 12/03/09 5:56PM
I'm glad you're already feeling better and that you got icing with sprinkles! I like your song too. Have a hug from Stone Mountain! Hope you have a good weekend.

by themother at 12/04/09 12:02AM
I have been m.i.a. on pleo - I'm so sorry. I'm glad you are feeling better. NYC was fabulous... hopefully this link for pictures will work: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=137703&id=579487300&l=621e95740e. If it doesn't I will try to find another way for you to see them!

I finally participated in your fun post from a couple of weeks ago. I will repost my comment here so you don't have to scroll down :)

I'm so late to weigh in! I'm Holly... one of Linda's married daughters (and pet-parent to one of the chihuahuas my mom is currently stuck with) :) Ann is my middle name, but I think some people get confused by my pleo name and think my name is HollyAnn :) I've been married to Aaron for 5.5 years. It's been crazy... I was in school for 1 of those years and he's been in school for 3.5. I can't wait to have 2 "normal" schedules going on in this household! We were set up by a friend 8 years ago - proof that set ups do work!

I was born and raised here in Illinois. I escaped to Florida (FC) for a couple of years (1999-2001) but did not like Florida either so I settled here. I live near and work for Northern Illinois University, about 2 hours west of Chicago.

I have a great family - my grandpa Billy Boyd was a preacher in the midwest much of his life. He and my grandma Geri were a big part of my life. I gave my mom some grief as a teenager, but now she is my closest friend - I'm very lucky! I'm also lucky to know Mary Jo through my mom and pleo. I got to spend a wonderful day with her and Alicia in Chicago while they were here - they even treated us to the Phantom of the Opera! I'm thankful for pleo where I can get to know them better and I hope to see them again face to face sometime :)

by holly_ann at 12/04/09 1:22AM
Glad you're feeling better. I like your poem, though I don't think I know that tune.

by alp1926 at 12/04/09 9:24PM
Sending you a hug from far away!
Flying high or low, we need each other.
I give thanks to God for you.

by granny at 12/07/09 1:35PM
Yes I did. Diana was in town and we all went to dinner. Earlier I did what I wanted to do. Mostly window shop and browse.

by gorfad at 12/08/09 7:11AM

The party is still going on below, but I need pleohugs now.

at 12/02/09 3:04PM *

I really hate to move on and have passed on some other ideas because of it, but I am in need of fresh conversation. I feel like whining, but know that sympathy is not what I need right now. I have a dear young friend on here that has been very supportive and willing to listen. So right now I am ready to get away from talking about what is bothering me.

Motivation, inspiration... that is what I need. Hey, I feel a poem coming on...

Send me a hug from your far away home.
I've no money to travel, no time to roam.
Send me some words to help me to grow;
Give me a laugh or just say hello.

Works for me!

(((HUG))) From me to you.

Thank you for your sweet comment. It made my day. Wish I could do something to return the feeling. I guess I find "resurrecting" this kids' party to be motivation for me. Motivation to clean my house a little, to be creative again, to enjoy the young ones who keep me feeling young. There's a time to talk and a time to move away from it -- even if for a short time. Smile!! :)

by alp1926 at 12/02/09 5:28PM
Catan is a board game that is kind of like Monopoly on steroids. Quite the challenge and I am just learning it. "Dice" is rolling 5 dice to see who can make it to 10,000 points first. The Only numbers that count are 1's and 5's and three of a kind. It is really fun and quite the challenge. The boys practice counting that way and totalling the scores.

by friedaj at 12/02/09 9:24PM
HUGS

by curlie at 12/02/09 9:34PM
Your poem is not silly. And good for you for making up a song for class. Put it to a tune, and kids will remember it. Working with the young goes along in keeping oneself young. Chronological age often means nothing. The mental and emotional goes along with it. Keep up the good work with that class.

by alp1926 at 12/02/09 10:25PM
I'm sending big hugs your way! I started to post here earlier this afternoon, but had to set it aside due to many other things that were going on at the time. Now it's 11:15 PM & I'm just getting back here. We went to look at a house way out in the country that Lisa & Jason are considering, & we got stuck in the mud, way out in the middle of nowhere, & to make matters worse, we had no phone service out there. I was afraid we wouldn't make it back in time for Bible study, & I teach a class. Tim finally had to walk in the misty drizzly weather to get help. Someone with a big truck came & got us out & we got home having only 15 minutes left to change our clothes & leave for Bible Study!

Anyway, I love your poem, as well as all of your writing, as you know. It inspired me to take a stroll down memory lane today. I was remembering the haiku & diamond poems we were coming up with years ago. I looked them up in my old emails, & found them. I was going to post some of them here, but I didn't get very far before having to leave & take care of some other stuff. It's hard to believe how many years have gone by since we did that!

by leaflady at 12/03/09 12:35AM

Long Distance Icebreaker

at 11/20/09 10:18PM *

A lot of my "real life" friends have found their way to pleo and so many new wonderful people have come my way here. I wish I had the money to rent a BIG place and get everyone on my friends list together for a weekend. So many things to talk about, so many things in common! Instead, I will have to settle for begging you to "get together" here. Pretend you are in a big circle, or whatever, and have to tell a little about yourself... and by the time this is done, HOPEFULLY, each of you will have "met" some dear new friends.

I will start.

I am a grandmother, but still feel a bit like a kid inside. I hang out in the children's room at the library, prefer G movies, still get excited looking at the baby dolls this time of year. For about a year I was able to sing "all my grandkids live in Texas", but now some have moved to Oklahoma. I love teaching elementary age Bible classes and have been trying to get material and nerve together to do a class for young ladies. I am constantly reminded of a past that I would not mind forgetting, except that I have learned so much from my experiences. I love chickadees, walking in the woods (though right now a couple physical issues prevent that), and other people's pets. And what is foremost in my mind this particular evening is that my grandson (left in the picture here) said the nickname his aunt gave him for the first time today.... "Bretterby". (He has been diagnosed with autism and that is probably his longest word so far.) Oh, I live in Akron, Oh.

12-31 of 31 comments « prev 1 2 next »

Jennifer, that is interesting that your daughter loves the nature things too. Some people think I'm strange sometimes but I don't mind some spiders or toads or worms sometimes:-) I like seeing the snow fall and cover everything too. I like all the seasons for different reasons!
Hello to everyone that have chimed in since me!

by butterfly at 11/22/09 3:27PM
I shall have to say that the ice seems to be breaking quite well! I love you all!!!

by chickadee at 11/22/09 8:11PM
I'm Sarah, wife to Ethan and mom to three children. I was a teacher before being a SAHM and enjoy reading, music, and good conversation. I am drawing a blank on making this anything close to interesting. :P

by curlie at 11/22/09 9:26PM
Don't let her fool you, she's a very interesting person :)

by chickadee at 11/22/09 9:41PM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARY JO!!!!!!! :) :) :)

by leaflady at 11/23/09 12:19PM
The titmouse compares to the chickadee in size. In fact, there are a lot of similarities. They tend to come to the feeders at the same time, & they both take a seed & fly up to a tree to eat it, rather than staying on the feeder & eating there. They are precious little birds. :)

by leaflady at 11/23/09 12:21PM
I don't have much time because kids are needing to eat but I'm Cheryl. My name is cdillman23 for the reasons that I used my normal screen name and added the date my husband and I got married (Feb 3). I have loads I could tell like my husband and I met at Florida College and secretly eloped while I was still in school. I have three children who until this school year were all homeschooled. They have been in public school this year and love it. We decided to put them in public school because the homeschooling resources where we currently live are lacking. I met Mary Jo on here only. I know Anne's son Luke from college and her daughter-in-law, Missy, used to go to church with my husband.
I was told I have a connection to jenancar85 because I went to camp with her sister, Robin. I met Sarah on here also.
I lived in North Carolina all my life until I went to college. Then after marrying my husband we lived in Florida. Then we moved to Middle Tennessee and now we moved back to North Carolina about an hour from where I grew up. My girls are 11, 8 and 7. My youngest is getting ready to be a flower girl in a wedding and this is the first time any of my children will be in a wedding. Her sisters were a little jealous in the beginning but they are better now. Okay, I have written enough. :) I do like this idea Mary Jo.

by cdillman23 at 11/23/09 5:55PM
Cheryl, your name sounds familiar, I'm sure I've heard Robin talk about you. I'll ask her when I see her next time...

by jenancar85 at 11/23/09 11:13PM
Oh no! I hope they are able to figure something out this time. Prayers.

by butterfly at 11/24/09 9:38AM
Mary Jo, I'm thankful you were with your Dad when this happened. That would have been difficult for your mother if it had been just the two of them at home. Also, you were able to get the paramedics right away. It's curious that they couldn't find anything wrong after the first episode. I guess this situation will figure in to the decisions you & your family have to make concerning what is best for your parents at this stage in their lives. You are all in my thoughts & prayers.

by leaflady at 11/24/09 1:48PM
Mary Jo, try this: http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc127/jobeckley/
I guess you realize I am taking notes. You have some fine friends.

by granny at 11/25/09 8:48AM
When was your birthday -- the 23rd? I've been meaning to get out my yearbook and look yours up -- guess I waited too long! Happy belated! And did I miss something about your mom and dad? Hope things are okay -- I'll be keeping you and them in prayer.

by themother at 11/25/09 1:09PM
Mine is November 6 -- we're really close! Thanks for letting me know about your dad -- hope they can figure out what is causing this. It must be very frightening. You and they will be in my prayers.

by themother at 11/25/09 5:03PM
Well, I am Jade, I don't really have a life story yet. I'm 13 years old and attend Southeast with Miss Mary Jo. I have been a christian since i was 11, and I love all the relationships that have been formed through being a christian. So many people have got me through so many things and given advice willingly. I'm in 8th grade at Lake Middle School, I play basketball on the school team and run track. I also participate in the 8th grade choir. My 3 main priorities are being successful in school as far as grades go, excelling in sports and serving God. I have got to say being a christian has definitely made me stand out...but truthfully I love it. It's what makes me me. I am what I am. My parents are doing a great job of raising me. Thats about it :-)

by sissy12 at 11/28/09 8:44PM
I will definitely vouch for that last statement.

by chickadee at 11/28/09 11:14PM
I've started my intro several times and been interrupted - I hope I can finish it this time.

I'm Linda from Elgin, Illinois. I've been married to Don for 31 years and have two married daughters and a 2-year old granddaughter. Well, I suppose I can mention the three Chihuahuas too. I went to Florida College from 1973 to 1975 and then to USF from 1975 to 1977. I met my husband back here in Illinois at the bank we both worked at.

I've reconnected with many friends on here, and met many new friends also. I had the good fortune of having MaryJo and Alicia as guests for a few fun-packed days of touring in Chicago. Although I live 40 miles from the city, I only go when company comes. Then, this past year I was able to visit with them in Alicia's new home, and I was treated like royalty - we had a great time.

My parents grew up in Franklin, TN and Nashville, TN. My father was a preacher in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois most of his life. Although I only lived in Minnesota for 7 or 8 years, I consider that my childhood home, and I love Minnesota and winter. I've lived in Illinois for about 40 years, and I love it here also. We certainly don't get bored with our weather. :)

Its been nice to meet you all, and I hope to meet more in this cozy gathering place.

by linda_g at 12/01/09 12:27AM
I'm so late to weigh in! I'm Holly... one of Linda's married daughters (and pet-parent to one of the chihuahuas my mom is currently stuck with) :) Ann is my middle name, but I think some people get confused by my pleo name and think my name is HollyAnn :) I've been married to Aaron for 5.5 years. It's been crazy... I was in school for 1 of those years and he's been in school for 3.5. I can't wait to have 2 "normal" schedules going on in this household! We were set up by a friend 8 years ago - proof that set ups do work!

I was born and raised here in Illinois. I escaped to Florida (FC) for a couple of years (1999-2001) but did not like Florida either so I settled here. I live near and work for Northern Illinois University, about 2 hours west of Chicago.

I have a great family - my grandpa Billy Boyd was a preacher in the midwest much of his life. He and my grandma Geri were a big part of my life. I gave my mom some grief as a teenager, but now she is my closest friend - I'm very lucky! I'm also lucky to know Mary Jo through my mom. I got to spend a wonderful day with her and Alicia in Chicago while they were here - they even treated us to the Phantom of the Opera! I'm thankful for pleo where I can get to know them better and I hope to see them again face to face sometime :)

by holly_ann at 12/04/09 1:19AM
I am Jen Smith, from Uniontown, OH. I have 5 wonderful, crazy children...4 boys and 1 girl (she holds her own!) and will be married for 15 years in Feb. I am in real estate and help with my husband's business, but would mostly define myself as a glad-to-stay-home-mom! I worship at Southeast w/Mary Jo and Alicia, and feel very blessed to have such a strong and uplifting circle of support there. My greatest prayer is that I will be the teacher and example that I ought to be for my children, and that they will grow to love and serve God with fervor. We have a pet tortoise, because it can survive our neglect...have no desire for any fuzzy creatures that will never be weaned from my care :0) (at least, not now). I have 2 teenagers, and thoroughly enjoy their company! My youngest is 5, and I am both happy and sad about his "leaving home" next year (10 months, actually...who's counting???). My screenname describes our homelife (most days)...as a child, I never imagined that I'd have any children and now I cannot imagine life without them. Mass chaos it may be, but never a dull moment! I am definitely a homebody...would much rather throw a get-together at my house than go out for entertainment. Lucky to have many Christian friends and family in the immediate area, my kids have an amazing group of friends that I pray will be an encouragement to them in the challenging times to come!
Thanks for the suggestion Mary Jo! It's been fun reading the posts!!

by masschaos5 at 12/07/09 8:54PM
My comment on Jen's homebody comment. Anytime we are up for a party, but our house isn't... Hey, Jen!!! She's great! (for lots more reasons than just that!)

by chickadee at 12/07/09 11:01PM

Where did I put it? It must be here somewhere.

at 11/11/09 5:23PM *

I had two appointments today. One of them was with a new doctor, so you all know, I'm sure, what that entails. Anyway, I just realized that every time I dated something today, I wrote "11/10/09".

Help! The world is moving too fast for me!

Mary Jo, I liked your room: Yearning for the Living God! Thanks for sharing that.

by hartwebb at 11/11/09 11:49PM
your new planner reguires turning a page every now and then, or everyday might be better! Bless you! see you Sunday

by debnray at 11/12/09 6:26AM
Too funny! Loved that post! Seriously sounds like my house this week.

by masschaos5 at 11/12/09 6:34PM
I'll be home all night, and most of the day tomorrow.

by singforjoy at 11/12/09 9:42PM
Hello, new friend!
I'm glad about the negative biopsy. Learning you have a son in the military I really feel for him and you with the direction things are possibly taking from what happened at Fort Hood. Truly shocking and heartbreaking.
I love your babies in the picture! Hmmm Ohio -- my husband is from New Richmond on the Ohio River.

by granny at 11/14/09 12:45AM