Giggles and Smiles

My poor blog is once again being neglected as I’ve been taking care of my responsibilities in our home. I took the time to update the background for February, now it’s time to start blogging again. I’m afraid that I will be sparse in my postings though as I need to start plugging away at our taxes. Fun times!

It has become a tradition now to put together a digital calendar for my sister and other family members that they can put into a CD sleeve. I have a lot of fun doing it but it is somewhat time consuming. Each year, I think, “Why didn’t I start this sooner so that it would be ready for Christmas!?” I love looking at it though as does my sister and it’s a creative outlet. So, I’ve just wrapped up the December page and can get it printed and in the mail. Wahoo! My sister has been patiently waiting for it :~)

I’ve included two pictures for those of you that are unfamiliar with a CD calendar. Each month, the new calendar is at the bottom of my blog so you can get a peak at them. You can either use them like an easel like I have or you can close the CD, add magnets and use it on your fridge. My husband took his to work so he can see his family daily.

Giggles

A blonde teenager, wanting to earn some extra money for the summer, decided to hire herself out as a "handy-woman" and started canvassing a nearby well-to-do neighborhood.

She went to the front door of the first house, and asked the owner if he had any odd jobs for her to do.

"Well, I guess I could use somebody to paint my porch," he said. "How much will you charge me?"

Delighted, the girl quickly responded, "How about $50?"

The man agreed and told her that the paint brushes and everything she would need were in the garage.

The man's wife, hearing the conversation, said to her husband, "Does she realize that our porch goes ALL the way around the house?"

He responded, "That's a bit cynical, isn't it?"

The wife replied, "You're right. I guess I'm starting to believe all those dumb blonde jokes we've been getting by e-mail lately."

Later that day, the blonde came to the door to collect her money.

"You're finished already?" the startled husband asked.

"Yes," the blond replied, "and I even had paint left over, so I gave it two coats."

Impressed, the man reached into his pocket for the $50.00 and handed it to her along with a ten dollar tip.

"And by the way," the blond added, "it's not a Porch, it's a Lexus!"

Smiles

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She then pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, Mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity -- boiling water -- but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

I hope each of you are having a blessed day! Before closing though, I'll leave you with a quote from Helen Keller - "The struggle of life is one of our greatest blessings. It makes us patient, sensitive, and Godlike. It teaches us that although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it."

Life isn't always easy and it's not supposed to be. It is through difficulties and challenges that we grow as individuals and families. It is difficult when we go through those seasons of life but one day we look back at what we have overcome. There is a group that plays frequently on our Christian radios station called Kutless. One of there newer video from their song "What Faith Can Do" is available here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnCEyfRdvDY. You can see more videos by Kutless at http://www.kutless.com/default.aspx or for more of their videos, go to http://www.youtube.com/kutlessrock. They just started touring with Casting Crowns and both sing great music.