I said, "I'm blogging again." I feel more like a fisherman..

You know how a fisherman goes out in high hopes of catching a fish or 10. I'm cool with just one reader. I know it's been too long, so I'm willing to talk to myself for a while. Here's to blogging fishing! ><> 

My thoughts and moments of the week at-a-glance..

♥♥♥

Ole Lady Katie has a rough life. 

(my mother-in-law's doggie)

Treadmill and the Food Network... They go hand in hand. 

(Sorry for the blur, but I'm exercising!)

Can you guess who I'm watching?

"Real California Milk" commercials are still the best! 

I've always loved my cows.

♥

Funny true story...

Ever have outsourced tech support help with HP or the like companies?

Today, I was helping my mother-in-law w/some computer & printer issues and it led us to a 2 hour call w/HP's tech support, his name was Souvick (sp?) 

Anyway, she was on the call the 1st hour and I relieved her the 2nd hour, we needed the sanity support, so giggling was definitely involved. 

She happens to have an iphone and that's what we were on. When she handed me the phone for my hour of technical fun overseas.. I couldn't help but take a glance at the fun features she has. I keep it simple and have a blackberry. (I also know the dangers of having an iphone..for me, personally) When I saw the "Face Time" button, I said to her, "I'd love to have an iphone so I could "Face Time" all my family and friends. It would be fun too, for the cubs!" Well, by accident, I hit "face time" and ole Souvick..

And I had a quick "face time".. I couldn't return to the normal screen fast enough and my mother-in-law and I could NOT stop laughing! He was trying to walk me thru the next step (428th step) and I could not keep my composure. 

At the end of the call, as he had successfully helped us w/our issue, Souvick said, "Meryl (name changed to keep blogging fun at the Treehouse), thank you SO much for all your hard work!" I thanked HIM wholeheartedly, and he replied with, "Well, Meryl, I'd LOVE to see your big smile!" 

I was hoping, he was just being nice and never saw me during my 10 second "Face Time"! 

BTW, Meryl's my mother-in-law's name, not mine. Which made it even funnier. We laughed and laughed!

...And continued to laugh again about it at dinner.

♥♥♥

Tonight was a girls night out; Nana, Mama & Sister Bear! (boys are @ the farm!)

Nana suggested a fun hot dog joint that has a million different kinds of hot dogs -Sister Bear said, "No, I don't like hot dogs."

Meanwhile, as we're getting ready, she says, "Let's have Mexican...I want a mexicandia!!" (still not sure what a "mexicandia" is)

We ended up at a lovely & delicious Mexican restaurant...

Sister Bear ordered a corndog!

♥♥♥

Pot roast tonight! Nothing better on a cold day, than to smell the fragrance of dinner...simmering all day in the crock pot ♥ Mmmm.

Being suspicious causes inner torment and we imagine things that either aren't true or will probably never happen. -Joyce Meyer

♥♥♥

Time for a Well Check-up! And a new Pediatrician...so kind.

Sister Bear and as she calls it, "my bowl of ice cream world". She's my lil bowl of ice cream world!

Mama's: Fruit Punch Sorbet with Mochi! Yum and YUM!!

A wintergreen tic tac = An astronaut's version of a lingering sip of rootbeer. 
Bonus.. Fresh breath. Per Sister Bear, en route to the country (had to make a stop for tic tacs and such).

♥

Brother Bear misses the girls! Country, here we come.. And we come bearing Pot Roast ♥

♥♥♥

I think Brother Bear grew up over night! So good to be together ♥

Goodnight. And happy fishing!

PS: I'm not your typical blogger... I'm more of a documentor (is that a word?) who likes to share. Growing up, I talked my sister to sleep. I'm a story teller with or without an audience :) she helped me be comfortable with that.

♥Love,

Mama Bearfish

Wise words to live by... (the ones highlighted)

A person that has a bible that's falling apart probably doesn't have a life that is.
-Pastor Adrian Rogers.

"Why Would A Good God Allow Suffering?"

"Missy could fall down and hurt herself, even if I'm walking right there beside her. That doesn't mean that I allowed it to happen. She knows, as far as unconditional love, I'll pick her up and I'll carry her. I'll try to heal her. I'll cry when she cries. And I'll rejoice when she is well. In all the moments of my life, God has been right there beside me. The truth of God's love is not that he allows bad things to happen. It's His promise that he'll be there with us when they do."

-Quoting the movie "Love Comes Softly"
Movie trailer for "Love Comes Softly"

"All things work together for good to those who love God."

-Romans 8:28

FOR FURTHER STUDY

Wondering about the reasons for your trials?
Read the online booklet "Why Would A Good God Allow Suffering?":
Read the PDF link HERE

My prayer this morning is for someone who's looking to find some peace and encouragement and possibly some better understanding of how to lean on God during the storms of life. If you think or feel He's asleep, out of reach, or just not even there, then quietly ask Him to comfort you and reveal himself to you. All you need is the faith of a mustard seed. Begin to grow your faith each day.

All God ever wants from you and I is total dependance on Him. Your struggles are different than mine and at times we may relate, but no matter the struggle, storm or circumstance, He promises to see us through it. He never leaves us. When we draw close, He draws closer.

Lovingly,

"The Wait Poem" by Russell Kelfer

"I had the privilege of sitting under His teaching ministry in San Antonio, years ago. His name was Russell Kelfer, and he wrote a poem about waiting. That poem has now been put into a beautiful little gift book with a journal [this book is not available through Revive Our Hearts]."
-Nancy Leigh DeMoss of Revive Our Hearts
Visit HERE for the full conversation that aired today.


Let me read to you that poem, because it describes the process that God takes us through as we learn to quietly wait on the Lord.

The Wait Poem
Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .
And the Master so gently said,"Wait."


"Wait? You say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!"
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.


My future and all to which I relate,
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to Wait?"
I'm needing a 'yes,' a go-ahead sign.
Or even a 'no,' to which I'll resign.


You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply.


Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting . . . for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .

And He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.

I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.


You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me,
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

You'd never experience the fullness of love,

When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.

You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,

But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask,
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.


You'd never know should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But oh, the loss if I lost what I'm doing in you.


So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see,
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though often My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still "WAIT".

Wait. Wait on the Lord. Those who wait on the Lord will never be disappointed.










"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
-Isaiah 40:31

Fall Walk..

While I'm having a bit of trouble in the writing dept lately, I am certainly not having any trouble reading wonderful and touching writings of others. I have to share this sweet treat from my friend, Leslie at "My Mommy's Place"......
http://mymommysplace.com/blog/2009/10/30/a-fall-walk/

Linda Remembered.. .

this was on the program at linda's funeral:

and it was the perfect poem about who Linda was:
"to Laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people

And the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics

And endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To leave the world a little better place

Than we found it, whether by a healthy child,

A garden patch or a redeemed social Condition;

To know even one life breathed easier

Because You lived;

...This is to have lived well."- -Bessie Anderson Stanley

Wish more people were like Linda. This world would be a better place.

http://ramblingsfromaramblingmind-lindarizz.blogspot.com/

Bye Bye Pride. You don't live here no more.

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Mahatma Gandhi

What matters?

I'm quoting Dr. Seuss:

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

Looking back....

Just a little something that I found, written by me about Sister bear when she was just a baby....


hello rain, goodbye christmas..

woke up this morning by a sweet little voice, urging me to sing nectareous songs. i swooped up my slippers and my gentle little bundle and we sat in our rocker, on the back porch, watching raindrops kiss the blades of grass, slowly turning them back to assorted shades of green. i broke out into song...

"it's raining, it's pouring
the old man is snoring
he went to bed and he bumped his head
and he couldn't get up in the morning"

looking up past the trees we captured some birdies singing, chirping and dancing on an electrical wire. their performance was outstanding, we applauded and smiled and hurrah'd for an encore. they shyed away and flew on to another neighborhood still innocent of their company. i broke out into song..

"bye bye birdie
i'm gonna miss you
so bye bye birdie,
why'd you have to go?
no more sunshine,
it's followed you away
i'll cry birdie"

the christmas music that we majestically listened to for the past three weeks has now withdrawn and we welcome the rain for it's message tells us, it's time to sing a new season..

"a-tisket a-tasket
a green-and-yellow basket
i bought a basket for my mommie
on the way I dropped it i dropped it,
I dropped it yes, on the way I dropped it
a little girlie picked it up
and took it to the market.."

mornings with my daughter are the best.

written by Mama bear
Mon Jan 01, 2007 4:38 pm

Roadtrip.

“The road to a friend’s house is never long.”

-Danish Proverb

Morning thoughts from the Treehouse..

Children should not be kept in a bubble, but held lovingly in the gentle touch of a parents heart.

I came across the following quotes and just felt like I needed to add this to my blog. These are things I never want to stop actively doing or thinking about with my own children.

Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves. ~Abbé Dimnet, The Art of Thinking, 1928

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ~Alvin Toffler

The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn. ~John Lubbock

From:www.quotegarden.com/learning.html

"Thanksgiving Thursdays" -Are the voices in your head calling, Gloria?

Mine are.... I just had the best massage by a lovely person named, Gloria.

"Gloria (Gloria), I think they got your number (Gloria)

I think they got the alias (Gloria) that you've been living under (Gloria)

But you really don't remember, was it something that they said?

Are the voices in your head calling, Gloria?

(Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, Gloria)

(Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, Gloria)"

I'm going to call "Glorious Gloria" again in about 2 weeks!



I had our family helper come and stay with the cubs while I slipped out of the Treehouse for about 2 hours, just enough time for a 90 min. massage and a stop at my favorite coffee hut drive-thru on the way home. It was the perfect day to go and have this blissful moment all to myself. It's very chilly and cloudy, such cozy weather.

A big THANK YOU to Papa Bear for suggesting this.

This is me after a quick trip to heaven and back.

I promise myself to do this again soon. My sweet suggestion, to all you hard working mamas out there: Take time for yourself every now and then, even if it's only for 30 minutes, and all you get to do is sit quietly and read a book or take a long bubble bath. It all sounds great and ya ya ya, we say "we'll do it" or "we'll get around to doing it". Mark it on your calendar and DO IT!

We all deserve a little T-L-C. Mine goes by the name of G-L-O-R-I-A.

"Is the witch-sh gone?"

So Sister bear wakes this morning and cuddles up to me in her sweet way that just always makes my mornings just right. This is how our conversation went.....

Sister bear: "Mama?"

Mama: "Yes, baby?"

Sister bear: "I don't want that witch-sh in back of me."

Mama: "A witch?"

Sister bear: "Ya.. she was chasing me!"

Mama: "Ok, did you have a bad dream last night?"

Sister bear: (slowly and barely getting her words out and still trying to wrap her little mind around what she remembers, then says in her sleepiest and sweetest voice) "Ah-Huh-uh"

Mama: "That's ok, baby, Mama's here and it's all over (I'm hugging her and making it all better), bad dreams are just make believe and they aren't real. The good thing is you get to wake up and see Mama!"

Sister bear: "The witch-sh (that's what she calls her) I don't like her. She has a purple hat!"

Mama: "Oh?" (thinking, this is starting to sound like an interesting dream, she's remembering the wardrobe and the color, I like this! Let me remind you, this is the first time she is remembering one of her dreams and sharing the details -sorry for the lengthy commentary, I'm just excited over this, that's all!)

Sister bear: "She's gone?"

Mama: "Yes, baby, she left and she wasn't really ever here, remember, dreams -good and bad, are just make believe. They aren't real. You just see them while you're sleeping. It's like reading a book or watching TV, while you sleep."

Sister bear: "Where did she go?"

Mama: "Probably back to her home."

Sister bear: "She had a red cate!"

Mama: "Oh! Wow! A red cape, huh?"

Sister bear: "Ah-huh!"

Mama: "Wow! She's got quite an outfit on, I like it! Good color choices. Well this witch really knows how to dress pretty! Doesn't she?"

Sister bear: (her face lights up! and she smiles) "Yes.. uh.. did she leave?"

Mama: "Yup, on her broom (trying to make light of it by being silly), she won't be back. Remember, she was never really here, it was just a bad dream. Tonight, we are going to make sure to read a few extra happy stories before bed and say our prayers so NO MORE BAD DREAMS!" (tickling her)

Sister bear: (laughing and still a little uncertain and possibly wondering if that fashionista of a witch, really left our house)

Later in the day, she shared her "Bad Dream" again, with our Family Helper. This bad dream hung around a bit longer than most. I have a feeling, this might happen again. I'm prepared. Ready to journal them. I'm finding this very sweet. I have very vivid dreams myself and can tell you a story about them play-by-play. Papa bear has retired his listening ear (it used to be a morning ritual, "Oh MY gosh, I had this dream last night....") After a while, he actually had to leave the room, they were so long, abstract and detailed that he wasn't sure when they would end. God love him, he has sat through many many of those.

I'm prepared to take the torch and be the listening ear to Sister bear and her colorful little dreams.

"I'm not a Sister bear, I'm a kid!"

It's that simple, she says. If she only knew it was for her own good. I love the innocence of a child. Wish we all had it, then I could use her real name.

Kinda like the pseudo name anyway, so HA!

Haiku Buckaroo!

i blog, i share thoughts

i photograph, i share life

i merged and made friends

what made me say this?

go find out for yourself:

http://mymommysplace.com/blog/2009/02/08/the-haiku-buckaroo-contest-episode-iv-a-new-hope/

maybe you are brave, clever or just love a good challenge -free fun!

my friend leslie and sock monkey maker is too kool for school.

Feeling a little deep in thought, in the middle of the night...

Of course, my soothing thoughts fall on trees.......




Trees love to toss and sway; they make such happy noises.
-Emily Carr


It will never rain roses: when we want to have more roses we must plant more trees.
-George Eliot


When I write stories I am like someone who is in her own country, walking along streets that she has known since she was a child, between walls and trees that are hers.
-Natalia Ginzburg


I plant a lot of trees. I am a great believer in planting things for future generations. I loathe the now culture where you just live for today.
-Penelope Keith (British Actress)


The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.
-Moliere (French Playwright)

Happy Sunday.Time to spend with the family. I love Sundays. Tonight -dinner at Ichibon!

my love song.

whenever i want to take myself away to a lovely place, i sing this song or hear it in my heart.....



Moon river, wider than a mile
I’m crossing you in style some day
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you’re goin’, i’m goin’ your way

Two drifters, off to see the world
There’s such a lot of world to see
We’re after the same rainbow’s end,
waitin’ ’round the bend
My huckleberry friend,
moon river, and me

(moon river, wider than a mile)
(i’m crossin’ you in style some day)
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you’re goin’, i’m goin’ your way
Two drifters, off to see the world
There’s such a lot of world to see
We’re after that same rainbow’s end,
waitin’ ’round the bend
My huckleberry friend,
moon river, and me

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
-Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914

Branching out....

i am just going to branch out and start this blogging thing. it's the way of today and i want to be apart of it. the great thing about it is everyone is unique in the way they write, but if you read someone's blog in some way you can relate, so before you know it -you are hooked on reading and inspired to get your own thoughts and stories out there for the world to read. so here i am..........

i guess i should introduce myself, briefly. i am a stay at home mother of two luscious children and happily married to my best friend. we are lovers of travel and exploration. our dream is to do this traveling thing from an RV one day. our family quote is "teamwork makes the dream work". so you know as time goes by, all of what i briefly mentioned will unravel in it's own natural way. did i mention my eyes are no where too far from my camera. so yes, you'll be delighted with photos that capture my thoughts and our daily adventures along the way.

ok, here we go........