I just ate a frog

Actually, I ate three frogs.  A month or two ago, I was reading a book about... oh... home organization or to-do lists or minimalist living or something like that and I can across this concept of eating your frog first.  Apparently this concept comes originally from a guy named Brian Tracy. He says that, “If the first thing you do when you wake up each morning is eat a live frog, nothing worse can happen for the rest of the day,” and therefore the first thing you should do is the “worst” thing on your To Do list.  You can even watch a clip about it:  Eat That Frog clip. 

Now, frogs aren't my favorite.  They are slimy, they live in ponds, and they don't taste like chicken, even when they're cooked.  My in-laws made frog legs once and tried to convince me that I would like them and that they really would "taste like chicken." That would only be true if the chicken had grown up in an algae-infested pond!  So, I never even consider eating frogs.


Until this morning, when I followed Brian Tracy's advice and ate three in quick succession.  I called and scheduled a mammogram.  Gulp!  They aren't even as terrible as some people say, but seriously.  Who wants to go have one of those done?  Then before my phone even cooled down, I quickly punched in the number to schedule a multiphasic blood screening.  Again, even less traumatic than a mammogram, and they even give you juice and an artery-clogging treat afterwards.  I just don't do it.  I hate to just pick up the phone and make simple phone calls.

It doesn't make any sense, I know.  However, I have found that there's a LOT of people out there who have even worse phone-phobia than I do!  (Looks like I should schedule a manicure too, but that's not gonna happen.  Maybe I'll just buy some decent hand cream and try to remember to use it.)

The third frog I am eating is to order a new battery charger for my camera.  As you may know, I lost a few crucial things when we moved recently.  The battery charger was one of them.  I have put off ordering one, still hoping that it would show up.  It hasn't, my battery still lives on amazingly, but it can't last forever.  So, Amazon, here I come!

There you have it.  Three easy frogs which I had been procrastinating about for about a month.  But I'm full now-- I have a whole pond-full of frogs waiting, but tomorrow is another day.  A baby card, a birthday card, a thank you card... I can hardly wait (that's a joke!).

Book Review: A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner

This is the first book I've read by Susan Meissner and I must say that I enjoyed the unique way she wove together historical events and characters with a present-day story. This book started with people living in current-day Fredericksburg, Virginia. Having visited there, I found Meissner's descriptions to be charmingly accurate. As the story evolves, we find that the family living in Holly Oaks, a home with a Civil War past are haunted by events the family experiences in the distant past as well as their own more recent experiences and decisions.

Marielle has arrived at Holly Oaks, filling the figurative shoes of her deceased granddaughter. Adelaide's grand-son-in-law and his two children continued to live at Holly Oaks after the death of Adelaide's granddaughter some years before. So, you see, the story is quite involved and encompasses a myriad of engaging characters.




I have lived in a Civil War home myself and have been annoyed by constant questions about whether we had ghosts. I don't believe in them, and was disturbed (for a while) about where this book was going in talking about Civil War activist Susannah Page, who was an ancestor of Adelaide, the current matriarch living at Holly Oaks. Adelaide lives under a dark cloud of oppression which she believes is some sort of curse which all the women of her family end up under. But as the story continues, we find out the true depth of the issues involved in Susannah's supposed treachery during the Civil War. Adelaide also needs to come to terms with her own issues and how they are affecting the family. She eventually finds that the ghosts she must deal with are far different than what she assumed.

I will be looking for more books by Susan Meissner for her unique "Christian redemption meets historical romance" blend.

I received a complementary copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers in return for an honest review.

Losers Weepers-- no more

It has been a l-l-o-o-n-n-g-g-g time since I blogged.  We were busy packing, painting, moving, unpacking, moving some more, cleaning, painting and unpacking,  you see.  That left no time for such leisure pursuits as typing mere words for entertainment, instruction or illumination.  My daughter Katie has been bugging me to get back to it.  She told me I better start brainstorming this afternoon.  I told her that I have a brain-drizzle going on, but not quite a storm yet.

 Oh yes, I was sewing curtains too.

But I knew if I just started typing something would happen...

I lost some stuff when we moved.  My camera case, for one thing.  This is unfortunate because my battery charger was in there.  Once my battery dies, I am sunk unless one of my daughters lets me borrow her camera (hint, hint).  It is also unfortunate because I believe the camera case was nestled up with my necklace chains.  I had a variety of lengths of silver and gold (yes, some of them were "real" gold) chains that I would wear with my various pendants.  A pearl, or opal, or black hills gold grapeleaf, or cross necklace etc.  But this isn't a tragedy because I had more chains than I needed anyway and they are not irreplaceable.

But now things get painful.  On one of the gold chains was a brand new diamond pendant.  This pendant was free (I shall explain shortly) but it was indeed a diamond pendant which is something I never had before and I really, really, really liked it.  It made me feel special when I wore it, which sounds silly to me even as I type it.  Diamonds don't make you special, God does.  I learned that from Veggie Tales (oh, just kidding--  I know it from the Bible-- check Psalm 139!)  It's just one of those things that, once I had it, I wondered how I did without it.  I hope you realize that I am being somewhat facetious here.  I do understand that life is not about jewelry.

 I don't have a good picture of mine because I lost it too soon.

I guess I have to explain how this pendant was free.  The diamond in the pendant came from a wedding band we found embedded in the tar of the road near our house a couple of years ago.  The gold in the setting of the pendant was paid for by broken/unused gold jewelry I cashed in at the jewelry store.  The price of gold is high right now, so it worked out just so nicely!  Free diamond, free gold and a credit left in my account at the jewelry store-- and a lovely pendant to enjoy.  Until now.

Well, back to what's going on here.  No more diamond pendant.  No more silver and gold chains.  No more camera charger.  Then I got a phone call from Compassion International.  We sponsor two children through this amazing organization.  Anna is from Tanzania and Braeck is from the Philippines.  The phone call told us that Braeck and his family lost their home in a typhoon, but that they are okay.  They.  lost.  their.  HOME.  I lost a stupid necklace.  I think I'll quit right here, except to ask you to pray for a sweet boy and his family in the Philippines.  I have released my jewelry.  It's not a problem.  At all.  Maybe every time I think of diamonds it'll remind me to pray for someone who is really in need.  Thanks God!