The Case of the Missing Hearing Aid

Now I can laugh about it but it wasn't funny when it happened!

Before I bring you up to date, I went back to my first post about this incident which I posted almost 2 years ago on December 7, 2007. wow. I didn't realize it was that long!

This is a copy and paste of the second paragraph from that posting. You can read the whole thing here if you want.

More than two months ago, before I went to bed, I put my hearing aid on the nightstand beside my bed. I normally put my aid on the dresser with my glasses but it was one of those nights I was especially tired. I did take off my glasses and put them on the dresser but after I was already in bed, I realized I hadn't taken off my hearing aid. I was too tired and didn't want to leave my warm bed so I just removed my hearing aid and put it on the nightstand next to me. That was the last time I saw it.

Back to today. I found it! For almost two years it has been lost and all that time it was practically staring me in the face.

Yesterday I shampooed my carpet that runs through my living room, dining room and hallway. Since I only do this once a year or so, I do a thorough job of it. I remove as much furniture as I can and get everything off the floor. In one corner of my living room, I have a low wood table. On top of that, I have the TV I use only for VP (video phone) purposes. Under that table, there is a large wicker basket. It is just filled with old magazines that I haven't looked at in... well.. two years? I know Merry (one of our our cat) likes to curl up in that basket and nap. The heating vent is also in that corner so its nice and cozy on cold winter days.

Anyways, yesterday I pulled out that basket and went through the pile of dusty magazines. I got all the way to the bottom and couldn't believe my eyes... there was my long lost hearing aid!!!! It was certainly dusty but looks just fine. Wasn't chewed up or anything! I haven't yet tried it on. I'm sure the battery is no longer good.

I have since purchased a new hearing aid that cost me an arm and leg since I lost this one so now I have two! I just happen to have another hearing aid mold for the opposite ear laying around so maybe I'll play with the idea of trying two hearing aids to see if I can tolerate that or not. I have tried twice to use two aids at the same time over the years but couldn't stand so much noise surrounding me. But, maybe if I give it another chance within the quiet of my home, I can teach my brain and ears to accept it. It wouldn't hurt. If it doesn't work, I just go back to what I had all this time.. just an aid in my right ear.

Sometimes its nice to just do without and have total quiet. This is what most of my day is. I normally don't even put my aid in unless I'm leaving the house and must face the public.

As for how my aid got in that basket... I can only suspect one of the cats removed it from the nightstand that night 2 years ago. They might have played soccer with it a little bit and then for reasons only they know, took it to that wicker basket under the wood table where the VP sits.

Now I can laugh about it!

Two Words Why I Love Facebook!

EQUAL COMMUNICATION!

That is why I love Facebook! I think of Facebook as a coffee house. There are groups of people sitting here and there... people coming in and coming out...some stay for awhile and some just pop in to say hello, look around and leave again. These are all people I know. Each group is having its own conversation and at any time, I can "butt" in and participate in the conversation or I can "lurk" around the edges and just "listen" to the others chat. I can even start my own conversation and see who comes and joins in.

I love Facebook because I can HEAR/read every single word same as every one else. I am not missing snatches of conversations. I am not laughing a fake laugh and not having a clue what I'm laughing at. I am not adding a comment to a conversation only to find out they are now discussing something else. I am not attempting to lipread conversations bouncing from one person to another and each time it "bounced", the subject changes. I am not frustrated with feeling "left out". This is my experience being the only Deaf in a hearing group.

With Facebook, I can be as active and participate as I want to. I LOVE hearing/reading the little comments of my friends and seeing what they are up to that day. Are they having a good or bad day? Can I rejoice with them over a blessing? Can I give them a virtual hug if they need or maybe some counsel? Can I just smile and laugh with them for a few minutes?

I've been on Facebook I guess 6 months or so now. A friend or two got my started and then I learned how Facebook would benefit my business so many business friends became my "friends". I have hearing and Deaf friends on Facebook. I have church friends and business friends on Facebook. I even have a few friends from high school and college on Facebook. Just recently... starting last week in fact... my family - both on my husbands and my side... joined Facebook. WOW. I had suggested this to them months ago but at that time, they were not so keen on the idea. I'm happy to hear that something caused them to change their mind. Now I can finally participate in conversations with my family... something that is not always easy to do in person. The fact that my side of the family is scattered in 4 different states and I'm the only one here in Michigan means we don't see each other in person much. I can finally say I have family on Facebook too!

Best of all... I love Facebook because it allows me to be myself... doesn't matter if I'm hearing or deaf... on Facebook...we are ALL equal!

While only people I know can become my friend on Facebook, I do invite you to become a fan of my business page....BienleinDesign Finds

See you on Facebook!

Proofreading in a dying art....

I often do newsletters for church or clients so I am familiar with proofreading mistakes that sometimes happen. I got this list of proofreading gaffes in an email today and it just makes me laugh! Thought I would share and give you some chuckles too. I do not know who originally put this together so unable to give proper credit. Enjoy...


Proofreading is a dying art, wouldn't you say?

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter
This one I caught in the SGV Tribune the other day and called the Editorial Room and asked who wrote this. It took two or three readings before the editor realized that what he was reading was impossible!!! They put in a correction the next day.
------------------------------------------------

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
No joke, really? Ya think?
------------------------------------------------

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Now that's taking things a bit far!
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Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
What a guy!
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Miners Refuse to Work after Death
No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so's!
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Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
See if that works any better than a fair trial!
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War Dims Hope for Peace
I can see where it might have that effect!
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If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
Ya think?!
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Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Who would have thought!
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Enfield ( London ) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
They may be on to something!
------------------------------------------------

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?
------------------------------------------------

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
He probably IS the battery charge!
----------------------------------------------

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
Weren't they fat enough?!
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Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
That's what he gets for eating those beans!
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Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
Do they taste like chicken?
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Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
Chainsaw Massacre all over again!
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Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Boy, are they tall!
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And the winner is....
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

Did I read that right?
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Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle). We all need a good laugh, at least once a day!

How Great Thou Art in ASL

How Great Thou Art is one of my top favorite songs. I can never get through it without tearing up and just sobbing. The third verse especially is extremely powerful.

This video was done by Ronaldo Feliciano. Ronaldo is the Deaf pastor of Tampa Baptist Deaf Church in Florida. Even if you don't know ASL, you can "see" the music in his soul!

Pause a moment from whatever you are doing and stand in awe of the Almighty God we serve!

Back to Blogging and Summer Movies

wow... I didn't realize I haven't been blogging in too long of a time. I need to get back into the habit. Its interesting how summer brings new routines and habits. For instance, since I work from home and have my own business... www. bienleindesign.com... I do not have set hours that I have to go to bed or wake up. I'm SO blessed!

My kids are teenagers so they are pretty much on their own and share many of the same habits I have... stay up late and sleep in in the morning. Unfortunately, my husband MUST wake at 3am as he starts work at 4am so all years around, he is the only one who still has set hours.

I rarely watch TV and even when I do, I am often doing something else at the same. I am reading a book or I am doing business related stuff on the laptop or maybe ironing. I just can't seem to SIT and DO NOTHING. To me, that is a waste of time. But... during the summer, I change.

Since I don't have to be awake at a set time to get the kids up and off to school, I have been doing the following routine for about a month now... I work on business related stuff until about 10 or 11pm. During that time, I'm not normally on the computer but I could be cleaning up or reorganizing my inventory.. I'm selecting the items I plan to post the next day...I take photos of those items or I pack up sold items for shipping the next day. Always something to do. I'm normally on the computer only up until about 3 or 4pmish.

So, anyways... at around 10 or 11pm, I force myself to stop. Now is my downtime. I find the remote and just browse through the Guide until I come across a movie that looks interesting. I try to pick one I haven't seen before, that has at least 3 stars rating and that is closed captioned. It really bums me to find a great movie and then discover it is not captioned or the captions are so screwed up, its not worth it.

I watch almost anything but I'm not a fan of the overly violent, gory or incredibly stupid movies (most of those DON'T get 3 star ratings!) or westerns. I like science fiction and most of anything else! I especially love Turner Classic movies - those in black and white! I try to do nothing else but just watch the movie. So far, I have not fallen asleep during a movie. I go to bed when its over and that is normally around 1am.

Of course, all this will end starting September when my kids are back to school and I need to get up at 6am again. Thus the routine changes with the calendar. No more late movies until the next June rolls around. In the meantime, I'll just enjoy catching up with old movies while I can.

I want to add that I never go to watch movies in the theater - mostly because none in my immediate area offer captioned movies. We don't often rent or buy movies either so I am years behind in watching the movies that won all the awards and such. That is not a big deal at all to me.

Being Deaf within Hearing Groups

It was almost a last minute decision to fly out to Tucson, AZ to spend the holiday weekend with my college roommate Grace. They are constantly telling us to come out to visit them and we try to at least once a year. John was supposed to go with me but that didn't work out so my 13 yr old daughter went with me instead. We are blessed to be able to fly free as John is an employee of Delta airlines.

Grace knows a limited amount of sign language but she is one of those I normally have no problems lipreading so I'm comfortable being around her and we have a good time together. Her husband, Charlie is a little harder to lipread but I can manage. If necessary, Kayla will interpret what they say if I get stuck. It works out.

They have 9 horses on their mini ranch so I got to go horseback riding twice. My horse, "Chief", is so patience and tolerant of my inexperience. Kayla enjoyed riding "Ben" and she does a good job.

While we had a super relaxing weekend with Grace and Charlie, there were a few testing, stressful moments for me - all of which involved groups.

I do not do well in hearing groups. Put me with 3 or more people who do not sign and I'm lost. I am not able to follow conversations that bounce back and forth as the subject matter keeps changing...people don't keep their bodies in my line of sight...people are laughing and its pretty much impossible to lipread talking while they are laughing or smiling big... people are not looking directly at me... the lighting is not good... mustaches and beards (ugh... a deaf person's nightmare)...etc etc.

The first happened Saturday night when we attended an Open House for a friend's son who graduated. That was not too bad as that was also my first evening with Grace so it was our first chance to catch up with each other so we mostly sat at a table and chatted the whole time. I am pretty good with a one to one conversation as long as I know the subject we are discussing.

The next occasion was church on Sunday. They normally have an interpreter. I was there before with an interpreter so we all expected the same... except the interpreter did not show up. ugh... that meant I had to sit there for an hour and attempt to lipread everything. Not good. My lipreading skills are no longer as good as they once were. Since I learned ASL and spend most of my time around Deaf people, I don't depend on lipreading as much as I once did growing up. When I am sitting "deaf" within a hearing group, I tend to have "pity parties" for myself.

I hate that and I struggle with that. I really should have stopped feeling sorry for myself and just had a private worship and ignored what was going on around me but I have a hard time doing that. I tried SO HARD to lipread the pastor and it frustrated me so much that I had no idea what he was saying. I'm curious if any of the readers also feel this way. I spent more time trying to hold back tears than anything else.

The third occasion was Memorial day when Grace had 2 other couples over for a BBQ. I had met these people during previous visits with Grace so I knew who they were but never really related to them. We all sat around the table and the conversation just bounced from one thing to another. Grace would occasionally voice interpret what someone said. As long as she was talking directly to me, I could understand her. It was interesting to note that my daughter who was also there and knows sign very well, did not attempt to interpret except if I couldn't understand Grace. I never asked her to and would never put her into that position. That would have to be her choice. Just because she is a CODA, doesn't mean she is my personal interpreter. Perhaps when she gets older, she will feel more comfortable. That is fine.

I might be seeing these very same people again next month as we were invited to join them when they travel to Mexico and stay at their summer house on the beach. This time John is coming with us. While I won't force him to be my personal interpreter, I know he will be willing and I'm looking forward to the chance to get to know Grace's friends better as they are all very nice people.

Overall it was a very nice weekend and I'm glad I went. It forced me to take a break from work and do different things...even if sometimes they are out of my comfort zone!

God Gave Each of us an Angel

This is dedicated to all the moms out there! Hope you had a happy Mother's day and remember that EVERYDAY is Mother's Day and it is an honor to be a mom! Enjoy! If you doubleclick on the video, it will show up larger.

Vote for DOUA today!

Please Vote for Disabled Online Users Association. http://communicause.com/my-cause/1431/gwscY7DTmzrYLDgs

DOUA stands for Disabled Online Users Association. Its free for anyone who has any type of "disability" to join. No one judges you there. There are classes and forums where you can ask questions to help you get started with having a business on the internet. They have been a big encourager to me when I was struggling a few years ago. They are part of a contest to receive a $25,000 social media makeover. They deserve your support and your vote. GO and vote now! and many thanks!

Are you Spontanious? A Trip to Canada

Ever wake up and know you had the whole day as a clean slate... no appts... no plans....nothing that MUST be done that day? You are free to do as you want and then wonder... what DO I want to do today? Well.. this past weekend was such a day for our family. We had nothing planned at all. I was going to do the "usual" which is work on my eBay business. This is something I do everyday... no set hours but always have something I could be doing business related. Its actually rare for me to do something just for myself (like a hobby or such).

But anyways...Saturday we were bored. John did work some OT that morning 4am to 8am and did take a couple hours nap when he got home. About 10:30am, he asked me... want to go on an adventure? I said sure... I need to know what time we needed to leave the house as I was working on my shipping at that moment. He said ASAP. I said, ok.. give me 10 minutes to finish my shipping. I printed them off and he and our daughter taped the labels on the boxes while I changed my clothes, brushed my teeth and put together a bag with a book, mags, and my camera. We left the house in 10 minutes and headed to Bishop airport. I had no idea where we were going. I was just there for the ride. Unfortunately, we arrived too late. John was not aware that NW had pushed up their leaving time 20 minutes. We had just missed the cutoff time for loading.

Oh well.. back to the car and home again. Now what? We can't fly anywhere and didn't want to stay home and do the "usual" so what was left? A drive in the car! It was a very nice early spring day with the sun shining. I still didn't know where we were going but I did see John pull out our passports and our daughter's birth certificate. ummmm... We go east on I-69. We end up in Port Huron and then over the bridge into Canada. We are asked a few questions as far as where we were going (nowhere in particular) and how long we would be staying in Canada (just a few hours). That was it.

My daughter asked for the camera so these are her shots (I took one) of the day... In Canada we stop at the visitor center for a map and bathroom break. We decide to just head south and drive along St. Clair Lake. We passed several huge freighters on the lake. Its kinda boring on that side of the lake.


We go past several smelly oil refineries and rundown houses. I was saying to John... you would think the houses would be nicer as they have the lake view right in front of them. We drive until we hit the small town of Sombra.












This is where we end our Canadian drive and take the ferry back over to USA to Marine City. We are now "home" again as we once lived in this area and this is familiar to us. We stop at a Flea Market in Marine City and then drive along the shoreline until we hit the small town of New Baltimore. When we moved to MI from PA back in 1994, we lived in New Baltimore for 2 years before we moved to our current home in Flint.

Of course we had to stop by our old neighborhood and see if our old house was still there. IT WAS! and its for sale again! LOL. It was a nice house. It is a doublewide home. I loved the layout and large rooms but space was limited and no basement, etc made it hard. I also did not like how close the houses are. When I did the dishes, I could look into my neighbors living room. I would be very curious to see what it looks like inside now.

It was interesting driving through the town and remembering what was there before and what has changed. We checked out the church we used to attend and the elementary school our oldest attended. We checked out the beach we used to take the kids several times a week. They have a nice play-scape there now. We decided to stop for supper here and went to Ponchos which is a REAL Mexican restaurant... not Taco Bell!

We then headed up north and arrived home again about 7:30ish. So... that how we spent this past Saturday... being spontaneous!

Now this morning I got a text from John saying... do we have any plans for this Saturday? Are you up to leaving the house EARLY and arriving home LATE? Sure! Looks like another day of being spontaneous and just going "for the ride"! Who knows where we will end up!

Hero Video by Kirk Franklin

A friend of mine sent me this video called HERO by Kirk Franklin. It was performed live at her church in Columbus, Ohio on Easter Sunday.

While I can't actually hear the music, I can sing along by reading the words.

YES! Jesus is my hero
YES! He saves and He saved the Day!

Enjoy

Fire in Self Cleaning Oven on Easter Sunday

I had a terrific Easter weekend. It started with our regular monthly Deaf Cafe, Flint program on Saturday night. We had a Bible time Jerusalem theme. ALL the team members wore Bible time costumes. We had the usual dramas, songs, videos during the first half of the program. During the second half, we served Bible time food such as hummas, feta cheese, nuts, dried fruit, raisins, grapes, oranges, apples, olives, olive oil, honey and pita bread. It was wonderful meal. While eating, we showed part of the "Jesus" movie. The program ended with a short devotion. We decorated the room with props that made it looks like Jerusalem. We had drop cloths on the walls that were painted to look like stone. One of one members made two palm trees and more walls and gates from cardboard. It was one of the best Deaf Cafe programs we have done in 5 years.

Sunday we went to Deaf Church at Cornerstone where John, my husband, taught Sunday School and then preached in ASL. We had a very large group which was great! After church, we had two families over to our house for the traditional Easter meal of ham, etc. My husband did most of the cooking with Kirstan contributing her ozo salad (yummy). The food was terrific. I'm still stuffed! We spend the afternoon just sitting around the table chatting. It was a great day of being with good friends and knowing that Christ is alive!

However...the day almost ended in tragedy. My husband had gone back to church but I decided to stay home and clean up the kitchen. That's my job.. he cooks and I clean up. I started washing the dishes and I noticed that the oven got dirty so I decided to run the self-clean cycle. I then continued washing the dishes. I finished that and something made me turn around to check the oven and there was a fire inside it! It was shooting flames about 10" high in the middle where the crusted over food was. I did panic. My first thought was to open the door - which didn't work as it automatically locks when set for cleaning and it will not open until it cools down. I pushed all the buttons to turn off the cycle and that was successful. I must have screamed as my two teenagers came running to the kitchen. My 16 yr old is holding his phone saying... I'm going to call 911! I tell him to wait... as I could see the flames were getting smaller.. and smaller.. and smaller and finally it burnt itself out. big breath! This all happened in about 2 minutes.

It was another hour before the oven cooled down enough to unlock itself. I realized that it was the sugar glaze from the ham that set off the fire. I made the mistake of not cleaning up that mess BEFORE I set the cleaning cycle. I had used that feature many times over the years and never had a fire before. I don't know if I will use that feature again. I think I'm scared to now. But I praise my Lord for taking care of us and for patting down that fire. I praise the Lord that I was NOT successful at opening the door as that probably would have made it much worse feeding it oxygen. I praise the Lord that I was at HOME and had not left the house!

So.. please take this as a warning. If you use the self-cleaning feature on your stove, please make sure there are no grease or sugar drippings on the bottom that could catch fire. Make sure you are HOME. Never leave the house while this cycle is running. Most of all, make sure your smoke detectors are operating. I didn't have any smoke so my alarms did not go off.

Devotions for the Deaf and Hearing too!

Are you looking for a site that will give you the word of God in a fresh way? I would like to take a moment to plug a new blog site for you to consider checking out. I am partial to this one because it is written by my husband, John.

John is lay-pastor of The Deaf Church at Cornerstone in Swartz Creek, Michigan. I guess that makes me a Lay-Pastor's wife!

Every week John writes a short devotion for the Deaf Cafe, Flint team and others on his mailing list. He will now post his devotions on his blog. I hope you will bookmark it and check it out. Just click this link to go there. Be sure to leave some comment too!

Many thanks! Many blessings!

ASL Rocks Video

Just for fun!

Called ASL Rocks by Jon Savage.
Answers WHAT, WHY, WHO, HOW, WHERE, WHEN in 34 seconds!!

Ten Thousand Angels

Yesterday in church, three ladies sang a song called, "Ten Thousand Angels". I have never heard that song before but was told it was an old hymn. I googled that song this morning so I could "hear" it again and everytime I reached the chorus, I was sobbing...


They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where He prayed;
They led Him thro' the streets in shame.
They spat upon the Savior so pure and free from sin;
They said, "Crucify Him; He's to blame."

He could have called ten thousand angels
To destroy the world and set Him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
But He died alone, for you and me.

Upon His precious head they placed a crown of thorns;
They laughed and said, "Behold the King!"
They struck Him and they cursed Him and mocked His holy name
All alone He suffered everything.

He could have called ten thousand angels
To destroy the world and set Him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
But He died alone, for you and me.

When they nailed Him to the cross, His mother stood nearby,
He said, "Woman, behold thy son!"
He cried, "I thirst for water," but they gave Him none to drink.
Then the sinful work of man was done.

He could have called ten thousand angels
To destroy the world and set Him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
But He died alone, for you and me.

To the howling mob He yielded; He did not for mercy cry.
The cross of shame He took alone.
And when He cried, "It's finished," He gave Himself to die;
Salvation's wondrous plan was done.

He could have called ten thousand angels
To destroy the world and set Him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
But He died alone, for you and me.
But He died alone, for you and me.

Song written by: Ray Overholt in 1958

Jesus could have easily called ten thousand angels or as many as he wanted, to save him the pain of dying but he choose not to and choose to die alone to save the world from its sin. Jesus knew that if He were to display His great Power at that time, all of mankind would be lost and without a Savior. It was out of love He allowed Himself to be taken and beaten. It was out of love He allowed Himself to be nailed to that Old Rugged Cross. It was out of love He cried out it is finished and gave up his life. It was out of love that Jesus, on the third day arose from the grave and ascended into Heaven. It was out of love that Jesus came back to earth for 40 some odd days and seen by His disciples and over 500 witnesses. It is out of love that Jesus is at this time preparing a home for His children. And it will be out of love that soon Jesus will come back to receive all of His children and take them home with Him in Heaven.

I hope you will be one of those who will "meet him in the air" on the day He returns - and it WILL happen. Only those who are saved will enjoy that privilege. If you don't know for sure how to be saved... just believe that Jesus is the son of God. Know that you are a sinner and ask Jesus to forgive you. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and change your life. Go tell someone you just accepted Jesus and go out and life a life like Jesus would. Join a Bible believing church. Tell me too if you made that life changing decision! God bless you!

Finally figured out Quickbook!

Join me and do the "happy dance"!

After 6 weeks of taking a Quickbook class and the same amount of weeks of struggling... I think I finally "got" Quickbook Pro. I'm by no means a pro though! I just understand enough for the purpose of keeping books for my business.

I've been struggled with trying to reconcile my bank acct. I had to start with January. After days of trying, I ended up with $4.01 too much. I gave up and forced it to reconcile and moved to February. I did February 3 times and I kept coming up with $157 too much. I FINALLY figured out that PayPal was holding my money at the end of the month for a few charges I made around that time that had not yet cleared. OH PAH! once I understood that and made the necessary adjustments, the puzzle pieces started to fit together.

I told my friends I feel like I climbed a very tall mountain and now I can see the other side!

Next is bringing the acct up to date and doing March. I think March should go much faster now that I'm getting a better understanding of accounting and bookkeeping. I still think numbers and me do not like each other but we just might be able to get along well enough.

Faking Being Hearing in College

I had a few flashback moments this week. I "found" a college friend on Facebook. I immediately recognized her name and her picture so I was 100% sure this was the same person who befriended me during my second year of college. I wrote to her to be my "friend" and she is like.. ummm.. who are you? Help me remember as my 50 year old brain cells are half dead (LOL... I know the feeling!).

I wrote her back and shared a few memories of some things that we did together. We were a part of a group of 5 Christian girlfriends who would meet for Bible Study and go to church on Sundays. BTW... I was elated to also find two other members of that group on Facebook!

Another thing I mention to my new "friend" was that I was the deaf girl (The ONLY deaf girl at that college). She wrote back and said.. I "think" I remember you but I never thought of you as the deaf girl.

That does not surprise me at all. Up until I was in my 30s, I tried very hard to be "normal" and to fake being hearing. I was a hearing person with a hearing problem. I would pretend I knew what was going on. I would laugh along with the others and have no clue what the joke was. I would agree to things and not know what I just agreed to. I tried my hardest to blend in and not stand out. I did not like attention (and I still don't). I did not like being different.

Sometimes I wish I could live those years over again. I would certainly change things! I would not be so embarrassed about my situation but embrace it as that is how God created me and I'm unique. I would not try so hard to be like others and be liked by others. I would have made sure I understand what is going on and would have learned ASL at an earlier age and used an interpreter. As it was, I was completely oral and had to lip read everything. Thus, I missed A LOT.

Well... I can't have regrets as thats the way it was. You learn and move on. I'm looking forward to getting acquainted with my college friends again and this time, I'll be more MYSELF!

Have you even seen a dog doubledutch?

Way back when I was in elementary school, one of my favorite things to do was to jump rope. I also liked to doubledutch. I remember we would tie one end of the rope to the banister outside and my twin sister and I would take turns turning the other side of the rope while one of us jumped. We were both pretty good at doubledutch. Nothing fancy but could jump a few minutes without getting tangled in the ropes.

Today a friend sent me this video of dogs doing doubledutch. wow... that's crazy. I wonder how long it took them to train to do that!

Enjoy watching! If you have a dog and need dog supplies, don't forget to head over to my other site called Everydogsneed and purchase whatever you or your dog needs there. It will take you to eBay and I get a small commission if you win the auction. Super thanks!

A Prayer For Our Nation by Billy Graham

BILLY GRAHAM HAS A GOOD VIEW OF WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR COUNTRY!

'Heavenly Father,

We come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.

We know Your Word says, ' Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free.

Amen!'

With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God.'

Ideas for Overcoming STRESS

STRESS .... A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked 'How heavy is this glass of water?'

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.

If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.

If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'

He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.

As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.'

When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.'

'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.'

So, my friend, put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

One of those MOM weeks

I just had one of those mom weeks when you wonder if you are really cut out to be a mom or not and what was I thinking when I first dreamed that having children was a brilliant idea!

First my 13 yr old threw a fit because I asked nicely... if I buy you a new pair of jeans, will you clean up your bedroom in exchange? She was not very nice and threw the jeans back on the rack while screaming under her breath, FORGET IT! She then pulled out her ZUNE and earbuds, walked out of Sears and completely shut me out. I guess she didn't want the jeans bad enough.

Then my 16 year old son got mad at me because I have the gall to contact three of his teachers to ask, "how is Tyler doing in your class this week?". He wants us to back off with nagging him about his grades when I get emails from his teachers telling me he is falling asleep during class and missing assignments. I'm supposed to back off and let this be ok???

Then there is my 21 year old who is more or less on his own. He doesn't have much contact with me anymore. It is MUCH easier to pick up his cell phone and talk to dad about life questions and concerns than it is to actually sit down and type an email to his deaf mom. His father bugs him all the time to "write to mom". sigh.

Then today a friend of mine sent me this video and I just laughed and laughed! It feels so good to know I'm not alone! To all the moms out there.... don't give up... tomorrow is another day!

Squidoo Again Second Time

I'm trying! I'm getting there...every time I do a squidoo, I learn new things!

It took me way too long but today I accomplished my second Squidoo lens.

This one is about picking the perfect Family dog. You can check it out here.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

If you want to check out my first one. Here is the link for that.

Video in ASL of South America Missionary to the Deaf

The posted video is from Jeremy. Jeremy and his family serve under IMB (International Mission Board - Southern Baptist Convention) as missionaries to the Deaf in South America. I hope you enjoy watching it and that God will speak to your heart through this video. Please keep in mind that they are aware that they don't know everything about Deaf work going on in South America but they go by with what they do know.

I met Jeremy personally when he was camp pastor at MiBCD (Michigan Baptist Convention of the Deaf) Deaf camp a few summers ago. He is such a funny and warm person who truly loves serving the Lord as missionary to the Deaf.

Pray for him and all those around the world who dedicate their lives serving as missionaries to spread the Gospel. Some of them are in dangerous countries and risk their lives everyday for the Lord. Their reward will be great.

Miracle on the Hudson

I do believe most of us would agree that the U.S. Airplane

that landed safely on the Hudson River, N.Y. was a

HUGE miracle. That said... you, too, will be very

appreciative of this artist's interpretation of just how it happened

Rex Babin's best interpretation of 'Miracle on the Hudson '

Growing up with Dogs and Cats

Do you love dogs? I grew up with a shaggy mutt. I don't know if the dog was a girl or boy but its name was Sparky. I don't really have any direct memories about Sparky... just what my mom has told me. Apparently, Sparky was very protective of me and my twin sister when we were babies. Sparky would constantly be by our sides. How cute. I guess Sparky died before I could have a personal relationship with her/him.

I remember another dog we had. Its name was Blue. This was a very small dog. I remember we used to give it baths in the sink. But something was wrong with Blue. He kept having accidents in the house. Of course, that didn't make my mom very happy. I don't remember what we did with Blue but we didn't have him very long.

Since my father had a grocery store and we lived above it, we often had German Shepherd dogs that lived outside. They were more guard dogs than pets but I would try to give them some attention. They were impossible to let off their leash as when they were let loose, they RAN and it took a very long time to get them home again. Oh... I remember several times we had to go around the neighborhood looking for these dogs. I can't remember their names anymore but I do know it was my responsibility to feed them every night while I was in high school.

We also had a cat. His name was Squeaky. Funny name for a cat. He was a yellow tabby and its interesting that I have another yellow tabby now in my own home!

I am enclosing a cute video of sleepy cats and dogs I hope you will enjoy.

I also want to mention that I have a new website called Dog Supplies Finder. No matter what you might be looking for that your dog needs... a dog fence, a pooper scooper, treats, dogfood, clothes, flea powder, grooming tools, crates, dishes, beds, blankets, leashes, obedience tapes, etc, you will find it on this site. I hope you will check it out and bookmark it for the next time you need dog supplies.

Don't be so hard on yourself!

This is from Cynthia Kersey's Unstoppable Insights and Inspirations. I receive these everyday and they are like a enjoying a small piece of chocolate... great source of mini encouragements to help me start my day.

Don't be so hard on yourself! Nobody's perfect. It's an old saying, but absolutely right. A common link among successful achievers is that while they made mistakes, struggled, had setbacks and failures, they pulled themselves up, kept on going, and learned from their mistakes.

Life happens. So if one day things don't go as planned, that's okay. There's always tomorrow. Instead of being your own harshest critic, make the decision to be your biggest fan. Focus on the daily activities that moved you forward, and give yourself a pat on the back the moment you take a positive action or a step in the right direction. Call your friend and share your victories. Make sure that the person you share it with is someone who will show enthusiasm and support you in your victory. Revel in the great feelings that come when you honor yourself by sticking with your commitments.

When I was training for a marathon, each Saturday my training group had our long runs. I always scheduled a massage immediately after the run. When I was running those seemingly endless miles, I knew that relief for my aching muscles was only hours away.

Take some time to think about ways you can reward yourself for staying the course and meeting your goals, day by day. Don't overlook this stage - you've earned it! Each day, enjoy smaller rewards, such as a phone call to a friend, a favorite snack, listening to a CD that you love, or renting a great movie, for single victories. Rejoice in the bigger rewards-such as dinner with a friend, going to the theater, or getting a massage- to celebrate weekly or bi-weekly milestones.

And remember, the single greatest reward you'll earn is the person you become in the process. Time after time, people have told me that the process is what changed their lives. For the first time, they knew what they wanted, developed a plan, and took action to achieve their goals. Who they have become as more confident and self-aware individuals has been their ultimate reward.

Bob Hoffman and Bodybuilding

Are you into bodybuilding and having a perfect form? I have something you might be interested in. Right now on my eBay listings you will find several auctions for different body building magazines. They include

• Strength & Health
• Muscle Fitness
• FLEX
• Muscular Development
• Muscle Training/ Musclemag
  

These are vintage from the 1970s and 80s. You'll even find issues with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Slyvestor Stallone on the covers. I even have Patrick Swayze. These guys were so young and husky 20 something years ago! Makes me feel old.

Talking about old.... I have vintage books by Bob Hoffman. If you are into bodybuilding, you probably know who Bob Hoffman was. He was a famous weight lifting coach of the USA Olympic Team and wrote many books. I have several auctions with his books. They are in MINT condition! They include:

Big Chest Book
Weight Training for Athletes - 1961 edition
Better Athletes - 1959 First Edition
How to be Strong, healthy and Happy - 1938 First Edition!
Drink more Water, Running for your life, High Protein Diet

Run and go bid! These end Saturday, January 10 and Sunday, January 11.