Growing Up Deaf in Hearing World

VOL - What is that?

2010-10-19T13:45:00.006-04:00

VOL stands for Virtual Online Learning.com. And what is that? VOL is a wonderful group of successful people who have made the decision that learning never stops no matter how old we become. There is always something new to learn. Always something we can improve or change to make better. Kudos go to Danna Crawford for starting the group. She'll be your biggest cheerleader!

We are all business people of all ages and from around the world who come together in a virtual classroom and learn from each other stuff related to the internet. Most of it relates to how to improve our eBay businesses but any business that has a website online can benefit from this group.

What I personally like about it best is the fact that its all inclusive and Deaf friendly! I am Deaf but I'm still welcomed and can participate. Yes, all the classes are done via talking over the phone or via the computer speakers but most (if not all) also come with a PP (powerpoint) slide presentation and the leaders take the time to transcribe their notes for me (and anyone else who requests written transcripts).

I am very blessed to be a part of this group. I invite you to come join us and I invite you to do it soon as I have seen that the fee is going to go UP January 1. This is a one time life time fee and a real deal! Don't delay. If you have a business, it is required that you continue to learn from others. Don't waste time figuring it out yourself when you can have mentors who are able and willing to answer your questions 24/7. Make wise use of your time! See you on the VOL boards!

There is a huge Gap - Shown in ASL

2010-10-19T13:37:00.004-04:00

An excellent video. Please click on the video to see it in whole on youtube. Sorry wasn't able to make it fit here. Please watch!

Master's Hands Deaf Church - In the News

2010-10-19T13:31:00.005-04:00

SWARTZ CREEK, Michigan — Brenda Bienlein remembers feeling left out at church.

“I grew up going to a hearing church,” Bienlein said in sign language. “I heard nothing. I tried to lip-read. I didn’t have much success.

Even going to a traditional service with interpreters signing the words poses challenges, she said. It’s like worshipping in a second language.

John Ehlke | The Flint Journal
Shannon Pierce, Mike Pierce and Deena McGee of Mt. Morris sign with each other during a Sunday School session during a test run at Master Hands Deaf Church in Swartz Creek.

Giving the deaf a chance to worship and gather in their first language — American Sign Language — is the idea behind Master’s Hands Deaf Church, which held its first service Sept. 12 in its own building, said John Bienlein, Brenda’s husband and the pastor.

The new church, 6299 Miller Road, grew out of efforts to expand services for the deaf at Cornerstone Baptist Church, which is next door. About 15 years ago, Cornerstone began a deaf ministry, which included having interpreters for worship service. About three years ago, Master’s Hands was formed as a sort of church within a church. Now, the congregation has moved into its own building, a four-bedroom ranch-style house on Cornerstone’s property.

At Master’s Hands, all services are conducted in sign language.

“Interpreting is always involving a third person,” said John Bienlein, 50, who is not deaf. “It’s better to have a message received in your own, natural language that you grew up with, that you know.”

The congregation at Master’s Hands, like all deaf churches, is smaller than hearing churches, the pastor said. About 10 to 15 people attend Sunday mornings. The main seating area, formerly a living room, has 21 folding chairs set up.

Aside from all communication being in sign language, the church is similar to hearing churches, Bienlein said. He gives a sermon and leads prayers, and even traditional hymns are signed in unison.

“They know the words. ... The words have meaning to them,” he said.

People also are free to sign questions or feedback to the pastor during the service, an act that would draw stares at a hearing church, he said.

“Here, if there’s an idea that pops up, a deaf person will speak up,” he said.

The church plans to host Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. each week, followed by a worship service at 11 a.m. and a 6:30 p.m. Bible study Wednesdays. Hearing people are welcome to attend, but they might need an interpreter.

“It’s very important to go to a deaf church because (it’s the) same language,” Brenda Bienlein signed. “It’s more inclusive. ... It’s good to have fellowship with other deaf.”

Video

Master's Hands Deaf Church - New Church in Town

2010-10-19T12:49:00.013-04:00

It is always so exciting to be part of God's work! It is always a joy to get a call to be involved and obey. It is amazing to see God do "his thing" and know it is God in action. Last month I was blessed to be there for a very important day. Master's Hands Deaf Church became its own church on September 12, 2010. This is a mission church of Cornerstone Baptist Church. I am blessed and honored to be the pastor's wife and to support my husband, Pastor John, 100% as he obeys his call from the Lord. Our local news channel was there. The local newspaper was there. So much attention and all for a wonderful reason... to spread the gospel. That is our goal. Its not about numbers. Its about our relationship with Jesus Christ. Its our goal to teach and show both Deaf and hearing how to improve and make stronger their everyday relationship with Christ. Jesus wants you so much to be a part of his kingdom. He wants you to be a child of a King. You can have that today. How? Simply admit and agree that you are a sinner (all of us are). Believe that Jesus died for your sins on the cross. Why? Because he wants to save you. What does that mean? Save me from what? He loves you so much and wants to have eternal life with you! Confess your sins to him and make it a goal to live your life as Jesus would. Make Jesus smile!

Where will you go after you die? There are only two possibilities. You can go to heaven or you can go to hell. Its your choice. Don't make the wrong choice. Don't delay either as you never know when you will take your last breath. Accept and believe in Jesus today! If you are local, we welcome you to join us at Master's Hands Deaf Church in Swartz Creek, Michigan. If you are out of the area, we ask that you pray for our ministry to be true to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to reach out to the lost (both Deaf and hearing). Thank you. God bless you richly.

Wacky Cake...Are you familiar with that?

2010-10-19T12:33:00.006-04:00

Birthday Cake

Last week was my daughter's 15th birthday. She asked for a chocolate cake with vanilla icing. I am not a big baker or even an everyday cook. I am blessed to have a husband who enjoys cooking and willingly cooks the family meal most days. I do cook now and then. Because we simply don't need the calories of baked goods its a treat when I do bake.

Anyways... its my daughter's birthday and she wanted a birthday cake. Ok... I immediately think of Wacky Cake. Have you ever heard of that? I grew up on this and I'm pretty sure its the most often baked cake in our family history. Not only is it super moist and tastes good but its easy, its fast and it doesn't require a lot of ingredients. The most likely reason its made is because we probably already had those ingredients in our cupboards so it didn't require a trip to the store. There are no eggs, butter or milk in this cake.

And that is the reason I made Wacky Cake for my daughter's 15th birthday last week. Before I give you the recipe, I want to share a funny story that is constantly told when the family gets together and Wacky Cake comes up.

Funny Story

As I mentioned above, I grew up on this cake. I come from a big family of 8 kids but by the time I was in my early teens, only 5 of us kids were still living at home. My father had a grocery/garden combination store. We lived above the store. That comes in handy sometimes if we need an ingredient and hope my dad carries it in his store! Anyways, all of us kids were expected to work in the store. I just so happened to be half of a twin so when we came home from school, one of us was responsible for making supper (we didn't call it dinner in those days) and the other one responsible for working in the store until it was time to eat. Since I was not a big fan of cooking, I usually opted to work in the store and my twin sister made supper. However now and then we did switch roles.

Trying to impress my family that I could cook if I wanted to, I decided to make a Wacky Cake for dessert one day. I had made this before so it was not the first time I made this. I carefully followed all the instructions and it came out beautifully. My mom came in the kitchen and asked why it smelled like vinegar. I told her I made a wacky cake for dessert. We had supper and then it was time to have dessert. I proudly showed off my Wacky Cake. I think it was my mom who had the first piece. She took a bite, made a face and spit it out. OH NO... it was that awful?? Seemed I had switched the measurements for vinegar and water! Oh boy! So.... obviously that explained why the whole kitchen smelled like vinegar and why we didn't have dessert that night. (I don't remember for sure but we probably sent someone down to the store to pick out a bag of cookies or something for our dessert that meal! We ALWAYS had dessert with our meals)

So, I take a ribbing about this every time Wacky Cake comes up in the family. Here is the recipe.... be sure NOT to switch the measurements for vinegar and water! Consider yourself warned.

Wacky Cake

3 cup flour

2 cup sugar

6 tbs cocoa

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Salt

Mix the above dry ingredient in a bowl with a fork. Make a well in the middle to pour the liquids in.

2 tsp vanilla

2 Tablespoons Vinegar

3/4 oil

2 cups water

Mix the liquids together with a fork

Pour the liquid into well made in the dry ingredient bowl. Stir with fork.

Pour into a rectangle cake pan (this does not work as a double cake. Its too moist)

Bake 350 degrees for 40 mins.

After cake cools, sprinkle with a dusting of confectioner sugar or icing of your choice.

More facts about Wacky Cake

I googled "Wacky Cake" and found out more about this recipe ...

Wacky Cake was actually born out of the seriousness of wartime rationing. At various times during the world wars, eggs, butter, sugar, and milk were all in short supply, so inventive home cooks and home economists did their best to create dishes with limited ingredients. Wacky cake is a moist chocolate cake prepared, miraculously enough, without eggs or butter.

Enjoy.

How much does a prayer weigh?

2010-04-14T12:50:00.004-04:00

I believe in miracles. This is one of my favorite stories. This is not something that I wrote but am sharing. I have seen it in shorter versions in email forwards but I like this longer (and maybe its the original?) version best. I hope this causes you to wonder on the power of prayer too. Be blessed and seek the Lord today!

The question is: How much does a prayer weigh?

The only man I ever heard of who tried to weigh one still does not know.

Once upon a time he thought he did. That was when he owned a little grocery store on the west side. It was a week before Christmas after World War 1. A tired looking woman came into the store and asked him for enough food to make up a Christmas dinner for her children. He asked her how much she could afford to spend.

She answered, "My husband didn't come back. I have nothing to offer but a little prayer."

This man confesses that he was not very sentimental in those days. A grocery store could not be run like a bread line.

So he said, "Write it on paper," and turned about his business.

To his surprise, the woman pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him over the counter. She said, "I did that during the night, watching over my sick baby."

The grocer took the paper before he could recover from the surprise; then he regretted having done so, for what could he do with it? What could he say?

Then an idea suddenly came to him. He placed the paper without even reading the prayer on the weight side of his old fashioned scale. He said, "We shall see how much food this is worth."

To his astonishment, the scale would not go down when he put a loaf of bread on the other side. To his confusion and embarrassment, it would not go down though he kept on adding food - anything he could lay his hands on quickly, because people were watching.

He tried to be gruff, but he was making a bad job of it. His face got red, and it made him angry to be flustered.

So finally he said, "Well, that's all the scales will hold anyway. Here is a bag. You will have to put it in yourself. I am busy."

With what sounded like a gasp or a little sob, she took the bag and started packing in the food, wiping her eyes on her sleeve every time her arms were free to do so. He tried not to look, but he couldn't help seeing that he had given her a pretty big bag and that it was not quite full. So he tossed a large cheese down the counter, but he did not say anything. nor did he see the timid smile of grateful understanding which glistened in her moist eyes at this final betrayal of the grocer's crusty exterior.

When the woman had gone, he went to look at the scales, scratching his head and shaking it in puzzlement. Then he found the solution. The scales were broken. But as the years passed, he often though of it and wondered if that really was the solution. Why did the woman already have the prayer written to satisfy his unpremeditated demand? Why did she come at exactly the right time when the scale was broken? What confused him so that he did not notice it and kept piling on the food with only a scrap of paper in the weight pan? He had felt like a fool and hardly knew what he was doing.

The grocer is an old man now. his head is white, but he still scratches it in the same place and shakes it slowly back and forth with the same puzzled expression. he never saw the woman again, and come to think of it, he had never seen her before either. Yet, for the rest of his life, he remembered her better than any other woman in the world and thought of her more often.

He knew it had not been just his imagination, for he still had the slip of paper upon which the woman's prayer had been written: "Please Lord, give us this day our daily bread."

What happened on the day you were born?

2010-03-29T15:16:00.002-04:00

This Day Trivia

This is fun and educational! Click on the date of your birth - or any date - and see what happened in history.

I discovered that Ben Franklin first flew his kite on my birthdate in 1752. In 1919, the first Trans Atlantic airplane took place. Oh yeah.. in 1992, then Vice President Dan Quayle misspelled "potato" during an elementary school spelling bee.

You also get to see what famous people share your birthday or had the misfortune of dying on that date.

Check it out and learn something new today!

This Day Trivia

Slow Down...You Move Too Fast

2010-03-22T09:12:00.003-04:00

I received this in my email today and it deeply impacted me. I want to share with you and hope this will make you think as well. I don't do a lot of driving myself as I work from home so really don't have anywhere I MUST go everyday in a car but it really irritates me to see people flying down the freeways with no thoughts beyond getting to where they need to go as soon as possible. Please... please slow down.. you are moving TOO FAST!

Read This Slowly

Jack took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone. Fourth time in as many months. How could a guy get caught so often? When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack pulled over, but only partially. Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard. Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror. The cop was stepping out of his car, the big pad in hand..

Bob? Bob from Church? Jack sunk farther into his trench coat. This was worse than the coming ticket. A cop catching a guy from his own church. A guy who happened to be a little eager to get home after a long day at the office. A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow. Jumping out of the car, he approached a man he saw every Sunday. A man he'd never seen in uniform.

'Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this.'
'Hello, Jack.' No smile.
'Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife and kids.'
'Yeah, I guess..' Bob seemed uncertain..
Good.
'I've seen some long days at the office lately. I'm afraid I bent the rules a bit -just this once.'
Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement.
'Diane said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight. Know what I mean?'
'I know what you mean. I also know that you have a reputation in our precinct..'

Ouch.
This was not going in the right direction. Time to change tactics.

'What'd you clock me at?'
'Seventy. Would you sit back in your car please?'
'Now wait a minute here, Bob..
I checked as soon as I saw you. I was barely nudging 65..'
The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket.
'Please, Jack, in the car'
Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door.
Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard.
He was in no rush to open the window.

The minutes ticked by.

Bob scribbled away on the pad..
Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license?
Whatever the reason,
It would be a month of Sundays
Before Jack ever sat near this cop again.
A tap on the door jerked his head to the left.
There was Bob, a folded paper in hand
Jack rolled down the window a mere two inches,
Just enough room for Bob to pass him the slip.
'Thanks..'
Jack could not quite keep the sneer out of his voice.

Bob returned to his police car without a word.
Jack watched his retreat in the mirror.
Jack unfolded the sheet of paper.
How much was this one going to cost?

Wait a minute.
What was this? Some kind of joke?
Certainly not a ticket.. Jack began to read:

'Dear Jack, Once upon a time I had a daughter. She was six when killed by a car. You guessed it - a speeding driver. A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free. Free to hug his daughters, all three of them. I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until Heaven Before I can ever hug her again. A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. Even now. Pray for me. And be careful, Jack, My son is all I have left.' 'Bob'

Jack turned around in time to see Bob's car pull away and head down the road.
Jack watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived...

Life is precious. Handle with care.

This is an important message;

Drive safely and carefully.

Remember, cars are not the only things recalled by their maker.

Out of Touch

2010-03-18T10:16:00.003-04:00

Isn't it interesting how we get into routines and then just as quickly, we get out of them again? I know I was blogging pretty faithfully last year but I can't even remember what happened... but something did and I got distracted and simply just forgot to blog. I have to relearn how to do this again. I even struggled to remember my password to get in here!

Blame it on old brain cells or lack of interest and motivation? Probably both. I know this is my first blog post this year so far. I know my blogs were in the "dead" zone because I was getting constant spam messages in the comments. I have since changed my settings. I apologize for the inconvenience for having to figure out what all those bunched up letters and numbers are to leave a comment but they do cut down on spam.

So... what is new with me since last fall? I'm thinking...

My life is pretty stable...always has been. I pretty much stay the same year after year without making major changes but more like baby steps. I am still working on eBay and I'm still a "Power Seller" although they have now changed that term to "Top Rated Seller". Just got my certificate in the mail this week which is hanging on my eBay hall of fame door. Hey... I got several new consignment clients the past few months too! They keep my inventory fresh and varied.

Business is also stable... not getting rich but enough to pay the bills and have a little left over for "stuff" - mostly to pay for stuff related to our kids. We have one kid graduating from high school this May so that means we will be having an "Open House" for him this summer. I guess that will be my summer project and motivate me to do things to improve the inside and outside of the house.

I'm still involved with Deaf Cafe which went through some rough ups and downs the past 6 months or so. What a ride that was but God provides for our needs, as always and we give Him an applause of praise and thanksgiving.

My husband is still working for Delta/NW so I still do a little bit of traveling.. not as much as I wish but we go as we are able. I was in Wash DC/VA area a week ago and it was good to force me to get out of town. Sometimes traveling is a pain in the neck with the packing and in my situation, being stuck in airports if there are no standby seats available. I learn to be flexible and patient!

Hope you all have a lovely day and I hope to get back to more frequent blogging!

The Case of the Missing Hearing Aid

2009-09-09T10:20:00.005-04:00

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!

2009-08-25T14:32:00.006-04:00

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....

2009-07-27T11:53:00.005-04:00

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!
------------------------------------------------

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
What a guy!
------------------------------------------------

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!
------------------------------------------------

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?!
-----------------------------------------------

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
That's what he gets for eating those beans!
-------------------------------------------------

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

2009-07-20T15:10:00.004-04:00

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

2009-07-15T15:45:00.005-04:00

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

2009-05-27T16:51:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-11T11:58:00.003-04:00

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!

2009-05-06T09:05:00.004-04:00

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

2009-04-22T11:24:00.012-04:00

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

2009-04-14T15:27:00.001-04:00

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

2009-04-13T21:59:00.003-04:00

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!

2009-04-09T18:29:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-04T16:17:00.002-04:00

Just for fun!

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

Ten Thousand Angels

2009-03-30T09:05:00.005-04:00

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!

2009-03-25T09:59:00.004-04:00

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

2009-03-07T16:47:00.003-05:00

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?

2009-03-07T16:17:00.004-05:00

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

2009-03-05T07:22:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-23T10:26:00.003-05:00

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

2009-02-22T20:52:00.003-05:00

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

2009-02-06T16:39:00.003-05:00

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

2009-02-06T07:11:00.005-05:00

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

2009-01-27T12:53:00.005-05:00

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

2009-01-19T21:12:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-01-16T09:40:00.004-05:00

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

2009-01-05T21:29:00.003-05:00

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

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.

End of 2008 - Soon 2009 - I Believe

2008-12-31T20:30:00.005-05:00

This is my New Year message to you... BELIEVE in yourself!

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born

A Death Certificate shows that we died

Pictures show that we lived!

Have a seat . . . Relax . . . And read this slowly....

I Believe...

That just because two people argue,

It doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue,
It doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if
We understand that friends change.

I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant
That will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time
To become the person I want to be.

I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with
Loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...
That we are responsible for what
We do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe...
That my best friend and I, can do anything, or nothing and have the best time.

I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you When you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry,
But that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe...
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had
And what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...
That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others.

Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are,
But, we are responsible for who we becom e.

I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find
Out a secret. It could change your life Forever.

I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same
Thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of
Hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give, when
A friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I Believe...
That you should send this to all of the people that you believe in, I just did.

'The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the most of everything.

Thank you God for all the wonderful people who help us throughout the journey of life.

Stores closing in 2009 ASL tape

2008-12-26T17:49:00.003-05:00

A friend sent me this link that was posted at www.deafnewspaper.com.

This is a video in ASL about all the different stores around USA that are either in the process now or will be closing in January 2009. Really really sad to see this as it only adds to the number of people who will be losing their jobs soon.

If you don't understand ASL, still watch this video as you can see pictures of the stores that will be closing. Keep in mind these stores if you have any gift cards from them. You might want to use them now while you can.

Watch this video in ASL

Christmas Message 2008

2008-12-23T12:45:00.004-05:00

It's almost Christmas. I didn't realize I haven't blogged in over two weeks. Where did the time go?

This has been a pretty laid back Christmas for me. No real stress. We are taking it easy. I didn't do any baking (but will today). I didn't send out any cards but will send out an email to family and friends tomorrow. I bought my gifts gradually over the past months so it wasn't all at once. I didn't overdecorate my house. I didn't even put up a large tree. I have three mini trees with lights that stay up all year long. My daughter did add some ornaments and we hung up the stockings. My new thing this year is a new nativity set I'm displaying for the first time.

My business on eBay has been steady. I am not nearly as busy as I was a year ago but I'm selling higher priced items. I know some of this is from the economy being weak right now. The Lord has blessed and all is fine. We have what we need and I cannot ask for anything more. I already have the best gift which I would like ALL of you to also accept. I have Jesus in my heart and that is the best gift in the whole world. Best of all... it's FREE! What can you give Jesus for Christmas? Your whole heart.

This is my Christmas thought for you....

This Christmas don't worship only a baby in a manger. Worship Jesus, our Savior and our God, who was willing to become a person, live a life without sin, and die on the cross to give us eternal life if we believe and accept His gift of salvation.

Jesus was here BEFORE he came to earth as a baby. Read Genesis 1:1, 26 and Colossians 1:16. Jesus created the world and everything in it. "Let Us create..." ("Us" includes Jesus before creation and before Jesus became a person.) Jesus is GOD, CREATOR.

"Joy comes not to him who seeks it for himself, but to him who seeks it for other people."

-H.W. Sylvester

May the joy you bring to others return to you in great measure this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas to each of you!

First voice I hear will be Jesus'

2008-12-08T11:13:00.004-05:00

Two things happened yesterday that brought tears to my eyes...

First during the sermon, the guest speaker was sharing a story about Fannie Crosby who wrote many many hymns. She was also blind. A person once told her, I feel so sorry for you... you have never seen the sun rise or set. Fannie responded, "I feel sorry for YOU! The first thing I'm going to see when I can see again is Jesus' face!".

wow... that made me think. I'm not blind but I am deaf and while I can "hear" if I can see the person (my mind puts a voice in my head while I'm lipreading their lips), I can't hear anything that happens behind my back or out of sight. So... Fannie's comment made me think...

The first voice I want to hear behind my back would be the voice of Jesus calling my name. I will immediately recognize his voice and that he called me. Can't wait!

The second thing was a moment of being proud of my daughter.

She is 13 and has gradually over the past month became more involved with the youth and children's ministry at church. There is an 8 yr old deaf girl who attends. Now and then an adult will interpret for Halley but too many times she is left out. My daughter has complained to me before about how unfair it is that no one is interpreting for Halley during the puppet show or junior church. I suggested she make that her ministry and start doing that herself. Yesterday, she told me she did it! She interpreted for Halley during Jr. Church! I asked her if she was nervous? She said no. Wow... she just might end up being an interpreter or some how involved with the deaf when she gets older.

Very proud of you sweetie! Keep on signing. You are doing a great job!

12 Days of Christmas - Internet Marketing

2008-12-04T14:13:00.003-05:00

If you are interested in learning more about marketing on the internet...check this out...

I just found a webpage that has lots of great free gifts given by some of the top internet marketers around. Mark Hendricks has put together his own version of "The 12 Days of Christmas", and has pulled in favors from his friends who are among the sharpest marketing minds on the planet.

I've already found some really great stuff, and thought you might want to take a look too.

Here’s the site: http://www.hunteridge.com/12days.htm

Christmas Shoes Video

2008-12-04T13:53:00.001-05:00

A touching song of a son's love for his dying mother and the real meaning of Christmas

A Christmas Story

2008-12-01T11:21:00.003-05:00

This is long but one of my favorite Christmas reads. May we all see opportunities to share the real reason behind the season! Merry Christmas to all of you!

The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate. He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through.

Instead of throwing the man out, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the heater and warm up. "Thank you, but I don't mean to intrude," said the stranger. "I see you're busy, I'll just go." "Not without something hot in your belly." George said.

He turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It ain't much, but it's hot and tasty, "Stew ... made it myself. When you're done, there's coffee and it's fresh."

Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell. "Excuse me, be right back," George said. There in the driveway was an old '53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. "Mister can you help me!" said the driver, with a deep Spanish accent. "My wife is with child and my car is broken."

George opened the hood. It was bad. The block looked cracked from the cold, the car was dead. "You ain't going in this thing," George said as he turned away.

"But Mister, please help ..." The door of the office closed behind George as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building, opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting. "Here, take my truck," he said. "She ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good."

George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night. He turned and walked back inside the office. "Glad I gave 'em the truck, their tires were shot too. That 'ol truck has brand new........" George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The Thermos was on the desk, empty, with a used coffee cup beside it. "Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought.

George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the the block hadn't cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot, I can fix this," he said to himself. So he put a new one on.

"Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter either." He took the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln. They were like new and he wasn't going to drive the car anyway.

As he was working, he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, "Please help me."

George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention. "Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought. The uniform company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. "Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease.

"Something for pain," George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. "You hang in there, I'm going to get you an ambulance."

The phone was dead. "Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your car." He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio.

He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. "Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area."

George sat down beside him, "I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you." George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through 'ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain."

George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked. "None for me," said the offi cer. "Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city. Too bad I ain't got no donuts." The officer laughed and winced at the same time.

The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. "Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.

"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer.

"Son, why are you doing this?" asked George, "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."

The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!"

The cop was reaching for his gun. "Put that thing away," George said to the cop, "we got one too many in here now."

He turned his attention to the young man. "Son, it's Christmas Eve. If you need money, well then, here. It ain't much but it's all I got. N ow put that pee shooter away."

George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. "I'm not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son," he went on. "I've lost my job, my rent is due, my car got repossessed last week .."

George handed the gun to the cop. Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can."

He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things." George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Bein' stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now sit there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out."

The young m an had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. "Sorry I shot you. It just went off. I'm sorry officer."

"Shut up and drink your coffee." the cop said.

George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn. "Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer.

"Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?"

"GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he approached the young man.

Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran."

George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other.

"That guy work here?," the wounded cop continued. "Yep," George said, "just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job."

The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, "Why?"

Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas boy ... and you too, George, and thanks for everything."

"Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems."

George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. "Here you go, something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day."

The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take this," said the young man. "It means something to you."

"And now it means something to you," replied George. "I got my memories. That's all I need."

George reached into the box again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's something for that little man of yours."

The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier.

"And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that too," George said, "Now git home to your family."

The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. "I'll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good."

"Nope. I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."

George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. "Where'd you come from? I thought you left?"

"I have been here. I have always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don't celebrate Christmas. Why?"

"Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn't see what all the bother was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by myself and besides I was gettin' a little chubby."

The stranger put his hand on George's shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George.
You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry.
The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor.
The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists.
The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for himself. "That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man."

George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you know all this?" asked the old man.

"Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again."

The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned."

George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.

"You see, George ... it's My birthday. Merry Christmas."

George fell to his knees and replied, "Happy Birthday, Lord."

~ author unknown

You Never Let Go

2008-11-24T08:57:00.003-05:00

My family is going through some personal hard times with finances and job security right now which is making our future very "unknown". My friend Paula from Ohio sent me this song yesterday and I want to share it with you as the words are very comforting. Its a blessing and a peaceful feeling that there is no need to fear the unknown as God is already there and will be with us. Thank you Paula! Love you!

You Never Let Go

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won't turn back, I know you are near

I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear
*WHOM THEN SHALL I FEAR*

OH no You never let go through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go and every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go, Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see the light that is comin' for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be *AN* end to the struggles
Til that day comes, we'll live to know You here on *THE* Earth

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear
*WHOM THEN SHALL I FEAR*

*You keep on loving and you never let go*

And i can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
and there will be and end to the struggles
but until that day comes
*STILL I WILL PRAISE YOU
STILL I WILL PRAISE YOU*

by Matt Redman

eBay and Cleaning House

2008-11-21T13:16:00.006-05:00

As regular readers know, eBay is my business. Been doing this for 8 years. So, what kind of things am I listing now? I have a high of 338 items up for sale (as of the time I'm typing this). As soon as I finish this blog, I'll be listing more.

I just listed a bunch of vintage cowboy shirts. I have assorted clothing listed for men, women and infant babies. I have Disney toys, military videos, pottery from Germany and assorted other items.

I'm taking a break from listing the Bible study related books. I'm concentrating on cleaning up my eBay storage room that is in my basement. The books can wait until after the holidays.

I'm in the process of trying to get rid of things in this house. Found a person on Craigs list who was looking for free magazines. Hey... I have two boxes for you! She is coming later today to pick them up. That's two boxes out of this house. Happy smile.

I have a bag of clothing for my friend's daughter so that's another bag out of my house and into her house (LOL). She'll get those tomorrow.

I feel an urgency of getting things out of here and not bringing anything new in. On Tuesday, I took two bags of clothing to a local church that has a clothes closet for the community. They give the clothes away free. I can probably come up with another bag very easily. I have at least two boxes that should be taken to Goodwill soon too. I keep debating on whether to do that or save for a future yard sale. I cleaned a closet out yesterday and found several things that I can pass on to other people.

In the meantime, I list on eBay everyday as every time something sells, that's one less thing in this house! If you haven't checked out my store, BienleinDesign Finds, recently, I hope you will soon. Maybe I'll have just what you've been looking for. If you mention that you read about my store in my blog, I'll give you a discount!

See you there!

Cats and Hearing Aids

2008-11-19T12:45:00.003-05:00

Does anyone else have this problem?

I have two cats. Both males and both between 2-3 years old. The older one is laid back and the younger one is a troublemaker. The troublemaker's name is Chupa.

Chupa is a tiger tabby - gold colored. He is very sweet but mischievous. For some reason, he just loves my hearing aid... or more specifically, the hearing aid mold. I don't know if its the smell, the taste or the texture.

Last year my hearing aid disappeared.
I KNOW I had it on my dresser in the location I always put it at night with my glasses. The next morning it was gone. I turned my house upside down looking for it for months but never did find it. I gave up and for months I was totally deaf. Finally with the help of Michigan Vocational Rehabilitation, I was able to get a new aid last December. With the aid on, I could hear stuff.

All went fine.
I had a case and I faithfully put my aid in the case every night as I did not want a repeat of a disappearing hearing aid. But, one night I didn't. I don't remember why. Maybe I was very tired or not feeling well or something but instead of putting it in the case, I just put in ON the dresser. The next morning, I was walking to the kitchen and I STEPPED on my hearing aid...

Ummm... what is this doing out here? Why is it on the floor? Chupa is the only cat that jumps up on the dresser. The other cat had a leg injury and is not able to jump that high so I knew immediately that Chupa had taken the aid off the dresser and both the cats probably played soccer with it during the night. I also noticed that the mold was broken as if one of them had taken a bite out of it.

Oh bummer.... I vowed I would do better and put the aid IN THE CASE every night. Well... it didn't happen. One night my husband had gone to bed and it was dark and I couldn't find/feel the case on the dresser so I HID my hearing aid under other stuff on the dresser figuring it would be safe and I would find the case in the morning.

Bad idea.
The next morning the first thing I did was look for that hearing aid as I was very curious if Chupa found it. It was gone! That darn cat had found it!

I got on my hands and knees and looked all over my house. I went downstairs and checked the basement.. nothing. Where could it have gone? I went upstairs again and decided to make a cup of coffee and I stepped on my aid for the second time! Yeah... but... the mold was missing. Had it come disconnected during the soccer play? So, back on my hands and knees, I'm looking for the mold now which is hard to see as its almost clear.

Found it, I did.
but... this time it was in two pieces. the cats had taken another bite out of the mold and now there was no upper part. It was only the part that goes inside the ear. It still worked so it wasn't a total loss.

I did check to see how much it cost to make a new mold... ready for this? $100!!! oh geez. I will do without if its that high. So far, my mini mold is doing its job but I do not need to learn this lesson again. From now on, the hearing aid goes into my sock drawer which gets closed.

That darn cat can't get it there!

Are you letting your dream die?

2008-11-18T12:35:00.003-05:00

I want to share something I read recently, It was written by Charles Garfield who shared a powerful story of a man who wouldn't let his circumstances stop him from living his passion:

"One day I was driving from my home in Northern California to the San Francisco airport, consumed with the talk I was flying to give. I found myself in early morning rush hour traffic and then a real Manhattan-style traffic jam. I wasn't going anywhere. All of a sudden I heard loud rock music. I looked up and couldn't believe what I saw - the toll taker I was approaching was dancing! I said, 'Please, Lord, not this morning. It's not a time for one of your tests.'

"Anyway, I got to the toll booth and gave him my dollar. He gave me my change with a backhanded slap, moving in time with his music. Now, I can't go through life pretending that these amazing things are not happening. So I asked the toll taker a standard, in-depth research question, 'What are you doing?' He said, 'I'm having a party.' I said, 'What about the rest of these people?' He said, 'They're not invited.'

"I thought, 'This guy is either nuts, or he's going to teach you something.' I couldn't find out then, but I made a mental note to find him again. A month later I did. It was during the middle of the day, so there was no traffic, and he was still dancing, the music was still blaring. He insisted he was having a party.

"I told him that I studied high achievers for a living and that I needed a certain kind of story. He said, 'You want to study me - great, take me to dinner.' After dinner, I asked him what kept him going. I explained the concept of mission. He said, 'You want to know my mission? I'm going to be a dancer someday. With what they pay me in that toll booth, I can't afford dance lessons. So I have the same two choices every other person has. I can let my dream die or I can dance in the toll booth.'

"Now here is the key issue. There are 16 other people just like him, with the same job - no special privileges - members of what I call the 'bitch and moan' school. These are the people who say, 'Oh, it's miserable. My boss won't let me do it. The organization won't let me do it. My parents didn't let me do it. The school system ruined me.' Yet one guy has managed to see a different world and a different set of possibilities.

"He was saying to all of us, 'I can let my dream die, or I can make it work anyway.' Peak performers are people who will make it work anyway. When everybody else is complaining or talking about the obstacles, peak performers will make it work anyway."

*An excerpt from Charles Garfield, Noetic Sciences Review 6 (Spring 1988) 19-20.

What to do if have a kitchen oil fire?

2008-11-14T12:06:00.005-05:00

Today I want to show you something serious and I hope this never happens to you but now you know what to do if it does!

READ BEFORE YOU WATCH THE VIDEO!!

A family firefighter recently sent me the attached short video - and I would like to share the prevention information with each of you. It is well worth watching! And it could save your life.

This is very stunning - please read and then watch the very short clip.

I never realized that a wet dishcloth can be a one size fits all lid to cover a fire in a pan!

This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire ...oil in a frying pan. Read the following Introduction, then watch the show ...It's a real eye-opener!!

At a Fire Fighting Training school they would demonstrate this with a deep fat fryer set on the fire field. An instructor would don a fire suit and using an 8 oz cup at the end of a 10 foot pole toss water onto the grease fire.

The results got the attention of the students. The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where it instantly becomes superheated. The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out. On the open field, it became a thirty foot high fireball that resembled a nuclear blast.

Inside the confines of a kitchen,................ the fire ball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room, Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire. One cup of either creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite.

This is a powerful message----watch the video and don't forget what you see.

Tell your whole family about this video... or better yet, send it them.

Inspirational Thoughts

2008-11-13T08:16:00.003-05:00

Just a couple of inspirational thoughts for today...

When you wholeheartedly adopt a 'with all your heart' attitude
and go out with the positive principle,
you can do incredible things.
- Norman Vincent Peale

Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment.
- Thomas Carlyle

I Believe

2008-11-12T12:37:00.004-05:00

This is a song that keeps going through my head. I thought if I blogged about it, maybe my brain will switch to another song? Regardless... this is a beautiful song and I love the words as well as the harmony. Enjoy...

I BELIEVE

I believe for every drop of rain that falls
A flower grows
I believe that somewhere in the darkest night
A candle glows
I believe for everyone who goes astray, someone will come
To show the way
I believe, I believe

I believe above a storm the smallest prayer
Can still be heard
I believe that someone in the great somewhere
Hears every word

Everytime I hear a new born baby cry,
Or touch a leaf or see the sky
Then I know why, I believe

Written by: Erwin Drake - Irvin Graham
- Jimmy Shirl - Al Stillman)

God is in Control story

2008-11-10T11:03:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was our November Deaf Cafe, Flint program. I have mentioned several times that my husband, daughter and myself are part of this ministry. Its an AWESOME group of dedicated committed Christians who love to serve the Lord.

Deaf Cafe is a monthly 2 hour variety type Christian program. We have drama, skits, music, videos, power-points, games and devotions. Its a great 2 hours of fun and laughter and serious learning about God's word too. Our purpose is to reach those - deaf or hearing - who might not normally attend a regular church. In everything we do, God gets the glory.

And God certainly got the glory this past Saturday. We had a special guest speaker, David, who planned to do 15 mins of magic tricks and also the devotion at the end of the program. His wife, Sharon who is wonderful with music, would lead the team in a couple of songs. They arrived Friday night and we practiced with no problems. Everything looked good for Saturday's program. Saturday at 11am, I received a VP call from the husband of a team member. David and Sharon were spending the weekend at their home. We were informed that there was a family emergency and David and Sharon had to immediately leave for home.

Oh my! Four of the other team members of DC just happened to be spending the weekend at my house so the majority of the team was there. We immediately said a prayer for David and Sharon (found out Sharon's brother had a heart attack and he passed away last night - our deepest sympathy to them). We then put on our thinking caps as we had to quickly come up with Plan B. We had 15 mins to fill in the first half, we had to come up with a devotion speaker and a new song leader. My husband John said he would take care of the devotion and Kirstan would do her best leading the song. As Kirstan is deaf herself, that is a big achievement for her. Sometimes she can hear the words on the CD and sometimes she gets lost. We knew it would work out. I found another video to show (my job is tech person) and we would extend one of the dramas.

We knew God was in control!
We practiced the main drama just one time an hour before the program started at 6pm. My husband, (it just so happened that he had many roles during that program) played a "Billy Mays" character by first trying to selling "Super Duper Clean" products that clean EVERYTHING. Later he meets Jesus and realizes that Jesus is the only thing that REALLY cleans EVERYTHING. He then becomes a spokeperson "selling" Jesus. The team sang "Nothing but the blood of Jesus" in the middle of this drama. It was VERY effective and one of the best dramas we have done. GOD GETS THE GLORY!

Kirstan also wrote about Saturday's program in her blog. Check out her version too! Don't forget to click on the google ads!

Are you a reason, season or lifetime friend?

2008-11-05T11:15:00.005-05:00

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life,
whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

Standing up for my Faith

2008-11-03T07:53:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share about a discussion I was a part of last week. I belong to a business forum and while I asked a different question, someone brought up the fact that I include the byline of Psalms 16:8 in my emails. That opened the door to discuss whether or not its a good idea to include religion with your business.

I decided I was going to do a little test.
On my eBay site, I sell a lot of Bible related study books. I also sell other items like military stuff, photography books and magazines, clothing, household items, etc. I know some of my buyers are Christians but not all.

I decided I would remove that Psalms 16:8 byline when I send emails to those who did not purchase a Bible related book. I did that for three days and I felt so guilty. Why was I hiding the fact that I am a Christian? Am I ashamed to admit that? Am I concerned about offending those who might not share the same beliefs? Am I afraid of losing business?

I couldn't do it.
I could not separate my faith and my business as my faith is who I am. I can't hide my faith anymore than I can hide the fact that I am deaf - although I tried very hard to do just that when I was younger! My faith is something I want to share. I want everyone to know that I am a Christian and I'm not ashamed to admit that.

I have since put back that byline and it goes out to everyone I respond to. If I offended someone, oh well.. they can take their business elsewhere. I know the Lord will prosper me for being faithful and not being ashamed. I am not of this world!

What does Psalms 16:8 say?
"I have set the Lord always before me because He is at my right side. I shall not be moved".

Therefore, no matter what the world says, I'm not moving and I'm going to stay firm with my Lord at my right side.

Be true to yourself today too.

Update 2 on Sad Situation - The result of drunk driving

2008-10-31T08:57:00.005-04:00

Back on Sept 25, I wrote about a terrible accident that claimed the life of an unborn baby and seriously injured the mother. A drunk 18 year old hit their truck broadside. On Oct 1, I wrote an update about how the mother was doing. Yesterday I received another update on this girl from a friend of mine. This is what she writes...

I have a very good update on Angella. I went to see her today and she is now moved to the rehabilitation area. No more ICU... Yah!!!! and she can have flowers and balloons and magazines and etc... etc.... and real food. LOL!

She is so much better than my last visit when they had nicely taken her tubes out and she could only whisper and was still highly medicated. She can lift her right arm higher & can write or print her name (she's practicing because she has some limited mobility with it due to breaking her elbow) She has about an 18" scar down the back side of that arm that is like a zipper. Her right leg which was also broken is easier for her to move than her left leg. Due to the crushed pelvis she cannot move that leg yet and has to wear a boot because the foot wants to drop.

Her abdominal cavity is still not closed. They have packed it with some sort of a substance I have never seen before and covered it with clear tape. Due to infection I believe they have left it open, but tomorrow (Friday) they plan to go in and take a graft from her right leg and close her abdomen too, somehow using the graft in that. She did tell me that they did take her uterus. It was my understanding that because of infection they finally had to take it. They did leave her ovaries and so she hopes to at least be able to have eggs that may one day be used with a surrogate... (just her thoughts now).

She still has a very long road. They came in to turn her while I was there, because she is not able to move on her own. She hopes to be coming home in about 3 weeks. The doctors say she has made remarkable progress. Right after the accident she was given a 1% chance of surviving. Does anyone think this is a miracle? I told her how many many people had been praying for her and asking about her. People she does not know.

She never mentioned the baby, she only mentioned something about being pregnant. But she does know. I sensed a lot of depression. I tried to encourage her and get her to laugh. But she only smiled and I could tell she is very sad. But she is determined to walk and get better... and so I just encouraged her to take it a day at a time. That the Lord may have closed one door.. but I'll bet you he has another one open for her - I told her!

The hospital has given her a laptop to use, so she can e-mail. So I made sure I still had her e-mail so we can chat daily... I hope.

I CANNOT THANK YOU ALL ENOUGH for praying for her. Prayer changes things! The prognosis was grim... but now look ... she may get to actually go home in about 3 weeks. Please continue to pray for her, if you think of it... tomorrow is surgery for her. And I guess, (according to her Dad) her Mom is not so good, kind of depressed too. The finances, and working and then the hospital every day... it can take a toll...

Please continue to pray for Angella. At this time, I do not have an update on the drunk boy who hit their truck and caused this tragedy to happen. His life too will never be the same.

Fire on My Street

2008-10-30T09:56:00.004-04:00

Yesterday a house at the end of my street went up in flames. I was working on my computer and I'm really not sure what made me look up or what exactly caught my attention that something was wrong but for whatever reason, I went to the windows at the front of my house and saw black smoke. I knew black smoke means fire so I immediately knew something was on fire. I grabbed my coat and ran outside to see what was on fire... and could see flames through the trees.

Cops started to arrive and soon after, the firetrucks. The hydrant is on the other end of the street so the firetruck backed up to hook up to the hydrant and let the hose out. The hose went down the middle of the street the entire block. That's a long hose! Of course, the street was blocked off as well. Neighbors started coming out of their houses and I also walked down the street a few houses to see what was going on and see if there was anything I could do to help.

Unfortunately, I do not know most of the neighbors down at that end of the street so I didn't know if that house was occupied or if it was empty. I found out later that the house was vacant. The house is a total loss and you can see the backyard from the front door (which is now gone). This was on local TV news. You can watch the video here.

Arson goes UP during Halloween week

The city is saying this fire was the beginning of the annual fires that happen every year just before Halloween. I don't know if that is a national problem but its a very serious local problem. Many many empty houses go up in flames during the week of Halloween due to arson.

With the high rate of foreclosures, etc, there are a lot of empty houses in this area. Many of the communities will be walking around their streets tonight and through the weekend in an attempt to keep the fires to a minimum. God bless them for their service and their time and keep us all safe.

Update on Avon Breast Cancer Walk

2008-10-29T13:54:00.002-04:00

The other day I wrote about my youngest sister walking in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer walkathon. She did it! Yeah Marji! In honor of her and all us ladies, I had my annual mammogram done this morning.

Here is her account of the day.

I just wanted to thank you all again for sponsoring me for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this past weekend. It was a great experience and I was able to walk the entire 39.3 miles. Saturday started out rainy so I wore my old leather sneekers to keep my feet dry. That turned out to be good for dry feet but bad for blisters. By the time the rain stopped and streets dried enough for me to think it was safe to switch to my normal walking sneekers (about 10 miles into the walk), I had developed a large blister on my right foot. I had it bandaged and was fairly comfortable for the remainder of the walk but it will take a while to heal. I also developed a blister under my toe nail on my left foot. I didn't feel that until I finished the 1st day's walk. Again, I was able to walk on Sunday with appropriate padding on my toe to keep it cushioned. Evidently, I will end up loosing the nail and it is still pretty sensitive when I wear shoes. Oh well! That will all heal in time and is a small price to pay for the experience. When I think of all the money that was raised for such a great cause, I can't help but be humbled. There were 1350 walkers and over 2000 involved counting all they support crew. Over a million dollars were raised! Thanks again for the part that you paid in this success!

The Story of a Deaf Frog

2008-10-28T10:00:00.006-04:00

Once Upon A Time...

Once upon a time there was a bunch
of tiny frogs....

who arranged a running competition.
The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.

A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see
the race and cheer on the contestants....

The race began....

Honestly:

No one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs
would reach the top of the tower. You heard statements
such as:

"Oh, WAY too difficult!!"

"They will NEVER make it to the top."

or:

"Not a chance that they will succeed.
The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one....

Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing
higher and higher..

The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult!!! No one
will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up....

But ONE continued higher and higher and higher....

This one wouldn't give up!

At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it? A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal?

It turned out....

That the winner was DEAF!!!!

The wisdom of this story is: Never listen to other people's tendencies to be negative or pessimistic....because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you -- the ones you have in your heart!

Always think of the power words have. Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!

There's life and death in the power of the tongue - Proverbs 18:21.

Therefore: ALWAYS be POSITIVE!

And above all:
Be DEAF when people tell YOU that you cannot fulfill your dreams!

Always think: God and I can do this!

Political Wizard of Oz

2008-10-27T11:42:00.005-04:00

ok...
no matter what your political views may be or who you plan to vote for, I hope you get a chuckle out of this photo!

Many thanks to those who remember to click on the Google ads on the right side of this page!

I'm up to $27.00. Many thanks!

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

2008-10-24T10:58:00.004-04:00

I want to write a special plug for my youngest sister, Marji. She made the decision to walk the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this weekend in Charlotte, SC.

You can read about Marji and why she is walking and her journal about her training. She will walk an incredible 26.2 miles on Saturday and 13.1 miles on Sunday. I wonder if she will have any energy to go to work on Monday!

She was required to raise $1,800 to participate in this walk. She reached 100% of her goal plus more! However, donations are always appreciated and needed to further the research for a cure for breast cancer. Either of the link above have information on how to make a donation.

Thanks Marji for giving of your time and your energy for all the ladies and their families out there who are dealing with breast cancer. YOU ROCK GIRL!

Top 10 Predictions No Matter who wins the Election

2008-10-23T08:36:00.004-04:00

I’m not going to talk politics on my blog as everyone has their own opinion about the candidates and the issues. However, I have been giving it a lot of prayer… not only for who will get my vote but for the future of America and the world. One thing that is comforting to me is that God will remain in control – no matter who will win the election. I also have the peace of knowing should the world be destroyed tomorrow, I know where I’m going to heaven but I grieve for those who have not yet made the decision to follow the Lord. Those are the people who will suffer and be in deep regret. Don’t put it off… make a decision to accept Christ as your savior today. If you are not sure how… please do email me and I will walk you through the steps. Give yourself that peace of mind and it will change your outlook on the future. There is no need to be afraid when the Lord is in control.

Yesterday a friend sent me the following list and I thought it was perfect to include here.

Top 10 Predictions No Matter Who Wins the Election

1. 1.The Bible will still have all the answers.

2. 2. Prayer will still work.

3. 3. The Holy Spirit will still move.

4. 4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.

5. 5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.

6. 6. There will still be singing of praise to God.

7. 7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.

8.8. There will still be room at the Cross.

9. 9. Jesus will still love you.

110. Jesus will still save the lost.

Isn’t it great to know who is still in control? AMEN!

My cup runneth over and I’m drinking from the saucer!

Sermons in ASL

2008-10-21T12:14:00.004-04:00

I was doing some browsing and came across this site from, "Sovereign Grace Deaf Fellowship". This is a Deaf church in Colorado. What made it unique is that it offers its sermon in video so you can watch it in ASL. The pastor is Billy Krahl.

It has an interesting format with the PP (powerpoint) on one side and the video on the other side so you see the same thing as if you were there in person.

I have not yet sat through an entire sermon but I find him very easy to understand. This is also good practice for the ASL students out there! I don't know if there is voicing but if there is, TURN IT OFF and use this for practice - both in understanding ASL better and in understanding spiritual matters better.

Max Lucado Prayer for America

2008-10-20T08:14:00.005-04:00

You Have Our Attention, Lord
A prayer by Max Lucado - October 2008

Our friends lost their house
The co-worker lost her job
The couple next door lost their retirement
It seems that everyone is losing their footing.

That scares us. This bailout with billions
These rumblings of depressions
These headlines' ominous thunderous -
"Going Broke!" "Going Down!" "Going Under!" "What's Next?"

What is next?

We're listening. And we're admitting: You were right.

You told us this would happen.
You shot straight about loving stuff and worshipping money.
Greed will break your heart, You warned.
Money will love you and leave you.
Don't put your hope in riches that are so uncertain.

You were right. Money is a fickle lover and we just got dumped.

We were wrong to spend what we didn't have.
Wrong to neglect prayer and ignore the poor
Wrong to think we ever earned a dime. We didn't. You gave it.
And now, tell us Father, are You taking it?

We're listening...and we're praying.
Could you make something good out of this mess?

Of course You can. You always have.
You led slaves out of slavery,
Built temples out of ruins.
Turned stormy waves into a glassy pond and water into sweet wine.
This disorder awaits your order. So do we.

Through Christ,
AMEN

God will always give what is right to His people who cry to Him night and day, and He will not be slow to answer them. (Luke 18:7 NCV)

Medical Advice in ASL

2008-10-18T19:57:00.002-04:00

http://www.deafmd.org

I was just made aware of this site yesterday and I checked it out. WAY COOL!

Its a medical site with the goal of bridging medicine and the deaf world. There are videos explaining a very long list of different medical conditions in ASL. They are also written in English as well for the ASL impaired.

There is also a section where you can see if there is a Deaf-friendly Dr in your area.

http://www.deafmd.org

This is a copy/paste of their home page.

Welcome to DeafMD, an innovative website providing accurate, concise, and valuable health information in American Sign Language to the Deaf & Hard of Hearing population. Using health information created by two trustworthy and unbiased government sources—the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, our team of healthcare providers, linguists, and educators translates this complex information into ASL.

Our goal is to develop an easy to use site without overwhelming advertisements. DeafMD contains 4 distinct, informative sections: Diseases & Illnesses, Understanding Tests, News, & Find a Deaf Friendly Doctor. While each section is different, each one is specifically designed to promote a better understanding and knowledge of health. Navigate to the Disease & Illness section, the Understanding Tests section, or the News section, and a video will begin to play discussing how to use each section.

Super Duper Cleaning

2008-10-17T19:53:00.004-04:00

Sigh... I'm tired

Today from about 8am to about 1:30pm I did a super duper cleaning of my house. This is a BIG occasion around here because I only do that type of cleaning when a certain something happens... and that certain something is... COMPANY is coming!

Cleaning house is something I do not like to do. Its so time consuming and I would do it only to have to do it again the next day. Its an endless circle!

Don't get the wrong idea... my house would NEVER qualify for the TV shows where people are total slobs and have years worth of grud laying around their house and so much clutter they have a path through their house or rooms are completely unusable.

No no no... my house is nothing like that. In fact my house is not bad. I do keep the living room, dining room and kitchen under control for the most part. Now and then my dining room table disappears if I just got new inventory for eBay or after the Deaf Cafe program or after a period of just being busy. Its a catchall place for whatever but eventually, those items find their proper place.

My bedroom is so-so. We lack closet space in there so both my husband and I tend to just lay our clothes out neatly on either side of the room and just wear that same clothes again the next day (assuming its not dirty). I am bad about that and have a tenancy to wear the same things over and over again and ignore the clothes in my drawers and closet.

No... its the SUPER DUPER cleaning I don't like.. it's the "get on my hands and knees and scrub the kitchen and bathroom floors"... the "dig out the grud that gathers along the baseboards that the sweeper doesn't pick up"... the "scrubing of the rust spots in the bathtub", "dusting all the knicknacks", etc etc. Ugh...

I have a weird habit of starting my cleaning at one end of the room and gradually working my way towards the other side of the room. I also reward myself with little breaks to check email or have a small piece of chocolate (pre-halloween candy!). I take my time and do a very thorough job because I don't do this very often.... only when company is coming.

I would never work so hard for my own sake. I have better things to do with my time but company.. well... I don't want my company to think I'm a total slob... however.. I did warn them I was not responsible for what my preteen daughter's and my teenage son's bedrooms looked like!

so... I'm worn out from all that physical labor... but hey.... my house looks nice and smells nice too... that might last until tomorrow...and my company was impressed!

By the way... thanks for clicking on the google ads on the right of this page! Its working! Last i checked, its over $20.00. I have the goal of getting to $100 before Christmas so help me out please by clicking on any of the ads when you leave this page. I'll do the same for your blog too if you leave a comment and leave your link!

My daughter is 13!

2008-10-16T11:28:00.005-04:00

Where does time go? It certainly doesn't stand still. What was I doing 13 years ago? Well... at that time I had 2 young boys (age 2 and 5) and a brand new baby daughter 6 days old. Kayla was born during the early morning hours of October 10.

Remembering...
I had gone to bed and my water broke soon after. I watched my husband wake up the boys and walk/carry them to my friend/neighbor's house at 1am in the morning. I don't remember being in a lot of pain. It was about a 20 minute drive to Mt Clemens hospital. I do remember bad back labor which I had with all my babies. Things moved pretty quick and it soon progressed to the point when it was too late to receive or request any pain relief meds so I had Kayla completely natural without any drugs. I hope I don't come across as a bad mom but I can't remember the exact time she was born but it was around 6am. She weighed 8 lbs something (another bad mom moment when I know all three of my kids weighed in the 8 lb range when they were born but I have no idea of the ozs between them - such details really are not that important!). My husband and I were elated to have a girl after having two boys. We did not know what the sex of the baby would be before she was born. We wanted to be surprised. I wasn't completely surprised as i had a strong suspicion it would be a girl. I also knew at that point our family was complete.

Here we are 13 years later.
My daughter is no longer a little girl. She is all grown up and now a preteen with all the trimmings intacted. She can be a joy of good humor and silliness one moment and a drama queen with up and down emotions the next. Her bedroom is a mess and that drives me up the wall but its all part of growing up and finding out who she is. She is expressing a desire to be a writer so she has been writing a story. I want to get her set up in a blog to encourage her to keep writing. I'll let you know when she is ready to go!

One thing that I'm really proud of is that she has made an effort and expresses an interest in learning sign language. She is capable of having a smooth conversation in ASL with any deaf person. She still doesn't sign everything and mouths a lot of words as she knows I can lip read but she is MUCH better at finger spelling than I am and has a good memory. She understands a lot more than she uses. She is involved with the Deaf Cafe, Flint ministry with me and her dad and I know she enjoys being a part of that group.

A friend asked her what she plans to do with the next 13 years of her life! I'll have to ask her to write about that!

Happy birthday Kayla. Sorry I'm a few days late. Love you lots! mom

What is your passion?

2008-10-14T11:51:00.003-04:00

When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.
- W. Clement Stone

Do you have a passion for whatever it is you are doing with your life? This could be a hobby, your family or a ministry as well as your job.

I know I have this passion for two areas in my life... my everyday job which is eBay and one of my ministries which is Deaf Cafe, Flint.

In both areas, I have a desire to always learn more how to improve and to do better. That's what keeps the fires of enthusiasm burning inside us....what keeps us looking forward to the next day or next program.

Remembering a miserable job

I know years ago I had a job that I really didn't like. I worked evenings and all day I would not look forward to the fact that at 10:30pm I had to go to work at a place I would be miserable at for the next 8 hours. I had a really bad attitude about it and that certainly didn't help. I was constantly sick in my stomach. My husband, seeing how much I really hated that job, told me to "let go". I called in that night and quit. The paycheck I got from that job was not worth me being so miserable, sick and unhappy.

My Passions now

Knowing I still needed a way to help the family financially, I started being more serious about my eBay business and that's been my passion since. I now look forward to waking up in the mornings and going to "work". I love sitting in my pjs or sweats all day long and not looking at a clock.

In the same way, being involved with Deaf Cafe fulfills a passion of serving the Lord and sharing His gospel. This is a wonderful group of creative friends and we all share this passion.

We just had our October Deaf Cafe this past Saturday and it came together so smoothly. I'm always critical of my own work (as tech person) so of course there was a technical glitch that shouldn't have happened.. but did... nothing to do but keep going.

A Passion for Christ

Our theme was 'Reunions and Masks"... how many people wears "masks" when they go to reunions.... while they might be suffering, etc inside, everyone always says they are doing great and being fake at reunions. With Jesus, you don't need to wear a mask.. you can be yourself... Jesus sees your heart and knows everything about you.

We had part one with a high school reunion on earth and part two had a reunion many years later in heaven. We showed some of the classmates "attended" the heavenly reunion while others never made the decision for Christ and were not able to attend. It was a very profound program. I pray for all the seeds that were planted and may we see everyone who is reading this at the reunion in Heaven!

These two passions are just two of many I have. They keep my happy and busy. They give me something to look forward to. To make goals for. To improve myself constantly. To learn and to grow. If you are not happy today... discover what your passion is... what is it that really interests you and gets your fires burning inside and GO DO IT!

Only $9.36 in Adsense Income

2008-10-08T10:04:00.003-04:00

Hi there,

I need your help - if you don't mind. Yesterday a thought occured to me that I have been blogging for a year now! YEAH! I wasn't sure I would be able to keep this up with all the other busyness happening around me but for the most part, I have been able to stay active.

One of the reasons I started blogging in the first place was to make a side income. I learned you can earn a little bit of petty cash while you write. COOL! Why not get paid for writing?

So, yesterday I checked my Adsense acct and it was a very pitiful $9.36. oh geez.. that means very very very very few people are clicking on the google ads in this blog. In comparison, I have a good friend who started blogging soon after I did so she also has been blogging for a year. Whenever I check out her blog (sometimes several times a day), I ALWAYS exit her page by clicking on one of the Google ads. I knew she was getting paid for every click and she needs that income for gas money! She told me she had $63.00 in her Adsense acct. Oh my goodness! I'm so happy for her! Am I responsible for building that up? I'm sure I had a big part in it as I'm very faithful at clicking on her ads. I wish people were as faithful clicking on my ads too.

So people.... maybe you were not aware of it so I'm teaching you now... bloggers like "tips". You can tip us by clicking on any one or more of the Google ads you see on their pages. Every click is worth a few cents and cents add up and it doesn't cost you ANYTHING. Once you get to the ad page, just close it and go to wherever you want to next.

Many thanks for stopping by. See you tomorrow and don't forget to click on an ad when you leave this page! (Big Smile)

To Do Lists

2008-10-07T08:53:00.003-04:00

Do you have a "To Do" list?

I have been experimenting with that idea and I discovered that I'm much more effective with my time when I DO have a "To Do" list in front of me. There is something very satisfying crossing off finished tasks on the "To Do" list... it screams... I accomplished something today!!!

I normally make up my "To Do" list either the night before or first thing in the morning. On Mondays I often make up a "To Do" list for the rest of the week. It helps me remember appointments, meetings, etc. Yesterday I got off on a bad start as something happened the previous night that messed up my emotions and my routine. I simply forgot to write up my "To Do" list for the day.

I always do the boxing and shipping of the eBay items that sold and were paid for first thing every morning. That seemed to have taken me twice as long as it should have. After I finished that, I was like... what do I do now? I seemed lost with no directions... I didn't have a goal in front of me at that moment and felt like I was wandering aimlessly.

Oh... I have PLENTY to do.. its not that... it was just that I had set no goals for myself that day and thus didn't feel any pressure to accomplish anything beyond the shipping that I already took care of. That was a waste of time as I could have accomplished a bunch of little things during those "lost moments". I try not to waste time. I'm not one of those "take a nap in the afternoon" or "sit and watch TV" type of people. I need to keep busy. Its been ages since I've seen a FULL movie and actually sat still long enough to watch it. I was probably sick when I last did that.

Today I'm back on track again. I did write up my "To Do" list last night and one by one, they are being crossed off. Even "writing in my blog" is on my list today! So... what's next on my list? Lets see... list 5 to 8 things on eBay.

Ok... back to work!

Scratching off "write in my blog"! I accomplished something today! YEAH

10 Biggest Business Lies that stop people

2008-10-03T13:20:00.004-04:00

I receive daily emails of motivational quotes and such from Cynthia Kersey who has site called, "Unstoppable Enterprises, Inc. I recommend you sign up for their free motivational emails too.We all deserve a boost of positive confidence in the morning.

This one came in today's mail. Great information for anyone interested in getting into business for themselves. Don't let these lies stop you from being all you can be! They didn't stop these famous people mentioned below who ignored their critics and became incredibly successful in their field. You can too! Go for it!

UNSTOPPABLE Shatters the 10 Biggest Lies that Stop People from Getting What they Want

They say that "everybody's a critic," and that never seems truer than when you're pursuing a dream. There will always be well-meaning people who want to "protect" you from your "unrealistic fantasies."

Critics tried to discourage the people profiled in Unstoppable. Everyone ignored the negative input and achieved their goals. Follow their lead and you, too, will be UNSTOPPABLE!

1. The timing is all wrong. Prior to accepting Paramount's offer to host a late-night talk show, Arsenio Hall was told by everyone: "It's too hard to crack into the late-night ratings. Television isn't ready for a black talk show host. This is America, and you can forget it."

2. Why don't you get a real job? Not understanding his desire to become Mr. Universe, Arnold Schwarzenegger's family pleaded with him, saying: "How long will you go on training all day in a gymnasium and living in a dream world?"

3. It'll never work, you'll lose everything. Weeks before she opened her first store, cosmetic tycoon Mary Kay Ash's attorney said: "Liquidate the business right now and recoup whatever cash you can. If you don't, you'll end up penniless."

4. Don't rock the boat. In response to Muriel Siebertís application to be the first woman to buy a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, officials responded: "The language on the floor is too rough and there's no ladies' room." She bought a seat anyway and remained the only woman there for nine years.

5. It's never been done before. Upon applying for a job after graduation from Columbia University, announcers for NBC Radio responded to Sally Jessy Raphael: "You have the perfect voice for broadcasting, but you should get a job as a secretary. We're not using women."

6. You don't have enough talent. Responding to his desire to become a recording artist, Ray Charles' teachers said: "You can't play the piano, and God knows you can't sing. You'd better learn how to weave chairs so you can support yourself."

7. Don't even try, you'll just be disappointed. When auditioning for a part in a high school musical, a teacher rejected Diana Ross saying: "You have a nice voice, but it's nothing special."

8. You don't fit the mold OR you're not the right "type." Trying to convince her she didn't have the right look, fashion photographer Richard Avedon told Cher: "You will never make the cover of Vogue because you don't have blond hair or blue eyes." When she did make the cover, Vogue sold more copies than it had ever sold before.

9. Don't give up your day job. Commenting on the first manuscript of an unpublished author, a New York Publisher told James Michener: "You're a good editor with a promising future in the business. Why would you want to throw it all away to try to be a writer? I read your book. Frankly, it's not really that good." Michener's first book, Tales of the South Pacific, later won a Pulitzer Prize and was adapted for stage and screen as South Pacific.

10. There's no market for it. When hearing his plans to launch Perrier in the United States, several consulting firms advised Gustave Leven: "You're foolish to try to sell sparkling water in the land of Coca-Cola drinkers."

The only opinion about your dream that really counts is yours. The negative comments of others merely reflect their limitations --- not yours. There is nothing unrealistic about a dream that aligns with your purpose, ignites your passion, and inspires you to plan and persevere until you attain it. On the contrary, it's unrealistic to expect a person with such drive and commitment not to succeed.

Happy Birthday to my Husband

2008-10-01T19:06:00.004-04:00

This is my husband John. Yesterday was his birthday so this is a belated Happy Birthday to him. In this photo, he is obviously graduating!! From where? Bethany Divinity Seminary in Alabama. He received a bachelor's degree in Theology. The medal is an award for graduating with honors - summa cum laude - which means with all "A"s! I have always known he was smart! He is currently working on his master's degree from the same school and plans to continue to earn his doctorate too. Wow... I never thought I would one day be married to a Dr!

In the beginning...

Did I ever tell you have we met? How we met is definitely a "God Thing". There is no other way to describe it. Back in 1975, I was in 10th grade and attending Conestoga Valley High School in Lancaster, PA. John was in 11th grade and attended St. Lawrence Seminary in Wisconsin. For an assignment in his German class, he had to write a letter to a penpal. It so happened (a God Thing) that both our classes used the same penpal service company. He received my name.

The letters begin...

The first letter I got from him was half in English and half in German. I didn't know a word of German. My parents knew a little bit of PA Dutch which is dialect of German and were able to read a word or two here and there. Being curious, I did respond.

And that is how it started... long before the internet and AIM... we wrote long hand written letters to each other several times a week. It was 2 years before we even met face to face.

We were engaged when I was in my second year of college and he moved to PA. We got married a month after I graduated from college and have been married 26 years now.

I love you honey and its been a joy being in your life all these years. I am truely blessed!Happy Birthday!

P.S. I STILL have all those letters we wrote back and forth. One of these days we will have to dig through that box again!

Update on "Sad Situation"

2008-10-01T18:47:00.004-04:00

The other day I wrote about a sad situation. An 18 yr old drunk teenager ran a stop sign and his vehicle ran into the side of a pick up truck. The passenger in the truck was 8 months pregnant. She was injured so badly that the baby was ripped from her belly and died from blood loss. The mother was injured in many different places and it didn't look good for awhile but its been 10 days now and today I received an update.

Her condition has been upgraded to "guarded". She is still in a medically induced coma and a ventilator, but she has had the surgery on her leg and arm. She remains in ICU.

The driver that hit her was arraigned this morning and pleaded not guilty though he did not say anything. That plea was entered on his behalf. More court dates will follow in the upcoming days/weeks.

Please continue to keep this girl in your prayers and also the driver that hit her. Their lives have changed and will never be the same...all because this boy decided to break the law by participating in underaged drinking and then getting into a vehicle and driving drunk.

I Hear Your Hand - Deaf Poem

2008-09-30T12:32:00.004-04:00

I HEAR YOUR HAND

Hey there, friend, you've got a hand
Help me see what you said to me
Don't hide your hand
My ears are closed I cannot hear
But we can share the world, don't fear
Just lend a hand

Lend a hand, and I can show you
How to sing words in the air
You can share my world of silence
There's so much I want to share
I'm reaching out to you
There's so much we can do

Before I knew I walked with you
Until the day you turned away
See what I say
The world that you are hearing now
Is the same world that I see
Reach out your hand
I hear your hand

Lend a hand and I can show you
How to sing words in the air
You can share my world of silence
There's so much I want to share
I'm reaching out to you
There's so much we can do

You call me Deaf but I can see
Birds singing, breezes in the trees and children laugh
My world is lonely without you
Just look at me and smile and clasp my hand in yours

Lend a hand and I can show you
How to sing words in the air
You can share my world of silence
There's so much I want to share
I'm reaching out to you
God can make dreams come true.

- unknown

--------------------------------------------------

A friend sent me this poem. I do not know who wrote it. If anyone knows, please do leave a comment or contact me via email as I want to give this author the credit they deserve. What a lovely poem/song!

Psalms 16:8

2008-09-29T14:00:00.004-04:00

What is your favorite Bible verse? We were talking about that yesterday in church. Of course the first one that was mentioned was John 3:16. That would probably be the most famous verse in the Bible and most people are able to recite that... but do they know what it mean?

I have several favorite verses and they change as I become familiar with new ones while I read my Bible. Right now one of my top five favorites is from the Old Testament... Psalms 16:8.

"I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved"

To me that says... no matter what is happening around me during my life here on earth, I shall stand firm in my beliefs and the Lord shall always be before me and be my focus. He is what I keep my eyes on and what is most important to me.

What is YOUR favorite verse?

I've Learned

2008-09-26T07:20:00.004-04:00

I received this in email today and I think its worth sharing as i found myself nodding over and over again in agreement. I hope you enjoy it as well.

They're written by Andy Rooney, a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words.

Enjoy.......

I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings i n the world.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned. .. That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with .

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned .... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned .... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned .... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm Tougher.

I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.

I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned.... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

A sad situation

2008-09-25T09:05:00.002-04:00

Always be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle - Plato

I received that quote today and it made me think of a recent situation I am aware of that greatly saddens everyone who hears about it.

Over the weekend there was a tragic accident in this area. An 18 yr old who was drunk ran a stop sign and rammed into a pick up truck that held a young couple expecting their first baby. The couple had to be removed from their truck with the jaws of life. The 18 year old fled the scene but was later caught and treated for his own injuries.

The driver of the truck had several injuries and lost all his teeth but it was the passenger who suffered the most. She was 8 month pregnant. She suffered several broken bones, collapsed lungs, liver damage and I'm not sure what all else but worse of all... she lost the baby.

It was a baby boy who already had a name. They were having a baby shower for the mother that afternoon. The mother did wake up for a short time at the hospital before she was taken into surgery and immediately asked about her baby. As she requested, she was allowed to hold the dead baby for a short time with her family around her. They took footprints of the infant.

She is now in an induced coma so her body can heal itself. I can't imagine the grief this family must feel and the anger towards the 18 year old that caused this accident. No one involved in this situation will ever be the same again.

Lots of prayers are needed for both the 18 yr old and his family and also the grieving couple and their family. There has to be forgiveness involved so healing can happen. That will take a lot of time and a lot of prayer.

Lord, we don't understand why things like this happen but we know you are in control. We ask for you to touch all those who are hurting deeply. They need your peace that only you can give. Be with the young couple as they heal both physically and emotionally and spiritually as well. Be with the 18 yr old boy as his life will also never be the same. May this be a turning point for this boy and although its hard to see it now, may something good come from this situation. We trust you as you see the bigger picture and lean on your everlasting arms during these difficult times. We look forward to our time in heaven where pain and tears are no more and we will see this baby boy alive. May the parents have a relationship with you so they also will experience that and have that promise of reunion again. If they are not yet saved Lord, lead a person to them who will open that door and plant those seeds. Blessings we ask and seek. In your precious name, Amen

Almost at the Fork in the Road

2008-09-24T08:46:00.002-04:00

What have I been up to? Well... its almost the time of transition for me. Soon I will be cutting loose from the church I am currently a member of and joining another church that my husband serves at as the Deaf Pastor.

I gave 6 weeks notice 4 weeks ago. The closer it gets to my "final" day, the more I'm looking forward to it. It had not been an easy decision but things have happened recently that give me the feeling and peace that I know I made the right decision.

The Lord has a new "job" for me as a Pastor's wife. I'm honored and hope I can meet the expectations of such a role.

This afternoon is the final business meeting I will be taking notes for at the deaf church. I have no idea who will be replacing me as their secretary but I know the Lord will provide for their needs. I DO want that church to continue strong with or without me.

This past Saturday I also "cut loose" from my role as secretary for MiBCD. This was necessary because I would no longer be a member of a SBC church. I will miss this group. They honored me at their fellowship and that was sweet.

I want to end with a quote... something to think about...I love my life now. I love what I do for a career and I love serving the Lord.

When you spend your life doing what you love to do, you are nourishing your Soul. It matters not what you do, only that you love whatever you happen to do.
- Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Birthday Boy!

2008-09-23T11:57:00.004-04:00

I need to improve. I need to do better! I need to challenge myself to do more blogging!

A Birthday in the Family

Our oldest son, Kyle celebrated his 21st birthday yesterday. We know he was looking forward to that milestone for awhile now. I sent him a 21 email salute! hee hee. He is a good kid and we are proud of him. He is now in his 4th year (of a 5 yr program) at WMU - Western Michigan University. He goes to school full time and he works full time as well as a manager at McDonalds. So we know he is keeping himself busy! This is one of my favorite photos of him as a toddler. I guess he is around 2 or 3 in this photo. That little boy is now 6'4"! Happy Birthday Kyle. We love you!

Catching UP

2008-09-10T07:32:00.003-04:00

Is it possible summer is over? Almost over? Really over? We can definitely feel the weather changing here in Michigan. My daughter was just telling me this morning she needs a fall jacket as its cool waiting for the bus at 7:20am. We did go to Goodwill yesterday - first time I've been there in a LONG time! I didn't find anything for myself but she got a tshirt type dress and 2 pairs of jeans. She had gotten 2 tops at JCPenney Monday night so she is now set as far as school clothes goes. I know she still needs shoes and yes... a fall jacket.

I had a very busy summer. I know I haven't been blogging much so I thought I would take the take to "catch up" and do a brief summary about my summer.

Let's see... back in June, my husband and I took a spur of the moment trip to Rome, Italy for 3 days. That was cool. We mainly saw two things - the Colisseum and the Vatican/Sistine Ceiling. It was a lovely trip and made for a memorable 26th wedding anniversary for us.

I went camping twice this summer. I'm not a camper as I consider it too much work for such a short time... you basiscally have to pack your house - unpack and set it up - live there 1 or 2 days - unpack it again and take it home! Its not my thing and I NEVER sleep well outside. But anyways... being a good spoirt, I did join the Deaf Cafe team on a weekend camping trip. The company and the food was the best part. We won't talk about the fact that it rained a LOT!

The second time I went camping was to Bambi Lake in Roscommon, MI. This time we camped INSIDE and slept on bunk beds. This occassion was for the MiBCD (Michigan Baptist Convention of the Deaf) Deaf Camp. I've been the secretary for this group for many many years but this is my final year of serving. Our speaker was Ricky Milford from AL and our theme was EKG: God's Heartbeat. It was a great weekend and very emotional too.

My daughter and I flew to Tucson, AZ for 5 days in August to visit my good friend Grace and her family. Grace and I were roommates for 3 years at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia. She graduated a year ahead of me as a photography major. As life happens, she never really did anything related to photography and just recently passed her boards to become an RN! She will be a WONDERFUL nurse. She has that gentle, caring personality that nurses need to have. There we rode their horses (they have 8), we swam in their pool, we went antique shopping and ate! We always enjoy our visits there.

Also in August I met my 5 other sisters and our mom in Delaware for our first sister/mom weekend together. That was different and we will try to do this every year. We walked along the Atlantic Ocean and swam in the condo pool and played games and talked and talked. It was a challenge for me to do so much lip reading. It helped that Linda - my oldest and also deaf - is a better lip reader than I am and sorta became my interpreter!

While I was home, I spent a lot of time reorganizing my ESR (eBay Storage Room). I put in shelves along all the walls and most of the books are now neatly shelved. Everyday I go in there and randomly pick books to list the next day on eBay. Its a good system. Business is going very well. I am very blessed.

And that is my summer in a nutshell. I didn't spend a lot of time outside but I did thoroughly enjoy the warm weather. It was not a very hot summer for this area in Michigan. I don't think we hit 100 degrees this summer. It was just perfect. We never turned on our central air once.

Will try to keep up with blogging now that the kids are back in school again and I'm getting into a routine myself.

I Need You in ASL

2008-09-08T17:23:00.004-04:00

This summer during Deaf Camp our speaker, Ricky Milford, who is from AL showed me some music videos he had that were done in ASL. HOW COOL IS THAT!

Here is one of them. This is a song that often runs through my head during the day as I'm doing my work. No matter what I'm doing, I NEED JESUS!

We will show this during this Saturday's Deaf Cafe program as an invitation song. I hope it touches many people's hearts.

ENJOY!

Try Just one more time

2008-09-01T09:46:00.003-04:00

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.

The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

- Thomas A. Edison

Everyday I get an inspriational email from Cynthia Kersey's Unstoppable Enterprises. You can go to her site and sign up for her free insight of the day email. The above quote came in today's email stash.

So many times I think too many of us just give up. We decide its too hard and not worth our effort. I have a person in my mind as I write this. I have to constantly encourage her to "get off her feet" and get moving. Think of other people and less about herself. Stay busy. She falls into depressions easily and its a mountain and valley road of ups and downs. Right now she seems to be in a valley and has "quit" everything. She has pulled herself into a shell and put a sign outside that more or less says, "Out of Service".

I once read somewhere that many of us walk around wearing signs that say "Out of Service for the Lord". Well... think about that.. if you are not serving the Lord, who ARE you serving? You would be serving Satan and the world and yourself. That is something I try hard not to do. I have NO desire to give Satan a moment of my attention. However, I'm not perfect so obviously sometimes Satan does get my attention as he whispers lies into my thoughts and I fail and do sin but I try to immediately get up, dust myself off and as the quote above says...."try one more time".

I know I will be successful. If God be for us, who can be against us? from Romans 8:13. We know Satan will never stop trying to pull us over to his side but we know God is the one who is going to win in the end!

Pray for person who robbed our home

2008-08-26T12:23:00.004-04:00

A weekend of emotional highs and lows
I was spending a delightful weekend along the beach in Delware with my mom and 5 sisters only to receive a phone call late Saturday night that our house was broken into while my husband and son were at the movies. My daughter was with a friend and not home either. I returned home to Michigan last night and from what we can determine, my husband's laptop and all my best jewelry is gone. It had to be an older kid or small adult as they came through the kitchen window which I can't imagine myself crawling through.

We have proof
One interesting thing is that this was caught on the security camera that our neighbor (who just happens to be our brother in law). We can clearly see a bicycle go by the house and then around the house to the back yard.... 15 mins later we see a person walk around the house (as he came out the front door) and then a bicycle drive down the driveway. It was pouring rain and lighting during this time so quality is not the best. Today a copy of that will be taken to the police.

Things can be replaced
All this stuff will be covered by insurance so we are not upset by the loss of "things"... although the loss of the laptop is a huge inconvenience for my husband. My family is safe and damage to the window was minimal.

Pray for the boy
I ask for prayers for this young boy as obviously he needs some guidance in his life. I pray our house is the LAST house he ever steals from and someone will share Jesus with him and he change the direction he is going into. I'm much more concerned about this boy's soul than diamonds and pearls. My husband and I have already forgiven this boy and continue to pray for him.
Thanks and let's watch out for our neighbors!

Inspirational Thought for Today

2008-08-06T11:20:00.002-04:00

Empty pockets never held anyone back.

Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.

- Norman Vincent Peale -

Yard Sales a Necessary Evil?

2008-08-03T20:03:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, we had a 2 day yard sale at my house. I was telling my sister that I do NOT like having yard sales. They are an incredible amount of work and there are always leftovers when its all done. She agreed and said they are a "necessary evil". That's a perfect description!

My church's fund raiser

The yard sale was really for my church's building fund... so it was not for personal profit. I did give up 3 full days of my time for this and for 3 days did no business related work... thats like taking 3 days off without pay but its also the nice thing about working on eBay as I am able to be flexible and take days off here and there.

While people from the church did come by here and there to help over the three days, I was the only one who was here 8am to 7pm each of the three days. I didn't have much choice as its was in my driveway! I am not complaining as I love to serve the Lord and this is one way I can serve Him.. giving up my time and my home for His work. We earned $367.45 so not bad.

Leftovers

Last night after we packed up, my husband took one look at our garage and said... we are back where we started! LOL.. yeah we are... those are the leftovers I dread. I told him last week that anything that went into the garage for the sale was not coming back into the house. I did change my mind about a few minor things but most things are boxed and will be taken to Goodwill tomorrow afternoon.

One benefit of this necessary evil

I will admit that one thing I do like about hosting the yard sale is that I get first dibs at things people donate for the sale. I gave the church a generous donation for the things I picked out for my own use and yes...some of those things will find their way on eBay! That's one benefit of this "necessary evil"!

ok... another benefit is the fellowship we enjoy as we sit around and talk with customers and each other. The deaf may not talk outloud but they sure love to talk!

A thought to Ponder

2008-07-30T21:29:00.003-04:00

The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.

When God takes something from your grasp, He is not punishing you but merely opening your hands to receive something better.

Those thoughts were posted on a board I visit often. A visitor who lost her husband 2 years ago shared that she had a hard time accepting that God took away her husband with the intention of giving her something better. She didn't want something better. She wanted her husband.

Another visitor commented "I am not here to suggest someone better is coming in your life. I am here, sharing from my experience, that something amazing can and has come from something awful. I am here to suggest that some THING better is coming to your life. You already have it within you and it is HUGE. I am here to suggest that you look inside to see it:

That is really profound.

Another visitor comments... "Do you know the story about the tapestry in the sky? It is hard for us to see the beauty that God has made of each of our own lives because we see the back side of the tapestry, with all of the threads hanging uncut and all of the knots and tangles. But, on the side that God sees, it is a beautiful picture of a full and fulfilled life. I may not understand what God is doing at any given time in my life - especially when I am living through a hardship or trial, but that in time, I can see with clearer eyes and with a broader view."

Yet another writer shared this quote which says a lot....
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, its about learning to dance in the rain.

The End Times... are they near?

2008-07-28T11:56:00.003-04:00

On Saturday my husband was talking to a mutual friend. That friend was asking John about the "end times". She had all kinds of questions and was a bit anxious. Of course my husband has no idea when the "end times" will happen anymore than the next person. The only person who knows is God Himself. Even Jesus doesn't know when this will happen.

My husband asked our friend about her relationship with Jesus. She brushed around the question and didn't give a straight answer so we do not know her relationship with the Lord but we surely hope she is saved. If she is, then she and everyone else who is saved, have absolutely no reason to be anxious about the future. We already KNOW what is going to happen! If you truly believe and accepted Christ as your Savior, you will go to Heaven when you die or when the rapture happens if you are still alive during that time. That's how I want to go... all together with my friends and family... lets all join hands and meet Jesus in the air together!

A book called, "23 Minutes in Hell"

Recently, I read a book called "23 minutes in hell". oh my goodness.. you DO NOT want to go to hell. Please please please don't think for a moment this is a place where you party all day and do what you want. No.. this is the opposite. You will be totally ALONE in the dark pit of fire in hell and in constant pain and suffering...not just for a short time but FOREVER. You won't even be given a drop of water. This book talks about the author's experience of 23 minutes in hell. God granted him that experience so he could come back and share with us about it. It just filled me with terror reading about it. I'm not going near that place and I do not want anyone else to either. This is total separation from God forever. Its your worse nightmare many times over. There is NOTHING good about this place. DO NOT GO THERE!

A B C's of salvation - fire insurance from hell

And how can you not go there? All you have to do is believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. You need to ask for forgiveness and admit you are a sinner. You need to believe that Jesus is God's son. ABC...Admit you are a sinner.. Believe Jesus is the son of God and Confess your sins and ask him to come into your heart. That's all there is to it! DO IT TODAY and you have no reason to be anxious about the future or the "end times".

If the rapture happens today or tomorrow or next year, I am READY! I hope you are too!

I am Somebody. For I am God's child

2008-07-25T13:39:00.004-04:00

I have a spare bedroom filled with boxes of Bible related books. Everyday I go into this room and just ramdomly select the next lot of books I will list on my eBay auctions. I'm focusing on the piles of books on the floor right now so I can move around in there better. I have another load of eBay consignment items coming the first week of August so I'm trying to make room for that load.

Robert H. Schuller

Anyways... yesterday I decided to list a "lot" (thats an eBay term for more than one) of books I have written by Robert Schuller. He is the pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in California. I was leafing through a book he wrote called, "Self Esteem: The New Reformation". I mostly look for any torn pages or markings, etc. Now and then something jumps out and I'll read here and there.

This poem or maybe its a song, jumped out at me. Since there are no resources listed, I am assuming this was written by Robert Schuller himself so I will give him the credit.

I am be young; I may be old,
But I am somebody,
For I am God's child.

I may be educated: I may be unlettered,
But I am somebody,
For I am God's child.

I may be black; I may be white,
But I am somebody,
For I am God's child.

I may be rich; I may be poor,
But I am somebody,
For I am God's child.

I may be fat; I may be thin,
But I am somebody,
For I am God's child.

I may be married; I may be divorced,
But I am somebody,
For I am God's child.

I may be successful; I may be a failure,
But I am somebody,
For I am God's child.

I may be a sinner; I may be a saint,
But I am somebody,
For Jesus in my Savior.
For I am God's child!!!

How comforting. If you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you ARE SOMEBODY. You ARE His CHILD. That's a powerful thought. At all times... think positive thoughts!

A Video called The Bridge

2008-07-22T11:42:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I attended a funeral for a pastor. Members of the church lost their pastor and friend...his wife lost her husband...his sons lost their father...his daughter in laws lost their father in law.. the grandchildren lost their grandfather and so on with his parents, brothers, and the rest of the family.

A friend of mine who did not know of the above situation sent me the video that I am including in this blog. It talks about the awful choice a father had to make - to save his son or save a train full of strangers.

In the end, we see how God himself gave up His son to save the WHOLE WORLD if only they would believe in Him and accept his free gift of salvation.

While we will grieve for my pastor friend we buried yesterday, we pray that many good things will come from that situation. In everything we must continue to give God the praise and the glory - especially when we don't understand.

Honoring Pastor McLaughlin

2008-07-18T10:30:00.002-04:00

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Pastor McLaughlin of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Swartz Creek died. It was very sad day for his family and his church family as well. I have been going to this church for several years now but was not a member yet. While I enjoyed Pastor McLaughlin's sermons, they were sometimes over my head. I never really knew this man but last June, he did take time out of his very busy schedule to attend the 25th wedding anniversary party that my husband and I hosted. This past Sunday he stopped by twice at the Open House the Deaf Church at Cornerstone was having. that was the last time I saw him. I never really had a conversation with Pastor - which I'm now sorry never happened. This man really cared about people and loved the Deaf.

A good friend of mine, Vonnie Taylor, wrote her feelings for Pastor McLaughlin down and I was given permission to share her thoughts...

My Pastor

My pastor was just an ordinary man trying to do an extraordinary job.

He was not a man of large physical size, but his spiritual walk with the Lord made him 10 feet tall.

My pastor was not a perfect man and he often pointed out his own faults instead of pointing out the faults of others. When he was wrong, he would humbly apologize without making excuses for his actions. He would even apologize when he had done no wrong if it meant to healing would take place between him and another.

My pastor was very concerned about the feelings of his flock. He always seemed to be more concerned that he would somehow fail his people and therefore fail his Father in Heaven.

My pastor held the title of Doctor and it was a hard earned degree but I heard him say that the title of “Pastor” was more precious to him.

I never doubted that he loved his flock and therefore loved me as one of his “sheep. I saw him make sacrifices of his time, money and even his health to care for those God had given him to lead. I had seen him take the time to sit on the floor in a darkened hallway with a weeping man to offer comfort, help and show the man the love of God through his actions. Pastor did not speak the same language this man spoke, but he spoke the language Jesus had shown him – love for his brother.

My pastor was a man I respected and loved as a friend. I did not agree with him all the time and he respected our differences of opinion without giving up his own opinions. Some would say he was stubborn but I say it was strength that the world doesn’t often see.

My pastor was a man of integrity and honesty. He was a man who stood alone all too often while carrying the burdens of those he to whom he ministered. He was a man that carried the weight of our hurts, complaints, and troubles all on his shoulders even as his body began to suffer for the stress. He made time for his flock but not for himself.

My pastor was a private man. He kept his hurts and sorrows mostly to himself and only shared with those he could trust.

My pastor was intelligent but never showed it off by making others feel less intelligent. He did like a “smart” comment every once in a while and loved to “zing” those he could tease with. I am honored that he liked to pick on me for fun.

I will grieve the loss of my pastor and friend. I can honor him best by loving and caring for those he left behind and that is both his Earthly family and his spiritual family. I can honor him best by serving the Lord with all my heart just as he encouraged me to do each and every time he stepped into the pulpit.

The pulpit of our church will seem hollow for a long time no matter whom is standing there preaching the Word of God. For a man of small stature, he left a large empty place in our world and I will not forget him or what he has taught me.

If anyone should think that the description of my pastor is inaccurate, I beg to differ. None of us can know the inner heart of even ourselves but I saw his actions and the consistency he lived.

I cannot and will not judge him on his final actions. I have not experienced what he had experienced so I have no idea of where the same experiences may have led me.

Who was he? My pastor. My friend. My fellow servant. Perhaps he was an extraordinary man in an ordinary world.

PowerSeller on eBay!!!

2008-07-16T12:00:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was a big day for me! I was notified that I have successfully reached PowerSeller status on eBay! This is a big deal as it means I'm now a business and not doing this as a hobby.

What is a PowerSeller? There are several levels of PowerSellers and I'm at the Bronze level. That means I sold at least $1000 a month for the past three months. If I sell $3000 worth, I move up to the silver level. Each level has its own benefits. It gives me a discount on my eBay fees too. Every penny helps! It also means I'm serious about this business and I work hard to give my customers the best in products and a positive experience from start to end. I want my customers to have a 5 star experience with BienleinDesign. Check out my eBay listings! I still am focusing on Bible related books but I also have military items listed and other assorted odds and ends. Will be doing clothing very soon for back to school kids.

My Husband's Big Day.. Deaf Church at Cornerstone

2008-07-14T12:47:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a great day in many ways. The Deaf Church at Cornerstone in Swartz Creek, Michigan had their Open House.

We started with regular Deaf Sunday School and then Deaf Worship. The afternoon was filled with different games, food and fellowship. We were outside the whole day as it was such a lovely day. But...it was windy! The pavilion we were in was like a wind tunnel.

We ended the afternoon with Deaf Worship again. We had special music that was really touching. Kirstan sang in ASL the song, "I wish we've all been ready". Its about the rapture and the days afterwards. How one person got raptured as they were saved but the person next to them was left behind as they never said "YES" to Jesus. Let's ALL be ready! It is not God's purpose that ANYONE be left behind or sent to hell for not believing and accepting Jesus as their Savior.

Meet the Pastor

People came and went all day and it was great greeting new people. Its a new role for me as the Pastor's wife. My husband John is the pastor-to-be of this new church. He is in the process of being licensed and ordained. He does have a degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College and currently working on his masters. After that, he will be known as Pastor John.

He really has the God given ability to teach and preach clearly about God's words in both English and ASL. His signing ability has leaped over the past year or so. He is a better signer than I am. He is a very humble man with a love for the Deaf and their need for salvation. His lessons are fascinating as he includes a lot of background information and deep study. I am very proud of him and its a joy and blessing to be used by the Lord for this purpose.

If you live in the Flint/Swartz Creek MI area and are Deaf or hearing with an interest in Deaf, we welcome you to join us every Sunday or Wednesday for Bible Study.

Please be with us in prayer for the future of the Deaf Church at Cornerstone!

Fun Way to Explain Baseball - An Interpreter's Nightmare!

2008-07-11T13:44:00.004-04:00

Baseball Explained

This is a game played by two teams, one out, the other in. The one that's in, sends players out one at a time, to see if they can get in before they get out. If they get out before they get in, they come in, but it doesn't count. If they get in before they get out it does count.

ok....

When the ones out get three outs from the ones in before they get in without being out, the team that's out comes in and the team in goes out to get those going in out before they get in without being out. When both teams have been in and out nine times the game is over.

uh huh...

The team with the most in without being out before coming in wins unless the ones in are equal. In which case, the last ones in go out to get the ones in out before they get in without being out. The game will end when each team has the same number of ins out but one team has more in without being out before coming in.

Now do you see?
ummmm... let me think about this...

Cool Glasses from Zenni Optical

2008-07-11T10:11:00.001-04:00

Are you the type who love to be trendy and try different things... maybe change your hairstyle often or even the color often.... now you can also change your eyeglasses as often as you want with glasses from ZenniOptical.com

$8.00 for Glasses?

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You will find huge selection of frames, with single vision lens, sunsensor (potochromic) lens, tinted sunglasses lens, bifocal lens and progressive lens.

How do they sell for such low prices?

The Secret to Zenni’s Low Prices is that they sell only their own manufactured frames direct to the customer, with no middlemen and virtually no advertising budget.