Got your noisemakers for TONIGHT?

No? don't worry, i have a video tutorial on how to make one FROM A STRAW!!! lol and it REALLY works!

How To Make A Simple Noisemaker - The funniest movie is here. Find it
The only thing he doesn't say, is when you blow into the straw, put the straw end ('reed' end) more in your mouth then you normally would. Move it around, til you find the noise you want hehe it's really quite fun! And the BEST part is, IT DOESN'T SCARE THE ANIMALS!!!! YAYYY!!!
Happy New Year, my friends and thank you so very much for all your continued support!!!! HUGS! :D

My Guys

wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, so i made this layout :D

Credits:
Template by Kimb. designs Bday Bonus 2
Ginger addon & Candylane by KimSmith designs
Stars overlay & Silver element are Moments by Manuela Zimmermann
fonts- Christmas card & ChopinScript
Happy NEW YEAR! :D

Postal Kindness

i found this WONDERFUL story on Derek's blog and is one of the coolest stories on the net hehe
This is one of the kindest things I've ever experienced.I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a kind soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service. The story goes like this:
Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words: Dear God,Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterdayand is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happythat you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls andto swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see heryou will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.Love, Meredith. We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it.Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand.
Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note: Dear Meredith,Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need o ur bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by. Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.
I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I am wherever there is love.

Love, God
All i can say is, May GOD Bless the writer of that AWESOME letter! Thank you so very much for your visit & have a WONDERFUL day! HUGS :D

Another video

This one is a tear jerker and sure got to me but i hope she and MANY others got their wish for Christmas!

Also wanted to share a new layout i made too :D

Credits:
MissVivi Christmas Card template
A Purple Christmas by Kim Broedelet (Kimb.'s designs)
Magical Dust by Peggy 's Instants Magiques
Font is Christmas Card

Big HUGS to you, my friends and thank you for your visit!!! :D

A LOVE story

Thank you so much for your well wishes & I hope your Christmas was EVERYTHING you wanted it to be!!!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Thank you for your visit! :D HUGS!

IT's CHRISTMAS! WOOHOO!!!

True Meaning of Christmas

Christmas - Funny bloopers are a click away
And since we HAVE to have FUN on Christmas too, here is a GREAT cat one:

Sometimes There Is No Talking To My Cat - Amazing videos are here
MERRIEST CHRISTMAS to ALL!! HUGS!

Merry Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

One day left til Christmas! WOOHOOOO!! DH is going out today to get some stocking stuffers but otherwise, we are READY! hehe i LOVE this season!
Here's a short but sweet, video i wanted to share. Since i have been seeing these guys around the blog world, i thought i would share a different song with you and hope you enjoy them, as i do!

Saturday was DH's birthday and i would not be a wife in love if i didn't say HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY EVER to my sweetie! (oh yes! He opened his gifts and had the pie he wanted, instead of the normal cake lol)
And before i go, i found this video to share too! if you LOVE a good baby's laugh then you will enjoy this video!!

The Father Show Magic To Baby... - Watch a funny movie here
Thank you so very much for your continued support and visits! i would not be HERE without YOU!!! :D HUGS!! Have a BLESSED & JOYOUS holiday!

Getting closer

Only 4 more days WOOHOOOO!!! as the day gets closer i hope you are all ready for the big man in the red suit! hehe
Well i did want to share with you THE BELL again, only this time, to see the WHOLE bell, please hop on over to Mrs.Miles and just scroll down to yesterday's blog entry. While you are there, don't forget to download the AWESOME freebies!! And please leave a comment saying hi!! Though i am not sure how Barb got that whole bell to show, she did it!!! lol And it rings for YOU!!!!
i also got a question about this Inspirational video (that i LOVE!!!) and i am not sure about the answer. i only know that i found this video on Godtube.com and Youtube.com and where i found the lyrics, all it said was Lifehouse-Everything. So i have to think that the GROUP or band is called Lifehouse and know the song title is Everything. Sorry i could not be more helpful but thank you so much for your interest!!!!!

i got the lyrics!!!!

Have you checked out this cool video to the right top of this page yet? it is truly one of the MOST INSPIRATIONAL videos i have ever viewed! it makes me cry EVERYTIME!!! well, i just found the lyrics to that oh sooo moving music!!!! Now you can sing along and trust me, even the music alone can make me cry, it is THAT moving all by itself! But with the video, you get a double impact!! So here are the lyrics for you too, to enjoy!
Lifehouse-Everything
Find me here, speak to me
I want to feel you, I need to hear you
You are the light that's leading me to the place
Where I find peace again
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the light to my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
You calm the storms and you give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won't let me fall
You still my heart, and you take my breath away
Would you take me in take me deeper now
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
Cause you're all I want,
You're all I need
You're everything.. everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything.. everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything.. everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
Everything.. everything
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better any better than this
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this

I know who I am

This is awesome .....someone took a lot of time setting up this message,
I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did...
THE BELL

I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord(1 Cor. 6:17 )
I am bought with a price(1 Cor. 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth ( Matt.5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ(1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant ( Phil.3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God(2 Cor.5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God( Rom.8:35-39)
I am established, anoint ed, sealed by God (2 Cor.1:21-22)
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8: 28)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16 ). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor.. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship(Eph. 2:10 )
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven(Col.1:14).I have been adopted as God's child(Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
who you are!?


Keep this bell ringing...pass it on



"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make His face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn His face toward you
and give you peace.."
Numbers 6:24-26

Well, here you can only see half a bell, sorry about that! DarN blogger lol
But if you would like the whole bell, please leave me your email address in your comment and i will happily share the whole bell :D
Thanks so much for today's visit and have a WONDERFUL day! :D HUGS

The meaning of Christmas

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me.
What in the world do leaping lords, French hens,
swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out
of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

Today, I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were
not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone
during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.
It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning
plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each
element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality
which the children could remember.





-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.


-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.


-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.


-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.


-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.


-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.


-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching,
Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.


-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.


-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness,
Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.


-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.


-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.


-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish."

Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone.....
And while we are at it hehe
TWENTY THINGS TO REMEMBER

1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you prayed, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, prayer is kinda like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day -- it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the people.

12. Growing old is inevitable; growing up is optional.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. Come on in.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it; otherwise it's just hearsay.

18. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking! Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting. Leave gentle fingerprints on the soul of others, for the angels to read.

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.

Live life to the fullest... & thank God for every moment of your day !!

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
Thank you so very much for your visit today & Have a WONDERFUL day where you are :D HUGS!

Jesus & Santa

Hi there!! i hope your weekend was TERRIFFIC, as ours was, busy but WONDERFUL! We passed out cards at the swapmeet and got the rest mailed out to our families. Got the tree decorated and gifts wrapped (whew! i told you we were busy lol) Even got the outside lights up (way to go DH )lol We still have a few more gifts to buy and of course one of them is Bumblebee Transformer for a little boy we know, this weekend we found out, this may NOT be an easy task! lol i am beginning to believe that the 'yellow car' is about as popular as Cabbage Patch was years ago!lol We have a few more days to look though.

This weekend we found more bargains, of course. At one stand, they started a section where they have ANY 3 items for $1.00!! i LOVE that section and was sooo surprised this time to see some REAL treasures lol here are 3 i picked up:

it's a string of arch lights, table runner (no snags or holes, yay!!) & that AWESOME MUSICAL Santa that stands about a foot tall! Cool, huh? i LOVE that place!
We also went to a thrift store where i found this unusual piece. Hence, today's title

now i am not sure how this makes you feel, but when i picked it up, DH said yea i saw that and thought how wierd it was, i asked why, his reply was since it was Jesus' birth, Santa would not yet exist. hmmm, well, i thought a bit different, the way i see it is, the minute Jesus was born, is the minute Santa began to exist, IN OUR HEARTS!
i would LOVE to know how this makes you feel! Do you like it? Does it upset you? Please let me know, especially in today's age with society talking of taking Jesus out of Christmas.
Thank you so very much for your visit and i hope you have a PERFECT day :D hugs!

just a sneak preview

of the goodies to come! hehe i made this little preview to let you know that i got the cookies covered this year hehe

and there will be MORE!! more goodies anyway hehe
i sure hope you are having a WONDERFUL day where you are! Thanks so much for visiting :D

Do you like CUTE?

if so, then i found one of the BEST videos to share! hehe

It sure is a first for me, but PRAY i see LOTS more of this around!
Oh and are you a fan of Grab bags? i AM! Especially if they are Commercial use ok ones WOOHOOO!!! i bought one yesterday for just $8.00 and would LOVE to tell ya who's bag but then i couldn't show you my preview hehe... so we could either share the designer of the AWESOME grab bag OR you can see the preview i made with all the goodies HAHAHA i sure can't do both without spoiling the surprise of the grab bag LOL ok so my apologies to this FUN & funny designer...but wait i can give you hints as to who the designer is too heheheh OH WHAT FUN! lol SHE is blond and oh so witty and lives in S. Africa and i must admit that i read her blog almost daily but because of bloggers issues, i don't always comment, UNLESS i download, then i make sure i do! Now maybe you can figure out who she is and go buy the goodies too! But for now onto my preview of a new upcoming kit! WOOHOOO!


Isn't that GREAT? i LOVE her designs and thank YOU so much for letting us Commercially use your WONDERFUL designs!!!
Going to be a BEAUTIFUL day here, probably less than 60 degrees but SUNNY and windless! YAY!! Have a BEAUTIFUL day where you are! Thank you so much for your visit! HUGS :D

Just a couple of layouts

I wanted to share some Santas with you that were all bought at the swapmeet! i LOVE that place lol i only paid one dollar for each Santa, except for the praying Santa, i paid THREE whole dollars for him lol ALL worth the small fee!!!

credits
Template by Gloria Val Verde (TT#4, MooTwo Designs Template Tuesday #18)
fonts are Kartika & Scriptina
lace is by Newlife's Sheryl's Colors
Magical Dust & gold glitter are by Newlife's INstants Magiques
And one more of precious Cinny!

Credits
template by Lottchen
You Are Beautiful by Verena Karolyi
fonts are Poor Richard & Scriptina
well, now i am off to the eye doctor! a first in more than 10 years, i must admit.
Thanks so much for your visit and have a BEAUTIFUL day! hugs:D

Another layout, another freebie! hehe

I found a new place for pretty AWESOME templates and thought i would share this layout.

credits:
template #66 by Lottchen
Atomic Cupcake gem action
The Magic of Christmas addon, Instant Magiques & most recent Christmas gift freebie by Peggy
and for one of my previous comments, here is a link for Peggy's past freebies
font is Poor Richard
I LOVE the template... AND obviously Peggy too lol
and now onto the freebie! WOOHOO! lol with everyone giving out grab bags, designer bags, treasure chests and all kinds of other things just FULL of goodies, i thought i would share my stocking FULL! hehe

7.47 MBs
i, as always, hope you enjoy the goodies! i almost toyed with the idea of putting it in a santa bag hehe, maybe next year! it is soo much fun sharing what i create and design and thank you so very much for your WONDERFUL comments!
Since this is a late post, i will end here saying THANK YOU for your visit and have a BEAUTIFUL night/day! :D hugs!

Pictures of my visit

with Cinnamon. oh it's always sooooooooooo GREAT to be with Cinny and she is still so happy when we get there! AND we don't have treats on us hehe

OH and Kathy got a new little puppy! Meet Cheyenne (sorry if i misspelled her name)

Cinny LOVEs Cheyenne already... i think she just likes that someone is smaller than her finally lol

But Cinny still LOVES her Sunny.


Isn't Cheyenne a sweetie?

Cinny wears herself out.

Thank you Kathy for allowing us over! DH & I LOVE YOU both!
i hope you enjoy the pictures, as i enjoyed taking them. Thanks so much for your visit with me and Have a WONDERFUL day! HUGS :D

How fast time flies

I can hardly believe i have not posted since thursday! sheesh!! sorry but time just got right passed me. First, thank you so much for your AWESOME response to my last freebie! Second, and NOT JUST to make up for my delay in posting anything at all,
i do have a freebie :D because who couldn't use a gift or two or ten hehe

10.3
i hope you find them FUN and useful! And since i shared with you, i hope when you do play with these, that you show me hehe not a requirement just a request :D
We did luck out with the weather this weekend and barely got any rain! YAY! we did get to go to the swapmeet and got some books, for a quarter each! LOVE that swapmeet! lol Even got our first Christmas card, which inspired me to come home and do up our list and then i even got the cards themselves done! YAYY! i was hoping to get the tree up this weekend but DH came down with a cold he's battling now since thursday. we didn't get much done around the house but did manage to swing by and visit Cinnamon (pictures to follow hehe) We went by because we were in the area, delivering a batch of chili to our firefighters. i think they appreciated it :D i sure hope they enjoy it, a small, small token of my way of saying thank you for all they do.
i will be back later with some pictures WOOHOO! lol
Thank you so much for your visit and i hope you have a WONDERFUL day!

Another day, another FREEBIE! WOOHOO!

Today i have Giftwrapped ready for you! WOOHOO!

12.5
It has been a FUN month so far with sharing freebies lol
Last night i was busy with putting out holiday things, mostly snowmen and santas lol
I suppose this weekend we will put up the tree! YAYY! lol
How's your weather been? Ours has been a little crazy. Yesterday it was about 70 and today will be a 'transitional' day because tomorrow will be a high of maybe 50!!!!! SHEESH!! Well the surfers like this weather though lol the waves have been about 15 to 25 feet the past few days for them lol You can see them out there in their wetsuits cause the water is so much colder at this time of year.
Tomorrow and Saturday we are to get rain (sigh) that will be TWO saturdays in a row with rain and NO swapmeet!! lol Last Sunday was quite nice but we didn't do the swapmeet, so DH could work around the house. Well, that won't stop me from sharing pictures of swapmeet bargains lol i figure i can share what i already bought hehe oh some of the bargains are just unbelievable!
Well, i am off to see what you bloggers have been up to! hehe Thank you so very much for visiting and have a WONDERFUL day! hugs :D

New layouts and pictures Woohoo!

I wanted to share a sweet picture of Cinnamon, so I made this layout:

Credits
kit- Elegance by KimSmith designs
template #12 by Gloria Val Verde (Template Tues.#26)
fairy dust by Newlife
font are Scriptina & Pristina

And then, DH & i just celebrated our 2nd anniversary together (8 years total though lol)

Credits
background pattern by Kimb's designs
template #12 by Peaches
font are Scriptina & Kartika
And here's what we been up to in the sunroom...


In the spring we plan on giving it a good paint job! WOOHOO! lol maybe we can get a painting party going hehe
Let me know what you think. i like to hear from you so keep your comments coming :D
and don't forget to check back tomorrow to see what i will share hehe
Thanks so much for your visit and have a WONDERFUL night :D hugs!

You asked for it...

So here it is!!! Give Thanks is about a week late with all the interest in the last freebie lol so here's a preview to remind you hehe


22.3 MBs
27.8 MBs
26.8 MBs
17.5 MBs
Thank you so very much for your interests in my creations!!!
Coming up soon i will share

What do you think? i sure hope you can use it!!
How about more presents and gifts? We could ALL use an extra gift or two or twenty!! hehe

AND sooooon a stocking STUFFED with goodies!

and last night, i had SOOOOOOOOO much fun playing with Christmas, that i hope you enjoy this as much as i do!

What do you think? i would LOVE to hear from you!
Oh i just LOVE Christmas!! lol can you tell? lol
So much to do yet, are you ready? NOT me! hehe but we will get there. i already started decorating and pulling out my (as DH puts it) HUNDREDS of Santas lol
it's going to be a WONDERFUL day to catch up on laundry so i am off!
Thanks so much for visiting and have a BEAUTIFUL day!! hugs!

THANK YOU!

for such a WONDERFUL response to the Christmas kit and alpha! Here's the small letters and MORE

2.73 MBs
Did you still want the Give Thanks kit or no? I know I said it would be available by the end of the week and here we are starting a new week, but the Christmas response kind of left Give Thanks in the dust! lol But it IS ready to share, if anyone could use it, please let me know in your comments!
I have been playing with new stuff and coming up with more older stuff that I can hardly wait to share!! WOOOHOOO!!! The Christmas season is upon us! Have you started your decorating yet? We haven't lol, wanted to this weekend but that got pushed back a week, but I HAVE started my card list! hehe
OH how I LOVE the Christmas season! a time for everyone to give & share... I am ALLLL about that lol
I would LOVE to share this with you before I leave... got this in an email (Thank you Kathy!!!) It may seem a bit long but WELL WORTH the read!
Here is a story that will make you think. The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:

I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business.. He was telling whom-ever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's "dance recital" he continued. "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.

"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.

It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays." "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear."

"Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.

There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."

"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 Year old Man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"

You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.

Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast" "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles.

A friend sent this to me, so I to you, my friend.

And so, as one smart bear once said.."If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you," - Winnie the Pooh.

Gotta get some work done today so thank you so very much for visiting and have a BEAUTIFUL day! hugs!