‘An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish , Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, Brazilian, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is also free to believe in no religion…. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.

The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence , which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return…….

As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan …
 
The national symbol of America , The Statue of Liberty , welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built AmericaSome of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11 , 2001 earning a better life for their families. It’s been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first
languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

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.

I wonder what mine will be.

GUARDIAN ANGEL

Angels exist, only sometimes they haven’t got wings and we call them friends; you are one of them.
Something wonderful is about to happen to you and your friends.

REMEMBER making an apron in Home Ec?

I don’t think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of

Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only

had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder

for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

 

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

 

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

 

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

 

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

 

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

 

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.

 

After the peas had been shelled, it carried out

the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of

seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to

dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ‘ old-time apron’ that served so many purposes.

REMEMBER:

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool…

Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

 

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs was on that apron.

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods.
They were discussing their hopes and dreams when
The first tree said, ‘Someday I hope to be a great
Treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver
And precious gems. I could be decorated with an
Intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.’

Then the second tree said, ‘Someday I will be a
Mighty ship. I will take Kings and queens across the
Waters and sail to the corners of the world. People
Will feel safe in me because of the strength of my
Hull .’

Finally the third tree said, ‘I want to grow to be
The tallest and straightest Tree in the forest. People
Will see me on top of the hill, look up to my branches,
And think of the heavens and God and how close to
Them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all
Time and people will always remember me.’

After a few years of praying that their dreams would
Come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees.
When one came to the first tree he said, ‘This looks
Like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the
Wood to a carpenter, and he began cutting it down. The
Tree was happy, because he knew the carpenter would
Make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree the woodsman said, ‘This looks like
A strong tree. I will be able to sell it to the shipyard.’
The second tree was happy Because he knew he was on
His way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree
Was frightened because he knew that if they cut him
Down his dreams would not come true. One of the men
Said, ‘I don’t need anything special from my tree, I’ll
Take this one,’ and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was
Made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in
A barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he
Had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing
Boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying
Kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone
In the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

T hen one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave
Birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box
That was made from the first tree. The man wished that he
Could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would
Have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event
And knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from
The second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep.
While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and
The tree didn’t think it was strong enough to keep the men
Safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said
‘Peace’ and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew
That it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree.
It was carried through the streets as the
People mocked the man who was carrying it.
When they came to a stop, the man was nailed
To the tree and raised in the air to die at the top
Of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to
Realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top
Of the hill and be as close to God as was possible,
Because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don’t seem
To be going your way, always know that God has a plan
You. If you place your trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.

Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.

We don’t always know what God’s plans are for us. We just know that His Ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Pass it on, so God may inspire more people on The Way.

May your day be blessed. And until we meet again, may God cradle you in the palm of His hand.

The French President is sitting in his office when his telephone rings.

‘Hallo, Mr. Sarkozy!’ a heavily accented voice said. ‘This is Paddy down at the Harp Pub in County Clare , Ireland .. I am ringing to inform you that we are officially declaring war on you! We voted to reject the Lisbon treaty!’ 

‘Well, Paddy,’ Sarkozy replied, ‘This is indeed important news! How big is your army?’

‘Right now,’ says Paddy, after a moment’s calculation, ‘there is myself, me Cousin Sean, me next door neighbour Seamus, and the entire darts team from the pub. That makes eleven!’

Sarkozy paused. ‘I must tell you, Paddy, that I have 100,000 men in my army waiting to move on my command.’

‘Begoora!’ says Paddy. ‘I’ll have to ring you back.’

Sure enough, the next day, Paddy calls again. ‘Mr. Sarkozy, the war is still on. We have managed to get us some infantry equipment!’

‘And what equipment would that be Paddy?’ Sarkozy asks.

‘Well, we have two combines, a bulldozer, and Murphy’s farm tractor.’

Sarkozy sighs amused. ‘I must tell you, Paddy, that I have 6,000 tanks and 5,000 armoured personnel carriers. Also, I have increased my army to 150,000 since we last spoke.’

‘Saints preserve us!’ says Paddy. ‘I’ll have to get back to you.’

Sure enough, Paddy rings again the next day. ‘Mr. Sarkozy, the war is still on! We have managed to get ourselves airborne! We have modified Jackie McLaughlin’s ultra-light with a couple of shotguns in the cockpit, and four boys from the Shamrock Bar have joined us as well!’

Sarkozy was silent for a minute and then cleared his throat. ‘I must tell you, Paddy, that I have 100 bombers and 200 fighter planes. My military bases are surrounded by laser-guided, surface-to-air missile sites. And since we last spoke, I have increased my army to 200,000!’

‘Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!’ says Paddy, ‘I will have to ring you back.’

Sure enough, Paddy calls again the next day. ‘Top o’ the mornin’, Mr. Sarkozy! I am sorry to inform you that we have had to call off the war.’

‘Really? I am sorry to hear that,’ says Sarkozy.. ‘Why the sudden change of heart?’

‘Well,’ says Paddy, ‘we had a long chat over a few pints of Guinness and packets of crisps, and we decided there is no fookin’ way we can feed 200,000 prisoners .’

This prayer is powerful, and   prayer is one of the best gifts we receive.

There is no cost but a lot of  rewards. Let’s always pray for one another.

The  prayer:

Father,
Thank You for each and every day You have blessed  us here on earth.

Thank You for Your tender mercies.

Thank You for giving  us friends and family to share these Internet joys with.

I ask You to bless  my friends, relatives and those I care deeply for who  are reading this right  now.

Where there is joy, give them continued joy,

Where there is pain,  give them your peace and mercy.

Where there is self-doubt, release a  renewed confidence.

Where there is need, fulfill their needs.

Bless  their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings

In Jesus’  name Amen.

This means putting her in and out at her beck and call or she will go spastic with the clawing at anything she takes a fancy to. Furniture, curtains, speaker covers, you name she will try it. Sadly, I am a photo nut that loves to take photos of these episodes if I can catch them on lens. Her antics are comical through frustrating.

Hubby isn’t as tolerant as I am. I think he is more bluster than meaning it. He is a big man that is so afraid of stepping on the cats that he gets mad when they are under foot. He is the gentlest and kindest man I have ever known. So, don’t think that would happen.

It was fun finding the different types of fabric to make the clothing. The blue dress brought the white out of the pinafore for Ann. The lace on her bloomers added the vintage look. Her black boots are built in as are the striped legs.

Andy has the same red and white striped legs with black boots. His blue trousers has matching cuff with the plaid shirt. 

Both have button eyes and red fleece hair with embroidered features.

These teddy bears are made from calico fabric. They were made for three little girls as a step up for going into the next grade. One of the girls was my granddaughter and the other two a wonderful family that lived next door to us.

The blue one with butterflies was for the oldest girl and the yellow floral was for her younger sister. The younger sister and my granddaughter were inseparable. Sadly, the girls mother died of leukemia. 

Ariel was one of my granddaughters favorite characters at the time. So I used the fabric to make her a teddy bear which she really didn’t need to add to everything else I had made her and her mom buying for her. But what can I say, the things we do for our loved ones.