Sheila’s Parea

I found out last night that a dear friend and neighbor is in the Cancer Center in High Point, NC. This makes two good friends of my husband and myself that have wrestled with cancer in the past 2 years. One friend went to be with our Lord and Savior on March 17, 2006 and is greatly missed. We find ourselves talking about him often.
Our friend who is battling with cancer now used to drop by in the summer and drink a cup of coffee or eat a burger with us and we’d go for an occasional ride in our Kawasaki Mules. He was always telling jokes. It seemed he always had a new one to tell. When he found out he had cancer though, he stopped coming around so often. We would call and talk to him every once in a while but he seemed to withdraw from all the things he loved to do and didn’t come around anymore. It really surprised us when we found out he was in the hospital and that things were not looking very promising.

Why do people sometimes withdraw from their social circle when they become sick or are battling personal problems? I think I would shout it from the rooftop “Hey, I’m battling a hardship here, I need some compasion and companionship.

Maybe it’s the feeling that they would be bothering people if they wanted to talk about their problems or maybe it makes some people feel vulnerable to share their sorrows and worries. But consider the other side of the coin. Now my husband and I feel like we weren’t really considered a good friend at all. A friend is someone you can tell your troubles to. A friend is someone you want to share things with, both good and bad. A friend is someone you are not afraid to call even in the middle of the night if you need help. A friend is someone, you TRUST your life with. You know they have your back.

I like the words of this song by LeeAnn Womack. I think it could do everyone good to hear it EVERYDAY. I hope I can apply it to my life. Maybe then I could have MORE real friends, the kind that will tell me their troubles. The kind that will share things with me, both good and bad. The kind that will call, even in the middle of the night if they need help. The kind that will trust their life with me. The kind of friend who KNOWS I have their back!

I used to believe what money could bring ,
Was worth more than anything else
But all that changed when I had a dream
And I got a good look at myself
I stood face to face with the ghost of my past
And the spirit of what was to come
And they made it clear that one day I’d have
To answer for what I had done
And I saw what I’d become

The choices you make
The chances you take
They’ll follow you all of your life
I’m just tryin’ to live so when I die
The preacher won’t have to lie

I ain’t no prophet and I ain’t no saint
And I ain’t made no great sacrifice
I just keep tryin’ to carry my weight
I keep trying to do what is right
And it’s hard to do right sometimes

The choices you make
The chances you take
They’ll follow you all of your life
I’m just tryin’ to live so when I die
The preacher won’t have to lie

Filed under: Daily Ramblings on February 20th, 2008 | No Comments »

Dear Hubby and I have been busy, busy, busy lately. Since Thanksgiving, really. On the eve of Thanksgiving a friend from a previous place of employment called and offered me a job, so naturally I was intrigued. So I went that following Monday to check on it and the pay was so awesome, I went to work the following week. Then came Christmas and all the rush that goes with that. Dear Hubby wouldn’t tell me what he wanted for Christmas, he said he would tell me after Christmas. (I was so afraid it would be something like a new Harley!!!!) But soon after the New Year when his company gave their safety bonus for 2007 he came home smiling one day and said “We’re going shopping tomorrow.” I gotta go get my Christmas present. He knew I was desperate for new flooring in the living room and Master bedroom. That carpet had really taken a beating and was beginning to show it bad. So we made a trip to Winston to a supply house and picked out new laminate flooring. Then with a lot of help from family and a lot of borrowed tools from family and friends we put new flooring in. Still haven’t put finishing touches in though, like baseboards, and we’ve decided to put in columns to seperate the living from the dining area but these floors have really perked up the house. Here’s some before and after pics.

Before and after pics of dining area and living room:

Filed under: Daily Ramblings on February 9th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

A strong young man at the construction site was bragging that he could outdo anyone in a feat of strength. “I am the strongest, most powerful man here,” he boasted. He made a special case of making fun of John, one of the older workmen.

After several minutes, John had enough. “Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?” he said. “I will bet a week’s wages that I can haul something in a wheelbarrow over to that outbuilding that you won’t be able to wheel back.”

“You’re on old man,” the braggart replied. “It’s a bet! Let’s see what you got.”

John reached out and grabbed the wheelbarrow by the handles. Then, nodding to the young man, he said “All right. Get in.”

Filed under: Daily Ramblings on January 14th, 2008 | No Comments »

Little Johnny rushes home from school. He invades the fridge and is scooping out some cherry vanilla ice cream when his mother enters the kitchen. She says, “Put that away Johnny! You can’t have ice cream now. It’s too close to supper time. Go outside and play.”

Johnny whimpers and says, “There’s no one to play with.” Trying to placate him, she says, “OK, I’ll play with you. What do you want to play?” He says, “I wanna play Mommie and Daddy.”

Trying not to register surprise, and to further appease him, she says, “Fine, I’ll play. What do I do?” Johnny says, “You go up to the bedroom and lie down.” Figuring that she can easily control the situation, she goes upstairs.

Johnny, feeling a bit cocky, swaggers down the hall and opens the utility closet. He dons his father’s old fishing hat. As he starts up the stairs he notices a cigarette butt in the ashtray on the end table. He picks it up and slips it in the corner of his mouth. At the top of the stairs he moves to the bedroom doorway.

His mother raises up and says, “What do I do now?” In a gruff manner, Johnny says, “Get your butt downstairs and get that kid some ice cream!”

Filed under: Daily Ramblings on January 9th, 2008 | No Comments »

Filed under: Daily Ramblings on December 30th, 2007 | No Comments »

Hi everyone, I hope everyone out there in blog land is ready for Christmas! I’m planning on going out today and do some last minute shopping. Traffic will be horrendous but I love walking through the mall right before Christmas and looking at all the wonderful decorations, watch children sitting on Santa’s lap and just remembering the reason for the season. And my husband loves getting something from one of the snack shacks (he just has to have his sweet tooth satisfied!). It’s been a busy time of year this year, mainly because I didn’t do like usual and start planning around July or August like I usually do, but anyway I’m Ready! I hope all of you have a very wonderful Christmas season this year.

Filed under: Daily Ramblings on December 23rd, 2007 | No Comments »

Life is a theater - invite your audience carefully.
Not everyone is spiritually healthy and mature enough
to have a front row seat in our lives.
There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance.

You cannot change the people around you but…
you can change the people you are around!
Pray for Godly wisdom and discernment and
choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life.

Filed under: Daily Ramblings on December 9th, 2007 | No Comments »

Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn’t sleep
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.

The leftovers beckoned - the dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation,
The thought of a snack became infatuation.

So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.

I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
Till all of a sudden I rose up off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky,
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.

But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees
Happy eating to all! Pass the cranberries please!

***********************************************

Everyone have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and be careful on the way to Grandma’s house!

Filed under: Daily Ramblings on November 21st, 2007 | No Comments »

Here’s the directions for Snowman soup to give as gifts (Would be wonderful with Cake In  A Cup).

The Soup:
1 package hot chocolate mix
3 Hershey Kisses
15 (or so) marshmallows
1 candy cane

Place items in a Christmas mug and attach the following poem.

The Poem:

Was told you’ve been real good this year
Always glad to hear it
With freezing weather drawing near
You’ll need to warm the spirit
So here’s a little Snowman Soup
Complete with stirring stick
Add hot water, sip it slow
It’s sure to do the trick!

Filed under: Simple and Delicious on November 16th, 2007 | No Comments »