Simply Life

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America.
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?
CLASS: Maria.


TEACHER: Why are you late, Frank?
FRANK: Because of the sign.
TEACHER: What sign?
FRANK: The one that says, "School Ahead, Go Slow."


TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.


TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell "crocodile?"
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L"
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it's wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.


TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday, you said it's H to O.


TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!


TEACHER: Gus, why do you always get so dirty?
GUS: 'Cause I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.


TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with "I."
MILLIE: I is...
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, "I am."
MILLIE: All right... "I am the ninth letter of the alphabet."


TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the ax in his hand.


TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on "My Dog" is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE: No, teacher, it's the same dog.


TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher.

91. When we go on long trips, my hubby always drives
92. Hubby is in transportation for a living (limos, mini-buses etc)
93. We have worked together 3 different times in our career lives
94. Around Christmas 2004 was the first time I actually watched him go shooting
95. It was indoors
96. I was behind double-paned glass
97. Used to love Pretty in Pink (the movie..Molly Ringwald)
98. Wanted to make my own clothes too
99. Can't sew a stitch!
100. I want to learn someday

1. Crowd:: Pleaser
   
2. Hamburger:: Helper
   
3. Choker:: Necklace
   
4. Lights:: Camera, Action
   
5. Tinsel:: Town
   
6. Testament:: New
   
7. Best part of the day:: Morning
   
8. Election:: Council
   
9. Clarinet:: Musical
   

1. Total number of books owned
2. Last book bought
3. Last book read
4. Which five books have meant the most to you?

My answers:
1. Tons, too many to even guess
2. Last book bought was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (I am behind)
3. Last book read was Tami Hoag's "Still Waters" (Actually, I am still reading it...)
4.
a. "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein
b. "Where the Heart Is" by Billie Letts
c. "Cane River" by Lalita Tademy
d. "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks
e. "Yesterday I Saw The Sun: Poems" by Ally Sheedy

Isn't this the cutest picture ever? I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day! What is everyone doing this weekend?

Often my life has been like the weather tonight.
Extreme wind catching the branches of a frail tree.
Brilliant lightning ripping through the sky.
The threatening of a downpour.
I have been known to be afraid of storms, both internal and external.
Why?
The unknown.
The unpredictable nature of a storm.
I should be reveling in God's wonders.
Shaking my head at his wisdom.
The storms of life tend to bring along the most beautiful of mornings.
I need to try to remember that in the midst of the turbulence.

1. Heimlich:: Choking
   
2. Gesture:: Point
   
3. Party:: For two
   
4. Cuddle:: Loving
   
5. Room with a view:: Ocean
   
6. Sebastian:: Bach
   
7. Ooooh:: La la
   
8. Sigh:: Tired
   
9. Two fish, three fish:: pink fish, green fish
   
10. Cake or death:: Easy decision!
    

--I found this at a wonderful site called SolidSounds.com--

When I was a year old, I received a third-degree burn across the back of my hand. I was too young to remember what happened, but I do remember classmates commenting on my scar and asking questions. I thought nothing about it since I never knew what it was like not to have a scar, but my classmates did. Because of the unwanted attention I became so shy that at times I was almost invisible.

Maybe you have settled into silence behind dramatic scars. Your scars may be physical, emotional or spiritual. Maybe they were caused by something outside your control, and now you are left to cope alone. Maybe there's a tape in your head playing the "what-ifs" that might have been if only this had never happened to you. Maybe you think this is normal because you've never known anything else.

Or maybe you have left a scar on someone else and you feel regret. It can drain you of confidence and lock you into shame. Sometimes it is the mistakes we've made that become our barriers from the world.

John 4:10 mentions a woman who had a past and felt the weight of it every day. Her lifestyle even changed to accommodate the burden. Every day she came to the community well when she knew no one else would be there. She'd been through a series of failed marriages, which at that time was possibly the greatest shame a woman could bear. It was outside her control, yet she was an outcast. Still Jesus sparked a conversation by asking for a drink. She marveled that He even would speak to her.

Jesus said, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water" (John 14:10, NIV).

Jesus knew her story, and He knows yours. You may think whatever is deep inside you is too ugly to confess to a holy God, but nothing you tell Him will be a surprise! Jesus knew that revealing the ugly truth was what this woman needed in order for her to find forgiveness, healing and freedom.

Joy Williams sings about the shame and regret we often carry around with us in her song "Hide." But just like the woman at the well, we no longer have to hide away from the rest of the world. Because of Jesus, we can come out and join everyone else.

To anyone who's ever made a big mistake
We've all been there so don't be ashamed
So come out come out and join the rest of us
You've been alone for way to long

At one time my scar covered my hand, but as I got older it got smaller. Likewise, as I draw closer to Jesus and allow Him to justify and restore me, my past seems less and less like me. If you'll come into the light, God can give you life. Come out from the shadows, and let His transforming love be your hiding place.

-April C.

Scripture Reference: John 4:10; Psalm 44:25-26

Ok, we all know I am not a vegetarian. I do not live the vegan lifestyle. I have heard it can be difficult to get all the nutrients you need, unless you are careful. This story from Scottsdale, AZ makes me upset. This couple have three children. It is fine to not eat meat or dairy products. Everyone makes their own decision in how to live. What is not acceptable to me is that their 3 year old daughter Zion weighs only 12 pounds. TWELVE! Their other two children were also severely underweight, and severely malnourished. I don't see how they could not have realized that is dangerous. Both parents are facing three counts of child abuse, neglect and endangerment.

A newborn baby girl was found dead in an outhouse in a housing development in Chandler. She was full term and had her umbilical cord still attached. She actually was down inside the outhouse.
How could a mother do this to her child? What was going through her mind? It is ridiculous to think that someone would choose murder of an innocent newborn. There are so many other legal options. In Arizona there is something called the Safe Haven program. A mother can drop a baby off in a "Drop off box" and they are brought to CPS custody. There are no reprocussions to this. Click here to read the story.

These stories get my goat because I so long to have a child of our own, and I see others being careless. Or, just plain disregarding the miracle of life. I cannot comprehend it.

81. Have been working on this list for 1 1/2 months now
82. Will finish it today, I swear
83. My parents divorced when I was 4
84. I, thankfully, lived with my mom
85. Love to watch CSI, Law & Order, and Without A Trace
86. Watch tv too much
87. Have read the first two Harry Potter books (I am behind & please don't "go there" with me!)
88. Have waited for years now to have a digital camera
89. Finally got one at Christmas (thanks mom!)
90. It was actually a birthday present