BigToePeople's Xanga

Just for Jaynebug

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:25:56 GMT

I love how Jaynebug has a santa hat on the Dalai Lama in her Christmas decorations.

I mentioned to her how my husband collects Shi-Sa's...the Okinawan lion-dog which was once sort of a spiritual protector in their native animist religion, but is now more of a mascot. Well, we have one shi-sa that's dressed up in a traditional Japanese Tyco Drummer's outfit.

Every year at Christmas (except this one since we're showing the house for sale) I take away his drumstick and give him a candy cane. Then I cover his usual head band with a glitzy Christmas one.

Here's Tyco Shi-Sa last year:

Here are what human tyco drummers look like:

And here are some typical shi-sa...these outside the Okinawan Peace Prayer Park's museum:

Merry Christmas, Jaynebug!

Two Babes in a Manger

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:17:13 GMT

Two Babes in a Manger

I've been wanting to post more photos from my Xanga abscence, and to visit you all more, but one of my projects is taking much longer than I expected, and now I only have 2 days to finish it. I may end up being rather absent until after New Year's Day because we head out to see family on the 23rd.

Meanwhile, I've had this precious story ruminating in my head and heart for a few days. Things in my days keep bringing it back to mind. I think you'll like it too. It's from some sort of an email ministry that my friend Monsignor Cusack forwards every now and then.

To me, the story is inner healing at its best. If you have a hurt that seems un-heal-able, ask Jesus to show him where he was at the time of deepest pain. Believe it or not, he WAS there and he has a purpose for it. He uses ALL things for good for those who love Jesus Christ, even hurtful moments.

Here ya go, but be sure to have kleenex before you proceed:

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TWO BABES IN A MANGER

In 1994, two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department of
Education to teach morals and ethics (based on biblical principles) in the
public schools. They were invited to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire
and police departments and a large orphanage. About 100 boys and girls who
had been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of a government-run program
were in the orphanage. They relate the following story in their own words:

It was nearing the holiday season, 1994, time for our orphans to hear, for
the first time, the traditional story of Christmas. We told them about Mary
and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple
went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger.

Throughout the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as
they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every
word. Completing the story, we gave the children three small pieces of
cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square,
cut from yellow napkins I had brought with me. No colored paper was
available in the city.

Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid
strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut from a
worn-out nightgown an American lady was throwing away as she left Russia,
were used for the baby's blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan felt we
had brought from the United States.

The orphans were busy assembling their manger as I walked among them to see
if they needed any help. All went well until I got to one table where little
Misha sat. He looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project.
As I looked at the little boy's manger, I was startled to see not one, but
two babies in the manger. Quickly, I called for the translator to ask the
lad why there were two babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of
him and looking at this completed manger scene, the child began to repeat
the story very seriously.

For such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he
related the happenings accurately...until he came to the part where Mary put
the baby Jesus in the manger. Then Misha started to ad-lib. He made up his
own ending to the story as he said, "And when Maria laid the baby in the
manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him
I have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don't have any place to stay. Then
Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn't, because I
didn't have a gift to give him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay
with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for
a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift.

So I asked Jesus, "If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?"
And Jesus told me, "If you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody
ever gave me." "So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and
he told me I could stay with him...for always."

As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears that
splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head
dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed. The
little orphan had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him,
someone who would stay with him...FOR ALWAYS.

I've learned that it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in
your life that counts.

-- Author Unknown

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I'm glad you're all in my life.

Special Christmas Photo Challenge

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:18:43 GMT

Special Christmas Photo Challenge

Instead of the usual Weekly Photo Challenge, this one lasts through the holidays. Click here to participate and see other entries.

It's good to be back on Xanga. I've missed quite a few people. I couldn't figure out how to put the past month into a comeback blog, but now I have a start with the Christmas theme of the Photo Challenge. Thank you to Photographics for the theme.

I spent Thanksgiving in San Antonio. My husband took this photo at a San Antonio mall shortly after taking me to the airport before dawn the day after Thanksgiving:

During my Xanga hiatus, I spent 6 wonderful days in Manhattan. I arrived the day after Thanksgiving and saw some spectacular Christmas decorations.

I went to Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on the Sunday during my visit. As Mass let out, I saw this wonderful view out the doors, complete with wreaths on either side of this statue of Atlas:

I enjoyed the light snowflakes dancing on the side of the Sachs Fifth Avenue store:

Sachs has a traditional series of Christmas windows each year. This year, the display depicts parts of a children's book. Here's one window and some spectators who lined up to see it:

Here is Rockefeller Plaza, a few days before the Christmas tree lighting:

I stayed in a friend's apartment one block from Washington Square. I took a nice walk around the square just as they were decorating the park for a Christmas concert. Talk about a huge tree!

I shot this one from a cab on my way to spend the afternoon at the MET. I think it's a bank:

I took a train from Grand Central Station to see my aunt and cousin in Connecticut. My aunt took me to the Dutch store because it was nearly Sinterklaas (St. Nickolas' Birthday) and I wanted to do something for my husband for the Dutch holiday. Here are some decorations in the deli section of the store:

And here are our klompen (wooden shoes, aka clogs) after I got home form my trip, with the goodies I bought in the store above. They're on the mantle instead of in front of the fireplace so that our dogs wouldn't eat our goodies. Inside our orange-ish red wrapping paper are "chocoladeletters"...our initials in chocolate. There's also a little Sinterklaas ornament that I picked up in Connecticut. He's in his bishop's hat and carrying his bishop's shepherd crook.

When my husband picked me up from the airport, I came home to this bouquet of flowers and a Christmas card telling me just how much my husband loves me. It brought tears to my eyes. Every girl should be this loved.

In the card were gift certificates for the resort/spa where we went for our first anniversary. I was hoping to go back before we moved, but assumed we were out of time. My husband decided that we didn't need any more "stuff" since we were moving, so he got me a 2-hr spa treatment and got us a room so that we could stay overnight. That's where we were this past weekend. We had a lovely lunch before my spa appointment, then took a nap and then went out to see Invictus. Oh, and had ice cream for dinner before the movie. It is an awesome movie. The best of 2009. And then we went to sushi for a midnight snack, and then took our last Christmas photo in front of the Alamo. I'll have to post those photos at a later date; they're on my husband's camera and the files aren't sorted and named yet.

Here's my husband just coming out of our room. We were conveniently located directly above the spa!

Here you can see some of the Christmas decorations at the resort. It was a foggy morning on our way to church. The resort sits on a high spot above a historic German town. You can barely see it through the fog here.

The church in the little historic town was beautiful. I enjoyed the wreaths with the long red ribbons down the pillars:

Our own Christmas decorations are rather sparse this year because we're selling our house and it needs to have minimal things up to show well. I don't think I have even 1/4 of what I usually put out to celebrate Jesus' birth. Only one of our 4 trees is up, and only 1 of my many nativity scenes is up. It's my new one. I bought it in Delft on our vacation to the Netherlands:

Notice in the photo below that the manger, or crib, is empty. I read a short article by Pope Benedict recently that mentioned how important it can be to have an empty crib in your home during the Advent Season. It can help build the anticipation we have as we wait for Jesus to arrive. The article really struck home with me, both in my desire to be a mom and my desire to know Jesus better and better. So I purposely hid the baby and will put him in his crib after Christmas. (I'd put him in ON Christmas, but we'll be traveling to see family.)

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

I love Christmas cheer, so be sure to tag me if you post some decorations!

Please pray for Candy, Gene and Cody

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:05:50 GMT

Please pray for Candy, Gene and Cody. Click here to find out the details. Thanks.

Deacon Class Photo - May 2001

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:07:29 GMT

Ages ago, I promised ZXZSweetHonestyZXZ to show her my deacon class photo so that she could have a good, hard laugh. I couldn't find the photo at the time, but I stumbled across it today.

I'm the one in the red shirt. I was too busy getting dumped over the phone by my fiancee to get the memo to wear a white shirt and black pants.

I finished the course, but didn't get ordained because God called me into the Catholic Church about 3/4 of the way through the class.

The central lady, seated and in uniform, was our pastor/chaplain. She sure helped me through that breakup! Apparently, she saw in his eyes that he was a total knucklehead when he came to visit me in Okinawa.

What were you up to in 2001?

The Blind Side

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:35:57 GMT

It was good.

VERY good.

You should go see it. Like everyone.

It was clean. Like family with young kids clean.

It was inspirational. I find it even more inspirational when a story is true. At the end, they showed family photos from the real people in the story. Stick around to see them in the credits.

I loved seeing a very FUNCTIONAL family take on adversity.

I loved the analogy of the main character and Ferdinand the Bull.

The movie was one of the best of 2009.

Spacious Two-Story For Sale (with newer shots)

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:51:39 GMT

Scroll past the sunset photos to see more new shots.

We're advertising our home online and I want to link to photos and may even add a video tour some time soon. This post will be a work in progress. I'll be adding more interior shots soon...I still need to pick up after our new tile floor was put in!

Unique Home in Desirable Neighborhood

Spacious Two-Story Conveniently Located

3 Bedrooms 2.5 Bathrooms Built 1999

2,071 Sq. Ft. Home 13,000 Sq. Ft. Lot 2-Car Garage*

Beautiful Sunset View of the West

v Living Room with Vaulted Ceilings & Built-In Bookshelves

v Spacious, Open Kitchen; Plenty of Cabinets & Counter Space; Walk-In Pantry; New Sink & Dishwasher

v Master Bdr Suite on Ground Floor, Carpeted, 2 Walk-In Closets

v Master Bathrm: 2 Vanities/Sinks, Garden Tub, New Tile Shower, Separate Toilet

v Ground Floor Newly Tiled, Upstairs Carpeted

v Full Sprinkler System, Fenced Back Yard

v Neutral Colors, No Work Needed; Just Move In

v Covered Front and Back Patios

v 6-Person Hot Tub Rated #1 in 2006 CnsmRpt

v Formal Living/Dining Area

v Ceiling Fans Throughout

v Ample Storage Inside; RV/Boat Space Outside

v Peach, Pear & Apple Trees Blossom in Spring and Bear Fruit; 2 Kinds of Jjasmine; Hibiscus

v All Windows Covered in Wooden Blinds

v Large Upstairs Bathroom: 2 Sinks, Tub/Shower

*2-Car Garage, Side-Entry.

**Gate at top of driveway is wide enough for a boat or RV to enter, and that side of the yard can have either parked there.

***** A HOME WAITING TO STEAL YOUR HEART; MUST SEE *****

Be sure to return to see when new photos are added!

4th of July 2009:

December 2008:

January 2007 (We don't usually get snow)

Flowers:

Interior:

Master Bath:

Upstairs Bathroom:

Sunsets:

New Interior Shots:

Foyer:

Front Room (We use it as a formal dining room, but it could also be a formal living room):

Living Room:

The Kitchen:

Walk-In Pantry:

Dining room/breakfast nook:

Half-Bath:

Laundry Room with built-in desk:

Master Bedroom:

Master Bedroom shot towards Master Bathroom, past Walk-In Closets:

Master Bedroom, Walk-In Closet 1:

Master Bedroom, Walk-In Closet 2:

Master Bathroom:

Separate Toilet:

TV Hookup (on shelf above full-length mirror):

New Tile Shower:

Upstairs

Upstairs Built-In Display Shelves:

Upstairs Bathroom:

Upstairs Shower/Tub:

Upstairs Linen Closet in Upstairs Bathroom:

Bedroom 1 (We use it as an office):

Bedroom 2:

A General's Resolutions

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:39:02 GMT

No time for blogging, but just got this in an email from a high-ranking friend in the Army. I thought it was a good read...I only read the real general's real writing.

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/hawley.asp

Veteran's Day, Military Humor

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:07:45 GMT

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all those who have served, who are serving, and who will serve our nation. And that means the supporters of those who serve too, their families. I appreciate you all. And now, here are some laughs military-style.

Military Humor

From a girlfriend of mine who is a Major in the USAF...

Have you seen anything funny lately?

Double Dog Skunking (with edit)

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:45:17 GMT

Double Dog Skunking (edit at bottom)

Last night, our dogs got skunked. Again.

I think this was the fourth time in two months, but they’re all starting to blur together.

Midori, our old girl who has almost as much silver hair as black these days, took a direct hit under the chin. She came inside foaming at the mouth…a side-effect of skunk spray that I’m becoming intimately familiar with. Frodo’s eyes were bugging out from the intensity of the situation.

We’ve learned that you wash a dog who has been skunked with very warm water. It opens their pores and then you can wash out more of the spray. This reduces the residual effect of skunk scent coming out of their pores weeks after the actual skunking. For us, this means the dogs have to go through the living room and up the stairs to the bathroom with the large tub and the shower head on a long hose that I once bought just for dog washing.

Specifically, what this means is stopping Frodo from rubbing on the back of the couch and preventing him from hiding under our bed, his safety zone. And for Midori, it means stopping her from jumping on the black chair in the living room where she loves to spend her time (the one piece of living room furniture the dogs are allowed on, and the chair in which I do the majority of my writing) and from going in her kennel, which is her safety zone, and soiling her bedding.

We were relatively successful at getting the dogs upstairs and into the bathroom. Midori spent some brief moments in the black chair and her kennel, so we sprayed down and washed the chair later and threw her bedding in the washing machine. No bigee.

Meanwhile, I was upstairs warming up the shower water. But first, the most important move, I tore off my jeans and top because no sane person wears clothes while de-skunking dogs. or You. Will. Not. Get. The. Smell. Out. With. One. Wash. So I threw my clothes onto the bathroom counter, well up and away from the bath. It’s a large bathroom, perfect for kids if any of you wants to buy a home. It’s going on the market shortly because the military is transferring us. Yes, I interrupted this blog with a shameless sales pitch.

The dogs joined me in the bathroom thanks to Steve’s shepherding, and both flew into the tub. Yes. Both flew. No commands, no coaxing, no protests, no running to Steve asking him to save them from the mean lady.

Our dogs love water…Midori is an amazing swimmer and surfer, her dominant breed being Labrador. Frodo loves sprinklers and has come to enjoy swimming. Both let us wash them from the hose in the yard, but neither likes the bathtub. At all.

However, they hate getting skunked even worse. I usually wash the dogs one at a time, but they both flew in over the edge and into the tub in perfect synchronization. You would have thought they were dancing an athletic, choreographed routine. Both sat there, eyes begging for the washing to begin.

Then it hit me. OH EXPLATIVE! Yes, this good little Christian girl said it. With volume.

The one thing that works on skunk smell it VET SOLUTIONS brand shampoo. We were nearly out, the only place in town that sells it is our veterinarian, and I was procrastinating buying more until I needed to get Midori’s next refill of her arthritis meds. The vet closes at 6pm. It was 9pm. We had about one dog’s worth of shampoo left, but our friends’ dog got skunked a few nights earlier and they called to see if they could borrow our shampoo. Of course they could. We knew the misery of having the dogs stink overnight before you can solve the issue. I also sent the VET SOLUTIONS brand follow-up neutralizing spray with the friends. We had plenty of that and it’s wonderful if some of the scent still remains after the initial washing. It also helps when the smell comes out of their pores on a humid day weeks down the road. And it works on deodorizing furniture and rugs. And it smells good!

Steve called our friends but they didn't answer, so I ordered him to go to their house. It was 9pm, they might be morning people but they might still be up. I felt like I was making Steve live that scripture about the neighbor who woke people up in the middle of the night to borrow a loaf of bread. But these are good friends and they know skunkings happen at night.

Meanwhile, I washed the dogs with citrus scented people shampoo. It didn’t do as good of a job as the VET SOLUTIONS brand stuff, but it took more than an edge off.

Steve came back with the spray and some peroxide and baking soda. But I didn’t want to mess with that concoction…it works fairly well, but doesn’t hold a candle to the VET SOLUTIONS brand shampoo and I knew I’d be getting the shampoo the next day. However, I DID use up the entire bottle of VET SOLUTIONS brand spray. I used most of it on the dogs, but also sprayed the stairwell and the black chair.

Midori was skunked so hard that whenever I went to give my sad girl a hug, I’d wretch from nausea and my eyes would sting and water.

We slept with the windows open. The front ones…the back of the house had skunk scent thick in the air.

We lit candles until the last moment before bed. And I re-lit them in the morning while I got ready for work. They seriously help.

There are still pockets of smell in my house, but I know from experience that they’ll be gone in 2-3 days with proper airing and candle-ing.

I came to work today, constantly feeling like I smelled skunk. It made me feel a bit sick. I thought I must be crazy. I hoped I might be pregnant…you know, the whole sensitive-to-smell symptom. But it’s my last day of work and I decided to just ignore these imaginings and get productive at the office.

And then it hit me.

My jeans.

I’m wearing the jeans that were on the bathroom counter when I washed the dogs. They never touched the dogs, but PHEW it was pungent in there. They must have absorbed a ton of skunk fumes.

I ran to the office bathroom and smelled my jeans. Sure enough.

I’m walking around in skunked jeans.

No wonder my eyes smart and threaten to water. It’s giving me a bit of a headache. And it’s nauseating me.

I’m finding myself walking REALLY FAST from one place to another in the office in attempt to create a breeze that will take the scent away from my nose.

I’m finding myself thinking that I’d rather be in a home where they are cooking chitlins than being in my jeans. Anyone want to trade? If you know me and chitlins, that’s saying a lot!

I’ve apologized to my boss for the smell, but he says he doesn’t notice it.

I’m living for my lunch break when I will go home and change and put the offending denim in the wash!

Have you ever reeked at work? Do tell the story. I’m tired of laughing at myself. Let me laugh at you.

Question: We just had new neighbors move in next door. They have a dog, a german shepherd mix. I'm thinking of bringing them a bottle of the shampoo and some home made cookies as a welcome-to-the-neighborhood gift. Will they think I'm insane? I just think it helps to be prepared.

EDIT: I went home on lunch and changed into a different pair of jeans and scarfed some leftovers and gave the dogs some love. Back at work, I still swear I smell skunk, though the odor has improved now that I have on clean jeans. Now it's only mildly nauseating and my nose it twinging but the headache is gone. I bet it's INSIDE my nose the same way it can cling to skin. Awful!

My poor dogs...if I'm suffering like this, imagine how they feel. Their sense of smell are exponentially stronger than humans'.

My boss told me a hilarious story from when he was in high school. His friend got skunked one night when they were out doing god-knows-what 50 miles out of town. It was 40 degrees outside, but they made the poor guy ride in the back of the pickup all the way home. The next morning, the guy went to school. Everywhere he went, the school REEKED. After about 30 minutes, the principal came and kicked him out of the building and told him not to come back until the stink was gone. LoL.