The Four Candles

My daughter and I teach the Children's Liturgy of the Word at our church . This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent so we lit one candle on the Advent Wreath. Here is a little poem to go along with this season of Advent.

The Four Candles
The four candles burn slowly.

The first one says:
”I am peace! However, nobody can keep me lit. I will go out."
It’s flame rapidly diminishes and goes out completely.

The second one says:
"I am faith! I am no longer indispensable, it doesn’t make any sense that I stay lit any longer." When it finished talking, a breeze softly blew on it putting it out.
Sadly the third candle spoke in it's turn:
”I am love! I haven’t got the strength to stay lit. People put me aside and don’t understand my importance. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them ."
And waiting no longer it goes out.

Suddenly...
A child enters the room and sees three candles not burning. “Why are you not burning? You are supposed to stay lit till the end." Saying this, the child begins to cry.

Then the fourth candle said:
”Don’t be afraid, while I am still burning we can re-light the other candles, I am Hope!"

With shining eyes, the child took the candle of hope and lit the other candles.

May the flame of hope never go out for you!

Blessings to you all at this very special time of year.

Little Black Dresses

It’s the holidays and the parties will be starting. Who doesn’t want to look like a million bucks? (and hopefully not to have to spend that much to find one.) What better way than to have a great little black dress!



Calvin Klein makes a great simple sleeveless sheath. $128.






If you’ve got great arms you might look good wearing this. Banana Republic $150.










A black dress with a little glitter to it. $158 at Nordstrom.











A slinky strappy little number—a Susana Monaco Cami Slip $100 found online at Eves Apple.











A reasonably priced ruffle bow trim little black dress $59 at Newport News.

A bargain black dress (but very cute!) the Silk Sophia dress. It was $165, now $49 at J Crew. (I love a bargain!)

Also at J Crew if you have a little more spending money. Lace Luciana only $1,295.

If you go to Ann Taylor you’ll find lots of black dresses in many styles and prices. Do you need a long black dress? You'll find one here.

For those of you who wear petite sizes, JCPenny has a really cute Jessica Howard Velvet and Satin. Was $100-120 is now $49-59. (That should help your holiday budget.)

Whatever your taste or price range, it seems like there is a little black dress out there for you. Which is your favorite style? Do you have a special occasion coming up to wear a beautiful black dress?

Collage Offer

Get a free collage print at Walgreens. Limited offer so act fast. These collages are really fun! I did one of my grandkids and one of my children and their spouses.

Easy Thanksgiving Centerpiece

I am thankful that I am not hosting Thanksgiving at my house but instead have been invited to my brother and sister-in-law's house. (We have a very large extended family.)We do all bring a dish to share but they get the work of preparing the turkey,potatoes and dressing, not to mention figuring out where everyone is going to sit!

I'd like to share with my sister-in-law and all of you a really pretty, yet easy Thanksgiving centerpiece. Directions can be found here.

Thoughts for Thanksgiving

I asked my students today to tell one thing they were thankful for. I was amazed at how many could not come up with anything! We live in a society that takes too much for granted. I found this article on 1stholistic.com. I think it is great" food for thought" for Thanksgiving!

Consider the following facts. Then count your blessings.

•If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep ... you are richer than 75% of people in this world.

•If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

•If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

•If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

•If you can attend a church or other places of worship without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death ... you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

•If your parents are still alive and still married ...you are very rare (and your parents too!). My parents celebrated 58 years this past Sept.!

•If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful ... you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

•If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder ... you are blessed because you can offer healing touch.

•If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings, and pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.

Wordless Wednesday

Dawn breaks over farm country on my way to work.

Snug as a...Bedbug?

My son and daughter-in-law are traveling to New York soon. With all the media attention give to bedbugs I thought it would be helpful to do a little research on the critters. I would hate to have their vacation ruined!

Wikipedia says “The name 'bedbug' is derived from the insect's preferred habitat of houses and especially beds or other areas where people sleep.”

Bedbugs usually congregate together and can be found in beds, couches as well as luggage and other furniture. They especially like cracks and crevices associated with the bed frame and mattress. Bedbugs don’t care if their surroundings are clean or dirty. They can be found in even the most pristine accomations. Bedbugs usually are active at night and that is when most people get bitten.

Bed bugs are small, oval non-flying insects. Adult bed bugs reach 5-7 mm in length, while nymphs (juveniles) are as small as 1.5 mm. (They areabout the size of an apple seed.) Bed bugs have flat bodies and may sometimes be mistaken for ticks or small cockroaches. Adult bed bugs are reddish brown in color while nymphs are clear in color and appear bright red after feeding.

Bedbugs don't usually stay on their human hosts after their meal, but they might hide in your clothes or luggage left nearby on the floor. If you're traveling and bedbugs get into your luggage, you could end up bringing them home with you.

Travelers may want to get in the habit of checking their bed for signs of bed bugs. (Tiny dark spots reveal the presence of bedbugs.)Placing luggage up off the floor onto a luggage rack is a good idea. Vacuuming is not effective against these pests and most pesticides don’t work either. You could try pouring boiling water over them or using extreme temperatures. Or…you could try something a little easier and safer.

Kayla at Essential Wholesale has put together a video on how to make a natural Bed Bug Spray. Using Lavender Essential Oil as one of the main ingredients you can fight these little pests. On her blog Kayla says that lavender has been used for generations as a natural remedy for bed bugs.

I hope to never encounter these guys on any of my hotel stays. I will now travel with a spray using Kayla’s recipe. It’s hard to believe that the bedbug problem could become an epidemic! YUCK.