I've learned...

This was sent to me by a cousin I met this summer for the first time - Marlyn and that is the spelling of her name.

It is about learning.

To Friends and Family

Written by Andy Rooney, a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words. ( I don't know if this is from him or not - but it's good)

I've learned..... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people who are smarter than I am.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned.... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.

I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned.... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned .... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

This article blew me away - I love each and every thing it said. Either I have heard about it - learned it, or am in process of learning about it. The only one I agree disagree is about time healing wounds - I think or I know for me that is true - that time or love can heal wounds. Now I was going to highlight my favorite ones , but I was high lighting all of them. So share your wisdom today.

Now do you think you have to be older to know all this - I kind of do or you have had to go through a lot of life's lessons early in life. If you don't go through some pain - then I don't think you can get these as easily.

Now look at Ann Frank.

"I know what I want, I have a goal, an opinion, I have a religion and love. Let me be myself and then I am satisfied. I know that I’m a woman, a woman with inward strength and plenty of courage." Anne Frank

From Nikki at Gentle Recovery

Wow - she died so young and yet she is more mature then I am.

Which ones do you like - do you have anything you've learned you want to share?

I have one - I've learned that life is like a circle - your either on top of the circle enjoying life or at rock bottom or your moving up or down. It never stays the same. We must be adaptable to change.



I am a bit late reading posts and emails - but I will!

Jill Eikenberry

I think this is such a pretty quote don't you?

I believe in the Sun even when it is not shining,
In love even when I am alone,
And in God even when He is silent.


Jill Eikenberry Happy Birthday- Wikipedia

Jill discovered she had breast cancer, which was successfully treated over two years.

The event was significant in her life. In 1989, she co-produced a documentary for NBC television called Destined to Live, which featured interviews with cancer survivors like herself, including Nancy Reagan. She remains an activist for breast cancer research and early detection.

A Veggie for your Liver

RealAge

A Veggie for Your Liver
By RealAge

The dilemma: Wine is good for your heart, but not so great for your liver.

The solution: Eat some asparagus. Sounds quirky, but the theory might hold water.

Enzymes in Asparagus
Okay, it's not quite that simple. But in a recent cell study, asparagus extract boosted the activities of ADH and ALDH, two major ethanol-metabolizing enzymes in the liver. Both of these enzymes help mop up excess ethanol -- the stuff that puts the kick in your glass of wine but stresses your liver -- and its toxic metabolite, acetaldehyde. Asparagus also packs a powerful antioxidant punch. Find out if it's better to eat your asparagus steamed or raw.

Great Greens
If you can find the leaves of asparagus, they contain more amino acids and minerals than the young shoots do. But either way, asparagus is good for your entire body. Here's how it keeps all of you humming:

It has folate for your pancreas. Find out how much folate is in half a cup.
It has glutathione for healthy eyes. Get up to speed on all the healthy-vision nutrients.
It has vitamin E to spice up your sex life. Check out the other frisky-fueling foods on our "dirty dozen" list.
It has helpful prebiotics for your gut. Find out what other foods keep your digestive system blissed out.
RealAge Benefit:
Eating a diverse diet that includes 5 servings of vegetables per day can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.



Happy Birthday Patricia O'Neal

Personal life from Wikipedai
During the filming of The Fountainhead (1949), Neal had an affair with her married co-star, Gary Cooper, whom she had met in 1947 when she was 21 and he was 46. By 1950, Cooper's wife, Veronica, had found out about the relationship and sent Neal a telegram demanding they end it. Neal became pregnant by Cooper, but he persuaded her to have an abortion.

The affair ended, but not before Cooper's daughter, Maria (now Maria Cooper Janis, born 1937), spat at Neal in public. Years after Cooper's death, Maria and her mother Veronica reconciled with Neal.

Neal met British writer Roald Dahl at a dinner party hosted by Lillian Hellman in 1951. They married on July 2, 1953, at Trinity Church in New York. In 1961 and 1962 she suffered the death of one child and a grievous injury to another. Her daughter, Olivia, died from measles encephalitis and her son Theo's carriage was hit by a taxi when he was just four months old. The marriage produced five children.

While pregnant in 1965, Neal suffered three burst cerebral aneurysms, and was in a coma for three weeks. Dahl directed her rehabilitation and she subsequently relearned to walk and talk ("I think I'm just stubborn, that's all"). On August 4, 1965, she gave birth to a healthy daughter, Lucy.

Eat This Bread to Curb Afternoon Appetite

Eat This Bread to Curb Afternoon Appetite
By RealAge

Make midafternoon cravings a thing of the past by bulking up your breakfast with a slice of rye toast.

Research suggests that eating rye bread may do an even better job than wheat bread at keeping stomachs from growling later in the day.

The Toast That Tides You Over
In a study, people who ate rye bread with breakfast were less hungry before and after lunch compared with people who ate wheat. Rye’s super-high fiber content probably has something to do with it. But researchers suspect that rye may also produce a lower insulin response than wheat bread (this would help with hunger), and that rye may have a unique fiber composition that keeps people feeling full longer. Here are four additional simple breakfast rules that can help you shed pounds.

Filling Fiber
Of all the rye breads tested, rye-bran bread had the best effect on hunger. Makes sense, since it also has the highest fiber content of the breads. Need to get more fiber in your diet? Try these tricks:

Eat more of these tropical tubers that are jammed with fiber.
Add more fiber to your diet with the tips in this video.
Couple your fiber with plenty of this, so it can do its job.
Check out these healthy high-fiber recipes and menus from EatingWell.



Dolly Parton Happy Birthday!

Parton is a hugely successful songwriter, having begun by writing country-music songs with strong elements of folk music, based upon her upbringing in humble mountain surroundings, and reflecting her family's evangelical-Christian background. Her songs "Coat of Many Colors", "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene" have become classics in the field, as have a number of others. As a songwriter, she is also regarded as one of country music's most-gifted storytellers, with many of her narrative songs based on persons and events from her childhood. Parton has listed almost 600 songs with Broadcast Music, Inc. and has earned 37 BMI awards for her material. In 2001, she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In a 2009 interview with CNN's Larry King Live, Parton indicated that she had written "at least 3,000" songs, having written seriously since the age of seven. Parton went on to say that she writes something every day, be it a song or an idea. Wikipedia

Is Glucose Making You Old?

Is Glucose Making You Old?
By RealAge
This Week's Tips

Stop when you feel full -- always easier said than done. But what if doing so helped halt the aging process?

A recent study of yeast cells hints at the antiaging power of saying no to seconds. Seems those little microorganisms showed signs of premature aging when exposed to excessive glucose -- the energy substance into which all calories consumed eventually turn.

Eating Younger
Your blood glucose levels naturally go up when you eat. But when you eat a lot -- too much -- they can really soar. And the yeast study suggests that this could have a bad effect on cells, stressing them out and making them more prone to damage. Kind of makes skipping dessert sound like a potential fountain of youth. Here's another calorie trick that helps turn back the clock.



Happy birthday to Cary Grant - I loved him!

Grant was a favorite actor of Alfred Hitchcock, notorious for disliking actors, who said that Grant was "the only actor I ever loved in my whole life". Grant appeared in such Hitchcock classics as Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955) and North by Northwest (1959). Biographer Patrick McGilligan wrote that, in 1965, Hitchcock asked Grant to star in Torn Curtain (1966), only to learn that Grant had decided to retire after making one more film, Walk, Don't Run (1966); Paul Newman was cast instead in Torn Curtain, opposite Julie Andrews.

If nothing ever changed there’d be no butterflies.

THE ONLY THING CERTAIN IN LIFE IS CHANGE. CHANGE IS FOR CERTAIN.

If you are sad one day - you can be sure that there will be laughter another.

If there is laughter one day - you can be sure that there will be tears another.

If you're filled with happiness, you can be sure at some time, you will be filled with sadness.

The stress of this moment will not last, neither will the relaxation.

Anger will change to acceptance.

Fear will turn to strength.

If nothing ever changed there’d be no butterflies.

Happy Birthday to Catherine Booth and Ben Franklin -

"To try and fail is at least to learn. To fail to try is to suffer the loss of what might have been." ~ Benjamin Franklin

Catherine Booth - the wife of the founder of the Salvation Army -

At that time, it was unheard of for women to speak in adult meetings. She was convinced that women had an equal right to speak, however, and when the opportunity was given for public testimony at Gateshead, she went forward. It was the beginning of a tremendous ministry, as people were greatly challenged by her preaching. She also spoke to people in their homes, especially to alcoholics, whom she helped to make a new start in life. Wikipedia

The Devil's Advocate from Tangle

J.R. Tolkien

"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same."
– Carlos Castaneda

Something to thing about isn't it? So why do we make ourselves miserable instead of strong? I don't mean all of us every day all the time, but why is it easier (?) to be miserable then strong? Or is it?

Happy Birthday to j. r. Tolkien - Wikipedia - Writer of Lord of the Rings.

At the age of 16, Tolkien met Edith Mary Bratt, who was three years older, when J. R. R. and Hilary Tolkien moved into the same boarding house. According to Humphrey Carpenter:

Edith and Ronald took to frequenting Birmingham teashops, especially one which had a balcony overlooking the pavement. There they would sit and throw sugar lumps into the hats of passers-by, moving to the next table when the sugar bowl was empty. ...With two people of their personalities and in their position, romance was bound to flourish. Both were orphans in need of affection, and they found that they could give it to each other. During the summer of 1909, they decided that they were in love.

His guardian, Father Francis Morgan, viewing Edith as a distraction from Tolkien's school work and horrified that his young charge was seriously involved with a Protestant girl, prohibited him from meeting, talking, or even corresponding with her until he was twenty-one. He obeyed this prohibition to the letter, with one notable early exception which made Father Morgan threaten to cut short his University career if he did not stop.

(I wonder why he just didn't tell her and ask her to wait).

On the evening of his twenty-first birthday, Tolkien wrote to Edith a declaration of his love and asked her to marry him. Edith replied saying that she had already agreed to marry another man, but that she had done so because she had believed Tolkien had forgotten her. The two met up and beneath a railway viaduct renewed their love; Edith returned her engagement ring and announced that she was marrying Tolkien instead. Following their engagement Edith converted to Catholicism at Tolkien's insistence. They were formally engaged in Birmingham, in January 1913, and married in Warwick, England, at Saint Mary Immaculate Catholic Church on 22 March 1916.

He was also the man who brought C.S. Lewis to Christ and stopped being friends with him because he went with the Church of England and not with his Catholic faith.

Chatty

I'm totally off track today -

I read this and thought it was a good thing to think about when eating - even when you are eating something good for you - it has to be done wiht limits.

Don't Have Too Much of a Good Thing

Olive Oil
The Good: The Food and Drug Administration recently permitted a qualified health claim to be made for olive oil. Manufacturers are now allowed to state on the label: "Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil."

The Bad: The allowable claim goes on to say: "To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day." Why? Because oil has about 120 calories per tablespoon. So if you don't use it as a replacement but add the 2 tablespoons to your daily calories, you could put on about 25 pounds in a year! And keep in mind that "light" olive oil does not have fewer calories — it just has a lighter color.

Oatmeal
The Good: You've probably seen food labels or TV commercials touting oatmeal as a food that's able to help you lower your cholesterol. That's because oats contain soluble fiber. Research has shown that soluble fiber helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of heart disease when included in a diet that is also low in saturated fat and cholesterol. The 3 grams per day of soluble fiber needed to lower cholesterol can be obtained by eating 1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal (3/4 cup of uncooked oatmeal), or roughly three packets of instant oatmeal. Eating this amount typically lowers total cholesterol by up to 23 percent.

Besides helping to lower your cholesterol, oats are just plain healthy, providing protein, iron, insoluble fiber, and other nutrients — and they have only 145 calories per cup (cooked). As for their effect on weight control, studies show that an increase in intake of either soluble or insoluble fiber helps you feel full longer, thereby decreasing your subsequent hunger.

Finally, oats are naturally free of cholesterol and low in saturated fat and sodium.

The Bad: The problems start when we add the extras — brown sugar, butter, salt, honey, whole milk and/or fruit (which is not bad in moderation). Too many add-ons bring up the total fat, cholesterol, and calories beyond what would be considered a healthy breakfast.

Fit Tip: Stick to a cup and a half of cooked oatmeal (218 calories) and throw in half a cup of frozen blueberries (35 calories), which are also high in antioxidants. Or toss in three-quarters of a cup of frozen mixed berries, for 70 additional calories. Also, add your own cinnamon or nutmeg to plain oatmeal rather than buying the flavored versions, which come with added sugar.

Does anyone out there wish they had a personal chef? I swear if I had one I'd eat better - lol!

Happy New Year. Look up and there are no limits to your life.

Happy birthday Jim Bakker - Wikipedia

Bakker has renounced his past teachings on prosperity theology, saying they were wrong. In his 1996 book, I Was Wrong, he admitted that the first time he actually read the Bible all the way through was in prison, and that it made him realize he had taken certain passages out of context - passages which he had used as "proof texts" to back up his prosperity teachings. He wrote:

“ The more I studied the Bible, however, I had to admit that the prosperity message did not line up with the tenor of Scripture. My heart was crushed to think that I led so many people astray. I was appalled that I could have been so wrong, and I was deeply grateful that God had not struck me dead as a false prophet!'

Quite interesting.

Chatty

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S DAY!

It's Up To You!



To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven. - Johannes A. Gaertner

Love, Chatty

PS What a fitting day for Betsy Ross's birthday - WIkipedia

Betsy Ross is best remembered as a flag maker during the Revolution. Family oral history, supported only by 19th century affidavits, recounts the widowed Ross meeting with George Washington, George Ross, and Robert Morris at her upholstery business in Philadelphia, a meeting said to have resulted in the sewing of the first U.S. "stars and stripes" flag. According to the story, it was at this meeting, to "silence the men's protests that these new five-pointed stars would be unfamiliar and difficult for seamstresses to make, she folded a piece of paper, made a single scissor snip, and revealed a perfect five-pointed star."

Evidence that Ross did in fact make flags for the government includes a receipt for her making "ship's colours" for the Pennsylvania Navy in May 1777, as well as a folded star pattern with her name found in a Philadelphia Quaker Society safe.

Whether or not Ross made the "first" stars and stripes has never been proven, however. According to the family legend, many women were making flags when Betsy received her first order. Francis Hopkinson also took credit for the design of the stars and stripes, which was partially acknowledged by Congress.

Angels Unaware

""Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them out, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away."

~ Dinah Mulock Craik, A Life for a Life, 1859

In a lifetime, there are one or two people who come into our lives who give inexpressible comfort. Usually, they appear when we need them the most... And they stay as long as we need them.

These rare souls, with a breath of kindness, bring joy and meaning to life. In an uncertain world, these angels faithfully comfort and make subtle positive change. "Angels," said writer Andrew Greeley, "represent God's personal care for each of us."

Miraculously, with life's passionate colors, each of us is an angel who can open our heart to others and make this world a better place for those we love.

Therapist Virginia Satir once said, "I believe the greatest gift I can conceive of having from anyone is to be seen, heard, understood, and touched by them. The greatest gift I can give is to see, hear, understand, and touch another person."

Celebrate those who matter today. Share your heart. Reach out to others with peace and love.

~~Live with a breath of kindness." This was taken in it's entirety from Belief Net.com

This is one thing we can do as a resolution for next year - that will be easy to do - be some one's angel. Be some one's wind beneath their wing -

I've had angels (real woman) hold me up when I thought I couldn't go on - and we need to share that with others. Something I've found too - a loss doesn't go away in 6 or 8 weeks - a loss can go on for a long time - and maybe one's persons loss wouldn't be something that would be ours - no matter - let's go out there and be supportive and fly!



"Teach us delight in simple things." ~ Rudyard Kipling (Happy Birthday)

Love,
Chatty

Have you ever put your foot in pumpkin pie?

We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking, only to learn that it is God who is shaking them. - Charles C. West

Did you ever think about that? Sometimes the only time we turn to God is when our life is ''shaking''. We moan and groan and and question why. Only to find out - later on - that God shook our foundation himself - only to get us to pay attention!

I did forget to tell you something funny that happened on Christmas Day. Between all the people, the kids and their toys, coats, food, and gifts - I had to put the desserts on the steps.

My husband - and this is true - starts up the stairs - and I mean there are lots of desserts - YOU couldn't miss them - although HE missed them - and he stepped full foot - size 12 - in my SIL's homemade pumpkin pie! He didn't tell her at first. Then a little while later her husband looked at the pie and asked her what happened. We were all laughing and I felt really bad - finally Rick admitted to doing it. It was an accident, but . . . .



We are going to go see Alvin 2 today. 'Each day we make deposits in the memory banks of our children'. (Charles Swindoll) - this will be my deposit for him today!




Happy Birthday - to Louis Pasteur - From Wikipedia

He invented polarization of light, he discover germs and that washing of hands of soap was a way to dispose of them, immunology, vaccination - and I thought he only was famous for pasteurization!

He was puzzled by the failure of scientists to recognize God's existence from their observations of the world around them.

It always puzzles me too when I see the world around me - and my kids, and grandchild - how any one can refute there is a God?

Well a lot of thoughts going on today. Have a great Sunday.

Love,
Chatty

How To Have A Good Day - after Christmas

I am sure a lot of people had a wonderful Christmas - with families and friends. I was one. We should consider ourselves lucky and blessed. I do know though I have friends and blog friends who have had a very hard Christmas this year. And I want them to know I did send up a prayer to them yesterday especially.

My son and his wife came from Cincinnati, my niece, her husband and three children, and my sister in law and her husband. 13 - we haven't had 13 for Christmas in ages. Everyone cooked something and I think I had a real bonding experience with my DIL. My son for Christmas helped me make my book - a real book and ordered me a copy - it will be so cool to have it in my hands as a real book. My daughter made a delicious salad. And Andy had a great and calm time. We spent most the day day in Star War land - it is coming back to this household. My husband cooked two roast beefs and made mashed potatoes. So all went really well and I am thankful about that.

As the end years and the New Year is about to begin - a lot of people make resolutions and they want to start the year off right. To make resolutions you must know what is wrong so you can resolve to try to correct it.

Hopefully we want to have more good days then bad days and here are some ideas how to do that!

1. Talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet. (That means not to be toxic to your friends or yourself).
2. Look at the sunny side of everything. (Be positive.)
3. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. (Be positive.)
4. Be as enthusiastic about success of others as you are about your own. (Be positive.)
5. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. (Try to forget.)
6. Give everyone a smile. (Be happy).
7. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. (Work on yourself).

Notice the action verb - not to be, be, and work. When you work on yourself, when you help others, and when you chose to be positive - life is better.

Any other ideas?

Haooy Birthday John Walsh (Wikipedia)

John Walsh (born December 26, 1945) is the host of the TV show America's Most Wanted. Walsh is known for his anti-crime activism, which he became involved with following the murder of his son, Adam, in 1981. Twenty-seven years later on December 16, 2008, the now deceased serial killer Ottis Toole was named as the killer of Walsh's son.

Love,
Chatty

Dance like no one is watching, Love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like no one is listening, Live like it's heaven on earth.

How to beat the blues . . .

From Daily Celebrations -

"The cheerful live longest in years, and afterwards in our regards. Cheerfulness is the off shoot of goodness." ~ Christian N. Bovee

Got the blues? Don't feel bad. Everyone needs their spirits lifted sometimes. If you need some help, why don't ya just...

Celebrate your successes… take a warm bubble bath… make someone else feel important... spread some good news … make a wish on a star… invent new reasons to celebrate… call your favorite aunty… eat chocolate... bake bread from scratch... get into the flow of life...

"If you have given up hope of ever being happy, cheer up. Never lose hope. Your soul, being a reflection of the ever joyous Spirit, is, in essence, happiness itself," observed philosopher Paramahansa Yogananda.

Say NO... say YES... set goals... read the children's classic, Little Engine That Could… love EVERY part of you… Do some aerobics… smile... visit an elderly neighbor... Pray... lie on your back and watch the clouds roll by... wink at someone you like... eat a healthy breakfast...

"The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer everybody else up," advised the very wise Mark Twain.

Rent a Jim Carrey flick... write in your journal... get a facial... go somewhere you've never been... put on your favorite CD and sing at the top of your lungs...Learn to play the ukulele. (No better, easier, more joyous instrument was ever made!)

Read (and share) Daily Celebrations with everyone you know... (Just like I did). Lift your spirits."

The thing is that sometimes at the holidays some people are experiencing depression - they have lost someone - or they don't have much family - something like that. So if you know someone out there alone - say a prayer for them or ask them over!



Check out this song - I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas - beautiful!

http://wandascountryhome.com/whitechristmas/index.html



Today was Robert Urich's birthday - I really liked him - especially in Spencer For Hire.

Urich was first married to actress Barbara Rucker (1968–74). He married actress Heather Menzies in 1975, and they remained married until his death in 2002. Menzies had played one of the von Trapp children, "Louisa," in the film version of The Sound of Music. Urich and Menzies adopted three children, Ryan, Emily and Allison. Menzies also battled cancer, and is an ovarian cancer survivor. She works with the Robert and Heather Urich Fund for Sarcoma Research at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Merry Christmas,
Chatty

Fun Friday

Penguins

Did you ever wonder why there are no dead penguins on the ice in Antarctica - where do they go ?
Wonder no more ! ! !
It is a known fact that the penguin is a very ritualistic bird which lives an extremely ordered and complex life.

The penguin is very committed to its family and will mate for life, as well as maintaining a form of compassionate contact with its offspring throughout its life.

If a penguin is found dead on the ice surface, other members of the family and social circle have been known to dig holes in the ice, using their vestigial wings and beaks, until the hole is deep enough for the dead bird to be rolled into and buried.

The male penguins then gather in a circle around the fresh grave and sing:
"Freeze a jolly good fellow"
"Freeze a jolly good fellow."
"Then they kick him in the ice hole."

(You really didn't believe that I know anything about penguins, did you!)
(Forwarded to me by Monica)

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Here is some Christmas song trivia questions for you to look at and guess the answers to:
http://www.xmasfun.com/ChristmasSongTrivia.aspx

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Let Me Tell You About My Weekend

An older, white-haired man walked into a jewelry store one Friday evening with
a beautiful young gal at his side.

He told the jeweler he was looking for a special ring for his new girlfriend.
The jeweler looked through his stock and brought out a $5,000 ring. The old
man said, 'No, I'd like to see something more special.'

At that statement, the jeweler went to his special stock and brought another
ring over.. 'Here's a stunning ring at only $40,000' the jeweler said.

The young lady's eyes sparkled and her whole body trembled with excitement. The
old man seeing this said, 'We'll take it.'

The jeweler asked how payment would be made and the old man stated, 'by check.
I know you need to make sure my check is good, so I'll write it now and you can
call the bank Monday to verify the funds and I'll pick the ring up Monday
afternoon,' he said.

Monday morning, the jeweler phoned the old man. 'There's no money in that
account.'

'I know,' said the old man, 'But let me tell you about my weekend!'

All Seniors Aren't Senile

♥♥♥♥♥♥

These singers are all Anesthesiologists in Minnesota and they can really sing. They are also funny. Here they sing "Waking up is hard to do" .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOrjcLJ2IE0&feature=related

♥♥♥♥♥♥

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Ty Cobb - Happy birthday - a Georgia boy - Wikipedia

Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb, nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was a baseball player and is regarded by some historians and journalists as the best player of the dead-ball era, and is generally seen as one of the greatest players of all time. Ty Cobb was born in Royston, Georgia

On August 8, 1905, Ty's mother fatally shot his father. William Cobb suspected his wife of infidelity, and was sneaking past his own bedroom window to catch her in the act; she saw the silhouette of what she presumed to be an intruder, and, acting in self-defense, shot and killed her husband. Mrs. Cobb was charged with murder and then released on a $7,000 recognizance bond. She was acquitted on March 31, 1906. Cobb later attributed his ferocious play to the death of his father, saying, "I did it for my father. He never got to see me play ... but I knew he was watching me, and I never let him down."

Love,
Chatty

The Post Office

I don't vent too much (well I don't think I do) - and I truly love the United States Postal Service. I love to use them, I trust them, and I even think the price is good. Did you know when the Pony Express existed it cost $5 to send a piece of mail?

I went yesterday around 11:15am - I went with my husband - who has zero 'wait capacity'. He flipped out. So we left and I went back around 1pm. The line was 20 deep. Now there were four workers there and I thought it would go fast - although the post office, now that I think about it, NEVER goes fast.

When the clerks walk - you ever notice they walk so slow - they are never in a hurry - they never look stressed. Almost every job I've ever worked at - I've always had to work fast!

Well it took me 40 minutes. Just as I got 'up next' 2 clerks went to lunch and I waited another 10 minutes being first in line. So close and so far away.

My question is this - why or how do they move so slow? Is that a requirement of the job? Are they taught that in a class? Why not charge a little more - get more help - and make people happy with the post office so that is gets used more? Oh well - what do you think? Have you ever been to a fast post office? Inquiring minds want to know.

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This is a cute little site - you type in the name of a Christmas song and the two little characters will sing it to you. Great for the grandkids.
http://www.sundog.net/carolofthechins/flash/card.swf

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Happy Birthday Deborah Sampson - who is Deborah Sampson?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Deborah Sampson (December 17, 1760 - April 29, 1827) was the first known American woman to impersonate a man in order to join the Army. She gave her name as Robert Shurtliff, or Rob Shart, and successfully convinced the Uxbridge Seargent that she was a man in order to join the Continental Army near the end of the American Revolution.

You need to look her up and read the rest of the story.

Love,
Chatty

Welcome to Snow Country

“Everybody likes to go their own way to choose their own time and manner of devotion. ” —Jane Austen - so much was accomplished in her 42 short years on earth.

Wikipedia

In December 1802, Austen received her only proposal of marriage. Bigg-Wither proposed and Austen accepted.

As described by Caroline Austen, Jane's niece, and Reginald Bigg-Wither, a descendant, Harris was not attractive—he was a large, plain-looking man who spoke little, stuttered when he did speak, was aggressive in conversation, and almost completely tactless.

However, Austen had known him since both were young and the marriage offered many practical advantages to Austen and her family. He was the heir to extensive family estates located in the area where the sisters had grown up. With these resources, Austen could provide her parents a comfortable old age, give Cassandra a permanent home and, perhaps, assist her brothers in their careers.

By the next morning, Austen realised she had made a mistake and withdrew her acceptance. No contemporary letters or diaries describe how Austen felt about this proposal.

In 1814, Austen wrote a letter to her niece, Fanny Knight, who had asked for advice about a serious relationship, telling her that "having written so much on one side of the question, I shall now turn around & entreat you not to commit yourself farther, & not to think of accepting him unless you really do like him. Anything is to be preferred or endured rather than marrying without Affection".

I would say she was a smart gal.

A romantic sleigh ride

It's time for Tuesdays' Show & Tail' over at Angela's West Virginia Treasures! (Click here) If you have a cute story and picture of a pet, or any furry (or non-furry) friend, you are welcome to join in! Check her blog for the rules, post away - and thanks, Angela, for being our host!

My Animal Story of the Week and it comes with some handy advice:





Happy Birthday to Tim Conway -

Did you ever watch Tim Conway and Harvey Korman on the Carol Bernette Show? Man they just don;t make shows like they used too.

It was live and I remember a few instances where they laughed so hard they couldn't get it together. One was when Korman was a dentist to Conway.

Roll Freddy Roll was a TV movie put on by Disney. Did anyone see it? I laughed so hard I thought I'd die when he got on those skates and rolled down those hills.

Man he's a funny guy.
Love,
Chatty

I'm running late Monday!

Christmas is a really busy time for me - I spent all day yesterday making candies for a party tonight and one on Thursday. So I'm behind! I think I'll keep it light and fun this week.

Just click on this site and you'll get a recipes of any cookie you want to make. Good to keep handy.

http://www.northpole.com/Kitchen/Cookbook/cat0001.asp

Hope you enjoy!

Early life of Patty Duke - this is interesting- Happy Birthday from Wikipedia

Duke was born Anna Marie Duke in Elmhurst, Queens, New York, the daughter of Frances (née McMahon), a cashier, and John Patrick Duke, a handyman and cab driver. Her father was Irish American and her maternal grandmother was German.

Duke experienced a childhood of hard times. Her father was an alcoholic, and her mother suffered from clinical depression and was prone to violence. When Duke was 6, her mother threw her father out; when she was 8, her mother turned Duke's care over to John and Ethel Ross, who became her managers, recognized her talent and promoted her as a child actress.

The Rosses' methods were unscrupulous. For instance, they consistently billed Duke as two years younger than she was, and padded her resume with some false credits. It was Ethel Ross who gave the sweeping name-change order, "Anna Marie is dead, you are Patty now." This would have painful repercussions for Duke in the decades to come. (Her professional name was chosen because the Rosses wanted her to achieve the success of Patty McCormack).

That was a tough childhood indeed.

Love,
Chatty

The Shower Doors - Get R Done-Blog 3

Yes, I did do 3 small (?) individual blogs today - so take your pick!

It's Friday! It's Get R Done Friday! Please visit our gracious host, ClassyChassy, at Expressly Corgi to see all of the others who are participating in this weekly event! Feel free to join in if you have a project that you are working on or have just finished! Everyone is welcome! Just sign in with Mr. Linky and you are good to go! Visit all the participates and leave a comment so they know you have stopped by.

Okay I have five new faucets and two new shower doors! Finally!!!!!!!! WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my grandson's fish bathroom. The inside track did not hold the glass slider (for years) and it would sway back and forth - I was worried what would happen if the top came off the track.



So here is Tim the tool man Taylor, oh I mean Rick putting in the shower.
Walla - the new door that doesn't swing off the track!


Bathroom one - successful and Andy is happy.

Yes, readers - my house is filled - filled to the brim!


Now this would be Georgia Mold - and yes - we have had it in there for years! There were two panes of glass and when the water got in between - mold.



And yes, my participation in this was the motivator aka the task master.


Walla - my second new shower door. Thanks Rick!
Oh what - there is just one tiny problem.

He put the door up upside down - it's backwards.

Oh well, in another 25 years I'll get a new one.

Love,

chatty

Eight facts about Chatty Crone-Blog 2

Jane at Gaston Studio (click here) has asked to me to write 8 things about myself, not important per say, just things I guess I haven't shared before.

I have been thinking about this all day. Here goes:

1. I HATE coconut anything! YUCK! If I get a piece in my mouth is seems it takes forever to get rid of!

2. I love to play - I love to laugh - I love silly things - silly videos - silly pictures (can you tell?)

3. I consider myself irregular - different from the norm and I'm glad about it.

4. My brother would have been 64 years old today.

5. I remembered from years ago what a rhombus was - that is 3rd grade math now by the way.

6. I read two to three books a week (magazines) and listen to CD's.

7. We have a critter we are tying to catch in the attic.

8. I am always trying to learn to better myself.

Hope this will do Jane.
Love,
Chatty