Thanksgiving

Well, we had a great Thanksgiving. We went to eat at my parents. It was delicious! Todd had gotten the flu shot the day before and was not feeling very well. He always has reactions to shots. He still has a stuffy nose. We have already put up our tree. I love Christmas. It has to be one of my favorite holidays. Every year when I put up our tree it is like going back in time. Every year since I was very young, my mom has gotten an ornament for me that has represented something that happened that year. I love jogging my memory in that manner. I am thankful that most of those years have have come and gone (especially when I was 13 and 14)! We now give Todd ornaments, too. He understands it now and he loves it.

Haircuts

I actually enjoy getting haircuts. I like to have my hair washed, especially. Then why is it such a dreaded word in my family? Todd hates them. I mean he will do anything to avoid them. He will give up visiting my parents if it means he has to get a haircut first. Twice this week, we have gotten all the way to the chair before he gets to a point where we cannot cut it. We would have to physically hold him down and most places will not cut it under those conditions. It is awful. Let me tell you, his first 3 haircuts were a snap. Then, he got his ear clipped badly. This was before he was 2 and he still remembers it!!! He can't remember much of his 2's bit he remembers this. So, we went to the clippers. He calls this the "buzzy comb". We were going along great. Then, we had someone that had a dull or ungreased buzzy comb and it pulled so now we can't use those. This has been a battle for so long! I feel sorry for him. HE is terrified. His heart rate will increase and he will complain about a stomach ache. That is sad! However, I cannot stand when his hair looks so shaggy. It drives me nuts!! I just purchased a kid set of clippers to see if he will let me do that. We will see! And to make matters worse, his hair grows so fast!!!!!

Proverbs

Brad and I teach the Jr. High class on Sunday mornings. We have been discussing selflessness. In our discussions last week, we got into the topic of gossip and how easy it was to gossip. I remember those middle school years and they are correct. In a time where everyone feels awkward, you try to find flaws in others to make you look better. As Brad and I were discussing scripture for the lesson, we went to Proverbs. Proverbs has always been interesting to me. I really wanted to take a class offered at Harding that was for women on Psalms and Proverbs but it always interfered with an education class that I had to take. During our reading, I came across some interesting, and at times funny, scriptures. Some of them were a great reminder. I am going to post a few of these tidbits of knowledge.


Provebs Chapter 10
8 The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

19 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

27 The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.

Proverbs Chapter 12
4 A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Provebs Chapter 13
3 He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

Proverbs Chapter 14
32 When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge.

Proverbs 16
31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life. (Good to know since I have some!)

Proverbs 27
15 A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day;
16 restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand. (Wow that is harsh!)


There are so many good quotes. If it has been awhile since you read Provebs, I challenge you to do so. It has a lot of good things to say.

Running...

I hate it. I never have liked running. Walking, sure, I would do that for long periods of time but I hate running. However, I have done it the past 2 nights. We watch the biggest loser and they lose big amounts of weight. I noticed running was a part of every one of their routines. I need to lose weight and I decided I would never be in the mind-set to run so I would just have to start and hate it. Tonight, we made it a family affair to help Todd learn healthy habits that we did not keep growing up. He killed us. He ran the entire time and kept up with us. If we stopped he was saying, "Come on, you can do it." This is the same kid that ran at the park today for almost 2 1/2 hours non-stop. I am glad he is liking to run, maybe he will not find himself in our place someday.

You will not believe this...

I have a cousin who is pregnant with her 3rd child and is due late Feb. She is only 24 years old and seems to have really bad luck. This story is real and is proof of her odd luck. She was sitting in her house Thursday evening. She looked up and saw a bat, yes a bat, in her house. Somehow they managed to get it out. The next day she phoned the pediatrician to see if there was anything else that needed to be done. They wanted to know how long the bat had been in her house. She told them she had no idea. They informed her that she would need to take rabies shots (all 4 of them). They went on to tell her a bat could bite you during the night and you would have no idea. Can you believe that! How could I be bit by a mosquito and feel it but not a bat? Anyway, she had to wait for the shots to come in. She went today thinking she would have to pay co-pays. Even the co-pays were going to run $600 because of the amount of shots they were going to have to take. However, the company would only ship it to the pharmacy and so insurance is saying they will not pay. Today they had to pay $1700. That is for one time and they have several more. The thing is they have to have these shots because a bat bite can kill you in a matter of weeks. Please pray for them. They did not have the money today and a family member had to pay. I do not know what is going to happen! Her name is Amy. She has struggled a lot, and at times it has shaken her faith!

Halloween

Todd was really into Halloween this year. He wanted to be James from Thomas the Train. He was Thomas 2 years ago but wanted to be James this year. He loved it. We had a Fall Festival at church this year. It was a lot of fun. Todd really enjoyed the hay ride until someone jumped up screaming thinking it was older kids. I thought he was going to die. It made me really mad. We took him door to door trick-or-treating on Halloween because "that is how Halloween is supposed to be". We took him in my parent's small neighborhood because we could trust everyone. He got the best candy from those few houses. It was not your typical mix.. it was snickers, twix, ect.