We have 8 new grand-doggies!!!

And here are some of them! They are registered boxers.

I'll post more pictures when I get them. We are going down tomorrow to see them in person. These are pictures that Erin sent to me. They were born Wednesday evening. Daniel and Erin said Heidi, the puppies mama, didn't have any trouble at all. Erin is taking them to the vet this morning to have their dew claws clipped and their little tails bobbed. Me? I'm going to go lay down for a little while as I have been on my feet most of the morning, doing hair, morning chores and fixing breakfast for Ed. I may post again later.

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Oh, and for those of you who like to play Tetris, as I do, I found a really neat site where it is so easy to play. If you have dial-up, as I do, once it has loaded, which only takes a sec, you can disconnect from the internet and play to your heart's content. I must warn you: It is addictive. I will not be held responsible for you wasting inumerable amounts of time playing Tetris. Here is the website.

A wonderful Sunday!

See this little cutie pie? He is my great-nephew Nathen and he was dedicated to the Lord yesterday by Bro. Tiller where Drew and Bethany, Nathen's parents go to church, Reynoldsburg Grace Apostolic. It was a wonderful ceremony! He is the most precious little baby. We all went out to dinner after the morning service which was awesome. The sweet presence of the Lord was there from the start. Pastor Tiller preached a wonderful message, "Sealed". There was a great altar service and the Lord truly ministered to so many, myself included.
Daniel and Erin went with us and we had a great time going to church together and then to dinner afterwards. We also shopped a little on the way home later that afternoon.
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This morning, my friend Pam, from church, called and told me that she had the day off, so we went to Bob Evans for breakfast and about talked ourselves silly! *smile* We then went to a local nursing home to visit with a dear saint from church who is recovering from knee replacement surgery. She is going home this weekend and is so excited! She has recovered remarkably well for her age. I could hardly believe it when I saw her and how she is getting around! The Lord is good! Her name is Alice and she was telling me that she needs to go for her first doctor's visit sometime in December, so I told her that I would be glad to take her if Pam would go with me. Well, Pam is scheduled to have carpal-tunnel surgery a few days before Alice's dr.'s appt. but she was sure she would be able to go. I said, "Boy, we'll really be a group, Alice with her cane, Pam with her arm in a sling and me with my walker!" Talk about the blind leading the blind! BUT, we are strong, capable women and we can do it!! *smile*
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It has been raining buckets here today! But I'll not complain because we do need the rain after having such a dry summer. But is has made me just want to sleep all day, especially since we had such busy weekend. I did take a cozy nap this afternoon after I got home. Mmmmm......love those warm afternoon naps on a chilly, rainy afternoon with Ellie curled up beside me.
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Today is also the first day of deer hunting season. It has been pretty quiet around here because of the rain, I believe. It usually sounds like the Civil War has broken out. *grin* There have been so many deer killed on the highways around here. I come very close to hitting deer several times since the weather has turned cool. I try to be so careful when out driving, watching for the deer. Have a great week everyone! Ed has carried the Christmas storage boxes out to the living room for me, so it will be work in progress here at the Cavinee household this week, spreading Christmas cheer throughout! *smile* Happy Holidays!! Enjoy the season, as we remember our Saviour's coming to us so long ago. It is the most wonderful time of the year!

On the other side of Thanksgiving!

Hi everyone!! I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving with your families and friends. As usual, I talked to each of my siblings on Thanksgiving morning and talked with Daniel and Erin. We had a quiet Thanksgiving dinner and enjoyed a relaxing day here at home. Ed and I did go out later in the evening to Big Lots where I purchased two small lighted pine trees in urns for the front porch. We then went to Walmart and shopped a bit. There was hardly anyone out and it was fun to be in the stores when they were almost empty! *smile* I am not much of a shopper in the first place and I've never been out on Black Friday. Ed has ventured out before and I would like to be able to see all of the frenzy but only if I could hover above it and see it from that vantage point. I wouldn't want to be right in the middle of it. Daniel called us at 7am Friday morning. He and Erin had gotten up early and gone to Parkersburg to get in on some of the early morning bargains!

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The annual Logan Christmas Parade was today. Ed, me, Daniel and Erin, my sister Debbie and her daugher and her family gathered on Main Street in front of where Debbie lives and we all watched the parade together. Our church had a float in the parade once again this year and won first prize!!! Caleb McCarthy, one of our young people at church, does the float design and then others help get it together. He does a fantastic job! Here are a couple of pictures of it:

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A few weeks ago, my oldest sister, Bev, had an open house for her daughter Bethany and Bethany's new little baby boy, Nathen. While we were at the open house, Bev's husband took a picture of me, Bev and our oldest brother, Bill. I am not very photogenic, so I was so pleased to see that it was a decent picture of me AND of Bev and Bill. Here it is! Boy, but we are all getting gray, hm? *smile* Oh, that is me on the left, Bill in the middle and Bev on the right!

Well, that is about all I have to say for now! I am so mixed up on my days. I thought yesterday was today and now I don't know what I think today is but it doesn't seem like tomorrow should be Sunday. We will be going to Bro. Tiller's church in Reynoldsburg in the morning for service as Bethany and Drew are having little Nathen dedicated and they've asked the family to be there, of course! I'll take pictures!

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Oh and last but not least, Ed and I got all of the outside Christmas decorating done! Well, he did most of it, but I helped ALOT! *smile* It looks so pretty! I love Christmastime! I'll take some pictures and post them soon. Now to get the inside decorated! That will have to wait until another day, though I do have the fall and Thanksgiving decorations put away! I've been pretty busy the past few days!! I may be slow but I manage to get it done, with the help and encouragement of my wonderful husband and the Lord. Have a blessed Sunday, everyone!!

Why we celebrate Thanksgiving

Many Americans think of Thanksgiving as a wonderful time to celebrate getting out of school for a long weekend, and eating a great dinner. Or, maybe they think it is the start of the Christmas holiday season. What is the real meaning behind Thanksgiving?
We can trace this historic American Christian tradition to the year 1623. After the harvest crops were gathered in November 1623, Governor William Bradford of the 1620 Pilgrim Colony, "Plymouth Plantation" in Plymouth, Massachusetts proclaimed:
"All ye Pilgrims with your wives and little ones, do gather at the Meeting House, on the hill… there to listen to the pastor, and render Thanksgiving to the Almighty God for all His blessings."

This is the origin of our annual Thanksgiving Day celebration. Congress of the United States has proclaimed National Days of Thanksgiving to Almighty God many times throughout the following years. On November 1, 1777, by order of Congress, the first National Thanksgiving Proclamation was proclaimed, and signed by Henry Laurens, President of Continental Congress. The third Thursday of December, 1777 was thus officially set aside:
"…for solemn thanksgiving and praise. That with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their Divine Benefactor;… and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them (their manifold sins) out of remembrance… That it may please Him… to take schools and seminaries of education, so necessary for cultivating the principles of true liberty, virtue and piety under His nurturing hand, and to prosper the means of religion for the promotion and enlargement of that kingdom which consisteth of 'righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost'…"

Then again, on January 1, 1795, our first United States President, George Washington, wrote his famed National Thanksgiving Proclamation, in which he says that it is…
"…our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God, and to implore Him to continue is… our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God, and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experienced…"
Thursday, the 19th day of February, 1795 was thus set aside by George Washington as a National Day of Thanksgiving.

Many years later, on October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed, by Act of Congress, an annual National Day of Thanksgiving "on the last Thursday of November, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens." In this Thanksgiving proclamation, our 16th President says that it is…
"…announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord… But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, by the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own… It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people…"

So it is that on Thanksgiving Day each year, Americans give thanks to Almighty God for all His blessings and mercies toward us throughout the year.

Thanksgiving dinner traditions

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I was reading blogs yesterday and also talking to my sisters at one point or another during the day and evening. In doing so, I've come to realize that not everyone has the same food traditions at Thanksgiving. Depending on what region of the country you're from, the food traditions vary. One thing that I got to wondering about was if we had had a green vegetable on our table at Thanksgiving time when we were kids. So I asked Bev and Debbie and they said they could not remember any green vegetables being served. Our Thanksgiving feast consisted of Turkey, dressing/stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, homemade noodles, yeast rolls, and pumpkin pie. And there was plenty of EVERYTHING! Oh, and Dad always made oyster dressing, too. Yum! Me and my siblings each loooooove oyster dressing, but our spouses do not, which I think is interesting. So every year, at Christmastime, I make each of my siblings a small dish of oyster dressing.
Now that I am grown and married, I've always fixed green beans with our Thanksgiving dinner. Not green bean casserole because my guys don't care for it. But I love vegetables of every kind and always fix alot of them for me and Ed.
Bev and I were talking last night and she shared with me that one of her co-workers, who is not a native Ohioan, said that although they usually had homemade noodles at Thanksgiving, they would never think of putting them over the potatoes and stuffing because that would be putting a starch on a starch. Wellll....yeah. *smile* At least, that is what we've always done in my family.
Soooooo, what are some of your Thanksgiving family food traditions?
If Daniel has turkey, noodles,mashed potatoes, and rolls, he is in food heaven! Oh and lots of butter for the rolls, of course. He doesn't eat anything green or orange! When he was little, I made him try sweet potatoes because I felt as a good mother, I should make him at least "try" different foods. Well, he gagged and choked and with little tears in his eyes he looked up at me and said, "Mommy, please don't make me eat orange potatoes again, please?" That was the last time I ever made him try something he didn't want.
So, please, share your family food traditions!

Go Bucks! Beat Michigan!!

So Ed and I went to Athens yesterday evening and went to Appleby's with Daniel and Erin. As we are waiting in the lobby to be seated, we noticed two couples walking by us to be seated. They had a little boy who was about two years old, dressed in Michigan garb: a toboggan and jacket. He was a cutie! Well, as we are being seated in our booth, Daniel nonchalantly says, "I can't believe they made that little boy wear Michigan stuff" to which the mom turns and says, "Go Blue"! They were seated at a table next to us! Daniel didn't see them there! *smile* So I took it upon myself to ease the tension a bit and said, "Well, we think he's the cutest Michigan fan we've ever seen!" *smile* And we all laughed and went on with our evening. Oh, and Daniel had on a "Whoop Michigan" t-shirt! LOL

GO BUCKEYES!!!

We'll be going to Daniel and Erin's to watch the game and play with the grand-doggies.!

Ohhhh Nooooo!!!

Okay, so I'm sitting here at my computer. It's 8am on Saturday morning. I've been up for about an hour and a half. Ed just got up a few minutes ago when he smelled the fresh coffee. He checked the woodburner, put some wood in it and headed for the den. I just heard the familiar strains of "Green Acres is the place to be, Farm livin' is the life for me........." and I thought and said kind of quietly, while smiling, "Ohhhhh noooooo......" To which Ed replied, while laughing, that he needed his morning laugh, which brought back some fond memories.
Wayyyyyy back when Ed and I first started dating, I would call him EARLY in the morning, around 5:30am, to make sure that he was up and getting ready for work. At this time, I didn't have a TV, but he did and when I would call him, it was nothing for him to answer the phone laughing because he had the Beverly Hillbillies on, watching and listening to them while he got ready for work!!! AT FIVE-THIRTY IN THE MORNING!!! LOL And he wouldn't be just chuckling a little. He would be really laughing!!! It got me to kind of wondering, "Okay, what kind of a guy is up at 5:30AM, watching the Beverly Hillbillies and laughing like crazy?" I was a bit concerned, to say the least. Then after we got married and maybe we had had an argument and I was in the other room stewing, he would be in the other room laughing his head off at something he was watching on TV. How could he do that?????? How is that possible????? Well, I still haven't quite figured that one out and we've pretty much put arguing behind us. It just isn't worth it. But, still, I could never understand how he could just walk into the other room, turn on the TV and laugh like crazy.
*Pause* I wish you could hear him laughing right this moment at "Green Acres"! LOL Even I think Green Acres is funny. It's so stupid! LOL
Anywayyyyyy......while I may have been concerned all those years ago about this man I had met, who laughed at these ridiculous shows in the WEE hours of the morning, I'm so glad I got to know him and married him and worked through the difficult times and trusted in the Lord to see us through, and am now sitting here on a chilly November Saturday morning listening to him laugh at those crazy people who live in and around Hooterville! *smile*

Yesterday and a few days prior

The pain level has really been up there the past several days, for whatever reason, making just doing the basics really a challenge and causing sleep to be elusive. A few nights ago, my tossing and turning in bed must have caused Ed to wake up and he turned over and asked me if I was in pain, to which I answered yes. I was so worn out and just couldn't get comfortable or find any relief. He immediately began to pray for me. I am telling you that instantly the pain left my lower body and I drifted off to sleep while he was still praying. *tears* Our God is such an awesome God. Then a couple of nights later, the same thing happened and the Lord immediately caused my pain to ease so that I could sleep.

Yesterday, I could barely get around here at home. Still, you have to understand that I push myself to get the few things done here at home that just have to be done and Ed is so wonderful to help me do anything that I ask of him. But I do get concerned when I am like this, when it is such an effort to do the smallest task because of the pain.

By the time I had everything ready to take to the ladies' meeting last night, I was just about done in. Of course, Ed said I should not push myself so hard. He said I should stay home and take care of myself. He said that everyone would more than understand. But I felt that I should go because I was in charge of some things and Sis. Scism was going to be speaking and on and on. So, Ed took everything out to the car for me and helped me get on my way.

Thankfully, when I arrived at the church, I was able to load everything onto my little walker and take it into the church and a couple of the other ladies who had just arrived walked with me. We all gathered in and got everything in place and Sis. Martin started the meeting. We prayed and then everyone got something to eat. As I was walking back to my place to eat, I noticed that I wasn't in very much pain, if any at all. I was walking with my walker of course, but still, I noticed the definite absence of pain.

Fast forward to this morning: Ed asked me how I did at the ladies' meeting last night and I told him about not being in pain and he told me that he had been in prayer for me. AND I went to bed last night and slept soundly until 3am and then until 7:15 this morning! Ed had gotten up, made coffee, fed the kitty and I didn't even notice! Usually I am the first one up at around 6am!

I said all of that to say this: I am so thankful that when we pray, the Lord so mercifully causes my pain to ease and lift, so that I can sleep or do whatever I need to do. I don't know why I am not completely healed. I know that He is able, for He has healed me completely of other things so many times, even during the past two years that I have been dealing with this back and leg pain and disability.

I was reading my Bible a few nights ago and came upon the scriptures that I typed below and my heart was just overwhelmed with the love and concern and mercy that the Lord has for me, I just cried. Perhaps if I was pain-free and all, I wouldn't have this deep, heart-felt love Him or truly appreciate the way He loves me and takes care of me.
"I'll keep holding onto Jesus, I'll keep holding onto Jesus,
I'll keep holding to His precious nail-scarred hands,
And though the way gets weary, I can't see the way too clearly,
I'll keep holding to His precious, nail-scarred hands."


Oh, but it keeps me ever before Him, ever dependent on Him. *tears* And if it serves no other purpose, then so be it. I won't complain.
"God is so good to me, He is so good to me,
More than this world could be, He's so good to me,
His spirit came to me and gave me victory,
God is so good to me, I can't complain."

"Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted."
Hebrews 2:17-18
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
Hebrews 4:15-16
"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust."
Psalm 103:13-14



I heard a story one time: A Shepherd had a sheep that kept wandering off. No matter how good He was to this little sheep, it wandered off and away from the shelter and safety of the flock and its Shepherd. So, one day, for its own good, the shepherd allowed the little lamb's back legs to be broken. During the healing process, the Shepherd had to carry the little sheep everywhere, holding it close to His chest, in the protection of His loving arms. In time, the little lamb's legs healed and it was able to once again stand on his own legs and get about, but during the healing process, while he was being carried about by the Shepherd, the little lamb fell sooo in love with the Shepherd that he didn't want to be away from Him for any reason. He never strayed again. The pain served a purpose, though the lamb could not see it during the process.
"I feel the touch of hands so kind and tender.
They're leading me in the paths that I must trod.
I'll have no fear for Jesus walks beside me,
For I'm sheltered in the arms of God."

Belated Veterans' Day Post

My grandfather was in WWI and survived to tell about it, as did my father who was a paratrooper with the 101st airborne division in WWII. My oldest brother and two brothers-in-law served in Vietnam and made it home alive. I am thankful for all of the freedoms that I have as an American. May I never take them for granted for they came at such a high price. God Bless America, our veterans and those who are still serving in the military

Please observe a moment of silence

Illinois 28,Ohio State 21
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LSU takes top spot in BCS standings
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Ohio State plunged to seventh in the standings.

The Chili Cook-off!

We had such a great time! And no one suffered any ill effects, thankfully. Well, I did in an indirect sort of way, if you get my drift. Anywayyyy.....moving right along......we had THIRTEEN entries, aka crockpots of chili. Just let me say here that I didn't realize just how many varieties of slow-cookers there are! No two were alike. AND do you have any idea of just how many different versions of chili there are? I tasted all of them and they were all so different, some really delicious, some too spicy hot, some too soupy, some with too many beans, some too bland BUT we had a winner! And it wasn't me and Ed. Yes, we conspired on a delicious pot of chili.

And here is the WINNER:

Sis. Jody Rowe! She is pictured here with my brother, Johnny, who so generously contributed the first place prize of $100. And all I was going for was a chef's hat or maybe an apron that said something cutesy on it. Jody was extremely happy with the $100!!!

Now, there is a real story here. She and her mother live in the same apartment complex, across the hall from one another. Her mother, Sis. Patty, called me around noon and told me that she didn't think they were going to come. They both were dissatisfied (disgusted *grin*) with their chilis. Sis. Patty's car went on the blink....again. Just everything was going wrong for them. And then when they finally arrived at the church, they came in all discomboobalated, having spilled one of the pots of chili in Jody's car and it got all over the other things that they had brought with them. Well, some of the men helped them get everything into the fellowship hall. Some of the ladies helped them get everything cleaned up and all settled in. And then to top it all off......JODY WINS!!!!! Hallelujah!!!!! We all said, "Who better to win?" And she and her dear mother can really use the money. (She shared with her sweet mom.) So everyone was happy!

Ed and I came in seond!!! Yeehaa!!! The judges said it was a close call but Jody's won out in the end. The judges asked her to share her ingredients with everyone and we couldn't believe all that she had put it in. The judges said that they think the italian sausage she put in it may have made the difference. Ed had wanted to put some in ours but I said that I didn't like the taste of sausage in chili. *feeble grin* Oh well.......there 's always next year.

Pastor Martin's son, Michael came in third. Pastor Martin made a really hot, spicy pot of chili and ended up giving it away to his son-in-law, as Pastor said that he couldn't be eating very much chili on the eve of Sunday services.

Here are our illustrious judges: Bro. Matt Olson, who pastors in Pleasantville and Sis. Chris Kornmiller, a member of our church. They did a great job!

I organized the event as best as I could but it was only with the wonderful help of everyone who came that it was such a great event!! Everyone is already excited about next year's chili cook-off!!

More pictures and birthday news

As I was leaving the Baymont Inn yesterday after swimming, I took these two pictures: The first one is of the stone and brick entrance to the American Legion grounds. The next picture is of the tree-lined drive back to the American Legion grounds.



Well, today is the big day. I am now 56. This is one of the years when Ed's and my birthday numbers are switched. He is 65 and I am 56. It also happened when I was 34 and he was 43 and when I was 45 and he was 54. My how time does fly by! He took me to Jack's Steak House for a wonderful breakfast! I am going to take a nap here shortly and then it is off to Lancaster with my sisters and sisters-in-law! AND I think Daniel may join us after he gets off of work!
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Oh, another bit of news: Ed and I began teaching Exploring God's Word to two wonderful gentlemen who have been coming to church for a few months. Bill is in his 40's and Doug is in his 70's. They are best friends. Bill's daughter, her boyfriend and their three little children have been coming to church for some time now. She received the Holy Ghost and Bradley was renewed in the Holy Ghost after many years. They are a wonderful family. Well, Bill and Doug are so hungry for the word of the Lord and it is such an indescribable blessing to be able to teach them and answer their many questions and just be a partaker of their spiritual vitality. They've both told us that they went to other churches and even took part in some bible studies but never experienced anything like this. They apparently were in discussions about other beliefs and religions and that sort of thing. They have many questions and they are certainly welcome.
I just know that it has once again re-invigorated me and Ed spiritually to be teaching these fine men and helping them to grow in the Lord. It's truly what it's all about for a christian, hm? I'll take their picture next week and post it here, if they don't mind! *smile*

Autumn in my valley

Here is a picture I took from the back porch the other evening when the sun was going down.

Below is a picture of the beautiful flower garden to the right of the main entrance at church. It caught my eye yesterday morning and I just had to take a picture!
Here is a picture of the vestibule at church, which Sis. Martin has decorated for fall. And in the foreground is a table with Christmas for Christ cans on it. The cans are SFC cans that have been "reborn". I covered them with Christmas paper and labels and voila! (Please don't tell anyone in the youth department,k? *grin*)

It's birthday week!

My sister Debbie's birthday was Sunday and my birthday is this coming Thursday, so we will be going out to dinner with our sister, Bev and our two sisters-in-law this Thursday evening. Wellllll....this past Sunday, my secret sister brought me my first birthday gift! And she couldn't have gotten me anything I would have loved more!! Here it is!!!

Yessssss, we ARE a #1 team!!! Go Bucks!!!

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Andddddd, then today, my piano student and dear friend, Laura, gave me this beautiful tapestry bag in which to carry my music. On the front it says, " Let us exalt the Lord with music and song." Psalm 45:2

Laura and I met last March at a music workshop in Dayton, Ohio where Bro. Ken Dillingham is the pastor. Sis. Pam Rentzel is the music director there and was my first "apostolic" piano teacher. It would be well worth your while to check out her website here. Laura and her friends sat down at the same table as me and Stacy for lunch at the church and she discovered that I gave piano lessons and that was how it all began. *smile* She has such a passion for music and ministry! She is such an inspiration to me. Each week, I look so forward to our lesson because I know that I am always going to leave feeling strengthened and inspired by her, the student and my friend! Laura and her husband pastor a good church in Pleasantville, Ohio and her husband is one of the judges for our chili cook-off this coming Saturday afternoon!

I'm Alive!!!

Yes, Sirree, I surely am. I've just been kinda busy and haven't felt like blogging. Do any of you get that way? I mean, I had alot of things to blog about but I just didn't feel like typing it out and posting it and, well, you get the idea.

Anywayyyyy......here I am, once again, ready to blog. Tada! *smile*

Wellllll, last Friday, my three New York girlfriends and I had our Christmas lunch get-together EARLY! *smile* I call them my New York girlfriends because we three went to NYC for the first time back in October of 1999. We had such a wonderful time and made some great memories! We went to see Phantom of the Opera and walked a million miles and laughed ourselves silly! The next year, Arlene was not able to go because of health problems, so, because we had already bought tickets and made reservations, the other three of us went. We went to see Lion King on Broadway and it was absolutely breathtaking! All four of us are each so different in personality but we just mesh so well as travelling buddies and we have such a great time together! Here is a pic of us having lunch at Old Dutch Restaurant last Friday afternoon!

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It is a cold and blustery day here today but the house is so nice and cozy. Ed started the woodburner today for the first time this fall and it is wonderful. It keeps the house so evenly heated and comfortable and my aching bones welcome the steady heat. Ellie has taken up residence for the winter right in front of the stove! *smile* Her bed is made of an old box that macaroni and cheese dinners come in from Aldi's and a little blanket that I bought at a yard sale for a quarter. Now, we could have spent a nice little bit of money for a kitty bed and all, but she just loves old boxes and blankets, so she is in kitty heaven. When Ed put it in front of the stove for her, he called her to it and was babying her but she just stood off across the room acting kind of snooty and all.....just being a cat.......like she was saying, "If you think I'm going to purr and grovel at your feet over some dumb box and blanket, well, I'm not about to lower myself." So, instead, we just left her alone and gradually, over about a twenty-minute period, she sauntered over to the box, sniffed around it, sat beside of it and groomed herself a little, inching a little closer, untilllll..... eventuallyyyyy......... she couldn't resist any longer! I knew she'd break! *smile* And she has hardly left her new-found bed since early this morning! Here she is all snug and warm:

1st Church Chili Cook-off

It all started with my friend, Laura. She told me about their church's chili cook-off and how much fun it was. She then suggested that our church have one. Sooooooo.......I thought: Why not?

Welllllll.....I never dreamed everyone would get so excited about it! I asked Pastor Martin if I could organize an afternoon get-together for the married couples and adults and how about if we have a chili cook-off? He gave me the old thumbs up and I made the appropriate announcements, had it put on the multi-media, and put a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board. But I just never dreamed that everyone would get so excited about it. Well, part of it might be attributed to the fact that a generous soul at church has put up $100 for the first prize chili winner! *smile* BUT, I have been reminding everyone that is is for FUN and fellowship. I've been having a little difficulty getting people to be judges because everyone I talk to wants to enter. Soooooo, I am waiting for the last person to call me today about being a judge and if she says yes, I have my three judges. Even Ed....my dear husband.....is going to make crockpot of chili and he hasn't made chili in the twenty-one years that I have known him! This should be so much fun.....really!!!! There are also several friends and family members of those who attend First Church who are going to participate! Isn't that great?

Well, I hope I can pull this all off. *sigh* Well, I will be able to because I have some wonderful people helping me and that is the only way it can be done. I'm reminded of that old Sunday School song:

"If we all pull together, together, together,

If we all pull together, how happy we'll be,

For your work is my work and our work is His work,

If we all pull together, how happy we'll be."

Soooo.....I will be busy this week getting it all together for this momentous occasion which is taking place on Saturday, November 10 at 3pm in the fellowship hall of First Church Praise and Worship Center! May the best chili-maker win!!! *smile*