Hormones will make you…

        This is a touchy subject.  I work with teens in a youth group.  I know the typical thought behind common references to hormones.  Some of those comments are based on fact.  Hormones will make you do things and act in ways that you do not always understand.

         Hormones are one wild roller coaster ride all through-out life.  The most chaotic time will be the teen years.  It is an extreme high and low each and every day.  Yesterday we had several teens being ruled by their hormones; making decisions that plunged other teens into the depths of despair.  Breaking up and choosing new partners all while doing so in painful and humiliating ways!  Ugggg…it is so hard growing up.

         At the same time, there was concern over some “missing in action” teen couple who were being unchaperoned in a very tempting environment.  Hmmm…not my kids; and yet, the parents knew and allowed the situation.  Is this right?  Consequences can be life-long.  Teaching and reminding them that Christ wants only good things in life for us and yet at the same time, telling them that they must wait till marriage is a bit like temptating them as well. 

         Back to the whole generic subject of hormones….they are our nemisis and our friend as human beings.  Our bodily organs function according to the natural levels of the hormones in our systems.  When they are out of whack it can cause all kinds of problems. 

         Couples wanting to start their families have to depend on the healthy well-being of those hormone levels to be in peak performance or their fertility is at risk.  Everything has to be just right for the miracle of birth.

          Each stage of life our hormones play a different part.  In menopause, the fluctuations of those levels have to be watched not only for comfort but also for health reasons.  Earlier in life we worry about how our hormones affect our moods and our relationships.

          Then there is the 28 day menstrual cycle for most women.  I was a victim of that roller coaster today.   Did i mention that i dont like roller coaster rides?  🙂  My poor husband was an innocent bystander.

         He read about a free adult full blooded yellow lab.  It needed a new home because the owners are loosing their home any day and can’t keep it.  They haven’t had any takers.  My husband wanted the dog because the husband of the woman advertising the dog said that if the dog wasn’t gone in a few days it would have to be put down.  It is six years old.  It hasn’t had it’s shots or license but it is in good health.

       My husband wanted to “save” the dog.  I didn’t want the dog to die.  But, the problem is that just last weekend i gave in to pressure (several years of it) from my children and my husband to get a dog.  Instead, we got two five week old puppies.  Black lab mix puppies to be exact.

      They are fun…they are cute and they are a whole lot of work.  We are training them and getting up every two hours.  On top of all of that…we live in michigan and times are tough.  It is hard enough to financially meet the needs of your own family without taking on extra responsibilities which i felt we had already done by taking on two new puppies.

      However, i was devastated to think that if we didn’t take in this adult female dog that it would die.  I was torn up as well, knowing that my husband not only wanted to save the dog; but also, has been wanting to get a full blooded lab again like we used to have.  All in all, i made myself sick with sadness and emotion.

      I had to distance myself for a few minutes and take a hot bath and re-group my emotions.  In the meantime, my husband called the dog owner only to find that they did get another call for the dog; but, they were waiting to find out if we were going to take her before they had the other family come to look at the dog.

      In the end, my husband and I are in agreement that if the other family doesn’t take the dog then the dog owner was instructed to call us back and we would take the dog long enough to find an appropriate home for her.  I feel so much better. 

      I still would have felt at crossroads about the poor dog’s situation, even if i wasn’t hormonal…but i don’t think i would have made myself sick with the situation.  I just felt so bad for the dog and at the same time…knew that we weren’t in the position at the moment to take on all three dogs permanently. 

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Denoodled

         Well, now i have heard it all.  My one son had a plan to put to stud our new young puppies with some females dogs when the pups came of age.  His plan was to sell any future puppies that came of that mating.

          There were several problems with his plan.  One thing…the pups we have are part lab and part who knows what.  So, i dont think any pups that they bring into the world are going to sell for much if anything.  Another problem is that we plan to get them (both males) neutered.

         So, my younger son informed his big brother, who is special needs, that the dogs were going to get neutered.  He responded, “No way are they going to get denoodled”!

         We were all rolling on the floor…we had to explain to him that they were getting neutered, not denoodled!  This has made for a nice family joke once he understood the difference.  🙂

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Bathing Beauties

        Our two new pups became bathing beauties today.  They did not appreciate the experience!  LOL  Evidently (they are only 6 weeks old), they have had the pleasure of a bath before because, they started whinning as soon as they saw the tub of water.

         They are adorable black lab mixed dogs.  By nature they should love water.   The pups then thought it was a house of torture to be toweled; and then fluffed with the hair dryer on the lowest setting.  Their hair just shines now.  Such pretty babies they are.

          It was absolutely entertaining watching them then, put their heads down and push their shoulders and whatever other body parts they could along on the carpet and the edge of the couch in an attempt to dry off more and get comfortable again.

           The kids loved being their heros after the experience by cuddling and laughing at them as they snuggled in for comfort.

           I can’t say much for the smell of wet dog except to say that on the kids movie, Monster’s Inc, when they talk about putting on stinky under arm “orderant” called wet dog everyone knows exactly the smell they are talking about.  Not very pleasant…good thing they are absolutely cute puppies!

          It is too bad puppies can’t stay so adorable as they age.  They will have their own adorability as they age but there is nothing like a baby puppy to entertain and warm your heart with their antics!

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Jennifer Lopez is a mommy

          Jennifer Lopez gave birth to her twins early this morning.  She had a boy and a girl as has been speculated about for months.  I am sure she is filled with joy, anticipation, and even probably some anxiety.

          She has waited a long time for this moment. Her dream of motherhood has now been accomplished.   May God grant them a lifetime of blessings as a family unit.  Jennifer’s husband Marc Anthony has two other children from his first marriage.  With two talented musical parents these children should be genetically gifted in the world of music someday.

          There has been no announcement yet on the names of the children and rumor has it that the first pictures of the twins are being sold to a magazine for mega money.

           There is always such a big media blitz when celebs have their babies when it comes to the first photo’s.  I say if you are going to be in that situation just give rights to who ever you want for publishing the first photo…but if money is exchanged…do something good with it and donate a major portion of it to charity or something.

          All in all…these are two new precious lives.  I am sure they will be loved, protected, and cherished as all newborn children should be.

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A Respectful Tribute

       I read a wonderful tribute on a fellow blogger’s blog today.  It  was a respectful tribute regarding one ovarian cancer survivor’s feelings of the passing of another afflicted with cancer.  They were in the battle against the enemy cancer.  They had a rich relationship of love and support. 

        The respect and caring just comes through her words that define just what he meant to her.  He was friend, adopted grandfather as well as favored “uncle”.  No i don’t think they were related to each other biologically, but that doesn’t matter.

         They connected in a way that goes beyond surface; so, i know that with his passing she will grieve the loss, even knowing that he is no longer suffering pain or discomfort in the battle anymore.  Cancer might have taken his body; but, it didn’t claim his soul or his essense.  God will not allow the enemy that much power in the battle over his own children called by his name.

         So, I wish for her healing; and, joy in the remembering of their time together.  May the highs from the joy of knowing each other far outweigh the loss in his passing from this world.  It isn’t the end…it is the beginning of forever…they will know each other again in eternity; and they will be blessed from the knowing of one another.

         She is playing a song from Vince Gill on her blog in rememberance, it is a song called High on the Mountain. It speaks of a strong faith and the victory that comes to those at the end of the journey.  It is a song of encouragement and an acknowledgement of the struggles of life.

          Both of my parents have battled cancer…they have friends who have battled the disease right alongside of them.  These relationships are hard to define and the bond is stronger than diamonds.  They sparkle just as brightly too.  So, I pray that the comforter send her the strength she needs at this time of loss.  God bless  you Lady Ashley and those that you touch in your journey!

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Life Flying By

        I remember as a teenager being told by my “elders” that the older  I would get, the faster it would seem like “Life was Flying By”.  Well, i hate to admit it but they were right.

        It seems like things are just moving so fast and there is so little time that it is a little bit creepy.  Things that are big news items one day, are not even remembered the next day because there are so many other items that are bigger, better, splashier and more exploitable each and every, new day.

         The other day i wrote here about the spy satellite with the poisionous gas that is about to enter the earth’s atmophere.  The US military plans to shoot it down this week.  They were waiting for the space shuttle to land before attempting to eliminate the threat that the satellite poses to the earth’s population. 

          The shuttle is scheduled to land tomorrow.  This is good, they will not be in firing range.  What i can’t believe is that no one is hyping the threats posed from the satellite.  No, no…the news is covered in things like Lindsey Lohan’s re-creation of a photo shoot that Marilyn Monroe shot way back in the 60’s.  Who could get through the day without having that little morsel pasted into their memory banks?

          Scandal is the name of the game.  Lord knows, if the people of earth could be in danger from the satellite….well…they must be up-to-date on the latest and greatest scandal in the news such as which particular baseball hero of the day used steriods or not, or whether Britney Spear’s dad is out on the partying circuit with Britney’s hangers on crowd, or perhaps, if a famous boxer really does dress up in fish net stockings in his private time!  These are important issues of today are they not?

          I mean who needs to know if there is some unknown government official who could be passing inspections of meat that goes into our school children’s school lunch programs, or the whole reason Fidel Castro is giving up his historical rein of power in Cuba, or how to put an end to all of these public, mass shootings, or why the economy in the US is on the verge of collapse between the mortgage nightmares…the high cost of gas and oil…the bondage of individuals and families who are ensared in a credit card debt web that they will never get out of without filing for bankruptsy…or, how to stop the exporting of jobs to other countries who can afford to pay their workers much less than US employees? 

           We each are “gifted” with such a short time here on earth that we really have to make the most of each and every day.  There is a constant demand for our attention with radio, television, newspapers and cell phones and computers…there isn’t a moment to just stop and realize how much time is wasted on things that really have no major importance.

           For each scandal that comes and goes…yes, the consequences are important.  To the people that it directly involves. 

          We have become a nation of observers of other people’s pain and misery.  When did it become a spectator sport?  If we invest time and energy to watch it…are we not morally challenged to do something about those very situations?  At the very least to pray or send good thoughts and wishes in those directions?

          Every moment of everyday…there are tragedies happening around us both in big and small ways.  There are wars, there are diseases, there are accidents, there are injustices, there are crimes of violence passed among our communities, deaths, and the list goes on.  Let us challenge ourselves not to get caught up in things that we can do nothing about. 

         If we were to focus our time and attention on reaching out to those around us and make a choice to improve our little corners of the world and make it a better place for those we meet everyday maybe “life wouldn’t fly by” so fast. 

          Helping those struggling around us often doesn’t take boat loads of money…sometimes it just takes a listening ear, or a sacrifice of a little of our time, or energy. 

           If we can wrap our minds around the concept of “spending time”/ in other words, using up what time we have alloted to us in our lives; maybe there would be a whole lot less people willing to “waste time” doing things that are un-important; or worse, damaging to ourselves and to the others around us. 

           We each have valuable talents and skills.  It is easy to get caught up in feeling depressed,sad, lost, lonely, or angry.  All of those emotions are negative and they snowball into negative actions.  Refocus and dig deep to find one positive thing to put your energy into. 

            Today it is easier than ever to get involved in positive things.  We can connect to others easily.  Find a group or organization to use what talents or skills you have.   Find a need and fill it, look for opportunities.   Be a role model to those around you.  Get involved in positive things and you will be amazed at how much happier you are.

          

          

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Twins…are they cute or what???

       Well, my family has added another couple of family members.  Twins, are they cute or what?  Adoption in our family is nothing new for us.  But these two are only 5 weeks old.

        I forgot how often babies need to get up during the night…only these two are puppies.  No less work than a human baby let me tell you…but they are so stinking cute…what are ya going to do?

        So, Chance and Shadow are their names.  We are going to keep them both through the whinning stage and then one of them as soon as he is trained is going to a friend because their very large lab was hit by a car a few short weeks ago.

       They sure are fun though and add a whole other dimension to the family. 

Update:  Well, both babies are now pretty good size…and guess what?  They both stayed and I can’t imagine one without the other.  The friend who’s dog died…she got another dog that was also adopted…but, it didn’t work out.  That dog had seperation issues and could not be left home alone (the whole family works and goes to school).  So, that particular dog was adopted by an older gentleman who lives on a farm and has several other dogs.  She (the dog was female) is quite happy now…she is never alone and has company.   

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$74 Million Dollar Satellite

        Ok, I am a little scared…how about you?  I feel a bit like Chicken Little….the (objects from ) the sky is falling, the sky is falling!  The very, top secret, spy satellite that was put up in space less than two years ago quit working and it is now falling to the Earth’s atmosphere.

        The US Military has plans to blow it up with a missile.  Sounds a bit like the Hollywood movie entitled, Armageddon.  Now the problem is that our space shuttle is still up there flying around and they need to wait for that to land here on Earth before they try to blow this bus sized satellite to smithereens.

        The space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to land on the 20th of February.  The military could actually try to blow it up starting on this sunday the 17th; however, from what we hear on the news reports, this satellite has toxic/poisonous gas on it that could kill alot of people should it hit the Earth in a populated area. 

         I am sure they are waiting for the shuttle to land so as to not expose the astronaughts to the danger of the gas and debris. 

         The military has a total of three missiles ready to be launched at the satellite.  There is a very narrow window to shoot and hit this bus sized object.  What happens if for some reason, all three missiles miss? 

         So, what does the American public do?  Should we prepare our homes and our families as if we were being targeted by terrorists?  Plastic wrap the windows of our homes, stock up on batteries and water, and basic necessities? 

        All i know is, when that thing hits even if it is blown up …there will be remenants of the satellite that will still not burn up in the atmosphere…so i hope that missile busts it up good so that any remaining parts burn up good and proper.  I dont want poisonous gas anywhere inside of the ozone layer where we are all exposed to who knows what.

        There are those who say…hooey…it is only being blown up because it is a spy satellite and the government doesn’t want it’s secrets available to any other government.  That is probably somewhat of a valid argument also. I sure dont want other governments to have access to our military secrets either.

         However, on the chance that both ideas have merit…i sure hope that the people in charge of aiming and firing those missiles are of the highest caliber of skills and knowledge.

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Patience…I dont have time for that!

       Patience…I don’t have time to wait for that!  Have you ever been in a hurry…under pressure and yet you are forced to wait out circumstances before you can know the outcome?  No inside information, no sneak peaks, no instant information at the blink of an eye…nothing, but a huge measure of patience will do!  Yeah, don’t ya just hate waiting?

       Today is one of those kind of days.  Waiting…waiting and then some more waiting.  It seems like torture when something important in your life depends on others; or, on circumstances that are out of your own timing or control. 

        The frustration builds and builds until you feel like you could blow a gasket.  I am trying to teach myself not to get so fried when life gets this way.  Today i am in a wait and see kind of mode.  The outcome is financial and the end to a creative process that took many, many months. 

         I pray that all things fall into place as they should and that there are no glitches or problems that negatively affect the outcome.  It isn’t even my creative process this time that is hanging by a thread…but it is someone important to me.  I wish all success both financial and creative. 

        To God be the glory in this and all things.  The Bible says in Hebrews 6:12, “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised”.  Sounds like good advice to me.  I will try.

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Describing Homemade Bread

       Today is the day i am making homemade bread rolls; the weather is cold, and i figured that i may as well take advantage of that and warm up the house in a pleasing way.

         It is a time consuming process…but, from the time i started heating the milk , butter and sugar for the base in a small non-stick sauce pan; i start anticipating that nutty, sweet bread smell.  The tangy yeast dissolves in the warm water quickly; and, when added to the liquid base…it starts taking on a life of it’s own.

         I started adding the eggs to the liquid base and whaaaa laaa…the grains and flour start going in.  Soon, it is time for the nitty- gritty of bread baking.

          Time to get rid of the mixing spoon, stick my well washed hands in and just start hand blending all of the ingredients; so that they are all well mixed.  It starts to take on that yeasty bread smell.   It takes a few minutes to get the sticky dough off of my hands.  Well worth the inconvience, i say!

           Put it all in a large glass mixing bowl and cover it up with a towel and let it rise in the warmth of the open oven door.  Waiting is the time consuming part.

            This particular recipe is extra- special good…but, it has to rise twice.  Once in the bowl…then, i pinch off small globs and put them into greased muffin tins.  Let them rise another 20 minutes….until they resemble puffed up, mushroom shaped rolls.

             While the oven does its stuff heating up the dough to the right temperature to finish baking them into the warm, fluffly rolls; I melt the stick of real butter that will be brushed on top to keep in the moisture and add the last finishing touch.

               There is nothing, that says welcome home, like fresh baked bread.    It’s only to be matched with a nice batch of home made chicken soup.  Ummm..it is good to be hibernating on this freezing cold day.  Thank you God for a home to be in and the ingredients to make a wonderful meal that will last for a couple of days.

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