Cool Tricks

I found some of these first aid remedies that you can do at home to be
pretty good ideas...now if they work, that's another story.

You Have a First-Degree Burn

The trick: Smother it with onions. Icing cuts circulation, and you need
healthy blood cells for healing, says Martin Ehrlich, M.D., of Beth
Israel Medical Center, in New York City. Instead, expel excess heat by
running cool water over the burn for several minutes, then cut an onion
in half and let it rest on the wound. Onions contain a mild analgesic,
says Dr. Ehrlich.

Your Hand Is Full of Thorns

The trick: Coax them out with candle wax or duct tape. Light a candle
and pour melted wax on the hand, let the wax harden, then peel it off,
says Dr. Tallman. This should free the more stubborn spines. Then use
the sticky side of duct tape or roll a lint brush over the area to pick
up the stragglers. Gently, of course.

Your Tooth Is Killing You

The trick: First, make an appointment with your dentist. Then suck on a
clove near the throbbing chopper. The oil in the clove acts as a mild
local anesthetic, says oral surgeon Richard Crinzi, D.D.S. Plus, it will
freshen that dragon mouth.

And the best one, which I will definitely try....

You Feel Like Puking

The trick: Make a golf-ball bracelet. Sailors swear by ginger to
suppress seasickness and general nausea. But there's an acupuncture
trick that works just as well if you're feeling queasy, says Dr.
Ehrlich. Find the pressure point "pericardium number six": From the heel
of your palm, measure three finger widths toward your elbow. In the
center of the wrist area, tape a golf ball snug against that point, and
your stomach should calm down.

Stained Glass Masquerade

Stained Glass Masquerade
by: Casting Crowns

Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small

Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they’ll soon discover
That I don’t belong

So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the heart again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone who’s been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who’s traded
In the altar for a stage

The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be

Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay

I was listening to this song today on the way to work and I always sing along with it but never really listened to the lyrics. It's a powerful message and all too real. I don't know about you, but there are many times that I've felt like this, just wanting to hide how I feel and putting on a good face for everyone. Putting on this act is just what the song says a "masquerade", you put on a mask to cover your true feelings and in doing that you never really let anyone in. On the flip side, we are so used to people asking how we are out of a basic courtesy but not truly meaning it so we just say "good" and both go on our way...this has taught us to keep our feelings inside and hide them. We think to ourselves, "They don't want to actually know how we feel, so why tell them. We might scare them off." For me, it's not that, okay maybe sometimes, but mainly its just the fact that I don't want to burden anyone. But that's why we have family, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ. They are there for us no matter what and let us know we can be ourself and take off the mask. Are you the type of friend whose friends know they don't need to wear a mask around you? I think I am and I hope my friends know they don't need any kind of mask around me, ever! We need to get off the stage, put up the masks and just be ourselves.

This is Awesome

Okay, the science nerd in me is coming out here. I wish I knew how to
do this growing up, it would have been an awesome science project. I
just need to teach Jr. High science, that would be awesome.

Ever looked up in the sky and wondered just how clouds are made? Bill
Nye explains the science of clouds and how you can make one at home.

Get a clear plastic water bottle or soda bottle. Most
sizes--half-liter, one-liter, or two-liter--will work fine. Put just a
few drops of water inside. If you started with a full water bottle, the
water drops left over as you finish drinking will do the trick. Have the
bottle cap ready; set it on a nearby table, for example. Light a couple
matches; the kind from a regular matchbook will work. Blow the matches
out. While they're still smoking, drop the matches into the bottle.
Immediately screw the cap on tightly.

Now for your cloud: Squeeze the bottle, right in the middle. You can
squeeze pretty hard; then let go. A thin cloud will form inside. When
you squeeze it again, the cloud will disappear. Let go again, and the
cloud will re-form. It will work for several cycles. After a while,
though, the bottle leaks, and the smoke particles stick to the inner
wall. The cloud will no longer form. But while it's working, the effect
is quite striking.

How this happens: The droplets of liquid water in the plastic bottle
ensure that the bottle's enclosed atmosphere carries water vapor, as
well. The smoke from the matches provides thousands of particles for
nucleation. In order for the water vapor to become a liquid, it has to
be cooled. Molecules at any temperature above absolute zero are always
in motion, jostling into one another. When you squeeze the bottle, you
compress the air inside; the energy of the moving molecules is squeezed
into a smaller space, and they warm ever so slightly. When you let go,
they cool. And in this demonstration, they usually cool enough to change
to a liquid.

You might wonder why the cloud doesn't form the moment the match smoke
is introduced. It almost does, but the atmosphere in the bottle is too
warm--by just a little bit--to allow this to happen. That slight, slight
cooling does the trick. And you may notice that the trick doesn't last.
After you form the cloud the first time, the heat of the molecules
spreads out again from the smoke particles to the droplets to the
surrounding air, and the liquid water goes back "into solution," as it
is said. The cloud goes away.

Isn't that cool!

OOOPS!

I'm so sorry but someone just reminded me of these activites that I forgot to add to the 10 activities to do during the holiday season.

"ice skating, Bethleham Revisited, the Candlelight Home Tour and more in beautiful, historic Waxahachie"

I can't imagine who would have told me that! ;)

I Wonder About Some People

Seriously....

CANBERRA, Australia - A bus driver who was 13 times over the legal
alcohol limit while driving a bus load of schoolchildren had a simple
request for police who arrested him for drunken driving, an Australian
court heard on Wednesday.

"Can I finish my run, at least to drop these kids off?"

Top 10 Things To Do This Holiday

For some of you who aren't sure what to do this holiday season, let me
help you out. Here are 10 activities to do in the Dallas area:

1. Christmas Celebration
Multiple Dates --Meyerson Symphony Center
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra and friends play holiday favorites.

2. Holiday at the Arboretum
Multiple Dates-- Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens
Dallas Arboretum celebrates the holidays with a Christmas tree maze and
500 nativity scenes.

3. Christmas in the Stockyards
Dec 3, 2006 --Stockyards National Historic District
The sound of spurs at the Stockyards is drowned out by the sound of
sleigh bells.

4. Dallas Metropolitan Ballet Presents: The Night Before Christmas
Dec 17, 2006 2:00 pm --McFarlin Auditorium
The Dallas Metropolitan Ballet presents the classic tale about a visit
from Santa.

5. Stephan Pyles Holiday Cooking Class: Holiday Entertaining
Multiple Dates-- Stephan Pyles
Chef Stephan Pyles shares recipe techniques and demonstrations,
including a four-course meal or holiday buffet with matching wines and
beverages.

6. The Holiday Market
Multiple Dates --Market Hall
A Holiday arts and crafts bazaar featuring over 200 vendors offering
hand-crafted gifts, jewelry, food, clothing and home decor.

7. 37th Annual Candlelight
Multiple Dates --Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park
Hundreds of gently glowing candles line historic Heritage Village, with
live entertainment, food and a visit from St. Nicholas.

8. Ice skating at the Galleria
Skate around a giant Christmas tree and try not to fall on your bum.

9. The West End Marketplace
Take a carriage ride through Downtown, okay mainly the west end but
it's still downtown.

Okay, I know I said there were 10 in the Dallas area but who can forget
this one: the BEST thing to do but I have never been able to go at
Christmas is..........DRUM ROLL
PLEASE...................................

10. Go see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
New York, N.Y.

Now did you really think it would be anywhere but NEW YORK!!

On Friday we can officially start playing Christmas music and put up
decorations...not a second before that. YEAH!!!

Passion

When you think about your passions, what do you think about? Is it spending time with your family or doing something you love?

This past Sunday I had another opportunity to go down to Austin Street shelter to pass out clothes and blankets to the homeless. We were so blessed to get the amount of clothes and blankets to pass out...there were about 20 full boxes. Not only were we blessed with the amount of donations that were received but with the amount of people that showed up to help. This is such a great opportunity to minister to the people of Dallas. They are so gracious for anything we give to them and just taking the time to talk to them. I like listening to their stories and some of these guys have amazing stories but you would never know it unless you took the time to talk to them. Some of the people that went down there with us on Sunday go almost every Sunday. They are so passionate about it and have a heart for this ministery. I have to be honest when I say that I really do like going down there and talking with the people and getting to know them, but it's not my passion...I'm not that passionate about it. The things I am passionate about and love to spend my time doing are building/painting houses for Habitat for Humanity or organizations like that and doing things with kids in children's homes. I have a passion for kids who don't have families. Every child should feel the love of a parent, it's hard to think of someone growing up without that. I would love to be a foster parent but then I would probably end up getting too attached and wanting to adopt like 10 kids. I would love to adopt a child at some point. My passion has been to go to a children's home in Russia and some day I WILL go! I might bring a child back, but I will go. Anytime you have a passion, you should follow through with it, I think if you don't, you'll regret it later down the line.

Today's Funny

I got these from my mom and they are HILARIOUS...These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:

1. Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Methodist. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.

2. "Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands.

3. The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.

4. Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

5. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

6. Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

7. Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October! 24th in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

8. Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

9. Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 p.m. - prayer and medication to follow.

10. The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours."

And my absolute favorites:

11. Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 p.m.. Please use the back door.

12. Weight Watchers will meet at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.

security at home

I sure with my dog was this smart!! I love this kind of stuff...anything where animals talk or act like humans is great!

Today's Funny

I have started to get bills from my recent hospital stay and my Dr. has been telling me to avoid stress so I think this cartoon fits very well!!

My Ramblings

The Church across the Street
Words and music by Timothy Mark


 
She put the phone back in its cradle and she leaned against the wall
Devastating silence from a long awaited call
“Congratulations” had confirmed her deepest fear
As she gave herself the label Unwed Mother, 18 years
 
And at the church across the street the band played on
And the choir sang another verse of another lovely song
But her world was crashing in apartment thirty-three
And she wondered if she would ever meet
Someone from the church across the street
 
She left her apartment at a quarter after eight
Drove the mile to the clinic and walked inside the iron gate
She was greeted warmly with reassurance in his voice
A simple safe procedure but had she made the proper choice
 
And at the church across the street the band played on
And the choir sang another verse of another lovely song
But her world was crashing as she paid the Doctor’s fee
And she wondered if she would ever meet
Someone from the church across the street
 
Aching recollections she tries to forget
But the room where she had lived alone she shares with her regret
She sits by her window and longs for something more
As she listens to a baby cry in apartment thirty-four
 
And at the church across the street the band played on
And the choir sang another verse of another lovely song
But her world was crashing in apartment thirty-three
And she wondered if she would ever meet
Someone from the church across the street
 
And she wondered if she would ever meet
Someone who could help her with her need
Maybe someone from the church across the street


I was at church yesterday and our music minister sang this song because it went along with the message. I posted the lyrics above for you to read. While I was listening to this song, I really felt convicted and my heart just dropped. These lyrics, this story, is what goes on everyday with young unwed, pregnant women. We (myself included) as Christians should be the ones to open our arms, hearts, and lives to these women or anyone else who is sufferng. To many neighborhoods, our church is "The church across the street" and if we don't reach out to those in need, who will. We are called by God to share His love, His story and Grace to our neighbors. While most of us do this, there are people who judge others and judge their lifestyle or choices they made instead of helping them. Christ says in Acts 10 "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." He shows us that we should not call any man impure or unclean, yet we still judge people and deam them "unclean" because of choices they have made. In Luke 14 Jesus tells the parable of the great feast and it's about a certain man that prepared a great banquet and invited many guests but they all made excuses as to why they couldn't come. He then told his servant to go out and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame so his house would be full. This story is an application of God's word that insitsts that all people, in all walks of life will be invited to His table and His house. The moral of these ramblings are that as a church we should not be simply, "The church across the street" that people hear or pass by, but we should be a safe haven for people and a place they feel like they can come to and talk to someone. We need to do outreach in in the community and get involved with the unchurched. It's sad to think that an abortion clinic is more open and friendly than a church.

A little fun

I've still got it! I might be a has been of gymnastics, but I can still go upside down like the best of them. ;)
Jonathan and I went to Las Colinas yesterday and had a little fun!

Last Update

I went back to see the vascular surgeon yesterday for my follow up apointment after I got out of the hospital. I got another sonogram done and he said that everything looked great and gave me a clean bill of health. The aneurysm is healing nicely and there shouldn't be much scar tissue, if any. Overall I am feeling good, a little sore still but nothing I can't handle. Thanks again for all the prayers!

Soldier

Soldier
Originally uploaded by lturner416.

Being Veteran's Day and all, I thought this was a very appropriate photo. This little Iraqi girl was a victim of an attempted execution, one in which both parents and other siblings were executed. She was shot in the head and lived...but she was very agitated and could not be comforted except for when this American soldier held her. So for 4 nights in a row he sat in a chair next to her bed and held her while they both went to sleep. I don't care if you are for the war in Iraq or against it, either way we still need to support our troops and the job they have been called to do. Continue to pray for all the troops overseas, and at home, that God will bless them, keep them in His arms and away from harm.

ramblings

A while back I went with Jonathan and some friends from his church to the Austin Street homeless shelter. Ever since that day there has been an image stuck in my mind. There was a woman there with her son who was probably all of 2 years old. The little boy obviously did not feel good and was burning up with a fever. With all the medical knowledge that I have and the ability to help people, I felt so useless because there was nothing I could do. I hate to see kids sick and feeling miserable. Yes, I know what you're thinking..."you work in a hospital where there are sick kids" It's different when you are in the hospital because the kids are there for help and you CAN help them. But when you are at a homeless shelter, there is nothing you can do. I would give anything to be able to provide free healthcre for children who can't afford or can't get to a hospital. I just want to be able to help them!

Darwin Awards

I got this from a friend and some of them are pretty good:

It's that magical time of the year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us. Here then, are the glorious winners:

1. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat-cutting machine! and, after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

2. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

3. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, he man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer...$15. (If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?)

4. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges, saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

5. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from.

I love this time of year

It's beginning to be the best time of year...the air is colder and it's getting closer and closer to the holidays. I stepped out of bed this morning, half expecting to be frozen, and the heat was on! Aaahh, the smell of the heater being turned on for the first time of the season. I love this time of year!!! So I jumped (well stumbled) out of bed, got Presley (my dog) out of her crate and then jumped back in bed and the two of us cuddled up and enjoyed a warm bed while the air was nice and cool outside. Have I mentioned that I love this time of year.

My Week

This has been a week! I ventured out into the world a couple of times this week and they even let me drive!! I think that was because I wasn't taking any perscription strength pain killers at the time. I had planned on going back to work this past Monday but then Sunday came around and I was nowhere near ready to go back to work. I couldn't even stand up straight or walk without being in severe pain. I said I'd go back on Wednesday or Thursday, ya that didn't happen. So I'm going back to work on Monday and I think I'm ready now. I'm able to walk without much pain, but it's still there some and I almost stand upright now. I go to the vascular surgeon this next week for another sonogram to make sure the aneurysm is gone or atleast going away. Everything is on the uphill slope now so let the wedding planning begin! I go tomorrow to look at dresses, YEAH! On a side note, not only did I get engaged but my "sister" got engaged the same day as me and our weddings are 5 weeks apart, so it's going to be crazy.