Had a great day cooking with my Laotian friend today. She showed me how to make wonton soup, and sushi. Sushi was good but, Owww. The wasbi literally took my breath away. My eyes were crying and my nostils were burning. Yow. Next taste I did not put so much of the wasabi sauce on the sushi. Much better. Her sister came over with quite a delicacy. It was .. gulp..... chicken feet. It looked pretty bad. Gulp. I had to be polite and try. The flavor was very delicious. But the texture was........ Gulp..... bones and grizzly skin. I had a few of the delectable tidbits and then went back to eating my lovely wonton soup. The wonton soup was my favorite. I hope to perfect this dish and cook it for my family. As well as the spring rolls that she showed me how to make a while back. I 'm really big on texture in my food. If it is not crunchy then I am not a fan. The chicken feet were not quite the texture that my palate was looking for. But like I said the flavor was very delicious. My friend La had her sisters and sister in-law there too. And of course all the husbands came as well. They were very kind and I did not feel so uncomfortable with them talking in the language of Laos. They did spend time explaining what they were saying so it was not so bad.

I'm Sloopy Dippintush! What's your new name?

My daughter in-law sent this to me. I just had to share. It gave me a giggle.

We all need a little stress-reliever! This only takes a minute. Please don't be a bore and ruin it. Send it on to everyone you know including the person that sent it to you. Sometimes when you have a stressful day or week, you need some silliness to break up the day. And, if we are honest, we have a lot more stressful days than not. Here is your dose of humor...

A. Follow the instructions to find your new name. B. Once you have your new name, put it in the subject box and forward it to friends and family and co-workers. Don't forget to forward it back to the person who sent! It to you, so they know you participated. And don't go all adult - a senior manager is now known far and wide as Dorky Gizzardsniffer. The following is excerpted from a children's book, Captain Underpants And the Perilous Plot Professor Poopypants, by Dave Pilkey, in which the evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names.

1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:

a = snickle
b = doombah
c = goober
d = cheesey
e = crusty
f = greasy
g = dumbo
h = farcus
I = dorky
j = doofus
k = funky
l = boobie
m = sleezy
n = sloopy
o = fluffy
p = stinky
q = slimy
r = dorfus
s = snooty
t = tootsie
u = dipsy
v = sneezy
w = liver
x = skippy
y = dinky
z = zippy


2. Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:
a = dippin
b = feather
c = batty
d = burger
e = chicken
f = barffy
g = lizard
h = waffle
I = farkle
j = monkey
k = flippin
l = fricken
m = bubble
n = rhino
o = potty
p = hamster
q = buckle
r = gizzard
s = lickin
t = snickle
u = chuckle
v = pickle
w = hubble
x = dingle
y = gorilla
z = girdle

3. Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:
a = butt
b = boob
c = face
d = nose
e = hump
f = breath
g = pants
h = shorts
I = lips
j = honker
k = head
l = tush
m = chunks
n = dunkin
o = brains
p = biscuits
Q = toes
r = doodle
s =fanny
t = sniffer
u = sprinkles
v = frack
w = squirt
x = humperdinck
y = hiney
z = juice

Thus, for example, George W. Bush's new name is: Fluffy Chucklefanny. Now when you SEND THIS ON...use your new name as the subject. And remember that children laugh an average of 146 times a day; adults laugh an average of 4 times a day. Put more laughter in your day.

The caption to this is:

We is friends. You smile, I smile.
You hurt, I hurt.
You cry, I cry.
You jump off a bridge, I'm gonna miss your E-mails.

ZEN SARCASM
( talk about zen. I got a duck, with bunny ears dancing to the chicken song. Someone put it in the dryer. How cruel.)

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me the [heck] alone. [word altered by moderator] 2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire. 3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it. 4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted. 5. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else. 6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet. 7. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments. 8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes. 9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you. 10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day. 11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it. 12. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. 13. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield. 14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them. 15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket. 16. A closed mouth gathers no foot. 17. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together. 18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works. 19. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving. 20. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.“As you go through life, let this always be your goal: Keep your eye upon the donut, and not upon the hole.

THE NEW ABCs A is for apple, and B is for Boat, that used to be right, but now it won't float. Age before beauty is what we once said, but let's be a bit more realistic instead. Now, A's for arthritis; B's the bad back, C is for chest pains, perhaps cardiac. D is for dental decay and decline; E is for eyesight, can't read that top line. F is for fissures and fluid retention, G is for gas, which I'd rather not mention. H is high blood pressure--I'd rather it low; I for incisions with scars you can show. J is for joints, out of socket, won't mend. K is for knees that crack when they bend. L for libido, what happened to sex? M is for memory, I forget! what comes next? N is neuralgia, in nerves way down low; O is for osteo, the bones that don't grow! P for prescriptions, I have quite a few, Just give me a pill and I'll be good as new. Q is for queasy, is it fatal or flu? R for reflux, one meal turns to two. S for sleepless nights, counting my fears. T for tinnitus; there's bells in my ears. U is for urinary; big troubles with flow; V is for vertigo, that's "dizzy" you know. W is for worry, NOW what's going round? X is for X-ray, and what might be found. Y is another year I'm left here behind, Z is for zest that I still have--in my mind. I've survived all the symptoms, my body's deployed, And I've kept twenty-six doctors fully employed!!

While in Alberta I stayed at the best Bed and Breakfast. If you're ever in or around Rosebud Alberta check into the Rose Cottage B&B. http://therosecottagebb.com Okay it's my brother and his wife Sue that own it. But it really is a very gorgeous place to stay. You get a 2 course breakfast. Normally all you get at a bed and breakfast is a continental breakfast. But not at the Rose Cottage. If you check out the webb page you will get to see the menus they offer and a slide show of the accomodations. You will be impressed, I promise. So any way as I said earlier I spent Easter with the the family. Sunday morning it was a beautiful sunny day. Perfect for Easter sunday. We all got ready for church. My sister inlaw owns many antique hats she uses in her decor for the b&b. She decided being Easter that she would like to wear one to church. Very nice. It looked nice on her too. So off we go to church. It was quite windy out,but we didn't notice it so much as we walked out to the vehicles. We pulled into the church parking lot and got out of the van. That's when I heard auntie Sue scream,"my hat" In the wide open space of the church parking lot, it was so gusty that it picked off Sues antique hat from the top of her perfectly coiffed do and swepted it accross the parking lot towards a pond at the edge of the lot. " my hat " screeched Sue again. Next thing we saw was young nephew Brian taking off at full speed in persute of the antique bonnet. He almost had it in his grip when the windy villian snatched it up and away moments from his reach. Next thing we see is Sues son coming from the opposite direction trying to head off the sailing bonnet. He just happend to reach it just in the nick of time before it ended up in the drink. By this time Susie and I were laughing so hard we could hardly stand. We all walked into church our hair up in a mess of windy locks (Sues hat in hand) laughing til tears were rolling down our faces. I'll never forget that Easter sunday. The day we almost lost Susies hat, but the humour we were able to see in the situation. Good times.

I got the most amazing, fantastic, delightful surprise this Easter weekend. I went to Alberta with my sister and her family. We went to visit my brother John and his family. We arrived friday at supper time. We ate and then my brother and his wife insisted we go for a walk around the little village they live in. We were tired but said sure. Our walk about town lasted 45 minutes or so. We decided to head back to brothers house. Brother led the way and got to the house first. He was already inside the house when the rest of us caught up. As I got in the door John called me to come into the living room to see what the dog was doing. So as I went into the living room, I let out the biggest scream. ( John caught it all on video. Not a dream) There standing in front of me was my baby granddaughter. ( I scared her with my scream which resulted her to bolt to her mommy). I had no clue that they were coming. I went in to the room farther and there was my gorgeous son standing ready to give me a huge hug. I cried and laughed. It was the most amazing time. I hadn't seen Jordan for 5 months. I know to some of you that is not a long time. But this is the first time my son has lived more than a 1/2 hour away from me, never mind 2 provinces away. He was a sight for soar eyes I tell you. I had so much fun playing with Abby giving her hugs and kisses. She is such a good little girl. And so smart too. She says over 100 words and understands so much. She's only 16 months old. I know, I'm talking like a proud grandma. But I think I have that privelage. Anyway it was a fantastic weekend. When I was sharing this story with someone at my brothers church on the Easter sunday, they said to me. " Your kids must love you so much to drive all that way with a 1 yr old." I said to this person " I sure feel loved " so thanks Jen and Jordan for taking the time to come and surprise me like you did. I love you so much too.

Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.

I hope and pray everyone has a very wonderful Easter. Remember that it's not about the easter bunny, and chocolate. As a christian I beleive that this is about Jesus and what he did for the world on the cross. I pray you all have some time to really reflect on the gift that was given to us all. Then have fun with the kids and hide those colorful eggs. Gods richest blessings to you all.

This is a photo of my dear mom and dad. I love them so much. I'm so fortunate to have them! These last couple of years I've been in need of their support. Actually these last 10 years. Since I became a single parent I've needed them. My mom and dad have been so loving and supportive. But over the last yr and a half I've needed them more than ever. It has not been a very happy time for me. I've been stuggling with an illness and my parents have been there to support me in so many ways. They have been there to hug me, love me, and just tonight they have brought me a few things that I really have needed. Stuff like clothes soap, kleenex, and tooth paste. Because of my illness, I've had to take off work without pay. So not only have I had to deal with my illness, I've had to take it without pay. But my dear parents have been so kind. Just tonight they dropped by with shopping bags full of stuff that will truly come in handy. I love you mom and dad. I don't know what I would do without you. Perhaps I would have given up long before now. Big hugs and kisses to you.

This needs no explanation.
Happy Easter everyone!

You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing.

The Rope !

Eleven people were hanging onto a rope under a helicopter, 10 men and one woman. The rope was not strong enough to carry them all, so they decided that one had to drop off, otherwise they all were going to fall. They were not able to choose that person, but then the woman made a very touching speech. She said that she would voluntarily let go of the rope, because as a woman she was used to giving up everything for her husband and kids and for men in general without ever getting anything in return. As soon as she finished her speech, all the men applauded.

Another beauty sent from my friend Marlo. Hee Hee.

BIBLE!

This is from my friend Marlo. I just had to share. I thought it was so cute.


A little boy opened the big family bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. "Mama, look what I found", the boy called out." What have you got there, dear?" With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear!"

Today I put out my bistro table on my balcony. the temp was warm. Plus 16 and was so nice I just couldn't resist setting it up and sitting out on my balcony for a long time. I watched the sun disappear behind the clouds. Awe spring. I am watching the trees real close to see the progress of the leaves. so far no leaves , but it is yet early. At least for this part of the world. I'm sure by Easter things will be in full bloom. I hope. But living on the prairies , one never knows what will happen with the weather. Today nice , tomorrow snow storm.( heaven forbid) I don't think I could take anymore snow. But tonight was wonderful. just sitting out for a long time enjoying the view. Watching the Canadian Geese fly north. It was so breath taking as I watched the geese fly accross the setting sun. Wow. I look forward to spending many more days and evenings out on my balcony. I hope and pray this is truly spring!

Nooma DVD series. I don't know if any of you have heard of this series, but it is fantastic. This was the feature at our ladies retreat. Packs a real hard punch message. There were 4 DVD sessions throughout the weekend. My favorite one was called "Lump" These DVDs were created by a man named Rob Bell. I reccomend them highly! This DVD deals with Gods unconditional love for us. I have a hard time coming to grips with that. I struggle with the fact that God could love a sinner like me. In Robs DVD his last remarks are " there is nothing I could do to make God love me less. Nothing! Nothing I could do to make Him love me less. Nothing. Nothing! " Wow! Below is a description of the actual DVD.



A lot of us have done things in our lives that we're ashamed of. Some of us even have things that people close to us don't know about. Personal junk that we keep to ourselves so we don't have to deal with it. Because we don't know how to deal with it, do we? We're afraid that if we try it's just going to make everything worse. But no matter how big our junk is, no matter how much we've done has impacted the way other people feel about us or how we feel about ourselves, it hasn't changed how God feels about us. God loves us, he always has and always will, and there's nothing we can do to change that.


I'm really working hard to come to terms with how God truly feels about me. He really loves me and you. That is why he gave His son Jesus to die on the cross. Man that is true love. Some days when I am feeling so unworthy I find it hard to believe that God really loves me. But the bible says that He does! My head knows this stuff cuz I learned it growing up, but my heart has yet to get the message. I'm working on it though. I do know that God loves you. But I have a hard time with God loving me. It's a message I have to keep working on. A daily affirmation of, " I'm special , and "I'm worthy of God's love." Maybe soon the message will sink in.

It was wonderful!

Yes there were chocolate covered strawberries. Lots of food and even high tea on a saturday afternoon. When I arrived at the retreat on friday evening I was greeted with beautidful smiles,
and women who took my luggage and helped me settle into my room. In the washrooms there was luxurious lotions, soap, kleenex, fragrances and skin care products. It was so wonderful. Every woman that attended felt pampered! I want to take this time to thank all the women who put time into planning the womens retreat. I look forward to next year. I know all the women that attended feels the same way. Our meals were fantastic. ( thanks to Myrna and Art Wiens) Wow. As a working girl it felt so nice to pampered! And the food! What can I say about the food. Man oh man the food was so.......
I can't even describe how wonderful the meals were. Not to have to cook. To every working mom out there I'm sure you can relate. Even if it was peanut butter and jelly , not having to prapare it would have been fantastic. But peanut butter
it was not. We had mini quiche, puff pastries with a mushroom filling, strawberries and chocolate, fruit salad, lasagna and ceasars salad ....... all was fantastic. The fellowship was also wonderful. But sleep? What is that? When at a womens retreat there is not much sleep happening. When you put 60 women together with little sleep , you get a weekend of silly , giddy, sleep deprived girls. It equals lots of silly fantastic fun. I'm so happy that I was in attendance. Look forward to next year!