OK--I'VE BEEN TAGGED--for the 2nd time, I think...

.....and I tried to 'copy & paste' the RULES, but I couldn't get them to re-print over here, oh, well.........I don't plan on RE-tagging anyone, so that shouldn't matter, right?????!!!!!

# 1--I took weekly PIANO LESSONS and gave monthly (I think they were) RECITALS out of my teacher's house from about 5 to 8 years of age.

# 2--I played with my (innie) belly button for YEARS--Yes, even with DRESSES on--that's one of the LAST times I did--I remember when I was standing in our FRONT yard doing it, with a dress on/UP, and my Mother yelled at me from our kitchen window to 'STOP THAT & PUT MY DRESS DOWN'!!!!!

# 3--I think Larry, my husband of 37 years was ONLY like my 3rd boyfriend & we DID get married in 1971 when I was ONLY 18 & he was 20!!!!!

# 4--At 45 years of age I rode on my FIRST SNOWMOBILE out in Sundance, Utah, and MADE IT to the TOP of the highest MOUNTAIN there at 14,000 FEET--and, that was between FALLING DOWN OFF it--which is supposed to be impossible--TWICE!!!!!!!!! WHAT A DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

# 5--I had our 2nd/last son NATURALLY--with NO DRUGS--and he weighed in at 8 POUNDS 12 OUNCES--and also said one of the FEW curse words, EVER in my LIFE, when Larry said to--"RELAX & BREATHE DEEPLY"!!!!!!!

# 6--I sometimes get my words up-mixed--BUT, my sister-in-law, Lisa, ALWAYS understands me!!!!!!!!!

# 7--I have MET John Wayne, John Thompson, John Daly, Hale Irwin, Dennis Eckersly, George Brett, Mark Gubizca, Jeff Montgomery, Bill Walsh, Marcus Allen, Joe Montana, Tony Gonzalez, Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, Jared Allen, Boomer Esiason, Joan Rivers, Martin Sheen, Montel Williams, Colin Powell, Stephen Covey, Larry King, John Stossel, Raef LaFrentz, Jimmy Houston (has his own FISHING Show), and MORE........(some who most of you wouldn't know/recognize their names)--NOT BAD, huh, for a 'little' girl from ARKANSAS???!!!!!!!!!!!!!--(I think I did a 'backspace' & when I went to 're-do' my type & print, I didn't get it EXACTLY the same, sorry)

That's 'it' from me for today. Hope all of you are having a GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!! Love Ya, MamaRose

THE 'TIMES' WE'RE IN...

Well, this one may really 'qualify' as 'RAMBLINGS, but.....

My sister-in-law's billfold & keys--thank goodness she left her purse in her car--were STOLEN OUT of her grocery cart the other day & it got me thinking........uh oh......

Anyway, because of our 'failing' Economy, I'm thinking that SOME folks may revert back to their REAL CHARACTER & make the decision to LIE, CHEAT or STEAL to get the money that they don't have & really NEED!!!!!

This saddens me, but it does make sense that 'IN HARD-ER TIMES' our TRUE CHARACTER SHINES THROUGH--whether that be GOOD or BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, since most of you who will read this blog are 'GOOD' people, I guess I'm writing this to 'WARN YOU' to BEWARE of those folks who are NOT!!!!!!!!! BE MORE DILIGENT & TAKE CARE of what you do have--THINK AHEAD & don't make it ANY EASIER for those 'other' folks to TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM YOU!!!!!!!!!

AND, ALSO BE HAPPY that you are NOT one of 'those folks' who would resort to illegal activities, no matter how hard things get!!!!!!!!! And, PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!
Because HE IS THE ONE who is 'really' TAKING CARE OF US ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!! MamaRose

SUMMER of 2008--'TAKING IT EASY'!!!!!

This one's about MY LEFT EYE! Yep, if you hadn't heard, I tore my retina AND it was ALSO 'partially detached' & I ended up with 2 'Laser' surgeries & one, BIG, lay-you-down & knock-you-out surgery, which finally fixed it--THANK GOD & Dr. Cassell--(pronounced 'Castle')!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We've found out MORE about our PRECIOUS eyes than I EVER KNEW was possible, which is good. The MORE we know about something/of ours/in our bodies, the MORE we APPRECIATE it/them for sure!!!!!!!

So, during all this time--the last 8 weeks or more--I've been TOLD to 'TAKE IT EASY'--well, it seems that I CAN DO THAT pretty easy, as it turns out, BECAUSE my SWEET, SWEET HUSBAND did a BUNCH of 'my' stuff, along with his stressful job of running a Printing Plant & driving almost 2 hours a day, just to get there & back--plus, to 'beat the traffic', he gets us EARLY & leaves here by 6ish in the AM & doesn't get back until after 5 in the afternoon--that's ALMOST a 12-hour day, every day of the week--HE'S A HARD WORKER, that's for sure!!!!!!!!!! GOD BLESS HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, he was so EXTRA SWEET to ME during all this time. Some days I could see pretty good out of my left eye--other days, it was like there were 2 layers of WAXED PAPER over it!!!!!!!!!!
And, then, right after my 'Vitrectomy'/'REAL' Eye Surgery I had a patch for a day covering it & then my eye lid was SWOLLEN SHUT for another 2 or 3 days & SLOWLY opened up--THANK GOD--OH, there have been LOTS OF PRAYERS said, from us & ALL our family & friends--THANK YOU TO THEM & GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!--For giving me PEACE during all my HEALING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, I learned a BIG LESSON along the way, too!!!!!--BESIDES how IMPORTANT our EYES ARE TO US/OUR LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have always been pretty PATIENT with others, especially children/ours, as they grew up, I learned that--BUT, for some weird reason, I never have been PATIENT, AT ALL, with MYSELF--especially when I can't 'do' something as WELL as I THINK I SHOULD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WELL, I LEARNED through this HOW to be MORE PATIENT with MYSELF!!
YEA!!!!!!!! And, THIS should bode me well as I keep aging!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not saying I've got it 'down'/LICKED, but I am doing SO MUCH BETTER with it/myself than usual/BEFORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, THE BUBBLE. What a SPECIAL 'sign' I had IN my eye that NO ONE ELSE could SEE!!!!!!!!!!
The first bubble I had looked like a puppy's paw--black shape like the back of our hands in a fist & THEN with 4 little circles at the end of where each finger/paw would be--THIS was VERY COOL & the FIRST NIGHT I turned out all the lights, it TURNED PURPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, it's PURPOSE, of course, was to KEEP my retina LAID DOWN, so it would heal properly!!!!!
And, yes, Dr. Cassell put it IN my eye with a SYRINGE & YES, the FIRST one hurt so BADLY, for a SECOND, that I ALMOST came OUT of my CHAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!! They kept telling me the first 2 surgeries/laser were PAINLESS--and, I TOLD THEM, IT WASN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!! But, the 2nd BUBBLE, after the 'real' surgery--I call it that because it was the ONLY one where I laid down & GOT DRUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!--It was SO BIG in the beginning that it covered ALL the inside of my eye & I didn't SEE ANYTHING out of my left eye for almost 2 weeks--YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!! There's NOTHING like LOSING an ability that you've had for over 50 years to REALLY MISS IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And, I MISSED SEEING out of my LEFT EYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And, I'll ALWAYS REMEMBER that day--Sunday, coming out of Cracker Barrel, when I realized I COULD SEE--halfway--OUT of my LEFT EYE, AGAIN--YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

BUT, during all this tme, was I SURE NOT to 'over-do' & NOT to lift more than 25 pounds--Larry got to telling others I was doing SO WELL that I MUST have decided that my ARM WEIGHED 20 pounds, because I wasN'T hardly lifting ANYTHING over 5 pounds--ha!!!!!!!!!!! CUTE!!!!!
But, as I quickly found out, there's a REASON for everything they TELL you--it HURT/I FELT big PRESSURE in that eye when I first leaned down to 'casually' pick something up off our floor.
So, your body/my eye TELLS you what you can & can't do, too!!!!!!!!!

And, they also told me I could NOT fly--like for our BIG VACATION to Myrtle Beach in August--WITH the BUBBLE--and, THANK GOD, AGAIN, since last Monday, it's now GONE--I do miss it!!!

Every day was different, in some way, and I tried NOT to get depressed & NOT to gain a bunch of weight--and, was successful in BOTH those things, which I'm VERY HAPPY about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ended up being able to READ quite a bit, so I 'tore though' some books & was reading MUCH MORE than 'normal'--which CLICKED my brain IN & therefore, I began THINKING about some PRETTY DEEP things--NEAT, huh??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I even surprised Larry a few times, with the THINGS I was thinking--maybe sometimes funny, I'm sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, I was able to BE/get into a 'QUIET' spot where I 'lived' most of the time--JUST 'TAKING IT EASY'!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!! And, there are GREAT things to be said for 'QUIET' times!
Most of us don't even GET the CHANCE to get/be there, most of the time--we're SO BUSY with things we HAVE to do or the other, 'URGENT' things!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SO, this Summer of 2008 & my 'TAKING IT EASY' because of my injured eye--oh, Dr. Cassell says these things 'just happen'/'AS WE AGE' (uggh!)--NOTHING I did or COULD have done DIFFERENTLY to change things--which is GOOD to know--has been a VERY GOOD SUMMER/time for me & has STRENGTHENED MY FAITH & TRUST IN & DEPENDENCE ON & LOVE FOR OUR AWESOME GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, has REMINDED me what a SUPER WONDERFUL HUSBAND I've been BLESSED to have/live with the last (almost) 38 YEARS & ALSO what a SUPER WONDERFUL FAMILY & GROUP OF FRIENDS we also have--who PRAYED for me & ENCOURAGED me & sent me cards & let me know they were 'concerned' for me & LOVED ME/us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU to ALL OF YOU!!!

Hope your Summer of 2008 has been MEMORABLE--for different reasons, of course--TOO!!!!!!
GOD BLESS & MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MamaRose

JURY DUTY & BIBLE CLASS.....

I was going to write about being 'called' for JURY DUTY, again--I served back in June of 1996. BUT, since I didN'T even GET PICKED to serve--at the 'Voir dere'--on Monday & not sure WHY, even--INSTEAD I've decided to pass on something REALLY GOOD that 'happened' in our 5th Grade Bible Class at church this past Sunday.

Our lesson was on The 10 Commandments, Exodus 20 & since we have quite a few really SMART students in our 20 or so who come every week, I'm repeatedly AMAZED by some of their questions. Well, when we got down to # 6--"You shall NOT murder"--I didn't figure there would be much discussion on this one--pretty clear cut, right??!!!!!--Well, I WAS SURPRISED--because one girl brought up SUICIDE!!!!!!!!!

And, as we discussed THAT subject further, NONE of them had ever even had it CROSS THEIR MINDS, YET--thank goodness--but, as we discussed it, I found a RARE & GOOD OPPORTUNITY to help them, later in their lives IF it EVER did 'come up'--I had them ALL raise their right hands & 'PROMISE', YES, PROMISE, OUT LOUD, that IF/when suicide EVER DID cross their minds, that they would TALK WITH SOMEONE--and, it didn't have to be their parents.

I went on to explain that IF these thoughts were in their minds, they were NOT THINKING 'RIGHT' & that's WHY it would be so URGENT that they TALK WITH SOMEONE ELSE!!!!!!!!!!!!! These kids are 10 & 11 years old, so besides being SO GLAD that NONE of them had thought about suicide, YET; I felt REALLY GOOD about--MAYBE/HOPEFULLY--heading off ANY FUTURE problems that they MIGHT have with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is 'one of those times/things' that just 'HAPPENED'--I had NOT planned this, at all, and just 'went with things' as they FLOWED from the students' questions--so, because of that, I feel like/THINK that THIS WAS A 'GOD-THING'--FROM GOD/HIS SPIRIT--that we even talked about it & that I thought to get them to SAY they would ASK for help!!!!!!!

You may think this was TOO SOON--5th Grade--but, I HAVE heard of kids in as low as 3rd Grade having these thoughts. And, can you just IMAGINE how LOST an 8-year-old FEELS if/when that happens to them??!!!!!!!!!

And, as I've ALWAYS thought/felt--the SOONER the better--when talking to ALL our kids about LIFE & the things they MAY end up facing in THEIRS!!!!!!!!!!!!! We NEED to ARM them with INFORMATION before they NEED it, so they will HAVE it WHEN they NEED it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OR at least TELL them WHERE they can FIND it!!!!!

This was VERY ENCOURAGING to me, so I thought it would be a GOOD THING to PASS ON!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope you all are doing/feelng well. We're doing great--I'm FINALLY WELL--I'm pretty sure--almost 'afraid' to SAY it--ha!
GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RoRo

WE'VE GOT A NEW GRANDBABY!!!!!!!!!!!!

His name is ANDREW THOMAS--and, we're calling him, DREW--he is SO VERY CUTE--was 'only' 6 lbs. 15 oz., but 19 3/4 inches & was born on Friday, March 28th!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom & Dad & BIG brother are all doing well--and, so are we--he is our 4th GRANDbaby & they just get BETTER & BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Having had 2 boys, this DOUBLES our own 'count'!!!!!!!!
Sounds like a 'God-thing', huh??!!!!!!!

Besides BRAGGING, like a GRANDMother is SUPPOSED to do--I wanted to pass along what I THOUGHT when I heard the other day that the World WRESTLING Association was inducting folks into THEIR 'HALL OF FAME'--It's GOT TO BE NEAR the "END OF TIME"--don't you think????!!!!!!!!! Their WHOLE THING is based on something 'FAKE'--even they admit that!!!! I DO--THIS has GOT TO BE A 'SIGN'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SO, hope all of you 'out there' reading this have your SOULS in 'good shape'/WHERE you WANT them to be--ALL OBEDIENT & LOVING GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our lives ARE 'but a VAPOR' just like the Bible says, anyway, so one way or the other, NONE of us has very long LEFT here on this Earth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH, also, I just HAD to write about HOW VERY PROUD we are of OUR KANSAS JAYHAWKS!!!!
I KNOW, it's JUST a GAME, but 'we' are PLAYING in the FINAL GAME of the YEAR tonight & HAVE a chance to be THE ONLY TEAM who ends this year of College Basketball WITH A WIN--everyone else loses their last game--makes WINNING THIS ONE even BIGGER, huh??!!!!!!!!!

We have a BUNCH of GREAT guys & SUPER athletes on this team, who have been through LOTS of trials, already, in their YOUNG lives--Darnell Jackson, alone has lost 3 of his family members in the last year!!!!!!!!!!!!!--that's WHY he 'beats' his chest 3 times after he makes a free throw or a GREAT shot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And, they're ALL really 'GOOD GUYS'--as is OUR COACH--BILL SELF--who's never BEEN to the Final Four, BEFORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, the BIGGEST difference with THIS team is that they've PLAYED 'AS A TEAM' this whole year--that's why NONE of them even 'made' the All-Conference Team--no ONE of them has made the MOST points or rebounds every game--they TOTALLY have 'SHARED THE BALL'!!! So, forget about ANY of them 'MAKING' the "All-American" Team, which 4 or 5 of them COULD HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, even IF they don't win tonight--WHICH I HOPE THEY DO--they have had a SUPER YEAR & CAREER, the ones that will be going on to the NBA--probably 4 or 5 of them--after this year & I'm sure they have made LOTS of GREAT MEMORIES & FRIENDS along the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"ROCK CHALK, JAYHAWKS, GO KU"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOVE YOU ALL, RoRo

WE

OK--SPORTS FANS--I'VE GOT A NEW POST--ON LIFE!!!!!

I've been thinking about THIS one for a LONG time, now & gonna kinda 'do' 3 together!!!!! Hope it's not too long & whoever reads this can UNDERSTAND it--ha!!!!!



I have been thinking about HOW FRAGILE our LIVES here on Earth ARE!!!!! Oh, yeah, some folks seem to be able to DRINK so much ALCOHOL & DO so many DRUGS that you WONDER how their livers & kidneys & brains & hearts are STILL WORKING--but, really our lives are LIKE a THIN FISHING LINE that is STRUNG through this World & at times, it SEEMS like it doesn't 'take' much AT ALL to BREAK/END them!!!!!!!!!



And, at best, the average age men die at is 72 and it's 79 for the women--that's STILL NOT LONG in the HISTORY OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!! Is it????? Our lives ARE 'but a vapor' that 'appears for a little while & then, IT'S GONE'!!!!!!!!!!!!!



SO, WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH OUR LIVES--THE ONLY ONE WE GET HERE?????!!!!!!!!! And, I'm NOT talking about your 'job' or 'career'--I'm talking about WHAT ARE YOU DOING with the part OF YOU that's GOING TO LIVE FOREVER?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Have YOU figured out WHAT we're HERE FOR? If not, I'll give you some Bible verses to help you out, there:

Colossians 1:16--"ALL things were created BY GOD & FOR GOD" & Isaiah 43:7--"whom I created FOR MY GLORY"--that's it folks--SIMPLE, but NOT EASY--we were CREATED TO WORSHIP GOD/GIVE HIM 'ALL THE GLORY', because HE DESERVES IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND, is going to get it, whether we decide to do that or not!!!!!!!!

And, ALL the SAVED are GOING to DO JUST THAT ALL OF ETERNITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Okay, even IF you knew that ALREADY--JUST HOW are we SUPPOSED TO DO THAT????? I LOVE The Message's version of Romans 12:1--"Take your EVERYDAY, ORDINARY LIFE--your sleeping, eating, going-t0-work, and walking-around life--and, PLACE IT BEFORE GOD AS AN OFFERING." Every ONE of us CAN DO THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Okay, say you NEED HELP!!!!! Most of us do, at least at some times or another, in our lives. Just because SOMEONE SAYS they can HELP YOU--does that mean they WILL or CAN????? NOPE! It's NOT that simple!!!!!

LOTS of folks will TRY to HELP you, and MANY of them will TRY to 'lead you astray'/OFF THE RIGHT PATH & many others will have a 'good heart' & THINK they may help you, BUT, THEY WON'T, EITHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!



"WHO CAN WE GO TO, BUT TO THE LORD"?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "Living below in this old sinful world Hardly a comfort can afford Striving alone to face temptations call Where could I go to the Lord Where could I go where could I go Seeking a refuge for my soul Needing a friend to help me in the end Where could I go to the Lord Neighbors are fun I love a_?em everyone We get along in sweet accord But when I pass the chilling hand of death Where could I go to the Lord Where could I go where could I go Seeking a refuge for my soul Needing a friend to help me in the end Where could I go to the Lord Life here is grand with friends I love so well Comfort I get from God's own Word But when my soul needs manna from above Where could I go to the Lord Where could I go where could I go Seeking a refuge for my soul Needing a friend to help me in the end Where could I go to the Lord"



The word 'but' is left out, but that's HOW I REMEMBER this 'old hymn'--"WHERE COULD I GO, BUT TO THE LORD?" And, it's SO VERY TRUE--we all MAY have had parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, teachers, preachers, friends and even 'good' Christians friends and family--BUT, REALLY, WHO CAN WE GO TO who is ALWAYS THERE & ALWAYS WILLING & PREPARED TO HELP US--with JUST WHAT WE NEED????? NO ONE BUT OUR AWESOME & MERCIFUL GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I have just realized in the last month or so, that I am (finally) 'at' a PLACE in my life where I am 'TRULY CONTENT'--MORE THAN EVER in my life & it's a VERY GOOD 'place' TO BE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO 'at peace' with my life--OH, I'M NOT PERFECT, YET--won't be UNTIL I REACH MY FINAL GOAL OF HEAVEN--but, I am so VERY HAPPY--surely 'you' don't have to be '55' to get there, like me--SO, I WISH YOU ALL will 'FIND THIS PLACE' in your lives & GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! MUCH LOVE, R0Ro/MamaRose