Never, ever, ever, run out of toilet paper and paper towels. Buy both every time that you go to the store until you run out of room to store it. There is no use stressing over toilet paper.:)
copyright 2011 by Kathy Robbins
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
I KNOW You DIDN’T Just Unfriend Me!!!
While perusing facebook one evening, I saw the following post from a friend:
"How many of you check the number of friends that you have on a daily basis, and then if the number has dropped, check your friends list to see who unfriended you? STOP IT!!!”
I really liked that post, because, well, I have been guilty of keeping tabs on my friend inventory and most other people have too. I don’t do it anymore though. I can’t say who has unfriended me or why. But I thought that I would write about who I have unfriended and why. I need to admit that just because I have unfriended someone, doesn’t necessarily meant that I don’t love them anymore. But sometimes, it does.J
Kathy’s Unfriended List Arranged by Personal Significance, Complete With Reason:
1. My Mother-I still love her but I didn’t love the fact that she would wait until she saw that I had logged onto Facebook and then put a post on my page saying, “call me. Mama”. No offense, but how embarrassing! Now, she posts on my son’s page saying, “Tell your Mama to call me.” He doesn’t seem to mind. (I hope she isn’t reading this.--Love you Mom!)
2. My Brother-He instant messaged me one time to fuss at me about something that my Mom had told him. He told me that she was giving him an earful. So, I explained my side of the situation and as soon as he logged off, I unfriended him. Once he realized it, he called her to tattle on me. She told him not to worry about it, because I had unfriended her too. ( I hope he isn’t reading this-Love you Bro!)
3. My oldest son-Time #1-We had an argument on our respective facebook pages.
Time #2- He got mad at me and wrote bad things about me on his wall.
Time #3- He used too much vulgarity on his wall after I had asked him to stop doing this. He said that it was his wall, not mine. He has since toned it down.
Must I add that he is a teenager? Enough said!
Status-We are currently facebook friends. I love you, Son!
4. My ex-husband- Really, it was hard to add him in the first place. There is just something creepy about having an ex-husband on your page. I think that he was more upset that I had unfriended him than he was about me divorcing him.
5. My former mother-in-law- This is even creepier than the ex-husband.
6. Former schoolmates who just won’t quit posting pictures from their cheerleading days from THIRTY years ago over and over and over: Pyramid #1, Pyramid #2, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseam. Hello! It’s over! Move on!!!
7. Friends who post pornographic pictures-KEEP YOUR SEX ORGAN OFF OF MY PAGE!!!
8. Friends who use excessive cursing and vulgarity.
9. Alabama Friend-One friend who is an Alabama fan said that she was about to start hiding the comments from all of her Auburn friends because she didn’t want to have to read all of our obnoxious comments during football season? Oh Yeah? Well, I just unfriended you!!! Ha!
10. Friends who show pictures or write things dishonoring Christianity. One guy had a picture of Jesus holding an automatic weapon. Another girl kept posting that she worshipped Satan. No thank you. I didn’t want her vibes on my page.
11. One friend who I love dearly, just to see if she would notice. ( I was feeling unloved). It took her a while, but she finally did notice and sent me a new friend request. We are friends again.
Who have you unfriended and why?
copyright 2011 by Kathy Robbins
Friday, August 5, 2011
A Gift From the Lord
This passsage is dedicated to my friends, Maria and Dan Harrington, and Jenny and Eddie Gelsone, who are expecting babies soon. May you continue to be blessed!
I was pregnant with my second son. Very pregnant. I had just left the doctor’s office after having my prenatal checkup. I was having to visit him weekly now, because I was very close to my due date. I had hoped that he would tell me that he was admitting me to have the baby. But that did not happen.
I was big, and ready to have the baby. When he told me that it wasn’t quite time yet, I felt a huge letdown. My hormones were raging and my emotions on a roller coaster. So disappointedly, I went to a restaurant to have lunch before making the two hour drive back to my hometown.
Reading while I ate was a deeply ingrained habit of mine. My current reading project was to read my bible. I had read all of it except one book: the book of Psalms.
The reason that I had saved this book for the last is that much of it is poetry and I usually have trouble understanding poetry. I prefer a straight-forward chronological story.
I really dreaded opening my bible and beginning reading. Typically, I read three chapters a day. If the passage was particularly interesting, I read more. But, I didn’t usually read more of the Psalms. Getting through this book was tough for me. I just didn’t want to read that day. Nothing was really going my way and I just knew that once I opened this book, nothing would be different.
However, I also am aware that we sometimes have a war going on privately within us. Whether it is the devil trying to keep us from the word of God or whether it is our flesh, or a combination of the two, we have to persevere in order to receive a blessing. And sometimes, when we feel the most reluctant to enter into the word, or attend church or pray, that is when we most need to do that which we don’t want to do. For many times, that is when the biggest blessings await us in exchange for simple obedience.
So, with this knowledge, accompanied by my reluctance, I opened my bible to the place where I had left off the last time: Psalms 127. This is what I read:
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
What a blessing for a woman with child to read! My anxiety was gone. I knew that I was receiving word that I was soon to deliver a blessing. What a beautiful gift from God on this day when I needed encouragement, both for my condition and for reading my bible. I would forever hold this particular Psalm dear to my heart.
I recommend that every man and woman who are expecting a baby to read this Psalm. Those of us who have older children need to read it regularly too, especially in times of frustration, as a reminder that the object of our frustration is indeed a reward from God.
Amen.
copyright 2011 by Kathy Robbins
I was pregnant with my second son. Very pregnant. I had just left the doctor’s office after having my prenatal checkup. I was having to visit him weekly now, because I was very close to my due date. I had hoped that he would tell me that he was admitting me to have the baby. But that did not happen.
I was big, and ready to have the baby. When he told me that it wasn’t quite time yet, I felt a huge letdown. My hormones were raging and my emotions on a roller coaster. So disappointedly, I went to a restaurant to have lunch before making the two hour drive back to my hometown.
Reading while I ate was a deeply ingrained habit of mine. My current reading project was to read my bible. I had read all of it except one book: the book of Psalms.
The reason that I had saved this book for the last is that much of it is poetry and I usually have trouble understanding poetry. I prefer a straight-forward chronological story.
I really dreaded opening my bible and beginning reading. Typically, I read three chapters a day. If the passage was particularly interesting, I read more. But, I didn’t usually read more of the Psalms. Getting through this book was tough for me. I just didn’t want to read that day. Nothing was really going my way and I just knew that once I opened this book, nothing would be different.
However, I also am aware that we sometimes have a war going on privately within us. Whether it is the devil trying to keep us from the word of God or whether it is our flesh, or a combination of the two, we have to persevere in order to receive a blessing. And sometimes, when we feel the most reluctant to enter into the word, or attend church or pray, that is when we most need to do that which we don’t want to do. For many times, that is when the biggest blessings await us in exchange for simple obedience.
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
I recommend that every man and woman who are expecting a baby to read this Psalm. Those of us who have older children need to read it regularly too, especially in times of frustration, as a reminder that the object of our frustration is indeed a reward from God.
Amen.
copyright 2011 by Kathy Robbins
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Stress Relief Idea #2
Prepare for the morning the evening before. Set the breakfast table, make lunches, put out the clothes you plan to wear, etc.
copyright 2011 by Kathy Robbins
copyright 2011 by Kathy Robbins
Monday, July 25, 2011
Stress Relief-Secrets for Making Life Just a Little Bit Easier
I have to admit, our lives are terribly stressful. We see evidence of this each time we turn on the news. I think that it is ironic that I had a Great Grandmother who didn’t have electricity, had to milk a cow, used a fireplace for cooking, well, you know the drill. Me, I have a gas stove, TV dinners, an automatic washing machine and dryer, a computer and all of the other normal appliances. I bet she had more free time on her hands than I do. Life is stressful and thus very hard.
But, I received a treasure this week. It was a list of 52 proven ways to cut down stress. Of course the list contains several ideas that I have heard before and forgotten and many that I had not ever considered. So, starting this week, I will begin posting one way to cut down stress each Monday for the next year. I will simply add it in the color gaudy green. Whenever you see gaudy green on this blog, you will know that it is a new stress reduction suggestion. I hope that these are helpful to the reader and to me. Each week, I will try to read my new stress relief suggestion three times a day. I may modify this , but I am going to try to turn each idea into a new habit. It can’t hurt to try. Any of you that have your own suggestions for reducing stress, please feel free to submit your suggestion in the comments section so that we can all share our ideas.
I look forward to this journey.
The first stress relief idea is:
1. Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.
copyright 2011 by Kathy Robbins
But, I received a treasure this week. It was a list of 52 proven ways to cut down stress. Of course the list contains several ideas that I have heard before and forgotten and many that I had not ever considered. So, starting this week, I will begin posting one way to cut down stress each Monday for the next year. I will simply add it in the color gaudy green. Whenever you see gaudy green on this blog, you will know that it is a new stress reduction suggestion. I hope that these are helpful to the reader and to me. Each week, I will try to read my new stress relief suggestion three times a day. I may modify this , but I am going to try to turn each idea into a new habit. It can’t hurt to try. Any of you that have your own suggestions for reducing stress, please feel free to submit your suggestion in the comments section so that we can all share our ideas.
I look forward to this journey.
The first stress relief idea is:
1. Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.
copyright 2011 by Kathy Robbins
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Heaven is For Real
A Book Review With a Personal Twist
A retired ordained clergy member loaned this book to a friend, who is a Dr.. She loaned it to me before she read it.
I read it in a day. Loved it!
This is the story of a family of four who is beset by one trauma after another. The final trauma is the sickness of the youngest boy, Colton: he had an appendicitis attack. One would think that an appendicitis attack would be a cut and dried thing. Except, in this case, it was misdiagnosed as a stomach virus. The three year old youngster seemed to improve and then worsened again. When he reached the point of near death, he received an accurate diagnosis and had emergency surgery. But at that time, his appendix had been burst for days. He survives the surgery but has to have the incision drained and repacked regularly until the incision heals. When he is about to be released, the hospital staff informs the parents that another surgery has to be done to clean up new pockets of infection that they have detected. The prognosis after the second surgery is not good. However, his condition improves miraculously after the congregation of the family’s church holds an emergency impromptu prayer service.
His condition improves and he is released from the hospital. This is where most stories would end. But not this one. For in this story, over time, a revelation is made by the little boy, Colton, that during his surgery, he visited heaven and sat in the lap of Jesus. Over time, he reveals other details, such as angels, rainbows, monsters, spiritual warfare in the heavenliest, meeting John the Baptist, seeing God, and seeing Mary, mother of Jesus. This is what would be an unbelievable story, except for the fact that this boy tells these details matter of factly and all of his descriptions and information parallel scripture.
Colton’s father is a pastor and the author of this book. The father reveals all of these experiences to the world in such a way that he points out the relevant scriptures that parallel Colton’s experiences in heaven. Both Colton’s experiences and his father’s wisdom come together to make up the whole story.
After I read this book, I told my friend who I said before is a Doctor, that I would love to be inside her head when she read this book. I wonder at what point, when she reads about the symptoms she would suspect appendicitis. That is when she explained to me that appendicitis is very hard to diagnose in a child, because the symptoms mimic so many other things.
Two days ago, I told my prayer group that I had read it this week as part of my study. Today, I received an email from a friend in our prayer group that the seventeen year old son of one of our members had been admitted into the hospital today for what was suspected to be appendicitis. He had emergency surgery today and is doing well as I write this. But his condition was originally miss-diagnosed as a urinary tract infection.
I went to the hospital to check on him and his parents, and I related the story about this book to them. Before I finished my story, the father was nodding his head. I asked him if he had read it. He said no, but he had been at a baseball game watching his other son play baseball, when another parent who had read the book told him about the story. He said that at that point, he had texted his wife.
I recommend that everyone from fifth grade on up read this book for a number of reasons.
The first reason is that this book is easy to read and the subject matter and language are appropriate for all audiences.
Second, all parents and Doctors should read this as a reminder of the difficulty of the diagnosis of appendicitis in a child and the propensity of this condition to mimic many other common childhood illnesses. Although the Doctor is responsible for making an accurate diagnosis, it is the job of the parents to take children back to the doctor when the condition does not improve. This story may be the story that saves someone’s life.
Third, I recommend this book for both Christians and non-Christians. I recommend it for Christians because it is a reminder of the beauty and magnificence of our final destination. There are points in this story in which scripture is given a more concrete picture.
I recommend this for the non-Christian because whether or not someone believes in God, this is a good story and this could be the seed that is planted that blooms one day.
Either way, this is a great book, that came at a unique time in my life and the life of my friends.
Amen.
To order this book, just click here:
A retired ordained clergy member loaned this book to a friend, who is a Dr.. She loaned it to me before she read it.
I read it in a day. Loved it!
This is the story of a family of four who is beset by one trauma after another. The final trauma is the sickness of the youngest boy, Colton: he had an appendicitis attack. One would think that an appendicitis attack would be a cut and dried thing. Except, in this case, it was misdiagnosed as a stomach virus. The three year old youngster seemed to improve and then worsened again. When he reached the point of near death, he received an accurate diagnosis and had emergency surgery. But at that time, his appendix had been burst for days. He survives the surgery but has to have the incision drained and repacked regularly until the incision heals. When he is about to be released, the hospital staff informs the parents that another surgery has to be done to clean up new pockets of infection that they have detected. The prognosis after the second surgery is not good. However, his condition improves miraculously after the congregation of the family’s church holds an emergency impromptu prayer service.
His condition improves and he is released from the hospital. This is where most stories would end. But not this one. For in this story, over time, a revelation is made by the little boy, Colton, that during his surgery, he visited heaven and sat in the lap of Jesus. Over time, he reveals other details, such as angels, rainbows, monsters, spiritual warfare in the heavenliest, meeting John the Baptist, seeing God, and seeing Mary, mother of Jesus. This is what would be an unbelievable story, except for the fact that this boy tells these details matter of factly and all of his descriptions and information parallel scripture.
Colton’s father is a pastor and the author of this book. The father reveals all of these experiences to the world in such a way that he points out the relevant scriptures that parallel Colton’s experiences in heaven. Both Colton’s experiences and his father’s wisdom come together to make up the whole story.
After I read this book, I told my friend who I said before is a Doctor, that I would love to be inside her head when she read this book. I wonder at what point, when she reads about the symptoms she would suspect appendicitis. That is when she explained to me that appendicitis is very hard to diagnose in a child, because the symptoms mimic so many other things.
Two days ago, I told my prayer group that I had read it this week as part of my study. Today, I received an email from a friend in our prayer group that the seventeen year old son of one of our members had been admitted into the hospital today for what was suspected to be appendicitis. He had emergency surgery today and is doing well as I write this. But his condition was originally miss-diagnosed as a urinary tract infection.
I went to the hospital to check on him and his parents, and I related the story about this book to them. Before I finished my story, the father was nodding his head. I asked him if he had read it. He said no, but he had been at a baseball game watching his other son play baseball, when another parent who had read the book told him about the story. He said that at that point, he had texted his wife.
I recommend that everyone from fifth grade on up read this book for a number of reasons.
The first reason is that this book is easy to read and the subject matter and language are appropriate for all audiences.
Second, all parents and Doctors should read this as a reminder of the difficulty of the diagnosis of appendicitis in a child and the propensity of this condition to mimic many other common childhood illnesses. Although the Doctor is responsible for making an accurate diagnosis, it is the job of the parents to take children back to the doctor when the condition does not improve. This story may be the story that saves someone’s life.
Third, I recommend this book for both Christians and non-Christians. I recommend it for Christians because it is a reminder of the beauty and magnificence of our final destination. There are points in this story in which scripture is given a more concrete picture.
I recommend this for the non-Christian because whether or not someone believes in God, this is a good story and this could be the seed that is planted that blooms one day.
Either way, this is a great book, that came at a unique time in my life and the life of my friends.
Amen.
To order this book, just click here:
Thursday, July 21, 2011
We The People: Stop Our Representatives From Breaking our Backs
Other than casting my vote, I don’t frequently get too politically involved. But from time to time, I have to engage in the political debate. This is usually when I see thing getting so skewed that our way of life appears to be threatened.
In this case, unfortunately, the enemy seems to be our own congressmen. This is neither the first time, nor will it be the last.
The issue for me is the budget debate. First of all, I feel that we should not ever entertain defaulting on our debts; period. The results would be financially, and socially catastrophic.
From what I am hearing, the leaders of the budget talks are entertaining the concepts of cutting Medicare and Social Security. In other words, they are threatening to cut the benefits to the generation that has been the backbone of this nation. This includes the generation that has lived through the Great Depression, fought in World War II, Vietnam, and built this country into what it is today.
Yet we continue to send money overseas for foreign aid? We should cut the people overseas before we hurt our own.
This blog reaches an international audience. For those of you who are not citizens of this country, I am sure that you observe our government with many emotions, amusement being one of them. However, I think that it is still the best in the world.
I have already emailed all of my congressmen to express my opinion about this debate. And I will follow up with my opinion at the next election. I challenge every reader who is reading this to do the same. Whether or not you agree with my opinion, please weigh in with your representatives and let your voice be heard. That is the only way that we will avoid injury to our own citizenry in the form of broken backs.
For the citizens of Hays County, where I live, here are the links for your congressmen:
Senator John Cornyn
http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Home
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
http://hutchison.senate.gov/?p=home
Congressman Lloyd Doggett
http://www.doggett.house.gov/
For the representatives of all other states:
House of Representatives
http://www.house.gov/
Go to this website and enter zip code in the box below the words ‘Find your representative’
Senate:
http://senate.gov/
Go to this website and click on the drop down box that is labeled ‘Find Your Senators’
In this case, unfortunately, the enemy seems to be our own congressmen. This is neither the first time, nor will it be the last.
The issue for me is the budget debate. First of all, I feel that we should not ever entertain defaulting on our debts; period. The results would be financially, and socially catastrophic.
From what I am hearing, the leaders of the budget talks are entertaining the concepts of cutting Medicare and Social Security. In other words, they are threatening to cut the benefits to the generation that has been the backbone of this nation. This includes the generation that has lived through the Great Depression, fought in World War II, Vietnam, and built this country into what it is today.
Yet we continue to send money overseas for foreign aid? We should cut the people overseas before we hurt our own.
This blog reaches an international audience. For those of you who are not citizens of this country, I am sure that you observe our government with many emotions, amusement being one of them. However, I think that it is still the best in the world.
I have already emailed all of my congressmen to express my opinion about this debate. And I will follow up with my opinion at the next election. I challenge every reader who is reading this to do the same. Whether or not you agree with my opinion, please weigh in with your representatives and let your voice be heard. That is the only way that we will avoid injury to our own citizenry in the form of broken backs.
For the citizens of Hays County, where I live, here are the links for your congressmen:
Senator John Cornyn
http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Home
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
http://hutchison.senate.gov/?p=home
Congressman Lloyd Doggett
http://www.doggett.house.gov/
For the representatives of all other states:
House of Representatives
http://www.house.gov/
Go to this website and enter zip code in the box below the words ‘Find your representative’
Senate:
http://senate.gov/
Go to this website and click on the drop down box that is labeled ‘Find Your Senators’
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