Candle Craziness

I found these candles on a clearance shelf at WalMart in Myrtle Beach and thought they were so pretty, and such a bargain at $4 each, that I couldn't pass them up. The candle holders are another clearance find at $5 each. But I didn't really have anyplace to use them in my house. I thought of putting them away for a future gift or something, then I ran across these little square plates at Ross ($2 each). It was funny when I saw the first one because I was thinking that I could get 4 of them and use them on my table with the black & white candles, but I wasn't sure I would find 4 of them since the first one I found was sitting with some bath towels, not in an aisle with dishes. I searched high and low (one of my favorite things about shopping) and found 4 plates, but no two are alike!! I think I like it even better that they don't match each other. Anyway, the weather is so pretty today that I'm getting ready to change to a spring time look on the table, and I thought I'd take a picture of my black & white candles before I put them away.

Random Thoughts

Today was my mother's 83rd birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom!! We all went out to eat at a local drive-in (Janet's) because she wanted chicken livers. The food was great and they always bring you more than you can eat. On the way home, we were talking about being thankful for all the blessings God has given us, so I thought I'd name a few. This is by no means a complete list, but I don't have enough space on the internet to name everything God has blessed me with.

First, my family (both immediate and extended). Kirby, my kids and grandkids, my sisters, my mom & step-dad, my in-laws, all my nieces and nephews and cousins, I am so glad all of them are part of my life.

My uncle has been in the hospital this week, so I am reminded everyday of how healthy my family has been. One of Todd's friends (Heath Gains) died from lukemia when they were both five years old. I spent many days at the hospital with Heath holding his feet in my hands so his legs wouldn't touch the bed because he had sores that hurt. For years, when I bought Todd his size 11 shoes I would think of those little feet and thank God for my beautiful, healthy children.

Speaking of my son, he just changed jobs and everything happened in such a way that he was blessed financially by the company that laid him off and the company that hired him. I pray all the time that God will bless my children spiritually, physically, financially, and emotionally. He just continues to amaze me with answers to this prayer.

As we drove along, we were talking about being thankful for having a decent car to drive (even though my sister and step-dad were complaining that the head rests were poking them in the back - this is the problem with seats that fold into the floor of the Dodge Caravan unless you raise the head rests before you sit down). I thought of the many times in my life when I wasn't sure my car would make it across town (in fact, there were times it didn't), but right now, we have two nice cars still under warranty.

I have a nice new roof over my head and too much food to eat. We have heat all winter and air conditioning all summer, cable TV, internet, and telephone. Yet, we still complain that there is nothing on TV or nothing to do.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Today is a good day to be thankful, so give praise to God who is worthy to receive all glory, honor and power. AMEN!!

Little Stowaway

When we left our terminal last week, Kirby opened the truck door and saw a little mouse run to the sleeper area of the truck. For a day or two, we thought he had gotten out of the truck, but then we started to notice tiny little bites taken out of our loaf of bread. I put the bread in the cooler, so he developed a taste for peanuts. I hid those, and he decided he liked Ritz crackers. We started calling him Rattatoui, even though we never actually saw him. Only the evidence he was still in the truck. Eventually, he got into the 100 calorie packs of Lorna Dunes and Kirby said "He's crossed the line now!! Nobody eats my shortbread cookies!!" We wanted to wait until we got back home and set a trap for him, but after a few days of trying to leave little bits of food out for him, we realized he liked the fresh food better that he could open for himself. So then I had to re-pack everything to make it smaller and stuff it into our cooler. In the middle of the night, we heard all kinds of scratching and crunching. The next morning, we realized he had found a bag of cough drops!!!

Luckily, we had a chance to stop at a Wal-Mart for a few supplies, and we picked up a humane mouse trap. I refused to get poison or a killer trap. After all, he was like a pet now that we had been traveling with him for over a week. That little mouse went from Charleston, WV to Houston, TX to Cincinnati, OH, to Chicago, IL, to Detroit, MI, back to Houston, to Parker, PA, then finally to Freeport, TX.

So, here is what we bought for him. We baited it with a little cheese and peanut butter, then we got in bed and waited. About 30 minutes later, we heard him frantically scratching to get out of the box.

We put the trap on the ground outside the truck and turned it over, which lets the door fall open and the mouse get out. He put his head out and sniffed at first, then he ran off into the grass. I kept saying that I thought he would like the weather better in Texas, but couldn't help but sing a few lines of "Somewhere Out There" as we drove off. "Even though I know how very far apart we are, it helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star. . . . ." I hope his little mouse mother reads my blog so she will know where he is and that he is safe and happy.