Good News for the New Year

I am excited to share with you something I just found about 3 weeks ago -- a podcast of the Daily Audio Bible with Brian Hardin. In just a short time, I have become addicted to this, and I would like to challenge you to subscribe and listen throughout 2009.

You can subscribe through iTunes on your computer, and download it to your computer or any mp3 player. If you have an iPhone, you can download it each day directly to your phone (I love that!). Brian's voice is professional and soothing, and his comments are intelligent and wise. If you look at his website, www.dailyaudiobible.com, don't be put off by his appearance. (I'm saying this to those of my generation or older.) He is a young music producer, and really looks the part. You will soon be drawn in to the community of listeners.

There have been more than 13 million downloads of this podcast so far, and the listeners are growing, in numbers and in wisdom and strength. It's even being heard in China. As of the first of the new year, they will be offering a children's version, a Spanish version, and a Hindi version. Because of all the growth, they are switching to a new system, so there could be disruption for a day or two in the process. Don't be discouraged if you connect at a time when everything is in transition. During the holidays, there was a 3-day period where I couldn't connect, and I really missed it!

Each week he reads from a different version of the Daily Audio Bible. Each day you get some Old Testament, some New Testament, some Psalms, and a Proverb. If you are a brand-new believer, I think that might be confusing. It would probably be better in that case to read or listen to the New Testament only for a while.

I truly love it and plan to keep up with the podcasts all year. I hope you will check it out. To find it on iTunes (which is free, if you don't have it), just type in the keywords: daily audio bible or brian hardin. You can also find a direct connection at the bottom of my home page.

NYC Christmas, Part IV

It's the day after Christmas, and we're still partying. Here are the last photos of NYC at Christmas time, I think! Tomorrow will tell.

NYC Christmas, Part III

Today's Photos: Statue of Liberty, Street Entertainers in Battery Park, an old cathedral.

Merry Christmas one and all! Frohe Weihnachten!

NYC Christmas, Part II

Today's photos: Ground Zero, Wall Street, Shopping in Central Park area.

A New York City Christmas

I've got a lot to do this week and so do you. I don't have time to write, and you don't have time to read. At least the women don't. Men may have more time to read than usual this week. :) So, I shall just regale you with my favorite photos from our NYC trip. [I always wanted to use that word - regale!] New York at Christmas time is special, cold, and crowded. These are photos of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree (notice the huge crowd), and our carriage ride around Central Park. Enjoy!

When You Can't Floss

On our New York trip, my sister Alicia introduced me to these nifty little things. Butler GUM Softpicks. They come with a little case to carry some in your purse. And they nicely brush between your teeth when you're not in the right place to brush and floss. I like 'em! Available in grocery or drug stores.

Santa Came to My House

Christmas is not even here yet, and I've already gotten the best gift of all - time to spend with our kids. Barrett and Beccy are here from Germany, and the rest of the kids will be here, too -- Michael, Christie and Austin. Yes, that's my baby son out int he FREEZING cold wearing shorts and flip-flops.

And Santa came to sit in front of our house for two nights, passing out candy canes to good little kids who were driving by to look at the lights.

My Christmas wish for you is the peace and joy that comes from a personal relationship with the Saviour of the world, and blessed time spent with family and friends.

How to Display Photo Christmas Cards

I LOVE photo Christmas cards. I love sending them and I love receiving them. I always use walgreens.com to make mine because I can do it all online, and pick them up in an hour.

I want to display the ones I receive in a special way, so here's how I do it. I hang them on the Christmas tree. Sometimes I wedge them in between the branches, other times I use little wooden clothespins to hold them on. I love having them out so I can look at them.

I'd love to find a creative way to display the other cards, too. What do you do?

Track Flights

I'm sitting here, waiting in readiness to pick up my son Barrett and daughter-in-law Beccy at the airport. They are flying in from Germany, and I've been tracking their flight. I thought you might want to know how to do that, too!

Just go to www.flightaware.com. On the lower left side of the page, there is a place to put in the airline name and flight number for tracking. When a list of possible matches comes up, click on the right one. When you find the right flight, you can keep refreshing the page to see the status of the flight, and it actually shows you the flight pattern on a map as it's progressing. You don't have to log in or anything, the service is free. Free is good....

It turns out B & B missed their connecting flight in Cincinnati, so we won't be going to the airport until late tonight. Oh, well....glad I hadn't left yet. They are going to be exhausted when they get here!

Anytime you are picking someone up at the airport, or just wondering if your loved one's flight made it on time to its destination, give this handy tool a try.

Goog411 - You gotta have it

Last weekend we got to spend some quality time with our friends Gary and Linda. And Linda told me about Goog411. I can't believe I missed hearing about this!

You put this number into your phone: 1-800-goog-411
and it acts like Directory Assistance, but with some super added benefits.

Watch the video to see what I'm talking about:


Here's the Google website that holds this video and other information:
http://www.google.com/goog411/

Thanks, Linda! I'll be using this!

Cliphanger Sale - Discount Code

more animals

I know - you're making a list a checking it twice, or umpteen times. If you or anyone on your list can use a Cliphanger, all their products are 25% off until December 20 if you enter the promotion code Holiday. If you've been reading here long, you know I'm a big fan of these little gadgets that attach to your cellphone or home phone or GPS and make it easy to carry them around. See my prior article by clicking here.

I Fell Off the (Blog) Wagon

I know, I've been a very bad girl. I haven't posted anything in over a week. After posting virtually every day for the year of 2008, I hit a blank spot. Actually, I've been a very good girl, taking care of all my responsibilities. I just got overwhelmed and ran out of steam. So, I'm still giving myself permission not to post every day, but I hope to at least 2 or 3 times a week. Have you missed me? :)

This will be the first Christmas since 2005 that all our boys will be home for Christmas, and we have the added bonus of two lovely daughters-in-law. So, I've been trying to make everything ready. Barrett and Beccy fly in from Germany this Friday night -- we can't wait! And the others will be in and out over the holiday week. Even though we keep the holidays fairly simple, there is always a lot of preparation for the mom of the family.

I've also helped Dear Hubby launch his own blog in the last few weeks. In addition, last week I spent five wonderful days in New York City, showing two of my sisters the sights. We had a fabulous time, but was it cold!! I was behind when I left, and even more behind when I got back, but it was worth it. I will share some of our experiences with you in future posts.

But, I'm baaaaaaaack! I leave you with a picture of me and my sisters Kim and Alicia taken with Santa Claus. He parked his antique Lincoln by the curb at Central Park, right by the Plaza Hotel, and was available for hugs and pictures. He wouldn't even accept a tip or donation! What a sweetheart.

Incredible Shrinking Bags - Reynolds Brand

This tip comes from my sister Alicia. She recommends the Reynolds Handi-Vac Vacuum Sealing System. She says it is cheaper than the other brands, and loves how it works. We watched her shrink-wrap some ham for the freezer on Thanksgiving Day. Pretty cool!

I can certainly see how this could be useful, and I think I'll pick up one for myself.

Have a New Kid by Friday?

Where was this book when I needed it? I have wonderful sons, but they sure tried my patience when they were growing up, and I didn't always know how to handle it.

This new book, Have a New Kid by Friday, by Dr. Kevin Leman, is getting rave reviews. I heard him being interviewed on a radio show, and it sounds great. If you still have kids at home, I think you should consider this book. Find out more at Dr. Leman's website:
haveanewkidbyfriday.com
or just go read the reviews at:
amazon.com

In my opinion, every parent AND every dog owner should be required to go through training. I certainly needed it, and there was nowhere to go. We did the best we knew how, but I tell my sons, "If I could parent you over again, I would do a million things differently." Here's an opportunity to do better. If you don't believe we need things like this, just watch an episode or two of "Supernanny" or "The Dog Whisperer". When you see either of these shows, it becomes very clear it is not actually the child or the dog that needs to be retrained, but the parent or owner. So, really this book could be called "Be a Great Parent by Friday".