He's Got The Whole World...

Welcome to Jenny Matlock's Saturday Centus.  Yes, I know, it's Wednesday...cut me some slack, it's been a busy week!  Saturday Centus is a writing adventure that my friend, Jenny, extends to loyal followers and friends who love to write...usually on Saturday mornings...when our thinking caps are in the hamper and we need a little prompt! This week's prompt is the above picture.  We have been challenged to write 104 words in a story, prose or poetry and it should be in the first person.  My first light bulb moment was a song we used to sing (many decades ago) in Sunday School about having "the whole world in his hands."  My story (which is a little over 100 words...sorry I could not help myself as my research assistants were overflowing with ideas) follows from the viewpoint of my friend, Pete, the young man in the picture.

Somebody gave me this earth ball and said I had to find out how to make a happy world. Here's what some of my friends told me.

LH said the world would be "ran by mommies" and that we would all eat chocolate, and when she grows up she will take care of animals, especially frog animals!

JS said "God would take charge of the world.  I would play with all the toys and eat lots of mac and cheese.  Oh, and we would love everybody!

NT stated that "the world would be better if all of the countries had the same freedom we have.  We would send people to go talk to the kings or someone who will listen so we won't have world war and can live in peace."

Out of the mouths of babes....

Thanks for stopping by today!  Please visit Jenny's blog by clicking on the logo below.  I'm sure that you will find some very entertaining reads from some of my friends!

Random Dozen - What One Thing...

My blogger buddy, Lid, at 2nd Cup of Coffee posts Random Dozen on Tuesdays and invites us to join in by answering 12 random questions and then posting them on our blogs and sites the next day. Just click on the logo and you will be magically transported to a very happy place (one of those happy places that we all try to get to now and then!)

This week's Q & As:

1. What is one really fast, know-by-heart "go-to" meal to fix in a pinch? 1-800-Papajohn’s. Actually, I can always fall back on grilled cheese and tomato soup.


2. What is one item you won't leave home without. (Purse and license do not count.) My car keys? Kids? A snack for the long drive around the corner? Actually, I sometimes leave without my phone or without my grocery list, but I never leave home without a camera. One never knows when George Clooney is going to walk around the corner and “almost” bump into you.

3. Where is one place you never tire of visiting? The refrigerator. Actually, I could visit theatres with live performances every single day of every week of every year! I love dramas, musicals, comedies, and sweaty sports!

4. Share one factoid of your family's history. My great-great grandfather discovered a gold mine.

5. Complete this sentence: "Once upon a time I ....wanted to be a famous movie star."

6. If you could win a one year's supply of anything, what would it be? Chocolate…maid service…Rachael Ray cooking dinner for my family every night!

7. "One quirky thing you may not know about me is ....I can be unbelievably boring!"

8. You have one dollar in your pocket. What will you buy? Something I can turn around and sell for $2.

9. "One thing that always makes me laugh is ....the Etrade TV commercial with the babies." Actually, looking in the mirror does it for me anytime!

10. What is one thing you could do today to help yourself reach a personal goal? I’m doing it right now…write!

11. What is one thing you could do today to bless someone else? Ask God to take care of their needs. A coworker is having surgery tomorrow for liver cancer. He has been on my mind all day. Before I left work, I gave him a hug and told him that everyone was praying for him.

12. What is one thing you're looking forward to soon? The end of the school year…Yay!!!!

Psalm 84:10a: Better is ONE day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere!

Challenge Update....

Well, so much for holidays where we consume mass quantities of carbs and sugar! I did very well portion-wise. All 20 meals were small to medium size portions! It's taken a few days of trying to back off from the sweet stuff, but I think I'm on my way. I can, however, still sense a whisper of gorging in the air!

The scale hasn't changed in a week, so I must be outputting enough to equal the inputting. Not eating after 7:00pm has helped tremendously. I just drink...lots and lots of water! Then I have to get up in the middle of the night to take care of that little problem!

I'm reading the book (yes...I do read...when there is nothing good on TV and all of the cherubs are in bed), "Half-Assed a Weight-Loss Memoir" by Jennette Fulda. I'm enjoying her perspective on the "why" and "how". It's interesting to learn the different ways in which we look at our lives and feelings, and how we deal with them. When I feel crappy, food is comfort; when I feel angry, food is comfort; and when I'm really, really angry, only chocolate food is comfort. Then, from the middle of the night through the next day, I have to take care of another little problem!

Baby Steps, I know. It didn't appear overnight; what makes me thing it will disappear overnight? Through it all, I know that I'm loved and I hope to be forgiven for not sharing.

I do not commit to walking the dog tomorrow morning for 20 minutes in 35 degree weather, but I will chase her around the house for the same amount of time. Does that count?

Hope you have a healthy day. Bring a smile to someone and they just may give it back!

Ugh! I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick!

Why do I always over-indulge at Halloween? Maybe it's because I don't drink, so I don't over-indulge at weddings, birthdays, game days, New Years Eve, graduations, baby showers, etc. When will I ever learn that this body is just too old for chocolate. I like chocolate, but it really, really, does not like me. I figure it's God's little hint that I should stop at one Milkyway, not 21!

I loved looking at all the cute Halloween costumes that kids were going to be wearing when they went Trick or Treating. Awww...those were the days. The days of coming up with four new costumes every year, and there was always one of the cherubs who would change their mind at 4:00pm the afternoon of Halloween! Lots of hand me downs, my old ballet costumes, old soccer and baseball uniforms torn to shreds so we could be zombie athletes. I'm glad I kept the dress up box, because we could always find something in there to mix and match, and then make it a zombie!

One year we used an old toy container that was a plastic trash can. We cut out the bottom, glued rotten fruit and milk cartons to the outside, and actually won for "most unique" costume in Kindergarten. (If I can get my feeble hands on that picture, I'll post it sometime before next Halloween).

So here are a few of past Halloweens....(please bear with me...I'm so still learning how to do this!)




I actually sewed white felt on black sweats to make this Power Ranger dream come true. This costume was dumped at 4:00pm and "Santa" became the Trick or Treat costume.


This was a fun year; everyone stayed with their original idea. Mr. "white jammies" is Luke Skywalker; "fighting girl" is Zena, Warrior Princess; all black "Kupie" is a kitty; and "red-coated short stuff" is Kenny from "South Park."

Hope your Halloween was a blast!