Easter Silliness

Our dear Mrs. Jenny threw us a rotten egg for Saturday Centus this week...a photo of a chihuahua in its Easter best...and instructions to write 25 words of greeting card schtick... 

So, if I were to use her photo for the front of an Easter card, it would probably say something like:

It’s the Ch-Easter-huahua

All decked out in frilly pink,

Wishing that with all the eggs you find,

None give off a sulfur stink.

Hope you have a sweet smelling Easter.

If you know me, though, you know I have to (have to have to have to) use my own pics...that's just one of the rules around here...(the dogs and rabbit hate this rule, as you'll see..."are we done yet, MOM?!!")

So. Here you go.

Why did the Easter bunny cross the road?

To get away from the terrier twins, of course!

From Thump, Jake and Albert (and us humans, too)

We wish you a Happy Easter and a basket full of sweet arrrrooooos.

Make sure to hop on over to Mrs. Jenny's and see what the other Centusians have in their Easter bonnets.

Hello, Matey!

All he needs is an eye patch and a little baby sword...

Yo ho ho...where's me eye patch, matey!?

A Timely Tribute to Thump Thumperton

It's Alphabe-Thursday again, and this week we're having a tantalizing tea party to celebrate the twentieth letter, T. With all the attention paid last week to the scandalous scottie dogs, I thought it only fair to give someone else a little shout out.

I think it’s time to tell you a thing or two about the traits of the tremendous Thump Thumperton, our not too terribly tiny Holland mini-lop rabbit.

He doesn’t talk too much or tap out tunes on a tambourine.

Typically, he doesn’t have a taste for tangy things like tabasco, tomatoes, tamales or tangerines. He also doesn’t take to t-bones, tea or tobacco; he prefers timothy hay, tortilla chips and tasty treats like truffles of chocolate from time to time.

I’ve never seen him dance the tango or a tarantella, and he's much too traditional to wear a turquoise tank top or a tam-o-shanter.

He’s got no title like tsar, so he needs neither throne nor tuxedo.

He’s never been a teacher or a technologist, nor has he won a trophy for being too tall.

Never would he think to taunt or tease.

He’s no tyrant so there won’t be any thunderous temper tantrums that twist like typhoons from this tranquil guy.

He has no talent for tricks like tumbling topsy turvy or twirling on a trapeze.

He never talks trash and can be totally trusted.

He’s no tattle-tale and won’t tell any tawdry tales to cause you trouble.

He's not timid, so he doesn’t turn tail and run. There’s no trepidation or trembling around the two testy terriers; the only things that truly are troublesome to this tough bunny are talons and taxidermists.

He has no thirst for travel by truck or by train or to visit Texas or Tucson or Thailand. 

He’s tender, not ticklish but a teeny bit too thick through the torso. 

We’re thrilled to have Thump and think he’s truly terrific. Trust me: we wouldn’t trade him for anything. Not trinkets, trips to Tahiti or thousands of treasures. He's our Thump and we're thankful for that!

Time now to travel on over to Mrs. Jenny's "Off on My Tangent"  to see what tempting treats the other Alphabetarians have thrown out there.

Making Easter More Meaningful

Growing up in a Jewish family, Easter never really was a tradition for me. Also, as a result of growing up in a Jewish family, I think that if families celebrate religious holidays, then children should be taught their meaning.

So, this year, instead of overdosing your children with sugar, how about an Easter egg hunt in which they learn something about Jesus Christ, the central figure in the Easter story? (No, it's not the Easter bunny...I promise you).

OK, so here's my idea. Take however many plastic eggs you plan to hide and inside each one, write one of the approximately 200 names by which Christ is known. Hide the eggs. Let the little ones gather them up. And then....explain to them the significance of Easter and what those names mean. And then....if you must have candy, have at it!

What are some of those names? Here's a partial list...

Advocate
Almighty
Alpha and Omega

Ancient of Days
Anointed One
Atoning One
Author
Beginning and the Ending
Beloved Son of God
Bread of Life
Bridegroom
Bright and Morning Star
Carpenter's Son
Chief Cornerstone
Chosen One
Comforter
Cornerstone
Counsellor
Creator
Deliverer
Divine Son
Emmanuel
Exemplar
Father of Heaven and Earth
Finisher
Firstborn
Firstfruits
God of Abraham
God of Isaac
God of Israel
God of Jacob
God of Whole Earth
God's Anointed
Good Shepherd
Governor
Great I AM
Head of the Church
Healer
Holy Child
Holy Messiah
Holy One
Holy One of Israel
I AM
Image of God
Immanuel
Jehovah
Jesus
Jesus Christ
Jesus of Galilee
Jesus of Nazareth
Joseph's Son
King of Israel
King of Kings
King of Zion
King of the Jews
Lamb
Lamb of God
Life
Light of the World
Living Bread
Living Stone
Living Water
Lord
Lord of Hosts
Lord of Lords
Lord Omnipotent
Master
Mediator
Meek and Lowly
Messiah
Mighty God
Mighty One
Mighty One of Israel
Mighty One of Jacob
Minister
Most High God
Only Begotten of the Father
Only Begotten Son
Physician
Prince of Peace
Prophet
Rabbi
Redeemer
Redeemer of Israel
Redeemer of the World
Resurrection and the Life
Rock, the
Savior
Savior of the World
Shepherd
Son of God
Son of Man
Son of Mary
Son of Righteousness
Son of the Blessed
Son of the Eternal Father
Son of the Everlasting God
Son of the Highest
Son of the Living God
Son of the Most High God
True Vine
Truth, the
Way, the
Well Beloved
Wonderful
Word, the

Signs of Spring

There is a distinct sense of spring in the air. How can I tell? When I look out the window across the valley, it's green, even though we still have snow on the ground at our house. The dogs and I decided to go see...up close and personal. I didn't even wear a jacket...or a sweater.

Yup, it's spring. Really.

Maybe it will come to our house soon too.

Gems of Truth

Twice each year, the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and anyone else who cares to tune in) have the opportunity to hear from the prophet and other leaders of the church, in what is called General Conference. In five separate 2 hour sessions over a 2 day period, selected leaders speak on a variety of gospel-related topics. The most recent General Conference was this past weekend.

I always love listening to the talks of General Conference. They are uplifting, thoughtful, thought provoking, insightful, informative and calming. You don't have to be a member of the church to listen to or benefit from these talks. And, a side benefit is that you get to listen to the amazing Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing.

I have many "favorites" from the sessions this weekend. One thing for sure, though, is that my "favorites" can change over time depending on what's going on in my life. I often refer back to the talks at some later time and find new bits of wisdom, new gems to glean, new inspirations that fit my current circumstances.

One of my favorite talks from this weekend, though, was from Dieter F. Uchtdorf. In reference to "hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, wanting to cause harm",  his simple advice: "Please apply the following. Stop It!"

He went on to quote a bumper sticker he had seen, which truly was one of my favorite quotes of the weekend. It said "don't judge me because I sin differently than you". We could all take that advice, couldn't we?

These and many other gems of truth can be found by clicking HERE.

(Yes, I know...the photos are totally random...or maybe not. Maybe I feel like this horse, nibbling away at the little bits and pieces that nourish my soul.) ;)

No Foolin'

April Fools Day. Why do they call it that? All the people I know who were born on that day...and trust me, I know a few...and there are no fools among them. Who ya callin' fool, fool?

It's not nice to fool Mother Nature. How about Mother Nature fooling us? Nearly 80 degrees yesterday. And today, this. These two photos were taken about 20 minutes apart.

This 45-second time-lapse was taken over a 30 minute period...

...it was like this pretty much all day...first it snowed, then it melted, then it snowed, etc.

We took the dogs for a little walk. Aaa...who're we fooling? They took us for a walk...

And then stretched out for a little snooze on the couch. It was snowing outside, after all. 

Oh, did I mention? It was my birthday? No fooling ... although clearly I'm not 104. It was also my sis-in-law's wedding anniversary this weekend. So we shared some cake. Guess you'll have to figure out for yourself how we got to 104. I'm no fool and I'm certainly not telling!