by

Our Daily Thread 12-18-13

Good Morning!

1 Week Until Christmas! 🙂

On this day in 1787 New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1865 slavery was abolished in the United States with the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution being ratified.

In 1917 the Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition) to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the U.S. Congress. It was later repealed by the 21st Amendment.

In 1935 a $1 silver certificate was issued for the first time in the U.S.

In 1936 Su-Lin, the first giant panda to come to the U.S. from China, arrived in San Francisco, CA. The bear was sold to the Brookfield Zoo for $8,750.

And in 1956 “To Tell the Truth” debuted on CBS-TV.

_________________________________________

Quote of the Day

“Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn’t come from a store.”

Dr. Seuss

_________________________________________

First up today, Roy Orbison.

And while digging for that one, I found this. 🙂

And we’ll finish up with Mark Schultz.

_________________________________________

QoD

Are you finished shopping yet?

And if not, what are you waiting for? 🙂

54 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 12-18-13”

  2. I can’t say that I am surprised, Middle Son just called. He has lost his license and can’t find it. He can’t fly. I have been expecting something to come up.

    Welcome home Jo. We are glad to have you back on our continent.

    Like

    Reply

  7. I’m home. I got home late last night and was too exhausted to do anything but go to sleep. I was OK for most of the trip – I had wheelchair assist through all the airports. We were upgraded to business class for the flight to Europe and had great fun playing with the fancy seats. I had a little trouble breathing on the long trans-atlantic flight – I think I had a little altitude sickness – but my companion talked me through it. It was a bit hairy going through Chicago. I had to go through immigrations and customs even though I was still in transit and the immigrations computer system went down. Our flight had been late and my turnover time was already very short, so waiting for twenty minutes while they tried to fix the problem (they finally just did it manually) was a bit nerve wracking. I completed the last flight by myself with no trouble. On the drive home from the airport, I thought I would need to go straight to the hospital, as I was having trouble again, but my breathing eased and I had a pretty good night’s sleep.

    Like

    Reply

  10. Welcome home, missionary ladies. Take a long rest and rejoice in the Lord.

    I guess I missed something, Phos. Why did you need a wheelchair assist?

    QoD- I leave most of the shopping to Mrs L. I cannot stand being in a crowded store with awful holiday songs playing. If it were all carols and not winter-wonderland-santa-claus-rudolph-reindeer trash, I could maybe handle it. But the one gift I need to buy for my son (I drew his name) I cannot, since he hasn’t told me what he wants. I threatened to buy him a Hello Kitty t-shirt if he doesn’t tell me by Sunday.

    Like

    Reply

  11. Today…today I will be finished with my shopping…for certain..yep…for certain… 🙂
    Thankful to the Lord for His careful watch over our friends traveling back to the US…and Canada…rest well ladies….
    So glad middle son found his wallet…oh may his time with you all be blessed and peace filled Kim!

    Like

    Reply

  12. I would not threaten, I would just do it.

    Welcome home, Jo and Phos!

    I buy the books, husband buys anything else. I buy over the internet, he braves the masses.

    Like

    Reply

  13. Welcome home Phos — rest up.

    I’m done buying but I still need to get one gift in the mail. This is where the days start flying by and you realize some stuff just won’t get done! 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  14. Thanks be to God for safe arrivals.

    I think I am doing gift lite this year. Last year I began going lighter partly because my brother had been unemployed for almost two years and I did not want things to seem so out of balance. Now with son living far from us, he won’t be able to carry a load of gifts home on a plane. So, gift lite it will be.

    Like

    Reply

  15. In case most of you haven’t guessed, IdahoMike is a complete EXTROVERT. I called a few weeks ago to check in, say hello, and let everyone know I was thinking of them. We talked all the way from the beach to almost home, about 30 minutes. I got all caught up on the happenings at the Nest.

    Like

    Reply

  16. KW Christmas party is coming together. I am up to about $900 in door prizes. I am joking because one of the gift certificates came in an envelope with my hame on it. Surely it is meant for me? It has my name on it! It is for a deep, therapeutic facial. Did I say it has my name on it?

    Like

    Reply

  18. Good Afternoon, Y’all!

    Hey, Kim…All day long I have been thinking about brunch at the Grand Hotel Resort in Point Clear….does that mean it’s time to visit the coast? I figure it might be something like a homing pigeon instinct…

    Like

    Reply

  20. Praise God for the safe arrivals of our travelers on the blog!

    Beautiful Mark Schultz video. And then my littlest arrow crawled into my lap to watch the end of it with me, and the combination of seeing the baby on the screen and holding my “baby” in my lap brought me to tears. Some days I get overly sentimental. 😉

    Like

    Reply

  21. Peter – I had to come home about a week early because my asthma became very bad suddenly. Although my breathing is getting better, I am still weak. I had to have someone accompany me most of the way home and couldn’t have walked all the ramps and connections at the airports.

    QoD: Yes! I’m so thankful that I was able to get the traditional clothes and woodcarvings made before I had to come home.

    Like

    Reply

  23. QoDs: I’ve started Christmas shopping, but haven’t finished. What am I waiting for? I’m waiting for Christmas. 🙂

    Today hubby and I went shopping for new work shoes for him. While we were at it, I looked at new dress shoes for myself. I probably haven’t bought dress shoes in over ten years, and the only ones I wear to church now may be 20 years old. So you can see I’m no fashionista. 😉

    I’m going to propose some questions here to any of you who might like to help me decide on some shoes to buy, as all the men on this blog roll their eyes. 😀

    First off, I read the book Color Me Beautiful a couple years ago, and identified myself as an “Autumn”. So I’ve been weeding out clothing from my wardrobe that doesn’t complement my natural coloring, and trying to wear more of what does.

    One thing I’ve hung onto, though, is a black dress. Black isn’t in my palette, but I think every woman should own a black dress. Plus, I like the one I have. I just can’t wear it, because my only pair of black dress shoes was hijacked by 3rd Arrow. 😉 Who has no other close-toed shoes to wear to church in the winter. And my black dress is a winter dress.

    But wait! I just remembered that 1st Arrow bought 3rd Arrow a nice pair of winter boots yesterday. And they’re black. Never mind — I’ll take back my stolen black shoes. Problem solved!

    Okay, so now I don’t have to try to decide between buying black shoes, to match that dress, or brown shoes, which match everything else. The problem with my brown shoes, though, is that after about 20 years of wear, they’re, well, rather worn. 😉

    So I tried on brown dress shoes. The only pair I found that were comfortable and the right color were fifty dollars! Really?! And that was the sale price; they’re regularly $60. If they last twenty years, I guess that’s a bargain, but if they don’t (and my husband thinks they won’t last a long time because my right foot is a little wider than my left, and it appears to him that the side might bust out of the right shoe, as there’s very little wiggle space on the side), then it’s not a deal at all.

    The other problem is that the heel is quite high — about two inches, I think — and I usually wear flat shoes, as I am only about an inch shorter than my husband, and I don’t like to tower above him. Plus, does it look ridiculous for a tall, 51-year-old woman to wear high heels? (I do look younger than that, BTW, people tell me.) 😉

    But these were the most comfortable dress shoes I’ve tried on in a long, long time! And another great benefit is that I can fit into the shoe the inserts I wear due to plantar fasciitis. I haven’t been able to fit them into my dress shoes I have at home, and my heels hurt by the end of church from standing in shoes without them.

    So…what do you think? Is fifty dollars too much to plunk down for shoes I only wear a couple hours a week? The ones I have aren’t bad, appearance-wise, just not as nice looking anymore, and they’re not the most comfortable, since I can’t wear my arch supports in them. But fifty dollars can be put toward many things more needful. Also, I only looked at one store, a store that specializes in shoes, so it’s going to be more expensive there than other places, probably. But shopping for shoes at a lot of different places takes a lot of time that I just don’t have.

    Any advice on this decidedly first-world problem? 😉

    Like

    Reply

  25. Inbutnotof…Definately you should come home and go to brunch at the Hotel. Mr. P and I will join you. I once had to go to brunch barefooted at the Grand Hotel. I had one shoe of each pair I had packed.

    6Arrows. I have two rules I live by. I will not pay over $75 for a pair of shoes (boots are different) and life is too short to wear uncomfortable shoes. If these shoes match a lot of your outfits and also accomodate your inserts AND are COOMFORTABLE then I do not think $50 is too much to pay for them. What store are they in? You might go on line and find a coupon for that store and save a little. I know ShoeStation offers online coupons all the time.
    I often find name brand shoes at off brand outlets. I don’t know if you have something like a Burke’s or Rack Room Shoes, but I can often find something there for ten or twenty.
    Also as far as the heal is concerned, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. It is actually better to vary your heel height, it keeps the muscles in your calves stretched out different ways so your legs look better. Of course I am currently wearing a pair of “stacked” flip flops

    I am 5’4″ and in 3 or 4 inch heels I can look Mr. P in the eye, but he still insists that he is 6’1″. Don’t tell him but I think with each surgery (6) he has lost an inch or so. 😉

    Like

    Reply

  27. oh, shoes!! I’m like you and wear the same ones forever. That is the one thing that is worth the money and lasts for years. I would never go for a heel, but up to you. I will buy clothes at a secondhand store, but not shoes, and, frankly, 50 dollars sounds cheap for shoes.
    Can you tell that I buy very sturdy shoes??

    Like

    Reply

  28. had a hard time waking up this morning and when I finally got my eyes open it was 11:30 am! but in PNG it was only 5:30 am, which is when I usually get up. So perhaps I will just stay on the same time zone?
    So thankful. My daughter took me out to eat on the way home and then my two daughters had been talking and took me to the rehearsal place where my granddaughter was rehearsing to be a little mouse in the Nutcracker, so that I could see her too. So special and thoughtful.

    Like

    Reply

  29. Hmmm, I hate shoes so if I find a comfortable pair, I buy them and wear them forever. $50 for shoes that are comfortable and allow you to wear your inserts doesn’t sound unreasonable at all. If they are leather, they will stretch not burst. If man-made materials, well…there will be some give, but not much. I used to sell shoes. Ironic since I hate wearing them. That’s one of the best things about living in Africa. I never have to wear closed in shoes. I can’t do the flip flop thing all the time, but I live in my birkenstocks. Now those are expensive shoes!

    Like

    Reply

  30. Phos, Barney was amused when I told him about the Tim Horton’s stop. He laughed and said, “That’s so Canadian!” It’s his first stop on the way home from the airport too and it’s not because he can’t breathe! He was so disappointed last time because they were out of his favorite donut when he stopped.

    Like

    Reply

  32. Re shoes: I like paying as little as I can, but if they are well-made and you wear them for many years, then fifty dollars sounds do-able. Last winter I needed new sweatshirts and was scandalized to discover that sweatshirts now cost $40 nearly everywhere (and sometimes more). Whether in catalogs or in stores, I was consistently finding them $35-50, and that is a lot of money to me for clothing. But then I did the math and realized: I owned four sweatshirts, two of them too worn out to wear anymore. Two of them were gifts and one cost only five dollars, so I hadn’t spent much at all on those four. The newest was more than ten years old, and two of them were twenty years old. And in winter I wear sweatshirts at least every other day. So I’d gotten A LOT of wear with little financial investment, and if I paid $75 and got two more, they would last me another 15-20 years and would be worth the cost. If I were buying them just for one season and would wear them five or ten times each, then no, they wouldn’t have been worth it, but for hundreds of wearings they are.

    My best winter dress shoes fell apart in church last Sunday. The truth is I never liked them very much, but they are black and they have good traction, so they were a good winter choice. I do have one other black pair, but they are close to 20 years old and they have a very smooth sole now, not for snow and ice (which we had Sunday, and still have). I probably should get a new pair, but I really just don’t like shoe shopping.

    Like

    Reply

  33. Has anyone else seen “The Hobbit” part 2 yet? If so, did you like it?

    My husband, older daughter, and I went this afternoon. Though none of us goes to a lot of movies, we all agreed it was the worst movie we’ve seen in several years. They “stretched” that book so far it broke in making three long movies out of it. There was no character development at all, and they took the “unbelievable disasters” from the first movie and made multiple scenes with that theme. It was way too unbelievable, way too intense, and had way too many scenes where they blurred the action a bit so you couldn’t tell exactly what was going on. And they had a lot of scenes that weren’t in the book. Overall I wouldn’t say it’s a must-see for anyone: diehard fans will hate it, and people who aren’t diehard fans won’t have any reason to go. I wanted to see it, but we talked about getting the boxed set after all three have shown, and unless movie #3 redeems it, I’d rather not waste our money. (Movie #1 was OK, worth seeing, but not wonderful. This one, if you only see one movie this year–as I did–don’t make it this one.)

    Like

    Reply

  34. Janice, loved that video you posted! It reminds me of playing in a student string quartet in college, though we never did Christmas music, and I don’t think we ever played outside, either. Great music and beautiful surroundings!

    Jo, that sounds really cute, your granddaughter being a mouse in The Nutcracker. 🙂

    Cheryl, I haven’t seen The Hobbit (parts 1 or 2) at all, and have not read it, either.

    Thank you for all the shoe advice, everyone! I guess $50 doesn’t sound that bad now. 😉 I’ll have to check out whether the shoes are leather or man-made material. I’m honestly not sure. The material seemed a lot more flexible than other shoes I’ve tried on.

    I’ll also have to find out how long the sale runs (although I guess $60 wouldn’t be so bad, either, if I miss the sale). My husband’s work shoes are going to be over $200, so I’m not sure we’d be able to swing both purchases at the same time, and he needs his more, as he stands on concrete for many hours a day five days a week. The company covers $75 of the cost, but it’s still a big expenditure for us, so I might need to wait with my shoes, as they aren’t as high a priority.

    I’ve got good advice to go on, though, when I’m able to get the shoes! Thanks, guys! (Or girls, I mean.) 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  35. Thanks, AJ. Much better.

    Shoes, second hand, can be found that are truly a bargain. People get rid of them barely worn if at all for various reasons. So you could check goodwill or other places to see offdrings for about $5.00.

    That said, $50.00 is reasonable given your considerations. My brother gave me a gift certificate once that he got as a sales bonus to Nordstrom and I used it for one pair of shoes that cost a bit over $100.00. I did the math thinking I could get almost twenty pairs at goodwill at that price. 😉

    You may want to check out Ross, T J Maxx, Marshall’z and Burlinvton. Also, check online looking up the style and size you liked in the store and see if you can find it for less by mail order. Factor in shipping cost.

    Like

    Reply

  37. Buy the shoes. I’ve given up on cheap shoes and am wearing Clark’s I’ve had for several years. Tennis shoes, however, I buy ever 8 or so months–I wear them out walking so much.

    Like

    Reply

  38. Folks, God has just done a miracle for me and my family. I prayed yesterday to God about sending us some help. I was sitting watching TV a Van Pull up. A lady got out of the Van. I walked outside to see if I can help her. She told me she had a gift for Judy and me and present for Nicholas. I ask how does she know me, she said we have friends that know you. Then walked away. I open the card and there was money inside the card enough to pay some of our bills off. God answer prayer.. I have never had this happen to me. Thank you Jesus and thank you for your obedience servants.

    Like

    Reply

  39. That is neat to hear, pastor Roy! It is good to see God using His people.

    Shoes: Since I wear tennis shoes to church, husband just buys me a good quality comfortable pair and I wear them to church. When they have put in their time there, they step down to exercise shoes. When they no longer function at that level, they become everyday shoes. Having shoes that fit and are comfortable pays off in overall attitude and health, I think. I have some well used shoes but if my feet start to show signs of them being done, they go away. But not to the thrift store.

    Like

    Reply

  44. Speaking of praising God, my pastor used this saying recently (I don’t know if it was original with him or not) – Your praise will become a problem for your problem.

    Lee & I have determined between the two of us to praise God more intentionally, even – or especially – when we don’t feel like it.

    Like

    Reply

  45. That’s such wonderful news, Pastor Roy. Very humbling as well to receive such a gift.

    6 arrows: $50?!!!!!! I would love to only have to pay $50. Shoes are usually around $150 (on sale) for me. Much less choice in Canada for my narrow, long feet. 😦

    Great to hear that Jo and Phos are home safe and (mostly) sound.

    Like

    Reply

  46. Pastor Roy, that’s so wonderful to hear another example of how the Lord provides!

    Kare, okay, okay! The last time I bought dress shoes was back in the dark ages, so $50 seemed a little steep — I’ll try to get up to speed now and join the 21st century! 😀

    Like

    Reply

  48. A & E has suspended Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty because of what he said about homosexuality. If you are inclined, hope on over to A&E and let them know what you think.

    Like

    Reply

  49. $50 sounded not overly “expensive” to me, too! I also learned it pays to spend more for good, leather shoes that fit and are well made — I love Born shoes and can find them for reduced prices at DSW or Ross. Clarks also are good (although I have trouble with their fit, haven’t bought any of those in a while) and there’s nothing more comfy (though they are a bit clunky) than Birkenstocks in the summer, of course. They’re very expensive but you also can find them at reduced prices at places like DSW — and they last for years.

    Boots are more expensive, but I’ve gotten some really good pairs (Keens) on sale that have lasted me for a few years now and will surely go another few. The nicest pair I bought at 50% off at REI and even at that I paid $75 for them. But I wouldn’t have paid the full price of $150.

    I was feeling irritated a while ago watching a debate over the Duck Dynasty guy (I’ve never watched the show, have very little knowledge of it — but did read the stories today about the guy getting into hot water).

    One debater essentially said people can engage in “hate speech” but not in the public square. First of all, without standing up for the Duck Dynasty guy since I only read some of what he said, the whole notion of labeling views you disagree with as “hate speech” is so frightening. Our culture is really in trouble, folks.

    Cheryl, nope — never read the books, not interested in seeing the films. Sorry they weren’t up to snuff.

    Like

    Reply

  50. The commentator who was getting under my skin essentially said he didn’t like the Christian view of homosexuality, therefore it should not be heard in the public square, only in “private.” At least that’s what I heard him say. I couldn’t help but think, well, I don’t like your views of homosexuality either, so maybe you shouldn’t be allowed to speak your views in public.

    This is such a disturbing trend — and it’s really hit a fever pitch with the gay marriage issue. One literally cannot hold an opposing view, the response is an aggressive push to silence and vilify the person. It’s serious, folks.

    Free speech? Not so much anymore on that issue.

    Like

    Reply

  51. Oh, but I did see the preview in 3D of the Hobbit movie at the IMAX theater a couple months ago. The effects were interesting but it didn’t look like anything I’d go see. But you probably had to have read the books to be interested, maybe.

    Like

    Reply

  52. First Arrow was excited to learn today that his final grade for his Writing and Communication course (I think it was titled that, or something like it) was 103! 🙂 He got in some extra-credit projects that took him over the 100 mark. Furthermore, what really surprised and pleased him was that his instructor called him yesterday and asked for his permission to let her use his final research paper in future classes as an example of a well-written research project.

    Not too shabby for someone who claims, with a smile on his face, that he doesn’t like writing. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  53. I mentioned not too long ago, on the day when someone asked how we’re doing with our Bible reading plan and other plans/resolutions for this year, that I was reading through the Old Testament and was pretty well on schedule, but my plan for reading the New Testament with the kids fizzled out about 1/4 of the way through.

    So I decided soon after that that I really wanted to complete the whole bible in a year for myself, so in addition to my usual 3 chapters a day in the OT, I have now added 8 chapters a day of the NT, so as to finish the whole bible before the year is out.

    If we can make resolutions in December for the new year, why not make resolutions in December for the old year? 😉

    Possible QoD for tomorrow, if anyone sees this: Do you have a Bible reading plan you’re thinking of for next year?

    I don’t have a specific plan yet, but I’m thinking of reading all the way through my Geneva Bible, which I’ve not done since purchasing it several years ago. I believe it’s a 1599 version, which predates my 1611 King James Version I’ve been using for several years now.

    Good night — and I guess it is night where most of us are now, even Phos and Jo. 😉

    Like

    Reply

  54. Good night. It feels very strange to be on the same day with all of you. I am getting sleepy and this is usually when I tell you all Good morning. Isn’t it about time for Aj to post??? 😉

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to the real Aj Cancel reply