Dear Santa I can Explain

Dear Santa I can Explain

Dear Santa: I can Explain

Dear Santa, I heard I was on your naughty list,
and I wasn’t getting any presents this year.
You have to give me a second chance,
there’s something you need to hear.
If it’s all about the gum in my brothers hair,
that was something I did on a dare.
If it’s about my sister’s bike and flat tire,
to have her cry was not my desire.
I tried to fix her bicycle spokes and I
guess I slipped and the tire got poked.
And about coloring grandpa’s false teeth in,
I just wanted him to have a special grin.
I was just keeping my ant farm warm in my parents bed,
I had no idea they would turn three shades of red.
And for adding the extra yeast to grandma’s bread dough,
How was I to know it would make it grow, and grow.
So as you see I was not trying to be mean or hateful
I was experimenting being playful.
So I hope you take in everything I have said,
and get the gist.
I need those presents,
take me off the naughty list.

Album of the Heart

Album of the Heart

Author: Lois Duncan

As the year draws to an end
We grow close again,
Turning pages of our lives,
Pausing now and then

To recall a magic time
Or a special place.
Springtime sunlight leaps at us
From a smiling face.

Summer laughter rings anew,
Mixed with autumn tears.
Seasons blend and mesh and blur,
With the flying years.

Guard the album of the heart.
There the memories are--
Gentle as the drifting snow
Holy as the star.

Advent Prayer

Advent Prayer

Author: Anna Lee Edwards McAlpin

Oh, let us turn away from noise,
The clamor of the day,
To rest in solitude with Him;
Our blessings to survey.
Oh, let our inner joy release
Our carol to The King,
To worship Him, to feel the touch
Of Heavenly angel's wing.
May we escape the tinseled trees,
The gifts that soon expire,
To see the glory of God's way
That meets our soul's desire.

Oh, let us pause to contemplate
Each priceless happening;
Children's laughter, tender words...
The daily "little things."
Oh, may we feel our brother's need,
His inner plea for peace,
Promote good will, and sacrifice
God's Kingdom to increase.
Oh, let our celebration be
A tribute to The One
Who is The Father's Gift to us,
His Own Begotten Son.

Family Traditions for the Holidays

Writing and sending your Kids Christmas list to Santa.
Check this out: http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/ak/2010/ak_2010_1110.htm

Postal Service offers North Pole postmark through Dec. 15
Cards and letters must have correct postage and be addressed
NORTH POLE, AK – Once again this year, the U.S. Postal Service is offering North Pole postmarks on holiday mail.

To receive the North Pole postmark on your holiday cards, you should:

• Purchase stamps at any post office.


• Affix the stamps to envelopes of your choice.


• Address the sealed envelopes, with the cards enclosed, to those on your mailing list.


• Mail them in a larger envelope, box, Priority Mail or Express Mail package to:

NORTH POLE HOLIDAY CANCELLATION
POSTMASTER
4141 POSTMARK DR
ANCHORAGE AK 99530-9998


Requests must be received in Anchorage by Dec. 15 in order to ensure delivery by Christmas. The Postal Service receives hundreds of thousands of requests each year for North Pole postmarks from around the world. The service is provided at no cost. Each card or letter must have the correct amount of postage and be addressed.
Many communities around the country have local programs set up to respond to letters to Santa Claus. In North Pole Alaska, requests may be sent to – 1 Santa Claus Lane, North Pole AK 99705-9901. Check with your local post office or call 1-800-ASK-USPS.

Living With Depression

The brain is a curious organ. It can choose to make the chemicals that help in making you feel happy and it can choose to slow down or stop producing those chemicals. I know that there is more to living with depression than just a chemical change in the brain. Many outside factors assist in the process. Major stressors can lead to depression such as the loss of someone close to you, either in death or just a break up, car accidents, life in general such as bills, loss of a job, loss of a home, even having children can lend in the process of depression.

I am not sure when mine started exactly, but many of life's events seemed to push me over the edge. The overwhelming feeling of sadness isn't all there is. At times in my life, I have had the intense urge to end my own life. Many people can't grasp why someone would think that suicide is the way out of any situation, but I can. It is an overwhelming sense that the stresses and situations and feelings you have aren't going to go away or get better.

Let me give you a little background history on my life. Growing up, I never had many friends. From the time I was in first grade, my peers put me down... And I don't just mean silly name calling, we are talking about serious character demeaning. I was called everything from a slut to a whore. (I hear your thoughts... "In first grade, I can't believe that"!) Well, sadly it is true. I never seemed to fit in anywhere... My religion (or lack of) and my social status were not equal that of my peers. I came from a Middle Class family, however my peers were of the Higher Class. They teased me about my looks, my clothes, my not being from an LDS family... To these people I was the dirt on the bottom of their shoes. As I got older, it didn't get any easier. I was never in the "popular" crowd... I didn't play sports, and I was no where near being a cheerleader. I was the girl that always seemed to try too hard to fit in. What friends I did have, never really seemed to stay around very long. As I got into High School, it became even harder to find good friends and for them to stick around... Some how we always ended up going our separate ways. Other girls constantly wanted to "beat me up", and a few tried. As for boyfriends, we were in high school, they only wanted one thing. I had a few guy friends, and they were alway the best to hang out with, but they never saw me as anything more than a friend or a sister... Even once I graduated high school and entered the work force, (as what I thought was working with adults,) I have found that women hated me and talked bad about me behind my back. The terms never changed though throughout the years, still the same old slut and whore.

Over time all of these things have added up and pulled me down. Things really started getting harder after I had both of my kids. The things that use to make me happy, no longer helped. I started sleeping all the time. Things around the house didn't get done. It not only affected me, but the rest of my family. I wish I could say that it gets easier with talking to someone or with medication, but it doesn't. It takes a lot of hard work. Daily I have to force myself to do something that I use to enjoy. Things such as baking, crafting, getting out of the house. It is a struggle daily. When it would be easier to just stay in bed and sleep all day, I have to force myself to get up.

When many people think of depression, they see it as a weakness. That the person just needs to stop being lazy or move on from whatever it is that is causing the depression. But it doesn't work like that. It is a long process. But I can say that there are days that I feel really good and days that I still feel really bad.

Here is a link on depression from WebMD www.webmd.com/depression

If you know someone who might have depression, please read this information and get them help as soon as possible.

And The Holiday Baking Begins

Today I decided to get off my lazy bum and start my Holiday baking. Since it is November and Pumpkin is such a hot comodity right now, I decided to try my hand at Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. And they turned out fabulose! If you would like to try baking these amazing cookies, I have added the recipe for you to try. If you do bake these cookies, let me know how they turned out and what you think of them. My family is in love with them and so am I.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Chocolate Chips

1 Large Eggs

1 cup Canned Pumpkin

1 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

2 cup Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Milk

1/2 cup Chopped Nuts (opt)

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

2 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt.

3. Dissolve baking soda in milk and mix in with pumpkin mixture.

4. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts (opt).

5. Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Family Pictures

Yesterday we had family pictures taken by Andrea at Designs by Dreana... http://www.designsbydreana.com/ She did a facbulose job with all of us. We had so much fun, even though we froze our butts off, and the pics turned out amazing. You can check out some of them at the web site posted above but here are a few as well... Thanks Andrea

The Life of Diabetes

Living with diabetes is difficult. There are so many different things one must do in order to keep blood sugars under control. Proper diet, exercise, testing your blood sugars levels, doctor visits, insulin, testing, testing and more testing. For someone who has had diabetes almost their entire life, your body begins to desensitze itself after so many years. One no longer notices the little signes that their blood sugars are getting low enough that it is time to do something to bring them back to normal levels. If you don't know or understand how diabetes works, here is a simple explanation.

• Diabetes occures in several different ways:

a. The organ in your body that produces insulin (the pancreas) shuts down and no longer produces the insulin the body needs to regulate the sugar that is put into your body. Everything you eat, is broken down in your body and produces sugars, in which your body needs to create energy. Insulin helps break down those sugars and helps to keep your body regulated. Once your body stops producing insulin, your body cannot effectivly break down the sugars. This is known as Type 1 Diabetes.

b. Another form of diabetes is when your body slows down the production of of insulin and due to a build up of sugars around the pancreas. This is usually due to poor diet and exercise which in turn leads to extreme amounts of weight gain. This issue is usually treated with medications and proper diet and exercise to bring your body back to normal levels. This is known as Type 2 Diabetes.

There are many smaller versions of these issues such as Insulin resistance, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, and so on.

Living with diabetes is difficult for the individual, but it is as difficult for those in the family as well. The responsibilities of family members is to help when a diabetic get low blood sugar is tiring. The constant observation, helping them get food to raise blood sugars, or even in the frightening situations where they begin to have serious effects such as seizures, is not only physically exhausting, but mentally as well. Having to give a shot (glucagon... basically a shot that releases the body's store of sugars), waiting for them to become coherent, feeding them... It can be an exstensive and exhausting time.

Some signs that a person might be having a low could be;

1. Sluring their words
2. Shaking or tick (such as face twitching, legs, ect.)
3. Cold sweats or clammy feeling skin
4. Sometimes they may appear to be drunk
5. In more extreme situations, they may become beligerent, aggressive, or defiant. Sadly, some times they seen like a child.

If you are unsure what to do when you see these types of signs, simply call a family member... They can give you instructions on how to help. Get them orange juice, or a high sugar drink, candy or food of some kind, if they are still able to eat or drink, or call an ambulance if you can't do anything else. I hope some of this information is helpful and if you would like more information on Diabetes, visit http://www.lilly.com Eli Lilly Company or even http://www.webmd.com/ WebMD.