Showing posts with label Tweet. Show all posts

NFL Good News !

More kneeling in the NFL may be good news:

Read the rest of the story here: CNS News Article

Yummy Double Chocolate Chunk cookies for mommy. John boy helped me make them, and we spilled a little more water in them then it called for. That's why they are so big. John boy had a half, I had one and mommy had one and a half. They were yummy! The bag says that it makes 3 dozen 2-inch cookies, but we ended up making 1 dozen 4 to 6 inch cookies.

Been Busy

As you certainly know, our Habitat for Humanity home has Chinese Drywall. The last some weeks or so, we have been looking for places to rent, waiting for information, packing, rearranging, and saying goodbye to our house. During that time we have also done some fun things that I could have written about, I just haven't felt like it. However, today, I will.

Firstly, my dad and brother are still putting together a few things to sell. There is no limit to what they can make within their limitations. Steve has made picture frames recently that are neato. There is always the Shoe Shine Box which is for sale at Etsy. Really, if you want something made, you oughta just ask them if they can do it, and how much it would cost.

Bethany and I bought a massive tent!

The floor on this puppy is 10' X 20'. If you were following this blogs Facebook Page, you would already know that ;). Steve, John boy and I slept in it last Friday night, the 5th. It was cold out, but John boy and I shared 4 or 5 blankets and Steve (who slept about 12' away from us!) had a sleeping bag and blanket. It was great. Steve and I kept a fire going in his little charcoal grill that sits on the ground. It was warm off and on. I didn't take pictures this time...

I am totally going to get Bethany to go camping with me soon. She said she would love to go, it just may be difficult while she is expecting. So it may be anywhere from 2 to 12 months from now. I really want to go to Fisheating Creek. Bethany really wants to go to the springs near Ocala. That's two trips right there! If you have a tent and want to go camping, raise your hand... and then comment below.

Hopefully we are moving out of our house this weekend. I'll let ya know.

Another useful link. I bought my uncle's CD "Night Jazzmen". You should listen to samples HERE.

Another Fun Weekend

This week, I couldn't think of anything to write. Instead, I am just posting another weekend of pictures for you to see. At the end of this post will be a link to a secret video! All you have to do is answer 3 questions and you will find the link to a video that you will not want to miss out on. Do you realize how horrible it would be if all of your friends and family were tweeting and posting to Facebook their excitement about the video you didn't watch because you didn't want to answer 3 questions?

The order of the pictures is backwards. We went to the park Saturday morning, and slept in the tent Friday night.

Steve's Tent. Setting it up.

Had to get the chickens in.

John boy and Tigger in John's sleeping bag from the bowlins

Putting things away.

Steve testing the best hard ground to sleep on.

Coleman grill and coffee percolating.

Waiting for coffee still.

Still waiting.

Yay! Coffee! He really had coffee. Half a mug.

Click here for Secret Video!

Where we slept.

View bigger picture

Are you tired of wondering if people are staring at your unpolished shoes while you are ushering at church?

Is there a black shoe outline on your couch from trying to shine your shoes with nowhere to put them?

Is your sock drawer also you shoe shine drawer?

Did you just try brushing your hair with a shoe shine brush because your husband put it back in the wrong cabinet and now you have black streaks in your hair?

Do you wish your shoes shined shiny like a shiny shining thing?

If you answered YES to any of any of these questions, then I invite you to check out the Stone & Sons Woodworking Etsy Page.

My dad and Steve are selling these and are looking at different ways to sell the thing that they are building. Etsy is one way to sell them and they are starting with a Shoe Shine Box.

Please take a look at the page. If you have an Etsy page, let me know and I will "Favorite" your store and you can favorite ours. I know it says that there is only one box for sale, but that is not entirely accurate. Etsy charges $0.20 for each listing (or quantity), so I placed one for sale for now and there will be more after the sale. Perhaps (if somewhat successful), I will up the quantity a bit.

This concludes the advertisement.

Lake Quinn, PA

"Welcome to Lake Quinn. A private lake community in South Canaan, Pennsylvania."

I just discovered this morning that the lake community that my grandparents live in and that I used to visit often when I was but a child growing up in Pennsylvania, has a website (said website). I have many memories around that Lake Quinn. Had friends that Steve and I played with, went out in row boats, flipped a sailboat, lost glasses, lost fishing rods, caught frogs, found clay, built roadways in a sandbox that doubled as a cat litter box. Although my memory isn't exactly perfect, one thing I remember that was awesome was the COW FLOP.

Lake Quinn has a field across the street from my grandparents house, that is owned by my grandparents and their neighbors. If you look real hard at the aerial, you can almost kinda see the field. In this field, once a year, men (manly men) took paint and painted squares in part of the field. In one of these squares a borrowed cow would (for lack of a better word) poop. People put money down on one of the squares of their choice, and that is the excitement. Of course there were other activities to do as you waited on the digestion system of the cow, but the main even (to me, at least) was the cow. Plus, I was to young to gamble on darts and the other raffles and things and normally just road my bike around on the dirt road with Steve and then came back in time for the thrilling bathroom break of the cow.

It turns out that they stopped the cow flop several years ago, because they couldn't get people to help out with the festivities. As I expressed my disappointment to a coworker, he said that I should hold a cow flop in my area... and so began my thinking. How awesome would a "block party" be with all the activities centering around my yard, painted up with squares and a cow tied up in the center, walking around, eating grass and finally, relieving itself in the square? All proceeds will go to a non-profit organization. It would be awesome.

There could be prizes and games. I could cook up hundreds of hot dogs on the grill, while we wait in anticipation. All the neighbors we would reach would be incredible. Now, I have not looked into the permits and legality of all of this yet, but I'm just throwing the idea out there.

Would you go? Would you put a dollar on a square or two? Would you be able to eat a hot dog so close to cow poop?

Let me know, maybe this time next year I will be blogging about how the first annual Lehigh Acres community cow flow went.

Photos, Fotos, Foto-foto

This morning John and I cooked breakfast (Salsa Eggs) while listening (on YouTube.com) to The Isaacs, The Gaithers, and others. Good times. John is, no doubt, playing a spatula or spoon or some other cooking utensil which he calls his guitar. I'm pretty sure he made me do most of the cooking, but I appreciate any help that he would offer... though I can't remember him doing anything but singing and playing his "guitar".

Later Steve and I picked up the cheapest hot dogs we could find at Walmart and the kiddos played on the swing set, while us adults sat around in the sun and (wisely, I think) in the shade. I had plans to clean the chicken coop (they must constantly poop through the night), but there was always one in the coop trying to lay an egg in the 100 degree nest. The boy pictured is John Boy of course.

Bethany and I had left over hot dogs from centuries ago... the chickens that you can hardly see were the beneficiaries of those after Bethany smelled them.

I put the swing set up against the pool this morning. Okay, no I didn't, I put the pool underneath the slide. I then put water in the pool. Then we placed the hose on the slide for a fun water-slide into a pool thing.

Another picture of John getting ready to go down the awesome slide.

Under the slide, next to the pool, lived a rather large family of ants. The youngsters probably have 2 dozen ant bites each. Isaac (in this picture, not right this second) is just a step away from having a foot full of 'em.

This picture is an example of apologizing and forgiveness. Or as close as children this age can do.

I put the grill in the shade of my Oak tree in the back yard.

Our chickens enjoyed a day of being out of the fenced area and the yummy hot dogs.

Sally hung out around us most of the day. She enjoys being pet from time to time... especially since she has been living on her own for so long now. That (on the left) is her and me and Bethany.

The view the adults had.

Steve and Aimee, also there. So were Mercedes and Ellie, but they slept almost the entire time we were out in the blazing heat.

And that was our day.

By clicking THIS LINK, you will be brought to a picture of our newest member of the family. Facebook said it is a public link, so if you have trouble getting to the picture, let me know and I will demand a complete refund from Facebook. If you don't want to click the link, please just look at the picture below.

Booze

This is Champagne under a microscope.

Check out other drinks HERE

Lederhosen

Would you believe that Lederhosen is number 7 in Google Trends? I did a little search (adding the the trendinicity) and can not really find why so many people would be searching for lederhosen so early in the morning.

But, to all my lederhosen wearing readers out there:

Guten Morgen. Ich hoffe, du hast einen guten Tag. Danke für das Lesen.

On The Farm

An Update.

The chickens, whom remain unnamed, are doing well. Their tasty, unfertilized, fresh, daily eggs are scrumptious when we eat them. We currently have 2 dozen (and a half) more than we need, so I put another add on Craigslist, which has been answered already. That's nice, but a lot of people have asked about the eggs, and even set up times to buy some and have not shown up.

Yesterday, I forgot to get cat food for our cat that has been forced to live outside because of her fleas. Last night we gave her left over pork, which she loved. But the chickens were out grazing... and it turns out that they love pork. The cat and chickens fought for the yummy pieces, but I had to stop the chickens because the chickens have their own food and the cat does not. Three or so chickens were put back in their pen with pieces of pork in their beaks.

If you are looking, fixing, aiming to start a mulch pile, or have a mulch pile and want more wonderous nutrients, I have piles of chicken poop ready for your disposal. I have filled huge garbage bags of poop (and pine shavings) in just a little over a month. So, I have plenty. It's free, just not free of smell. The idea is to leave it in your mulch pile for a year, because it is very acidy (which, evidently, is not a word).

More soon.

Tomorrow

Have you ever had a really bad day and feel like nothing you did worked out and then think that tomorrow everything will be better? Why? I was thinking just a couple hours ago of how we seem to assume that we will be doing something tomorrow. We will do this or that or go to this city and sell this and buy that or do that, when in reality we are not even promised tomorrow. "...you don't even know what tomorrow will bring... instead say 'if the Lord wills, we will live..." (James 4:13) So why are we so convinced that we will even be alive tomorrow? And we are we not as assuming about things that we (Christians) are promised? Why are we not convinced?

We are not promised tomorrow, we are promised:

God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in time of trouble.
God works for the good of those who love him.

There are many promises. Instead of assuming we have tomorrow, assume God is faithful and will keep His word. It is not easy, but think of the joy when your thoughts of God's promises are as natural as thinking there will be a tomorrow. Assuming things promised instead of assuming tomorrow which is not.

National Day of Prayer

From The White House:

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

April 30, 2010

Presidential Proclamation--National Day of Prayer

A PROCLAMATION

Throughout our history, whether in times of great joy and thanksgiving, or in times of great challenge and uncertainty, Americans have turned to prayer. In prayer, we have expressed gratitude and humility, sought guidance and forgiveness, and received inspiration and assistance, both in good times and in bad.

On this day, let us give thanks for the many blessings God has bestowed upon our Nation. Let us rejoice for the blessing of freedom both to believe and to live our beliefs, and for the many other freedoms and opportunities that bring us together as one Nation. Let us ask for wisdom, compassion, and discernment of justice as we address the great challenges of our time.

We are blessed to live in a Nation that counts freedom of conscience and free exercise of religion among its most fundamental principles, thereby ensuring that all people of goodwill may hold and practice their beliefs according to the dictates of their consciences. Prayer has been a sustaining way for many Americans of diverse faiths to express their most cherished beliefs, and thus we have long deemed it fitting and proper to publicly recognize the importance of prayer on this day across the Nation.

Let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those suffering from natural disasters in Haiti, Chile, and elsewhere, and the people from those countries and from around the world who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to render aid. Let us pray for the families of the West Virginia miners, and the people of Poland who so recently and unexpectedly lost many of their beloved leaders. Let us pray for the safety and success of those who have left home to serve in our Armed Forces, putting their lives at risk in order to make the world a safer place. As we remember them, let us not forget their families and the substantial sacrifices that they make every day. Let us remember the unsung heroes who struggle to build their communities, raise their families, and help their neighbors, for they are the wellspring of our greatness. Finally, let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those people everywhere who join us in the aspiration for a world that is just, peaceful, free, and respectful of the dignity of every human being.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 6, 2010, as a National Day of Prayer. I call upon the citizens of our Nation to pray, or otherwise give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I invite all people of faith to join me in asking for God's continued guidance, grace, and protection as we meet the challenges before us.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Thank You

Thank you for all of your prayers, dinners, calls and Facebook messages! My prayer for my family is that Bethany, John V and I will grow closer to God during this trying time. I trust this is your prayer as well. We know that all things will work out for our good. His timing is our best whether we can figure out why or not. Yesterday we thought our car was dying on top of everything else (hospital bills coming too) and I jokingly told Bethany that we were starting to sound like the Job family (see Job 1:13-20). I'm thankful we are able to grin at such things. Again, thanks for all your prayers.

By they way, if you are looking for the answer to the question "if God is so powerful and so good, why do bad things happend?", click here and listen to the correct question

Thursday I started a post I intended to title "Christians sin, repent and change". I read a depressing post online about homosexuality and how Christians can live this kind of "lifestyle" and be okay with God. They linked to a pastor who is living this way! I can not remember this very second how they got around Romans 1:27, but I do remember how they talked about the Old Testament can not be used to direct us because there are laws regarding sex that we choose not to follow, therefore, how can we say which laws we should follow? I am not sorry I quote Voddie Baucham so much, but he makes points that I think should be heard. Christians are so confused about what is true and what isn't true that when somebody questions what we believe and then throws in a Bible verse to make us "think", we tend to question ourselves and immediately think we ought to open our minds to new thinking because we might be wrong, especially since we are not studied on such and such subject(s). Mr. Baucham talks about how most Christians don't even know the basic law of God. Ten Commandments? How can we say we are following God if we don't even know what He commands? (Ecclesiastes 12:13, Matthew 19:17) I added both Old and New Testaments to avoid confusion...

Anyway, I am not saying that homosexuals can not be Christians, I am saying that Christians can not be homosexuals. ??? What does that mean? I guess there is some scientific studies and what not claiming that homosexuals are 'born that way'. People are also born liars, future alcoholics, workaholics, thieves, murderers, and so on, but we don't excuse these people saying 'they are born that way, God will understand'. I am prone to laziness, perhaps I was born that way... this is not an excuse. This is something I must fight. This is something that nailed Jesus to the cross. This is something I need to repent of and change. This is not something I was born with so God will understand.

I am cutting this short to retire to bed. Until next time.

John Edgerton Stone IV

The Universe

These things I write to myself:
We watched the first hour of the Shepherding a Child's Heart Conference last night. Tedd Tripp is a great person to listen to. It was interesting and easy to understand.

Tedd Tripp talks about something that I wish I was more conscience of during the day, and that is using the entire universe as a school room. Tripp talks about different times he had opportunity to use the universe as a classroom, like when lightening struck a barn while they were driving by. Using this as a display of the power of God even in nature. Doing this (using creation as a classroom) will not seem weird or rehearsed when it is a habit or something that is done all the time. Our lives should be consumed with searching for ways to teach our children about God and God has given us a massive universe to use. The Bible itself uses creation and things of creation as teaching tools. "Consider the raven..." (Luke 12:24). Sheep, wolves, snakes and doves. (Matthew 10:16) Racing, Olympics (1 Corinthians 9:24). Strength (Mark 3:27). Gold and silver (1 Peter 1:18 1 Peter 3:3) The universe is massive, probably bigger, so there is no end to teaching using things we can see or not see. Try explaining how you skin is actually skin cells. Explain why time works. Show how God tells the waves that they can go this far (point to wet sand and dry sand) and no farther (Job 38:11). Read the latter part of Job, start at chapter 38. There is a ton of things God controls that man stands in awe of. God waters the land where no man lives! (Job 38:25-26) And my favorite: when does a mountain goat give birth?

Our God is an awesome God. If we believe that, why do we not explain his majesty to our little children? Lets not hinder the children from coming to Jesus. (Luke 18:16)

2010 Band of Bloggers

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tgerus/ / CC BY 2.0
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Just realized Matthew has 2 T's in it.

Figure Skating Practice

Bethany and I have been practicing our figure skating since the Olympics started. Normally I would rather not figure skate with Bethany (or anyone), but just look at how much it makes Bethany smile in the video below. Another four years and I think we will be ready for the winter Olympics and get at least a silver medal.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

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Books for John Boy

I'm looking for books for John boy. The above is one of the books that Bethany found and is pretty interesting. Because I love Google so much - you can look at all the books I've been looking at in My Library. Google Books has gotten pretty spiffy the last few months. You can search for the best price, read a lot of the book before you buy, get reviews, make reviews. It could be a readers dream come true, or not. It has been fun reading from the book we got from the Ascols years ago, but we are getting to the end of it. So, it's time for some new ones.

That is where you (the reader) come in. If you would like to suggest some books, leave a comment with a link to the book on Amazon, Google or your favorite place to purchase the book. I am going to look for it using Google Books anyway, but your link will be helpful.

In Other News:

This is a short post, maybe there will be more later.

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Commercial

Found this on Voddie Baucham's blog. It's pretty interesting... Read his post about the wedding rings.

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Random 01-25-10

Every morning, right before I head off to work, I open the little door that keeps unwanted guests out of the chicken coop during the night. Then I open the giant door and change the water and check the feeder to be sure they have enough food for a while. The above video shows the chickens getting out for their morning exercise and beginning their day of hunting for food, bathing in dust, battling for leadership roles, running to the best place to rest and avoiding any hawks that may fly over.

It has become evident in the recent weeks that we probably have 4 roosters who will serve to be served on plates. Roosters are noisy and do not lay eggs... That means we have 6 hens which is the exact number we wanted. They tend to lay every 26 hours or so, so that should be somewhere around 3 dozen fresh eggs every week. Chicken Information Here <----- you must have Google Wave. Sorry.

This morning I had opportunity to talk to a coworker about the future and stuff. He mentioned some smart guy that has a book and movie about the future of the world and how we will have technology that will make it possible to live 'forever' by the year 2040. This is done be either cloning your body and having nano-bytes that can copy your 'information' in your brain and body and then transfer that 'data' into the new body (or anything else you would like to use) and you would continue your life from there. It was all very interesting and after another coworker is done with the book, I may glance through it. The book is a little anti-"religious" in that the guy believes that religions will deny his proclamations because religions have to have death in them in order to corner the market (or some language like that). That doesn't bother me because he is free to be wrong.

I would be scarred to death to live forever, and here is why. I think I would rather die than be here when the Lord returns. I don't know all the details, but I have a weak stomach when out of my comfort zone, or during times of change, so I think I would be sick for as long as it takes from the Lord returning and me getting a new body. Actually, I am a little bit escathologely (spell check failed) challenged. Who knows, maybe I'll be called to a mission where it would benefit everybody to live a few hundred years or so. If that is God's will, He can make it so without our technological advances... so, there ya go.

I am currently listening to Secrets by Marion Meadows on Pandora. Click Here to listen to the station I have created. It's fun, easy... free.

In Other News:
Is that my son in the dryer???

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Battle Hymn of the Republic

In the beginning, God created and the Heavens and the earth and there wasn't anything on the earth. So, God spoke light into existence. Then God put water on this earth that was flooded with light. Then God brought land up out of the water and so created the Garden of the God's near Pike's Peak in Colorado. Then he added plants and vegetation to the earth and the Garden of the God's. Then he put the sun to shine on the red rocks during the day and the moon for a completely different look at the Garden at night. The God created different wild animals to roam through the Garden and to fly around the Garden. Then God created man to explore this earth and the Garden of the Gods and that's just what we did.

Could you imagine thinking that out of nothing these rocks came about and then due to ice ages and maybe volcano's and millions of years of raindrops formed this Garden of the Gods? I love the interview (3 parts) that R.C. Sproul did with Ben Stein when his movie was coming out: Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Mr. Ben Stein talked about asking a person who believes evolution made all we see what was before that. There is no answer. Where did the bang come from? Where did the first cell come from? Could it be that there is intelligent design? It doesn't make sense apart from someone or some thing has always been and designed the earth to be as it is today. Where did the law of gravity come from? It just always was? Perhaps, but I find it easier to believe that God created, therefore it is.

I've been trying to cut certain words out of my vocabulary. Happen happens to be one :). Just kidding, Happen is one of them. It doesn't make sense for something to just happen to happen. I rather believe that happen to think that things happen to happen for a reason and if you are a Christian, all things happen to happen for your good.

So, there are some random thoughts for today.

In Other News:

We are starting to teach John boy new songs besides the three he loves to sing after bedtime devotions: Holy Holy Holy, the Doxology and It Is Well. They are great songs, but after the hundred billionth time, it's time to move on. Not leave them behind, rather sing them less than every night. Any favorites? I tried convincing Bethany that we should sing the Battle Hymn of the Republic, but I'm not sure it's gonna fly.

Photo: From Kerry's Picassa

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Web Site Wave

Donate To Founders

I received this in my email:

Hi John,

Last month, we tried something new to help Founders Ministries, Inc. and all the causes listed at iGive. It worked better than

we ever expected. We donated over $5,000 in less than 24 hours, so we're going to try it again!

It requires your participation, but it is free and definitely easy.

For each person who joins iGive using the special link below and does just one qualified web search on our

site between now and noon Thursday, we'll give Founders Ministries, Inc. a dollar.

5,000 new members, $5,000. No purchase necessary. That's 5,000 new members for all causes, not just

yours, so it's a bit of race.

Of course, if these new members search more (or buy something at an iGive store) they'll earn even more

money for Founders Ministries, Inc.. Right now, we're donating a special $.02 per search and a

bonus $5 for that first purchase plus the usual percentage.

Here's where you come in. The only way Founders Ministries, Inc. will get new supporters and that free $1 (or more)

is if you invite them. Send your friends, family, and colleagues the following link in an e-mail, tweet it, do a

Facebook posting, put up posters, shout from mountain tops (you know the drill) and let them know you think

Founders Ministries, Inc. is pretty cool and deserves their support, especially since it's free! You can even just forward

this e-mail.

This is the link:

http://www.igive.com/welcome/warm_reg_promo.cfm?m=657847

We're really proud of our search capability, powered by Yahoo! We've made tons of improvements over the

past five months, so we want lots of people to try it out and put it to the test. If they keep on searching or

shopping after testing us out, so much the better for Founders Ministries, Inc..

The details:

- Offer active between now and 11:59 a.m., January 21, 2010 (Chicago time).

- New members only (never have been an iGive member previously). All the normal rules of membership, searching, and

purchasing apply, our site has the details.

- Once we've given away $5,000 in total, the offer ends.

- The special link is important. No link, no qualified web search, no $1.

That's it. Don't forget to try our search yourself (http://isearch.igive.com). You may need to login first.

Yours,

Robert N. Grosshandler

Founder

JeStoneIV Games