STUPIDEST PET

I am sitting at gymnastics watching Grace work towards her Olympic gold medal, and decided I would write a short blog about the newest addition to our family. Sometime last year, Grace's Sunday School class had a class pet... a hermit crab. Grace won the drawing and got to take "Herman" home to live a happy life at our home. Well, not all the preparation in the world can prepare you for a hermit crab. So, without going into all the details Herman was dead within a few months. Very sad day at the Hofer home.

Fast forward to Grace's birthday and Aunt Amy decided to ease Grace's pain by giving her a new hermit crab. Not any hermit crab but a painted, jewel encrusted, hermit crab named "Jewels". Determined not to repeat the same mistake, Don has read up gone to Petsmart and I believe has become an expert on the care and feeding of hermit crabs. New shells, new food, new water, new bark chips for the box we keep her in. Evidently Jewels is very happy and now has burrowed herself into the sand and we have not seen her in weeks. We think she might come out at night, but neither Grace nor I have witnessed this event. So we put water and food out for the pet we never see....ever. We pay money to feed the pet we never see. It truly is the stupidest pet...ever. And yes, I realize that they are called hermit crabs for a reason.

SELF IMPOSED BLOGGING RULE

I have received 100's if not 1000's of inquiries as to my lack of blogging in the last month. All I can say is that in my mind, if I am behind at work it does not reflect well on me if I take time to blog. Especially since 4 of the 9 people that read my blog are waiting for me to finish my work. So, until I can put hymn night, praise night, the stack of books I'm suppose to go through next to my desk, ordering orchestrations for Christmas, touching base with people from choir who haven't been there, (sorry to those of you that think I don't care that you aren't there... I really do), planning Grace's birthday party (which was yesterday), and Christmas behind me, there will be no blogging. So... I'll see you back here next year sometime.....

GRACE IS A TWITTER

Someone once affectionately said that Grace is a Twitter. For those of you that don't know Twitter is like text messaging lots of people at once with things about your day, where you are, what you're doing. That kind of thing. I kind of do it... did it. Like once every few weeks. Anyway, the more time I spend with sweet Grace the more I agree. She is a Twitter. 98% of these were from our drive to Target tonight.

• Mom, I really think I need a hamster. I don't know why but I just really think I do.


• I want to go to the moon. Do you have to be an astwanot to go to the moon. I (Jill) said..."Uh....." Grace says.... we'll just call that a maybe.


• If you don't eat for 5 days will you get dead?


• I hate zucchini....or cucumbers...whatever you call it. I keep tasting it in my mouth.
  
• A 3 minute song......"I love you...I do....I love you.... I do....I love you mommy....you love me and I love yooooooooooou!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
• Voice lesson warm ups..."la la la la la la la"
  
• I want to be a baby again...and crawl and suck my thumb.


• I want to be a baby because they have cuter shoes.


• If we don't have money...why can't we go to the bank and just get some.


• Mom...if I have a friend who doesn't have money for food.... I would give them all of my money. But then I wouldn't have any money.....(stops to think)..... oh but it would be okay because my friend could give me money.

Last week I said to Grace. "Grace sometimes it's okay to just talk in your head. You don't have to say everything out loud, you can just think some things."

Quiet for 7 seconds.

From the back of the car..."Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (she says through clenched teeth) I really really want to ask you something."

"Go ahead, Grace"

"How many days till my birthday."

I'M A HORRIBLE MOTHER.......OR AM I

So, today I was working on my computer. Looked at my clock and realized that I had forgot to do something. A little something called PICK UP YOUR FIRST GRADER FROM SCHOOL! First thought....I am a horrible mother. Who forgets their child???? So called Don, he's closer, he couldn't get there, so I called the school and said...." I am going out for the horrible mother of the year award..... can you tell Grace I am on my way and that I will buy her ice cream when I get there?" I got to the school and sweet Grace is sitting in the office with a fairly sad look on her face. Evidently they had forgotten to tell her the ice cream part. I got down on her level and said, "Grace, I am so sorry. Mommy was working and forgot to look at the clock. And I want you to know that mommy will probably do this again. But what I want you to do when you are standing there waiting for me and thinking that I am not coming.... I want you to think.... "I get ice cream." I told her that every time I forget to watch the clock, I will take her out for ice cream. She shrieked with delight! Focus on the positive! Never mind that your mother forgot you at school.......

IF YOU DON'T....SOMEBODY WILL

The choir is singing a song called "How Can I Keep From Singing" I did a google search on the verse "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out". I found this article and read it to the choir.

As Jesus was entering Jerusalem, the people were shouting, praising God, and irritating the Pharisees. Luke 19 gives us the account of this exciting event. The Bible says that “with a loud voice” the people shouted, “blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38)

The Pharisees were irritated because their focus was on those worshiping and not on Jesus. They were more concerned with how loud people’s praise and worship was than just praising God themselves. The Pharisees told Jesus, “Rebuke your disciples!” yet Jesus responded, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out”. (Luke 19:40).

Some might say that Jesus was being figurative by saying stones would cry out. Not so. Worship of Jesus Christ must take place. All of creation responds to the awesomeness of Almighty God by extravagant expressions of worship. It must.

Jesus was not overstating the fact that the stones would cry out if worship did not take place.

In fact, scientists tell us that the earth gives off a relentless hum of countless notes completely imperceptible to the human ear, like a giant, exceptionally quiet symphony, but the origin of this sound remains a mystery. They also say that unexpected powerful tunes have been discovered in this hum. These new findings could shed light on the source of this enigma. The planet emanates a constant rumble far below the limits of human hearing, even when the ground isn’t shaking from an earthquake. This sound, first discovered a decade ago, is one that only scientific instruments - seismometers - can detect. Researchers call it Earth’s Hum. (from livescience.com)

Pharisees will say, “Inanimate objects cannot cry out. Stones don’t have voices. Jesus, do something about your disciples!”

They don’t understand that worship is the natural and the only response to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. It will happen one way or another, and they and YOU are invited to be a part of this response.It is a law of reality.

WORSHIP BAND - THIS IS PRETTY FUNNY

Read about the Christian Version of Guitar Hero. This is a really funny blog. Enjoy!

http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/

THE WISDOM OF 40 + ONE MONTH

1. Don't put a plastic bag of Costco corn on a hot burner.
2. Don't wear really high heels to play keyboard at church.
3. Don't buy the cheapest GPS.... you get what you pay for.
4. Do what you love.
5. Love yourself so that you can love others better.
6. Understand that not everyone "gets" you ..and that's okay.
7. My 6 year old talks constantly.....really constantly.... don't know where she gets it.
8. Having cable makes your family watch a whole lot more TV
9. I have the ability to grow and become a better person each day. But can still love where I'm at today.
10. A good and trustworthy friend is rare.
11. I really like a clean kitchen. You wouldn't know by looking at it right now. But I really do like it.
12. Marsha can make food taste good even over the phone.
13. When the doctor says something is going to hurt...... it really does.
14. I am stronger than I thought.
15. God loves me....and shows me He loves me in so many ways. I am not working so hard to earn His favor. I have it!

Not bad for a month.........What have you learned this month?