Tonja's Gatherings – Page 115 – A Christian Blogger from Dothan, AL

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THE GIFT OF A TRIP

November 2, 2009 by tonja No Comments

Will you just look at these boys…excited and ready to set off on an adventure. Adam has a photographers meeting in New Orleans for the next few days, and Friday, he asked Alex if he would like to go with him. It is always hard to plan for things like that with Alex because he never knows if he will be up to it until the last minute. Complicating things was the fact that Alex had a Dr. appt tomorrow. These appts. are made 3 months in advance, are are very hard to reschedule. Also they are timed to the refilling of his meds, which he can only do on a monthly basis.

He began calling this morning at 8, and finally got to talk to someone about 30 minutes ago. They were able to reschedule, so Adam came and picked up Alex…and they are on their way!

We packed his wheelchair for him. Since he has such a hard time with his balance, walking really tires him out quickly…even with his cane, he still has to have an arm to hold on to. But, if someone pushes him in a wheelchair, he can hold out much longer, and have more fun when he gets to where he’s going. And, let’s face it…when you get to where you are going…you don’t want to be too tired to party!

I am asking God for His mercy to shower Alex while he is gone. I am asking Him to keep his pain at bay, and grant him a few good days to spend with his brother. I am asking God to grant Adam clear vision as he drives, and a strong healthy body as he goes about his conferences. I am asking for a wonderful time for them both…a time of fun, a time of bonding, and a time of relaxation.
This is a gift from God, my friends. Alex so rarely gets to go off and enjoy himself like this. We pray for it often, and we are so thankful when God answers our prayers. Alex is mostly homebound…and what 28 year old would enjoy that for very long?

Here in Dothan, we have The National Peanut Festival every fall. It includes contests, and a fair, and parade and concerts, and all that goes along with a celebration. Ian has always enjoyed going and every year comes home for it. He came home last weekend, and he and Alex were able to go on Saturday night and take in a concert. They decided to rent a wheelchair when they got there and had a blast on the midway. Brothers..enjoying each other’s company. What a blessing.

And, now a chance to spend time with Adam! God is good! We thank Him and we praise Him! This is a wonderful day!

Reading time: 2 min

General

TURKEY TALK

November 2, 2009 by tonja No Comments

Because my Mom always cooked a Butterball Turkey, so did I. Every year for as long as I can remember, I have been the one assigned the task of cooking the Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkey. Maybe she and Joy just figured that I couldn’t mess it up too bad. And, I never did. I became quite adept at fixing up that ole bird. Mom would always call me the night before to be sure I had not forgotten to put it in the oven. I heard all the old ways of getting him ready to cook…like putting it in a paper bag and turning off the oven…never tried that, though. Same said thaw, some said don’t. I did. I usually just put it in a large roasting pan and basted often…and in later years, I began to use the large cooking bags. Don even bought a huge cooker and we deep fried it one year. I really didn’t like that. Tasted more like chicken! I would cook it and Don would slice it for eating. We pulled out our electric knife one time a year or twice…just for the turkey. Probably the only consistently used wedding gift that I received back in 1972.

HOWEVER, I now know a better way. I was telling my aunts about this when we visited recently in NC, and they had never heard of these. But, this Not Very Good Cook is here to tell you…this is fabulous! I found these at W*l=M*rt several years ago,and now I will not buy anything else. It is just as easy as the ad says it is. Open the package, put it in a pan, put it in the oven, figure out the time it will take to cook, take it out, have hubby slice it, and rake in the compliments! Really, it is the moistest turkey I have ever cooked. I can promise you will not be disappointed if you give this a try. I have since found it at other grocery stores so I am sure you can find it easily. There are several seasonings available also. Even the packaging you carry it home from the store in has a handy carry handle. And, just one more tip: if you purchase one of those big disposable roasting pans to cook it in…you can throw the whole thing away after lunch! Easy-Peasy!

FROM THE BAG and WEBSITE:
Oven Ready Home Style Whole Turkey Oven Ready?—¢ turkey from Jennie-O Turkey Store is the only whole turkey that goes directly from your freezer to your oven with no thawing, no cleaning?

Reading time: 2 min

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FANTASTIC FALL FUNNIES

October 30, 2009 by tonja No Comments

Here is my tribute to Halloween. I must confess, this is not a favorite holiday of mine. I have never put too much into celebrating it, but my children used to go trick or treating in the neighborhood…and we opened our home to trick or treaters. Frankly, I am glad there is no reason for me to get involved in it anymore. But, if you like it…that’s just fine with me.

All that being said, here are some cartoons that I find funny…hope you do, too. So, Happy Halloween or Happy Fall or Happy Weekend!!!

Reading time: 1 min

General

TALKING TRASH

October 29, 2009 by tonja No Comments

I’m sure you have all seen those BRIGHT garbage bags that are designed to look like giant jack-o-lanterns. Every year, around this time, they pop up in yards all over town.

While searching for something on the internet today, I ran across these cute bags. Goldfish, anyone?

I wondered if there were any others out there. So, I did a little search, and these are what I came up with.

How would you feel about putting your trash in this pretty damask pattern with the accent turquoise tie?

From the ingenious Japanese,we find these cute bunny bags……and these dogs, too. No, I don’t know why they have an X on them…

And, also from Japan, these garbage bags are color coded for recycling…metal, glass,plastic.

Now, would you look at how much nicer this dumpster in NYC looks with these pink polka-dotted bags?

These bags are designed to look like teddy bears…sorta weird, huh?

And, here’s lovable Oscar the Grouch, who actually lives in a garbage can! He deserves his own bag!

But, THIS… this must be considered the ‘ultimate’ in trash bagging. Can you tell what it is…see the famous logo? Yes, you’re right…it’s Louis Vuitton garbage bag!! Well…not really…just designed to LOOK like the LV logo.

And, since I’m sure inquiring minds want to know…MY garbage goes into whatever bag is on sale at the grocery store! Unless it’s those scented kind. Bought those once and spent 2 days trying to find the sickening odor in my house! They are scented allright…but not in a good way!

*****FACTS TO THINK ABOUT***** (from The Washington Post)
***Every American produces about 4.3 pounds of trash a day!!!!

***Between Thanksgiving and the new year, environmentalists say, Americans typically throw away as much as 5 million extra tons of trash, thought to be mainly wrapping paper and shopping bags

***80% of our trash is recyclable…but, we only recycle 35%…

***When things go into a landfill, this is the amount of time it takes to decompose**
Styrofoam container > 1 million years
Plastic jug 1 million years
Aluminum can 200-500 years
Disposable diaper 550 years
Tinned can 90 years
Leather shoe 45 years
Wool sock 1 year
Paper bag 1 month
Banana peel 3-4 weeks

***Some easy ways to cut down on waste***
?ƒ¢Use cloth napkins instead of paper
?ƒ¢Use sealable storage containers rather than plastic wrap
?ƒ¢Reuse cardboard boxes, plastic bags and paper sacks

NOW, GO TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE!!!!!!!

Reading time: 1 min

General

THIS AND THAT

October 27, 2009 by tonja No Comments

Wonder of wonders!!! I FINALLY have some dining chairs!!! Well, I do not actually have them, yet. BUT, they are on order and should be here soon. Don picked these out, and while they are not exactly what I wanted…they are fairly close. Oh, and it will be so good to finally have some chairs at the table!

I want to say for the record: if you have music on your blog that BLARES out when you connect to it…you can be held responsible for giving ‘ladies of a certain age’ a mild heart attack or at the very least a lack of bladder control!!!!!

I may or may not have personal experience with the following:

Are you familiar with Tom’s shoes? To see the company philosophy please click here and read about what is being done to help those in need. They vow to give a pair of shoes to a needy child for each pair of shoes you purchase.
I had heard about these, but had never seen any in our town. However, I found some in another city over the summer, and bought a pair to see if they were as comfortable as they were touted to be. And, I am here to report…YES, YES THEY ARE!
And, the neat thing is that they are very simple and plain…yet they have a funky sort of vibe to them as well.
Now, I have heard that some women tend to get swelling of the feet and ankles when their glorious selves reach a certain age…I’ve only heard of this, you understand!!! So, let’s pretend that awful fat ankle look has happened to me…and if it had happened…these shoes would have still been comfortable, and I would have still been able to walk…IF it had actually happened to me.

There are so many styles and colors…some quite unique. You can also get solid white or cream and paint them yourselves! Try them if you get a chance. I can tell you where to find them in Birmingham if you’d like to know. AND, I just received a discount code, so if you would like to order a pair, let me know and I will share it with you gladly!

And, my sweet niece, Tara, is on complete bedrest. She is expecting in November and is having a lot of blood pressure trouble. She’s at 33 weeks and at 36 weeks, they will take him if the lungs are ready. Please keep them in your prayers. This is the first child for she and Will…and the first grandchild for Joy and Tommy…and the first great grandchild for Pop…and the first grand nephew for me!