Ann Haertel

My puppy, Danny Boy, was a little sick and got some stuff on his pillow cover. I had washed it and let it dry, but it looked kind of crinkled. Josh had just used the iron and it was still warm so I decided to press it. I had to turn the iron back on and even then it didn't seem to be making the fabric smooth. I decided to leave it in the press for a little while. That seemed to do the trick, so I put the other end it. Unfortunately, I got busy doing other things and forgot about it. Even worse, it was the white end and not the gray end. When I remembered, I rushed to the iron press. To my dismay, the white fabric was a nice toasty color. I immediately filled a container with hot water and a small scoop of oxyclean in a desperate hope it would help. I placed the pillow cover in the mixture and crossed my fingers. As if by magic, the brown started to fade. I left it in for a few hours and the pillow case came out bright, white and as good as new

I'm sure it won't work for everything, but I am sure happy it did the trick here. For the record, after it dried, I just put on the pillow wrinkled.

Here are a few life lessons I hope I have taught my kids.

Be grateful and gracious. Sometimes people give you things you probably wouldn't buy, don't need or won't use. Maybe they help with a job and don't do it the same way you would have done. (Kids do this a lot.) Be grateful they were thinking of you and wanted to please you.

Don't take advantage of others generosity. Sometimes, when we have a car full of soccer players, we stop to get something to eat and offer to buy for everyone. While we are ordering off the value menu and drinking water, they order the combo meals and large or specialty drinks. Don't expect gifts or rewards. Just be glad when you get them.

Make sure your labor is equal to or more than your compensation. This is also known as doing an honest day's work for an honest day's wage. Too many people want a lot of money for a little work. If people hire you, make sure they are happy with both the quantity AND the quality of your work. Be fair when estimating your work and don't surprise people if it looks like it will cost more than anticipated

Clean up after yourself. If you do a job for someone, don't leave a mess. Untangle wires, pick up packaging, sweep, dust, rake, whatever it takes to leave wherever you were working clean.

If you break something, tell someone about it. If you can fix it great. If not, replace it. I went to use some garden tools once and found out the last person who had used them hadn't mentioned they were broken. I don't even know who broke them.

Be frugal. Look for good deals when you need to buy something, but don't buy something just because it's a good deal.

Don't be a picky eater. This is especially true if someone else made or bought your meal. Unless you are allergic or something will make you sick, or if there is one item that you truly, TRULY can't handle, be polite. It won't hurt you to be gracious and eat something just once in awhile. ( Except for the exceptions)

Apply yourself. Do and be the best you can in everything you do. You may not be THE best, but you should be YOUR best.

Sing with the fervor of your soul, even if you're a little off key.

Learn to laugh at yourself. You might do or say something embarrassing, but it's okay. I do it all the time and nothing bad has happened yet.

Smile and say "Hi," to people you may not know. It's better to say hello to someone you don't know than accidentally not say hi to someone you do know.

Talk nicely and be nice. Your tone of voice says more than your words every time. As my mom used to say, "It's not WHAT you say, it's HOW you say it." Some people are sensitive. While you might not be trying to hurt their feelings, if you're not thoughtful, you might do it anyway.

Speak clearly and with confidence. It's a pain to have to repeat yourself, and some people won't ask so you might not get your message across.

Don't be afraid to own up to mistakes and say you're sorry. Many problems are the result of more than one person misunderstanding, Don't be afraid admit your part.

Don't say "hate." It is a destructive word and no good can come from feeling, thinking or saying it.

Be a gracious winner as well as a gracious loser.

Be a good listener. If someone is talking to you, try to put down what you are working on and look at them. If that is not entirely possible, like when you are weeding a garden together or doing the dishes, at least pause every so often and respond so they know you are paying attention. (Even if you don't want to.)

Be honest and have integrity. Everyone who works with you should always know that you are a man or woman of integrity and can always be trusted.

Be aware of your surroundings. Notice if someone is trying to talk so you don't interrupt them. It also helps to pay attention when you are a passenger in a car in case you have to drive there yourself.

Read a lot and from a large variety. It will broaden your understanding of people and increase your vocabulary.

Things I hope my kids learned in spite of my bad example:

Let it go. It probably really doesn't matter. Most things that upset us are really not worth the effort of losing your temper or patience. Try hard to keep in control.

Along the same lines, don't be a pack rat. Be reasonable, but life is easier without a lot of extra stuff around to bury you.

Use your outside voice outside and your inside voice inside.

Know when to keep your mouth shut. I've put my foot in my mouth many times and have decided it best to think a second before I say something.

Don't procrastinate. Really. Do it now because it doesn't get any better later.

No one listens when you're screaming.

You don't always have to be right, even if you're right.

I know there are more. I'll post them when I think of them. If you have any you'd like to add, feel free to comment.

We recently remodeled our bedroom. We added lots of windows and one of the things I was afraid of was that there would be too much light early in the morning or whenever we needed it dark. I ordered some blackout blinds with the hope that they would do at least part of what they were advertised as being able to do. When the installer came, he wasn't able to put all of them up because the drywall was uneven. I tried shutting the blinds that were up and the room got darker, but with four windows uncovered, it wasn't really that dark. A few days later, three more blinds got put up, so I still couldn't really tell. Finally, yesterday the last blind got put up. The day was overcast, but I could finally tell if the term "blackout" was really accurate. It turns out it is a pretty good term. The blinds do a good job of blocking most of the light. What I noticed though, was that it didn't take much to let light in. When four windows were uncovered, the room was just a little darker. However, once the blinds were up, all it took was one little crack to let the light in. It made me think that life is kind of like that. When everything seems black and gloomy, all it takes is one ray of light to break the darkness.

If you think you have it bad, --  I just read about a lady had a 5 year old son die in an auto accident. Her daughter was killed 15 years ago and the case is unsolved.  That daughter had a 2 year old child choke to death. The women's other daughter died of a drug overdose.  3 kids and a granddaughter tragically gone. Today's obituaries include a girl who died of head injuries in a car accident.  Her sister died a few years ago from head injuries in a hiking accident.  No matter how bad or difficult life seems, it could probably be worse

I heard this song this morning. We're singing it in November. The words really struck me and I haven't been able to get the song out of my head. The Tabernacle Choir has a version on their Sound of Glory cd. It's called, take "Time to be Holy." It is attributed to William D. Longstaff

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

I wrote in March about my precious dog, Simba. He has been so resilient, bouncing back from the first time he got sick and then again after getting stuck between the air conditioner pad and the cement. Saturday night, June 27th however, he somehow fell into the water fountain on the patio. It didn't have any water in it, but Simba couldn't get out. I eased him out and on to the ground. That night and all day Sunday, he was unable to move. I gave him water by using a spray bottle and holding a dish close to his mouth and literally laying his snout in it. I hand fed him tuna fish and made a liquid out of dog food and water that I squirted into his mouth with a baster. He tried from time to time to get up, but just didn't have the strength. I kept telling him it was okay to let go but he just kept hanging on. Monday, June 29, I called the vet and we took him down and had him put to sleep. Josh and I got to spend some good time with him in the room, stroking his nose and reminiscing about the good times we had with him, and yes, shedding a lot of tears. The staff put a catheter in his leg and the vet came in and gave him the medicine. In about a minute, he was finally asleep for good. It's been hard, and yet it is also a huge relief. He was after all, 17 years old. I have a very special place in my heart for Simba. May he rest in peace.

Have you ever noticed when you try to post a comment on someone's blog and you have to type in a "word verification" that, although the letters are supposed to be random, they actually form a phonetically spelled word? For example I have had lypyds, phonee,rhyt, and other weird words. (Actually, I only remember lypyds because I just had to type it, but the others are pretty good examples.) Sometimes, it may not be an actual word but it sounds like it COULD be one. Maybe I'll start making up definitions for those. Check it out next time and see if I'm right!