Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... August, 2008

August 1, 2008 | JustAmy; St.Louie1; MamaBear; Billie

[JustAmy]

Thanks, NnB.

That is a great site for poems; I’ve bookmarked it. I found that poem on another Inspirational Poems site.

[MEG33]

Glad your hummers stayed..We don’t have Towhees but I have seen pictures..They are lovely!

[jaycee]

I have that site in my bookmarks. They have some great music, too! I forget to go there sometimes but you can find a lot. I have so much in my bookmarks and need to clean it up. Never have time. Thanks for reminding me.

[JustAmy]

August 25, 2008



Graphic by MamaBear

Ice Cream Prayer

Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six year old son asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good, God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would thank you even more if Mom gets us Ice Cream for dessert. And liberty and justice for all!!!

Along with laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for Ice Cream! Why, I never!"

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?" As I held him and assured him that he had done a terriffic job and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thougt that was a great prayer," "Really?", my son asked (indicating to the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "too bad she never asks God for Ice Cream. A little Ice Cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kid Ice Cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment and then did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his Ice Cream and without a word walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice Cream is good for the soul sometimes and my soul is good already.

~~ Unknown

[yorkie]

"Those dang woodpeckers have got to go!"

In the year 2008, the Lord came unto Noah who was now living in the
United States , and said, ‘Once again, the earth has become wicked
and over-populated, and I see the end of all flesh before me. Build
another Ark and save 2 of every living thing along with a few good
humans.’

He gave Noah the blueprints, saying, ‘You have 6 months to build
the Ark before I will start the unending rain for 40 days and 40
nights.’

Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his
yard - but no Ark.

‘Noah!’ He roared , ‘I'm about to start the rain! Where is the Ark?’

‘Forgive me, Lord,’ begged Noah, ‘but things have changed. I needed
a building permit. I've been arguing with the inspector about the
need for a sprinkler system. My neighbors claim that I've violated
the neighborhood zoning laws by building the Ark in my yard and
exceeding the height limitations. We had to go to the Development
Appeal Board for a decision.’

‘Then the Department of Transportation demanded a bond be posted
for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead
obstructions, to clear the passage for the Ark's move to the sea. I
told them that the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear
nothing of it.’

‘Getting the wood was another problem. There's a ban on cutting
local trees in order to save the spotted owl. I tried to convince the
environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls - but no
go!’

‘When I started gathering the animals, an animal rights group sued
me. They insisted that I was confining wild animals against their
will. They argued the accommodation was too restrictive, and it was
cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space.’

‘Then the EPA ruled that I couldn't build the Ark until they'd
conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood.’

‘I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights
Commission on how many minorities I'm supposed to hire for my
building crew. Immigration and Naturalization are checking the
green-card status of most of the people who want to work. The trades
unions say I can't use my sons. They insist I have to hire only Union
workers with Ark-building experience.’

‘To make matters worse, the IRS seized all my assets, claiming I'm
trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species.’

‘So, forgive me, Lord, but it would take at least 10 years for me
to finish this Ark.’

Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow
stretched across the sky. Noah looked up in wonder and asked, ‘You
mean you're not going to destroy the world?’

‘No,’ said the Lord. ‘The government beat me to it.’

[Majie Purple]

((0GeeBee))) Wonderful to see You again!!:)
T Y so much for the greeting and the lovely floral and bird pingsYou have the same kind of day!

[MEG33]

Indeed! This is adorable.

[OESY]

Classic!

.

[Majie Purple]

Yummsville,that there B split!

[JustAmy]

What time did FReeREpublic come back online. I checked it at midnight. It is always so frustrating when FR goes down.

[yorkie]

I turned in at 10 - it was still off. It felt somehow wrong - going to bed without saying goodnight to friends.

[jaycee]

I didn’t know it went down. Didn’t get back on late. I felt it had been running slow lately though! Seems better today!

[jaycee]

Loved this Amy! And Mama Bear’s banana split is deliciously delightful! Say that 3 times quickly~~LOL~~

[jaycee]

It is a classic as Oesy said and I enjoy it every time! How true, how true! How’s Yorkie doing this Monday morning?

[MEG33]

I’m not sure..I was up and wanted to answer my pings but could not get on..I think FR was back on about 1:30 am your time.

[yorkie]

G’mernin’, JC! “Rug Rat” is doing pretty good, recovering from the exciting week. The grandaughters are getting so tall - and their energy is non-stop! Tired me out just watching them. They headed back to CA Saturday morning. It may be another year before I see them again...(sniff, sniff.)

We all had a wonderful time together - sharing memories, laughter, a few tears, and some great food. Oh! We got hundreds of wonderful pictures at the Deer Farm!

I taught the girls how to shake hands with an adult - and show their inner confidence - it was so cute. I told them I will not have my grandaughters grow up shaking hands like a limp, dead fish. LOL!

[jaycee]

I know you all had lots of fun and its sad to see them go but as we get older, as much as we love them, we also need some time too!

When I was getting ready for the g.daughter’s wedding and also planning a visit from my brother who lives in Georgia right before Christmas, it nearly worked me to death. My brother couldn’t come at the last minute and I was depressed. But then when I spoke to myson, he said “Mom, I know you are disappointed but in a way, don’t you feel some relief?” And actually he was right and maybe thats the way it was supposed to be. When we can’t change things we go on anyway!

[JustAmy]

Good morning, Dear Friends. Happy Monday (I think).
Today's Holiday celebrations are .....


Kiss And Make Up Day


National Park Day


National Banana Split Day

Banana-Split Cheesecake

Ingredients
Crust:
1 cup packaged chocolate cookie crumbs (such as Oreo)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine, melted
Cooking spray

Filling:
3 (8-ounce) blocks fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) carton low-fat sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Toppings:
1/3 cup canned crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1/3 cup strawberry sundae syrup
1/3 cup chocolate syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
16 maraschino cherries, drained

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325°.
To prepare crust, combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl; toss with a fork until moist. Press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray.

To prepare filling, beat cheeses and sour cream at high speed of a mixer until smooth. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar, banana, flour, and vanilla; beat well. Add eggs, 1 at a time; beat well after each addition.

Pour cheese mixture into prepared pan; bake at 325° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until almost set. Cheesecake is done when the center barely moves when pan is touched.

Remove cheesecake from oven; run a knife around outside edge. Cool cheesecake to room temperature. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours.

Top each serving with 1 teaspoon pineapple, 1 teaspoon strawberry syrup, 1 teaspoon chocolate syrup, 3/4 teaspoon pecans, and 1 cherry.

After BananaSplit Day, we now have ......

Healthy Lifestyle Day.

[JustAmy]

Lovely graphics, Grannie. Thank you for sharing them with Amy’s Place.

[ConorMacNessa]

Good morning, Amy - Happy Monday!