Friday, April 25, 2014

I HATE SNAKES



As a girl I loved to walk in the woods.  I played with neighborhood children in Uncie’s woods.  Returning years later, I was surprised to see it was actually just a few vacant, wooded lots!  Felt much bigger to me as a child. 

When visiting my grandparents, my cousins and I played in the woods near Moccasin Creek!  I was born with a fear of snakes and believe it to be a God-given trait.  After all the very word moccasin ends with SIN! So I always watched out for them.  

I only killed one.  A mother will do a lot to save her kids.  I rustled our toddlers into house then grabbed Doug's hoe and screamed with every chop on that snake's head as he writhed in our back yard. I observed a fascinating phenomenon after he was killed. Its body continued to twitch.  They say once the head is cut off, the body will move until sundown. Even though its head was crushed, rendering it powerless, that dead snake's writhing body was enough to keep me at a distance. 

Ever since the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Satan has been a defeated foe. His head was crushed. As I seek to climb higher in my faith, service and knowledge of God, what I'm confronted with is merely the twitching of his defeated body. But sundown is coming! One day even the twitching body of that old Serpent, the Devil, will be destroyed.

In my walk, Satan, though defeated, twitches in my life in two 2 ways.  He gets me to focus on the past or the future.  Past failures, past pain, past regrets.  Future fears, future worries.  If I linger there, I lose the GIFT of the PRESENT.  I can only experience God in the NOW. 

If I refocus my mind, harness every thought and bring it into captivity, I am with the great I AM.  Fear, failure, worry all fade.  Learn your enemy.  Know his tactics.  


Barney Fife puts it this way.



God tells us to bring every thought into captivity.  Then refocus, give your attention to your Savior.

Gen. 3:15 is a capsule of the whole Bible: 

”And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
 he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”

The death blow is to the head and was accomplished by Christ on the cross and as He rose from the grave.  When that defeated enemy writhes, my looking back will be to Calvary!




PARENTS' TEXT BLOOPERS

We Baby Boomers are so proud that we're learning to text. It IS a learning curve though.  Enjoy these between parents and kids.  http://www.lifebuzz.com/funny-texts/#!Futxf







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Friday, April 18, 2014

PUNNY SHOP SIGNS


Signs of the times are still everywhere.  Clever business owners know how to use puns to name and identify their stores and services.












We noticed this pet store sign near Kent's house while there Christmas. Our first ministry was here in Kinston, NC, at Bethel Free Will Baptist Church. Kent now ministers in music at Grace Fellowship in this same town where he was born. Doug took the shot and it launched this blog venture.



And led me on a hunt for more.










Someone spotted a rare double pun sign at this soup and salad place in Atlanta, GA.







I might trust my hair to a stylist creative enough to name a shop. . .






Washing cars or laundering money?







For you pet owners, here's one that makes house calls.








Homeowners might call on this business to add a deck.








I understand a single track is a downhill mountain bike term, 
so this shop in  Vail, CO, makes perfect sense.


 




My personal fav is this one, even if the photographer took a selfie in the process.






This baker gets a tip of my hat because his shop is in a city named Enmore.







Bet the hotdogs are great here.




Friday, April 11, 2014

STUFF YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU DIDN'T KNOW. . .

OR MAYBE YOU JUST FORGOT!

• Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

• Coca-Cola was originally green.
• It is impossible to lick  your elbow.

• The state with the  highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska


• The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)


• The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%


• The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $16,400


• The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000


• Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.


• The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.


• San Francisco cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

• Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: 

Hearts - Charlemagne 
     
Diamonds - Julius Caesar


Clubs -Alexander, the Great

Spades - King David



• 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987, 654,321

• If a statue of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.
  •  If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died because of wounds received in battle.
  • If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

• Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

• What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common?  All were invented by 
women.

• The only food that doesn't spoil is honey.


• At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!

____________________

Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused!
(Unknown Author)

Friday, April 4, 2014

25 COMMON PHRASES PEOPLE SAY WRONG. . .WRONGLY?


Thanks to my friend, Ivy, for sharing this article reminding us all to talk gooder!


The phrases on the left are incorrect, the ones on the right are correct. Right is right!

1: Nip it in the butt vs. Nip it in the bud

Nipping something in the bud means that you’re putting an end to it before it has a chance to grow or start. Nipping something in the butt means you’re biting its behind.

2: I could care less vs. I couldn’t care less

Saying that you could care less about a topic implies that you do care about it at least a little. What you usually mean is that you don’t care about the topic at all, hence “I couldn’t care less”.

3: One in the same vs. One and the same

When you really sit and think about it, “one in the same” doesn’t mean anything at all. The correct phrase “one and the same” means that two things are the same.

4: You’ve got another thing coming vs. You’ve got another think coming

This is one of those phrases where the incorrect usage actually does make sense and has become its own phrase. But it’s still technically wrong. In fact, most people don’t even know the correct phrase unless they look it up (I sure didn’t). The correct version really only makes sense if you use the entire sentence “if that’s what you think, you’ve got another think coming.”

5: Each one worse than the next vs. Each one worse than the last

Unless you can foresee the future, “each one worse than the next” doesn’t make sense.The problem with this phrase is that it isn’t logical. For example, you can’t compare two bicycles until you’ve tested them both. So logically, you would compare the current bicycle to the last bike you tested.

6: On accident vs. By accident

Sometimes I feel very sorry for people attempting to learn English. With phrases like this, it must be awful. You can do something on purpose, but not on accident. Prepositions are a killer.

7: Statue of limitations vs. Statute of limitations

Whenever I think of these two phrases, I get reminded of one of the best Seinfeld episodes ever.



8: For all intensive purposes vs. For all intents and purposes

You may feel very strongly and intense about your purpose, but that doesn’t make the phrase correct. Another common incorrect use of the phrase is switching the words “for” and “with”. The correct phrase means that you are covering all possibilities and circumstances.

9: He did good vs. He did well

The phrases good and well get interchanged so much that some people think they are actually interchangeable words. They’re not. If you’re ever confused about which to use, here’s a tip: Use “well” as an adverb (words used to describe verbs) and “good” as an adjective (words used to describe nouns). For example:
  • The dog runs well
  • He is a good dog

10: Extract revenge vs. Exact revenge

When you extract something, you’re taking it out of something else. When you exact onto something, you’re dishing it out. Therefore, extracting revenge on someone would mean you’re taking out that person’s revenge. Exacting revenge onto them means that you’re taking your revenge out on them.

11: Old timer’s disease vs. Alzheimer’s Disease

This one is just kind of silly. It’s really a mistake that we make when we’re younger. As we get older and actually learn about what Alzheimer’s Disease is, we have the sense to say the word correctly.

12: I’m giving you leadway vs. I’m giving you leeway

Leadway actually isn’t even a word. Leeway means extra space and freedom.

13: Aks vs. Ask

You don’t aks/axe for things. You ask for them. I’m not sure when the “s” and “k” got switched but it happens all the time when people talk.

14: What’s your guyses opinion? vs. What’s your opinion, guys?

I’ll leave this explanation to the Urban Dictionary:
completely and utterly useless phrase people up north use in the place of ya’ll. it means you guys, but they just have to be stupid and (besides not using the much simpler phrase ya’ll) add -es to the phrase “you guys”. As I have said many times with great wisdomosity, y'all is much simplier to say.

15: Expresso vs. Espresso

I’m sure those of you who work at coffee shops have had people order an expresso before. There’s no such drink. The drink you’re trying to order is an espresso.

16: Momento vs. Memento

Momento isn’t a word. A memento is a keepsake.

17: Irregardless vs. Regardless

Regardless means without regard. Throwing on “IR” to the beginning makes the word a double negative. I think we can all agree that “without without regard”doesn’t make sense.

18: Sorta vs. Sort of

The phrase “sort of” was too long so someone decided to shorten it up and turn it into sorta. I think it's just sorta lazy.

19: Conversating vs. Conversing

Drop the “on” and add an “ng” and you have yourself a new verb right? Wrong. Conversating is an unofficial word that a lot of people use in place of the correct term, conversing.

20: Scotch free and Scott free vs. Scot free

I’ve seen so many explanations of the origins of the phrase “Scot free” that I really don’t know where it came from. But what I do know is that Scotch free and Scott free are incorrect.

21: I made a complete 360 degree change in my life vs. I made a complete 180 degree change in my life

People say they’ve made a complete 360 degree change in their life to imply that they’ve completely changed from the way they used to be. However, going 360 degrees means that you’ve returned to the exact same place you started. Which would mean you didn’t change at all. A 180 degree change would mean that you are the complete opposite which is what most people are trying to say.

22: Curl up in the feeble position vs. Curl up in the fetal position

Feeble means weak and frail. So in a way, curling up in a feeble position isn’t too far off. However, the actual fetal position that people are referring to is the curled up position that fetuses use while in the womb.

23: Phase vs. Faze

The word “phase” is usually used when talking about periods of time or stages. For instance, “Bob’s interest in the iPhone 5 was just a phase.” However, phase is often mistakenly used in place of the word faze, which means to disrupt. Here’s a paragraph from an article that shows the common mistake.
EAT 5:53: Uganda 2-1 Angola. Five minutes of added time, can the Cranes hang on? Cranes coach Micho Sedojevic unphased, but still urges the boys to hang on. Cranes piling the pressure

24: Hone in vs. Home in

The word hone means to sharpen or improve somehow. For example, you can hone your speaking skills. To home in on something means to get closer to it.“We’re homing in on a cure for cancer”.

25: Brother in laws vs. Brothers in law

If your wife or husband has several siblings, they’re called your “brothers/sisters in law”. I’m about to get a little grammar nerdy with my explanation so get ready. The general rule of thumb for making a compound noun plural is to add a “s” to the noun that there’s more of. In our case, the words brother and law are both nouns. Since the word you’re pluralizing is brother, you add an “s” to it, not law.

This article came to me with the title 25 Common Phrases People Say Wrong.  Can you spot the error in this?  I did so I added a word.  Go back and see how!