The Mayonnaise Jar

I received this in an email and thought I would share:

The Mayonnaise Jar
When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed..

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family,
children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions �
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,
there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.
So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented...

The professor smiled.
'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

Thomas Jefferson Quote

"Unless the mass retains sufficient control over those intrusted with the powers of their government, these will be perverted to their own oppression, and to the perpetuation of wealth and power in the individuals and their families selected for the trust" (Thomas Jefferson to Mr. Van Der Kemp; The Jeffersonian cyclopedia)

Post Office

A little boy was waiting for his mother to come out of the grocery
Store. As he waited, he was approached by a man who asked, "Son, can you tell me where the Post Office is?"

The little boy replied, "Sure! Just go straight down this street a
coupla blocks and turn to your right."

The man thanked the boy kindly and said, "I'm the new pastor in town.
I'd like for you to come to church on Sunday. I'll show you how to get
to Heaven."

The little boy replied with a chuckle. "Awww, come on... You don't
even know the way to the Post Office."

Two Little Boys

I read this and thought others would enjoy it!

Two Little Boys

After a hardy rainstorm filled all the potholes in the streets and alleys, a young mother watched her two little boys playing in the puddles through her kitchen window. The older of the two, a five year old lad, grabbed his sibling by the back of his head and shoved his face into the water hole.

As the boy recovered and stood laughing and dripping, the mother ran to the yard in a panic. "Why on earth did you do that to your little brother?!"
she asked as she shook the older boy in anger.

"We were just playing 'church' mommy,"
he said.
"I was just baptizing him.....in the name of the Father,
the Son and in...the hole-he-goes. "

Something to remember at Christmas

Below is a partial list of stores that you need to be cautious about.

Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
Ann Taylor 117 stores nationwide closing
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 stores nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down specialty stores
J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots) Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots)
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick )
Macys to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stores
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Lowes to close down some stores
Dillard's to close some stores

Marines Coming Home

I sat in my seat of the Boeing 767 waiting for everyone to hurry and stow their carry-ons and grab a seat so we could start what I was sure to be a long, uneventful flight home.

With the huge capacity and slow moving people taking their time to stuff luggage far too big for the overhead and never paying much attention to holding up the growing line behind them, I simply shook my head knowing that this flight was not starting out very well. I was anxious to get home to see my loved ones so I was focused on my issues and just felt like standing up and yelling for some of these clowns to get their act together.
I knew I couldn't say a word so I just thumbed thru the 'Sky Mall' magazine from the seat pocket in front of me. You know it's really getting rough when you resort to the over priced, useless sky mall crap to break the monotony. With everyone finally seated, we just sat there with the cabin door open and no one in any hurry to get us going although we were well past the scheduled take off time. No wonder the airline industry is in trouble I told myself.
Just then, the attendant came on the intercom to inform us all that we were being delayed.
The entire plane let out a collective groan. She resumed speaking to say 'We are holding the aircraft for some very special people who are on their way to the plane and the delay shouldn't be more than 5 minutes.
The word came after waiting six times as long as we were promised that I was finally going to be on my way home. Why the hoopla over 'these' folks?
I was expecting some celebrity or sport figure to be the reason for the hold up
Just get their butts in a seat and let's hit the gas I thought.
The attendant came back on the speaker to announce in a loud andexcited voice that we were being joined by several U.S. Marines returning home from Iraq !
Just as they walked on board, the entire plane erupted into applause.
The men were a bit taken by surprise by the 340 people cheering for them as they searched for their seats.

They were having their hands shook and touched by almost everyone who was within an arm's distance of them as they passed down the aisle. One elderly woman kissed the hand of one of the Marines as he passed by her.

The applause, whistles and cheering didn't stop for a long time.

When we were finally airborne, I was not the only civilian checking his conscience as to the delays in 'me' getting home, finding my easy chair, a cold beverage and the remote in my hand.
These men had done for all of us and I had been complaining silently about 'me' and 'my' issues I took for granted the everyday freedoms I enjoy and the conveniences of the American way of life.

I took for granted that others had paid the price for my ability to moan and complain about a few minutes delay to 'me' while those Heroes were going home to their loved ones.

I attempted to get my selfish outlook back in order and minutes before we landed, I suggested to the attendant that she announce over the speaker a request for everyone to remain in their seats until our heroes were allowed to gather their things and be first off the plane.
The cheers and applause continued until the last Marine stepped off and we all rose to go about our too often taken for granted everyday freedoms.
I felt proud of them.
I felt it an honor and a privilege to be among the first to welcome them home and say 'Thank You for a job well done.' I vowed that I will never forget that flight nor the lesson learned. I can't say it enough, THANK YOU to those Veterans and active servicemen and women who may read this and a prayer for those who cannot because they are no longer with us.

I received this in an email today and I had to share it with everyone! I don't know if it really happened or not, but it is how we should be treating out troops. They are the reason we are able to do the things we do. Most of my family has been in the military along with me and my husband and the military holds a special place in my heart.

Do-it-yourself Yule gift ideas

Every year Christmas was always a big deal in our house. We would decorate the tree together as a family and make the annual Christmas cookies from the secret fudge recipe to simple sugar cookies. One of the other things we always did was to make something for the holidays. It wasn’t required but it was encouraged. We were encouraged to use our imagination to come up with unique ideas so we could out do our brothers and sisters. Here are a few of the ideas that we came up with over the years and how to create them for your and your family.

FAMILY COOKBOOK
This is one of the easiest gifts to make and its loved by almost everyone because the entire family contributes to it. You get with each member of your family and have them contribute their favorite recipe or recipes depending on how large you want to make the cookbook. Then your job is to compile it all whether on recipe cards and put them into individual recipe card holders or blank cookbooks or you can compile them on the computer and create elaborate designs complete with pictures of the items. This will be a gift that will keep on giving for the entire year and beyond and you can always update it every couple of years.

GIFT BAGS
When you think of gift bags you think of the simple paper ones that you can buy at the store, but the ones I am illustrating here are the ones made out of cloth. The easiest way I have found to create them is to buy quilt panels at a craft or fabric store. Two panels side by side can easily turn into one gift bag and they don’t take that long to make. You can use cord or binding tape for the handle or anything that takes your fancy. You take the two panels that are still connected and sew up the side and bottom of the bag, then you fold the top of the bag over to make a hem and sew it down and while you are sewing it down you attach the handles. You will also want to sew an edge stitch across the top of the bag as this will help secure the handle and not pull up the sides. Then you can add anything to the bag or just give the bag as a gift. I normally add a small gift to the bag, i.e. if someone likes crafts, I put some craft kits into the bag and then they already have a place to put them.

NAME PLAQUES
Name plaques can be as simple or as elaborate as you want them. You can create them with paint or decals or even wood burning. If you go to a craft store and buy simple pieces of wood, then you can choose the design you want to put on them along with the phrase “The XXXX’s”. It is a great personalized gift that will touch the hearts of most people.

Gifts you make yourself are a great and inexpensive way to create a unique gift that no one else will give them. You will make them feel special because you took your time to create them something instead of just running to the store or in today’s age, buying something online. If you have a large family, you are going to want to think of a gift idea early in the year to give yourself enough time to complete your project, but most of all have fun and enjoy the pleasure of giving a homemade gift from your heart.