Deputy recovering from injuries

The Daily Sentinel
By Dewayne Patterson

Published December 24, 2008

Chief Deputy Doyle York of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday an injured deputy should be home for Christmas.
Deputy Larry Lewis is recovering from injuries suffered after being struck by a vehicle Sunday night in Section.
According to Sheriff Dennis Miller, deputies from his office were directing traffic while the Section Fire Department answered a call nearby.
Miller said a female driver came off a side street onto Highway 35 before striking Lewis.
“We don’t know if she panicked,” said Miller. “We don’t really know what happened yet.”
York said state troopers are still investigating the incident. Though Miller is not releasing the driver’s name, he has said she had outstanding warrants on some misdemeanor charges in Marshall County, including driving with a suspended license.
Lewis, who has been employed with the sheriff’s office since 2003, suffered two broken legs, injuries to his head, chest and rib areas, leaving him badly bruised with several cuts as well.
He was transported to Huntsville Hospital Sunday night.
York said Lewis was expected to be released Tuesday from the hospital.
“We’re hoping he gets to come,” said York. “I talked to him today.
He’s in good spirits and ready to get home.”

Update on Larry Paul

Got an e-mail from one of my many cousins.

"Called Huntsville Hospital and talked to Brenda. She says Larry Paul has been discharged and they are going home. This was about 1:00 today."

You have to know my Uncle. He is tough.

The paper article

(Click for larger view)

Pray for my Uncle

(My mother w/Larry Paul)

I got a call from my mother this morning that my Uncle Larry Paul was taken to Huntsville Hospital. He is a police officer for Jackson County in my hometown. He was injured on the job last night.

From what I heard he was directing traffic because of a house fire & a lady that grew impatient tried to go around to get away & hit him. She was wanted on some other charges so at the moment I believe she is sitting in the pokey.

My mother said he busted the windshield out when he hit, it broke both his legs & it did something to his lungs. Everything seems to not be life threatening but it is serious. Alot of rehab ahead I imagine. I hope to see him this weekend. He is a special Uncle to me. My dad passed away a few months before I married. Larry Paul walked me down the aisle & gave me away. You never forget those things. Thanks Larry Paul. I love you.

(Way back when...1986)

My little Elves

I am an eBayer & I went on & watched a few items. I ran across these & love they are vintage/old/used. They have history. It says they were bought at an estate auction.

I can't wait to get my little elves in. I may see if my daughter wants to start her tradition with my granddaughters using one of these. I don't mind telling you I only paid $17.50 for all 5 of them.

My sister's elf

How have I missed not knowing about this little thing? This is what my sister in Indiana sent me after my previous post about him.

"Thought you might like to see where I put my little elf this year. Usually I try to stick him somewhere, not so obvious, but try to be creative too.

He's just straddling the tough part of this plant stem! I just love him...you can't see but his leggings are the green stripe as his hat, and black boots."

Nothing

At home today doing..................NOTHING. My sinuses are crazy. Stayed in bed really late. My hubby brought me some Tylenol to the bed when he got home from work. Hyped up on that right now. I hope I shake it by next weekend. Got to much to do between now & then.

Sitting on the couch watching TV.

sniffle, cough, hack, saying oooooohhhhh, pity pity pity. I hate being sick.

Always Check your Childs homework

At home the children were told to draw what their parents do for a living.
After the work was sent home with a grade this was the note sent the
next school day with 1st grader...Here is what the note said

Dear Ms Davis,

That is not a dance pole on stage in a strip joint!
I work at Home Depot, ...that's me selling a shovel.

Mrs. Smith

AN UPDATE TO THE NOTE:

Dear Mrs. Jones,
I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer.
I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it.

Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole.

It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.
From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.
Sincerely,

Mrs. Smith

The joy of old pictures

This was snapped in my dad's studio.

My mother has albums full of pictures of when we were growing up. Being a photographer's daughter can be that way. If my dad wasn't there mom had the camera. I guess that is why I always have a camera on me. My mom scans some every so often & sends them to me. About 5 minutes ago these popped in.
I look & wonder...What happened to that little girl? Where is she? My answer is she is happily married, has the kids she always wanted & has a good life. She is still within the woman she is now. Every so often she makes an appearance in the company of good friends. She has special friends. Loves to laugh & have fun & believes she is proud of the woman she did become.

My sister Pam & I. Gotta dig my red leather skirt. How about my sisters socks above her knee's? The babies breath we are holding in our hands used to grow along the ditch bank behind the house. It was the same ditch bank we used to have to go cut our own switches from. Not that I would know about that sort of thing. Do you know what a switch is?

The lot behind us is where the Scottsboro Sonic is located today. Before that it is where I played softball as a youth. Hardee's is & was across the road. It was Burger Chef then.

My sister & I. She had received her high school class ring & we were showing them both off. She was class of '85 & I was class of '82. Funny is I do not even remember this picture.

Thanks mom for the memories. I really mean that.

Elves watching

I had to go to my church Wednesday morning to make some copies for my M&M's class that night. While there I ran across a little surprise while I was on my way out the door.

See me previous post of Christmas Traditions about the Shelf Elf. I just think this is just the cutest thing. The tradition not the elf. He is kind of freaky looking.

It was at the door where all the little kids are picked up from day school. I told my boys while I was snapping a pictures (Yes...I had my camera with me) I thought I seen him blink. Just funny to tell my big boys they better be good because elves are always watching from somewhere.

My daughter & I (with my granddaughter Abbi) went shopping today for Christmas presents. We hit a few stores & did get some gifts. Seems mostly for Abbi. Well honestly I am the grandma/nana. That's my duty. We stopped back by my house to drop off some things before I took them back home & I gave her the Christmas Pickle I had found for her. I found pickle ornaments at a local store here. Village Green on Main Street had them but when I asked if they had a spider they looked at me weird. Come on...you have a pickle & you think a spider is wierd. They were all sweet but it was funny.

M&M's tonight

For our M&M's (Music & Missions) class tonight at church we had a party before we break for Jesus' birthday. All the kindergarteners had a great time. Double chocolate chip cookie, chips, grapes & drink. We had a great time. Since I do the mission & craft part I had little coloring books made for them to take home & bracelets that said Happy Birthday Jesus on them. We ate, talked, laughed & Kathy the one who leads the Music part shared her Nativity barn with them that her father made for her many many many years ago with some figures she has. She read The Crippled Lamb to them. A touching story about a disabled lamb who finds he has a special purpose and place in this world.

Thank you Lord for such sweet people you put in my life that love you & honor you.

Life is Good

Scouts this past Monday

This past Monday was a pack meeting for our Cub Scouts at church. My Tigers had been working hard to earn their Tiger Cub emblem/badge. If you know what it is you know what you have to do. If you don't... well being a new scout (Tiger rank) you have to start out learning the Scout Motto, the Scout Salute & Scout Sign. We also did our Cub Scout promise in front of everyone. It may seem so simple to the older scouts but this is a great accomplishment for 1st graders. My Tigers are so smart. Once they were shown the first time they had no problems. Just like little soldiers. We actually earned it a few weeks ago but really wanted to have the ceremony at the pack meet. It is a parent thing. Photo opportunity. Show off what we know to the older boys. Now that we have the badge we can start earning beads to attach to it. Working out of the book earns you those. Next pack meeting in January we will have several boys earning several beads. 8 of my 12 are in the ceremony. 4 couldn't make it that night.

My oldest son is already a Webelo II rank & it seems like it was forever ago he was a Tiger. He will cross over to an official Boy Scout at the end of the school year. It slips by quick. I have a really great group of boys. I have included some pics of my Tigers. No names for privacy reason's, except my sons though.

Chris (Webelo II (my son) receiving a pin for his uniform from his Scout leader.

Me showing the Tiger Emblem of what we had been working on.

My Tigers growling!!!!

My son Matthew is the 3rd scout from the left.

Cub Scout salute

Cub Scout sign

Something comes to mind. While selling Scout popcorn at Sam's one day some of our Tigers asked someone if they would like to buy some..... his answer was "He didn't recognize the Boy Scouts of America!"

What the...........?

What part could he not agree with.....

The 10 purposes of Cub Scouting are:
Character Development
Spiritual Growth
Good Citizenship
Sportsmanship and Fitness
Family Understanding
Respectful Relationships
Personal Achievement
Friendly Service
Fun and Adventure
Preparation for Boy Scouts

Cub Scouting's 12 Core Values
Citizenship
Compassion
Cooperation
Courage
Faith
Health and fitness
Honesty
Perseverance
Positive attitude
Resourcefulness
Respect
Responsibility

The Cub Scouting colors are blue and gold.

They have special meaning, which will help boys see beyond the fun of Cub Scouting to its ultimate goals.
The blue stands for truth and spirituality, steadfast loyalty, and the sky above.
The gold stands for warm sunlight, good cheer, and happiness.

Sorry I will get off my band wagon now. Just could never understand narrow minded people. Did it phase me? No. I am still the Tiger leader for now. I wished he had not said something like that but he did, it is over & life goes on. The boys never gave it a second thought.

Fallen off the earth

No! Not me. I have been asked though.

I am not hiding out!

I have not been sick!

I have not gone in the witness protection program!

I have just been really busy. I wish I could in a couple of lines catch you up on everything.

Here is a taste of our weekend.

Christmas Tradition's

What are your Christmas Tradition's at your home?

I thought I was really up to date on about all of them but since this past Monday I have been let in on a few. I had lunch at a friends house & on her tree was a spider. Yes a fake spider. What does that have to do with Christmas? Well my answer is "Everything".

Have you heard of any of these?

Christmas Spider

Christmas Pickle

Christmas Shelf Elf

Christmas Comb & Pocket Watch Chain

I found a couple of spider brooch pins to use. This time of year you can't really find spiders. I did go on eBay & found some. They arrive any day.

The Christmas Spider Legend
On Christmas Eve, a long time ago, a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year... Christmas day, the day on which the little Christ child came to bless the house. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders had been banished from their cozy corner on the ceiling. They had fled to the farthest corner of the attic.
The Christmas tree was beautifully decorated. The poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor be present for the little Christ child's visit. Then the oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could wait until everyone went to bed and then get a closer look.
When the house was dark and silent, the spiders crept out of their hiding place. When they neared the Christmas tree, they were delighted with the beauty of it. The spiders crept all over the tree, up and down, over the branches and twigs and saw every one of the pretty things.
The spiders loved the Christmas tree. All night long they danced in the branches, leaving them covered with spider webs. In the morning, when the little Christ child came to bless the house, he was dismayed! He loved the little spiders for they were God's creatures, but he knew the mother, who had worked so hard to make everything perfect, would not be pleased when she saw what the spiders had done.
With love in his heart and a smile on his lips, the little Christ child reached out and gently touched the spider webs. The spider webs started to sparkle and shine! They had all turned into sparkling, shimmering silver and gold.
According to legend, ever since this happened, people have hung tinsel on their

Christmas trees. It has also become a custom to include a spider among the

decorations on the Christmas tree.

My moral of the story is that everything does not need to be perfect & to remember the little things make Christmas special & pretty.

The Christmas Spider
A warm silken web
A child to enfold,
Was spun by a spider
In a stable so cold
In thanks for the warmth
For her shivering Babe,
Between Mary and the spider
A promise was made:
"Good fortune will follow
All those who can see
A Spider on the eve
before Christmas
On their Christmas tree."


Christmas Pickle
John Lower was born in Bavaria in 1842. He left Germany with his family and emigrated to the United States. While fighting in the American Civil War, John Lower was captured and sent to a prison in Andersonville, Georgia. He soon fell to poor health given the poor conditions of the prison. Starving, he begged of a guard for just one pickle before resigning to his death. The guard, taking pity on him, found and gave John Lower a pickle. Lower family lore yields John's testimony that the pickle, by the grace of God, gave him the mental and physical strength to live on. After being reunited with his family he began the tradition of hiding a pickle on the Christmas tree. Hence, the first person who found the pickle on Christmas morning would be blessed with a year of good fortune... and a special gift, just as John Lower had experienced!
If a family could not afford an extra gift, the lucky finder of the pickle was rewarded by being the first to open a present.

In

Old

World

Germany,

the last decoration

placed on the Christmas tree

was always a pickle... carefully

hidden deep in the boughs. Legend

has it that the observant child who found

it on Christmas Day was blessed with a year

of good

fortune...

and a

special

gift!

Christmas Shelf Elf

This one could tend to freak some kids out but it is such a cute idea. My kids are a little old for it now but I would still love to find one.

The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition™ is an activity the entire family will enjoy. Based on the tradition Carol Aebersold began with her family in the 1970s, this cleverly rhymed children's book explains that Santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home. During the holiday season, the elf watches children by day and reports to Santa each night. When children awake, the elf has returned from the North Pole and can be found hiding in a different location. This activity allows The Elf on the Shelf to become a delightful hide-and-seek game.

& another version

Here is a fun new tradition you can start in your home. Elf on the Shelf is a little elf doll that reports directly to Santa Claus. Kids can tell the elf their Christmas wishes. They may also want to be on their very best behavior as the Elf on the Shelf has Santa's ear. Some children also like to name their elf.

Place the little elf around your home during the weeks before Christmas. During the holidays the elf watches children carefully during the day. At night when the kids are sleeping the elf magically returns to the North Pole to report to Santa Claus. In the morning the elf appears in a new place which offers a daily hide-and-seek ritual for kids. Kids will love trying to locate the elf's new location each morning.
Elf on the Shelf is based on a tradition Carol Aebersold began with her family in the 1970s. This cleverly rhymed children's book explains that Santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home. During the holiday season, the Elf on the shelf watches children by day and reports to Santa each night. When children awake, the Elf on the shelf has returned from the North Pole and can be found hiding in a different location. This activity allows The Elf on the Shelf to become a delightful hide-and-seek game.

Christmas Comb & Pocket Watch Chain

A friend of mine had these two things hanging from her tree. It reminds you of the sacrifices that you make in life. Such a great story. Get a tissue ready.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
Jim and Della are a husband and wife living in a rented room in New York. They are quite poor and recently Jim has had his salary cut back to only $20 a week from the $30 a week he used to make. After rent and groceries, the couple hardly have any money left.
Christmas is only a day away and, for a Christmas present, Della wants to buy Jim a gold watch chain for his gold watch. They do not have much to be proud or happy about, but Jim is very proud of that watch. And Della? Della is most proud of her beautiful long hair. But she really wants to buy that gold chain for Jim's watch. Too bad she only has $1.87. So, she decides to sell her hair to a woman who makes wigs and other hair articles. The woman pays Della $20 for her hair. The chain costs $21, so she now has enough money. She buys the chain to give to Jim. She goes home and prepares Jim's dinner and waits for him to come home, a little bit worried that Jim will be shocked when he sees her with all her beautiful hair cut off.
When Jim comes home, he does look shocked when he sees Della with short hair. He stares at her in a strange way and it scares her. She explains to Jim how she sold her hair to buy him a nice Christmas present. Jim tells her not to worry and that nothing can change his love for her. The reason he is shocked to see her without her long hair is that he also wanted to get a nice Christmas present for Della. He gives her the present wrapped in paper and Della unwraps it to see that Jim had bought her a set of beautiful combs for her hair.
She had seen them in a shop before, but they were so expensive. How was Jim able to afford them? Suddenly, she remembers Jim's present. She gives him the gold chain. The chain is beautiful, but when Della asks Jim to put it on his watch, Jim surprises her. He sold the watch to buy her those nice combs.
Were they both foolish to sell their favorite possessions? O. Henry tells us that, no, they were wise. They were wise because they had each sacrificed their most valuable possessions for the person they loved. They were like the three wise men — the Magi — who brought presents for Jesus Christ after he was born. Keep in mind, that this is why Christians still give presents on Christmas Day: to remember the gifts the Magi brought Christ on that very first Christmas.

Let's Say Thanks

Something cool that Xerox is doing

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq .

You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!

This is a great site.

Please send a card.

It is FREE and it only takes a second.