Publish Date: 12/25/2014 8:00 PM
A wonderful time on Christmas day with the Johnsons
The reason for the season. The Birth of the Christ Child.
We had a wonderful day this Christmas. The weather was clear and the driveway didn't have any snow on it, so we didn't have to worry about accidents with the elderly relatives. We had a small group this year of only 11 people. Which is okay because that fits rather nicely around our dining room table.
We went to Midnight Mass over at St John the Evangelist Church. The choir sang some hymns from 11:30 PM until the mass began at 12. The dancers did a great job with their ballet type moves. They are young teenage girls with different ballet capabilities. But, the number inspired us telling the message of the newborn child.
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Christmas Day 2014
Publish Date: 12/19/2014 7:00 AM
Here are ten things you can do to beat the Christmas Blues
Ten Ways to get Out of the Christmas Blues
This list was inspired by a comment on Facebook where a friend expressed dissatisfaction with a feeling of the Christmas Blues. I am usually upbeat this time of year as I listen to Christmas music in the car and at home. I am involved in the church choir so there is a lot of fellowship with other members. I get to see my family and the act of buying gifts for loved ones is just a wonderful experience.
I know not everyone has my disposition to optimism and joy so this list will hopefully give you a chance to feel some of the joy that I feel this time of year. I just know doing these things will make you feel better because it will take your mind off yourself and allow you to look outward to helping others. In the act of giving you receive.
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Beating the Christmas Blues
Publish Date: 12/18/2014 9:00 PM
The adidas Adistar Racer on Sale with FREE 2 day shipping
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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Shareasale affiliate program and an affiliate of adidas. I may be paid a small amount for this article but all comments are mine and there was no obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of adidas. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
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Get the Adistar Racer for Christmas
Publish Date: 12/18/2014 8:00 PM
Time is running out to get your Christmas present from Blurb (Sponsored Post)
Time is running out to get your Christmas present from Blurb
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Shareasale affiliate program and an affiliate of Blurb. I may be paid a small amount for this article but all comments are mine and there was no obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of Blurb. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
Big news: time is running short! But the good news is you can still get your book in time, even if you want an extra couple of days to work on it by choosing our Priority shipping option. A few dollars more will give you until December 19 with Express shipping—but don't leave it 'til the last minute. Your gift books are too good to rush!
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Big news Time is running short
Publish Date: 12/8/2014 5:00 PM
We are saddened at the death of our Parish Priest Father Ted Schmidt
Sunday morning I was setting up for our annual event at the parish hall to give our congregation an opportunity to find out all the different vocations we offer at the parish. We do this for two reasons, one to make our members aware of the different services we offer at the church and two to give members the chance to join a group. There may be talented individuals that weren't aware of a service that they might like to help with at the church. This allows them to evaluate it to see if it fits with their talents and desires to participate in the parish community.
Anyway, while getting ready for the parishioners to come into the room I began talking with friends who were also setting up and I got the news that our beloved Priest, Father Ted Schmidt, had died. He will be sorely missed as he was instrumental in helping to get the parish grade school back on a strong financial footing. The school had just been awarded the Federal Blue Ribbon award for high quality school systems. The school was paying for itself with higher enrollment numbers. There was pride among the teachers, the parents and the students.
The parish finances were looking better and the community was paying down the amount owed to the Chicago archdiocese for a building project implemented in 2001. Father Ted was active with the youth at a couple of Catholic high schools in the area mostly with the football programs. He was honest and straightforward and wasn't afraid to express his opinion on the church's teachings. The congregation loved him.
At this time we don't really know what happened to him. He was complaining of flu like symptoms on Saturday and had the associate pastor say the 4:30PM mass that day. We suspect a heart attack occurred. The associate pastor found him after 11PM and was not able to revive him. Father Ted was 70 years old. His funeral is scheduled for Friday, December 12th, 2014. Truly a sad day for our parish and all those who loved him.
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A Sad Day at St John the Evangelist Church
Publish Date: 12/6/2014 10:00 AM
Christmas Concert at Springbrook Community Church
Title page from the Christmas at Pops Concert at Springbrook Community Church in Plainfield
We had a great time last night at a Christmas Concert at Springbrook Commmunity Church in Plainfield, Illinois. It was titled Chistmas at Pops and was their fifth season. It was a wonderful concert with a lot of audio visual props.
We were invited to the concert by our daughter, Theresa. She plays and teaches the bassoon. She has been playing since junior high school and received a scholarship to the University for her abilities with the bassoon and studied under the principal bassoonist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. But now as an adult she teaches and plays occasionally.
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Christmas at Pops
Publish Date: 12/5/2014 1:00 PM
Mary Poppins playing at the Paramount Theater in Aurora
Mary and I See Mary Poppins the Musical at the wonderful Paramount Theater in Aurora, IL
We had a great time last night at the Paramount Theater in the heart of downtown Aurora, Illinois. We went to see the Mary Poppins musical. It was delightful and "almost perfect." The play opens with Bert the "master of all trades" singing "Chim Chim Churee" in a strong Cockney accent. The purpose of starting with Bert is to set the place where the show begins in old London.
The actors and actresses did a brilliant job from the youngest children, Jane and Michael, to the old, the bank CEO. I love the sound system at the Paramount Theater. No matter where you sit you can hear very well. Mary's Mom was with us and she is 90 years old and despite sitting toward the back of the theater and the Cockney accent, she didn't have any problems hearing the performance. The kids sang and danced and enunciated their songs well.
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Mary and I See Mary Poppins the Musical
Publish Date: 12/4/2014 10:00 PM
Create the Perfect Christmas Gift for Your Family and Friends (Sponsored Post)
Create the Perfect Christmas Gift for Your Family and Friends
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Shareasale affiliate program and an affiliate of Blurb. I may be paid a small amount for this article but all comments are mine and there was no obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of Blurb. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
Mary and I have always enjoyed Christmas gifts that were created just for us. You know how hard it is to make something rather than going to the store and just buying a gift. To see the hard work that a child put into that special treasure. Or when your sister or brother gives you a memorable keepsake that came from inspiration that only a loved one would be able to create.
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Big Savings Just in Time for the Holidays
Publish Date: 12/4/2014 1:00 PM
The Power of Education after High School
Are you happy with your current position in Life? After 30 years old, you should be old enough and smart enough that it isn't anyone's fault but your own if you aren't where you want to be in life.
There is so much information on the web that you should be able to learn just about anything. And there is an abundance of books written by experts in their fields that you can easily get to add to your library. There are videos, audio tapes, community colleges, technical colleges and books. You can't complain about bad teachers in grade school, your Catholic education or your poor public school.
Your high school education sucked? Then get a GED and feel proud about your education. An education that you participated in and strove for. There are no excuses in America today. Are your reading skills poor? Then get involved with a tutor program, either a paid program or have a friend tutor you. Are you dyslexic? Then do research on how others have resolved these issues.
I was listening to the radio this morning and the talk show hosts were interviewing a young woman who was standing outside a McDonald's restaurant. You could tell that this woman was highly intelligent. Her language skills were excellent. She had tremendous poise. She and 50 other people were staging a protest of the minimum wage. As the conversation progressed she mentioned that she had worked for McDonald's for 4 years. She started at $8.40 per hour and her income had only increased to $9.50 per hour.
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Education and the Ability to Change Your Life
Publish Date: 11/27/2014 12:00 PM
We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for so many things in 2014. I am thankful for my wife and family. I am thankful for a job that is interesting and profitable. I am thankful for the people I work with, my church community, my friends in the church choir and a wonderful home.
We are having turkey, candied sweet potatoes, stuffing and I am sure more food than we need. It will be great to see some of my children, Mary's sister and her family, and Mary's Mom. I hope the Chicago Bears win today. Go Bears.
Mary and I had a fun day yesterday with a quiet morning reading and then we went out to lunch at a new Chinese restaurant near us called Bao. We had never been there. We enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. It is just a tiny place with 5 or 6 tables. You go up to the front counter, place your order and then you can sit at a table or a bench if your order is "to go." I had the orange chicken which was spicier than the foods I normally eat, it was marked as 1 pepper as opposed to 2 peppers or no peppers. It was great, I really enjoyed it.
Then we went to Hobby Lobby to get supplies to make a gift for Mary's Mom. I only go into Hobby Lobby about once a year, and it is always interesting to me to see all the different things they offer. (Yeah, I know I should get out more.)
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Happy Thanksgiving
Publish Date: 11/26/2014 8:00 AM
Everybody has a Black Friday Sale including Blurb (Sponsored Post)
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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Shareasale affiliate program and an affiliate of Blurb. I may be paid a small amount for this article but all comments are mine and there was no obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of Blurb. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
It's the day before Thanksgiving and my email folder is being inundated with Black Friday Sales. My regular street side mailbox is filling up fast, too. You might ask me, 'Ken have you seen any interesting Black Friday Sales that I should pay attention to?' The answer is Yes! Yes! Yes!
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Save with Blurbs Black Friday Sale
Publish Date: 11/16/2014 10:00 PM
Sunday Mass Football game and thoughts about my brother
I was thinking about my brother, Brian, today remembering him on his birthday.
What did I do today?
Well it seems like a lot, yet it seems I didn't do anything. Woke up early for a Sunday morning. I was up by 5AM. Whenever I set my alarm clock, I always wake up a half hour before it is set to go off. I don't know if I do that to prevent waking Mary, or if it is some internal clock function within my body.
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Thinking of Brian Today