IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

I am considering making this blog PRIVATE in the coming days. If you regularly view my blog, could you please contact me when the announcement is decided so I can continue to share our family news with you...along with any tidbits of observations I find to include in my ramblings.

A NEW YEAR COMETH.....time to change??

HAPPYCABBIE....Update

This is to let my readers know that HappyCabbie that I have mentioned previously in the last week or so, has relocated to Tampa, Florida. He has a court appearance tomorrow (Monday) to sort out a long overdue parking ticket as the collections made on his behalf via his YT friends have enabled him to pay the costs. This comes as a great relief to him. He is calling this STAGE 1. I'll keep posting of his ongoing rehabiitation back into mainstream living again.

This is a most wonderful piece of news and makes the whole theme of going from DARKNESS to LIGHT (the Advent theme) so powerful to me this year.

I pray he will continue to put down roots in the community of his choice and he tells us he will embark on a job search asap, after this outstanding parking ticket is settled. It is such good news to share with my readers today.

OH DEAR...getting too fancy!

I apologize to my readers...I've been getting a little too adventuresome and began to alter the appearance of my blog! The trouble all started at about 1.30am today when I awoke having fallen asleep in my lazyboy chair (not been to bed yet and it's now 3.45am as I compose this...lol...some readers will not be surprised at this pattern...I've made a habit of this now for a few months, off and on!) SO...one problem I created was deleting my photo from my profile description...somehow I'll get it corrected. My old photo (with the orange dress..remember???) well I wanted to change it to this new photo (seen here) and well, as you've guessed, I've deleted the old photo and the means to put up my new one! All is not lost...I can fix it by reading all the bloggers' tips (never found all those helpful tips until my litle excursion tonight into "altering my blog!) I am just a lady with a few surprises up her sleeve...get used to it folks! I'm coming awake after being on anti-depressants for the last 6plus years and the fog is lifting! So I can now "concentrate" better than I have been doing for all this period. And you ask...how did that happen? Well, let me explain.....I have found a helpmate (well more than one...but one inparticular)...www.moonlightessence.co.uk See the lovely Fiona's webpage!

So, I just offer you this explanation (you've not had to endure with me the different layouts of my "revised" blog that kept appearing online tonight....never did work out why the changes were happening instantly...another problem to investigate. But now I have the means to do so...I discovered there is loads of help on Blogger for "newbies" like me. Never too old to learn some new tricks...come on, agree with me! lol

I'd like to post some pictures from our home...it's decorated up (well almost finished!) for Christmas but my camera is manfunctioning...no it's not the operator!!...and won't download the photos onto my 'puter. Another learning curve coming up I hear you say! lol (It's ok, you can laugh with me...I'm laughing at myself).

And remember...I'm also into vlogging and produce rare videos on my YTube channel. I am just in the midst of editing what will be a very interesting "new" video going up on my channel sometime this weekend. Here's the link to my channel....maybe you'd like to "bookmark" it so you can call back on the vlog another day as it's updated... www.youtube.com/whistonlass
No pressure, you understand. hehe

Right...that's it for today (tonight, this morning, for now!!!....I don't know what day it is never mind what time....I think I'm bushed!). Will I sleep...won't I sleep...hmmm, well there's still more christmas deccies that need putting out in the dining room and it's full of the empty boxes from all that I've put out already. Watch for piccies...coming soon on a blog near you! (nana's news!)

This is becoming an addiction.
I listened to quite a few videos where Dominique sings
and this one is worthy of note. She wrote it herself and well,
have a listen...the words say it beautifully.
Enjoy! and Happy Advent too!

Our son sent me a link to a lovely children's choir who have won the 2008 Songs of Praise award for their singing. It is a most catchy tune, a difficult one too and boy do they carry it off to perfection.

It's just inspired me to post it here. I hope you enjoy this offering as much as I have...listening to it many times over since first hearing it a day or two ago.

ENJOY!

Kiddies' mischief tales...

This little fellow we reckon was busy yesterday when visiting nana and grandpa's house. :) Well I should say, it is a wild guess on our part. Let me explain...

This morning hubby was in our shop downstairs and tried unsuccessfully to use the telephone there. We have the homebase for the shop phone plugged in upstairs .

Hubby (grandpa) worked it out. We think little man here to the right....cute ain't he?...may just have had a little tinker with the on/off wall switch which controls the homebase of our shop phone.

On inspection grandpa discovered both switches on that particular socket had been mysteriously switched off! lol
We reckon it isn't rocket science to work this out. Our little-almost-2-year-old has had a little play with the switches (boys will be boys!!...lol). All is fixed now and we've had a chuckle over it all....so he's not in any BIG trouble at all. After all, we didn't actually "see" him do it and he's hardly going to 'fess up now is he?

Love our grandkids to bits and we had a noisy but lovely surprise visit with them yesterday late-afternoon when they called by after a family trip out as a delayed birthday treat for our eldest grandson, Josh....who was 8 years old on 2nd December! He's getting soooooo big. Oh...and the little man above....why that's Nathaniel. Looks a picture of innocence, eh?

THE YOUTUBE COMMUNITY

There often comes a time when my faith in human nature is restored and the last few days it has certainly happened for me. The regular readers of my blog will know that I've ventured into putting up videos on YouTube...it has been an interesting and instructive addition to my days!

The circumstance that has me hanging near to my 'puter, lifting prayers to heaven and taking hold of my thoughts is the story of a YTuber called HAPPYCABBIE.

One of my tags on a forum I frequent says "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!". This lovely man, HappyCabbie, has had some help to get the lemonade recipe...thus my faith in human nature is restored, as I mentioned previously.

In brief...this is a bit on info about this gentle soul. HC has been making the most fantastic models from balloons and posts about it on YouTube. He fell on hard times and was in another part of the USA to his home state and was living in a shelter, making balloon sculptures (very intricately I might add) and sort of "ticking over." Things got tougher and he was involved in a traffic accident a few days ago, found himself miles from his shelter accommodation, injured and in hospital, his few belongings mainly in his now-wrecked car stored in a police compound, in A&E in the hospital with leg and back injuries....no money, no apparent friends and a hospital who just wanted him out! (His injuries were not serious enough for an extended hospital stay.)

HC was thrust out onto the street once again, somehow managed to find a second hostel for the night and with the help of YT friends who are collecting $$$$$ for him, he hopes to be able to return to Phoenix, Arizona where he can be close to friends & family. The latest word came to us this morning via a YT friend (HC doesn't have internet access at the moment) is that he made it back to his original hostel so is warm, dry and safe. Whew, thank God!

The messages on YT for HC are in the hundreds. He has so captured many hearts and we are all waiting for updates and the word that says he's been able to purchase a bus ticket with the donations and is on his way to Phoenix.

I know this is a long blog entry. I just needed to tell you about HC (I'll post a link or two at the end of this blog entry in case you'd like to find out more or keep up to date on his circumstances). The outpouring of love, prayers and practical help which HC is receiving through an online community (YouTube) has restored my faith in human nature this day.

It reminds me of the upcoming event we will soon celebrate where the Saviour of the World had nowhere to lay his head. I am grateful this day for the response of my fellow YouTubers to HappyCabbie's plight...and to know that at least for now, HC has a shelter where he is warm, dry and safe....and he has a place to lay his head. Keep him in your prayers and give God thanks for people who care.

But for the grace of God, go I. A very sobering thought.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMjRNlXV_fg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trzCy3OxZbk

JUSTICE FOR JAMES

I have received a video link this morning regarding the RED BALLOON CENTRE, a proposed centre to assist children who are the victims of bullying. It is something positive that can come from a tragedy, the murder of James.

I thought I'd post a link to this video and also a link to the Red Balloon Centre website. Maybe you'd like to take a peek?

The web address for the Red Balloon Centre is http://redballoonlearner.co.uk/news.htm