How many of me?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 10 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

• 
  There are 5,999 people in the U.S. with the first name Jada.
• 
  Statistically the 2397th most popular first name. (tied with 365 other first names)
• 
  More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Jada are female.

Random Thoughts

1. My friend, Christy, had her 5th baby on Sunday. I made barbeque and took it over (along with milk, chips, and Halloween Oreo cookies) Wednesday evening for their dinner. As soon as I sat down the box with all the goodies in, I got to hold baby Matthew! He's so tiny. He weighed over 6 pounds, but just seemed so tiny. His siblings (3 older sisters and an older brother, who's in my PS II Sunday School class) all wanted a turn at holding him. Daddy got the kids' dinner ready, and Christy and I were in the living room talking. She was holding Matthew. I asked her how he was doing and if he had any troubling latching on (she's breastfeeding). Is it wrong that I knew to ask that since I'm not a mother?!

2. This weekend is the annual Farmers Fair in Dillsburg. And the first time (other than weather-related cancellations) I'm not going. Mom tried to lay a guilt trip on me, but it didn't work! I'm 40 years old, for crying out loud! I just don't want to go....so I'm not! Yeah, it's nice to see Dad's side of the family and be at Mame's (she's 92) house, but then everyone goes their separate ways with their family, and I just don't want to go this year.

3. We had an On Mission Celebration at church this week. It was great to hear stories of how God is using the missionaries we support through the IMB and NAMB. It was nice to be able to know that our money does help and to actually see missionaries. We don't get to see that aspect very often in the Southern Baptist Association.

4. I spent the weekend in Lancaster last weekend. I attended a Creative Memories Consultant Conference on Saturday. I did some shopping at the outlets on Friday evening and Sunday morning before heading back home. It was nice just to get away. I wasn't rushed to be here or there or have any responsibilities. I enjoyed eating a leisurely Sunday breakfast at Cracker Barrel before going home. I did stop at an Amish store and bought Dad a Shoofly Pie and a magnet and collector's spoon for Mom. And a tee-shirt and sweatshirt for myself!

5. I stopped at Mom and Dad's on the way home from Lancaster to give them their goodies. Before I made it to their door, I fell flat on my face. Literally. One second I was vertical, the next second, I was horizontal. It happened that fast. No warning to even try to catch myself from falling. I'm pretty sure my ample bosom prevented me from smashing my face.

6. I have a Creative Memories Workshop this evening. I'm looking forward to showing my customers how to use the Titletopia Aligners. I really need to work on my own albums. Well....albums that I want to do. Like one for my nephew, Matt, who will be 2 next month. I have the album, pages, stickers, etc. I just need to start it!

7. I also need to spend some time working my Creative Memories business. I have ideas (from my Upline and from the Consultant Conference this past weekend); I just need to actually implement them! I should plan to do that on Saturday since I'm not going to Farmers Fair!

Enjoy this weekend! Sounds like it's going to be a perfect fall weekend here in Pennsylvania!

P.S. I wanted to add a picture of Matthew and a fall picture, but Blogger isn't cooperating right now. Maybe later.

My 100th Post

Okay, since I've been reading a lot of blogs, I've come to learn that the "bloggetyville" (a termed coined by BooMama) thing to do for your 100th post is to do a list of "100 Things About Me." I hope I can come up with 100 things! Here goes:

1. I like my name.
2. I'm glad my mom didn't name me Johnna Noel
   like she wanted to!
3. My middle name is my great-grandmother's
   middle name.
4. I'm the oldest of four.
5. I have two sisters and a
   brother.
6. And three adorable nephews!
7. I have known my best friend, Vickie, since
   7th grade, though we lost touch for several years after high school.
8. I read her daughter's birth announcement in
   the newspaper.
9. And called her mother - I remembered her
   phone number after 7+ years!
10. My favorite color is purple!
11. I like my handwriting.
12. I've worked for the same organization for
    21 and a half years.
13. I love my job!
14. I've never been married.
15. I would like to be married.
16. I am thinking about doing the looong survey
    on e-harmony.com.
17. I love to scrapbook.
18. So much so that I became a Creative
    Memories consultant in March.
19. I enjoy doing laundry.
20. I like to make "To Do" lists.
21. And enjoy being able to cross off the
    things I've done.
22. I like watching home improvement shows on
    TLC and HGTV.
23. Sometimes I think that I could do some of
    the projects they complete on those shows.
24. Then I remember that I don't have one of
    those big saw thingys!
25. I like to be organized.
26. My desk at work, however, is not
    organized.
27. I enjoy reading.
28. And shopping.
29. But I hate grocery shopping.
30. I collect Boyds Bears.
31. Not so much since I started
    scrapbooking.
32. I've made albums for my two oldest nephews.
    Caleb has 5 12x12 albums + a 7x7 album.
33. I made Ben 2 12x12 albums and a 7x7
    album.
34. I haven't started Matt's album yet. He's
    2.
35. I've made 7x7 albums for my Mom and
    Dad.
36. And for Vickie's husband, Scott, when he
    left for Kuwait.
37. When Scott returned from Kuwait, I made him
    a 12x12 album of the events he missed while in Kuwait for 10 months.
38. Vickie and I (and sometimes her 3 kiddos)
    go out to eat on Tuesdays.
39. Sometimes Vickie cooks! I love her
    meatloaf!
40. My birthday is December 20th.
41. There are 4 December birthdays in our
    family.
42. Plus my parents were married in
    December.
43. As well as my grandparents.
44. My Mom works with me part-time.
45. I don't watch much TV.
46. But I do like to watch "Dancing with the
    Stars."
47. And "Criminal Minds."
48. I was in the delivery room with Scott &
    Vickie when Austin was born.
49. He's my buddy!
50. I love taking pictures and sharing them via
    Snapfish or Kodak.
51. I teach Preschool II at church.
52. And am chairman of our Missions
    Council.
53. I ran the singles ministry for two
    years.
54. And served as Church Clerk for 5+
    years.
55. I also posted the Sunday School atttendance
    for 2+ years.
56. I'm taking a break as Church Clerk and
    posting the S.S. attendance.
57. I like to drive.
58. I think it's a control issue
    thing!
59. I broke my left leg when I was two -
    jumping off the arm of a chair at my grandparents' house. On Valentine's
    Day!
60. That's the only body part I've ever
    broken.
61. I've never had major surgery.
62. I did have my wisdom teeth
    extracted.
63. The Tylenol with Codeine knocked me
    out!
64. I went on a mission trip to the Ukraine in
    2002.
65. I hate to fly!
66. My doctor gave me some Ativan. It didn't
    help much - I was still nervous.
67. The first Creative Memories album I made is
    of my mission trip to the Ukraine.
68. I've done 2 12x12 albums for myself,
    starting in 2004.
69. I have a lot to catch up on!
70. I also did a 12x12 album for the singles
    ministry.
71. My siblings and I started an album for my
    parents for their 35th anniversary.
72. It's still not even close to being
    finished.
73. Mom and Dad will be married 39 years in
    December.
74. Maybe we'll finish it for their 45th!
    HA!
75. I don't like mushrooms, green peppers,
    coconut, liver, or lima beans.
76. My favorite foods are pizza, grilled
    chicken, toasted cheese sandwich with tomato soup, Mom's deviled roundsteak,
    anything Mom cooks really, and spaghetti.
77. Some of my favorite movies are "Pretty
    Woman," "The Other Sister," "Benny and Joon," "Father of the Bride," "Father of
    the Bride II," "Dirty Dancing," and "Almost Heaven."
78. I love to read.
79. I have about 6 books checked out of our
    church library to read.
80. I've started the first one - "Sisterchicks
    on the Loose."
81. My favorite authors are Beverly Lewis,
    Janette Oke, Liz Curtis Higgs, and Lori Wick.
82. I've alphabetized my CD's.
83. And spices.
84. But my pantry is a mess.
85. "Cleaning out and organizing pantry" is on
    my To Do list.
86. I love to give gifts.
87. I'm a giver and a doer.
88. Sometimes I get overwhelmed because I
    volunteer to do too much.
89. I should buy a t-shirt that says "Stop me
    before I volunteer again." LOL
90. I have a t-shirt that says "Aunts are
    Special People" from Vickie and her kids.
91. I also have a t-shirt that says "Jada,
    Corie, and Wendie - sisters by chance, friends by choice." I ordered them for
    the 3 of us.
92. I have a fetish for slippers. I counted 7
    pairs in my closet.
93. Plus, I bought a new pair at the outlet
    this past weekend. Purple, of course!
94. I have about 50 pairs of shoes.
95. And 20+ purses. I had more, but I did sell
    some at a yard sale last year.
96. It's a good thing I have 4 closets in my
    house! They're all mine!
97. But I am cleaning out and getting rid of
    "stuff." I have too much of it.
98. I like to decorate and redecorate my house,
    especially for Fall and for Christmas.
99. I collect snowmen.
100. Okay, just one more thing. Hmmmm.....Oh, I
     have an Associate's Degree in Office Communications. I didn't want to go to school for another 4 years after high school. 20 months was fine with
     me!

There you have 100 things about me! I hope you weren't totally bored reading my 100th post!

My heart is full!

Ryan's mommy told me today that sometime during the week, Ryan announced "I want to go to church. I want to see Miss Jada. I love Miss Jada." Is that not the cutest thing you ever heard?!!

(I don't have a recent close-up of Ryan)

It's so wonderful to know that teaching 2-year olds makes a difference. Ryan was also in my Preschool I class, my first year of teaching that age in a long time. I wanted to be in a preschool class, but thought that 4 or 5-year olds would suit me. But Preschool I was the only class available. I'll tell you what - I was amazed that one-year-olds could learn our (I taught with Krista) teaching routines! When it was story time, they would come sit in a circle; snack time - they would sit in their seats. It was so great watching them learn and grow that I got attached to all of them and followed them to Preschool II!

I love it when they arrive in class and hug me and want to be held!

Now when it's story time in Preschool II, they know to come sit at the table. After they're finished with their snack, they crumple up their napkin and take it over to the trash can. Now, if they could just get the potty-training thing mastered, we'd all be happy! hehehe

Thursday Thirteen #2

Thirteen Things I Love About Fall

1. The vibrant colors
2. Decorating inside and outside

(Good thing Penni matches my fall decorations!)
3. Cool evenings
4. Warm days
5. Thanksgiving, especially Mom's cooking!

6. Parades

7. Seeing kids in their Halloween costumes

8. Did I mention the colors?
9. Taking pictures of Fall-related people and things

10. Making Fall album pages in my CM albums
11. Watching leaves change colors

12. Looking at other folks' Fall decorations
13. The scents - cinnamon, apples, etc.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Lancaster/Amish Tragedy

I came across this article today, and I am just stunned:

Kansas church plans to picket girls' funerals
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
BY IRVIN KITTRELL III
Of The Patriot-News
Members of a Kansas-based church that has picketed funerals of fallen American soldiers are expected to protest at the funerals of the Amish girls killed Monday in Lancaster County, according to a news release issued by the church.

The Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka blamed Gov. Ed Rendell for the mass murder of the five girls in a one-room schoolhouse because he ridiculed the church on a national television news show, the news release said.

The church said nothing about the man who shot and killed the girls and wounded five other girls. He was identified as Charles Carl Roberts IV of Bart.

Members of the church have been in the national spotlight after picketing at funerals of soldiers killed in action. The church says the military deaths are God's
punishment for tolerance of gay people.

In June, a York County man sued the church, seeking unspecified damages for the messages held by church
protesters outside his son's funeral.

The lawsuit seeks damages for invasion of privacy at the funeral.

About a dozen states, including Pennsylvania, have adopted laws limiting funeral protests at services for
soldiers killed in combat.

President Bush signed a bill curbing pickets
at national cemeteries.

IRVIN KITTRELL III: 255-8412 or ikittrell@patriot-news.com

©2006 The Patriot-News
© 2006 PennLive.com All Rights Reserved.

Please pray with me that the church members' plans to picket the funerals of the Amish are thwarted somehow. How can they think this is something that Christians, who are to be like Jesus, should do? I am at a loss and will be praying.

Maxine and I agree!

End of a Baby Era

Well, it's official. There are no longer any babies in our family. My youngest nephew, Matt, is now in a toddler bed. Ben and Wendie disassembled his crib on Friday for the yard sale on Saturday. Wendie said Matt only got out of his bed 4 times (LOL) Friday night. At least he can't open his bedroom door (yet) because of the thick carpet - it doesn't open or close easily enough for him to manage it.

Here's Matt and a family picture of Wendie and family at A Day Out With Thomas last Saturday: