Mary Pierce

TODAY’S LAUGH: Remember the old Ed Ames song, “My Cup Runneth Over (with Love)”? Here’s my version (feel free to sing along now):

Sometimes in the morning, when shadows are deep
I open my email (I’m still half asleep)
I gaze at my Outlook and I think, Shazam!
My email runneth over with… spam…

With offers to accent body parts I don’t own
And invites to pornsites that make my heart groan
Cheap drugs, loans or jewelry, or college degree scam,
My email runneth over with… spam…

“Send a check to Nairobi” or “Click here for fun”
“Your bank needs your info” “Congrats! You have won!”
Just what kind of fool do these people think I am
As they bombard my email with… spam…?

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: Crazy isn’t it? I’ve got filters galore and that garbage still leaks through. Between the spam and the pop-ups, we’re bombarded. We have laws, of course, but is there hope for a spam-free world? (Hmm. I feel another song parody coming on. “Spam-free…as free as the net goes…”)

May you have a spam-free day today and may your life “runneth over” with blessings!
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THE “IS IT HOT IN AUGUST OR IS IT JUST ME?” MELTDOWN is winding down. In this final week, I’m giving away SIX BOOKS to SIX DIFFERENT WINNERS.

HOW TO ENTER: Enter via the “Contact Mary” link on the website with “MELTDOWN” in the subject line. Enter yourself and mention a friend. (I’d love to hear why she is special to you if you care to share.) NOTE: YOU MUST MENTION A FRIEND TO BE ELIGIBLE.

If I draw your entry you will each get your choice of When Did I Stop Being Barbie & Become Mrs. Potato Head? or Confessions of a Prayer Wimp or When Did My Life Become a Game of Twister?

You may enter yourself and your friend every day if you wish. (Or enter a different friend each day.) One entry per verified email address per day. Entries must be received by 8:00 PM CDT on Monday, September 1, 2008 to be eligible for the September 2nd drawing. US mailing addresses only.

LAST WEEK’S WINNERS: Suzie Hempel and her friend Tessie. Congratulations! (Email me your shipping info.)

(NOTE FROM MARY: Dozens of you have entered the “Mention a Friend” drawing, and you bless my heart with your comments about what your friends mean to you. Keep ‘em coming! Enter every day, enter all your friends… I LOVE giving books away! )

TODAY’S LAUGH: I chat with my BFF about her boyfriend troubles. “Toledo Tonya” is her online name. All I really know about her (at least I think she’s a “her”) is what she’s put online.

The internet is becoming my world. It’s not just the friends I make or the games (Oh, glorious games!). I consult Dr. Google for every twinge. I shop for books and office supplies, send gifts, and buy pantyhose cheap. All in my bathrobe. Which I bought online.

I find pithy quotes, research my genealogy, study new subjects, read the Bible, improve my memory, increase my vocabulary, check my grammar and spelling,  and drool over dream holidays on the Cote D’Azur. (No one ever took a plain ol’ “vacation” there.)

Help is available 24-7 for any problem I encounter. FREE. Life online: WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE?

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: “My name is Mary and I’m becoming an internet addict.” And I’m not alone. Thirty million Americans have this problem, say the experts, with some spending 18 hours a day surfing. Guys go for online gaming. We gals gather in virtual communities. (Big surprise, eh?)

What’s the harm? Plenty. Too much of anything and families, jobs, and social lives (the kind with real people) suffer. Add in the allure of doing in “secret” what you’d be ashamed to do in public and you’ve got disaster.

“Addiction is addiction,” said the expert on TV last week, adding, “If you need help go to www.addictionrecov.org.” (Am I the only one who sees the irony in that?)

The bottom line: Today I’ll do what I need to do online and then I’ll remember that there’s a bright, beautiful world of people out there–people to love and to laugh with. (BTW, “Toledo Tonya” could use a real hug from a REAL friend.)

Somebody breathing in your real world needs your comfort and your smile today. Who will it be?

Listen here as Mary & Garrett discuss “Life Online” on WHEM.

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THE “IS IT HOT IN AUGUST OR IS IT JUST ME? AUGUST MELTDOWN CONTINUES: 

It’s “MENTION YOUR FRIEND” week and THIS WEEK I’m giving away TWO sets of books! Enter yourself and a friend and you could BOTH WIN a three book set: When Did I Stop Being Barbie & Become Mrs. Potato Head? AND Confessions of a Prayer Wimp AND When Did My Life Become a Game of Twister? (Each set retails for $34.00 and I’ll sign them to anyone you’d like.)

HOW TO ENTER:  Send me a note via the “CONTACT MARY” link with “MELTDOWN” in the subject line and mention the name of your friend. If your entry is drawn, YOU WILL BOTH WIN A SET OF BOOKS.

WINNER FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 12th:  RENEE LIMING. Congratulations!

(Enter every day if you wish, one entry per verified email address per day please, and US shipping addresses only. Thanks. WEEKLY ENTRIES received as of MONDAY, 11:59 pm CDT qualify for Tuesday drawings each week.)

Thanks for being part of my online family. May you be blessed today just as you have so richly blessed me!

TODAY’S LAUGH: DaHusband and I had an official DATE on Sunday afternoon, while daughter KT and her boys stayed with DaMama. We caught a movie, then lunched at DQ, grabbed a couple Buster Bars and headed to the local park. We walked. We laughed. We talked and on the way back to the car, I heard the train whistle blow.

The train at the park is a “kiddie ride” sort of thing. We’ve ridden before with visiting grandkids, but never just the two of us. I heard that whistle and couldn’t resist. “Let’s ride the train!” I said. (Have I mentioned that my former Air Force officer is an all-business, spreadsheet-loving guy? Not really a kiddie ride kinda fella?) He looked at me like…well, you can imagine. Then to my utter amazement, he said, “Okay!”

We bought our tickets and I sat on a kiddie-sized bench seat. I expected DaHusband to take the seat in front of me, but to my surprise, he folded his six-foot frame in half and squeezed in beside me. A tight squeeze to say the least. He grunted.

“Are you okay there?” I asked him. He grunted again and said, “I feel like a two pound cupcake in a two ounce cup!” Ah, togetherness!

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: The train chugged forward, full of children with their unembarrassed adults, and the two of us. Acting silly. The little train picked up speed as it followed the tracks into the woods. I had that life-in-slow-motion feeling, paying attention to the sounds of laughter and clacking wheels, the smell of August and engine, the sight of sun glinting through tall pines and the feel of the wind on my face. I caught the memories, storing them for another day and not wanting the train to stop. Ever.

As we neared the station, the engineer sounded the whistle, its long, slow breaths a warning. The ride was ending. As we pulled in, every adult waiting to ride had children in tow. Some grownups gave us odd looks, but others smiled. They knew.

They knew how important it is to stop in the middle of grownup life once in a while and have a little silly fun.

Life’s short. (Have I mentioned that?) This ride ends. When’s the last time you had some fun? (If you’re blessed with a Cupcake, when’s the last time you had a date? Or what fond memories do you have of fun with Cupcakes past?)

How about being silly–just for a little while–this week? Try it. You’ll like it. And encourage someone else to join in. They’ll thank you later. (Let us know what silly things you’ve done. Share the fun!)

Listen here as Mary & Garrett discuss the Two Pound Cupcake on WHEM Christian radio.

THE “IS IT HOT IN AUGUST OR IS IT JUST ME? AUGUST MELTDOWN CONTINUES:  As my “THANK YOU!” to all of you who check in every week, I’m offering A SET OF ALL THREE BOOKS every week in August: When Did I Stop Being Barbie & Become Mrs. Potato Head? AND Confessions of a Prayer Wimp AND When Did My Life Become a Game of Twister? (Each set retails for $34.00 and I’ll sign them to anyone you’d like.)

TWO WAYS TO TO ENTER: (1) ENTER YOURSELF. Send me a note via the “CONTACT MARY” link with “MELTDOWN” in the subject line. Give me your name and I’ll enter you in the drawing.

(2) ENTER A FRIEND. Send me a note with the name of a friend and I’ll enter her name in the drawing. And I’ll enter YOUR name again.

WINNER FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 5th: ABI BUENING! Congratulations!

(Enter every day if you wish, one entry per verified email address per day please, and US shipping addresses only. Thanks. WEEKLY ENTRIES received as of MONDAY, 11:59 pm CDT qualify for Tuesday drawings each week.)

TODAY’S LAUGH: I had a dental appointment on Monday. I’d missed my last appointment so I had a full year of crud to be excavated from my teeth. Hulga the Hygienist scraped and scraped at one particular spot. As she put her knee on my chest for leverage I asked, “Eh ufh unh?” She answered, “Uh huh” and continued scraping. (Dental hygiene has a language all its own.)

“AHA!” she said at last, showing me a chunk of rock she’d loosed from my molar,  “Now THAT’S what I call a BARNACLE!” (I was so proud. I wanted to take its picture and put an announcement in the paper.)

Lesson learned: If you go every six months, you’ve just got tartar to be cleaned. After a year, you’ve got barnacles!

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: It takes a while for a speck to grow into a barnacle. One day, two weeks, a few months…a little neglect and a little problem becomes a huge obstacle. We can let things slide so easily. “Tomorrow,” we promise. “Next week, for sure…” I’ll start that healthy living plan. Or clear my clutter. Or establish a quiet time routine. Or start sticking to the budget. Or start saving for retirement. What is it in your life?

The good news is this: GOOD habits are built the same way. One day, two weeks, a few months, and you’ve made major positive changes.

Picture it: Your life. A year from today. What “speck of a change” can you make today, that will lead to a better tomorrow? What can you do to remind yourself?

I’m putting notes on my bathroom mirror and my nightstand (“HULGA SAYS: FLOSS! FLOSS! FLOSS!”) to remind me of the new good habit I want to establish. (I’ll let you know–in six months after my already-scheduled-and-I-won’t-be-missing-it-dental-appointment–how it worked!)

Thanks so much for blessing my life. Now go be a blessing to somebody else today!

CLICK HERE to listen as Mary & Garrett discuss her barnacles on “A Brand New Day.”

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THE “IS IT HOT IN AUGUST OR IS IT JUST ME? AUGUST MELTDOWN BEGINS:  I’m so grateful to all of you for checking in every week. To show my appreciation, I’m offering A SET OF ALL THREE BOOKS every week in August: When Did I Stop Being Barbie & Become Mrs. Potato Head? AND Confessions of a Prayer Wimp AND When Did My Life Become a Game of Twister? (Each set retails for $34.00 and I’ll sign them to anyone you’d like.)

TWO WAYS TO TO ENTER:

(1) ENTER YOURSELF. Send me a note via the “CONTACT MARY” link with “MELTDOWN” in the subject line. Give me your name and I’ll enter you in the drawing.

(2) TELL A FRIEND and if SHE sends me a note and mentions YOUR name, I’ll enter her name AND YOURS AGAIN in the drawing. You can be entered by your friends as many times as you have friends! And your friend’s friends can enter their friends, and their friends’ friends’ friends…you get the picture! (What was that old shampoo commercial?)

I’ll announce the weekly winners in the Tuesday blogs. Good luck to all!

(Enter every day if you wish, one entry per verified email address per day please, and US shipping addresses only. Thanks. WEEKLY ENTRIES received as of MONDAY, 11:59 pm CDT qualify for Tuesday drawings each week.)