Mickey Mouse and Grandma Hilda

I'm sorry for the delay! Within a short time frame, I was blessed to write a lot for my agent, sing for McCain and Palin, appear on various Christian TV shows (i.e. FamilyNet), perform in the Southeast, go to breakfast hosted by U.S. Senators Dole and Grassley, visit nursing homes, etc. So many things have happened so quickly. How I give God the glory! Now, back to blogging...

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"A Quick, Silly Story"

Over the weekend, my family and I visited Grandma Hilda. I enjoyed it so much! Grandma lit up and seemed more like her wonderful self.

We brought a fun, little gift for her: a singing/talking Mickey Mouse. Carrie bought it at a super price on the Internet and we both couldn't wait to see Grandma react to it. (Grandma always has liked Mickey Mouse, you see.)

Everyone circumnavigated Grandma's nursing home room. The big moment arrived. With excited side glances, smiles, and hands holding Mickey, Carrie and I approached Grandma's wheelchair. Grandma beamed and thanked us! Then, she touched his "Push Me" bellybutton.

"Mischa, Moishka! Mickey Mouse!" exclaimed he. Russian? Czech? What’d he say?

Grandma listened to some English pour out of the little toy. Then she gently, kindly handed it to us and said, "Oh, you can have it now, honey." (In her right mind, she’d never have said that, BTW.)

We know why it was on sale!! :o)

Still laughing,
Stacie :0)

Cat on the Keyboard!! And why I love dogs...

I blame my family's cat for all of my typos. (Just kidding!) Seriously, whenever I return home from being on the road, I must face my furry friend. (When I'm away, the laptop seems almost serene!)

For some reason, Oliver thinks he's a secretary. Suddenly, in the midst of serious writing, my fingers feel fluffy paws. Then emerald eyes meet mine.

I will now allow you to experience firsthand what I've described: Oliver is going to type something for you and I'm not going to delete it. Here's the work of my typing tomcat:

ghb;'/.fg/.vb' p;d[v" dolxdc;xl';/ol2309fd;csdxl;bnfdckijghbtyghl;...................lk,,,,,mcvlk,k,l m.

Now, he'll look at you like he looks at me:

"See?" says he. "I'm an author, too!!!!"

It's a good thing I'm an animal lover. :) I particularly love dogs, but I can enjoy cats, too. Oliver is a lot like a dog...except he gets on my keyboard. Dogs simply don't do that. (Another winning point for dogs!)

Paw and pen in hand,

Stacie Ruth

When coffee perks, so do I! :o)

I think the coffee bean supersedes the magic of Jack's bean. (You know Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk?) Yes, I really love that little bean.

Okay, so I'm addicted to coffee. I admit it. (I even wrote an article including my passion for the bean: http://www.cbn.com/family/youth/stoelting_mornings.aspx.)

Right now, I am in love with caribou. Caribou Coffee, that is. It's a Midwest thing. But it's catching on and spreading faster than a coffee spill. It's silly, but I even plunked down $10.99 for a special bag of Caribou Coffee whole beans. What a treat! But I sorta feel guilty about it now.... (Shhhh. Don't spread it around, ok?)

Any-who, since I travel lots, I've seen my share of coffee pots... (That rhymed, didn't it? LOL) Hotels serve some of the worst coffee and some of the best. When I speak/sing at events, I sample coffee and silently critique it.

"Too weak..." usually passes through my mind. I don't show it if I dislike it, but I certainly know it. (You'll know it when I don't hang around the coffee. Nor do I politely flag down a sweet waitress for refills.)

Recently, I tried some coffee with some friends of mine. (Hey, Ariel and Dana, you know what I'm talking about!) Anyway, the friends were great but the coffee stank. Yes, it looked like coffee but tasted like hot water. What a farce! I'm considering a lawsuit. LOL!!

Here's a picture of my drinking some bad, bad coffee. I look so pathetic and pale... (Violin playing in background...)



Here's what I look like after some good coffee! :) See the color is back? Hmmm-ummm-hmmm! Happy, happy! :)


Now, any unabashed coffee connoisseurs? If so, how do you like your coffee? I like it sweet and creamy…as though you needed to know that. ;)


God bless!!
Stacie Ruth

Random Ramblings on "Olympics" Stuff :)

If you do or if you do not want to know (forbid the thought!), my latest feature is published. It's about God and the Olympics. Here's a link: http://www.cbn.com/family/youth/stoelting_olympics.aspx.

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Now, I have to say that, as an Iowan, I'm pretty proud of Shawn Johnson. She's so great, isn't she? Wow, do I ever admire her! I could never do what she did. I would have had trouble balancing on the platform before I got on the beam! LOL (View her golden performance by clicking here.)

So, we Iowans are really proud of you, Shawn! But I suppose you saw that on the front page of every Iowa newspaper. :)

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Do you find the idea of consuming over 10,000 calories per day -without weight gain!- appealing? Well, perhaps you should know that Michael Phelps does just that. But did I mention that he also exercises a little? lol :)

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Hasta luego.
Stacie Ruth

Quick Post and Update

Hi, everybody!

........I'm sorry I dropped off the face of the web world, but my grandma entered the hospital. It was a rough time. (Could you please pray for her and for my family and me? Thank you.)

........But, for a quick humorous story, read on...

.......I hesitantly approached the nurses' station at the hospital where "Grandmommy" has received care. I softly asked, "I have a question." I felt uncomfortable about bothering them again so I half-jokingly added, "I hope I don't bother you. Do I?"

......."Yes- Yes, you do." An older nurse sputtered.

.......Sounds rude, right? Well, guess what? The nurse was on the phone and had responded to the caller. Yet her response leant itself perfectly to my question! Isn't that funny? She didn't even hear me. :)

.......Or maybe I'm just too trusting and naive... LOL

Hasta luego. (Until later.)

Stacie Ruth

A Follow-Up on Golf!

Yesterday humbled my little golfing heart. (Now, about two weeks ago, I golfed and experienced some exciting moments. Alas, what a now-distant memory...)

Yes, yesterday, my game disintegrated. I fell so hard that it left grass stains on my face. LOL! Suddenly and without much warning, Carrie and I found ourselves playing a game with our amazingly gifted friends, who are like pro golfers. (They even compete in tournaments!) Our kind friends exhibited various fruits of the Spirit as Carrie and I bore some bad fruit: in the rough, in the tree, etc.

So...Do I still love golf even when golf hates me?

Yes!! To be out in the beauty of God's creation and get away from it all can really help a stressed-out person feel sane again. In fact, if I had time, I'd be on the course now! :)

May God bless our friends, the Bunch's, for golfing with Carrie and me! Wow, they deserve a trophy bigger than any tournament's award!

Have a super, blessed day, everyone!
Stacie Ruth

Golf: Girls Only...Lads Forbidden (Just kidding!)

"Gentlemen Only. Ladies Forbidden." When someone mentions that old adage about golf, I automatically think of my version of it: "Girls Only. Lads Forbidden." (Hey, I don't go around calling guys "lads," but I couldn't think of anything better... And I think guys should play all the time, too! I'm not forbidding anybody from the great joys of golf.)

Admission: I love to golf. I'm a golfing girl. So I think of silly things like the aforementioned. Anyway, I grew up next to a golf course and even had a lemonade stand for the golfers. Lots of golfers smiled and shelled out some coins for my lemonade. I charged 10 measly little cents. (Man, I wish I'd charged more! I was way under. LOL. Now in my early twenties, I realize that some probably added a little something extra to the lemonade once they climbed into their liquor-loaded carts!)

I thrill to see an ivory ball sail over an emerald sea -even if it's only in my mind's eye. Even during the winter, I envision my next round and everything's perfect: the weather, the shots, the everything. Then, when I finally make it out to the course, I hit the ball and reality simultaneously. LOL!

Since I travel tons to speak, sing, and be on TV and then write a lot when home, I rarely hold my happy little golf clubs. They miss me and I miss them. (Oh, stop... You don't have to weep for me! I will golf again! lol) Now….I have good news: After an entire thirteen golfless days (how I made it, I don't know!), I will soon golf again. (Cheering ensues. I leap up from my desk chair and squeal. Well, in my mind, anyway. After all, I don't want to be a weirdo.)

Anyone else golf? Let me know. If I'm in your city and if you have extra clubs, let's golf together sometime. You'll be better than I (almost anyone is!) so I'll boost your ego. Sound good?

TTYL!
-Stacie Ruth