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One of my favorite things to do is to sit around a table or in someone’s living room and just visit.

After we had our first son, Conley, we wanted to show him off, so we visited a lot of our family and friends, and it was not unusual for us to spend a couple hours at someone’s home talking about kids, life, work, etc.

I hear my elders talk about “the good old days” when congregating on the front porch on a Sunday afternoon was a routine experience. It’s easy to say life gets in the way, or we just don’t have enough time to visit anymore. I know, though, that there are plenty of times when I sit at my house and watch TV when I could be spending time with loved ones.

Just like everything else, it usually is not whether we have the time, but whether we take the time to visit. I think I will set a goal for myself to be sure to make time to visit more often with my family and friends.

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The Football Forecast contest may be over this year, but the college football season still has a ways to go. This weekend features several conference championship games and a few notable regular season games.

First, the best of the conference championships:
ACC: Virgina Tech vs. Boston College — BC beat Va. Tech 14-10 in the regular season, scoring both touchdowns in the final three minutes. The Hokies looked impressive against Virginia last week and I like them to get revenge on the Eagles.
SEC: Tennessee vs. LSU — I like LSU to bounce back from their loss to Arkansas and beat the Volunteers.
Big 12: Oklahoma vs. Missouri — I’ve been impressed with Missouri’s offense all season. Oklahoma beat Missouri in a close game in the regular season. I pick the Tigers to even the score on Saturday.

Most of the regular season games are traditional rivalries.
Army vs. Navy — Perhaps the most storied of all the rivalries in college football. It doesn’t matter that neither team has been much of a factor on the national stage for years or that neither has contended for a national championship in decades, the game is still one of the great events of the college football season. Navy has dominated the series in recent years and that trend should continue this year.
USC vs. UCLA — One of my favorite rivalries in all of college football. The Bruins shocked SC last year and prevented the Trojans from playing for the national championship. USC will avenge that loss, bigtime.
Cal at Stanford — Cal has been one of the biggest disappointments in college football this year. The Bears started 5-0, but have lost five of their last six. Stanford is only 3-8, but they pulled off the biggest upset of the season when they beat USC. Still, I gotta go with the Bears in this one.

For the record, I went 9-6 in the final week of the Football Forecast. My final season tally was 133-38.

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Last year, I was devastated when I could not find the Christmas decorations that were handmade by Briar and Brad throughout their childhood. I looked for them for days. They simply could not be replaced, and our tree was not the same without them.

Sunday afternoon, the boys and I pulled the Christmas tree and decorations out of the attic and put the tree up. There was a box full of old garland I was getting ready to throw away when Brad noticed what I was doing.

He loves to decorate and wouldn’t let me throw it away. As I pulled the strands out of the box for him, a little snowman made of gumballs caught my eye. There, in the bottom of that box, were all the lost decorations!!!

I can’t explain the joy I felt upon finding them…

And to think, I almost threw them away.

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My family has always been huge Razorback fans. My older brother, Rodney, had Briar and Brad calling the hogs before they could even walk.

On the flip side, Rodney is not an Arkansas State fan. You would think since they are closer to us he would at least root for them sometimes. Not the case. He is extremely anti-Indians (or whatever they turn out to be).

Saturday afternoon my family was gathered at my mom’s house for a birthday party for Rod’s daughter, Grace. Blake, my younger brother, walked in wearing a gray A-State hoodie.

Rod instantly told him to get out of the house with that shirt on. He wasn’t welcome. Blake just smiled and said, “If you only knew.” We all got a good laugh when Georgetta, Blake’s wife, let Rod in on the secret.

She had bought the hoodie the day before at one of the many “Black Friday” sales. It was to be Rod’s Christmas present… until Blake saved him from that fate and claimed it for himself.

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I had my worst week of the season last week, missing six games. Let’s see if I can redeem myself this week.
1. Hoxie at Glen Rose (Game of the Week). The Mustangs have come this far. I’m not going to pick against them now. Hoxie by 4.
2. Arkansas at LSU. LSU is just too talented for the Hogs. Hopefully Darren McFadden can have a big game and strengthen his Heisman chances.
3. Augusta at Earle. Bulldogs over the Red Devils.
4. Alabama at Auburn. Auburn will roll over the Tide.
5. Pine Bluff Dollarway at Pocahontas. The Redskins meet their match in Dollarway.
6. Arkansas State at Southern Mississippi. ASU can’t seem to win on the road. The Golden Eagles will soar over the Tribe.
7. Lavaca at Shiloh Christian. I don’t know and couldn’t possibly care less, so I’m taking the home team. Ditto for Games No. 9, 11, 13 and 15.
8. Tennessee at Kentucky. The Volunteers need a win to capture the SEC East title. I’m picking Kentucky to play the spoilers and send Georgia to the SEC Championship Game.
9. See No. 7 above.
10. Ole Miss at Mississippi State. State will win the game and capture the Golden Egg (however, some Ole Miss players will probably steal the trophy).
11. See No. 7 above.
12. Notre Dame at Stanford. Both teams are terrible. Stanford is slightly less terrible, plus they have a win over USC to their credit. The Cardinal squeak past the Irish.
13. See No. 7 above.
14. Clemson at South Carolina. The Gamecocks started the season strong, but have fallen apart in recent weeks. Clemson wins this heated rivalry.
15. See No. 7 above.

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I am a big fan of good news and of positive outlooks. I think that one of the nicest things about The Times Dispatch is that we don’t just focus on the gloom and doom of today’s society. There is always a positive bent to the paper overall.

Most of us suffer from news overload. Our ears and eyes are assaulted with sensationalized headlines from the time we wake up until we go to sleep. The news channels on television are in such a hurry to report the latest scoop that they don’t stop to get all the facts anymore, but rely mostly on shocking us with a barrage of images and staccato sentences to emphasize the enormity of the event no matter how trivial it might be.

Sensational journalism is not new. I suppose the forerunner of this type of journalism was gossip. Gossip takes some truths and some speculations and presents it as fact. This is not sound reporting, but for many it’s the only type they are exposed to.

If every news media tried to find something positive to report along with the bad, perhaps there would be more hope in the world. Something we all desperately need.

Good news is rapidly disappearing from our broadcasts and from our newspapers. Thankfully The TD still manages to find space for it.

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Every year I am somewhat baffled as to why Walnut Ridge and Hoxie have separate Christmas parades two nights in a row with basically the same lineup. It would seem to me that a joint Christmas parade would be the perfect way to kick off the holiday season with a spirit of togetherness.

I can envision an even bigger parade that starts in one community and ends in the other. On the same day have the kickoff of the Christmas in the Park lighting display in Walnut Ridge and a community celebration at the Hoxie Service Center. Why not do it up BIG?

I would also be an advocate of a Saturday or Sunday afternoon parade instead of a weeknight event. I think more people would be able to attend, and it would be safer for children along the route, not to mention a little warmer.

I know each town takes pride in their Christmas parade, but this is one area where I feel the holiday spirit should prevail.

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I always plan to make some of my Christmas gifts each year but each year time gets away from me and I never get around to making those things I have planned to give my family and friends.

I found a site on the web the other day that intrigued me enough to go back for more than one look. The name of the website is “Not Made of Money” and it can be found at www.notmadeofmoney.com.

The website is loaded with information, and while looking around, I found a blog about gift making. The best part is that there were links to many websites with easy to make gifts that are also attractive enough to give. A plus when it comes to homemade offerings.

If you have the time and inclination to make a few crafty items for your family and friends, then check out 50 Homemade Gift Ideas – From Around the Web. The website can be found at notmadeofmoney.com/blog/2006/11/50-homemade-gift-ideas-from-around-the-web.html

Happy gift making!
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Ever wish you could learn enough sign language to talk to a hearing impaired friend or co-worker? A great website for learning the basics can be found at www.lifeprint.com. Not only does it contain numerous resources, it also discusses teaching babies sign language to communicate their needs before they develop speech. The baby’s 100 first signs section is a great starting place to learn the rudiments of American Sign Language.

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I love the holidays, but they sure make life more hectic.

At work, we have to adjust the day the paper comes out or adjust our deadlines to be able to complete a paper on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s weeks.

At home, there is the hustle and bustle of decorating, shopping, wrapping, etc. Most homes also include lots of cooking, but that never seems to be a priority for me. I do love to eat, though.

At church, we have a children’s Christmas production to rehearse, a parade float to build and many holiday activities to prepare for and attend.

Hopefully, I will be able to find some time during all this activity to relax and enjoy the holidays a little. They will be here and gone in a flash.

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Last week, I played it safe and took all home teams in the high school playoffs. Seven of the home teams came through for me, with Green Forest’s win at Harrisburg being the only stumbling block. I may get a bit more adventurous this week and pick some road teams.

I didn’t fare so well with my college predictions, hitting on only four of seven.

On to the guessing game:
1. Mississippi State at Arkansas (Game of the Week). Let’s see. MSU 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the SEC with wins against Auburn, Kentucky and Alabama. Arkansas is 6-4 with no quality wins at all, yet the Hogs are a 10-1/2 point favorite. This is a toss-up in my mind. If Arkansas opens up the offense like they did against South Carolina, they’ll win. If they revert back to playing Nuttball, as they did against Tennessee, they’ll lose. I’m not real optimistic, but I can’t make myself pick against the Hogs. Arkansas by three.
2. Hoxie at Gurdon. Hoxie won at Gurdon in last year’s playoffs and they’ll do it again.
3. Louisiana-Monroe at Alabama. Another SEC team beats up on another Sunbelt team. Bama big.
4. Lavaca at Corning. Corning.
5. LSU at Ole Miss. Even if Ole Miss was good (by their standards), they wouldn’t beat LSU. This year Ole Miss in bad (by anyone’s standards). LSU in a laugher.
6. Jessieville at Earle. My winner’s name is Earle.
7. Kentucky at Georgia. Kentucky could give the Bulldogs fits, but Georgia appears to be on a roll. Dawgs by seven.
8. Strong at Marked Tree. MT escaped last week, thanks to a late touchdown. I’m taking Strong.
9. Duke at Notre Dame. Even Notre Dame should be able to beat Duke in football.
10. Dumas at Newport. I have no idea why, but I’m picking Dumas in an upset.
11. Vanderbilt at Tennessee. The Volunteers will have to work a little harder this week, but they’ll beat Vandy.
12. Pocahontas at Ozark. Ozark beats Pokey.
13. Northwestern at Illinois. Northwestern in an upset.
14. Dardanelle at Highland. Highland wins and moves on.
15. Oklahoma at Texas Tech. The Sooners win a high-scoring game.

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I have always been interested in words and phrases. We have a lot of peculiar phrases in our language and sometimes I wonder how they came about. Phrases often were derived from a specific use. One of these phrases has come my way lately — close but no cigar.

I never really thought about what the words meant but generally accepted that the phrase meant one hadn’t actually hit the nail on the head. That’s one cliché for another.

After a little investigation I found that the phrase originated in the 1930s as carnival lingo to tell a patron who had fallen just short of winning the prize of a cigar that he was a loser.

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My cousin, Lora, has been battling cancer for several years. Every time we think she has it beat, something else happens. At a recent checkup at UAMS, she learned that the cancer has returned to her lungs and liver.

After having a reaction to treatments, they were stopped. Lora has been referred to MD Anderson Medical Center in Texas for an experimental treatment. We’ve been told this is her “last hope.”

Through all of the different diagnosis, chemotherapy and surgeries, Lora’s faith has remained strong. She has an amazing attitude, and I admire her for it.

My mom has organized a fund-raiser, to be held Nov. 17 beginning at 6:30 p.m at the Hoxie Service Center. The proceeds will help Lora with medical and traveling expenses. The Shaw’s will be performing as well as the Faith Worship Center Praise Team and the New Beginning Followers of Christ Dance Team.

It’s sure to be an entertaining night!

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I had an extremely entertaining ride while taking my nieces, Jarah, 7, and Kylie, 3, to Jonesboro for Jarah’s gymnastics class on Wednesday.

My son, Brad, is a huge Hannah Montana fan and has two of her CDs. They occupy slots number three and four in my CD changer. I was actually hoping that the girls would not remember that fact when we began our drive.

It didn’t take long, however, for Kylie to ask for Hannah Montana. She was singing at the top of her lungs, “Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days.” She wanted me to play it over and over… I just couldn’t do it though.

I had to contain my laughter when Kylie said, “Aunt Angie, I got my flea shot yesterday!”

Jarah laughed and told her it wasn’t a “flea” shot, it was a flu shot. She told Kylie to say blue… then had her say flu. She said it perfectly.

After Jarah got out of the car, and I was getting Kylie unbuckled, she told me, “Jarah don’t know what she’s talkin’ about, Aunt Angie, I know I got a flea shot.”

I just smiled and let it go.

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The high school playoffs get underway this week. I know nothing about most of these teams, but there are usually a lot of mismatches in the first round, so to make things simple, I’m taking the home team in all of the high school games (Hoxie over England by 20 in the Game of the Week).

Now, on to the colleges:

2. Arkansas at Tennessee. Darren McFadden propelled himself back into the Heisman race with an incredible performance against South Carolina. The potential is there for another big game this week, as Tennessee is ranked 74th in rushing defense. Arkansas will get only its second-ever win in Knoxville and first since 1992.
4. Arkansas State at Florida Atlantic. ASU has struggled on the road this season, so I’ve gotta go with FAU.
6. Alabama at Mississippi State. State has picked up a couple of impressive road wins this season, at Auburn and Kentucky. Unfortunately, they’re at home this week. Bama had better not overlook the Bulldogs, but I’m still picking the Tide.
8. Auburn at Georgia. I like the Dawgs in this backyard brawl.
10. Air Force at Notre Dame. Notre Dame bounces back from their loss to Navy and upsets the 7-3 Falcons.
12. Kentucky at Vanderbilt. Kentucky in a close one.
14. Louisiana Tech at LSU. LSU by a bunch.

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The Center for Disease Control (CDC) continues to be concerned that our germaphobia is creating a far more dangerous situation than the one we are theoretically trying to prevent. With the rising use of antibacterial household cleaners we are creating super germs, which are becoming more and more resistant to our efforts to rid ourselves of them. We are also killing the beneficial bacteria we need to maintain a healthy environment.

Antibacterial cleaners were originally developed for use in hospitals and medical facilities, but have since been marketed aggressively for home use with substantial success. Most households use antibacterial products with regularity even though no one in the home is ill. The CDC has repeatedly said that there is no scientific evidence that shows that the use of antibacterial cleaners have any significant effect on the reduction of illnesses in a family over that of ordinary soap and water.

We are also seeing more bacteria resistant to antibiotics as well. We tend to think that every time we become ill the doctor should prescribe a miracle in the form of a pill or shot which will cure us instantly. This has led to the over use of antibiotics which in turn is creating resistant strains of bacteria.

With the rise in incidences of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylcoccus aureus (cMRSA) we are seeing evidence that the super bug issue is a real one.

Can we be too clean? Apparently we can.

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My girls are so cute!! They surprise me everyday with things they do and say. At six and a half years, Shelby thinks she is so big that she can do about anything she wants to, she loves to take care of her little sister (even when she is not needed).

I think that the three and a half years between the two is just right. They play very well together – for the most part. The other day Shelby was reading Alison a book, and Alison was listening so well. Shelby would be reading with such emphasis and then in an exciting spot she would reach over and tickle Alison. I was so proud of them. I watched all of this from around a corner where they could not see me. If they had seen me watching that would have been the end of that quiet time.

On one occasion they were playing in their bedroom that they share – they were climbing on the little recliner, then to the nightstand, then to the upper trundle bed and then jumping on the bottom trundle. They were having a great time laughing and carrying on until they noticed me standing there with the camcorder. They just looked at me and yelled “MOMMM.” I promise they didn’t stop for long. Back through their little maze.

Never a dull moment.

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My mother-in-law had her annual Halloween party Saturday night. She lives on the other side of Maynard, out in the middle of nowhere. It is a really good place for a Halloween party… lots of scary possibilities.

We had a big meal, then started a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. The crew my sister-in-law works with landed their helicopter in the field across the street and ate with us. Before leaving, they took some of the adults up in the helicopter.

Later in the night we had a hayride. My mother-in-law and several other adults dressed up in scary outfits and went to spook those on the hayride. The trailer they caught up with, though, wasn’t ours… they scared the wrong group.

To end the night, Briar, Brad and several others bobbed for apples. This is my least favorite thing… everyone slobbering in a pail of water, trying to bite the same apples. GROSS!

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Week 10’s predictions:

1. Florida International at Arkansas State (Game of the Week). FIU has lost 20 games in a row and are currently ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s Bottom 10. ASU by 24.
2. Carlisle at Walnut Ridge. A tough challenge for the Bobcats, as Carlisle is ranked in the top 10 in Class AA. I’m taking Carlisle.
3. South Carolina at Arkansas. Arkansas has lost two in a row against less-than-stellar competition. South Carolina has lost two in a row since being ranked in the Top 10. Both teams are struggling at quarterback, but Arkansas has the better ground game, so I’m picking the Hogs.
4. Salem at Marshall. Didn’t Salem lose to Westside earlier this season? That’s a good reason to take Marshall.
5. LSU at Alabama. This ought to be a good old-fashioned SEC slobberknocker. LSU is probably the best team in the country and they’ll have the motivation of playing against their former coach, Nick Saban. LSU wins this one.
6. Piggott at Brinkley. I don’t get to pick Piggott to win very often, but the Mohawks will beat Brinkley.
7. Tennessee Tech at Auburn. It must be homecoming at Auburn. Tigers in a rout.
8. Bald Knob at Batesville Southside. I don’t know anything about either team and I don’t really care enough to do any research, so I’ll go with the home team, Southside.
9. Vanderbilt at Florida. Florida has lost three of its last four and quarterback Tim Tebow was injured against Georgia last week. I still think the Gators have too much talent for Vandy, though. Florida survives a close one.
10. Cave City at Rose Bud. I just can’t make myself pick any team called ‘rose bud.’
11. Navy at Notre Dame. These teams are playing for the 81st consecutive year — the longest continuous intersectional rivalry in the NCAA. Notre Dame has won the last 43 games, the longest winning streak by one school over another in NCAA Division I history. I can’t pick against that kind of history.
12. Paragould at Greene County Tech. Tech hasn’t won a game all year. I can’t pick against that kind of history, either. Rams win.
13. Northwestern State at Ole Miss. It must be homecoming at Ole Miss, too. The Rebels win handily.
14. Nettleton at Wynne. Wynne.
15. Troy at Georgia. If Georgia is still congratulating themselves for their win over Florida, the Trojans could make this on very interesting, but I’m still picking the Dawgs.

Last week: 10-4
Season: 88-25
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