Welcome to our new and improved update for Sunflower Creations! As sometimes happens in virtual reality, last year things got extremely busy for me, and after 3 issues of my newsletter update, it became necessary for me to suspend writing them.
We have once again changed our look at Sunflower Creations. We are still editing our pages, as we have discontinued some things at SFC. We had to stop taking classified ads at the FreeYellow site because people were spamming the ad system. We still have Classifieds Ads, Here. We also still have our business opportunity message board HERE. From December 3rd, 1998 until just recently, we were no longer giving away free web sites, but FreeYellow has now changed their giveaway to a free affiliate program. You can get your FREE 12 Meg Website by clicking the banner below, and find out how to give away web sites from your new site!
Last year I was working as a Director of Marketing at an online mall, and was appalled at the cost many places on the Internet charge for mall space or even listings for businesses in directories. As a result, I have taken my dedication for helping businesses and individuals get and develop a web presence. My latest endeavor in that area is becoming a co-founder of Sunny Side Business Directory. You can visit our main site or our mirror site.
My reciprocal linking at Sunflower Creations is still available, but I suggest if you have a business to list that you also get a free 6 month trial link at Sunny Side Business Directory. You can fill out a form HERE, to get your free 6 month trial listing. If you'd like to swap links with me at Sunflower Creations, you can Email Me or leave me a message in the guest book on the web site.
Being a parent, I love 'kids do the darnedest things stories'. See below.
"Special Occasions" (Author Unknown)
submitted by Tim S, Los Angeles, California
This is more embarrassing for my mother than for me because I wasn't
quite four years old when it happened.
My mother taught me to read when I was 3 years old (her first mistake). One day I was in the bathroom and noticed one of the cabinet doors was ajar. I read the box in the cabinet. I then asked my mother why she was keeping napkins in the bathroom. Didn't they belong in the kitchen?
Not wanting to burden me with unnecessary facts she told me that those were for special occasions.
Now fast forward a few months. It's Thanksgiving Day, and my folks are
leaving to pick up the pastor and his wife for dinner. Mom had assignments
for all of us while they were gone. Mine was to set the table.
You guessed it! When they returned, the pastor came in first and
immediately burst into laughter. Next came his wife who gasped, then began
giggling. Next came my father, who roared with laughter. Then came mom, who
***PERSONAL NOTE/VARIATION OF SAME THEME*** One of our family funnies, was at the 'expense of my brother' who was probably 3 or 4 when it occured.(What is it with 4 year olds and questions anyways?)
Same scene with Mom and 4 year old in the bathroom, and son asks, "what are these for?(feminine products)
Mom answers, "I use them when I am sick."
A few months later, our babysitter mentions to my brother that she is not feeling well.
YOU GOT IT!! Brother dearest brings her the box of feminine hygiene products,
and says, "here, this is what Mommy uses when she is sick".
We still kid my brother to this day about that one (he's 30+).
On a more serious note folks--
I got this from one of my planetall contacts today:
"One of my best friends, a Norman, Oklahoma Police Officer, lost his 11 year
old son in a bus/bicycle accident (March 5th,1999). Please visit a web site dedicated to
his son and sign the guestbook to let him know that we all are concerned
about his loss. Thank you."
In Memory of Tyler Flint
If you are a parent, or have lost some one you were close to suddenly,
maybe you have some words or sentiments to share with the Flint Family,
via the guestbook on the site.
For those of you who may not know what Planetall is, see below.
For my always up-to-date contact information, or to join planetall
click here:
It's private, secure, and free!
Here is another story, which sort of goes with the request I made above, about Tyler Flint. The internet makes the following story even more likely to happen...(warning: get out your tissues)
The Little Girl who Dared to Wish
As Amy Hagadorn rounded the corner across the hall from her classroom, she collided with a tall boy from the fifth grade running in the opposite direction.
"Watch it, Squirt," the boy yelled, as he dodged around the little third grader. Then, with a smirk on his face, the boy took hold of his right leg and mimicked the way Amy limped when she walked.
Amy closed her eyes for a moment.
Ignore him, she told herself as she headed for her classroom.
But at the end of the day, Amy was still thinking about the tall boy's mean teasing. It wasn't as if he were the only one. It seemed that ever since Amy started the third grade, someone teased her every single day. Kids teased her about her speech or her limping. Amy was tired of it. Sometimes, even in a classroom full of other students, the teasing made her feel all alone.
Back home at the dinner table that evening Amy was quiet. Her mother knew that things were not going well at school. That's why Patti Hagadorn was happy to have some exciting news to share with her daughter.
"There's a Christmas Wish Contest on the radio station," Amy's mom announced. "Write a letter to Santa and you might win a prize. I think someone at this table with blond curly hair should enter."
Amy giggled. The contest sounded like fun. She started thinking about what she wanted most for Christmas.
A smile took hold of Amy when the idea first came to her. Out came pencil and paper and Amy went to work on her letter. "Dear Santa Claus," she began.
While Amy worked away at her best printing, the rest of the family tried to guess what she might ask from Santa. Amy's sister, Jamie, and Amy's mom both thought a 3-foot Barbie Doll would top Amy's wish list. Amy's dad guessed a picture book. But Amy wasn't ready to reveal her secret Christmas wish just then. Here is Amy's letter to Santa, just as she wrote it that night:
Dear Santa Claus,
My name is Amy. I am 9 years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I just want one day where no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.
Love, Amy
At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas Wish Contest. The workers had fun reading about all the different presents that boys and girls from across the city wanted for Christmas.
When Amy's letter arrived at the radio station, manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He knew cerebral palsy was a muscle disorder that might confuse the schoolmates of Amy who didn't understand her disability. He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special third grader and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper.
The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of The News Sentinel. The story spread quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and television stations reported the story of the little girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple, yet remarkable, Christmas gift-- just one day without teasing.
Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house. Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults all across the nation. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement.
During that unforgettable Christmas season, over two thousand people from all over the world sent Amy letters of friendship and support. Amy and her family read every single one. Some of the writers had disabilities; some had been teased as children. Each writer had a special message for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy glimpsed a world full of people who truly cared about each other. She realized that no amount or form of teasing could ever make her feel lonely again.
Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to carry her head high. Lynn, a sixth grader from Texas, sent this message:
"I would like to be your friend," she wrote, "and if you want to visit me, we could have fun. No one would make fun of us, cause, if they do, we will not even hear them."
Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne Elementary School. Additionally, everyone at school got an added bonus. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel.
That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially proclaimed December 21st as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson.
"Everyone," said the mayor, "wants and deserves to be treated with respect, dignity and warmth."
by Alan D. Shultz from Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul Copyright 1998 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Hansen and Irene Dunlap
Get Chicken Soup daily or weekly, delivered directly to your email inbox.
More Parent Humor -- Dad Talk
"We spend the first six years teaching our children to walk and
talk, and the next 15 telling them to shut up and sit down."
- Dear Abbey
Don't ask me, ask your mother. Close the door. Were you raised in a barn? You didn't beat me. I let you win. Big boys don't cry. Don't worry. It's only blood. Don't you know any normal boys? Now you listen to ME, Buster! I'll play catch after I read the paper. Coffee will stunt your growth. A little dirt never hurt anyone, just wipe it off.. Get your elbows off the table. I told you, keep your eye on the ball. Who said life was supposed to be fair. Always say please and thank you. That way, you get more. If you forget, you'll be grounded till the end of the world. You call that a haircut? "Hey" is for horses. This will hurt me a lot more than it hurts you. Turn off those lights. Do you think I am made of money? Don't give me any of your lip, young lady. You call that noise "music"? We're not lost. I'm just not sure where we are. No, we're not there yet. Shake it off. It's only pain. When I was your age, I treated MY father with respect. As long as you live under my roof, you'll live by my rules. I'll tell you why. Because I said so. That's why. Do what I say, not what I do. Sit up straight, knucklehead! So you think you're smart , do you? What's so funny? Wipe that smile off your face. Young ladies perspire, they do not sweat. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. C'mon, you throw like a girl. You want something to do? I'll give you something to do. You should visit more often. Your mother worries. This is your last warning. Your mother worries. If you shake it more than three times, you're playing with it. What are your intentions with my daughter? I'd better get a good report, or you better head to Mexico. I'm not sleeping, I was watching that channel. What keeps those jeans of yours from falling off? I'm not just talking to hear my own voice! Don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. What do you think I am, a bank? What part of NO don't you understand? I don't care what other people are doing! I'm not everybody elses father! You're not leaving my house dressed like that! What will other parents think? Could those sleeves be any longer? You look like a bag lady! Headache remedy: Put your head through the window and the pain will be gone. Worrying about things you can't change is like a rocking chair... it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere. Hurt much? I didn't feel a thing. I feel for you, but I can't reach you from here. If you're gonna be dumb, you've gotta be tough. Didn't your teacher learn you anything?! You can marry a rich guy just as easily as you can a poor guy. It's hard to be good, and easy to be bad. If you're going to steal a car, at least make it a Cadillac (but don't call me asking for bail.) I got my tongue wrapped around my eye-tooth and couldn't see what I was saying. Men are like buses. Just wait on the corner and another one will come along. Don't tell on anybody unless you tell on yourself first. Hey, did you hear me talking to you? You know you're always gonna be Daddy's little girl. I'm not watching television. I'm resting my eyes. Don't use that tone with me! Am I talking to a brick wall? If I catch you doing that one more time, I'll.. Act your age. Two wrongs do not make a right. Wipe your feet! Enough is enough! Don't make me stop the car! What did I just get finished telling you?
QUOTES-
Colette Dowling
Relationships are like a dance, with visible energy racing back and
forth between partners.
Some relationships are the slow, dark dance of death.
Peter McWilliams
When we put things off until some future-probably mythical-Laterland,
we drag the
past into the future. The burden of yesterday's incompletions is a
heavy load to carry.
Don't carry it.
General Omar Bradley
Wars can be prevented just as surely as they can be provoked, and we
who fail to prevent
them must share in the guilt for the dead.
German Proverb
Luck sometimes visits a fool, but it never sits down with him.
Blaise Pascal
The last thing we decide in writing a book is what to put first.
Many of my visitors, I am guessing, have found my site by using the search word, sunflower. So I have added a section for all things sunflower.Enjoy!
Sunflowers from Switzerlandand they have a cool message board about topics concerning sunflowers.
More on Sunflowersby David Krieger. Excerpt - "Rafts with sunflowers growing on them float on a small pond at the Chernobyl nuclear accident site
in the Ukraine. No, it's not some touching monument to the 1986 disaster. The plants are helping to clean the pond; their roots dangle in the water to suck up the radionuclides cesium 137 and strontium 90."
I love Sunflowers, by Dawn and her sunflower links page. Dawn has some great sunflower pictures folks have sent her to help her build her web site.
Well folks, thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day, and BEWARE, the ides of March!! If you need to send a St Patty's greeting, Click Here. Send any thing from a post card to a vacation, from sunflowers to a special meal!
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