Fun With The Stat Counter

I have a little do-dad over in my sidebar that keeps track of how many people come to visit this blog and how they got here, and I like to check it regularly. Do you think I'm obsessed with my "numbers"? I'm not. They're up and down like a puke-your-guts-out roller coaster ride, and if my self-worth was dependent on how many hits I had a day...well, it's hard enough to live with me...just couldn't do that to my family ;) I'm a numbers person though. I guess it's the geeky engineering side of me. I love data. I have no idea why. I'm fully open to the thought that it might be an illness.

But I'll tell ya...I get some good laughs from the "keyword" search tab on my stat counter. I don't think you all can see what I see, but I just couldn't keep some of this to myself any longer! It baffles my brain...the things that people search for. It's even more interesting that they find little ol' me when they go to their fancy internet machine to get some info!

Here's a sneak peek into the searches the people do - searches that eventually lead them to this site. The search (as they typed it in) is listed first, and then I comment after the "-":

Whole wheat pancakes from scratch - we like this recipe

Homemade pillowcases - I made these once! It was actually pretty simple. Been meaning to do a tutorial on it, but haven't gotten around to it.

How to make a bulletin board - I sure have some crafty folks finding me. Give this a try.

Recipe homemade salsa - Here's my favorite recipe (have some chips and a fizzy drink on hand!)

Thicken homemade salsa - try adding a little can of tomato paste

Organizing diapering station - After tweaking our setup through 4 kiddos, our system works great for us.

Psalm 23 crafts - You could try making a Psalm 23 bracelet.

Lds - I have such a love and a passion for my LDS friends and neighbors. We've had such interesting conversation about the teachings of their church. Check it out.

Mormon - Another name for someone of LDS faith.

Bran muffins Buttermilk - Mmmm...one of my favorite breakfasts. I like 'em best with blueberries in them :)

When making salsa do I have to take off the skins - I typically do because I think it's more sanitary to blanch and skin them. I've made it LOTS with the skins on too, and it's tastes fine.

How to poop in the morning - I'm assuming you do the same thing you'd do in the afternoon or evening.

Amazingly blessed - Me too, friend, me too.

What to do with lots of zucchini - Oh, do I have some ideas for you!

Fix cracked heels - I love this stuff. It worked better for me in the beginning of the summer than toward the end of the summer. It turns out the stuff has a trick...you have to put. it. on. I got lazy at the end, and my heels got terrible. Works great if you actually take the time to use it. Such strange things...the things I get lazy about.

How to keep Sabbath holy - We talked about this for my very first "Seek The Lord Sunday". Some people think it means simply going to church. Others go so far as to prepare meals in advance so they don't cook on the Sabbath. This is something I'd like to incorporate into our lives more. I have some praying about this to figure out what that would mean for our family (so does my hubby).

Why did the jews hate Jesus - From what I can gather from my Bible, the Jews didn't like Jesus because he claimed to be God. He told people that he was the promised Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, and they didn't believe him. Claiming to be who Jesus was claiming to be was awfully serious business. The Jews took/take God very seriously - with great reverence and respect. Saying the things that Jesus said...if they're weren't true, those things would have been horribly blasphemous and offensive. Boy were they surprised when the whole earth shook at Jesus' death - not to mention how they must have felt when he rose from death! Many Jews became Christians after hearing the Gospel, praise God!

Why won’t blogger let me copy and paste - Because Blogger can be a total brat sometimes, and it's goal is to make you rip your hair out strand my strand. Tray switching over from "Compose" to "Edit HTML". You can do your copying and pasting there, and then finish up in "Compose".

Is God and Jesus two separate beings - This is so confusing, isn't it? I studied this one half to death to make sense of it, and I think I finally did. The short answer? No - God and Jesus are not separate beings. Jesus was God who humbled himself to come to earth as a human so that he could die for us, and save us from our sins. The long answer? You can read about it here. Thank God for that Good Book!

Why I’m leaving the lds church - Oh, God bless you.

Can you use canned tomatoes to make homemade salsa - Yes! I do it frequently.

Wife 4 cm dilated should I travel? Not unless you're traveling to the hospital... with your wife. Seriously, dude (did I just say "dude"?)...stay home, rub her feet, make her meals for her, and have your doctor on notice. Do I sound like I'm being silly? Are you taking me seriously? STAY.

How to teach children to put shoes on the right feet - This worked for us.

How to get picky kids to eat - I love toothpicks. Really...toothpicks!

Secrets of baking best chocolate chip cookie recipe - Mmmmm, do I have a recipe for you! Make sure your baking soda is fresh, use a cookie scoop and a timer, and don't over-bake.

Do you have to put jalapenos in salsa? - Nope. I like the spice, but you could skip it if you'd like.

Sunflower study - We had great sunflowers last summer? Wanna see? Click here and then here.

How do I keep my breast after I’m done breastfeeding - Um, well, they tend to stay attached to your chest even after you're done nursing. They may appear to be attached to your stomach, but they don't really move. BTW - a good bra goes a long way to hoisting the girls back up into their proper, perky place.

More of Jesus less of me - Yes please, me too.

I am waiting on God to rescue me from the flood joke - Yeah, that's a good one :)

Has Oprah lost her mind - Yes, I believe she has. In a very scary and dangerous way.

Organize hair accessories - Who knew that "organizing hair accessories" would become part of my resume?

Are dogs sick when they poop black - Could be. Or maybe he just ate a whole bunch of black jelly beans. Or licorice. I don't want to think about it any more - call your vet, please. Your dog will thank you. (Are you amazed by how many people show up here on poop related stuff? I am. And I don't think I like it much.)

Daqurie pregnant - AHHCK!! How dare you even say the words? When I'm just coming to terms with being done having babies. Excuse me, now I have to go have a cry. Thanks a lot.

How to seek the lord - The simple version: find a quiet place, and say something like, "I need you, Lord. Please help me." Works every time. The more fancy version: fast, pray, read your Bible, worship, spend time listening. It too, works every time. Bless you for your heart!

How to open a spaghetti squash - With a giant axe, baby! My wonderful readers left some great suggestions for opening them more simply (see the comments section of that post). I still prefer the axe method. I found that the kids gave me much less lip after seeing what I did to that squash with an axe. I think hubby was extra nice too ;)

Homemade hot fudge - Did someone say homemade hot fudge? Ooo...haven't had that in a long time!

Tested Joseph Smith - He deserves testing, anyone who claims to be a prophet must be looked at very critically. I don't believe he is who he said he was.

Dog hasn’t pooped in days - Wow. You're a better doggie mommy/daddy than I am! I couldn't tell you the last time one of my dogs pooped. They're doing it, I'm sure, but I don't keep track of it. Do you keep a chart or something? Days, eh? Maybe feed him less cheese? Or better yet, feed him several cans of pears. Works like a charm on babies.

Do you need to cook a jalapeno pepper when making salsa? No - I've never done so.

Call her blessed pancakes - Hey, who're you calling a pancake?

When the recipes calls for green onions do you use the stems? I don't, but I'm certainly no chef.

Cookie dough daiquiri - C'mon now, that's just mean. I have some pounds to lose, but I'm nowhere near earning the nickname "cookie dough".

Chicken beans pasta - I almost forgot all about this yummy dish! Putting it on the menu for next week.

Pain and post partum depression - Oh, girl, I'm with ya. Hang in there, and please know that you're not alone.

Pooptastic pooper - Um. Really? Yeah....I got nothin'.

Research on debbie meyer green bags - I love those crazy green bags!

Children’s cakes cowgirl - I loved making this cake, and my little cowgirl liked it too :)

Photography lighting - Oh boy. I'll bet this person was disappointed to find me during their search! I have so much to learn. Strobist is a good place for info on this topic.

Postpartum depression Christianity - Yeah, it happens to us too. I wish Christianity was a magic cure-all. But then I guess people would come to God for them instead of for Him, huh?

Post breastfeeding hormones - You'll cry. You'll laugh. You'll scream. You'll want to eat everything in sight. You'll do all of this frequently. Eventually though, you'll get back to your normal self. I found that a romantic getaway was very helpful. Tell your hubby that you just want to stop the raging hormones, and I'll bet you'll be on a plane before you know it!

Why is the church called her - I think probably because the church (the group or "body" of believers in Jesus) is referred to as Christ's "Bride" in the Bible.

Not willing to yield to god - Yeah, I feel that way sometimes too. But I've learned (the long and painful way) that there's no better place to be than in submission to our Awesome God. He loves you. He has a plan for you. A plan for a future and a hope. I really recommend giving it a try. Still don't have it in you? Pray to be made willing. I have to ask for help in this area a lot myself.

God as an artist - Yes, he is. Just look!

Why isn’t god a lunatic - Well, because he's GOD. He defines what's normal and what's not. We might not like how God has things arranged, but that means that we have the problem, not God.

But I'll bet that you were looking for something else. Perhaps it was the C.S. Lewis quote, "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us." In other words, Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. I'm going with Lord.

Why does my throat tickle when I’m sleeping - Have you checked under your spouse's pillow? Is there a feather under there? He/she must have one sick sense of humor. Or maybe it's post nasal drip. How do I know these things? I have no idea.