Trading Ashes For Beauty

Good Food!

2011-10-19T16:28:00.000-04:00

My wonderful sister got me a subscription to Good Housekeeping last Christmas. I LOVE IT! I enjoy opening my mailbox to get each new issue, it's like she sends me a gift every month! I have never had a magazine gift subscription before, and I sure do like this one!

I was particularly excited about this month's isses, because the front cover hails "ALL NEW! SLOW COOKER SUPPERS 8 recipes=16 different meals" Now, if you know anything about me, it is that I love to cook and I adore my slow cooker. In fact, I have two slowcookers, one is round and one is oval, both are 6 quarts. I love throwing food in the pot, turning it on, and walking to the other side of the kitchen to throw stuff into the breadmaker, setting it's timer, and leaving my house only to return a few hours later with dinner DONE and the house smelling wonderful! (It is also important to note that since we live in the deep south, both of these appliances can be put on my screened in back porch and used there to further reduce the heat in the kitchen)

I dove into the magazine, and found the promised article. What genius! How awesome is this! The basic principle is you make a big batch of stuff in the slowcooker, then when it's done you scoop some out and save it for another night. Then they give you the recipe to use the scooped out leftover portion to make a different meal! How cool is that???? My family is not big on leftovers, so this was a real plus for me!

I've made one of the recipes once, and another one twice. Both are keepers. The first time, I made them both basically exactly as the recipe reads. I decided to share the one I made twice with you today, because it is gray and cloudy here, and it just seemed appropriate. I will list the recipe as it is in the magazine, then note the changes I made.
Chicken Soup
1 Tbsp, Vegetable oil
1 jumbo sweet onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 1/2 lbs. fennel (2 large)--I left this out, as we are not fan of fennel
1 lb. carrots
12 oz. Yukon Gold potatoes (2 large)--I used russett
8 oz. celery stalks (4 large)
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 lbs. bone in chicken thighs, skin removed
1 1/2 lbs. bone in chicken breasts, skin removed
1 qt. lower sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. Packed fresh dill leaves--I left this out, not big dill fans here either

1. In 12 inch skillet, heat oil on medium low. Add onion and 1/8 teas salt. Cook 15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occassionally.
2. While onion cooks, trim and cut fennel into 1/4 inch slices. Cut carrots in quarters lengthwise, then into 3 inch long pieces. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch half moons. Thinly slice celery.
3. In 6 qt. slow cooker bowl, evenly spread the vegetables and toss in the bay leaf. Arrange chicken pieces on top, pressing down into the vegetables. Sprinkle with 1/2 teas each salt adn pepper. Spread the hot onion over the chicken. Add broth, cover, and cook on low 6 hours.
4. Stir in dill. Transfer one-third of the vegetables, 1 chicken breast and one chicken thigh to a container and refrigerate up to 3 days. Divide remaining vegetables among serving bowls. Remove meat from remaining chicken and divide among serving bowls. Stir 1/4 teas salt into broth. Ladle over the chicken vegetable mixture and serve.

Chicken Pot Pie
Preheat oven to 425. Transfer 1/2 cup potatoes from the reserved mixture to a large bowl. With potato masher, mash until crushed. Stir in 1/3 cup heavy cream and mash until well combined. Remove the meat from the reserved chicken, shred into large chunks, and add to the potato mixture. Add reserved vegetables, 1 cup frozen peas (thawed), 1/2 teas freshly grated lemon peel, 1/4 teas salt and 1/4 teas pepper. Mix well. Spread mixture into a 91/2 inch deep-dish pie plate. Center 1 refrigerated pie crust on top. Fold dough overhang to make edge flush with rim of pie plate and gently press against pie plate. Cut 5 slits on top. Bake 25 minutes, then cover rim with foil. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown.

For the pot pie, I didn't think it looked soupy enough so I stirred in one can of cream of chicken soup and used peas and carrots instead of just peas (we are carrot people). I also left out the lemon peel, because that just seemed strange to me.

Both recipes were delicious!!!! I made them with the above directions the first time, then altered it a bit the second time. Here's how:
For the soup, I cooked at as directed. When the soup was done, I strained off the juice and used it to cook a 16 oz package of peas and carrots and a half bag of egg noodles. (next time I will throw the peas and carrots in about half way through cooking time if I am home) We liked the addition of the veggies and noodles to the soup. When I made the pot pie the second time, I again used a can of cream of chicken soup, and I made my crust with biscuit mix. My family liked the pie crust version better, and mentioned that crescent rolls would be THE BOMB! We also found that both recipes needed a bit more salt for our tastes, especially with the addition of more veggies and noodles.

Although the recipe is meant for two weeknight dinners, I made mine for Sunday lunch and used the second recipe for Sunday evening dinner. We are at church from 7:45am until after 1:00 every Sunday, so having something ready in the crockpot and bread machine makes Sunday lunch a breeze!

Try this out,and see how you like it!
I tried to put a link to the recipe on the magazine's website, but I couldn't find it listed. This is from Hearst Magazine's Good Housekeeping October 2011 issue, and the article was entitled "Superfast Slowcooker Suppers." I did not find an author listed. I do not take any credit for the original recipe, it was all from those great folks over at Good Housekeeping!!!!

Where Have I Been?

2011-10-11T07:28:00.000-04:00

Honestly, I didn't know anyone was looking for me over here on the blog :) It's nice when I get an email saying something along the lines of "Hey, is everything ok? I have missed your blog updates!" Most days when I was blogging regularly, I wondered if anyone even read what I posted. Apparently, at least one of you does, and I appreciate it! ;)

So, since I have not posted for several months, I could do a standard old "update" post telling you of my adventures with my new role as mom-of-a-highschooler, the excitement/trials/crushes on boys of my daughter's high school marching band time, my general enthusiasm of high school football games (LOVE THE VIOLENCE!), news at church including a women's conference that I am SUPER excited about, and general life stuff. However, I'm choosing to go against the grain here and not post about such things at his time. (There is always tomorrow, and those things give me fodder to post on in a day or two, as I strive to get back into the swing of blogging on a more regular basis)

Today, I chose to post about friendship.

I have been blessed in my life to have very good friends. Some friends come for a season, then move on. Some friends never become more than casual friends to socialize with. Some friends come in family roles, like sisters. (I am extremely blessed in this way, having the world's greatest sister!) Other friends come by proxy, such as the wives of my husband's friends. But then there are the other kind of friends....

Once such friend is my best friend. She lives about 5 minutes away. We met when we worked together in a little cafe nearly 11 years ago. Through the years, she has been there through the ups and downs, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the hilarious. :) One such hilarious time involved us visiting a mattress store, where she proceeded to bounce on the bed to see how firm it was and managed to launch herself off the end of the mattress with her skirt up over her head. The good? Lots of long lunches at Cracker Barrel....therapy for me! Laughing together over things only we, with our warped senses of humor, find funny...like weird names in obituary listings. Shopping at discount places to find killer deals--including one joint where I was lying in the floor to see if the earrings I chose would get caught in my hair. And eating.....lots of eating......The bad? Tough times in my marriage, the death of my grandmother, my surgery last year, my husband's battle with depression, financial lean times.....you get the drift. She is a true friend, one who loves me like I am and prays for me through it all!

The other friend is a long time friend...going on almost 30 years now. We met in church, waaaaaaay back in the day. We too shared and survived things like death of friends and family, school drama, church drama, high school crushes, marriage, divorce, birth of our kids, job issues, military life, the loss of beloved pets, periods of questioning what we truly believe in, and parenting. There is one weird thing about this friendship though, sort of a sixth sense when ti comes to each other. It's a connection that tells us when the other is going through something, and even if it has been months or years since we last talked, one email or phone call has the connection re-established and it is as if no time at all has passed. It was this dear friend who emailed about my lonely little blog. Hope you are happy now! ;)

I am so thankful for friends, both new and old. They make life so much better! There is a saying....."Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold." Through Facebook, I have connected with many friends from high school and military life. It's a great thing!

So to all my friends.....I leave you with this thought from Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.--NLT

I am so thankful for each of you!

Of course not!

2011-06-13T14:00:00.000-04:00

There was nothing on tv last night. I don't understand it. We have cable tv with over 900 channels, but still can't find anything worthwhile to watch. Last night, after Army Wives went off, I found myself scrolling through the guide trying to find something worth watching. This is very unusual for me, because since we got DVRs I record everything I want to watch and then watch it at my convenience, usually late at night. I do this a lot, especially when my hubby is gone. The greatest thing is I can pause it to go get more tea or to go to the bathroom (think maybe the two aforementioned pause-worthy items may be related?????) but the thing I like most is that I can fast forward through all the annoying commercials! I despise commercials, especially those who use ad blasting technology to make their commercials much louder than your normal tv shows. Thought it was just you? Didn't know it was a fact that they do that? Yup. Read more here.

Anyway, last night I found a show on Oprah's network, OWN. It is called Finding Sarah, and it is about the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson. and her journey. Basically, this chick is a nut ball. She is battling so many issues, and the six part series is supposed to help her though these. Last night, Dr. Phil came riding in on his sanctimonious white horse to try to save the poor damsel in distress, and Suze Orman came to offer financial support but made it clear that she was not there to find a friend in the Duchess.

I watched with the sort of morbid curiosity that piques when you pass a train wreck....you don't want to watch but can't force your finger to press the button on the remote. The Dr. Phil part annoyed me, but made me sad. Sarah is so lost. She is so sad, and he quickly diagnosed her as "emotionally bankrupt".
The voyage into her troubled red head continued with Suze Orman. Then I heard the saddest thing I think I have ever heard.

Suze Orman asked Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, formerly married to a prince, mother of two beautiful young women, author of over 30 books, spokesperson for Weight Watchers......a simple question. She asked "Do you like yourself?"

Sarah immediately replied "Of course not!" She had the look on her face that implied that she had just been asked if she ate shredded sheet metal for breakfast.

I was so sad. There are many days when I am not happy with my actions, but I do love myself. I am a daughter of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! I am a Princess myself, of a Royal Priesthood! How could I not like myself? I watched as the painful interview went on, and heard her ask "How does one find self worth?" I screamed at my TV-much to the shock of my daughter who was sitting beside me- "YOU NEED TO FIND YOU SOME JESUS!" Of course, neither Dr. Phil or Suze whats-her-face offered anything spiritual, just a lot of mumbo jumbo, but really, that is what it all boils down to. We have to know who we are in Christ, and when we know that we will not only like ourselves but many days LOVE ourselves as we see ourselves for who we truly are! Redeemed. Precious in His sight. Worth the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. A daughter of God. Joint heirs with the only Son of God.

I am beautiful. I am loved. I am worthy of the love of my own Prince....the Prince of Peace. And this allows me to like myself.

I hope one day Sarah can find this for herself.

I Gotta Blog Something

2011-05-28T15:37:00.000-04:00

Wow...I can't believe my last post was the one about 70 things about myself. I had written it so long ago that I had to go back and read it again to see what I had written! Then I laughed at some of it :)

So...what to write about today? Life is busy, but none of it seems monumental enough to blog about. I wonder of there is a limit to cyber space, and if my mindless rambling is taking up valuable space out there someplace.

Only two weeks left of school. I can't believe my baby is finishing middle school in just a few days. There will be a "Recognition Ceremony" at the end of this year, and I am hoping I can keep it together and not have a nervous breakdown in front of the entire school assembly. I can't possibly be the mother of a high school kid, can I? On a high note, we have been to the new high school several times, and we really do like it. Band looks EXTREMELY promising! The instructor looks like he is passionate and energetic about the music, which I like. He has been communicating a lot with me via email about upcoming band camps and workshops, and we have signed Marissa up for two things so far. One is a Clarinet Workshop at the college here, with 4 private lessons, one master class, two rehearsals and a recital. The other is a week long, afternoon camp at the high school with the aforementioned awesome band leader. He is big into getting scholarships or the kids...so I am totally on board with him so far!

We are going to meet my sister and her family in Atlanta in July, and we are looking forward to that! We have tickets to a Braves game, and we may tour the World of Coca Cola with them. (We have done it a couple times already, but it would be fun to do it again with the family) I am counting down the days until we leave.

Also, we will be spending a lot of days on Tybee Island again this year. We have a week long trip planned for July also, with some of our best friends. It will be so nice to relax and spend some time with them! We are so blessed that my mom and step dad live on Tybee, so we can run down and hang out with them.

We got the pool set up again, and Marissa has been it a few times but it is still a little cool for me to get in. I know it won't be long though, before the days are so hot that it will be hard to keep us OUT of the pool!

CRCT testing is over, and EOCT testing is winding down. (Let me use this as my podium to say that I think the EOCT testing finishing up THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL is STOOOOOOOOOOPID!) Also, a Humanities project was assigned Friday, and is due next Friday. REALLY? This close to the end of school? Hmmmm.......

I think that is about all I can come up with for today. Have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy your Monday off for Memorial Day! Don't forget to say prayers for our military, both for protection of those currently serving, as of thanksgiving for those who served and lost their lives defending our freedom.

Random Facts About Me....(70!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

2011-05-03T21:11:00.002-04:00

One of the blog authors I follow recently wrote a post called 100 Random Facts Abut Me. I was fascinated by the idea, and many of the things she listed were really funny! I decided to make a list, but I am not sure that I can come up with 100! I am an odd person to say the least, and I am sure there are literally HUNDREDS of ridiculously quirky, random things about me, but most would not interest anyone in the least. So I shall start a list.....and edit the title accordingly :)

1. I have not eaten red meat since 1989.

2. I have one sister, who is 15 1/2 years older than me. My mom says she had two "only" children

3. I love cats, but I am not a big fan of dogs. It isn't that I hate dogs, I just find them to be jumpy and licky and unpredictable.

4. I am an obsessive list maker.

5. My favorite color is pink.

6. I am a scrapbooker. This means I like to play with pictures and paper and adhesives and make a huge mess in the name of creativity and artistic expression.

7. I hate having my picture taken.

8. I love to cook, and even more than that I like to watch people EAT what I cook.

9. I screwed up my life at 18 by giving up college scholarships to get married to my high school sweetheart, who turned out to be a huge donkey.

10. In the aforementioned college plan, I was planning to be an English major.

11. I didn't know ANYTHING at 18.

12. I learned a whole lot very quickly at age 25, when the donkey marriage went south.

13. My favorite flavor of jelly beans is orange.

14. I do not like spicy food AT ALL.

15. I loved Coke Zero until I had major surgery last year, now I find it sickeningly sweet and I drink Diet Coke.

16.I love Triscuits or Cheeze-Its with the Diet Coke.

17. I wear a size 10. (In a shoe, that is...............)

18. I am a Christian. I am 100% sold out to Jesus.

19. I cannot get a tan. I use self tanner on my legs to prevent blinding poor unsuspecting people when I wear capri pants.

20. I am horribly afraid of wearing shorts in public because of my pale skin.

21. I DVR most all TV shows that I want to watch. Commercials annoy me.

22. I don't wear much jewelry, except my wedding ring and sometimes earrings. When my husband is at work, I wear his wedding ring because it makes me feel close to him. (Because his work is very dangerous, he cannot wear his ring for fear of losing a finger)

23. I am afraid of birds. They look pecky and suspicious to me, with their little beady eyes.....

24. I love to read.

25. I probably use the word GOOGLE about a zillion times a day. I constantly say things like "Google it" or "I wanted to know such and such, so I Googled it". I even Googled the word Google to find out what it meant. (Google is a number followed by 100 zeros. Now you know.)

26. If I eat something hot and gloppy, like oatmeal or grits, I cannot drink a hot beverage.

27. I think I have pretty feet.

28. I want to move back to Washington State. I miss it so much.

29. I started writing a novel about 5 years ago, but never finished it.

30. I let my boy cat sleep on my pillow. I scootch down in the bed so he has room.

31. After watching the documentary about McDonald's entitled "Supersize Me", I cannot eat there.

32. I have to sleep with my ceiling fan on or I feel like I am suffocating.

33. I recycle compulsively.

34. I shop with coupons and watch sale ads like a hawk.

35. I am afraid of heights.

36. I do not like to go to amusement parks. They do not amuse me because I cannot ride any of the rides due to my equilibrium issues and I end of walking around carrying stuff for everyone else in my party.

37. I am currently obsessed with the show My Fair Wedding With David Tutera.

38. I laugh really loud, and usually at very inappropriate times.

39. When I laugh, I aspirate anything that happens to be in my mouth. I have found that Dr. Pepper really burns, and shooting a Tylenol caplet out of your nose is AGONIZING!

40. My (current and forever) husband literally saved my life when he married me. I was on a path of self-destruction.

41. I do not like tattoos, but my husband has 15 of them.

42. I am a peacemaker. I hate conflict and do anything I can to avoid it. Therefore I do not have much conversation about the tattoos on my husband.

43. I have never broken a bone.

44. I still have my tonsils and wisdom teeth, but the wisdom teeth are going to have to be extracted in the very near future, per my dentists' instructions.

45. I never had surgery, even so much as a tooth pulled, until last year when my OB/GYN said it was necessary to hang up the "No Womb At The Inn" sign. That was a horrible surgery and recovery. The results have been fantastic, but the surgery and recovery were NOT enjoyable at all!

46. The smell of patchouli oil makes me gag.

47. I am 5"10" and built like a linebacker, but I like to be girly too. I like to have my nails done and wear makeup because it makes me feel pretty and more self confident.

48. I am not political. I do not vote by the party, but by what the candidate stands for and supports.

49. I thank God everyday for the man He sent me. My husband is a Mighty Man of God and I am so grateful for the blessing He is to me! I have made many mistakes, but he has forgiven me and now we are moving forward, in a better place than we have EVER been!

50. I am horrifically afraid of snakes, lizards and frogs/toads. Bleck!

51. My favorite food is chocolate.

52. My favorite non-chocolate food is pizza.

53. I can bait a fish hook with a work, but not a cricket.

54. I abhor sushi.

55. I lived in Hawaii for 3 years.

56. The first time I flew in an airplane, I was 18 years old and I flew from South Georgia to Honolulu Hawaii, which I previously thought was in the Gulf of Mexico because that is always where they showed it on the map. A 15 hour flight is not a good first time experience. I carried my money in my shoe......

57. I am OCD about many things, like locking the doors, unplugging the iron or curing iron, turning off the oven, closing doors and drawers, and lining things up in order of size. I also used to alphabetize my CDs and spice containers, but I have overcome that. I still straighten crooked pictures in doctors' offices and other peoples' homes though.

58. I cannot open one of those biscuit cans that pops when you peel off the label. I make my husband do it because the unexpected "pop" terrifies me. Even the anticipation of the "pop" rattles me. I much prefer the "press spoon at seal" cans, that allow me to predict the "pop". I hate when they sneak up and cheat by popping on their own.

59. I have never used an illegal drug in my life. Not even pot. Ever. Seriously.

60. I have never found a beer I could stand the taste or smell of.

61. Having anything reflecting in the car windshield when I drive makes me a nervous wreck. I have to move it.

62. I was born at 12:34

63. I love to find sequences or patterns in numbers. It is part of OCD. I love that I was born at 12:34. I like when a series of numbers adds up to an even number.

64. I think Martha Stewart rocks! Yes I know she does not do all of those things she shows, but I think she rocks. I think if she had been a man she would have not only avoided prison, but been hailed as a financial genius.

65. I got food poisoning from sunny side up eggs, and I can't eat egg yolks to this day. I order my eggs "egg whites only, fried hard."

66. I have a bizarre sense of humor that very few people get.

67. I once told a man on a flight from New Orleans that I was a bounty hunter, just to see if I could say it with a straight face. I did. He was impressed.....until I burst out laughing. (see #66)

68. I volunteer at my daughters' school. In the media center. Away from the children. FAR away from the children. I am afraid they may revolt en mass, and I would be trampled to death in the stampede. I do not trust hormonal, moody middle schoolers.

69. I love it when my husband rubs my back. He used to brush my hair and paint my toenails too, but somehow the thrill of that must have worn off FOR HIM after 15 years.....

70. I have learned that trying to come up with 100 facts about ANYTHING is harder than it sounds!

Thanks to Heather at Wanting What You Have for the idea!

Blah blah blah......

2011-04-30T14:55:00.000-04:00

Wow. Once again I have horribly neglected my little blog. Seems like I have done a lot of little things but not much to blog about. I think I will just list off a few things....things I have done and things on my mind...and things I want to do.

Easter. It was wonderful. Our church hosted it's first ever Good Friday service, and my daughter and the team danced. It was incredible! Easter Sunday we attended all three services at church, and the dance teams performed again. AMAZING! I cooker dinner, and my Mom and PaPa and Brenda and Joe came over to eat with us. The bunny dropped off a basket for Riss, and we dyed eggs, but for the first time since Riss was born there was no interest in an egg hunt. Made me a little nostalgic.
I was nominated for the United Way's Volunteer of The Year. The luncheon was wonderful, and although I didn't have a snowball's chance in Miami of winning, I was so honored to even be considered. I was so glad Brenda, Joe, Jamie, April and my nominator Mr. Brooks were able to attend with me.
My birthday came and went. It fell on a Thursday, and Jamie was out of town working. My Mom and PaPa came over, and Brenda and Joe were here, and we all went to Cheddars to eat. It was tasty :) Jamie came home the next day with flowers, cake squares from Cake Corner, and a beautiful card for me. Then, we were invited to April's house for dinner this past Thursday night. Guess what? The sneaky April and my sneaky husband conspired and had a surprise birthday party for me! I was truly shocked. It was a wonderful night!
My daughter was sick for about 10 days with a horrible sinus infection, and missed a whole week of school. She had to go to the doctor twice. She is doing better, but she is still struggling a bit with congestion and a cough and just not 100% back to her old self.
Watched the Royal Wedding yesterday. I thought it was simply beautiful. I loved everything about it. I remember watching when Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married. We got up very early and I watched it with my mom and grandmother. Riss and I watched some while she got ready for school, and I got so involved we missed the bus. I drove her to Matt's and she caught the bus there.
Riss and some of her classmates competed in the district Quiz Bowl Thursday. It was neat to watch it played, and although our school didn't place, it was a great experience for the kids!
I've gotten back into scrapbooking a little more frequently, and I see how much I have missed it. The pages I have done are simple but fun, and I am loving it again. :)

Have a great week! I will be coming up with a new blog plan soon, hopefully to make me blog more often. :) I am thinking of following some bloggy sisters and doing something like Recipe Monday, Wordless Wednesday, Inspiration Thursday, etc.

STOLEN!

2011-04-01T15:19:00.001-04:00

Stolen straight off of Crea's blog....check her out here.

In honor of the lovely month of April. :)

1. April rolls in this week and in celebration of that infamous date (April 1) answer this question-what is something foolish you've done?

Oh gee....I have to narrow it down to just one? I mean, there are so many! Hmmm....well, I guess one of the most foolish things I have done is when I played a practical joke on my best friend's husband. I called him and when his friend answered the phone, I portrayed myself as my friend's husband's ex wife, naming myself Wanda Gail Pruitt. I called to demand my child support from him. The friend was so incredibly shocked! I can't believe I managed to get through the entire conversation without bursting into hysterical laughter. Well, when he called my friend's husband, we found out he was stuck in a horrible blizzard in Ohio and was not amused by the shenanigans AT ALL! (He has since forgiven me......)

2. With April comes Easter and that classic edible treat known as Peeps...so tell me...what's your favorite way to eat/fix chicken? That's wasn't what you were expecting was it? I 'fooled' you. teehee
Didn't see that coming! I love it when my husband, The Grill Master, grills chicken. It is so tender and juicy!

3. What's the best museum you've ever visited? Or your favorite? Or the one you'd most like to visit?
Hmmmmm.......the one I would LOVE to visit is the Smithsonian. I enjoy museums, and we go to all sorts of cool places when we travel. I enjoyed the World of Coke in Atlanta, the Fernbank in Atlanta, the Bishop museum in Honolulu, the MOMA in San Fransisco, the Naval History Museum in Seattle, the children's museums in San Fransisco, Jacksonville and Columbia SC. I guess I am kind of a dork about it. I like zoos and national parks too :)

4. You know what they say about April showers....what's your preference-a bath or a shower?
A shower if the sole purpose is getting clean. If I have time to relax, I like a bubble bath but I always take a shower afterwards so I don't feel sticky from the bubble bath.

5. Absence makes the heart grow fonder"-fact or fiction? Why?
Totally a fact, and one I know from experience. I was a Navy wife for 10 years and I grew used to deployments and overnight duty. Now, as a tugboat wife, our routine is one week together, one week apart. I enjoy my time alone, but I look forward to him coming home too. We say that we have it made. We rarely fight, since we are together just long enough to start getting on each others nerves before he leaves. Then he is gone just long enough that we begin to miss each other. A perfect world for us:)

6. What's your favorite product made/grown in your home state/province?
Gotta be the peaches. I love peaches in just about any form.

7. What is going on in the world today that affects you the most?
Wow, let's not hold back on the tough questions huh? There are so many....homeless children, abused children, abortion, broken hearts, battered women, lost souls....they all pull on my heart.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I need to read more blogs for inspiration. This was fun!

Busyness?

2011-03-18T13:54:00.001-04:00

Just a few thoughts here. This has been a busy month. An incredibly busy month, which followed another very busy month, to be precise.

Let's reflect on busyness. While many may say that "Cleanliness is next to Godliness", (which is not exactly scriptural, but that's another post) I have decided that "Busyness is next to......well.......insanity."

Let me begin by showing you my datebook.

My husband looked at this page, and asked me if I realized how absolutely insane it is. My response to him was. "Try living this life Bucky!"

In the past couple of months, I have realized how out of control my life is getting/has gotten. I have to slow down. Really I do. I go on about 4 hours of sleep a night during the week, and crash when the weekend comes. This is not good for my body or for my family. Weekends should be a time of relaxing and enjoying family activities, not spent crashed in my bed from burnout. It has gotten to the point that I can't remember how to relax anymore. We went to Jacksonville last week, for some required testing for my husband's job, and I was still in such an "on" mode that I couldn't even relax and enjoy the jacuzzi tub.

What is wrong with me?

I began reflecting on some teaching by Joyce Meyer late last month. I used to watch her program all the time! A lot of what she said is stuck in my head, but nothing more than her teaching on busyness. She said, (and although this is a paraphrase I will put it in quotations. This is just the gist of what she said, I could never quote her word for word, so this is what I got out of it.. You can read an article on this from her here.)

"God never called us to be busy, he called us to be fruitful!"
and....another wonderful Joyce-ism....
"God called us to be human BEings, not human DOings."

So am I busy or fruitful? If I am brutally honest with myself, some of what I do is bearing fruit. Some of it is necessary for the function of my home and family. Some of it is flitter and fluff.

The first weekend of this month I attended a Women's Conference in Tifton GA with my church. We were blessed to hear Darlene Bishop preach, and guess what she talked about? Yep. Being busy. She said that sometimes we get so busy doing the Kingdom's business that we forget who we are in business for.

Wow.

So.....I am not committing to anything new right now. I am finishing up all of my commitments for the month, and I am earnestly seeking God about what I need to do in the upcoming season. I was to be fruitful. I want to be vital in the Kingdom . I want to be productive without being CRAZY!

Am I alone in this? I think not. Somehow it seems to me that as a woman, if I am not busy, then I am perceived as lazy. (Especially as a stay at home mom, which is a specific calling on my life, not just a choice) But in my mind, if I stay busy, then I appear to be valuable. My question to myself is this: Who am I living my life for?

My answer is this. God first. My husband second. My child third. And everything and everybody else falls into place.

A Resurgence of Blogging....

2011-03-15T16:12:00.000-04:00

I am amazed that blogging seems to be making a comeback! I have seen people begin blogging for the first time, and I am enjoying their excitement. I hope it is contagious, because lately I have been in a blogging funk! Life is crazy busy right now, and blogging seems like another thing on my to-do list. It used to be an escape....an outlet....a way to vent. Hopefully I can catch blog fever again and reinvent my blog. It is tired of being neglected.

I don't think it is just me though. I have seen several of the blogs I have followed for years go through the same thing. I have one blog that I follow that went on sort of a bloggy vacation, and I missed her terribly! (That is you Cassandra!!!!) One of my favorite blogs of all time is From Dhu Land With Love...., which started out as the Savannah Scrapbooking blog but when the store closed, it became a personal blog by my friend Jamie. (Disclaimer.....go to the bathroom and do not have food or drink in your mouth when you read her blog. You will either wet your pants or spew-or maybe both- if you don't. It is that funny. I promise.)

So what interests new people about blogging? What makes them trip into this cyber rambling world? I think people do it for many reasons. To voice an opinion. To connect with others. To vent. To create. To find like minded friends. To connect with family far away, and keep them up to date on their life. I blog for all of these reasons. I just gotta get back to it.

Happy blogging!

Words That Make A Difference

2011-03-10T12:23:00.002-05:00

Last night, I asked my Bishop (in some churches this would be the senior pastor, or Doctor of Divinity) to write a couple of letters for people who are going on a spiritual renewal/retreat weekend. Our church is very busy these days, with exponential growth and getting ready to launch another facility on the other side of town, allowing us the auspicious honor of duplicating ourselves in ministry, so everyone is busy to say the least. In a joking manner he asked me why I didn't just write the letters myself and let him sign them. He is a real NUT sometimes!

For some reason I felt it was the appropriate time to blabber on and I told him that my mom and I were discussing my Dad recently. She was asking me what I remembered about my Dad, and I told her that the main thing I remembered was that he never said the words "I love you" to me. He would say "Daddy loves you". Mom said that she felt it was the same thing, and I told her I didn't think it was. I wanted to hear it from him! I wanted to hear the words "I love you" come out of my Daddy's mouth, directed at ME.!

Now, if you know my Bishop, you know "the look". It is the look that says "I hear what you are saying, that makes sense to me", but it also has a deeper side that makes me think he might be chewing on what I said a little bit more.

So I pondered this conversation this morning. I have always struggled with self esteem issues, and wonder more often than not if I have just made a complete fool of myself by something I said. I began thinking of what I had told Bishop last night, and the enemy began playing with my self doubt and telling me how he "might" have taken it. In my mind, I could hear him saying "That girl is messed up! I just joked around with her and she got all philosophical on me and drug up all her past baggage". Either that, or "the look" was actually him saying "Ok, ok, would you shut up now so I can go get something to eat?" Or worse yet, he zoned out and went to his happy place.

Now if you know my Bishop, or have ever even been near him, you know this is not the case. This man of God loves each and every person with a love that only comes from Jesus. He is compassionate, caring and the most humble man I have ever met. His words are always uplifting, edifying and encouraging. It was my own self doubt and my own mind allowing me to think of him in any other manner.

So this morning, as I played over all of this in my mind, I began to pray about it. I began asking God was I wrong to want to hear "I love you" from my Dad? Was that a trivial thing that I had allowed to haunt me all these years? [side note: Dad walked out of my life when I was nine and died when I was 21]

God began showing me some things about this, and a lesson came from it for me. I had no power over the words that came out of my Dad's mouth, or over what I heard with my own ears.

BUT.......

What if I only allowed others to tell me that God loves me? What if I took everything that Sunday School teachers and pastors have told me and that was as far as I went with it? I would be living the same life, with an emptiness of never hearing my Heavenly Father say "I love you" with my own ears.

The Word tells us that God speaks to us through His Holy Spirit. I have heard the audible voice of Almighty God once and I hear the quiet voice of His Holy Spirit almost constantly. The Bible says "Blessed is the man who listens to me" (Proverbs 8:34) and Jesus said "My sheep listen to my voice." (John 10:27). We need to remember that "the word of God is living and active" (Hebrews 4:12) God also speaks to us through other people and through dreams and visions.

If we only allowed others to tell us that God loved us, we miss the boat entirely. We need to hear it from Him.

Are we listening? We need to earnestly seek God, and cry out to Him. We need to hear "I love you" from Him, and He wants to hear it from us as well.

Sometimes things come to me slowly and quietly, but this didn't. It was a booming voice in my Spirit, a passionate cry from my Heavenly Father saying to me "My precious daughter, I LOVE YOU!"

And that made all the difference.

Dinner time!

2011-02-01T19:42:00.003-05:00

We are a living paycheck to paycheck family. Sometimes, it seems that payday will NEVER come! I have a pretty good system of stocking the pantry and freezer, and we are always blessed to be able to share what we have with others. Because of my smart (read:obsessive) shopping and stocking up on sale items, for the months of November and December I purchased only fresh fruits, milk, bread, and the required "holiday food" items like turkey, dressing mix, cranberry sauce, baking needs, etc. This allowed us to stay on budget and still have everything we need.

January came, and because of all the holiday extras, money was extra tight. We have been eeking through, using what we have on hand, and I am planning a BIG stock up shopping trip this week. (Watch for the post on that adventure)

My coupon supply has dwindled, and I am eagerly combing through my stash, making my list and checking it twice for good sales and coupon pairings.

Tonight's dinner is pork chops from the freezer, macaroni and cheese (from the freezer, actually leftovers from a previous meal but it heats up well when you add some extra milk), canned green beans, and baked red potatoes and carrots, which are nestled in the oven with the pork chops.

Here is my delima. My husband is a bread eater. We must have bread at every meal. I forgot to start the bread machine this afternoon, so we are officially dinner bread-less. What to do, oh what to do? Let me point out I am a HORRIBLE biscuit maker, and somehow cornbread doesn't really go with this meal in my opinion, so I decided to make popovers.

I first made popovers when we lived in Hawaii. Being 18 years old, working for minimum wage, married to an E-2 in the Navy, money was t-i-g-h-t. I found this recipe one night, a few days before payday, and since it did not call for everything I was out of (biscuit mix, shortening, baking powder, cornmeal, etc.) I decided to try it.

DELICIOUS!!!!!!

This easy recipe is my go to quick fix for breadless nights, (oh, the horror) and I decided to share the recipe with you!

Popovers
1 cup flour
1/2 teas salt ( I fixed the typo)
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients very well. Pour into generously greased muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake at 425 about 30-40 minutes or until golden, toasty brown.

This always thrills kids when they bite into what they think is a traditional roll, and find it hollow and full of air!
If you are not serving these the minute they come out of the oven, you will need to cut a slit in the top of each popover to keep it from collapsing in on itself. (NOT attractive)

Popovers make for a happy hubby, which makes for a happy dinnertime at our house!

It's All About Me!

2011-01-28T20:58:00.000-05:00

I was trying to think of some fascinating subject to blog about tonight, and I was coming up very short. My daughter came in and found me staring at a blank blog form and said "What's up Mom?" I told her I could not think of anything to write about. She looked at me and said "Well, why don't you write all about yourself? Like, a list of your favorite color and food and stuff?"

Well, I am sure that countless hordes of people lie awake every night wondering what my favorite salad dressing is, so I decided that I will make a list. It's all about me :)

Favorite food: chocolate
Favorite real food: cheese and Triscuits
Favorite color: red
Favorite outfit: dark straight leg jeans and my peach shirt
Favorite movie: Gone With The Wind
Favorite TV show: NCIS LA
Favorite vacation spot: mountains of north Georgia or Tennessee
Favortie vacation spot to dream about: a cruise to the Caribbean
Favorite hobby: scrapbooking
Favorite number: any one that can be evenly divided into rows or groups
Favorite cartoon character: Tinkerbell
Favorite restaurant: Bella's
Favorite store: Ross and World Market
Favorite animal: pandas and cats
Favorite thing to cook: anything that people enjoy eating
Favorite household chore: steam mopping
Favorite season: fall
Favorite holiday: Christmas
Favorite quality in a person: transparency
Favorite super hero: Batman
Favorite accessory: my silver hoop earrings
Favorite flower: Gerber daisy
Favorite actor: LL Cool J
Favorite actress: Marisky Hargitay
Favorite car to dream about owning: Dodge Challenger
Favorite book: The Bible
Favorite smell: new lipstick or a fresh box of crayons
Favorite secular song: My Baby Loves Me Just The Way That I Am
Favorite Christian song: Oh How He loves Us
Favorite Bible verse: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
Favorite place to dream of retiring: Washington State (Western)

Well now, I am sure you can all sleep a little easier tonight now that this knowledge is public. Have a great weekend!
P.S. My favorite salad dressing is Ranch :)

Update on "What Would You Do?

2011-01-14T20:53:00.000-05:00

Remember my blog post from November entitled "What Would You Do" about my dear friend with Leukemia? Well, you can get a step by step retelling of the story to date by following my friend Stephanie on her blog here.
So trot on over and read her words, leave a comment and wish her all the very best on her journey! Then watch for her updates, and let's all encourage her as she WINS the fight against Leukemia!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-07T21:07:00.000-05:00

From our family to yours, HAPPY 2011!!!!

We wish you all peace, joy, happiness

and God's abundant blessings!

2011

2011-01-03T10:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at our church, our Bishop taught on some Commitments for 2011. While most everyone is thinking of whether or not to make/keep New Year Resolutions, I thought that most of these could apply not only to our church body but to everyone as well.

My friend Rebecca typed up her notes from Sunday and posted them in a note on Facebook. I asked permission to copy her notes here and she agreed. I think this is something we could ALL benefit from committing to!

Bishop's Notes--Eleven Commitments for 2011
1. We will add value to others. This can be done through compliments, encouragement, and support.
2. We will not live in hypocrisy. This means we will not try to force what we like or believe onto others and respect others for the things they enjoy.
3. We will refuse to live in offense. By this, we will not put others down or talk about them negatively. If we are then that means we are not happy about ourselves or something that someone else has said to us so we try to take the attention off of ourselves and put it on someone else by talking about them.
4. We will embrace the positive and reject the negative. Be happy!
5. We will refuse to be passive. A passive person does not really care about being committed to anything and this is not how we should be. Instead we should work hard to commit and give everything we have.
6. We will be committed to self control. By using self control we will not lose our temper and keep our mouths closed when necessary.
7. We will be committed to compassion and not ignore when others need us. We will not forget about others, how they feel, and what they need. We will show compassion for everyone.
8. We will be a true representation of Christ. We should be proud that we are the children of God and represent him as well.
9. We will be committed to challenging religion by kingdom and God. Kingdom people work to see how the church can change the world.
10. We will be committed to a renewed mind. A renewed mind does not just show up to church from time to time but instead is involved and at church. Without a renewed mind we will be cut off from the abundance of God. Remember you become what you think.
11. We will be characterized by the presence of God. We want the presence of God and in order to get that we should approach him with clean hands, an open heart, and go after Him. We should ask for His presence.

For those of you who would like to check out our church, please go to www.iwclive.com. We will be streaming live on the internet in about a month.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T21:41:00.000-05:00

I hope that all of you and yours have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! See you in 2011!

How is it possible?

2010-12-19T19:46:00.000-05:00

How is it possible to be so busy and yet have so little to blog about???? In the mix of holiday concerts at school, parties and presents......it seems it is all running together.

Anyone else feel this way????

Goodness!

2010-12-11T19:48:00.001-05:00

Has it really been two weeks? Time is sure flying by. A quick look at the calendar shows that December is over 1/3 of the way gone. Where did it go?

We have been busy! Marissa had tryouts for District Honor Band last week, and she made it! She is the only student that has EVER made it from her school. She will be competing again in February for the next level. We had our Christmas pictures made this past week, and they turned out great. I will post them here after Christmas. Don't wanna ruin the surprise :) Church activities are in full swing. Marissa's dance team party was last night, today we helped get the kids costumes ready for the church wide Christmas party tomorrow night, and tomorrow I teach my class again at 900. Church next, then home to a crockpot lunch and back to church at 600 for the evening of fun at our Christmas Party. Then Monday, Marissa has the party for the entire Fine Arts dept at church. This is the last week of school for us, and we are letting Marissa skip the after school tutorials this week. (Hey, with a 94 average, she can skip a few)

I have the house decorated, and Marissa made cookies tonight. I have all of our Christmas cards addressed, and will mail them Monday. I have all of the Box Tops for Education counted, bundled and totaled for our school's IPOD giveaway for the kid who brought in the most since September. Christmas shopping for Marissa is just about finished, and I know pretty much what I am getting for everyone else.

Still feeling very guilty about not going to the hospital to see my friend with leukemia. I have kept her kids some, and I text or facebook with her almost every day, but it isn't the same. Just seems time is slipping by way too fast. I just GOTTA go this coming week! I miss her smiling face!

Friday night we are going to a Christmas party at church for the PrimeTimers. Although we don't quite fit into the 50+ age group, they welcome us and we enjoy attending the events. Marissa's band concert at school is Thursday night. And oh yeah, I did complete several scrapbook layouts yesterday. It is a busy time of year!

What Do You Do?

2010-11-27T09:53:00.002-05:00

What do you do when one of your longtime and closest friends is diagnosed with Leukemia? I can tell you what I did. I cried. I got mad. Then I cried some more. I know it sounds silly, but that is what I did and I did a LOT of it and repeated the cycle several times.

I knew she was not feeling well, but when she went in to the hospital ER I thought it was cellulitis in her legs causing all the problems. Then she messaged me, saying her bloodwork was off and they were admitting her. Her white count was significantly elevated, leading me to think she had a very bad infection in her legs.

Then I got a text from her.
It was two words staring back at me from my phone screen.

It's leukemia.

I was shocked. How does this happen? She is healthy, strong, 35, a wife, a mother to two kids, a friend to many. She is active in our church and works full time. She just lost her mom to cancer 2 months ago. Her husband got hurt and was out of work for months, and she lost her job as well. They were both blessed with new jobs and were getting back on track with everything when BAM!

It's leukemia.

So now she is in the hospital, facing a month of intensive, continuous chemo treatments. Her world is upside down, and so is the world of so many who love her and are affected by this, only in a different way. I feel so helpless, and so angry. I like to compartmentalize things and sort them out into where they go, sort of a mental filing system. That is how I deal with things. This has no place to go. This has no compartment or file. It is so much emotion and so many questions all rolled up into two words.

It's leukemia.

And it really, really sucks.

Thankful!

2010-11-23T16:51:00.000-05:00

This time of year, we hear a lot about being thankful and counting our blessings. Today I am composing......

Things I am thankful for......possibly updated as time goes on :)

my salvation through Jesus Christ
my faith in God
my husband
my daughter
my extended family
my church
my friends
my husband's job
my health
my car-no car payment
my mentor at Church (Love you Joye!)
our pets
that my Mom is feeling better after her hospitalization
my comfy bed
Facebook-I have found so many long lost friends and family
warm clothes
plenty of food
my daughter's fabulous school, her teachers and staff
my volunteer position at the school
Cracker Barrel therapy session with my best friend Brenda :)
my scrapbooking, and the sense of accomplishment and the creative outlet it gives me
flannel pajama pants that I steal from my hubby--oh so comfy and toasty

I am sure this list could go on forever, but this is what is on my mind right now. What are you most thankful for? Start making a lost....you may be surprised what comes to mind.

Really?

2010-11-14T22:14:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday my husband, daughter and I went to the mall. My darling, thoughtful husband pulled up to the door and let me out, allowing me the opportunity to go into AC Moore and browse a few moments by myself while he and the girl child parked the car and hung out in the arcade. (Sweet bliss, I tell ya. Sweet bliss. Just me and my craft supplies.....ahhhhhh.........)

As I walked towards the store, I realized something. Since I was on the upper level of the mall, I could see the top spindles of the castle/winter wonderland/Santa picture taking/highly overpiced extortion area for all parents of small children on the lower level.

Wanna know a secret? I began silently complaining about the mall having decorations up so early. I mean my goodness, it is only.......wait........could it be???????

MID NOVEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy smokes, where did the time go? Wasn't it just 100 degrees? Is Thanksgiving really so close upon us? Yes Virginia, they were setting up for Santa just a few yards away....and yes, it really is the time for it.

Thanksgiving is just 10 days away.

I simply can't believe it. Are you prepared for the holidays that are so fast approaching?

I better start making my list and getting ready to cook!

Awakening 11/9/10 IWC Grand Opening week

2010-11-10T11:52:00.001-05:00

Our church is having it's grand opening this week, and Marissa is so excited to finally be part of the Interpretive Dance Team, The Awakening.
The video is kind of dark in places, but she is on the right hand side, black shirt, second row. She is behind the young lady with the white shirt and the wide black belt.
WORSHIP AND ENJOY!

Things I Love, Right At This Moment

2010-11-03T13:28:00.001-04:00

As a woman, I have the right and authority to change my mind on any given subject at any moment. This does not always gel well with my husband, however, it is the nature of the beast within me. I am woman. I am fickle.

However, at this given moment, there are several things in my life that I am really hyped-up-jacked-up-crazy- happy about. Inspired by the fabulous Jamie D., I am sharing them with you today. Now aren't you glad I got inspired to actually write something? Yes folks, the nail biting stress is over, I am BAAAACK! :)

Things I love as of this moment on 11/3/2010 in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!
1. Honey Nut Cheerios (Dry, no milk!)
This may be more than a like, it may be an obsession. I find myself happily munching on a bowl whenever I sit down at the computer or at my scrap table. I love the combination of sweet and salty, and that they are not messy and do not drop little crumbs or leave grease on my hands like chips or popcorn. Factor in the probable fiber content and reasonable calorie per serving, and you see why I am diggin' this as a snack. Think I'm nuts? Try it. Pretty soon you will be gobbling them by the handful like popcorn, with out the mess. My best friend Brenda eats them dry too, but she dips them in peanut butter. Sounds good to me, but messy and too time consuming. She actually makes little stacks of two cheerios with the peanut butter between them. Way too labor intensive. If I wanted to eat them that way, I would have to stir them into a big glob of peanut butter in a bowl and eat them with a spoon (which defeats the whole hand to mouth snack thing).

2. The Weather
Since the weather here is often labeled as bipolar, this in indeed an as-of-this-moment like. This morning it was around 50 degrees, with high today around 68. But this weekend? Oh yeah baby. Lows in the upper 30's and highs just over 60. Bring on fall! Us big girls like the cooler temps :) However, give it a few days, and we will probably be back into the upper 80s. Typical. Just when you think of breaking out a sweater, you will need your shorts again.

3. My Church
Have I mentioned my church lately? LOL-if you follow me on Facebook you know I never seem to shut up about it. But guess what? I LOVE MY CHURCH! It is the first place that I have ever felt like I truly belong. The people there are very real. There is no back biting or dissension. It is peaceful, happy, and the truth of God is taught. The staff works very hard to deliver the Word of God and a whole heap of love to every single person.

4.My Family
Mom and PaPa are doing well, my sister's last procedure to help with her back pain went great, my nieces are happy and secure in their young adult lives, my husband is strong, helathy and working his hiney off, and my daughter is about at happy as she has ever been. She is growing, (2 inches in one year so far) doing well in school, secure in her friendships, happy on her dance team at church, and secure in who she is in Christ. My inlaws are doing well too.

5.My Cats
Loudmouth is doing really well. Her new food with the arthritis medicine in it is really helping. She is walking better and her coat is fuller. She looks happier and her eyes look brighter. Julio is Julio. Crazy, funny and lovable. Yesterday he was walking on the top of the door to the porch, balance beam style. NUT! Lil Bit is her sweet self. She is getting a lot more snuggly now since the weather cooled off :)

6. Scrapbooking.
Yep, I am slowly getting back into it. Yesterday I spent part of the day working with my good friend April and actually finished a page. (We also nearly finished off a large bag of M and M's.) I have another page almost done. Since I lost my mojo a while back, this feels good to get back into it. I wil post pics soon.

7. Halloween Is Over
Not to be a party pooper, but I do not like Halloween. Never have. However, the gate is now open on Thanksgiving planning, followed closely by CHRISTMAS which I really, really love!

8. Hot Tea.
Just about any kind. Add sugar or honey and lemon and I am feeling good all the way down to my toes. Can't make myself drink it in the summer, but as soon as there is a hint of cool in the air, oh yeah baby, it's on.....the kettle that is :)

So there you have it. I know your day, or perhaps even your week is complete now. You know where I stand.
HAPPY FALL!

Mistakes

2010-10-27T14:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, the morning newspaper screamed this headline:
Police Charge Hodge Elementary PTA President With Theft
(You can read the entire article here)

I saw the paper yesterday, and felt my stomach drop. Just reading the headline brought back a flood of memories from a few years back. I didn't really need to read the entire article to know what had happened, but I read it anyway. Then I reached for my phone and made a call.

See, a few years ago, the same thing happened. However, instead of it being Hodge Elementary, it was another school. And instead of it being an unknown face plastered on the TV and news while people raged and criticized and accused, it was one of my closest and dearest friends face in the mugshot.

It was a bad time. My friend was accused of taking a large sum of money from our school's PTA. Evidence was compiled, and people talked. We live in a small town, so any tiny tidbit of info is fodder for gossip. My friend lost her job within the school system, had to move her kids to another school, resigned from our community rec center where she had worked tirelessly for years and endured all of the stares and comments from busybodies. She lost a lot of friends, and her kids did too through no fault of their own. She went to trial, pled guilty, paid all of the money back and was sentenced to probation and community service. She has fulfilled all of her obligations to the community and judicial system.

Since then, she has remarried and her kids have grown up watching their Mom go through all of this and learning that you can hold your head up when you go through bad times. They also learned that people make mistakes and sometimes pay dearly for bad choices.

However, as much as people detest the idea that someone would take money that did not belong to them, especially from children, the question that most people ask is "why?" and then they usually follow it up with "I could never do that!"

Although I can't answer that in whole, and I do believe there is always another solution, I can tell you that sometimes we forget the human aspect of people.

What most people so not know about this situation is that my friend was a single mom of 2 kids with a deadbeat dad. She also took care of her elderly and ill mother. In her mind, the money she took was only a loan, until she could pay it back. Over time however, the amount continued to grow.

My questions to those who say "I could never do that" are:
What would you do if you had no food for your kids?
What would you do if your kid's shoes had worn holes in the bottom or they had no coats for winter?
What would you do if your Mother needed to go to the doctor and you had no gas money to take her there?
What if you could not pay your electric bill and it was about to be turned off, when the temperature is below freezing?
What would you do it you had a flat tire, and the spare was bad too?

Most people would say they would go to a friend or a family member for help. But not everyone has that option. Many times, the family and friends are struggling right along with you, living paycheck to paycheck and robbing Peter to pay Paul.

So back to yesterday. I shared this story with the people I work with at my daughter's school, as they read the headlines. After a few moments, my closest friend there (no connection to the friend who took the money years ago) looked at me with tears in her eyes and said "Thank you. Thank you for reminding me that we all make mistakes."

Later yesterday afternoon, another person came in, grabbed the newspaper, rolled it up and held it high above her head proudly proclaiming "This person needs to be put under the jail! This is simply unforgivable!"

I looked over to my coworker, and our eyes met. Although nothing was said, I could hear her voice saying again "Thank you for reminding me that we all make mistakes."

In the first part of this blog I mentioned making a call. I called the friend who endured this drama a few years back. I told her how the newspaper had headlines of a story similar to hers, and that I was thinking of her. I finished our conversation by saying how thankful I was for how far we had come from where we used to be. Her simply reply, "I love you" was all that needed to be said.

As I stated before, I do not advocate theft or breaking the law in anyway. I do however, believe that we are all human and can never conclusively say what we will or will not do in a situation. We all struggle with things and we all make bad choices sometimes. I am just so thankful that when Jesus hung on the cross, He did not look at me and my sin in my life and say:

"This person should be put under the jail! This is simply unforgivable!"

I am so thankful that instead He chose to simply say "I love you".

We're home!

2010-10-21T20:07:00.000-04:00

Oh goodness, I am so excited to share with you that last week, on 10-10-10, our church moved into our new facility. It has been a long awaited process, but we are so thrilled to be in our new home!

The building is simply beautiful. The hand painted murals on the walls are fabulous! The youth room is super cool, and the sanctuary is large enough to accommodate us for now, but not for long as we are already welcoming HUGE amounts of visitors and newcomers!

I wanted to share some picture with you from our opening day celebration!
For more info, go to www.iwcishere.com

This is our super cool new sign out front. It is very bright and is attracting a lot of attention!

Our new Resource Center, which is built to hold 600-700 people in the sanctuary, has a large youth wing, big children's church, a cafe, a Fine Arts department (we have dance teams and a banner team plus an awesome praise team), offices for all the staff, several large classrooms and a beautiful bright and cheery nursery and preschool department with hand painted murals.

This is the beginning of service, when the banner team performed.

Here is a view from one side of the church, but it was taken before everyone got there. The place was packed! It was full of guests, visitors, church members, family, and tons and tons of LOVE!

This is our Bishop, Eddie Tomberlin.

Come visit us! You won't find another place like this!

Need a Good Laugh???

2010-10-07T22:09:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me very well knows that I hate public speaking. Perhaps that is not a strong enough word. I detest public speaking. I abhor it. I shudder at the thought of it. Ok, you get the point.

Imagine the fear running through my veins like ice water downstream when I was asked to make a presentation on Boxtops For Education at our school's PTA meeting tonight. GULP!

I gathered my info, and-being technologically-impaired- with some humbling help of my daughter prepared a Power point presentation, complete with sound! (To be perfectly honest the media clerk and my daughter did most of it. I just giggled at the sound choices and made the really hard decisions like which version of "applause" we should use.)

I drafted friends and school staff members to be at tonight's meeting for moral support. I was so thankful they were there. I waited nervously for my turn to speak. I was about 3/4 of the way down the agenda so I thought I had plenty of time to gather myself and my thoughts until the PTA President decided that we had no old business and the new business had already been discussed so it was my turn!

I stood up. I walked towards the podium, papers clasped firmly in my hand. I held my head up, looking ahead and fighting the nearly debilitating urge to run out of the door and never come back. Things went well......

........until........

I tripped.

Right in front of everyone. I was not looking at the floor, and my feet got caught in the speaker wire running from the laptop to the electrical outlet.

It was not one of my finest moments.

But somehow, by the grace of God, I did not fall flat on my face. I was also thankful that I did not wear the skirt I had considered, for fear of getting the back of the skirt tucked up in my underwear somehow and showing my ample assets to the entire crowd.

Also by the grace of God, I made it to the podium and heard my voice say:

"And that was just my opening act!"

I think it was a successful presentation after that. The audience clapped and laughed at appropriate moments in my little talk, and I had several people tell me I did well. (What else could they say? "Great job, GRACE?????"

Thank you God for keeping us humble, for giving us a sense of humor, and for friends who will tell you that you did a great job while keeping a sincere straight face.

Be Still

2010-10-01T21:46:00.002-04:00

A few months ago, my husband and I took our daughter to see The Karate Kid. You know, the new one, with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. We felt that for her to truly appreciate the film, she needed to see the original version, with Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. (My husband also felt that she should endure the two sequels, which I thought was a bit harsh since neither of them was a particularly fantastic piece of cinematic work but I digress.)

Anyway, after nearly rolling on the floor laughing at the placement of the waistband of Daniel San's jeans in the 1984 version (were guy's waists really 6 inches higher then than they are now????) and practically having a nervous breakdown when I told her that Ralph Macchio was the Robert Pattinson of my day, her father deemed her ready to watch the new movie.

Off we went. Tickets and popcorn purchased. Diet Cokes the size of tubas in hand. Enough candy to feed a small country and turn all citizens into diabetics included. Into the theater we went.

Although the plot was fairly good, I just have to say I thought the original was better. (As it seems to be in most cases of remakes) But this post is not a movie review. Aren't you glad?

Partway through the movie, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan's version of Mr. Miyagi) tells Dre (the smaller and dreadlocked version of Daniel) that "being still and doing nothing are two very different things".

WOW!

That has resonated within for months.

Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)

How often are we still? I think that especially as a woman, I equate sitting still and doing nothing with laziness. I often find myself multi-tasking to the extreme, loosing track of what I am intending to do by doing too many things at once. I do not understand how my husband and daughter can sit and watch TV for hours, while doing nothing. Just sitting. Staring. I simply can't do it. If I watch TV, it is generally something I have DVRed (is that a word?) so that I can fast forward commercials. I am usually also folding laundry, texting, and making lists of what else I need to do at the same time I watch the program. When I cook, I am also cleaning up the kitchen, loading and/or unloading the dishwasher, helping with homework and setting the table in between stirring pots or flipping meat. When I am online, I typically have three tabs open to do several things at once. Paying bills, balancing checkbooks, checking email, reading blogs, and Facebooking can all be done simultaneously at the click of a mouse. If I am on the phone, I am typically sorting papers or folding laundry or bagging up trash to take out at the same time. You get the picture.

So then what happens when it is time to read the Word or pray? It used to be a struggle. I would get so distracted. Prayer seemed a chore, and reading the Word was uninteresting and hard to understand. I could not understand how my women friends could sit and read the Word or pray for long periods of time. And to just sit and listen to God? To be still before Him? Yeah right. An alien concept to me.

So I prayed about it. While driving. With my cell phone in my cup holder in case it rang and my radio turned down and my eyes on the road. I asked God to make His Word alive to me. To show me how to pray with vigor and enthusiasm. To show me how to listen to Him. And He answered........"Be still."

That was it. Real revelation to me. I had to slow down, and realize that the God who made the Universe and saved me from Hell deserved my undivided attention. He is worthy of so much more that just of me stopping every other activity and coming into His presence with a clear and attentive mind. I wish I could tell you that as soon as I made the decision to approach Him like this it was an instant success, but that would be untrue. Although I tried, my mind drifted, I got sleepy or distracted as I read, and I got frustrated. I pressed on. I kept trying. And it got easier.

Now, although I do not do it as often as I would like or as often as I NEED to, I pray and read the Word much more often. I find myself praying outloud as I drive, with the radio off and the cell phone muted. I pray when I shower. I read the Word and Christian books daily. But every day, I make sure that I get still and quiet and I get still before my Father............

...........and I KNOW He is God.

Proud Mama

2010-09-22T17:25:00.001-04:00

Have I mentioned lately what a fabulous daughter I have? I mean, seriously, I know ALL moms are proud of their kids but I think I have one incredible daughter!

I mean, just look at her!

Not only is she beautiful, smart, talented, kind, compassionate, intelligent, concerned about others and our environment, a true believer in Christ and well behaved, (as if that were not enough!) she is quickly becoming a good friend to me.

When Dad is at work, and it is just us girls, we watch movies, talk, and just hang out. We spend a lot of time together. I enjoy that she is old enough now to have adult conversations and she articulates her feelings so well. We can talk about just about anything. I cherish this time, because I know it will go by quickly.

In an age where most kids think their parents are complete idiots and can barely tolerate to be in the same room with their parents, I have an AMAZING daughter who seems to actually enjoy being with me!

I am blessed!

Bloggy Direction

2010-09-11T15:10:00.001-04:00

I am in a funk.
I am in a funk with blogging, scrapbooking, and most heartbreaking of all, cooking.

I love to do all these things, but somehow, I just have no motivation to do ANY of them. Is it the back to school thing? Is it the heat? Is it my mounting sleep deficit?

I am trying to rationalize why I do the things that I do. I cook because I love to eat, I love to see my family enjoy a meal together, I love to try new recipes and see how they work out and it is something that comes easy to me. I truly love to cook and bake, and have been doing so since I was about 8 or 10. But in recent days, more often than not, it has been a lot of sandwiches and take out pizza.

I love to scrapbook. I have scrapbooked since my daughter was 2, so over 11 years now all total. I have a room all to myself to work in, and I have tons of happy supplies that need to be used before they dry rot. I love preserving memories for future generations, and I have boxes of great pictures. I used to walk by the door to my scrapbook room and hear the paper, ribbons, and adhesives call to me....."COME PLAY!!!!!!!!!"......now all I see is my cat sleeping on my desk and the vacuum parked in front of my sewing machine.

And blogging? I used to feel like I could write every day. I used to have something witty and/or funny to say, or something that seemed worthwhile to share quite often. Now? I just feel like blogging is another thing on my to-do list.

So what about you? Do you blog? Sew? Scrapbook? Work out? Knit? What is your passion? Why do you do the things that you do, and what KEEPS you doing them?

It's Almost Time....

2010-08-26T22:53:00.001-04:00

...for school. My daughter starts eighth grade at a new school next week. Due to district rezoning, she will not attend her old middle school. It has been an adjustment for her, but I am happy to day that we learned tonight at open house that she will be in homeroom and all core classes with her two best friends. Talk about happy!

First semester she will take:
9th grade math
math application
physical science
Georgia history
9th grade language arts/reading
9th grade Spanish
band/guitar

She is excited and so are we! I hope that 8th grade is the best year ever!

Abba Father

2010-08-18T23:18:00.001-04:00

Every week my pastor sends out an email with something that he feels led to share with us. While each week's thoughts are always very good, today's words strummed a chord with me.

A portion of Bishop Tomberlin's email reads a as follows:

Isn't it interesting that none of the Old Testament writers referred to God as "Father?" The Old Testament is where we find "the Law" or many attempts at pleasing God (religion). This means that there was no concept of God as "Father" until Jesus came along and referred to God as "Abba Father." Jesus came to introduce us to a bigger concept of God as our "divine parent."

I had never thought about when and where God is referred to by specific names. But I do know that Jesus came to bring us into a loving relationship with our Heavenly Father, and His life on this earth freed us from the law of the Old Testament. What a wonderful revelation that we can approach God as our Father, who loves us so much that He sent His own Son to die for us rather than some far off mysterious entity who is so often portrayed as angry, judgmental and condemning!

Thank you Father, for loving me.

Have you ever............

2010-07-29T15:06:00.001-04:00

...........come across a picture that needs no explanation? I did. It is my niece and her husband, at their wedding reception two weeks ago.
I am honored to share it with you:

Road Trip

2010-07-13T17:34:00.002-04:00

About ten days ago my husband, daughter and I loaded up the car and headed to Louisiana for my niece's wedding. We left our home at 5:00 AM, and hit the Interstate. After a couple of hours, my husband got drowsy so I took the driver's seat. I drove on up the Interstate, listening to the quiet hum of the tires as we rolled along. Not much traffic. The sun was up, but not shining brightly overhead yet.

I turned off of the Interstate onto a road (one I had not traveled before) on the advice of MapQuest. It was GA Hwy 96 and it promised to take us across the state of Georgia into Columbus before we headed south down through Montgomery and Mobile on Interstates 85 and 65, across I-10 and finally onto I-12 into Louisiana.

My husband and daughter were asleep. I found myself watching as the straight, gray, and incessantly boring interstate road gave way into the lush, green gracefully rolling landscape of green trees and quiet roadside land. Everywhere I looked I saw farms with fields rolling for miles of with the beautiful greenery of peas, beans, squash and tomatoes. I saw fields of towering corn stalks, tasseled at the top and promising a good crop. I saw wide expanses of rolling pastures with goats, cows, and horses munching quietly and peacefully on their breakfasts as we drove swiftly past. We passed peach tree orchards with short stubby trees heavy with fruits, and pecan groves with tall, stately trees stretching high and proud above the ground.

I began praying as I drove. I thanked God for this beauty, and repented for taking so much for granted. I prayed blessings and prosperity for the farmers that have struggled so in the past few years of drought and seemed to be having a bumper crop this year. I prayed for the merchants who had small stores along this route, that they would survive our country's current economic crisis and continue to supply their community with goods and services and that their sales would support their own family. I thanked God for His goodness and the beauty He created, and for allowing me to experience it on my quiet ride.

A little farther along I passed an open area on my right, with large silver electrical lines running alongside the highway. As I drove I saw a thin cloud of fog sweep across the valley under the power lines and it took my breath. Surrounded by all this beauty, I wondered if that thin foggy cloud was in any way similar in appearance to the Spirit of God that walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day in The Garden of Eden. It floated just above the ground, wispy and light, sheer and beautiful in the morning light.

I don't know what Adam and Eve saw and experienced in their time with God, but I am thankful that I had my own time with my Heavenly Father that morning, just cruising along Hwy 96. It was amazing.

A new addiction

2010-06-26T00:52:00.001-04:00

I have a confession to make. I am sure this will be earth shattering and somewhat shocking revelation to many readers. I never watched Sex And The City on HBO.

Seriously????? Yup. Even when it was all the rage a few years back, it never appealed to me and we did not have HBO anyway, so I didn't feel like I was missing out

Bring on the hysterectomy. While recovering, I spent a lot of time in excruciating pain and piled up in my bed. When my collection of DVR shows and on demand movies was exhausted, I scrolled through channel after channel begging for something to watch to take my mind off of my painful reality. I stumbled across the Sex and The City movie on HBO, which we got free for a month from our cable provider to suck up for screwing up our service and not fixing it right the first time. I watched it, expecting to be bored witless which combined with Demerol may not have been a hard feat to accomplish.

Guess what? I LOVED IT!!!!! It was not the sex (and believe me there was a lot of it but somehow less than I expected from all the hype)it was the story of the friendship between four women that I loved. They stuck through it all, divorce, wedding disaster, children, and still remained friends. Not just casual friends mind you, but the kind that finish each other's sentences and know each other inside and out yet still love each other.

After the movie, I wondered what I was missing out on. I searched my listings and found that TBS shows a cleaned up version in our area every morning at 1:00 and another episode at 1:30am. I watched an episode. I was hooked.

My DVR now clicks to record SATC every early morning. I watch the shows when Jamie is on the boat. There is still more sex that is probably appropriate and I am not sure that spending the time watching the reruns is exactly beneficial or edifying in ANY way, but I sure love the story of these four women. Now....who wants to go see SATC2 with me in the theater???????????????????

Free Hugs in Sondrio, Italy

2010-06-16T10:46:00.001-04:00

My friend Noel posted this link on Facebook this morning and I just love it.

I was sad when I first started watching the video, but as it played on it was so heartwarming to watch people's expressions change. I especially loved that these were real, genuine, open arm hugs, not those halfway stiff armed things some people give that make you feel like they are afraid to touch anyone for fear of contamination or something. These were the REAL THING!

How easy would it be to affect many people with such a simple act? You never know what a person is going through in the depths of their heart. So often people could have their whole day/life/world changed by a simple hug.

Who have YOU hugged today?

Last week of 7th grade

2010-06-07T07:24:00.001-04:00

Today starts the last week of Marissa's 7th grade year. She is so ready for summer! I think that after the CRCT, the kids are just done. They are exhausted, frustrated, and as the weather gets hotter they are just ready to be out of school. Unfortunately, our school system has the kids in school until June 11. Thankfully, we do not return in early August as neighboring counties do, we wait until September to return. :)

So today is the last Monday of 7th grade, and also the last Monday that my daughter will attend this school. Due to redistricting she will attend another school next year, but still in the International Baccalaureate program. She will be closer to home, but she is hesitant to change schools. She is a creature of habit, and very much like her Mama, in that she does not like change of any kind. We like things to be steady, even keeled, and predictable. :) It is also the last Monday that any of the kids at her middle school will actually be in that building for middle school, as it is being converted to a high school this fall. The middle school will move to the elementary school in September. Big changes in our district!

It is just so hard to believe that 7th grade is coming to an end.....seems she just started kindergarten last week!

How Much Time?????

2010-05-30T22:10:00.002-04:00

I had a discussion with someone the other day regarding how much time this person spends talking to their spouse. Although the person I was speaking to has the incredible bad luck of being 1,000 miles away from their spouse, I was shocked to find out that they spend up to 8 hours a day on weekends on the phone.

Wow.

I started wondering about this, and tried to figure out how much time I spend talking to my husband on any given day. When he is on the boat for a week, we talk maybe 30 minutes a day, and usually not in one clip. It's spread out over many short conversations, interspersed with text messages. When he is home, we talk more of course, but I can't come up with a time estimate. We spend time together because we love each other and enjoy each other's company, but I never thought about how much we actually engage in conversation. I began to think maybe we were unusual, that we were not talking enough or maybe we were just too familiar with each other and conversation was missing somehow.

I wonder though, if perhaps we are not oddballs by thinking that sometimes words are not necessary. We have a heart and spirit connection, and sometimes we can communicate with a glace or a smile that says more than a novel full of words ever could. Sometimes the silence speaks for itself. When I lay down next to my husband and rest my head on his chest, his heartbeat speaks to me in a language all it's own. It's a private language, shared by just us.

I'm not saying there is a right amount or wrong amount of time a couple should spend in conversation. I think that as relationships grow and change it varies greatly in each season. What works for some may not work for everyone. It just made me think.

So what about you? How much time would you estimate you actually spend talking to your spouse or significant other? What would you say is an average time of chatter for other couples you know?

Once Upon A Time.....

2010-05-25T23:57:00.001-04:00

...there was a little blog. And it was a very good, sweet blog indeed. It was patient and kind, never too demanding, and always there when I needed to vent to someone.

And now, the poor thing is pouting.

My poor little blog is so neglected.

In all honesty, it has been a whirlwind of activity these past two weeks. We have had a ton of work to do on some rental property we manage, getting it ready for new renters, and in the evenings? Well, we have had something scheduled EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.

Throw in that I am still not 100% after surgery the end of Feb (I know.....it's taking a lot longer than I thought too).

My recipe for my life right now woudl read something like this:
I shall call this recipe : Life in A Blender

In a standard blender combine one hard working man who is gone 6 months of every year, one very sweet almost 13 year old girl, and one over the hill Mom.
Toss in 3 cats.
Add one truck that needs a transmission job, two rental properties in need of repairs, one school year that is winding down s-l-o-w-l-y, 48,000,000 tons of dirty laundry, band concerts, dance practice, clarinet lessons, youth group, dance performance, Church, Facebook, at least 2 family members in crisis at this point, My mom having heart cath, my cat-nephew spending a week in ICU at his vet (poor baby!), my niece is getting married in Baton Rouge in just a few weeks[insert that aforementioned almost 13 year old is a bridesmaid here], the two hamsters we are rodent-sitting for a week, and a yard that needs mowing almost every other day due to the deluge of rain we are getting.

Blend on high speed constantly for two weeks or longer, until Mom is a train wreck.

Serve half baked, just like the Mom.

Have a good week! Stay Sane! :)

19 Kids and Counting

2010-05-14T00:22:00.002-04:00

Do you watch this show on TLC? I started watching the Duggar family way back when it was 14 Kids and Counting. My mom told me about it, and she was fascinated with the fact that the parents had named all the kids with names that start with "J".

I have followed the show off and on since then, and now with their latest addition, a premie baby girl named Josie Brooklyn, they are up to 19 kids. Oldest son Josh is married and has a child of his own. This makes Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar parents of 19 and grandparents of one.

My bff hates this show. She says it is ridiculous for someone to have that many kids. She lists off reasons like so many kids in foster care that they could adopt, so many homeless kids, and the toll it takes on a woman's body to have one child much less 19! I have mixed emotions. Apparently, the family is self supporting, debt free and relies on no government assistance, so I have no issue with that. I also feel that a couple should have the right to decide how many kids they want to have. I like to watch them shop at thrift stores to find great deals, because I like to do that too. I love the way the family works together, and I think the children are simply beautiful!

I do wonder however, if the seriousness of the premature birth of this last child will deter them from having any more children. I wonder if they will continue to have kids that will be younger than their grandchild. I wonder how the kids will feel years from now about growing up on tv. The recent Jon and Kate mess made me wonder how much of a person's life we have a right to see.

My main concern came out of a moment of curiosity. I searched Facebook for "Duggars" in Arkansas, and came across a group called "I Hate The Duggars". Further reading brought up groups called "Sterilize the Duggars and "Anti-Duggars". Now this makes me angry.I feel that the idea of hating the Duggars or demanding sterilazation of the Duggars is uncalled for. People have the freedom to dislike choices that another person makes, but is it fair to HATE people you have never even met just because of the choices they made? That to me is not a far step from racism, which is hating people based on skin color alone, or hating people for choosing an alternative lifestyle or choose an unconventional job.

Our job as Christians is to LOVE one another. John 13:34-35 tells us that we are to love each other as God loves us. We may not like the choices others make, we may not even like the things other people do, but we have no right to HATE anyone. Sometimes it is difficult to understand why people do the thing they do, but we cannot hate anther person. It is the same with us and God. We are human, with free will and a mind to make our own choices. However, because of our inherent sin nature, we make choices and mistakes that grieve the heart of our God. What if God had hatred for us when we make mistakes? Lucky for us, He is always loving and always has a plan for us. He loves us so much that He sent His own son to die for us so that we can have eternal life through Him. (John 3:16, Romans 5:8)

I guess the best way to summarize what I think is by quoting the saying "Hate the sin, love the sinner". You may not agree with the Duggars or Jon and Kate or with me, but I hope that you do not harbor hate against anyone. It makes for a lonely and bitter life!

My prayer for the Duggars is that they are seeking the plan God has for them, and that baby Josie and all of the kids remain healthy, happy and well adjusted. Is it God's plan for me to have 19 kids???? Nope. But is it for me to judge the Duggars for having 19 kids? Not at all. And to be frank, it isn't anyone else's either.

A New Friend =)

2010-05-10T15:27:00.002-04:00

The coolest thing about blogging and Facebook is friendship. I have reconnected with many people from my school years and early childhood, old church friends, past military families that we served with, family friends that I had lost touch with, and along the way I have met many new friends!

One of the blogs I follow is called Hippy Chick. I am not sure exactly how I found this blog, I think it may have been through "Savannah Scrapbooking" or "Want What You Have" but I am not sure.
I was immediately drawn to this blog because it is quirky, funny, warm, witty, creative, and always has something new. It is the blog I wish I had because it is updated frequently and makes me smile.

Over the past few months I learned that the blog author lives about 45 minutes from me. Imagine that! About a bazillion bloggers out there and I find one practically in my own backyard! We emailed a few times, and talked to getting together face to face, but it didn't happen.

Until Saturday. :D

My husband and I ended up in Angela's town, and I facebook messaged her. We texted just about all afternoon, and ended up meeting for dinner. Her daughter is so adorable! Unfortunately, her hubby was worn out from work and couldn't join us, but that is what next time is for!

She commented on her blog that it was like we had known each other forever, and I felt the same way. It was super cool and I can't wait to see her again!

Here is to the start of a beautiful friendship, in real life, not just online :)

Another Point of View

2010-05-05T21:24:00.001-04:00

Remember a few months ago when I posted about the issues my daughter was having with being bullied at school? Well, tonight's youth group message really hit home with my daughter and she told me she wanted to blog about it.

She has her own blog, and she will post this story there tomorrow, but I invited her to be my guest blogger tonight. Here is her story. Please comment and let her know what you think!

Tonight, our youth pastor was talking about friends. True friends, cocky friends, temperamental friends, etc., etc., etc. It made me think of the first half of the school year. Most of my class was kids whose parents could no longer afford private school or kids who went to the elementary school next door. Well, I was one of few kids from Pooler.

Everything was fine for a while. Breaking the ice, making friends, learning about people, and the like. I met a girl, lets call her Pop A, she was from Pennsylvania, and so I understood the left out thing. We became good friends. I hurt my knee, and they wouldn’t let me go to school because of the medicine I was taking. So, I come back to school, I think Wednesday, she wouldn’t talk to me. She wouldn’t look at me, talk to me, or even acknowledge me. Before I go on, let’s define friend. According to dictionary.com, friend, noun, means a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. Ok, moving on.

So, I text her and we had a nice chat. Sorta how it went:
Me- Hey, what’s up?
Pop A- Nm. U?
Me- Same.
Pop A- Cool.

This is where things fell apart.
Me- Why won't u talk to me?
Pop A- Because
Me- Seriously, why.
Pop A- Well…
Me- What?
Pop A- I’m cool and you’re not.
Me- Oh

I went crying to my mom. She told to say something like, “Well, I guess we’re not friends anymore. But, I want you to know I care about you.” So I do that and she said ok. It ended up that we’re not friends, we’re classmates now.

After that, things started happening. Some examples:
-Pop B&C sitting in front of me, look towards me, whisper, and laugh
-Pop D (I only heard a snippet of this one) whispering with some others and I hear her say “like those” pointing at my shoes and laughing.
-Pop E (I had a Hannah Montana lanyard, “kids” shows are put down extremely) Hannah Montana? Laughs and gossips with others.
-All pops- our lunch table was divided. Pretty much into these groups:
*Boys (except for 3 pop boys)
* Pops
* Me and my two best friends.
-So, once my friends and I wanted to see why they were all laughing, and joking and just being happy. So we sat with them. Everyone became silent, ate, a few whispers, and just looked at us. We got the message and never sat there again.

Things like this kept happening. I cried every afternoon. I begged my mom not to make me go to school. My mom finally talked to teachers, counselors, vice principals, everyone.
We had a meeting. It was a Wednesday or Thursday, and I was called in. I could only recall two events before I broke down. They decided to move me. I expected the next day or Monday to be moved. No, they moved me in this period.

In my new homeroom, I walked in and everyone thought I was replacing a girl everyone liked. Well, that was solved. Then 3 boys thought my name was Deborah. Deborah? My name starts with an M!

Ever since then, I’ve had few problems.

A Must Read!

2010-05-04T17:24:00.001-04:00

I have several blogs that I follow. Two of my favorites are Jamie's blog at www.savannahscrapbooking.typepad.com, and Heather's blog at
http://blog.wantingwhatyouhave.com

Heather's blog is mostly about how to be content with your life by living simply, with detailed hilarious accounts of her daily life.

Jamie's blog is a laugh a minute, quirky and endlessly entertaining ramble of all things in her wonderful life in Dhu Land. (I secretly wanna be her when I grow up)

Last night I flipped over to Heather's blog and was shocked and sickened by what I saw. She reported that by following stat counter (www.statcounter.com), she learned that some sick, perverted, twisted person had found her blog in a Google search by searching "little kids naked".

She wrote a very real and honest account of how this made her feel and the methods she used to report this scum sucking pervert to the proper authorities. I quickly jumped onto stat counter and set up an account for myself.

I urge you to look into it for yourself, especially if you post pictures of your children on a blog or other public forum. It is a scary, ugly world we live in sometimes and we MUST protect our kids. Sadly, technology is so far ahead of legal measures that it is up to US to do what we can to stand between our family and some low life jerk who wants to get his thrill by looking at our kids in bathing suits or precious newborns in a bathtub. Makes me want to barf.

Schwan's House Party

2010-05-01T17:23:00.003-04:00

Check this out!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot tell you all how excited I am about this! My box of goodies came yesterday, full of great coupons and recipe cards and insulated lunch bags for each guest. If you would be interested in attending my Schwan's House party and sampling great Schwan's products for FREE, just leave a comment and I will get you all the details!

It's Party Time!

2010-04-27T22:43:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I got an email inviting me to enter for a chance to host a Schwan's House Party. You know all about Schwan's, right? The big yellow trucks that deliver tasty treats like pizza and ice cream right to your door? Oh yeah baby....gotta love delicious eats that you don't even have to leave home to get!

Well, after I read the info, I decided to enter. Did not figure I had a snowball's chance in Hawaii of being chosen from the tens of thousands of entries in this nationwide contest, but guess what???? I DID GET SELECTED!

This week I ordered my party pack, which contains over $100 worth of food to share with my friends so that they can sample Schwan's wonderful products for themselves. In about 3 weeks my home will be party central, with folks chowing down on things like Italian meatballs, Three Cheese Pizza, Chicken Cheese Quesadillas, Mini Corndogs, Fried Green Beans, Baked Chicken Nuggets, Guacamole, Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies and Mini Ice Cream Treats. Each guest gets an insulated lunch tote and coupons for Schwan's products.

I'm excited!!!!!! I had not heard of HouseParty until now. Check them out HERE and sign up for a chance to be chosen to host a party of your own to showcase delicious foods and new products from cool companies like Gerber, Ball, Hasbro Games and many more,.

Earth Mom

2010-04-21T23:58:00.001-04:00

This year Earth Day has prompted me to think a lot about our Earth. My best friend and I had a conversation a while back about recycling. She said she doesn't recycle because she does not believe that it will be long before we are with Jesus in the Rapture and the Earth won't be out home anymore. I agree that the return of Jesus is probably a lot closer than we realize, but I also believe that when God created Adam and gave him dominion over everything in the garden of Eden, he also charged him with the responsibility of taking care of the Earth and all of His creation.

I wish that I were better about living green, but I am trying. Here are some ways I do my part to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

I use reusable grocery totes. I bought several large totes at Save A Lot and I use them everywhere. At first I felt bad about using them at Publix or Kroger but once the baggers commented on how much they like the larger bags I felt better. They hold the equivalent of about 4 plastic bags and are much easier to carry.
We recycle. Our city does not offer curbside recycling so we take our recyleables to the city recycling center which is less than a mile from our house. My husband and daughter load them into the back of our truck about every 2 weeks and take them to the center. We recycle aluminum cans, office paper, tin cans, glass, plastic, cardboard, magazines and newspapers.
We reuse things. We recently planted our garden seedlings in empty yogurt cups and applesauce containers.
We shop at thrift stores. We find great deals on clothes and household items there and save money as well as reusing perfectly good items that someone else had no use for anymore.
We use Freecycle. We have gifted and received some really good stuff! This is a great way to keep stuff out of landfills!
I purchase a stainless steel water bottle for my daughter's lunch to limit the use of bottled water.
I keep a clean dish towel hanging on my oven handle to use for drying my hands instead of using paper towels.
I only wash full loads in my washing machine and dishwasher.
I dry my clothes on a short cycle, then check them. I am usually surprised to find out that the items dry in much less time than I thought. This saves money and energy over automatically setting my dryer timer for 60 minutes.
We use ceiling fans in every room. I read a study recently that shows that using a ceiling fan can lower the temperature in a room by as much as 6 degrees. In the hot humid summers of south Georgia, this really helps!

There are ways that I would like to improve in my Green (or sometimes not so green) life:

I would like to purchase new energy efficient appliances and low flow faucets and toilets. (I do have a large jar of water in my toilet tank to save water.) Unfortunately this is not a financial possibility right now.
I would like to be able to use public transportation but it is not offered in our city.
My biggest dream would be to have solar panels on my home to generate clean energy
I would like to eliminate paper napkins and paper towels completely in favor of cloth versions but I am too lazy.
I still take long hot showers. I enjoy them and find them relaxing. I really do not want to give up this simple luxury.
I would like to make a compost bin and make organic compost for our little veggie garden and my yard plants. I would like one of those kitchen counter compost pails as well. I found direction to make my own from a large plastic coffee can and a charcoal filter, but have not tried it yet. Just can't justify one of those spiffy $50 stainless steel numbers.

So what do you do to keep our planet clean? What are your thoughts on reducing waste, reusing things or recycling?
Happy Earth Day!!!!!
(image from Google image search)

Pages to turn

2010-04-20T01:19:00.001-04:00

My poor blog is so neglected. I feel like such a bad mom to my blog. Is there an agency out there like Blog Protective Services? If so I am pretty sure they will be knocking on my door and confiscating my keyboard any moment. Just seems like life has been so complicated lately.

Most people, with the exception of close friends and church family, did not know that I was having a hysterectomy until it was all said and done. I had been so sick for the past few months, even a year or more, that I was really hoping that I would feel a hundred times better after surgery. Maybe that day is coming, but it isn't here yet. I do feel better, but I am still not me. I get tired very easily, and I can't seem to think clearly. Dragging myself through the day is about all I can do most days, and even then I feel like I am only doing most things half way.

My 40th birthday is this week. I am not looking forward to it. I know it is better than the alternative (LOL) but this is a very difficult time. Most people also did not know that we had tried for years to have another child, to no avail. I had always said no more kids after 30, then 35, then finally I set my deadline as 40. Now, due to health issues, that dream has ended. I am approaching 40 not so much as "old", but more the end of a chapter in my life. It isn't the end of the book, but it is the end of an important chapter.To be perfectly honest, I am really struggling with that. I don't understand how some women can have a dozen kids and can't/won't take care of any of them, while so many women who would be wonderful mothers struggle with infertility as I (and my sister and most of our family) did.

I am so grateful that God blessed us with our daughter. She is growing into the loveliest young lady. She is funny, smart, talented and gifted in so many ways. She is sweet and beautiful and a real joy to be around. I wish that we had been able to give her a younger brother or sister, but obviously that is not meant to be. I have heard from well-meaning friends that I should be happy with what God gave me and not ask for more, that there are too many people on the planet anyway, that we should be grateful that we have one healthy child and not "test fate", and so much other unsolicited but well intended advice. I am incredibly blessed with my daughter, and I love her dearly. She is everything parents could dream of having and more.

But somehow, even though the surgery was necessary and I know in time I will be so thankful it was done, I feel sort of like I am spinning my wheels in life. And with 40 slapping me in the face, it's tough. I warned my husband and my best friend that if anyone tries to pull any of that "over the hill" or "lordy lordy look who's 40" crap I may just explode. They were both so understanding and I am grateful for their support. I know that turning 40 is not the end of the world, but when you couple it with other major life changes, it feels like it's pretty close. It isn't the age.......it's that I wasn't ready to write this chapter in the story of my life just yet. The worst part is it was written for me.

Happy Easter everyone!

2010-04-05T11:26:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful celebration of Christ's Resurrection! We had a PACKED house at church, then came home and rested a bit. I made dinner last night. Our best friends came over as well as my in-laws. My parents are still out of town. Jamie was working. :(

I cannot believe how much my daughter has grown. No more little girl here, she has grown into a stunning young lady. We still dyed a few eggs, and did the basket thing, but honestly my heart broke a little when her PaPa and Brenda and I hid the eggs, which she hunted, but then quietly said that "some of the magic was gone." I did not cry. (At least not when she could see me.)

I know that things are changing, and I love the young lady she is becoming. I am proud of her for the choices she makes and the attention she gives her schoolwork. She is a good friend, and is approaching this first boyfriend thing with great maturity and wisdom. I am grateful for these things and thank God for them several times a day. But seriously, where did my little girl go????

Are You a December Watermelon?

2010-03-23T21:03:00.001-04:00

Don't you just love a ripe, sweet, juicy watermelon on a hot summer day? Living in Georgia, we have TONS of watermelons here in the hot summer months. It is a wonderful thing on the 4th of July, at a cook out, pool party, or any day "just because". I love to cut into the smooth green rind, hearing the thick striped skin split and crack as my knife goes in. A few wiggles of the blade and the melon bursts in half, exposing the beautiful red flesh inside and spilling it's sweet sticky juice onto the table. A few more hacks with the knife and it is in wedges or cut up into chunks, ready for eating. Nothing beats a happy child eagerly sinking their teeth into this sweet, delicious summertime staple.

So what happens when you crave that delicious goodness in December? A quick trip to most grocery stores shows you that watermelons are usually available year round, shipped in from somewhere on the other side of the world, usually teeny in size and big in price. Sometimes I can't help myself. I break down and buy the melon (don't even bother thumping or sniffing or tapping it, it won't tell you anything at this point) and take it home. Drooling with anticipation, I cut into it. A stab with the knife reveals no splitting rind, and I have to saw the fruit in half. The inside is a disappointing pale pink, with flat, sickly looking white seeds. I hack it into wedges or pieces, throw on some salt, and take a bite.

HUGE disappointment. I knew better than to think I could experience that sweet perfection of a ripe south Georgia watermelon in DECEMBER!!!!!

Well, this little analogy also applies to our Christian life. You see, we all have seasons in our walk. Some seasons last a while, while others are very brief. God moves us from season to season, using us for His glory and purpose.

So what happens when we follow God's command and we do what He tells us, say teaching a class or serving on a ministry team, and we fall into a comfort zone so that we decide to stay there no matter what? God will tell us to move when He is ready, but often we resist out of that security in a certain job or position. Eventually, we begin to grow tired and stale in this capacity, and in time even grow resentful and grouchy. Finally, when we are so miserable we can't stand it, we step down or in some cases get "moved" because we have lost our effectiveness and the Kingdom begins to suffer for it.

We become a December watermelon.
Tasteless, unsatisfying, and bitter.

But when we serve a season at our fullest, listening for God's direction and urgings, we move from season to season, being satisfied in our work and effective in our mission for Christ. It's no different that pumpkins in October, strawberries in March, citrus fruit in December, and even a watermelon in July. We are best in our appointed season, and no other time.

Watermelon photo from Google images

I am at the three week mark!

2010-03-16T23:35:00.001-04:00

Well, I went for my 3 week post-surgery check up today. My hemoglobin is up to 11.5 which is a HUGE improvement since I was very anemic due to heavy blood loss before surgery. I am hoping I will have more energy when this is all over! My blood pressure was 126/73. My dr says I am healing well. I still have a little pain off and on, but mostly just discomfort practically 24/7. My dr says the "zings" I was feeling a few days ago are the nerves inside trying to heal. She says my stitches are doing exactly as they should, some dissolved, some in place still. I can drive now, but cannot lift more than a gallon of milk. That is practically EVERYTHING when you think of it! Laundry basket? Nope. Jug of cat litter? Nope. Bag of trash from kitchen trash can? Nope. Still restrictions of no vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, stretching, bending or reaching. Because of my hot flashes and crying jaunts I am now the proud owner of Estrogen patches which I sincerely hope help A LOT. Last night I had a hot flash like clockwork every thirty minutes. NO SLEEP at all last night! I really hope this little patch works well, and works quickly.

I am feeling better but still a long way to go! Hope this patch kicks in and works. If I could sleep I would feel a lot better I am sure. This Thursday my DH has to go to Charleston again for work and I got the ok from my dr to ride with him, as long as we stop every hour or so for me to stretch. No shopping or sightseeing this trip, but if I can get by that spice shop I want to get some flavored sugar! The lime flavor sugar was wonderful! I will sit in the car and my beloved DH will trot in for me I am sure. :)

It's been 2 weeks and 3 days since surgery..........and..........

2010-03-12T16:41:00.004-05:00

......... I am very discouraged today. My mom left yesterday to go home since my husband was coming back from work for a week. (He works on a tugboat and is gone 7-10 days and nights, then home 5-7 days and nights) When I walked out of my bedroom yesterday morning, I saw that she had stripped her bed and had her stuff packed. I started crying and I am not sure I have stopped yet. Last night I cried because I had to ask my BFF to sweep my kitchen floor. She was happy to do it of course but I felt like an idiot asking. Today I cried because I walked in my daughters room and her bed was not made. I realized for the past week my mom had made her bed and opened her drapes every morning. The after a shower I cried because none of my granny panties were clean. Not that I wanted to wear the granny panties AT ALL but my bikinis hurt my incisions. So.... I cried because my fat old lady underwear was dirty and also because I had to wear granny panties at all LOL. The I walked in the kitchen and saw that the biscuit pan was on the counter and I cried because my mom had made me homemade biscuits every night while she was here and I loved them so much. I realized I won't get those tonight. My husband just hugs me and laughs, then I cry because he is laughing "at me". He really isn't, but hey, the sight of a usually (fairly) sane woman crying over her underwear is kinda funny if you think about it. And he is a guy, who is doing the very best he can.

SHEESH! I am a TRAIN WRECK!

clipart from picturesof.net

Where Have I Been????

2010-03-08T12:06:00.001-05:00

For the past two weeks, I have been pretty much confined to the comfort of my bed. Or my recliner. Or my couch.

I had a total hysterectomy, including ovaries, on Feb. 23. I did not make details of this public thru cyberspace for many personal reasons.

Please continue to pray for my recovery. I developed several minor complications after surgery including a severe UTI, an infection at one of my incision sites, and an infection in my throat from the scrapes of the tube.

Thanks so much for praying for me, and I hope to be back to blogging (and life in general) very soon!

Time for Tea in Charleston SC

2010-02-18T10:19:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, my husband has some business matters that had to be handled in Charleston, so we spent a day in the beautiful city. We walked in the open air market for a little while, before we realized that it was really too cold for that kind of activity. :) We were going to get lunch and on the way I spotted a tea shop across the street and wanted to go in.

The name of the shop is The Spice and Tea Exchange and when we walked in we were met with the most delicious scents swirling together to create an intoxicating aroma. The walls are lines with clear glass jars that hold spices ranging from cinnamon sticks and bay leaves to exotic little numbers I had never even heard of! The owner Stacy was very friendly and she and her employee (who's name I forgot to get!!!!) helped us by providing information about each spice, and explained that they compound the spices into their own rubs and seasoning blends right there in the store.

In addition to spices and spice mixtures, they also have flavored sugars, flavored salts and loose leaf teas. We found sugar that was flavored with lime, lemon, blueberry, and many other flavors but decided that the lime sugar was the best. Once we got home we were devastated to realize that in our excitement we neglected to get any of the sugar! We played around with some salts, and decided to purchase some hickory flavored sea salt. I plan to use this when I cook Boston butt in my crockpot, hoping it will give a smoked flavor without actually smoking it.

Our last stop was the wall lined with teas. We sniffed and thought and enjoyed all of the offerings before deciding to purchase an ounce of three different teas.

Our first choice was the Lemon Twist tea, which is a blend of lemon verbena, hibiscus, and other delicious herbs. We also got some Green Tropical tea, which is flavored with pineapple and other tropical fruits. Lastly we chose the California Fields Tea, which is a blend of green and black tea, cactus flowers, sunflowers and other tasty bits.

I cannot wait to go back and try more of Stacey's delicious blends and creations. Visit Charleston and go into her shop or for some online Southern charm visit the website here and shop with her. I promise you will not be disappointed!

The last guest blog for a while

2010-02-17T19:12:00.001-05:00

I finished up my guest blog series over on Kimchi's blog "Hope on the Horizon" today. It will be my last writing as a guest blogger for a little while. Please check it out and let me know what you think!
Read her blog here.

Can you believe this?

2010-02-15T11:55:00.000-05:00

We actually had SNOW in south Georgia! I had not seen snow stick to the ground in years! Marissa, Barry and Shaw had a great time playing in the snow and then we had hot chocolate to warm up again. Then I did loooooooads of wet, cold laundry...... :)

At it again....

2010-02-10T14:48:00.000-05:00

Guest blogging again. Check it out HERE. What began as a two part blog based on my pastor's recent teachings is stretching on. Part 3 is up today, part 4 will be up next Wednesday.
Let me know what you think!

Love is in the air.....

2010-02-05T14:19:00.001-05:00

Oh wow, my baby girl is in love. Hard to believe isn't it? Well, a few weeks ago I wrote about the young man at church who was asking if she was ok, and quickly became her biggest cheerleader/encourager. They really bonded over that time, and now since she has moved classrooms and things are so much better they have grown from being friends to "like-liking" each other.

Ah, young love....so sweet.

Today they are celebrating what they call their "one month-a-versary".

He is a great kid. He encourages her. He is called to be a pastor. He is musically gifted as well, and they spend a lot of time working on band pieces and he transposes stuff so they can play his trumpet music together. (He plays French horn, trumpet and is learning piano, she plays clarinet, piano and is learning guitar) They text all the time, and talk once or twice a day. Last month my daughter used nearly 5,00 text messages. Thank goodness for unlimited text!!!!

I am not ready for this.....but it is here.

Guest blogging again.....

2010-02-03T11:40:00.003-05:00

Check out my second post as a guest blogger. Please leave a comment!
http://hopeonthehorizon-kimchi4.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-is-sin-part-2by-michelle.html

Under The Big Top

2010-01-28T15:41:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday we took Marissa to her very first circus. It was amazing! Until we bought tickets to go, I did not realize that my husband had never been to the circus either! I can remember going as a kid with my mom. I always loved everything about the circus, except the clowns. They always...even now....freak me out.

These were made before the show.

We got there early, for the meet and greet.

The animals were amazing!

All in all, we had ONE HAPPY GIRL!

Guest blogging

2010-01-26T22:00:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone,
I want to invite you all to begin following a new blog called Hope on the Horizon. It is written by a good friend and sister in Christ that I had the honor to meet a few years ago. Although the military life has moved her to the opposite side of our great country, we are working together on some exciting endeavors.

Please check out her inspirational blog here. I will be a guest blogger each Wednesday. My first post for her is called "What is Sin", and it is a two part blog. Please read it and let us know what you think! Lastly, post a comment here and on her blog to give your feedback.

Have a great week!

Totally random here.....

2010-01-23T17:33:00.002-05:00

A list of total random current happenings:

Took my daughter and my husband to the circus Thursday. First time for both of them. Pics to come. They both loved it and said they liked it more than they thought they would. I remember going to the circus with my mom as a kid. My biggest excitement was over how much the elephants peed. Still amazed me this week.
Mom and PaPa are renovating some rental property that Mom owns, the house I grew up in actually. The guy who moved out left it TRASHED and now they are working hard to try to make it livable again. Jamie helped all last week as well.
Bible study started up Tuesday. Although I was not feeling nearly well enough, I led it and we had a great group. Looking forward to the next 5 weeks with these ladies!
Marissa had her "friend" Barry over last night. It was great to see them practicing their band music together. He encourages her like no other. They took pics of themselves....more of those to come also. I can tell you the encouraging "friend" role has changed a bit :)
Sleepover tonight......my childhood best friend and her two daughters are coming to stay. We will watch G Force and eat pizza. They are going to church with us tomorrow!
My beautiful daughter donated 10 inches of hair today for Locks of Love. She looks so grown up! Pics of this to come as well.

Thanks for being patient, it has been a crazy week and I am STILL not completely well. I have a doctor appointment Monday, hoping for a good report.
Have a great weekend!!!!!

Under the weather

2010-01-20T17:39:00.002-05:00

Sorry my blog has been rather quiet this week, but I have been under the weather. I will be back with you ASAP! In the meantime, check out my blog list and go read some of the stellar stuff over there!

Another wow!

2010-01-14T17:00:00.001-05:00

You won't believe this, but I have been asked to do a weekly guest post on a new blog! I am so excited! I will get to share a corner of the blog stage with an AWESOME and accomplished writer, who happens to be a great friend and a MIGHTY WOMAN OF GOD! I am excited beyond belief! More details to come SOON!

Please pray for me, and for my friend, as we earnestly seek God's purpose for us in this ~NEW~ season of our lives!!!!!

New Scrapbook Layouts

2010-01-12T13:55:00.000-05:00

This first layout celebrates the game night traditions we have around our house. Since Jamie is so money hungry in his gaming, he earned the nickname Donald CHUMP. For future reference, I printed a small pic of The Donald and a brief bio of his wealth and success and secured it to the back of a layout. Sure everyone knows his name now, but in 50 years? Maybe not. Marissa and I also earned similar nicknames which are used on the very rare occasions we win. Of course Julio has to be a part of EVERYTHING so he gets to play the game too.

Oh yes, my sweet obsession. I have always loved a Hershey's kiss, and I had to document my sweet obsession with this sweet treat. I had inspiration and used the actual flag thingie to make the "hershey" ribbon on my page. Inspired? Maybe. Cheap?You betcha.

Ah yes.....my handsome husband. My gift from God. The fabulous father of our daughter. The spiritaul leader of our home. And best of all, he is my very best friend.

Of course I used PageMaps sketches for these, but everythign else was my own brainchild. Scary huh?

GASP

2010-01-11T11:44:00.004-05:00

Oh my goodness! I was so shocked and honored when I read Moira's comment on my post "A Friend Indeed". I wrote the post straight from my heart, describing the pain my daughter was going through with middle school girls, and somehow she read my blog and decided it was worthy of being used as devotional materials at her school. Through my squeals of delight I read Moira's profile, and learned that not only is she an avid and talented scrapbooker, she is principal of a Christian school in AUSTRALIA!

Ok, so big woop, I had somebody like my little ditty who happens to live on the other side of the world right? Seems like a kinda neat thing, but no big deal until you know the following.....

Less than one week ago, a very wise person prophesied over my life. She spoke words of life over me, and the thing that hit me hard was that "my creativity and writing would be used to reach many souls for the Kingdom". She went on to say that this was only the beginning, and that what was about to happen in my life was going to be huge.

Moira's email kind of takes on a different air here doesn't it?

When I went through my Tres Dias weekend, our theme was "Such a Time As This". The leader of my weekend contacted me after seeing my post about this on facebook and reminded me of one of our songs that weekend, with lyrics that said "If you say go....I will go". The same friend who prophesied over me last week told me recently that I would go to the nations.

Now a new song is ringing in my head.....one we sang at our old Church:

"We speak to nations, be open
We speak to nations, fall on your knees.
We speak to nations,
The kingdom is coming near to you
We speak to you BE FREE."

In my Christian walk I am constantly reminded of the freedom I received in Christ simply by being obedient to His loving invitation and accepting Him into my heart. He has turned all of my baggage into joy, removed my pain and yes, so importantly to me is He removed all my shame. Now I can walk with my head high, facing the world, and showing His love.

So whether you are reading this is podunk Georgia or on the other side of this great world, I want to remind you that the love of God is reaching all corners of the darkness in our world. He loves YOU, and His arms are waiting to hug you and tell you what you mean to Him, and to help you get rid of all your junk that is weighting you down. So be free....and run to Him. It's just that simple. And you will never regret it.

My Sweet Obsession

2010-01-08T22:25:00.002-05:00

My delicious obsession is Hershey's chocolate. I know there are many fine chocolates from all over the world, but my favorite, hands down, is Hershey's chocolate. And I will take that plain please, no Special Dark, no Krackle, no almonds or peanuts added. Just pure, smooth, delicious Hershey's chocolate.

I have always loved getting one of those big gigantic Kisses as a gift. I never buy one for myself, it seems it would lose it's magic that way somehow.

I have a system.

First I stare at the box for a few days. (Or hours, depending on my mood....)
Next I unwrap the kiss, smooth out it's paper flag thingie and uncrinkle the beautiful shiny foil wrapper.
I pick it up and kind of grope it a little, admiring it's smoothness
Then I pick it up and start scraping off the top with my teeth,.

Sick.....I know......but I have done it that way since I was a kid and I see no reason to stop now!

Today I took photos of my beloved Hershey's Giant Mondo Kiss......as I systematically destroyed a little of it. Then I carefully wrapped it back up in it's foil, placed it back in it's box, and hid it in the back of the top shelf in the fridge.

'Til tomorrow my sweet obsession.....

A Friend Indeed

2010-01-05T16:23:00.002-05:00

UPDATE: Today we had a conference at school, and my daughter was move immediately into another class. She is now with two kids she has known almost her whole life,, in a class without cliques and powerful girls. PRAISE GOD! The amazing thing is that He had it all worked out before we even asked for help. Isn't God good that way????

My daughter is a very studious, serious kid, with little interest in what's popular or trendy....loves 80's music, thrift store shopping and wears sort of her own style of clothing that is a mix of grunge/Miley Cyrus/hippy chick. She is tall for her age, and very smart. She is not into rap music or partying or skipping school, and she loves to spend time with her family, reading, and watching Food Network which has inspired her to be a pastry chef when she is an adult. She is interested in pursuing a degree in culinary arts. She is active in our church, she helps with the little kids and is on the interpretive dance team and in youth group. Basically, she is everything a parent could ask for and then some. (I may be biased, but I am also right lol)

Lately, my daughter has had some issues with "mean girls" at school. Who knew middle school girls were so brutal???? They tease her and exclude her and say mean things about her shoes and lanyard and lunch box. (They wear uniforms, so they have to find other things to harass her about) This has been going on for a while, and over Thanksgiving break her closest friend in her class dumped her (by text message even) for not being cool enough to hang out with.

WHAT?????? How can kids be so mean? Who is raising these girls to be such snotty cliquish little brats? Why can't they all just go to school and get along and be happy? I blame hormones myself. But I also blame parents and media influences. We all know kids mimic what they see. I am willing to bet their Moms treat people the same way, forming relationships based on what the other person looks like or can do for them rather than what is real and true. And the media...oh goodness. We hear all sorts of stuff there, even from husbands and wives like Tiger and Elin and Jon and Kate. When people are publicized making fun of or trashing their spouse, what dignity can be left? And don't even get me started on Nancy Grace.....

However, my daughter has recently discovered a great friend at church. He is a really sweet kid, a couple of years older than my daughter, raised in a single parent home by a Godly mom. He asked his mom what was wrong with my daughter, what was going on, and his mom told him. He began texting her, telling her how he thought she was so cool and that the other kids didn't see what was really there in her. Then he had her begin looking up scripture verses about how she is so perfectly made, how she is unique and beautiful in God's eyes, and how she is created in God's own image.

A complete turn around is taking place. Yesterday I was fixing my hair in my bathroom, and my daughter was in her bathroom doing her daily chores. Through the wall I heard her singing. For the first time in a long time, my daughter is HAPPY.

The texting is continuing, and she is being encouraged and strengthened beyond anything I could have forseen. I am thanking God for sending my daughter a friend that we have prayed for, for the young man's obedience in what God told him to do, and for the young man's mom for raising such a wonderful son.

I am also thanking Him for unlimited text messaging......:)

Almost 2010...........

2009-12-30T22:51:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it is almost New Years Eve, and then we will be in 2010! It seems like just yesterday we were all freaking out about Y2K and thinking the whole world would crash at midnight. This year my DH is working, so it will just be my daughter and me to celebrate. We are planning a real high class affair....some pigs in the blanket and a bottle of sparkling grape juice while we watch the ball drop at midnight on TV. On New Years Day, DH will be home so we are planning a small get together with some friends.

For the past 39 years I have had black eyed peas, ham, rice and collard greens on New Years Day. (Typical Southern tradition supposed to bring good luck, money and fertility) This year I want to do something different! To celebrate 2010, we are having chili and cornbread. A little unusual and I am sure rather strange in my Mother's eyes, but it will be fun.

So what about you? What are your plans for this New Year's Eve? What are your traditions? Are you doing anything different this year?

artwork courtesy of hubimages.com

A Yummy Breakfast Treat

2009-12-27T22:44:00.001-05:00

A few months ago my bloggy friend Kate over at Cooking During Stolen Moments posted a recipe for yeast pull apart rolls. I have a family who LOVES bread in all shapes, sizes and forms, so I thought this recipe was perfect for us since it makes several batches of rolls at one time. I printed out the instructions and tried the recipe right away, with delicious results. The instructions state that this recipe makes 3 batches, but I usually get 4. I also looked at Kate's variations on the rolls and made a batch of the garlic rolls to go with spaghetti one night.

For Christmas Eve dinner, I made a batch of the rolls and made one big pan for dinner, one small pan for the freezer, and tried her variation of cinnamon breakfast bread. The bread was delicious, as expected, and we munched a slice for breakfast but it was quickly overshadowed by all of the other desserts that I made for dinner. (Red velvet cake, lemon cheese cake, pound cake, chocolate cake, ambrosia, and 2 kinds of cookies)

I found the bread two mornings later, in it's Ziploc bag, shoved behind the recipe box on my kitchen shelf. Being rather unorganized and scatter-brained (hey, it's a gift......) I was out of milk, eggs, bread, and poptarts. The aforementioned shortage made for one very UNHAPPY 12 year old girl. Luckily hubby is at work for the week on the river so he knew nothing of the food shortage. I rummaged around and decided I would try to do something with the leftover bread to tide us over until I dragged myself out of my pajamas and schleped to the store.

I came up with the following results, which I have to say were melt in your mouth GOOD! With Kate's permission, I am sharing her recipe with my take on the leftovers. (View the original recipe here)

I mixed together 4 egg whites (left over from the lemon cheese cake which calles for only yolks)
                        3/4 cup evaporated milk (pantry item that I bought for pumpkin pie)
                        1 teaspoon vanilla
                        1 teaspoon cinnamon

I whipped these ingredients together, then dipped the slices of the by-then rather stale breakfast bread in the mixture and fried them in butter spread substitute until golden. I served them with maple syrup and they were DEEEEELICIOUS! My daughter said she was glad we were out of everything and that I got creative! Of course, on a good day I would have used 2 whole eggs and regular2% milk, but being a slacker this worked out pretty well anyway.

Try it and see what you think! I am sure this recipe will be a keeper for me!

Christmas Eve Communion

2009-12-25T13:07:00.002-05:00

Since our church had Communion last Sunday instead of Christmas Eve, we had our family communion last evening. Jamie researched and found a great communion meditation on Christmas-past, present and future and how Christ is involved in all of those, from the stable to the table. He did such a great job! He is really a MIGHTY MAN OF GOD and I am so proud to have him as my husband.

We had my Mom and PaPa, Jamie's Dad and Kathy, Joe and Brenda and me, Marissa and Jamie present at our Communion Table. It was a very meaningful time. I hope that you and your family can and will take the time to do your own communion at home if your church does not host one during this time. It is a wonderful time to sit back and pause and reflect on what the season is really about.

For more of my thoughts on communion at Christmas, please read my guest blog post on Wanting What You Have.

Merry Christmas! I am so grateful to be able to celebrate Christ's birth and praise Him for what He has done, from the Stable to the Table.

What An Honor!

2009-12-23T14:26:00.001-05:00

I have followed the blog Wanting What You Have for quite some time. Over the passage of time I have grown to love the author (Heather) and her family and feel as though I know them personally! Heather is in the last few weeks of her pregnancy with miracle child number 3, conceived through IVF, and is needing some time off from blogging so she can rest. Imagine my delight when she asked me to guest blog for her today! I was so thrilled, and nervous too! I wondered how I could possibly live up to her standards, since she is one of the best bloggers I follow. I wondered what her readers would think. I prayed over it, and the Lord gave me specific direction for the post. Heather emailed to say she really liked it, and I hope you will too. Please leave your comments here and also on her blog here.

Friends?

2009-12-16T16:44:00.000-05:00

HP was not my friend last night. Nor is HP my friend today. I am trying to simply print some pictures on my HP Photosmart 8150 printer to put in my Christmas cards. Easy, right?

Nope.

Pages print at a elderly disabled snail's pace.....and then only print halfway before jutting out of the printer as if they are done.

I have done all of the suggestion on the HP page, and finally broke down and called Tech Support. The kind gentleman who answered politely informed me that my warranty expired 1,437 days ago and the only way he could help me is if I pay $64.99 for a year's worth of technical support. HUH?????

So I decide to see if my HP ink carts will fit in my daughters HP printer, and voila, they do. But guess what? I get an error message that something is wrong with the black cart no matter what I do. It pops up an online message suggesting I call Tech Support.

I want to boot both printers out into the street and mow over them repeatedly in my car.

2009-12-14T15:27:00.001-05:00

Wow how time flies. It seems only yesterday I had a newborn baby girl, all wrapped up in a white receiving blanket with blue and pink stripes stamped with "Balboa Naval Medical Center". It hardly seems like nearly 13 years have passed in the blink of an eye. My newborn baby girl has grown into a young lady, excited about the things life has in store while dealing with preteen drama and the heartache that friendships can cause. Just this past weekend we had an issue with a girl who called herself my daughter's friend.....and then coldly told her they were no longer friends because my daughter isn't "cool enough" to hang out with the "pops". (Lest this girl forget that just last week she was deemed "uncool" by the "pops")

I lie awake at night wondering what the future holds. Many of my readers do not know my daughter personally, so you have no idea of her accomplishments, dreams, goals, gifting and abilities. Let me say that my daughter is the greatest gift I ever received from God, a true delight, special in so many ways. A good friend once described her as a beautiful butterfly with large wings, that never quite fit in 100% with any group on this earth because of her special gifts and talents. We have to remember that Christ was never accepted, even by his own people, and that we are set apart and destined for greatness by Him. We are warned not to be conformed to this world (and trust me, 7th grade "pops" girls are truly WORLDLY) so this should come as no surprise. But when you are 12, it hurts deeply.

All I can say is that those we reject my daughter and abuse her trust and friendship will be sorry one day. She is destined for greatness. Her day to shine is coming......

ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

2009-12-08T22:43:00.001-05:00

While we were in Gulf Shores, my sister and I had the unusual opportunity to act like ~~nuts~~ ~~fools~~ ~~idiots~~ kids! Since we live 12 hours apart, it is unusual that we have much time together at all, especially time to goof off and act like complete crazy women! But something strange happens when two sisters meet up in Gulf Shores Alabama for a family vacation!

You won't believe what we did......

Yup. You got it. Not only did we ride this crazy wooden go cart track named Woody, but we rode it TWICE! The first time we rode was on Wednesday, and then we rode again when my brother in law got there on Saturday because it was so much fun.

Now please note that I am in the lead. I would like to say that I stayed in the lead, but actually, my sister's cart was faster than mine and she is probably about to pass me, about a lap ahead. She kept whizing by me at the speed of light it seemed. (Yeah, that's it...her cart was faster. It has nothing to do with the fact that I am a big CHICKEN and kept slowing down before we came down the big spiral hill. Her cart was faster...that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!)

Band Christmas Concert

2009-12-07T21:22:00.002-05:00

Tonight was Marissa's band concert. She plays clarinet. They played a song called "Twenty Carols in Two Minutes and her band leader (a real character!!!!) made the comment that anyone in the audience who could name all 20 carols after the song was played would win a prize. He went on to say that they had no prize planned, so the winner would get......um....the flute section! Yeah that's it!

Well, they did a great job, and after the concert I told Marissa that we were hoping to name all 20 because then we would get to bring home one of her best pals ( who plays the flute). I told her that seriously, they did a great job and I was very proud of her.

So without skipping a beat, Baby Girl says......

"Yeah, we should rent ourselves out for Bar Mitzvahs and stuff."

You gotta love it!

The Cost of Christmas????

2009-12-02T15:33:00.002-05:00

The Savannah Morning News had an interesting article in the Exchange section today. It seems that someone with more time than the average person calculates the cost of buying the items named off in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" every year. The cost for this year is up less than one percent from last year, once you balance in the rapid rise of the cost of 5 gold rings and the falling prices of partridges, pear trees, geese-a-laying and swans-a -swimming. The costs are, as follows for 2009:

one partridge $10.00
one pear tree $149.00 (don't these people know you can get them for about $20 at WalMart or Home Depot???)
Two turtle doves $55.98
Three French Hens $45.00
Four Calling Birds $599.96 (must be loud!)
Five Gold Rings $499.95
Six Geese-a-laying $150.00 (that is $25 each, cheaper than turkey this time of year. Christmas goose anyone?)
Seven swans-a-swimming $5, 250.00 (I SHOULDA JACKED SOME FROM THAT PARK IN SOUTH CAROLINA ON MEMORIAL DAY! I COULDA BEEN RICH!!!!!!!!!! WHO KNEW??????????)
Eight maids-a-milking $58.00 (hmmmm.....cheap labor.....)
Nine ladies dancing $5,473.07 ( WOW the milk maids should take dance lessons for more career opportunities!) *this price rose 15% from last year
Ten lords-a-leaping $4,413.61 ( ok, so you get an extra guy jumping around for over a thousand bucks less than the girls dancing, and this price did not increase or fall from last year. Must not be much use for dudes leaping)
Eleven pipers piping $2,284.80 *see below
Twelve drummers drumming $2,475.20 (the cost per piper/drummer is just over $200 each, a value that may have many parents rethinking band instrument lessons next year)

The total cost of these items is $87,403.00
Seems a lot for some birds and people jumping around singing and dancing to me.

So what is the real cost of Christmas?
Is there a way to put a value on the real Christmas?
How much would it cost for a baby to be born that would one day save the entire world from it's sin and shame?
According to www.costhelper.com, in 2009 the birth of a child costs anywhere from $9,000-$25,000. This figure would vary depending on insurance, whether it is a vaginal or cesarean birth, complications, and geographic location.

Over 2,000 years ago God paid for Christmas with the birth of His only Son Jesus, knowing full well that His Son would die for us on the cross at Calvary.

That is the ultimate cost of Christmas.
How will you thank Him this year?
Kind of makes 5 gold rings, Wii systems , and Plasma TVs look kinda silly huh?

The Future of This Blog

2009-11-30T16:04:00.004-05:00

After much soul searching I have decided to sort of re-invent my blog. It began as a blog solely about scrapbooking, but evolved over time into much more. I thought about just deleting this blog and starting a new one, but decided I like some of my older posts too much to do that. I thought of keeping it private, but almost no one reads my blog now so that seems pointless. I have decided to do the following:

I will keep this existing blog
I will make it public once again
I will enable comment moderation
I will not allow anonymous comments
I will make an earnest effort to regain blog interest from my readers
I will make every effort to post more often, and to make the posts interesting and relevant to what is happening in my life

I hope that I will gain readers and that blogging will be fun again. I have missed it, and I am angry that I let one bad apple almost spoil the whole bunch with blogging. Funny how taking the high road isn't always much fun. However, my decision is that if I allow the person who hurt me by slandering me and making false and hurtful accusations to continue to have influence over the choices I make, then she has power over my life and I will not allow that.

I am making an earnest effort to allow only people who have positive influence over my life to speak into my life and not allow any negativity. It's time to wake up people, and realize that when God's Word in Proverbs 18:21 tells us that "life and death is in the power of our tongue" He ain't just whistling dixie. The tongue is a very powerful thing, and Paul tells us in James that is the one thing that cannot be tamed.

I may not be able to tame my tongue, as I am human, but I try to speak life over everyone I know and not speak harmful or hurtful things. If I have ever done so to any of you I sincerely apologize for that. I am human...I make mistakes, but I am trying to live a life pleasing to God and in doing so I must surround myself with positive people who speak life over me and I will make every effort to do the same for them, thereby avoiding drama and chaos and negativity in general. This applies to my life in all areas...both physically and in cyberspace.

Thanks to those of you who have continued to read, even through my dry spell, and I promise you I will do better. I am learning.....seeking....and trying.....

Blogging

2009-11-14T23:46:00.004-05:00

SO.....I heard from a friend today that she totally hates having to sign into my blog now. I had to make my blog private because someone with no life, morals or home training decided to attack me on my blog and say some pretty nasty and untrue things about me and my family. When I made my blog private, I did it solely to prevent this person from spying into my life and taking pot shots at me and my family out of her selfish need for fulfillment.

Now though, hardly anyone comments on my blog and readers have dropped off so I am in a quandary...should I stop blogging all together? Start a brand new blog? Make my blog public again and hope for the best?

What is your opinion on this, and has this ever happened to you in the past? How did you handle it?

Happy Veteran's Day!

2009-11-11T09:20:00.004-05:00

So what is Veterans Day exactly? A day for sales at the mall? A day for government offices to close so the people who work there get a holiday? A day for military people to get free meals at area restaurants?

No, it is much deeper than that....and I decided to do a little research. As the wife of a veteran, I feel strongly that our military men and women do not get the respect or honor they deserve. These brave men and women put their lives on the line every day, whether at home or abroad. With the recent attack at Fort Hood, we see that these soldiers, airmen and seamen are not safe here at home than they are in the great sandbox in the Middle East. They are targeted for their devotion and service to their country.

I found a website that explains the history and significance of Veteran's Day. You can click here to view it. The page sums most everything up in a few paragraphs, one of which I have copied and pasted here.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

I would like to thank all of the brave men and women who serve in our military and those who have served in the past! We owe every right and freedom we have to you and we cannot thank you enough!

HONOR ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-09T17:54:00.002-05:00

Marissa got her first report card for 7th grade, and I am very happy to report that she made honor roll with a 93 average! We are very happy with that, especially given the degree of difficulty and challenging assignments that this type of school poses. She is doing so well, and we are very proud of her!

Halloween

2009-11-02T01:46:00.003-05:00

This year instead of parading the streets in the neighborhood we went to our church's Trunk or Treat. This is the first year we have participated in something like this and it was a lot of fun!
Here are some pictures from the evening...please observe that while I was a black kitty cat Marissa was a scary TIGER...NOT a cat!

It has been such a busy time!

2009-10-27T11:19:00.003-04:00

Oh my goodness, what is it about fall that makes us so busy? I think living in the deep south it is mainly because this is the time of year that it is finally cool enough to do something--anything--without sweating your pants off! With summertime temps over 100 degrees, and a heat index that often nears 120 degrees, it can be quite miserable! You get up, and thanks to the wonderful AC your home is cool, or at least trying to be cool, the AC is running anyway. You shower, dress, have breakfast, and head outside to start your day. You open your front door and WHAM! The hot, sticky humid air hits you like a big rig trucking down I-95. Your hair falls flat, your makeup runs off, you sweat like a man and you race for your car. You yank open the door after burning your fingers on the hot car body and and slide inside the virtual oven, all the while trying to breathe and jab your keys into the ignition to start the engine and get the blessed AC started. About the time you reach your destination, the car has reached a tolerable temperature. You pull into a parking space, climb out of the car, and the cycle begins again.

But oh, fall......

The air cools down.
The humidity leaves.
The plants look fresh and green again.
You can breathe.....

Slowly you begin to see your neighbors venturing outside. Everyone creeps out cautiously almost, as if to test the air and see if the weather channel really had it right. Ah yes...there is a crispness in the air. It is tolerable. Suddenly a bevy of excitement stirs as the rest of the community discovers this as well, as it is festival time, fair time, parties and hayrides and outdoor events. The Children's Book Fair, Halloween and the many activities it brings, Oktoberfest on the River, Jewish Food Festival, Picnic in The Park downtown, Cane Grinding and Sheep to Shawl at Oatland Island, many walks and marathons for charities, church festivals, yard sales, football practice, football games, cheerleading competitions, homecoming, and so much more make our schedule full of exciting dates scribbled on the calendar. (Let's not forget, after all, this is South Georgia, where football is more than a game, it is a religion)

So now, we have purchased our pumpkins and are planning for Trunk or Treat at church. The house is smelling like coffee and baked goodies and candles burning....and outside you can smell leaves burning and the occasional fireplace smoking at night.

I love fall, it is truly my favorite time of year.....

13 and counting

2009-10-19T08:17:00.005-04:00

It's our anniversary!!!! I have been blessed to marry my best friend. Although the road has not always been easy, it is getting better and better every day. I praise God for healing our marriage from the troubles we were having 4 years ago. I am so thankful for the life we lead now and I look forward to many more years to come!
In honor of this special day, I thought maybe we could take a look back at the way we were.....this day.....1996.

Christians and Halloween

2009-10-15T19:09:00.003-04:00

I have always been kind of up in the air about the whole Halloween thing, and apparently I am not alone. While I don't think a cute costume and some candy are in anyway contradictory to the Christian life, I have always wondered (read: worried) about the association with witches, goblins, zombies etc. I know that The Word tells us specifically to avoid witchcraft, sorcery, fortune telling and the like, so how does it all fit together?

I was really glad when bloggy buddy Heather over at Wanting What You Have did a ton of research and cleared it all up for me. PLEASE READ this blog post as well as the referenced article and decide for yourself. Read Heather's blog post here

(clipart courtesy of Christart.com)

Where have I been?

2009-10-08T13:05:00.003-04:00

Well basically, I have been here. Just not up to much blogging lately, as we have been very busy doing tons of other things! We have painted the kitchen and put up a backsplash, done some work for my sister on her rental property, and tried to get into the new routine of after school activities which go something like this:

Monday: school, then interpretive dance practice for Riss
Tuesday: Bible study for me, school for Riss
Wednesday: school for Riss, church for us both at night
Thursday: school for Riss
Friday: school for Riss, then clarinet practice
Saturday: general laziness
Sunday church!

In between I have to squeeze in my mental health breakfasts with BFF Brenda and get the shopping and house cleaning and laundry done. This week I am packing to go to Jamie's aunt's house for the weekend to celebrate his grandma's 85th birthday. It will be a nice trip!

In between all of this, I have managed to get a few layouts done.....

I am still trying to figure out this scan and stitch thing in photoshop, and it is not working well for me at all. For now I am still taking photos of my layouts and posting them here. Sorry that the colors are not correct, they look dingy on here but look much better in person I promise! LOL! The "stumpjumper" one has a big blank space for Jamie to do the journaling, because this is his favorite truck and it has been retired, so I want him to record memories of going on fire calls in that truck, especially since he was one of the few that knew how to drive that particular model!

Need help!

2009-09-26T21:44:00.004-04:00

Ok, this is my first attempt at scanning and stitching. I used Adobe Photoshop 7. How do I get rid of the gray line where the photos merged???? Any and all advice will be appreciated!

2009-09-23T10:46:00.004-04:00

I am so proud of my baby girl for facilitating See You At The Pole this year! It had not been done in her middle school in recent years and she happily volunteered to lead the prayer.

Her friends Matthew and Dasnee helped out and we carpooled together this morning.

Even Gram and PaPa got up at the crack of dawn to be there for her.

I don't know who these girls were but they really touched my heart.

Marissa began by prying for our President and Vice President, and then moved on to the school board and teachers and staff, then closed by praying for her friends and all the students at her school. She had a strong unwavering voice and did a great job! We are so proud of her!
If you are not familiar with See You At The Pole, you can read more about it here!

New Hairdo!

2009-09-19T21:52:00.003-04:00

Whatcha think?

New Layouts

2009-09-18T16:16:00.006-04:00

This first layout is not all that spectacular but I had such a great time that night and I loved the family pictures so I just had to do it!

In all fairness this next layout is almost an exact copy of the one on the front cover of September 23009 Creating Keepsakes magazine. I even copied her idea to make it a pocket page! I think this idea will be used again and again.

This one I like...it is my first successful use of the Heidi Swapp ghost letters. I like how it emphasizes the feeling of glass on this layout.

These next 2 pics are documenting the change in Marissa's playroom...from little girl to preteen. I did a close up on the journaling.

This last layout is of Jamie and the swords PaPa got him. IT was a very special gift for him and PaPa pulled many strings to get the swords!

Hopefully I can get scrapping done this weekend. I have some great pics that I got printed at Snapfish that I want to use plus some I printed at home, thanks to my good buddy bringing me a whole box of ink carts!!!!! YAAAAY! I love me some free stuff......

OUCH!

2009-09-17T17:27:00.004-04:00

This morning my husband woke me up at 4:30 in horrible pain. He was trying to stand up to get up and go potty, but his foot was hurting. When he put his foot on the floor and tried to stand, he nearly collapsed on the floor as severe pain shot up through his ankle and into his leg. After Marissa got onto the bus, I took him to our doctor. The doctor poked, prodded, drew blood, asked questions,and promptly diagnosed him with GOUT! I was shocked. I thought that was something only elderly people got!

Treatment is pretty vague at this point. It is wrapped in an ace bandage, and he is supposed to be drinking tons of water to flush the uric acid from his body. He has to keep it elevated, and take a non-steroid anti-inflammatory every few hours.

POOR GUY! He is in a lot of pain! I feel so bad...there really isn't anything I can do!
(You know how that is, the mama in you really wants to fix it whenever someone is sick!)

Anyway....blood results should be in tomorrow to show the exact level of the uric acid in his body and the doctor will determine then if additional medication is necessary. Until then, it is pretty much grin and bear it.

So please say a prayer for Jamie, for speedy healing and that he can return to work on Saturday as anticipated.

9-11

2009-09-10T17:27:00.006-04:00

I cannot believe it has been 8 years. This year 9-11 is on a Friday again, just like the actual day of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

I saw the headlines today announcing that various sports teams and civil organizations and other groups will be doing things to commemorate the anniversary and it brought back memories of that day. I remember how scared I was after the attacks, and how I wondered if our world would ever feel safe again. I thought of the pride I felt in our firefighters and police as they worked so hard to save people trapped in the building, and how we all rejoiced as many walked out alive. I recalled the sadness at how many lost their lives, and the stories of their loved ones left behind. We all sat glued to our TV in those days after the attacks, searching for answers or maybe just "rubbernecking" at the devastation because we were so numb. And I remember sitting on the couch with tears streaming down my face as we saw footage of the "Shock and Awe" campaign. (Not that I do not or did not support our country and military in it's endeavors, I was just so sad that it had come to this) I really can't put a name on the emotions I felt that night, it was a combination of sadness for our world and fear for our children and pride in our country and many other emotions all rolled into one.

I have heard many relate that day as a day they will never forget, and I think it is a day that will be like the day that President Kennedy was shot for my generation. Everyone remembers where they were when they heard that the towers had been hit and were falling. I had dropped Marissa off at preschool and I was taking my grandmother to look for new eyeglasses. Our first stop was the WalMart vision center to see what they had. For whatever reason they had a big screen TV int eh front of the store that day, and I saw the news broadcast that the first tower had been hit. AT that time we all thought it was a tragic accident. We left Walmart and headed into Savannah to America's Best Eyeglasses to see what they had and heard on the radio in the car that the second tower had been hit and that it was believed to be a terrorist attack on our country. I didn't know what to think. We left the eyeglass shop and headed home and as I drove down Abercorn Street I saw the police and SWAT team in their black protective gear surrounding the FBI building and it wasn't until then that I realized that life would never be the same.

Part of me wanted to go get Marissa out of preschool early and take her home, but I wondered if she was safer there or with me or if she would ever be safe again. I decided to pick her up at regular time, and when I did, I noticed that although the kids did not know anything there was a definite somber mood in the air and sober expressions on the teachers and staffs face.

That night as I lay in bed, I wondered what would happen. Would we recover from this and go on as before, or would there be more attacks? What was was coming next??? For the first time in my life I have to say I briefly considered moving to Canada. I am ashamed to say that because I love my country and don't think I could ever leave but that is just how afraid and confused I was.

So what about you? Where were you when the towers fell? Leave a comment please and share your story. And tomorrow, say a prayer for our country, it's leaders, our military and every American everywhere.

Middle School

2009-09-09T00:04:00.004-04:00

Wow....baby girl had a hard day today. She got off the bus and burst into tears as soon as she walked in the door. Being in a homeroom class without any of her old friends is hard. She has not made any new friends yet. She feels left out. I feel so badly for her, and part of me wants to storm the school and beg them to move her to another homeroom, but I just don't know if this is right. She was very upset, and cried for quite a while. She is sad that her old friends on the bus are talking all about their new friends. She feels left out. It was a bad day in 7th grade......

comments

2009-09-07T12:25:00.003-04:00

If you are having difficulty commenting on my blog please email me at mom2rissa@yahoo.com.

Thanks!

Swine Flu Paranoia is Getting Out of Hand

2009-09-03T16:25:00.001-04:00

My friend Debbie sent this to me and I had to share it! This is too funny!Poor Piglet!!!!

Welcome to 7th grade!

2009-09-01T10:33:00.004-04:00

Marissa is officially a 7th grader! We had a good morning. She got up and got moving without much complaining, and we were at the bus stop at 5:50. She hopped on the bus and began chatting with her pals. Jamie and I rode down to the school to walk in with her and give Jamie a chance to meet her teachers since he was working at Open House. We were both amazed at how orderly the students were and how well organized EVERYONE was. WE LOVE COASTAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Marissa was fine riding the bus because she knew her bus driver from last year. We are so blessed to have Mr. Knight as her driver. He loves these kids like they are his own! Because Marissa sits right behind him, he says he is "drivin' Miss Daisy". She loves her bus! She did want us to meet her at the school however to walk in with her. We went in for breakfast with her and after she ate (cheese toast, cereal, mixed fruit and milk), walked her to class. She trotted right on into her homeroom....no tears, no anxiety, PRAISE GOD!!!!!

Church this morning

2009-08-30T15:41:00.005-04:00

OH MY GOODNESS! Worship this morning was unbelievable! From the moment we went in, I knew big things would happen The enemy tried to stir up trouble in our family several times with frequent bathroom interruptions, a dad/daughter misunderstanding, and excessive heat in the room making Riss nearly gave a panic attack because she felt overwhelmed and like she was suffocating. However, he did not prevail!

The music was OFF THE CHAIN this morning, with real, honest and raw emotion coming through. The selected songs were perfect to precede Pastor's message. When he began to preach, it was like it was just for our family, specifically for our daughter and her anxiety about middle school. My favorite thing was when he said that you have to make your mind up each morning by saying "God made me, God made this day, and any junk that will be in my way just has to MOVE because He said so!"

It is amazing how much power is in just saying those words aloud. Start by setting your day up right, and see what GOOD THINGS God has in store for you today!

Cheesy Chili Soup

2009-08-27T12:57:00.004-04:00

I got my new copy of the Kraft Foods magazine, Food and Family, yesterday. This is a free publication and if you do not already get it in the mail, you can get a FREE subscription or view a digital version of the magazine online on the Kraft website

This issue is full of wonderful fall recipes. I really liked the sound and look of the salad they made with cinnamon pecans, sliced pears and dried cranberries. How beautiful would the colors in that dish be?

I am always attracted to soups and stews when the weather cools down, and today is rainy and cooler but not quite soup weather. As soon as it is cool enough though, I have found my first recipe to try!

It is called Cheesy Chili Soup, and it sounds wonderful!
I must add that this photo is from a previous issue of their magazine because this new digital magazine format would not let me import a picture of the current version. Although the ingredients are the same, the vegetables are sliced instead of chopped as shown above, which I think makes a prettier presentation although the taste wouldn't change.

Here is the recipe:

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) chicken broth
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp. chili powder
1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style 2% Milk Finely Shredded Four Cheese, divided

BRING all ingredients except cheese to boil in medium saucepan.
SIMMER on low heat 25 min. or until vegetables are tender. Stir in 1/3 cup cheese.
LADLE into bowls. Top with remaining cheese.

Special Extra
Garnish each serving with a dollop of BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro just before serving.
Substitute
Use any variety of beans you prefer, such as black beans, cannellini beans or chickpeas (garbanzo beans).

I think this sounds wonderful just as it is, but I think it would appeal more to the guys if we added some ground beef or tukey (fully cooked before adding) and maybe a little chopped potato for some more stick to the ribs power.

I can't wait to try this! If you beat me to it, let me know how it turns out!

A New Blog

2009-08-26T23:45:00.005-04:00

My husband, Jamie, has started a new blog. It will be a place for him to share what is on his mind. The website is called Da Butcher's Point of View and you can access it here. Although he has just set it up, I encourage you to check it out in a day or two. It is also a private blog, so please send him your email address or a message to sign up.

I am excited to see what he is going to post!

WOW!

2009-08-26T12:21:00.002-04:00

WOW! My first blog post on my new private blog! How exciting! :)

I was really hesitant to make this blog private at first because I didn't want to lose any readers, but now I feel a lot more confident and will probably post more pictures and private thoughts than ever before because I know who is reading it. This makes me happy!

If you have any comments or questions about this, please feel free to comment or email me!

Privacy settings

2009-08-25T12:37:00.001-04:00

Because I have had some nasty comments lately by people who do not know what they are talking about, I have changed my blog privacy settings to "by invitation only". I hope this is not too inconvenient for you, but please understand that I will not tolerate false accusations and lies about me and my family. Thank you for understanding.

My Favorite Layout From Yesterday (part2)

2009-08-23T14:15:00.007-04:00

This layout is my favorite one from yesterday I think, although the Beautiful Blue Eyes on comes pretty close. I like it partly because the photos are so clear and bright and happy, and because we were all having so much fun together! I also like it because I am actually in one of the photos, which is rare.
My favorite part however, is the title. Now maybe you will sit back and laugh because you did this technique 2 summers ago and I am slow to catch on, but I am pretty happy with it. Here is a close up of my title:

The title itself is pretty enough I guess but that part I like best is it's source:

Yes, that is a sheet of laser cut swirls paper from about 2 years ago ( called "Perm teal" by KI Memories) that I had been saving for a perfect use. After I cut out a block of it to put on the upper left corner of my page, I began wondering what title to use. Then something caught my eye in the paper....one of the swirls looked like an "s". I was inspired...what if I cut out the swirl and used it as the "s" to start my title? Then ~gasp~ I looked a little farther and saw the "A" in it. Now I was on a roll! I had 2 "s" shapes, one "a"...could I possibly find a shape to cut out for an "h" and an "l"????? Nah...couldn't be....
I searched, turning the paper carefully, looking at it from all angles until the letters popped out at me. I trimmed them, stuck them down, and decided they needed just a touch of glitter to give them some oomph.
THERE!
Whatcha think????
And oh yeah, that is Julio's head sniffing the swirl paper :)