Glasses of Grace

Wordle Tax Terms

2012-01-10T23:41:00.001-05:00

Amazed by Grace

2010-04-28T23:05:00.007-04:00

Sometimes I am absolutely amazed at the things that come out of Grace's mouth. More times than not, her words are hilarious, true, and directly to the point. She has a mind like a steel trap for detail...sometimes that's good, and sometimes it's bad. We've all had to look at each other at some point and say, "She's right." :)

Anyway, the story, for now though, is this:

Grace had her 11th birthday on April 13...a little over two weeks ago. Here is a picture from that night to give you a graphic:

You'll see Kate's knee and laptop on the couch behind Grace. I was on the floor taking pictures as Grace was opening some of her birthday stuff, and decided I needed a picture of Kate, since I haven't taken any of her in quite a while. With her being almost 16 now, pictures aren't so much her thing anymore, but I aimed my camera anyway and was about to shoot when she looked up and said, "Don't!" and ducked down behind her laptop.

Needless to say, I didn't try anymore, but I said, "Well, you better be thinking about it because before I leave tonight, I'm going to get Grace to take a picture of me and you!!!"

Kate's response was, "Maybe."

I looked at Grace and just sort of shrugged, knowing for sure that I'd eventually win (!!), to which Grace turned around to look at Kate. I mistakenly thought Grace was going to tell Kate she needed to do it since I'm such a fabulous aunt (!!), BUT this was Grace's response:

"Uhhh....Kate.....YOU'RE PRETTIER THAN SHE IS!!!"

I said, "GRACE....Hello!!!! I can hear you!!" Grace just started laughing and said, "Well...she is!"

I mean, how do you NOT laugh at that?? My goodness! Kate truly is a beautiful girl now. Here's a picture of her about a year ago to prove my point:

I'm not complaining because I'm very proud of BOTH of them, and I'm thrilled that Grace thinks her sister is the greatest thing since sliced bread, BUT wow.....she just cracks me up sometimes!

Total Praise

2009-09-29T17:31:00.001-04:00

Our choir singing Total Praise....an awesome song!

The things God uses....

2009-06-21T01:10:00.008-04:00

Hard to believe it's been almost three months since I've posted anything here! To be honest, not only have I not posted anything, but I have rarely, rarely been checking blogs either. It's funny how things can run in spurts like that. Anyway, it has been a eventful (almost) three months. But first things first...I will post more in the coming days, but this gets the ball rolling.

The last time I posted was March 29. Looking back, all I could think of or see then was the end of tax season on the horizon. Little did I know what was in store just a few short weeks later.

There is always a huge sense of relief that comes with April 16, just knowing life is returning to normal, we have one more bonus check coming on May 1 without having to work the extra hours...now THAT is what truly feels like a bonus! :-) It just feels like a huge relief.

I don't know how to approach what I want to say here without just pouring out my heart. My goal is not to be overly dramatic, but to just share what has been going on.

When you are single, as I am, there are a precious few friendships that take on true 'family' types of relationships. I am the first to admit that I have great friends and have been blessed beyond my fair share in this area. I realize these relationships are God's provision for me because it's not always easy being single in a 'married' and 'family' type of world. These people wedge themselves into my life and into my heart and when things happen with them, I am deeply affected on personal, emotional and spiritual levels.

Getting to the point: My friend Dee has been cutting my hair for probaby about 18 years. When I was looking for a new hairdresser, little did I know, when I got her name and number from another friend, what a huge part of my life Dee would become. She has her shop at her house, so when you're there, you're the only one there, unless you bring someone with you. This set-up gives a great opportunity for sharing and personal conversation and we have had many great discussions and laughs through the years. She has been a sounding board, confidante, just everything that makes a good friend a good friend. I can only hope I've been half that friend to her. I have no idea where we crossed the line of being hairdresser/customer to fabulous friends, but it's one of those things that seemed to happen quickly. We just clicked. I have often told Dee that getting my hair cut, highlighted, or both, every few weeks is like having a birthday every month because I LOVE that time with her and it's like I get to celebrate every month! I have meant that from the bottom of my heart, and she's known it! I should also add here that Dee, her sister Melanie, and their whole family....and families....are among these people that have 'taken me in' as family over the years. We all go to church together. Additionally, me, Dee, Melanie, and another friend of ours, Connie, celebrate each other's birthday every year with dinner and movie....the birthday person's choice, of course. I just really could not be any closer to any of these three girls. We are all in choir together as well.

At choir practice on May 6, during our prayer and devotion time, Melanie was given the floor to speak to us that night. She shared that Dee had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Hard news to hear. I was stunned. Dee was there that night and after Melanie got through sharing all this, Rick, our Minister of Music, asked Dee if she wanted to come down front and let some of us come pray with/for her as she headed into all that was in store. Now, Melanie and Dee are altos, and Connie and I are sopranos, so we are on opposite sides of the room, but when Dee got up to go down front with Melanie, Connie and I quickly sprang from our seats to join them, as did many others. Rick prayed a great prayer, and we continued on with practice. Connie couldn't quit crying, I was pensive. Not emotional....yet. I am a thinker. I have to look at things from all angles and get the facts. It took about a week for the emotions to hit me, but when they hit, they really hit!

At this point, Dee has been through 2 of her 6 chemo treatments. This last one was a bit harder to bounce back from than the first one, but her only real side-effect has been fatigue. She's had touches of other things...but the fatigue has been the most prevalent. Her blood counts have been good and her outlook has been fabulous. She is just amazing in the way she has handled it and in the peace that has filled her. God is giving her an awesome testimony in the midst of all this. It is humbling to see Him at work and it is inspiring to see her move through these days.

I have long known that God uses things in our lives to drive home the fact that He is sovereign and in control. This has been another one of those things in my life. I have shared here before about the lessons I learned when my friend Tracy was killed many years ago. I learned then that I don't need to take people for granted and just assume they will always be there. I have kicked myself over and over for being in a hurry the last time I spoke to Tracy on the phone, which wound up being the last time I spoke with her. I have learned not to leave words of appreciation unspoken. People need to hear them, and we need the assurance that we've done our part in speaking them. Luckily, I had always done that with Tracy, but with her life being cut short at such an early age (33), it just proved to me that you never know and it's best to say too many words of appreciation than not enough! I am so thankful that I've done this through the years with Dee (and she has done the same with me) because it gave me a natural position to step into with this diagnosis. I didn't have to try to step in and draw close because these are hard times. We were already there! What a blessing!

While these lessons are being driven home yet again, God is dealing with me deep in my soul in very personal and spiritual ways about this stuff with Dee. I am seeing Him at work in ways I've never seen before. I am seeing her live a testimony before my eyes that touches me and humbles me in ways I've never experienced before. I am seeing, as it says in Isaiah 26:3 - "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." She has this perfect peace and a strength that leaves me envious. I just don't have it right now. I want my friend well. I am beyond confident that our prayers are being answered and that God is healing her, but I hate like everything that she has to go through all that she does. I know that God has given me the role of being a supportive, encouraging friend to her, and that, above everything else, is my goal right now. This is all SO not about me, but I can see, and feel in my heart, that God is using portions of it to 'grow me' and stretch me to places I've not been before and I am grateful for that. I am grateful that He's using Dee to take me to these places because I know once this is all over, my spiritual life will be deeper and stronger, and the closeness and friendship that Dee and I have will be even sweeter. I'm thankful for these places, and the lessons, even if they hurt.

Dee has a website at CaringBridge.com that her sister, Melanie, is facilitating. Dee is writing the journal entries, or most of them, and Melanie is posting the entries and adding pictures. It's a great place to go and be encouraged, so if you're interested, you can go HERE to read her story, from her perspective. (You may have to enter your e-mail address and a password to get in, but it's only a formality.) You won't be sorry!

The new blog

2009-03-29T08:21:00.005-04:00

The new blog is up and all of the sermon notes are posted except for the one on the 8th Commandment. I was out of town at my mom's so I missed that Sunday. I got it on CD and have listened to it in my car, but not where I could take notes on it, so I'll get that done soon and insert it where it goes in the series. There are a few more things I want to add...notes from other speakers we've had that had great messages...but for the most part, here we are...up to date. You can go HERE to check it out! If you want to check out the church website and possibly hear the most recent ones online, the link is: www.fbcjonesboro.com

New stuff....believe it or not! :-)

2009-03-22T21:47:00.004-04:00

It's been SOOOOOOOOOO long since I've posted anything, but I've not done anything except work and regular life stuff...no huge goings on to report, etc, BUT, I am finally working on the new blog site I mentioned a while back posting only sermon notes. However, I've been to a couple of things this year where I've heard great 'words' as well, so I'm going to use it not only for sermon notes, but other 'insightful' things I attend or come across. Right now, I've only got a couple of new things on there and am working on getting the posts that are already on this blog moved over, but after that, I'll start with the new stuff. My intent is to have it all by date, by month, by sermon title, and by sermon series if all goes well. Hopefully I'll get it all done this week, or I will make that my intention anyway. Too bad I've let so much time slip by....I've got a LOT of posting to do in getting up to date!

Hope all is well with all of you blogger friends. I know many of us are keeping up on facebook now as well, so it's not like we're totally out of touch. Cyber-friends are a good thing, huh?

Check back later this week. I'll have the new blog title and website posted.

Have a great week!

Self-explanatory

2009-01-22T22:39:00.000-05:00

My friend's book

2009-01-19T22:14:00.006-05:00

Oh yeah, I meant to mention on my post last night that the friend I have had longest in life, Connie Ellis, has had a book published! It's a devotional book titled, 'Don't Eat the Chicken Livers.' I haven't gotten the lowdown on the title yet, but I intend to!

Connie is, seriously, the friend I have had, literally, ALL my life. Her dad and my dad were friends before we were even born, so it would just follow suit that we would be friends as well. We didn't always live close to each other, but when we were in Jr High, her family moved up the street and around the corner from us and we just picked back up like we'd been together all our lives. It is so rewarding to have friends like that in life. I can think of things we've experienced together so many years ago and still just get tickled. We went through Jr and Sr High together, I was the maid of honor in her wedding and if you are on facebook, one of my albums, 'My first nieces,' is of her daughters. They are a blessing just as she is...as they say, 'the apples don't fall far from the tree."

I am so proud of Connie and this endeavor. I am eager to get my hands on a copy of her book soon and hope YOU will do the same. She was posting devotionals online at one point and I had a link to get to them, but somewhere along the line, this book started coming into play, so she couldn't post them anymore. I had wondered over time what was going on, but had never asked, then the other day on facebook she used her status bar to announce that her book had been published! I was, and still am, SO happy for her and will be getting my hands on a copy of her book soon.

'Don't Eat the Chicken Livers' by Connie C Ellis.

Check it out!

Once again...

2009-01-18T21:16:00.005-05:00

So here's my big question, yet again....'Where in the world does time go?' I can hardly believe I haven't posted anything since December 26. WOW. It looks like I started a post on December 31, one about New Year's no doubt, but didn't finish it enough to post it. So, where has time gone?

All I know is that tax season 2009 is here! Our long hours didn't start until this past Wednesday, but tax season began with a vengeance on January 5 and hasn't let up since. I've probably only had about 3 hours of non-billable time since then! As slow as it had been at times, I am glad, but boy have I been tired! It would be easy to go on here about the economy and how many of our clients, as well as our firm, are affected, but that's really something we all already know, isn't it? Here's what I know...I have a job...God is in control...and I am blessed! It is hard though to talk to clients who have small businesses that are having to lay people off or having to close altogether.

While I admit that I didn't vote for Obama, I am eager and ready to see where he takes us as a country and what is in store. There's no sense in bucking anything now, all we can do is to pray for him and his administration and support him the ways that we can. Hopefully it won't take as long as they are projecting for things to turn around....that is my prayer anyway.

With that said, I am sad to see George Bush leave office and I hate that he's taking the beating in the press that he's had to take because much of what he's inherited to deal with was started prior to his taking office...he's just been left to deal with it the best way he and his administration could. There have been days when his approval rating was very high and when the unemployment rate was very low....it's too bad he's leaving office with both of these things in such contrast to what they have been in better days. I can only hope as time passes, his presidency will be viewed differently than it is right now. He's gotten a bum rap, in my opinion. Deedra at 'Down on the Farm' has a great post about Bush.....you can go here to read it.

Nothing much has really been going on except work, so I don't have that much to post about, but I did want to at least leave a quick note to say I'm still alive and well. I have really fallen off the wagon with the sermon notes, so I need to catch up on that as well. I actually thought a little earlier today that it might not be a bad idea to start a new blog of just sermon notes....I need to decide that before I get any further behind. If I do, does anyone have any idea if I can transfer the ones I've already posted to a new blog instead of having to retype them?

Thanks for stopping by. I'm off to catch up on more blogs. Hope you have a great week.

The Promise of Christmas

2008-12-26T09:59:00.015-05:00

This past Sunday morning (Dec 21), Pastor Mel preached what I believe was the best sermon on the Christmas story that I have ever heard. Following are the notes:

The Promise of Christmas
Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25 - "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel" which means, "God with us." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. "

***God loves the impossible - That is when He does His best work!

***Verse 22 is talking about the prophet Isaiah: "Now all this took place that the prophecy (of Isaiah) would be fulfilled."

***The prophecy and its fulfillment are both from God - God spoke through Isaiah 700 years earlier.

***God always keeps His promises.

***God had a sovereign promise to fulfill through Mary.

Isaiah 6:1-8 - Isaiah's Commission - "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Isaiah 7:14 - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

Isaiah 9:6-7 -

"For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David's throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty

will accomplish this."

Luke 1:34-38 - ""How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her."

***And Mary was amazed - She'd studied the scriptures and now realized Isaiah was talking about HER! (W - O - W!!!)

***Mary's assignment is not so different from ours because God has chosen each of us for an assignment.

***God knows your name and had a sovereign plan for your life. He is bringing about circumstances that you may hear and obey Him.

***Security does not mean isolation from all pain, but it means confidence in God's purpose and will.

***As long as you remain in His hands, God can do anything in your life. He is the same God to you as He was to Mary!

***No matter what your circumstances, choose to remain in the hands of God and trust Him.

***There may be times you feel ill-equipped and all alone, but God shows up and tells you not to worry...He has a plan.

***What has been written in heaven regarding your life?

This really was an excellent sermon to me. I absolutely LOVE the way Pastor Mel brings new eyes to things I've known in my mind for years, like this Christmas story. They are certainly very sobering thoughts! While I knew Mary realized what a miracle Jesus' birth was, I had never thought about the fact that Mary had studied the scriptures herself and what it must have been like for her to realize in the moment that the angel spoke to her that SHE would be the one all this would be fulfilled through. Can you imagine what a sobering realization that must have been for her? That thought has been on my mind all week. I really just can't even imagine!

The 10th Commandment

2008-12-23T14:14:00.005-05:00

Following are the notes on the 10th Commandment, from the sermon series, "Living Life to the Power of Ten."

#10 - FINDING CONTENTMENT
Exodus 20:17

Exodus 20:17 - "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

***Everything God promised is found in putting God first. Everything God promised can be destroyed by putting 'Me' first.

***The 10th Commandment is about finding contentment.

***Self-centeredness always leads to self-pity.

*** To be content in life is not to possess good self-confidence, but to have absolute confidence in God.

***When we say we are not content, we are saying that God is not enough.

1Timothy 6:6-10 - "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

Psalm 73:25 - "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you."

***The greatness of Christianity is not simply the blessings that come, but the relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

***The 10 Commandments are given under the premise that we want to belong and that we have made a committment to God and to one another.

***When you find Jesus Christ, you will find contentment in life.

My sweet nieces

2008-12-13T21:01:00.002-05:00

This is one of the pictures that Kate and Grace had made on one of their picture days this year at their new school. Their individual pictures turned out great as well, but I thought it was awesome that they let siblings have their pictures made together too. They both continue to love their new school and I am thrilled! They have both just grown up SO fast and I continue to be one very lucky aunt! :-)

Things I dislike:

2008-12-12T15:44:00.003-05:00

There are a few things in life that I really just don't like:

**celery :-)
**mice
**arrogance
**inconsiderate people
**loud people
**a few other veggies (!!)

But one of the things I most dislike is this:

people coming to my door well after dark, ringing the doorbell and banging on the door when it's obvious that I am either not going to answer, or I am not home.

This has happened to me twice recently. The first time was the night got back from my mom's a few weeks ago. There I was, sittin' on my couch, laptop in my lap, tv on, happy as a clam when all the sudden, 'ring...,' 'ring....'. Now if it had been daylight, I would have gone to the door, no question, but the fact that I live by myself doesn't make me relish the thought of answering the door after dark. So I didn't do anything....just sat there....then, 'ring, ring, ring, ring, ring'....knock knock knock knock knock! I could tell they were persistent, but I can be just the same, so I got up to come back to another room to look out the window and there was a car in my driveway. I still decided it wasn't in my best interest to answer, so I didn't. About an hour later, I looked out to see if they had left anything or whatever and there was nothing. Kinda strange.

So here I am last night, about 9:45, it's dark, my bath water was running, when all the sudden, 'ring.' Of course, my cats run and hide, not that they could do much anyway, but it was surely an 'every man for himself' sort of deal! :-) So again, I wasn't about to go to the door. The same story followed as before, just as persistently, if not a little moreso. I peeked around the corner to be sure my alarm was set, and luckily it was. (One of the best things I did when I had my alarm system installed was to have a keypad put in my bedroom. I wasn't going to do it because it was $100 more, but my mom insisted I need to do that, and I've been SO glad I did!) Eventually, whoever it was went away, but it was a little unsettling once again, that someone would think it was okay to come to a person's door well after dark, when they aren't expecting anyone, and make such a ruckus. I looked again this morning to see if they had left anything, and nothing was there.

I can't decide exactly what to do in this situation. I obviously can't know when someone might show up like that, and I NEVER intend to answer the door after dark, but you just can't be too careful this day and time. I had totally forgotten about the first time it happened until it happened again last night and now I'm wondering what's up. Just kinda weird.

Any suggestions?

The 9th Commandment

2008-12-10T22:20:00.005-05:00

The week away at my mom's got me behind on my sermon notes. I've got the CD for hte 8th sermon, but haven't sat down to listen to it where I can take notes. I will do that very soon, but following are the notes from November 30's sermon regarding the ninth commandment, from the sermon series, "Living Life to the Power of Ten."

#9 - THE POWER OF WORDS
Exodus 20:16

Exodus 20:16 - "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."

Pastor Mel started out by telling a story about a man named Alexander Papaderos. The story is too long to recount here, but I found it on the internet and if you are interested, you can go HERE to read it. It is a great answer to the question, 'What is the meaning of life?'

***Are you reflecting the light of Christ into the world in which you live?

***As we walk in this world, it sees the light of God reflected in our eyes.

***Don't give evidence that would injure the reputation of another person.

***The sin of silence is as powerful as the sin of lying lips.

***We need integrity in our words. We need to be speaking truth at all times.

***When people think of your life, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

***We build integrity by the way we live our life.

***God is truth and if we are to reflect Him to a watching world, we must be truthful in the way we live.

***Because God is truth, we can stand on His word with confidence.

***Our lives will be vindicated when we trust in God's word.

***As a Christian, our integrity is a powerful tool to a watching world.

***Our words have the power to build up or tear down.

***God is watching the way we regard others...do we build them up?

Proverbs 4:24 - "Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips."

Jeremiah 17:9 - "The heart is deceitful and above all things beyond cure. Who can understand it?"

***Sin has damaged our heart and we have a self-centered nature that wants to build ourselves up and tear others down.

***To obey this commandment, we need to control our tongue.

***If you are walking with God, you won't be shaken by hurtful words. We know the truth and keep silent knowing we will be vindicated.

***Knowing the power of words, are you willing to let someone else hold you accountable for them?

***Ask the Holy Spirit to help you hold your tongue.

***Obey the Holy Spirit even if this means awkward silence.

***Ask the Holy Spirit to take away your anger and fill you with joy.

***Ask the Holy Spirit to help you encourage others. Speak words they need to hear.

***If you allow the world to taint you, how in the world will God use you to be a light to others?

***Your life can be of such upstanding nature that God can use you to speak truth to set others free!

This was a great sermon and I took 2.5 pages of notes! WOW! Such wisdom.

As I mentioned earlier, I haven't had time to listen to the 8th commandment CD yet. We had our Living Christmas Tree last weekend, so we had rehearsals all week leading up to that, and this week has just been busy. I will get those notes posted soon though for anyone who may be interested.

This n' that

2008-11-30T18:20:00.004-05:00

So I decided it was time to change to a Christmas theme. I don't decorate much for Christmas, but I saw this nativity scene a few years ago in Gatlinburg when I was there with my friend Gina and her family. I thought it was adorable, but couldn't afford it, so imagine my surprise when I got it, in parts, from Gina and another girl I work with that year at Christmas! It's been in boxes in my garage probably since I moved here and I just haven't thought about putting it out because I didn't know where I could put it that cats might not get to it (!!), but I decided this year that my mantle is a great place. It is cute as pie sitting up there and I like seeing it every day.

Pastor Mel's sermon today was on the 9th commandment, about not giving false testimony against your neighbor. I bought a CD of last Sunday's sermon since I was out of town, so I'll listen to that soon and get that one and today's sermon notes posted soon. I cannot tell you how blessed we are to have him as our pastor. The wisdom he shares every week just makes me want to sit there with my mouth hanging open, but I know that's not a good look for me, so I try not to do that! :-) These sermons have been a very interesting walk through the 10 commandments. His applications to life today are great. Next Sunday is supposed to be the 10th one, but we are having one of our Living Christmas Tree programs at 10:45 instead of the service. We are having regular church at 8:00, so I am hoping he will delay the 10th commandment until the week after the tree. I am going to try to find out this week what the deal is going to be and if I have to, I may just have to get up and go to the 8:00 service next week! I can't imagine that he won't wait a week to do it, but we'll see.

I'm sad to say that it's back to work tomorrow. I am always amazed at how quickly time off passes! I think that saying is, "I owe, I owe, so off to work I go!" :-)

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, and thanks for stopping by!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T19:57:00.005-05:00

If anyone is out there still reading this blog besides my sweet two or three regulars who leave me notes, I just wanted to wish you ALL a great Thanksgiving. I've gotten away from posting as much as I did at one point for reasons that are more personal than anything else, but that's not to say it will always be this way. Despite that, I do still check in on several of you and love keeping up with your thoughts and lives. The internet is a great thing for staying connected.

Life has just been filled with regular stuff....work, church, my nieces, watching the economy (just like everyone else) and getting ready for the holidays. We have our Living Christmas Tree at church next weekend and have been racing to get ready for that. We've had so many other things that we've participated in this year that we may be a bit behind on learning the music as well as we should, but, THANK HEAVEN, we get a practice CD. That has really helped! I definitely need to still do some work on certain parts though! :-)

I have gotten two or three, maybe even four, letters from the little girl I am sponsoring. I continue to know this was the right thing for me to do and that Compassion International was the right organization for me to do this through. She often stresses how much she wants to be a nurse when she grows up. I just encourage her in that goal and love the way she shares the things she's learning at church. I still just cannot imagine what a day in her life is like. We have so much to be thankful for here, there is no doubt.

My sister, nieces and I went to my mom's for a few days for a long weekend this past weekend and had a great time. Patty and Kate slept on my mom's pullout couch, so they could watch some late TV I am sure, but that's fine with me because Grace and I got the bed! :-) Grace informed me that I snore, evidently a LOT to hear her tell it (!!), but we had a great time together. I know I have said this before, but she is SO much like I was at that age and my mom even wholeheartedly agrees. Grace just makes me laugh....a LOT. On the way down, we watched part of a movie, played travel Scrabble, sang, and goofed around all the way down. She is VERY quick witted for her age. We can simply look at each other, know what the other is thinking, and we both just start laughing. She bought a remote control whoopie cushion sometime recently (before this trip) and she had to keep using it on unsuspecting victims at every opportunity. There is never a dull moment with that girl. I can remember some of my aunts at my grandmother's laughing at me when I would say stuff when I was a kid, and I was thinking today if Grace truly is like I was at that age, I can certainly see why my aunts were laughing. Kate was just her sweet, precious self. She's 14 now and definitely coming into her own. She is a a great big sister to Grace. One good thing about me going on that trip is that it gives Patty and Kate some one-on-one mother/daughter time that they don't always get at home. I had some good talks and laughs with Kate too, so it was nice to get away. I loved the time with them both.

That's pretty much my life in a nutshell. I am trying to get rid of a sinus infection that keeps hanging on, but I'm definitely on the mend. I'm going to my dad's tomorrow afternoon for Thanksgiving and am looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning. Of course, 'in' is a relative term. My internal alarm usually wakes me up about 7, but hopefully I'll be able to go back to sleep! I love knowing I have 4 days off! YEA!

Anyway, back to my original point. I hope YOU have a fabulous Thanksgiving, and thanks for stopping by...I appreciate it!

PS.....With all this being said, I haven't gotten notes from this past Sunday's sermon, but I will get those and get them posted soon. I can't wait to hear what Pastor Mel had to say!

The 7th Commandment

2008-11-20T20:43:00.003-05:00

Following are the notes from this past Sunday morning's sermon regarding the seventh commandment, from the sermon series, "Living Life to the Power of Ten."

#7 - FIRE ALWAYS BURNS
Exodus 20:14

Exodus 20:14 - "You shall not commit adultery."

***The 10 commandments are like a fence God has constructed for our freedom. They protect us from things in the world that will (and can) destroy us.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

Matthew 5:27-28 - "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

***This commandment is dealing with the condition of your heart.

***Our actions start as a seed in the heart - and the seed is the same essence as the fully developed plant.

***The heart controls the life.

***God is concerned about your heart. It is either given to Him or to self.

***You are free to choose evil, but you are not free to choose the consequences.

Malachi 2:14-15 - "You ask, "Why?" It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth."

Galatians 5:7-8 - "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you."

***Fire always burns. Adultery always causes pain and brokenness.

1 Corinthians 10:12 - "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"

***Unguarded strength is a deceptive place to be.

1 Corinthians6:9-11 - "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

***There is forgiveness IF you choose to repent, but there are consequences that may never be removed.

***It is foolish to think that pre-meditated sin is not going to cause destruction.

***No matter how great our sin, God's grace is greater.

***God brings conviction so we can correct the relationship.

***God's power over sin is our only hope to find victory in life.

***God established a fence for your protection.

The 6th Commandment

2008-11-13T23:12:00.005-05:00

Following are the notes from this past Sunday morning's excellent sermon regarding the sixth commandment, from the sermon series, "Living Life to the Power of Ten."

#6 - RESPECTING LIFE AND EXTENDING GRACE
Exodus 20:13

Exodus 20:13 - "You shall not murder."

***The commandments move forward through 3 areas: God (commandments 1-4), family (commandment 5) and relationships (commandments 6-10).

***The seed is the same essence as the plant, just in a different form. (The difference between hate and murder).

***God is saying that another person's life has value. Do not take it into your own hands.

***Every person has a soul and no matter what they have done, we need to treat them as God would have us to treat them.

***Your words, and your silence, can destroy a person.

***Does your life encourage others or cause them pain?

***Romans 13: 9-10 - "The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

***Light and darkness (love and hatred) cannot co-exist in the same place.

***It is always your turn to right a wrong with another. It is always your turn to obey God and make things right.

***You can easily tell those who are walking in a love relationship with God. They love others.

***No matter what happens TO you, you control what happens IN you.

***When someone puts you to the test (treats you wrong), will you pass the test of your heart?

***Matthew 5: 44-45 - "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

***The 6th commandment is about respecting life.

***Your actions and words reflect the condition of your heart.

***Does your heart prove that you've been born again?

***There is nothing like a clear conscience. It is priceless and worth more than money can buy.

The 5th Commandment

2008-11-03T19:42:00.002-05:00

Following are the notes from this past Sunday morning's sermon regarding the fifth commandment, from the sermon series, "Living Life to the Power of Ten."

#5 - HONOR AND BLESSING
Exodus 20:12

Exodus 20:12- "Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you."

***The danger of losing the fear of God is that we become wise in our own eyes.

***Wisdom is a by-product of our trust in Almighty God.

***Parents are the keepers of God's covenant...children will follow behind and someday enter into the same covenant. Do your children see the commandments of God in you? Is God 1st place?

***Is your life a demonstration of the goodness of God?

***If your children were going to honor God by looking at your life, would they know what to do?

***The 5th commandment is the only one with a promise attached to it. "I will bless your life and take care of you."

***God put you in your family and your father and mother are to be honored for who they are.

***How do you honor an ungodly parent?
--forgive them
--be kind to them
--pray for them

***To honor does not mean that you approve of that which is evil.

***God's ways are not man's ways. They do not always make sense.

Matthew 5:38-48 - "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

***Giving honor to your parents will bring God's blessing upon your life.

***The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

The 4th Commandment

2008-11-01T18:38:00.005-04:00

Following are the notes from this past Sunday morning's sermon regarding the fourth commandment, from the sermon series, "Living Life to the Power of Ten."

#4 - TAKE TIME
Exodus 20:8-11

Exodus 20:8-11 - "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

***Rest is important....but HOW you rest determines how you are renewed and strengthened.

***A restless heart usually leads to a reckless life.

***The force and power of this commandment lies not in the resting, but in the sanctifying.

***The Sabbath is unique and special.

***Keeping the Sabbath holy uniquely identifies Christians as holy unto God.

***You need a day of rest. In God's eyes, a day of rest is just as important as a day of work.

***You need a day of corporate worship. It is holy unto HIM, not holy unto US.

***You need a day to give time to a personal love relationship with God.

Passin' it on...

2008-10-25T11:01:00.005-04:00

My friend, Tonja, has something posted on her blog that needs to be read by everyone, especially with the election getting so close, so I wanted to pass it along. Go HERE to check it out. It's long, but definitely worth the read. AMAZING!

The 3rd Commandment

2008-10-21T22:26:00.006-04:00

Following are the notes from this past Sunday morning's sermon regarding the third commandment, from the sermon series, "Living Life to the Power of Ten."

#3 - There is Power in the Name
Exodus 20:7

Exodus 20:7 - ""You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."

***When we make a choice to enter into a relatinship with God, we also accept the terms of the covenant.

***Make no mistake: There is power int the name of God.
Acts 4:5 - 12 - "The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

***The name of the Lord was indicative of His presence to act in their midst.

***To use God's name is to bring Him into the situation. When you use His name, He listens!
Matthew 12:36 - "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken."

***Your words now reflect your fate later - they will either justify or condemn.

Acts 19:11 - 17 - "God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. (One day) the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor."

***The power of God's name is for those who know Him personally.

***What does it mean to use God's name in vain? to use it in a manner unworthy of His person.

***We are called to use God's name in a manner worthy of His person.

***Wants WANTS you to use His name and display His glory.

The 2nd Commandment

2008-10-16T19:42:00.011-04:00

Following are the notes from this past Sunday morning's sermon regarding the second commandment, from the sermon series, "Living Life to the Power of Ten." I'm a little later posting them than usual, but it's been a good, yet busy, week.

#2 - Faithful and True
Exodus 20:4 - 6

Exodus 20:4 - 6 - "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments."

***God desires an exclusive relationship with you that is real and personal.

***God does not dwell in objects and cannot be controlled by human manipulation.

***The second commandment tells us how to worship the true God. He comes directly to our lives where we are face to face with Him.

***We have access to the presence of Almighty God and He invites us to come.

***There are many people who would like to perform a ritual to Him rather than to walk with Him.

***God is not after your money, your abilities or your gifts. He wants YOU.

***To seek after that which is empty will leave you empty.
Psalm 135:15 - 18 -

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,

made by the hands of men.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,

eyes, but they cannot see;
17 they have ears, but cannot hear,

nor is there breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,

and so will all who trust in them.

***He leaves you free to choose whatever you desire, but you are not free to choose the consequences.

***Those who struggle with the second commandment are those who are captivated by the world around them.

1 John 2:15 - "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

***Here's a good question to ask kids: 'What is the most important thing you see in mom and dad's life?' It takes courage to ask that kind of question to kids or anyone you are close to.

***When you give up everything for God, He gives back everything you need for abundant life.

***Let Him have His way in your life and you will experience a love relationship like you have never experienced before.

Being a friend.

2008-10-14T21:28:00.006-04:00

Making a long story short, I took Grace to soccer practice tonight. I usually try to take her to one of her practices each week because I want to be an involved aunt and I love the time with her, but I usually take my ipod along to either watch a movie I've downloaded or listen to music that I have on there. I've discovered it's a great place to worship as I am still, quiet and listening. Tonight, this song got my attention as I listened to the words, and the tears were flowing. Just thinking of people I know who have been through such tragic things and, as the writer of it, what Steven Curtis Chapman's family has been through as well. It's powerful.

I did a little research and found it was based on Galatians 6:2 -'Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ' and Luke 5:18-20 - 'Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.'

I need to remember to be THIS kind of friend and be attentive to the needs around me day in and day out.

A good song like this is timeless.

Small changes and big blessings.

2008-10-11T00:38:00.003-04:00

I decided to change my blog colors for a while in, I hate to say, 'honor' of halloween, but to me, it's just a fun day for kids to dress up and get candy! Plus, as I was doing that, I realized that in my header picture, Grace has a pumpkin on her shirt, so I thought I'd go with it for a while. I've always focused on the glasses more than her shirt. Funny how you see what you want to, huh?

Anyway, this has been a great week. I love the change in weather and wish it could be like this all year long, but then, I'm sure I'd take it for granted, so I guess I really don't wish that, but I do wish it would stay like this for a while.

About the week, all I did was go to work every day, took Grace to soccer practice on Tuesday night, had church stuff on Wednesday night, then on Thursday, I took part of a vacation day and had a great lunch with our new pastor's wife. I tend to be a bit nervous in new situations like that, but it was simply great! We 'clicked' immediately and I was sitting there, totally at ease, thinking how cool it is that God can bring new friends into our life so quickly if He chooses to do so. Don't you just love when you meet someone like that and you can sit there and talk and talk, about deep stuff, funny stuff and everything in-between, and before you know it, it's almost been 2 hours?! She had to go pick up her children from school or I am sure we could have talked even longer. In thinking about our conversation since then, I have more to ask her about, so I hope we'll be doing that again sometime soon. Thursday night, I just hung out with my sister, Grace, and a friend of Grace's, so that was fun too. Tonight, I went to see 'Nights in Rodanthe' with friends. I didn't love it, but it was okay. Tomorrow, Grace has a soccer game, then I'm going to go hang out at my sister's and venture a bit more into cardmaking. We both have tons of supplies, it's just more fun to work together and share ideas. I may post pictures if I come up with anything exceptionally creative! :-) I'm kind of excited about tomorrow too! Sunday night, we have a 'concert' to premier the new CD our choir made a couple of months ago. That should be fun.

Another cool thing is that I had a chance on Wednesday night on the way to children's choir to speak to our new pastor and tell him how much I have loved his sermons and how they challenge me all week long. As it should so happen, I was passing through an area of the church just as he was doing the same, so it was really a perfect one-on-one opportunity. He was very gracious and just asked that I continue to pray for him and his family. Moving all the way from Canada would be a big adjustment for anyone! We really are blessed though and I want him to know I appreciate the work he's putting into his job here. I just know God has great things in store...

...and I can't wait!

The 1st Commandment:

2008-10-05T21:43:00.004-04:00

Following are the notes from this morning's sermon regarding the first commandment, from the sermon series, "Living Life to the Power of Ten."

#1 - First Place
Exodus 20:3; Matthew 22:37-38

Exodus 20:3 - "You shall have no other gods before me."

Matthew 22:37-38 -"Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment."

***God loves you and is inviting you into a personal relationship that lasts for all eternity.

***God is not looking for first place in your heart -- He wants your whole heart.

***If you don't understand the first commandment to love Him (He's desiring to be YOUR god), all the others turn into a bunch of rules.

***God is not interested in you being happy; He is interested in you being holy.

***He will allow things into your life to shape and mold you into the person He has called you to be.

***To obey this commandment means you will live with confident expectation that God is in control.

***Worry is the warning light that tells us we don't understand the first commandment.

***He is telling us, "I want to be something you cannot find in any other relationship -- I want to be GOD." (the God who cares for your life)

***What we don't turn over to him takes control and eats away at our life.

***When you try and take control of what rightfully belongs to God, you also take all the responsibility for its outcome.

***The best thing for your life is to surrender it to Him.

***Does God have your whole heart?

***Is He the 1st person you turn to?

We are very blessed to have a pastor who makes us think like this and keeps us mindful of these things with such thought provoking points. Isn't it amazing how so many of these are things that we know, but don't always stop to think about or do on a daily basis?

Money

2008-09-29T19:01:00.007-04:00

With all the talk about the economy right now, our pastor felt led to change his sermon yesterday (Sept 28)...we'll be back to the 10 Commandments next week, but for now, the topic is money, from a sermon series titled, Where Your Treasure Is:

Worship Through Giving
2 Cor 9:6-8

'Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.'

***Our response to God's goodness is an act of worship.

***We are not to just receive good things from God -- we are here to give to God as an act of worship.

***God has a law of identical harvest. Gal 6:7 - 'Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.'

***God acts toward us in unconditional love, but not unconditional blessing -- blessings come as a response to our obedience (!!)

Malachi 3:7-10 - 'Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. "But you ask, 'How are we to return?'
"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.'

***When you understand God's perspective on money, you will be set free.

***Tithing is not giving a gift to God, it is giving back to God what is already His.

***Anything less than a tithe is not a tithe.

***Tithing is an act of worship where we sacrifice what is precious to us.

***If you can't afford to tithe when you are poor, you will never tithe when you are rich.

***Our use of money reflects our heart.

***He is not asking for the 'extra.' He is waiting to see if we love Him enough to sacrifice what is dear to us.

***There is nothing more frustrating to God than to see His people receive immeasurable blessing from Him, then be stingy with what they receive.

Then, one of the last things he said, was 'How can we be mad at the people on Wall Street, etc if we are also not doing what we are supposed to be doing in our giving to God??'

Food for thought.

OUCH!

2008-09-26T18:21:00.008-04:00

I called this morning to check on how much that ticket I got a couple of Sunday mornings ago for creeping around that stop sign would cost me and can you believe I have to pay $120??!! Dang! I have until mid-October to pay it. That is a good thing since I don't have it right now...a girl I work with had gotten a ticket for the same thing and hers was like $70 or $75, so that's what I was expecting. When they told me $120 this morning, I was in shock. Oh well. It's only money, right? I must admit though, I have been coming to complete stops since then, most of the time anyway! :-)

Good news...I went and voted this morning! I can't even imagine how crowded the polling places will be on the day of the election, so I decided to get that little, actually BIG, responsiblity out of the way early. My step-mom and sister went with me and we were all through in about 10-15 minutes...Definitely one of my better choices. If you have a chance to do that where you live, I highly recommend it. I'm ashamed to admit that I hadn't changed my voter registration info since I moved about 4 years ago, so I was sort of under the gun hoping my change info would go through in time for me to vote in this election, so I was THRILLED when I found online earlier this week that it had been changed. When I got there today, I filled out the form they had, a woman took it to her computer to verify my info, then came back over and said, sort of loudly on her way back to the counter where I was standing, 'Wow...It's been a while since you've voted, hasn't it??' but THIS is what I heard, 'WOW...IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE YOU'VE VOTED, HASN'T IT???' I was like, "Okay...you don't have to say it so loud!!!! :-)" Then she started giggling and cupped her hands over her mouth like she was going to shout it and said it again. It was actually pretty funny. I will definitely be doing better from now on! Isn't it funny how someone can say something and depending on your guilt or innocence in the matter, you can hear it totally differently than how they say it? Although I was guilty, it was sort of funny. :-)

What else?? I went to a surprise party last night for a friend and client from work. She turned 60 yesterday and her husband had called about 3 or 4 weeks ago to invite me, the CPA I work under (Judy) and our boss (Ben). They have been great clients and in the 18 years they have been using our firm, Sue and I have become great friends. Their company is based out of Northern Ireland and they moved here from England to open a branch in the US in 1990, so we were some of the first people they contacted and started using when they came here. Her husband runs the company and she's the main office person and bookkeeper, so with that being the case, not knowing the US rules and requirements when they came here, outside of the basics of tax law, Sue and I have had to learn a lot together over time. We've become friends in the process. Although I was inclined to not go to her party at first because I didn't think I'd know much of anyone there, when Judy and Ben agreed to go, I got excited about it. I called Sue yesterday to wish her a happy birthday and from our conversation, it was obvious that she had no clue what was going to happen that night. It was a lot of fun when she realized I was there. I can't wait to talk to her next week and see what her recollection of the whole night has been. My boss took his camera, so we got a few pictures. If he will e-mail them to me, I may post them here in a few days. We'll see. I was VERY glad that I had changed my mind and decided to go. I could tell it meant a lot to Sue and it was definitely the right thing to do. I love when I make good decisions! :-)

Okay...I'm off to find out what time the debates start tonight. Even though I've already voted, I am eager to see what they have to say. If you have a chance to vote early where you live, definitely take advantage of it!

Hope you've had a great week.

New series -- The introduction

2008-09-22T22:10:00.013-04:00

We started a new sermon series on Sunday (Sept 21) titled, 'The Power of Ten,' based on the Ten Commandments:

"Living in the Father's House"
Exodus 19:3-6; 16-19

Exodus 19:3-6 - Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you [will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."

Exodus 19:16-19 - On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.

***What was God's intent in giving the 10 Commandments? To guide us to have the best life possible in a coventant relationship with Him.

***The 10 Commandments were not given to the world, but to those in a love relationship with Him.

***The 10 Commandments came from a heart of love, but were delivered with absolute firmness.

***The 10 Commandments were delivered in such a way as to instill fear, in order that all would hear and obey.

***The 10 Commandments were delivered in sternness because God saw people wandering off in ways that were not good for them.

Ezekiel 33:11 - Say to them,"As surely as I live declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?"

***Because God loves us, He has given us specific instruction to live in harmony with Him.

Exodus 20:1-17 - The 10 Commandments:

1 And God spoke all these words:

2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3 "You shall have no other gods before me.

4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

13 "You shall not murder.

14 "You shall not commit adultery.

15 "You shall not steal.

16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

The Power of Ten puts you in a position:
-- to reflect God's character to a watching world
-- to know God
-- to experience God's blessing

'Let's Talk'

2008-09-19T18:30:00.001-04:00

This is from September 14 (we had a guest speaker on the 7th):

(This one catches me up to date....the ones prior to this are below)

"Let's Talk"
Acts 4:31
***Is Jesus someone you've met from afar or do you know him? Has He changed your life?

***Have you talked to the Lord lately?

***If we don't spend time with God and knowing Him, we do not need to be out in the world talking about Him.

***An encounter with God should be your normal daily experience - is it practical in real life?

***Prayer isn't a duty, it's the heart of your salvation. Can a person be saved who does not pray? Can a person be in love with Christ and never talk to Him? There are scores of people who believe in God, but never utter a word of prayer.

***Do you think God is worthy of your time? Does He deserve our best?

***Do you WANT to spend time with Him? Not that you HAVE to, do you WANT to?

***The most important part of your day is time spent with Him.

***The early church had nothing but God, and turned the world upside down.

***Boldness comes from the presence of God.

***Have you learned to talk to God?

***The greatest gift we have is our relationship with God, but sadly it's the one thing we most neglect.

***Do you give to God thinking He is impressed, or do you spend time with Him?

***Everything in your life is a by-product of your relationship to Christ.

***Do you ADMIRE God, or have you MET Him?

'The Pillar of Worship'

2008-09-19T18:25:00.000-04:00

These are from August 31:

"The Pillar of Worship"
Revelation 19:1-6
***Worship is a heart to heart encounter with the living God.

What does worship mean? Why have we come?

***In worship, we learn to say, 'Yes, Lord,' 'so let it be in my life.'

Trust Him -- from eternity's perspective, it is all going to be alright.

True worship is the desire to know and accept the will of God.

***In worship, we commit ourselves to do the will of God.

The will of God is not just something to be accepted; it is something to be asserted.

***In worship, we find the joy of our salvation

True worship is a testimony that the word of God is 'good news.'

***In worship, we find the assurance of victory - by looking to the past and seeing that the battle has already been won.

True worship finds its hope in the reality of Jesus Christ.

'The Pillar of God's Word'

2008-09-19T18:22:00.001-04:00

These are from August 24:

"The Pillar of God's Word"
Isaiah 66:1-2; Acts 6:1-7

***Time given to study the Bible is not an academic experience; it is an encounter with God.

***There is only one way to honor God - OBEDIENCE.

***Your study of God's word is (1) a decision to live in the presence of God, (2) a decision to know the will of God, (3) a decision to join the (I missed this word..maybe community) of God.

Scripture reference:
Luke 22:39 - Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him.

***More than He feared the cup, Jesus loved the hand from which it came.

***It is only when you have confidence in the relationship that you will have the confidence to obey.

***Obedience is discovered when it costs something - Love is revealed when it hurts.

***Strength is not found in how courageously I struggle, but how completely I surrender.

***If you don't spend time in God's word, you will not know him; If you don't know him, you won't love him; if you don't love him, you won't obey him.

***How you honor God's word, you honor Him.

'The Pillar of Prayer'

2008-09-19T18:17:00.008-04:00

These are from August 17:

"The Pillar of Prayer"
Acts 6:1-7

Pillars of a church God can use:
--Prayer
--God's word
--Worship

***You cannot understand the ways or purposes of God unless you spend time with God.

***The mighty activity of God in history has come through fervent, united prayer among God's people.

Scripture references:
Acts 2:42 - They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Acts 4:31 - After they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Acts 12:5 - So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

***The work of the kingdom is not done by our ability, but by God's power.

***The early church had nothing but God and they turned the world upside down.

***If we lose our sense of desperation for God, we are in trouble.

***Prayer is a clear reflection of your relationship with God.

Sermon notes - the introduction

2008-09-18T22:30:00.022-04:00

Okay. I said earlier in the week that I was going to start putting my sermon notes on here so I could keep track of them better...handy reference...and for anyone who might care to read them, so these are from his first sermon in this series on August 10, "Indispensable Pillars of God's Church."

"The Wonders of Tomorrow"
Joshua 3:1-7

***Keep your eyes focused on God's activity.***

***If you want to see the wonders of tomorrow, prepare yourself today. ***

Scripture references:
Joshua 3:5 - 'Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."'

Isaiah 55:8-9 - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."

Jeremiah 33:2-3 - "This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it - the Lord is his name. Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things that you do not know."

Hebrews 2:3 - 'how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?'

***Everything God does in our life and in our church is thru relationship...not religious activity***

This is just the first week. I need to get caught up through this past Sunday, so I'll be sure to work on that tomorrow evening or this weekend. There is a lot more to come and it will make you examine your life like never before...his sermons are also online, so if any of this catches your attention, which I'm sure it will in the weeks to come, check it out at www.fbcjonesboro.com and follow the link at the bottom of the page to 'sermons.'

I'm back! :-)

2008-09-14T23:13:00.007-04:00

I am thinking that this next week, I am going to start posting the sermon notes that I take in church each week. Our new pastor's sermons are incredibly thought provoking, sobering and well worth sharing, plus I am going to try to figure out the 'labels' thing so they will list on my sidebar and be easier to find. I really thought first of all about doing this for myself so I would have them all in one place, but then I know some blog friends have asked me to share some of his wisdom, so this will accomplish both of those goals.

His first sermon series is titled, "Indispensable Pillars of God's Church," those being prayer, God's Word, and worship. I'll work on getting that done this week.

Second, as you may have noticed, I added a 'McCain/Palin' button on my sidebar. I found this on another blog I read and loved it, so I added it here too. I am normally not a very political person, but am very happy that McCain chose Sarah Palin and that his party, and many Americans, have been energized by it. I just hope that everyone will get out and vote as it is our priviledge and resposibility! After I watched her speak at the Republican National Convention, I got to thinking that I didn't know for sure where I am supposed to vote, so through the fabulous, 'all knowlege is only a click away' internet, I discovered that I was still registered at the address where I lived before I moved....almost 4 years ago! Shame on me! As luck, or to me, God's hand, would have it, I was at Grace's soccer game last weekend and there was a woman walking around with voter registration/ change of address forms, so all I had to do was fill it out and give her that form with my new info. Hopefully I will hear this next week about my new polling location, but if not, I will be on the phone trying to find out. This woman was clearly an Ob*** fan, so I didn't say too much for two reasons: (1) I didn't want her to take my info and not turn it in, and (2) she just kept yapping and Grace's game started while I was filling out my form and I didn't want to miss it! I will make my statement in November when I vote~ :-)

I could go on and on about money being tight, getting a ticket this morning on the way to church because I didn't come to a complete stop at a stop sign (wonder how much that's gonna cost??), a car that needed a $600 part this last week, gas prices, and everything else, but I won't because everyone is fighting those battles right now too, many much moreso than me. Hopefully things will turn around soon, and besides, it could be worse...look at all those people who lost so much of their lives and possessions to Ike a few days ago.

We have much to be thankful for, so I choose to focus on that!

I'll work on the sermon notes this week...I'm eager to share Pastor Mel's wisdom!

"God Speaking"

2008-08-28T23:59:00.005-04:00

I know I haven't posted in FOREVER. I have lots to say, I just need to work on how to word it all. Our new pastor is here and he is fabulous. Every sermon he's shared leaves me with a quiet, VERY contemplative spirit and his words seem to be on my mind all week long. My mind cannot even fathom what God must have in store! I know that God is using him, among other things in my life, to speak to me and get my attention right now. This song is one of those treasures. It's another GEM by Mandisa, "God Speaking":

Life.

2008-08-09T19:05:00.008-04:00

It's been soooo long since I've posted! I didn't even realize how long it had been until I just looked at the date on the post before the quote on the 28th. Lots has happened and life has been busy.

I left the 30th to see my mom in Florida and was there until Sunday, the 3rd. Got back from there to a full office of work. I never figure how that happens....I was about totally caught up when I left, but when I got back, I had enough stuff in there to keep me VERY busy all week this past week. I'm not complaining, I just can't figure how that happens! I spent Monday night at home; went to see 'Mamma Mia' for the 3rd time with my sister and nieces on Tuesday; Wednesday, I had a meeting for Children's choir which starts again this coming Wednesday, then that night, I went to see 'Mamma Mia' AGAIN with my friend, Gina. Thursday, we had a shower at work during lunch for a co-worker who is expecting in September, then after work, went to a friend's house to get dinner for her children while she and her husband were out of town. They are old enough to look after themselves, pretty much, I just needed to get dinner for them and be sure they started homework, etc. Friday, I did the dinner thing at my friend's house again, came home for a few minutes, went to my sister's for a quick dinner, then back home to watch the opening of the Olympics. What a week!

Kate and Grace start their new school on Monday, so I took Grace today to get a new Bible as they will need one and she didn't have a good one to use. I was glad to be able to do that and happy that my sister let me. I dropped Grace off, did a couple of errands, then came home to watch the Olympics, nap and peruse the internet the rest of the day. I have loved today!

Tomorrow is our new pastor's first day at our church and I couldn't be more thrilled. I ordered a couple of his books off Amazon.com so I could sort of get a feel for what he might be like. I am eager to see what God has in store for our church under his leadership. These are exciting days, no doubt. Tomorrow afternoon, I have a drop-in shower to attend, then back to church for a receiption for our new pastor and his family. Never a dull moment!

If you haven't checked it out, go read my friend Rachel's blog....she's in Beijing for the Olympics and having a great time!

And for a huge laugh, go here. Trust me...it's FUNNY!

Profound thought.

2008-07-28T10:23:00.000-04:00

"There is more hunger for love and appreciation

in this world than for bread."

--Mother Teresa

This 'n that.

2008-07-20T22:17:00.005-04:00

I was going to post about my week, but it was mostly filled with work and a few stops to see my nieces on the way home. I have a deadline at the end of the month with work and I'm leaving to see my mom a few days of the last week this month, so I have to cram up and get everything done before I go. Not always an easy feat, especially since there's little I can do about when clients bring their work in, even though I've told them my plans. It was a stressful week, no doubt. I hope this next one is better.

I did have a few good things happen though. I was totally surprised to have yet another letter from the little girl I'm sponsoring when I got home on Monday. On the heels of the fact that I'd gotten two the week before, I was surprised, but totally thrilled. I can tell that the letters are getting more personal as she talked about her parents and what they do for work and how she's concerned for them. It makes me a little sad that a 7 year old little girl worries about her parents' work, but I'm glad she feels she can share those things. Her mother sells soaps and her dad makes stamps. One of her last sentences was this, "I want you to please pray for my parents. They always say that people are not buying, but I want God to help them, okay?" When I was 7 years old, I was only worried about what my friend, Amy, and I were going to play or where I was going to ride my bike to the next day. Certainly nothing like this sweet little thing worries about. I need to send her a note back this next week. I have already been blessed far beyond what I imagined and my hat is off to Compassion International, their workers and their organization for making it possible for these children to be sponsored and to handle it so responsibly. If I ever felt like I was doing anything right, this is it.

The other good thing is that I finally got a phone that can text! :-) Kate, my 13 year old niece, told me earlier in the week that I needed to get text added to my phone so she could text me with any news that couldn't wait. (I know she could call me, but in today's world, that is so 'yesterday.') Needless to say, when a teenager expresses an interest in keeping in touch, you do it, so I upgraded my phone and feel a bit more up with the times! ha...Technology just amazes me. It is fun though, I must admit.

One other fun thing I did was create an account on Facebook. Some friends at church have it and were talking about how fun it is and what a great way it is to keep in touch, and next thing you now, there I am signing up too! :-) It is pretty fun, mostly to know what everyone else is up to at any given time and post quick notes to each other. One of our friends is going to Japan to train for his job for 4 months, so it all sorta started as a way to keep in touch with him, but it's fun in and of itself, so I'm sure we'll keep on even after he's back home. Some things we just never outgrow! :-)

Although the things above are what I originally intended to post about, I'm about to do a hard turn and say that even with all these good and fun things this past week, I have had a twinge of loneliness, sadness, emptiness or something today and haven't been able to put my finger on why, nor have I been able to shake it. Nothing has happened except that I had a rather disturbing dream about a friend last night, but that usually doesn't affect me the way I've felt today. I tried to figure it out on the way home from church this morning and it's been a nagging feeling all day long, but I haven't come up with any reason yet. I'm not normally one to have pity parties, but I just feel sort of blah. So I get to church tonight and our preacher's topic is, "The Joy of the Lord." Well hello....how much like GOD is that? I listened to that sermon knowing it was probably just what I needed to hear today, so I sat there with Bible, paper and pen, taking notes....ones that I need to go back over again. I sat there with a quiet heart and quiet spirit knowing that God knew what I needed to hear today. Isn't that amazing? And why was I surprised???

It will be interesting...

2008-07-12T07:21:00.009-04:00

My friend, Rachel, arrived in Beijing yesterday and will be working there during the Olympics which start August 8 and go through August 24. I have no idea what she will experience of course, but I can absolutely guarantee you that she will have some interesting posts, great pictures or videos and some insightful thoughts to share. I can't wait to see what God has in store for her over there!

Hop on over and meet her via the link above.....she's great!

I'm proud of you, Rachel!

A sweet letter

2008-07-09T16:02:00.007-04:00

I am happy to report that I have gotten two letters recently from the girl I am sponsoring through Compassion International. The first came last Saturday. I was thrilled to see the envelope but somewhat disheartened to open it and read a note that sounded nothing like and 7 year old would write. I told myself though that she must have given the volunteer the topic and told him what to write about and he went from there. That was the only way I could feel good about it because I really want to know about this child....in her words.

Then on Monday, I got home and had another note from her.....this one in response to a note I had e-mailed to Compassion International from work. They evidently go quicker that way to wherever they are sent for translation, so I will probably do that from time to time as well. The contents of the second sweet letter are below......

"Dear Dianne,
Thank you so much for making time to write to me even at work. When I had your letter, I had returned from school and my social worker called me to have and reply your nice letter. I am happy to hear from you Dianne.

Now is the season of mango fruit in Ghana and there is a mango tree in my house, how I wish you were here to enjoy it with me. Dianne, I will love to become a nurse when I grow up, what do you want to be in future?

My class teacher is called Mr David and he says it is good I like dictations it will help me become a good nurse. My family and I are always praying for you.

From your child: Kate Aban (with social worker’s signature as the writer)"

How sweet is that?

Now THAT'S the kind of letter I want to get!

Can you identify? :-)

2008-07-06T23:03:00.002-04:00

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. -
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden.

As I turn on the hose in the driveway,
I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage,
I notice mail on the porch table that
I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table,
Put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,
And notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back
On the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think,
Since I'm going to be near the mailbox
When I take out the garbage anyway,
I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my checkbook off the table,
And see that there is only one check left.

My extra checks are in my desk in the study,
So I go inside the house to my desk where
I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks,
But first I need to push the Coke aside
So that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Coke is getting warm,
And I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke,
A vase of flowers on the counter
Catches my eye--they need water.

I put the Coke on the counter and
Discover my reading glasses that
I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk,
But first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter,
Fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.
Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,
I'll be looking for the remote,
But I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table,
So I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs,
But first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers,
But quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back on the table,
Get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to
Remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

The car isn't washed,

The bills aren't paid,

There is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter,

The flowers don't have enough water,

There is still only 1 check in my checkbook,

I can't find the remote,

I can't find my glasses,

And I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all darn day,
And I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem,
And I'll try to get some help for it,
But first I'll check my e-mail....

More than a holiday...

2008-07-02T20:09:00.009-04:00

"The 4th of July is the time when we celebrate our nation-- a time to reflect on the freedoms which we believe are not granted by our government, but are self-evident rights for all humankind. Time for the Independence Day Quiz which asks, "How much do you really know?" Every day thousands leave their homelands to settle here in the land of the free. Before they become citizens they are required to take a citizenship test and score 80%. Could you pass this test if you took it today?"

"This quiz is made up of 20 questions found on the actual citizenship test with a few curveballs in the mix. The last ten questions may be a bit harder, but a score of around 24 out of 30 is considered a passing grade."

Take the quiz HERE, and let me know how you do....I got 22.

Two pleasant surprises.

2008-06-30T09:37:00.003-04:00

I can tell that I'm going to have to post about Deeper Still as I process the whole weekend, but this link will give you some of what we experienced. It really was great.

Personally, one of my most immediate responses is that I LOVED Priscilla Shirer! I knew absolutely nothing about her going in and was SO pleasantly surprised. She was funny, incredibly thought provoking, and just a big ball of energy up there, so it was easy to stay interested in her message. She spoke about trusting and seeking God in the 'wilderness' situations of life. While she spoke of the desert being dry, dusty and barren, she suggested camping out in those times and seeking God, stating that 'the wilderness is where intimacy is ignited. God leads us there so we will experience and trust God more fully.' That was a powerful statement for me because I can surely look back during specific 'wilderness' times in my life and see how diligenty I sought God, how I looked for His lessons and had a huge desire to follow where He was leading. It's hard to think that He would lead us into a time of brokenness like that, but I know when it happened to me, one time specifically, my priorities were WAY out of whack. And even if it's not anything like what I experienced, there are other situations that are out of our control, but God still wants us to use that time to trust and meditate on His word, His ways and His purposes and just remain obedient. When we come out of those times, it is a witness to others and a huge step in our walk of faith. She had a great message and I was thrilled to hear her. I can tell that one of the next books I read will be one of hers.

The other thing I was most struck by was Mandisa. I had heard her name from American Idol, but had no idea who she was. She has evidently has traveled with Beth Moore's praise team for years, but American Idol is what got her name out there. This post will give you insight into her sweet heart and her love for the Lord. I was just smitten with her and intend to either get a CD of hers or get some songs from iTunes for my ipod. She was fabulous. With that, this is just a taste of what she offered: Don't worry about today and it's problems....we have much to look forward to, after all.....

"It's Only the World"!

If you have a chance to see either of these two ladies, DO IT. You won't be disappointed!

Busy week, but fun days

2008-06-25T14:00:00.007-04:00

My sweet Kate boarded a plane this morning, BY HERSELF, to go see my mom in Florida! She has now done something that her Aunt Dianne has never done! I'm really proud of her. I know that's not such a big deal to anyone who flies often, but it is to me! :-) When my sister booked the flight, she'd asked about being able to walk Kate to the gate, but they told her that it depended on what the security risks were on the day Kate was flying, so, true worry-wart that I am, I began praying right then that all would be calm and she would be able to do that. As it turned out, my sister didn't even have to ask for a gate pass....the airline Kate flew evidently automatically gives them to parents of minors who are flying alone. Too bad the people on the phone didn't tell my sister that to begin with, but oh well, extra prayers never hurt anyone! :-)

We have rehearsals tonight and tomorrow night for our 4th of July program at church this Sunday...Patriotic Jamboree. It should be fun. I am looking forward to getting there tonight and seeing what's in store. It sounds like the set-up is nothing like we've ever done, so I'm excited to see it. Hopefully the rehearsals will go well......

THEN, what I'm really excited about....this weekend, I am going to the Deeper Still conference this weekend here in Atlanta with Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, and Kay Arthur. Well, actually, I'm not going WITH them, but they are the speakers. :-) I've only been to one other Beth Moore conference to see her in person and I and left there ready to become a groupie. She is just fabulous. I've done a couple of Kay Arthur studies, but never seen her in person. I know nothing at all about Priscilla Shirer, but I'm sure she's great as well. I am excited. I am going with my step-mom, her sister, and my step-mom's daughter. It will be nice to get away for a while and focus on GOD and spend time with Brenda (my step-mom) and Angie (her daughter). I don't know Brenda's sister very well, but it will be a good weekend. We are spending the night at some hotel downtown so that we don't have to fight traffic and pay so much for parking. There is supposed to be a shuttle that runs from the hotel to Phillips Arena, so that will be nice.

Then when we get home from that, I hit the ground running getting ready for Sunday and then program at church Sunday night.

Whew....it will all be fun, but it'll be a whirlwind.

And now, I need some opinions:

I think this black background makes all this somewhat easier to read and the other colors stand out more, but I don't know if I'm sold on it yet....any thoughts?

This convicts me:

2008-06-20T22:13:00.012-04:00

"If our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot because our charitable expenditure excludes them."

-- C. S. Lewis

WOW. This was the 'Today's Quote' from Heartlight that changes on my blog sidebar every day. This was Tuesday's quote from this week. It stopped me in my tracks that morning and has been on my mind on and off since then.

You know, God uses so many different ways and times to convict me of things in my life that I know are not up to HIS standard. Sometimes it's my actions, sometimes it's my words, somtimes it's my thoughts or the unexpressed things I may not share with anyone, then sometimes I read things that covict me to the very core of my being. The quote above happens to be one of them.

I spent some time catching up on blog reading tonight...something I have let slide for several weeks for some odd reason. While doing this, I found that Jill had a great Memorial Day post that was thought provoking as well. I have had many of her same thoughts myself, and even though Memorial Day has passed, her post is worth mentioning again. You should go read it if you haven't already. (Great word, Jill!)

Here's the thing: I think I am struggling because the gas I am putting in my car is more expensive than it's ever been since I've been driving. I think I don't have enough because I don't have the money to do all the things I might want to do around my house right now. I think I am struggling because I am single and trying to live on one income in this day of rising prices of, it seems, everything...and it appears it will get worse before it gets better.

It is a bit scary with things like they are and money is definitely tight, but I'm not struggling.

The truth is.....I am blessed. I am lucky enough to have a car that runs and to be able to afford the gas for it right now. I am lucky enough to have a nice roof over my head. I am lucky enough to be able to put money into my retirement each payday. I am lucky to have food to cook or money to eat out if I choose (which can fall under the 'bad money management' category if I'm not careful!). I only mention things concerning money here because of the reference to lifestyle in CS Lewis' quote, but I am blessed to have the friends, relationships and family that I have. The truth is that I am not struggling in any sense of the word.

I feel convicted, almost ashamed, even admitting that here.

With all that said though, I do give and do what I can when I know there's a need, but I can't say that I give until feel the need to alter my 'wants' in order to do it and that's where I think the coviction of this quote comes in. I want to live with that 'pinch' that CS Lewis mentions, but I don't want to live with it because everything is costly right now or because I am a bad money manager. I want to live with it because my heart is open and willing to help others that need it far more than me. I want to live with it because God is bigger than I am and I know He will meet my needs if I follow through on the things He places on my heart. I want to live with it because I've quit looking at things like an accountant and have started looking at things in light of ministry and helping others.

Thank you, CS Lewis, for your timeless wisdom.

God's goodness

2008-06-16T17:15:00.006-04:00

If there is one thing in my life I am sure of, it is that I am at the church where I am meant to be. I was raised going to a Methodist church in the city where I grew up, but after high school, they didn't have a college-age class for me to attend. I quickly found out that I didn't belong in the class with young marrieds, or young married couples with small children, so I just quit going. While this was the case, since that is one of the churches from my childhood and the only one we attended during my teenage years, it still holds a special place in my heart.

I started attending my current church with a friend who was away at college but didn't want to go to Sunday school by herself on the weekends she was home. At her urging, along with the fact that I knew I needed to be attending somewhere, I went. Initially, I wasn't totally comfortable in such a large church, but I still went with her the weekends she was home. Since that was all I was doing spiritually, it was obvious that I was just going through the motions because I knew I needed to be going somewhere. I loved the church and the preacher, but with this backwards personality that I have sometimes (!!), I just didn't know how to break in and make friends.

Unfortunately, it took my grandmother's death in 1988 to get my attention. I LOVED my grandmother! My dad is one of 18 kids, 15 living now. He's the second in line now, so with that many children, his youngest sister, my aunt, is only two years older than me. They lived out in the country....and when I say country, I mean 'country,' especially back then. I would go down there many summers and spend a week doing nothing but playing with my aunt. We would play games, ride bikes (on a dirt road of all things), ride on the trailer that was attached to a tractor to go feed the hogs every night (my aunt and I would try to push that slop all over each other...YUCK!), catch butterflies, just all the things that make childhood fun. My grandmother, even though she still had several children still at home, would always dote on me a bit. I loved it. I also loved the fact, and still do, that people who knew her would say that I looked just like she did when she was younger. I still hear that, even to this day. I think that's pretty cool because I loved my grandmother. Anyway, unfortunately, it took her death in 1988 to really get my attention spiritually. Although I was saved at a retreat as a teenager, I wasn't living like it and knew in my heart that my grandmother's death was the shake-up that I needed to make it happen. I wasn't doing anything bad, I just wasn't living the Christ-centered life that I should have been.

I started getting serious about my church attendance and my spiritual walk. I started looking at this life in light of eternity and knew the changes that I needed to make. I started putting a bit more effort into the relationships I had at this church and the friendships that I was making along the way. As creeped out as I am about being in front of people, it still took me until 1990 or 1991 to go forward and join this church, and even at that, I had to sit through the service with a friend who was a counselor because I knew she'd hold me accountable! I joined the choir in 1991, I believe, and except for a few months leave of absence in 1996, I have been in there since that date.

I am grateful for parents who took me and my sister to church every Sunday. We didn't always stay for 'big church,' but we did attend Sunday school and my sister and I were both involved in the youth group when we got to that age. I learned the basics there, but I feel that probably 80-90 % of my spiritual growth has come from my current church. God has used the preachers, members, classes, different ministies, etc to speak to me. He has given me some huge disappointments and hard times since I've been there, but also some fabulous friends and some of the most heartfelt relationships of my life. I just have no doubt that this is where I am supposed to be. Even the bad times have been times of great growth. Funny how that works, isn't it?

With all that being said, we have been without a pastor since last November. We have had some great preachers in the interim. Our search committee has been working on it and on Sunday, June 8, it was announced that Dr Mel Blackaby was their choice for our church. He was here over the weekend for various 'get to know you' things, but yesterday morning, he preached, then last night, he and his wife, Gina, gave their testimonies. I sat there listening to them, many times with tears in my eyes, because of the things they were sharing about their lives and how God has worked in them, but also that God, in all His faithfulness and goodness has chosen to bring them here as leadership for our church! I have a book that he co-wrote with his dad, Henry Blackaby, titled 'Experiencing God Together' that I've started reading again with new eyes since he's going to be our pastor. We still have several weeks before they get here, but these are exciting days and I cannot WAIT to see what God has in store.

I have no doubt I am in the church where I am meant to be. God is good!

A tribute.

2008-06-14T17:00:00.002-04:00

I'm not normally very political, but I have found myself quite sad since learning of Tim Russert's death yesterday. I left work early yesterday afternoon and when I got home, I had an e-mail from CNN Breaking News stating that Mr Russert had passed away, an untimely death, at the age of 58. I immediately clicked over to their website to find that he'd had a heart attack while working on his Meet the Press show for Sunday. He'd just returned from a trip to Italy with his family to celebrate his son's college graduation. Since then, outside of the things I've had to get done last night and earlier today, I have been consumed with listening to the news coverages, the tributes, etc. I just cannot hear enough.

One of the best things when I bought my house was that my bedroom was big enough that I could have a television in there. I'd never had that 'luxury' before, so I was thrilled when it all worked out like it did. In the 3.5 years I've been here, I've gotten used to watching the Today Show in the morning and hearing what's going on in the world before I head out to work each day. With things on the political realm as they have been for a while, Tim Russert was on there most every morning giving the facts and his insight on what was going on. His humor and truthfulness were things that I liked and his was an opinion that I began to look forward to hearing without even really realizing that I did.

It's funny how you can feel like you know someone simply by watching them on television, but that's kinda how I feel. With all the tributes I've heard since yesterday afternoon, it seems like the kindness and respect that I saw him give the Today Show hosts were qualities that were part of his everyday life. For some reason, I don't have a hard time believing that. In listening to him speak, he seemed very 'real' and I have been touched, much moreso than I expected to be, by the tributes I've heard from so many involved in his life....co-workers, employees, friends, politicians, etc, and it breaks my heart that so many of these people feel they have lost someone who was a true friend in every sense of the word. He was evidently a fabulous man and while he did incredible research in his job, he made others feel appreciated, valued, respected and honored by remembering the little things and celebrating the big moments in the lives of his friends, even as busy as he was. It seems that he was filled with such enthusiasm for every aspect of his life....father, husband, son, boss, mentor, political correspondent, spiritually, etc.

He evidently led a fabulous life and set the bar very high morally, ethically and professionally. We should all be so fortunate to have such a balanced life and be remembered so fondly. Even though I didn't know him personally, I'm going to miss him and I'm going to miss his insight as this upcoming election unfolds. It just seems sad that he won't be here for it.

I found this quote earlier this week and it seems appropriate to share here:

There are many fine things which you mean to do some day, under what you think will be more favorable circumstances. But the only time that is surely yours is the present, hence this is the time to speak the word of appreciation and sympathy, to do the generous deed, to forgive the fault of a thoughtful friend, to sacrifice self a little more for others. Today is the day in which to express your noblest qualities of mind and heart, to do at least one worthy thing which you have long postponed, and to use your God-given abilities for the enrichment of some less fortunate fellow traveler.

Grenville Kleiser, 1868-1953
American Author

Catching up...again!

2008-06-10T15:19:00.005-04:00

It’s been a while again, but Kate’s last day of school was great. I was an absolute blubbering idiot from the time I got there and saw how special they were making it for these 8th graders leaving the school that I just couldn’t contain myself. One thing about my emotions...I can’t hold them in! Once something is sweet or touching, I am quickly reduced to tears! Grace missed her last day of school so she could be there for Kate’s Pride Walk. She looked over at me at one point and said, "Aunt Dianne, are you okay??," then she kept checking on me periodically. It was funny and sweet at the same time. I just couldn’t pull myself together. I wasn't a mess the whole time...it came in waves, so I was glad for that! That's just how I am about sentimental things, so it's a good thing that my family knows to expect it. They still tease me, but they know it's coming. Imagine what I will be like at her high school graduation, when she goes off to college, gets married, etc. I mean, this was just 8th grade graduation! :-) She’s such a good kid. I just adore her.

It was really cool because the students filed in, the principal said a few words, then Monica Kauffman Pearson spoke. She’s a local news anchor, and she did an absolutely fabulous job. She spoke WISE words to both parents and children about their responsibilities to each other, respecting each other and, to the students, fulfilling their paths in life. She gave great ‘life examples’ from things she’d been through as a child and young adult herself as well as examples of being a mom and raising her own children. Funny thing. She left a note on Doc’s page at Legacy.com when his obituary was in the paper and said he was the doctor for her channel when she went to work there years ago. After knowing that then finding her making a speech at Kate’s last day of school, I felt like I knew her! :-) That was a very cool thing. I have thought that I need to e-mail her and see if she’ll e-mail me her speech so Kate can put it in a scrapbook or something. At the end of the program, they had the students file out to walk the halls with their friends for the last time...there I went again...BOO HOO! :-) They had all the 6th and 7th graders come out of their classes to line the halls and clap as the 8th graders went by and they had all of us that were there for the program to line the halls outside they gym as well. It was a sweet time and it was sweet to see Kate in her teenage habitat. I SO remember those years. That was a fun day.

Not much was going on last week, just getting back to life at work. It seems strangely quiet coming off being so busy with tax season.

The kitten, I think, is going to be named, ‘Lilly.’ She is 3.6 pounds now, but an absolute handful. From the minute she springs forth from her room in the morning, she is a bundle of energy. It is hilarious to watch her sometimes, but not quite so funny when she tries to sharpen her claws on my sofa, chaise, and oversized chair and ottoman. I’ve decided to use the squirt bottle as a deterrent and that seems to work. She hisses and runs off, but hey...she’s not ruining my furniture! She’s been out on the patio with Sweet Kitty a few times, but I don’t let her roam far. She’ll be the one to trot off into the road and get hit and I’m not ready for her to venture that far yet. I’ve been calling her ‘Little Bit,’ so I think ‘Lilly’ will be a smooth transition for her and for me!

I need to do better about posting, but everyday life seems so mundane sometimes that it hardly seems interesting enough to write about. I have noticed how much I love going to peek into everyone else’s life though....funny how that works! :-)

UGH!

2008-05-29T19:00:00.006-04:00

I decided today as I was sitting in the doctor's office that there is one thing that REALLY irritates me....people who monopolize conversations and won't hush!

Without going into all the detail here, I had an appointment with my new doctor this afternoon (who I changed to after the fiasco with my prior one last October when I was so sick) and while I was sitting in the waiting room, there were three ladies there who knew each other. Two of them were together (one came with a friend she evidently works with), the third knew them and evidently used to work with them, but didn't know they would be there today. Gosh...talk about a know-it-all.....she drove me NUTS. She was pressuring the two ladies that were together to tell her things that were discussed in a staff meeting they had today, making them feel 'small' because they didn't ask all the 'right' questions in their meeting, harassing them because they didn't have their cell phones on so she could call them and find out about their meeting as soon as it was over, etc. Of course, her job 'now' is just perfect and she can't imagine how the other firm is possibly going to make it without her, but I'm sure they will somehow manage! It wore me out just listening to her and I couldn't help but to wonder what her friends, not to mention the other people in the waiting room hearing the conversation, were thinking. I was SO glad when they called her back for her appointment. There was truly no way that you could not have heard her or their conversation. It made me hope that I never come across that way to other people, even strangers, and it made me pray that I never do!

Lastly, this one is not a complaint, but here's a picture of the new, growing kitty. I am still deciding on a name....I had thought about 'Sissy' since she's a sister to my other one, then after talking to a friend at work the other day, I decided I might like 'Chelsie,' but in all actuality, her name needs to be RAMBO. She is SO active it drives me nuts sometimes, then other times, she's so sweet that I can't help but to love her. Sweet Kitty, who also goes by Sugar just for the record, is still trying to decide. They play and fight, then Sweet Kitty tries to lick her and take care of her and be her mama, so who knows! At any rate, here's her sweet face:

Tomorrow is Kate's last day in middle school, so I'm going for their Pride Walk where they send the 8th graders off to the high school for next year, but of course, Kate and Grace both will be attending a rather new Christian school next year. She'll still be in high school nonetheless. I am amazed! I'm excited to see what next year holds for them in several areas, but I know it will be a change and probably pretty sad for Kate tomorrow knowing this will be it for life as she knows it now. She's got several good friends though, so I'm sure they'll stay in touch....teenage years are just kinda hard sometimes.

If you've managed to stay to the end of this post, I hope you've had a good week and that you have a great weekend! :-)

Where has time gone?

2008-05-22T22:08:00.004-04:00

I can't believe that it's been since May 8 that I last posted anything...where has the time gone??

I have thoroughly LOVED getting back to life after tax season! I have been trying to think what I have done since I last posted and here's my list: attended Grace's soccer games (their season is through now), taken time off to shop a little, went to Grace's field day...where I got sunburned (UGH!), we wrapped up our year of children's choir with an end of the year program, I've been to some FABULOUS programs at church....between our grade school choirs and middle and high school choirs, we are incredibly blessed. Last weekend I went to a Beth Moore DVD study that left me more emotional than I ever thought it would. She's just so fabulous that you HAVE to be touched by anything she does by the time it's over!

I've also been breaking up catfights and trying to teach the little one that furniture is not to be CLIMBED! She should certainly know the meaning of 'NO!' by now! :-) She is sweet though! I've had her 5 weeks today and I weighed her tonight....she only weighs 2.2 lbs, so she was really tiny when I got her. I don't think that I even realized how little she was!

Other than that, I've just been doing the normal 'life things' but all things that I appreciate being able to do now. Tomorrow I am going in to work then leaving to go to Christopher's (my friend Gina's son) awards day, then meeting a friend for lunch, then back to work for the afternoon. Next week, I will go to Kate's awards day on Wednesday then back to her middle school on Friday for some program, then something where they send them off to high school. Another reason I can title this post, 'Where has time gone?' That sweet thing has grown up before my eyes and I can hardly believe she heads to high school next year! WOW! She is a fabulous young woman and I am SO proud to be her aunt. By the time this month is over, I will have used about a week of my vacation time, but that's okay because these are all things that I wouldn't miss for the world. I've learned that you only get one chance to do some things and I don't want to blow a single opportunity!

Here's a picture of Kate and me from her concert tonight. Not so great of me....but really good of her. She got her braces off last Thursday and she is just precious!

Life is good....great, actually....and I am so content right now that it's not funny. Isn't that a blessing???

What's not to love?

2008-05-08T23:19:00.010-04:00

This 'n that....

2008-04-30T21:39:00.008-04:00

As you might have expected, guess who has a new home:

She has been at my house what will be 2 weeks tomorrow, and I'm hooked! She and Sweet Kitty are learning to co-exist, but I still feel like I'm trying to keep them both happy and non-jealous of the other! :-) The little one just wants to play and the big one will only 'entertain' her in spurts. They are running and deciding whether to like each other or not as I type this. I know they are only cats, but it's an adjustment! It IS fun to watch though.

It's been a while since I've posted, but it's been a busy week....my mom got here last Wednesday and left Monday morning. She stayed 3 nights here and two with my sister and her family. Doc's memorial service was Saturday and went very well. Since I missed out on ALL the decorating genes in my family, my mom did some decorating while she was here and I'm very pleased with what she did. Several of the things she hung, I already had here, but just didn't know what to do with them. She also bought a few things, including a picture hanging in my kitchen which I love. Now I just need to get going on painting, then I may post a picture or two. It was a good visit.

On another note, I felt like scum last Thursday night when I went through my mail because I had a letter from the little girl I'm sponsoring through Compassion International. It was the first letter I've received and I was thrilled, but I felt bad because I hadn't written her yet or even returned the initial contact info I received to fill out and send back. It was something I didn't want to rush through and with time so pushed and limited during tax season, it was easy to put off. I am ashamed of that though! Needless to say, that moved to the TOP of my list! The initial packet is gone now, I mailed it this week, so now I need to sit down and write more. I've been very pleased with what I've experienced so far with Compassion International and the letter I got was just precious. They are studying David and Goliath at her church and she loves that story 'very well.' She evidently has 3 siblings, two sisters and a brother, and a best friend 'called Esther.' The letter was precious...she ended by saying, 'God bless you so much. I am happy', then I turned it over on the back and she'd drawn this sweet picture:

It is humbling, then and now, to know that a child in Africa drew me this picture and sent me a thanks for a sponsorship of $32 per month. It's SUCH a small price to pay and it's amazing to me that it can make such a difference. I am eager to get to know her.

As of today, work will slow down a bit. Tax season is over, first quarter payroll reports are done....it's amazing how life feels 'new' this time every year. I love it!

PS...my friend Jennifer has a fabulous post about a program at our church on Sunday night. She's right...it was WONDERFUL...go read about it HERE.

'Playing God'

2008-04-23T13:59:00.002-04:00

Giving credit where it is due at the end, this came as an e-mail today and it was too fabulous not to pass along:

PLAYING GOD

We sometimes refer to someone's actions as "playing God." By that, we usually mean that they are standing in judgment over another person in a way that only God can, or that they are making a decision regarding who will live or who will die. Most of the time, we use that term in a negative way. I heard a story recently, though, told by Mee Spousler that sheds a whole new light on the term "playing God."

Mee tells how she was trying to put her three-year-old son to bed for a nap. When she was unsuccessful, she put him in her bed and laid down with him to encourage him to rest. She fell asleep, but he didn't. When she woke up, she saw him sitting on a chair at the end of the bed, and asked, "Luke, what are you doing?"

"I'm playing God," he replied.

"Playing God?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "I'm watching over you while you sleep."

What a beautiful thought, because that is what God does. David wrote: "I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me." (Psalm 3:4-5)

Wouldn't it be great if we could all, like that 3-year-old boy, learn to "play God" in ways that would impact this world for good?

We need to "play God" by looking at the hearts of people rather than the clothes they are wearing.

We need to "play God" by forgiving those who have offended us.

We need to "play God" by refusing to allow race or the color of a person's skin to create barriers.

We need to "play God" by being patient, kind, and loving to the the people we deal with throughout the day.

We need to "play God" by showing compassion to those who are suffering or in need.

We need to "play God" by keeping our promises and living lives of honesty and integrity.

We need to "play God" by living in such a way that we reflect the nature of our Heavenly Father.

I hope and pray that people around you will see you "playing God" this day.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

All was well....until....:-)

2008-04-20T20:48:00.005-04:00

I had such high plans for these days off, but have done very VERY little of what I imagined....still, it's been nice.

An update on the cats....

The little one has finally decided that I'm nothing to be scared of and rarely hisses anymore. Good thing...progress! So I've let her out of the carrier some to walk around and play and have given her some toys that Grace wanted to get at Target the other night...still, success! She LOVES playing with the little stuffed lobster and some balls that were in the package. If you've never seen a kitten play, you have really missed something. They are hilarious! After I got home from church tonight, she was meowing at the top of her lungs, so I played with her some and decided it was time to introduce her to Sweet Kitty a/k/a Sugar. It went surprisingly well. They sniffed each other, my cat licked the little one a few times in a motherly kind of way, neither one too awfully tense....

UNTIL....

the baby figured out that my cat might be a mama and started looking for somwhere to nurse! Needless to say, hissing ensued and the 'meet and greet' was over! :-)

Right now, my cat is outside laying in the bushes, watching the cars go by and wondering what has happened to her simple, 'you 'n me' life. I feel like a mom stuck between two children! :-)

What was I thinking??

2008-04-18T21:09:00.005-04:00

Tax season is over, life is back, and it's NICE! I worked Wednesday...left early yesterday....our office was closed today for our 'after tax season day off' and THIS is how life should be! Of course, with a day off comes all the things that need to be done that have been put off....

Here's the deal:

Grace and I were at Target a couple of weeks ago and I found this pet blanket that I just KNEW my cat would love. I was right...she snuggles right up on there leaving big chunks of hair every day..a fact of changing weather with cats. She sleeps every day right in the middle of my bed, so I'd been putting a sweatshirt or something up there for her to lay on, but when I saw this blanket, I thought it would be perfect. Well, last weekend or early this week, I noticed that my cat had been licking the hair off the inside of her back legs...YUCK! :-) I took her to the vet this morning because I knew she had an allergy or something, but with the weather changing, etc, I had no idea what it was. Wouldn't you know the first question the vet asked was if there were any new blankets or anything she'd been sleeping on?? Helloooo....lightbulb moment! :-) Could have saved $56 if I had just thought of that myself! Anyway, he gave her a shot to keep her from itching and scratching, then she needed a rabies shot, so I couldn't be a bad mom and let that go unattended. Anyway, we came home and removed the blanket from the top of my bed...hopefully that will help. I do NOT want a hairless cat! :-)

On another note, I was at my sister's last night and we discovered a kitten on their deck. Their cats get pregnant, but they are SOOOOOO skittish that you can't get around them enough to know until they have babies, so next thing you know, there are kittens everywhere! I don't know where any others may have been from this most recent litter, but there was only one kitten there last night...probably about 4 weeks old. Now, when I say the two cats at my sisters are skittish, I mean it. One will let you rub her, but you can't dare pick her up. The other will sit at the door and beg for food, but the minute you open the door, she runs just far enough away that you can never touch her. Almost a wild sort of thing, but not quite...it's like they want to be tame and trusting, they are just scared. Of course with dogs there too, it's no wonder they are scared.

After some fenageling on my part, I was able to get my hands on that kitten. The mom FREAKED and ran away, the kitten hissed and spat, but eventually calmed down so we could pet her. Now my cat came from that house too and while she is still skittish, she's not nearly as 'out there' as those are, but I got her when she was only a couple of months old and she's about 7 years old now, so it's been a while. Anyway, while we were petting this kitten, my sister said, "Do you want to take her and tame her?" Well, the way she was acting and the way I love cats, I couldn't say no, thinking that I would get her used to being around people and make her sweet, then find another home for her. That is still my intent. We put the kitten in hamster cage until Grace and I could get back from Target, where we were headed to buy Barbie stuff with a gift card she got for her birthday, so we bought a carrier while we were there and I brought the kitten home. I sat the carrier in the floor when I got home so my cat could get a look at it and in it and the kitten could see what was happening, then I put the kitten and carrier in another room where she slept all night. My cat was JEALOUS! :-) She usually purrs 90-nothing, but it was midnight before she got happy again....that was cracking me up....a pouting cat! Definite attitude. :-)

Well, as I've been off today, I've gone in there to check on the kitten and she's hissed and spat so much that I've been scared to put my hand in the carrier! I did manage to slide some soft food in there, but she still felt threatened. Tonight, I took her out on the patio and took the lid off the carrier so I could change the newspaper in there and we had a little time to bond. She seemed to calm down a bit and is hopefully learning that I won't hurt her. We'll see. At this point, I am more hopeful than I was even earlier today. I asked the vet about it when I was there this morning and he said to just keep holding her and petting her and she'd change. I hope he's right. For now, here are a couple of pictures of her (or him...I really don't know yet!).....

...and the QUEEN....who is unamused! :-)

Again, I ask, 'what was I thinking?'

The Hawaii Chair

2008-04-08T19:56:00.001-04:00

Ellen just cracks me up:

Test yourself...

2008-04-04T21:33:00.005-04:00

I found this new quiz tonight, so test yourself too...

Which Positive Quality Are You? Your Result: Faith You are Faith. Faith is the belief in better things, in spite of the cynicism and doubt that swirls around us. Faith gives us strength; it inspires us to move forward and follow our hearts. "Faith tells us what the senses do not."
Peace
Love
Friendship
Charity
Courage
Which Positive Quality Are You?

The countdown begins....

2008-04-02T20:13:00.005-04:00

As usual for this time of year, I am counting down the days until April 15. We have SO much work coming in that it appears people don't realize we've been working 6 day weeks since January and could have had their work done LONG before now. What is it about procrastination?? I know what it is...the things that are coming in now are gross and detailed and no one wants to deal with them, even the clients themselves! :-) It will nice two weeks from now to sit here and know it's all done for another year.

As negative as the above may sound, I really am at a good place. I am just thankful to have a job that is stable and pretty secure....I hope!

I am happy to report that I got my info packet on Monday about that sweet little Kate Aban from my previous post and couldn't be more thrilled or encouraged to know that sharing my blessings will be helping her as well. I am not usually one to toot my own horn, but it just puts a good feeling in my heart and new eyes in my heart and mind for the less fortunate. We really are SO blessed. Kate and Grace are both excited about all this as well, so it's fun to experience this with them too. In my info packet, there was another print of her of the one below, only bigger, so I could see her better. There was also info about the Compassion International organization and the cool thing was that there was stationery in there to help get started with letter writing.....a place for me to put a picture of myself, a place for my note, then a place for the translation of what I write...all in a cool tri-fold card. I need to sit down and get my note to her written this weekend. I keep wondering if she knows about any of this yet, if she's as excited about it as I am, and I keep looking at the map of Africa thinking, "Right THERE is some little girl that I am sponsoring!" So close and yet so far....How exciting is that? I hope and pray that I will say and do all the right things....join me in that, will you? I plan to be in it for the long haul.

That's about all for now....just work, Compassion International, and battling a sore throat, hoarseness and a run down body all the while having to push ahead...and counting down to April 15.

It's all about running the race, isn't it?

Meet Kate Aban:

2008-03-26T21:07:00.006-04:00

Well, I did it! I have researched and found that Compassion International is where I need to be, so I have been looking at pictures, reading about children, deciding just what I wanted to do. I felt like I needed to find a child in the 'longest waiting' category. These kids have been waiting for more than 6 months for a sponsor. That fact alone told me that was where I needed to look. I was orginally looking only at boys, but then I decided to consider girls too and I found this sweet thing named Kate is close to Grace's age! Sounded like a good combo to me...when I told my sister want I was thinking about, she said, "That sounds like it might be a sign!" :-) So, at lunch today, I went online and sent money for one year to support this child.

God has really been using this to put my life in perspective about how much money I spend without thinking. I just bought presents for Grace's upcoming birthday that would pay for almost 3 months of support for this child (!!!) and tonight, when I got home from choir, my sweet cat came to greet me at the door and I thought, "You know, if I only spent one dollar on food for her a day, that is almost a year's support for a child!" Good grief....my CAT lives better than some people in the world...that is so humbling. It's such a drop in the bucket to compare with all my blessings...ones that I am convinced and convicted that I take for granted.

I am supposed to get an info packet within the next 15 days about Kate, and after I see more about all this and how it works, I still may sponsor a boy..it is definitely not out of the realm of possibility. If you think about it, please pray for this little girl. I will keep you posted!

Birthday: February 28, 2001
Age: 7
Gender: Female
Region: West Africa
Country: Ghana
Program: Sureway Child Development Center

Personal and Family Information:
Kate lives with her father and her mother. At home, duties include running errands and cleaning. Her father is sometimes employed and her mother is sometimes employed. There are 3 children in the family.

Playing group games is Kate's favorite activity. In kindergarten her performance is average and she also regularly attends church activities and Bible class.

Program Description:
Your sponsored child lives on the plains of Kasoa, home to approximately 34,700 residents. Typical houses are constructed of cement floors, wood walls and tin roofs. The primary ethnic group is Awutus and the most commonly spoken language is Awutu. The regional diet consists of maize, beans, bananas, chicken, fish, bread, cassava, beef, plantains, rice and goat. A common health problem in this area is malaria. Most adults in Kasoa are unemployed but some work as traders or farmers and earn the equivalent of $32 per month. This community needs school materials, affordable education, employment opportunities and roads. Your sponsorship allows the staff of Sureway Child Development Center to provide your sponsored child with Bible teaching, health screening, hygiene education, vaccinations, deworming, games, social clubs, tuition and educational field trips. The center staff will also provide meetings for the parents or guardians of your sponsored child.

Who couldn't respond to that description....Your sponsorship allows the staff of Sureway Child Development Center to provide your sponsored child with Bible teaching, health screening, hygiene education, vaccinations, deworming, games, social clubs, tuition and educational field trips. The center staff will also provide meetings for the parents or guardians of your sponsored child.

I already know this is the best money I will spend this year!

Fun and addictive!

2008-03-25T21:23:00.011-04:00

I saw this on another blog....(thanks Angela!!)....and thought it was so fun that I had to post it on mine too! Needless to say, I took it several times....I think my lowest was 58.

Give it a try....it's fun!

70 words

Speedtest

You type 387 characters per minute
You have 70 correct words and
you have 0 wrong words

Any advice?

2008-03-23T20:31:00.002-04:00

When Kate was about 4 or 5 years old, I started thinking about sponsoring a child that was about her age. Since I knew her life was going to be so blessed, I wanted to do something to make a difference in the life of a child in another country that was about her age. I looked at Compassion International and WorldVision mostly since they are the ones I'd heard most Christian artists promote. I don't remember why, but I never signed up to do this. I have again had a huge burden on my heart these last couple of months to do this, so I've been trying to research the child sponsorship organizations that are out there. I don't really know anything about any of them and don't personally know anyone who has sponsored children this way, so I was wondering if anyone in blogland has any advice, insight or experience with any of these organizations. I've looked at WorldVision, Compassion International and a couple of others, but I just don't know which way to go. I want to be sure to pick one that offers Christian guidance and benefit as well and I haven't seen that listed on a couple of the sights I've checked, so I know this is something that I need to stay mindful to look for and not just get wrapped up in the pictures and stories. Also, as cute as the little ones are, I am feeling compelled to sponsor an older child.....I heard a radio-sponsorship thing going on one time talking about how the older ones sometimes feel overlooked when the younger ones are getting sponsored. That thought just breaks my heart. I still may go for one about Kate's age...13...I just need to get something in the works.

Also, if you have any thoughts about things I need to consider that I may not be thinking about, I'd appreciate your help on that too....just let me know.

Thanks!

Are WE blind?

2008-03-18T19:53:00.003-04:00

I got this as an e-mail yesterday:

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind.

She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her.

When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?'

The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left her in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

I was really quite touched by this and forwarded it to a friend....this was her reply:

"Wow...how thought provoking that is...but then if we only think of Jesus dying on the cross...isn't it really the same??"

Her reply has been as thought-provoking to me as the e-mail because I didn't think of it in those terms. I didn't put a spiritual spin on it at all. At face value, I just couldn't imagine, as the girl, what it would feel like to finally see, then as the other person, knowing the gift I'd given, have them reply with nothing but rejection. How heartbreaking would that be?

But isn't this how Jesus feels and how God feels when we knowingly reject the gift He gave us through Jesus? Look how much He sacrificed for us and how often we may not be as mindful of His gift as we should be EVERY DAY! I realize that many, indeed most, of us in this blogring are Christians and have a walk with the Lord, but this convicted me on a different level and made me think about how many people there are in the world that reject Jesus and dismiss the realities as 'impossible.' It really made me view the world outside the 'bubble' that I live in, there is no doubt. I mean, can't you just hear the Lord saying, 'Take good care of Jesus, my dear, for before He was yours, He was mine.'

There was more to the original e-mail and it is as follows:

Life Is a Gift
Today before you say an unkind word -Think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
Today before you complain about life -Think of someone who went too early to heaven. Before you complain about your children - Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.
Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.
Before whining about the distance you drive - Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.
But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another - Remember that not one of us is without sin and we all answer to one MAKER.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and thank GOD you're alive and can make a difference!

As Easter draws near, my prayer is that we ALL slow down and take the time to know and experience in our heart what we are celebrating...the most amazingly spectacular, meaningful gift of all for those of us who believe....victory over death and eternity in heaven!

AWESOME! :-)

A new look

2008-03-15T23:13:00.005-04:00

Well, I decided it was about time that I joined the ranks of those of you who have so masterfully changed, upgraded and perfected your blogs, so this is my first shot at that change. I am one that generally will not do anything until I have semi-figured out the outcome, so I created a test blog to play around with until I figured out what was going on with the new layout and format. I have thought and thought this change to death, believe me! If I'd known how easy it was to upgrade though, I would have done it long before now....I was just afraid of losing posts, losing links, etc, but my hat is off to whoever knows web design because it couldn't have been any smoother. I had a brown background earlier but wasn't totally thrilled with the shade, so after trying a few others, black is it for now. Black IS always a complementary color, isn't it??? Hopefully that's as true in blogland as it is supposed to be in wardrobe! :-)

I'm sure there will be more changes and everything else to come as I experiment and think things through a bit more, but for now, I'm happy with the look, warranted or not, feel a great sense of accomplishment! :-)

UPDATE: To anyone who may be seeing this for the first time, I realize this background isn't black now...I am experimenting, so there is no telling what I am saying that may change....all in the name of progress. I just didn't want anyone thinking I am color-blind or don't know my colors! :-)

Prop us up...

2008-03-10T08:46:00.005-04:00

Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old deacon who always prayed, Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side.

After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently.

He answered, 'Well sir, you see, it's like this...I got an old barn out back. It's been there a long time, it's withstood a lot of weather, it's gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years.

It's still standing. But one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall.

Then I got to thinking about that and how much I was like that old barn. I've been around a long time.

I've withstood a lot of life's storms. I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, and I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop us up on our leaning side, cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning, at times.

Sometime we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't. So we need to pray, 'Lord, prop us up on our leaning side, so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord. '

I got this as an e-mail a couple of months ago and thought I'd post it here, but just haven't done so yet. I got to thinking about it over the weekend and started looking for a picture to post with it, but couldn't find any I liked, then my aunt sent this whole thing to me this morning, picture and all, so I thought maybe it was one of those 'meant to be' things. It certainly is a good prayer!

Conviction and Grace...(the gift and the person)

2008-03-01T21:09:00.007-05:00

As I mentioned earlier in the week, I have been listening to the radio lately instead of the CD's I usually play while driving. The other day I heard this incredibly convicting song by Monk and Neagle, "The Twenty-First Time." I know some of you have heard it before because I know some of you got their CD in a giveaway they did last year, but the video is below. As busy as I've been, I am the first (and ashamed) to admit that I am sure I have let opportunies pass by that I could have maybe made a difference in someone's day, not only once, but repeatedly, and this song really spoke to me about that. It made me wonder how many people I may pass in a week's time where I may have overlooked a need or not said or done something that could have made a difference. I need things like this to pop me upside the head every now and then so that I don't become complacent and take my blessings for granted, but I also want to be on the lookout for opportunities to minister to others, even if it is only in a small way. Small to me may be large to someone else!

See what I mean?

On another note, Grace is playing soccer now. They've had 3 practices and had their first game today at 12:30. I got up at 5:30 this morning and went in to work so I could get my hours in and leave so I could go to her game. Luckily, she only has 2 at that I can't attend before tax season is over because they are at 9:30, but you can bet I'll be at all the games that I can! They did a great job today, and I was a proud aunt! Here's the e-mail from my sister, Grace's mom:

Grace had her first game today at 12:30. She was in for the entire game...loved every minute of it and decided it is the funnest thing she has ever done. After the game, she said she couldn't feel her legs!!! (but she was happy about that too!)

And here are a few pictures:
(My sister's battery died after taking these three, but more will follow later in the season...I'll be sure of that!)

It is AMAZING to me how much she's like I was at that age....she'll be 9 on April 13. She a girly girl (much moreso than I was though), a tomboy, is always saying or doing something funny and is always on the lookout to do something helpful for someone. She also loves to read Tiger Beat Magazine and know what's going on with all her favorite 'stars.' It's fun to see life through a child's eyes, isn't it?

Perhaps I was wrong....

2008-02-26T21:22:00.006-05:00

Well, after I did that last post about needing reading glasses, I was doing a Sudoku puzzle later that night after I'd taken out my contacts and could see as clear as day, so now I am wondering if I misspoke or if may only need them when I'm wearing contacts. Weird stuff. We had a Sunday school social tonight and my friend that I was sitting by was using her reading classes to look at the menu. We started talking about my latest dilemma about all this and she said she was the way I described....she could see perfect up close without her contacts, but if she had them in, she needed the reading glasses. YEA! Maybe things aren't so weird after all.....but I DO know that an eye doctor visit will be happening soon.....

On to better things....

About 90% of the time, I listen to CD's in the car while I'm driving, but Sunday night on the way home from church and dinner with friends, I had the radio on and heard this super cool song. I didn't catch who was singing, so I came home and scoured the internet to find out.....then I went to iTunes to get it for my ipod. I've been trying to find the lyrics online for about 30 minutes, but can't come up with them. The song is by Andrew Carlton and is called, 'Hold Me Up.' There are a few places that I could find links to snippets, but nothing with lyrics or the full song. I'm going to keep trying to find one or the other. In the meantime, if you have access to iTunes or an ipod, this is a GREAT song....energetic, fun, and great words! Let me know if you know it or decide to download it. I am always THRILLED to find new good songs and artists. He may not be a 'new' artist, but he is 'new to me,' so that makes him 'new,' doesn't it?? :-)

And of course, now the next leading question.....what are some of YOUR favorites that I can maybe get on iTunes? I'm all gung-ho to find some good new ones now! Come on.....we're all one big happy family, aren't we? :-) Let's share our faves! :-)

A shocking realization

2008-02-23T16:26:00.002-05:00

This week has wiped me out. I didn't even go to choir practice Wednesday night because my brain was just worn out. I have often thought that being brain tired is more taxing than being physically tired. At any rate, I have decided that I need to start taking vitamins. I've never been one to take vitamins or anything like that, but, at the ripe old age of 46, I think that age and the things that come with that are beginning to take their toll. I remember talking with Bev a few years ago about vitamins and she said she took Centrum Silver. She was so funny...she said, "You don't need to take those though....you're not as old as I am!" So knowing that Centrum was good enough for her, I bought some Centrum vitamins today for myself. I am eager to see if I can tell any difference after I've been taking them for a while. It's amazing the way things Bev and I discussed over time have come back to me since she passed away. They've always been in my mind, they just have a certain specialness and meaning now. I really miss her.

Here's my big, shocking realization for the week though.... :-)

I have discovered that I am about to need reading glasses! HA! When I went to the eye doctor when I was about 40 or 41, she was doing these extra tests, but I didn't think to ask what they were for. When she got through, she said, "It doesn't look like you need bifocals yet." HELLO! BIFOCALS? Just how old do you think I am??? :-) It never, NEVER crossed my mind that she would be checking for that. I do wear contacts for distance vision, but my close up vision has always been fine, until recently.....

I've noticed lately that I've been holding my wrist out a little bit to see my watch and have just laughed that off, then I noticed as I was writing out some journal entries at work the other day that I was pushing the page I was reading from back a bit so I could see it better. I told my mom the other night, jokingly, that I guess I thought I was going to escape this phase of life, but I guess not, huh? I bought some little reading glasses last night at Target to see how that works. It has been AGES since I've been to the eye doctor too, so as soon as tax season is over, that will be among the first things on my agenda.

I did do one cool thing last night that I'll share here too....

One of our clients at work is a theatre guild. It is a small, adorable, very quaint little theatre in Fairburn, about 30 minutes from here. We get free tickets because we do their accounting, but I haven't been to any plays there in years. They are doing 'To Kill a Mockingbird' now though, so me, my friend, Gina, her son, Chris and her husband, Jon, went last night. I am the first to admit that I am lightyears behind on reading well-known stories like that or watching movies about them, so I had no idea what the storyline was last night before we got there or anything else. I was very intrigued with the storyline and they did a fabulous job with the play. When I go to stuff like that, I am always impressed at the talent that is there in 'local' people. They have other plays coming up later in the year and I'm thinking I need to be checking into those as well. It was a fun night and something different to do. I had a headlight on my car that went out this week, so I went over earlier today to get my dad to change it -- thank heaven for him -- and was telling my step-mom about this play and she happened to have a VHS copy of it, so I borrowed and may watch it tonight to see how it compared with the play. It's always fun to see how/if they change stuff around to make it work better.

Lastly, and I almost forgot (!!), my friend Leanne asked me to post a link to a couple of blogs her daughter has started to promote family literacy. Check them out... http://excellencethruliteracy.blogspot.com/ and http://www.misscarpetcapital.blogspot.com/ . Thanks!

Not much else from here, but I hope you've had a great week. Thanks for checking in on me....I appreciate it.

The weekly roundup... :-)

2008-02-17T22:12:00.004-05:00

So I guess, as Jean said as a comment my last post, I guess I am down to only weekly posts now, huh? I'll not go on and on because I know you all realize what the bulk of my life is right now, but here's this past week in a nutshell:

Monday -- February 11 -- Happy Birthday to me! 46 years old this year....WOW! Every year, I wonder where the time has gone but never come up with any answers... :-) For whatever reason there is, I always tend to have great birthdays....several cards, lots of e-mails, a few presents here and there....I was supposed to go to my sister's for dinner that night, but she called and said Grace had come home from school early with a 102 temperature....needless to say, we waited! :-) I went to dinner with some other friends, got home about 8:00, called my mom and enjoyed the rest of the evening by myself.

Tuesday -- Nothing special...work....then to a Premier Jewelry party that night. Got home about 9:30....just in time to get a bath and go to bed!

Wednesday -- Work, children's choir then adult choir practice. Wednesdays are full days, but I know they are for many of us, it just seems to be much more hurried during tax season. We are practicing some GREAT songs in choir for Easter and others just to do in the next few months.....it is a real worship time during many of those songs and a great pick-me-up for the middle of the week.

Thursday -- work, then to my sister's for a belated birthday dinner. Of course, this was Valentine's Day too, so I had a quick run by Target that I needed to make to get Grace something. I always give those sweet girls something for Valentine's Day, or any occasion I can squeak a present in without their mom not saying anything (!!). I already had a book and a cup that I was going to give to Kate, but I was at a loss for Grace....Guess what she got....an issue of Tiger Beat Magazine, a 3 pack of gum and a Valentine's cup from Target. That child LOVES Tiger Beat magazine....which I loved when I was her age too....no wonder I could just eat her up! Anyway, the birthday dinner at my sister's was great. She fixed some shrimp recipe that she got out of a Pampered Chef book.....Very good. Kate and Grace each made me cards....I'm all about the homemade stuff, they are real treasures. Then my sister was extra thoughtful this year...3 gifts that I love. I'll post pictures of two of them once they get hung up, then she gave me a $25 iTunes card. Plus she and Grace made me a cake that afternoon. That really was one of the most thoughtful birthdays with family that I've ever had and I was sure to thank my sister for it when I left. Sometimes being single, you don't always get the special times and special thoughtfulnesses that others get to experience with their family, but this year was different for some reason. It was nice.

Friday -- It seems like I went shopping somewhere after work, but I can't remember! Isn't that bad? Seems like I either went somewhere or thought about somewhere I needed to go then thought I'd wait until after I got off work on Saturday....that's how my brain in sometimes...I just can't remember!

Saturday -- I set my alarm for 5:30 so I could get on up and go in to work so I wouldn't have to stay there all afternoon. We are required to get in 5.5 hours on Saturday, so I got to work about 6:30 and got to leave around noon. That was nice. Shopped at Kohl's some....intended to go a couple of other places but decided I was tired, so I came home and worked around here...putting Christmas stuff back in the attic, cleaning ceiling fans, etc.....then napping.

Sunday -- Church this morning, lunch with friends, home for a couple of hours, back to church for ensemble practice, then church tonight. We have a great interim preacher right now and I am really enjoying his style and hearing what he has to say. He's had some fabulous points and things that have made me think already and he's only been here two weeks! I am thankful to be a part of such a great church.....it really makes me look forward to Sundays.

And now I am sitting here typing my weekly post with my cat curled up beside me.

A rich life. Many blessings. God is good.

Help save a life...

2008-02-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

CLICK HERE:

THANK YOU.

Catching up...again.

2008-02-01T18:47:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe it's been another week. Good gravy.....life is passing by so fast. I am glad to report that January is over, W-2's and 1099's are out for the most part....the ones we had info for anyway....and we're moving on to corporate returns and property tax reports. HA! There is always a deadline.

Personally, I am happy to report that I got my car back this week and they did a fabulous job on the door. I could not be more pleased. I did discover last night that that alarm system on it isn't working, so I stopped by there this afternoon on the way home to see if they could reconnect that and they were gone for the day, so I will make that a goal for Monday. I'm sure it's something they had to disconnect in order to replace the door, so hopefully it will be something easy to fix. It was so funny getting back in my car after driving that Jeep for a week though. I was weaving all over the road, stomping on the brake and not pressing the gas pedal hard enough....and that is RARE for me! I was laughing at myself the way I kept stomping on the brake. It's funny how easy it is to get adjusted to driving another vehicle. I did decide that the Jeep was too high for me though. If I ever had one of those, it would have to have a running board to step on to get in or something. I found myself using the steering wheel to pull myself into it and I could see that side and back problems would be looming if I'd had it much longer. I still want an SUV....actually, if you can believe it, my dream vehicle, if I could pick anything I want, would be a Honda CRV. HA! Not really the plush, high dollar thing many people would pick, I just like them and when I see them on the road, they always get my attention. Maybe someday!

I am curious if anyone has done the Beth Moore 90 day study on David. I got it for Christmas from a friend who has been hugely influential in my life spiritually, morally and in every other way since I was about 10 years old. I had seen this study, but hadn't purchased it, so I was thrilled when I opened it and saw what it was. My dad's wife also gave me the Beth Moore 90 day study on Jesus, so I can't wait to get into that one as well. I am only a few days into this one on David and I can already tell it's going to be fabulous. God is good to give us people like Beth Moore and others like her who can give us avenues and studies to feed our spiritual hunger at times. If you've done this one, or the one on Jesus, let me know....I'm eager to know your thoughts.

Not much else has been going on really, just work, church, my car and all the normal life stuff right now, but I would be totally remiss if I didn't pass on a word of thanks to Tonja who gave me the following award last Friday:

I don't know what to say because I am the first to admit that I am not always as kind as I need to be, but I can say that try to stay conscious of it whether I succeed or not. Many times all it takes is a kind word or a little thoughtfulness to make someone's day and that's what I try to keep in check. I appreciate you thinking of me Tonja and I can honestly say that YOU have been one of my best gifts from this blogging experience. Thank you for just being YOU.

Tonja added a quote she likes to hers and I thought that was a good idea, a nice touch....so here's mine to go along with it.....a very sobering thought to me.

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I hope you've had a great week....I'm off to check in on my blogger buddies! :-)

My cool 'ride'

2008-01-25T18:54:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted about this because I didn't know how it was going to turn out, but I have had a cool vehicle to drive this week and thought, since I haven't had anything fun to say because of working all the time this month, I'd post about this.

I took my car to Big 10 back in November, the week before Thanksgiving, to have my oil changed. When I went back to pick it up, I paid, got in my car and left. I thought the driver's door sounded like it didn't close right, but the weather was getting colder and figured it was just because of that. That was the Thursday afternoon before Thanksgiving. I didn't put a lot of thought into it, but I just knew it didn't sound right.

As I was leaving work on Friday, I decided to look and see if I could see anything that would make it sound the way it did. To my HUGE surprise, there was a hole poked in the side of my door at the bottom and the metal down there was all buckled! Well good grief! I am not a confrontational person by any stretch of the imagination, so I had no idea what I was going to do. I drove to my sister's house to pick up some PTO money I had to count that weekend and showed the door to her and told her about it. I asked her if she thought I should go back up to Big 10 and ask about it. Her answer was a VERY HARDY "YES!!!," but I cannot actually type her answer here! :-) They didn't close until 6:00, so I had enough time to get back up there before they closed. As luck would have it, the manager had gone home early and he was the one that was there when I dropped my car off and picked it up and he's the one with whom I always deal. The assistant manager had no idea what was going on about my car, but I showed him the door. He was a bit dumbstruck. He said he used to work in a body shop and he could see that it was buckled. He said he would mention it to the manager when he talked to him that night and for me to call back up there the next morning. Well, I was SICK having to go confront them about it anyway because I could just see them telling me, "No idea what happened, Lady.....Tough luck!" I decided that I wouldn't just call the next morning, that I would go back up there and show the manager what had happened. I got there about 8:20 and he came straight to me and wanted to see the door. I told him what I had thought about it closing different because of cold weather, but he just shook his head like that would never happen. (I'm a girl....I KNOW he knows more about cars than I do, I just had to put my theory out there!) He looked at the door and as I was explaining to him, he acted like he knew what was going on. I said, "Do you KNOW what happened?" He said he did, then he said that when the assistant manager had called him the night before and told him I'd been up there, he knew exactly who had worked on my car and so he hung up and called THAT guy. The guy finally told him that when he had my car up on the rack to change the oil, the driver's door was open and when he brought it down, it hit a table and buckled the bottom of the driver's door! He didn't tell the manager at the time because he'd already had two other instances and had been told that if anything else happened, he was going to be fired. With that being the case, he cut a hole in the side of my door and tried to fix it himself and not tell anyone! I was just glad he admitted it and they could see I was telling the truth....this day and time, you just never know.

SO, I had to go get three estimates....one was $1,283.05, one was $1,343.42 and the other was $1,741.04. I took those back to Big 10, they were sent in to the corporate office, someone there called and talked to the manager at the Big 10 where it happened and talked to the mechanic that did it, then they finally, FINALLY, contacted me about getting it fixed. Of course, they sent me to the place with the lowest estimate, but that is really fine by me because it was the only one whose estimate gave me a NEW door. The other two were used doors, so a new one is great to me! Evidently there's a lot to matching paint colors and stuff to consider too, so it's evidently really quite a job.

Anyway, I dropped it off this past Monday then, at Big 10's expense, have had a rental car this week. As luck would again have it, the Enterprise guy that came and picked me up is the son of a guy I used to work with. I don't know if it's because he knew me or if they try to give you a car montarily comparable to the car being fixed, but he offered me a PT Cruiser or a Jeep Grand Cherokee! I chose the Jeep Grand Cherokee because I want the next vehicle I get to sit higher off the road, so I wanted to see what that would be like. I must say, it's pretty cool. I could never afford a Jeep, but it's nice to drive!

The first car I bought was a Ford EXP, a two seater, that I drove for 12 years! I loved that car. I was just fun. I traded that in and got a blue Honda Civic that I also loved. It had front and back seats AND 4 doors, so after driving a two door two seater for 12 years, that was a great change! I also had that car for 12 years. Then, when my mom and her husband moved to Florida, she had a van and they decided they were going to buy a Toyota Prius, so Doc gave me his Infiniti I30t. This was also the year that I bought my house, so, not being willing to look a gift horse in the mouth, I sold my Civic for $3,000 and paid much of that money toward furniture. That whole thing really was a Godsend. I've enjoyed the Infiniti and will definitely drive it until it won't go anymore, but whatever I get next, I do want to get something that sits higher off the road. I can't stand to get behind SUV's and not be able to see around them. I've posted before about what an impatient driver I am and that doesn't help the situation! I love being in this Jeep and being able to see two cars in front of me! Anyway, here are pictures....as if you haven't seen a Jeep Grand Cherokee before! :-)

I can't post all this good though without posting about God's way of humbling me even in the best of circumstances. There was bit of a hassle between the time I turned in my estimates and when they finally called last week and told me what I needed to do to get this handled. Other than that, it's been smooth but in all honesty, I've thought that I've been pretty cool this week driving this vehicle....(this is where the humbling comes into play).

SO, I am driving to work Thursday morning....on this street that that my subdivision is off of....and I get about two miles up the road....about 3 houses from the main road I'm going to turn on. I see something to the right out of the corner of my eye. I think...."Once I get out of this curve, I need to look and see what that is!" Well, HELLO....it was a DEER that came running right out in front of me! It was running across the yard and passed within feet of the front of me. No kidding, if there had been two of them together, I would have hit one of them. I was like, "Oh my gosh! I need to slow myself down! That would have been BAD in this rental!" So I get on up to the main road to turn...no traffic. I turn, still thinking about how fortunate it was that I didn't hit that deer, how close it was, all that stuff.....I get maybe 500 feet up the road and ANOTHER deer passes just as close in front of me from the other side! Scared me to death! Literally, again, if there had been two, I would have hit one of them! Let me just say that I calmed my big ol' self down and thought all the way to work about how it doesn't matter how big your vehicle is, I was just lucky that nothing happened! Because we both want something higher off the road next time, I had been talking with my friend that I work under all week about how much I LOVE driving this vehicle, how high it sits off the road, how much I LOVE being able to see everything....but I told her when I got to work on Thursday, "Well, I think God was trying to get my attention this morning!"

And I have one thing to say, "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!"

After all, it's only a vehicle....but it is fun to drive! :-)

Two weeks later....(well, almost)

2008-01-19T17:04:00.000-05:00

I really have NOTHING to post about. I have done very little these last two weeks besides work, church and a few other things as needed. Tax season is definitely here....in a big way.

Work has been 90-nothing in aiming for the January 31 deadline to have W-2's and 1099's done for about 40 companies....oh the joys of public accounting, huh? :-) I've got my momentum though and things are smooth so far, I am just praying it stays that way. Once I am done with January, the rest is downhill for me! YEA!

I've talked to my mom a few times and Doc is about the same. Thanks to those of you who commented on my last post and for your kind words.

We've had some weird weather here this week....both Wednesday afternoon/evening and today. Believe it or not, I even set my alarm for 5:10 this morning so I could get on up and get in to work to get my time in before the bad weather started. It's not really bad weather yet, but I left work shortly after the snow flurries started. If I were going to get stuck anywhere, I didn't want it to be there! We've had snow flurries and even some accumulation....and that's a weird thing for Georgia! :-)

My brother-in-law, John, came over today to look at my laptop. For some reason, since we got back from my mom's, my laptop couldn't find my router here at home and I couldn't send e-mail from my laptop. Weird stuff, and for a girl who likes to know how things work and why they don't at times, that has been VERY frustrating! John works for Bellsouth and looks at these problems all the time, so he came over and showed me what to do if it happens again. I am GLAD. Anyway, Grace came over with him and had to build me a snowman before she left. Of course, being the proud aunt, I had to take some pictures. She's just SO sweet and so good for my heart!

Life lessons

2008-01-07T19:14:00.000-05:00

I am glad to be home tonight. I went with my sister and her family to see my mom over the weekend. She lives in Florida, Amelia Island, and while it's nice down there, it was nice to return home as well. There really is no place like home, no matter where that might be!

We left Thursday after work and got to my mom's a little after midnight. Her husband is in a nursing home there and isn't doing well, so we knew we needed to go. He was diagnosed a couple of years ago with semantic dementia, which means that he knew most everything, he just couldn't find the words to convey what he wanted to say. They have been seeing someone and working to help him stave the progression off as long as they could, but since Thanksgiving, he's done some really strange things, totally out of character for him. Things have taken a real turn and now he doesn't know who anyone is, where he is, etc. My mom was determined to keep him at home as long as she could, but after a couple of stays in the hospital, their doctor told my mom that he needed more care than she could provide alone. The ironic thing is that he, her husband, was a doctor and knew this was happening and knew what my mom was eventually going to have to deal with, so he helped to prepare her for it as much as he could. It's just a sad situation.

I know that people all over the world have had to deal with this, with Alzheimer's or an array of other mind-stealing disorders, but this is the first time that I've really seen it first hand. When we were got to the nursing home on Friday, he was sitting there in his wheelchair with his food in front of him, but holding a little food in his hand, barely able to eat. My mom fed him, talked to him, asked him if he remembered anyone or if anyone looked familiar, but of course, he didn't know any of us. It was so odd to stand there looking into the eyes of someone who has been married to my mom for about 6 or 7 years and have him not recognize her or any of us. I can only imagine what it would be like to have it be one of my parents, a spouse, or anyone I have really been close to.

What makes all this even sadder is that his children have not done anything to help my mom handle this situation. He has a son that lives in Ohio and a daughter that lives in Seattle. The daughter came to see him the week before Christmas, but he didn't recognize her either, so she left and went shopping! She went to see him the next day, went shopping again, then she was supposed to leave early Friday evening, but changed her flight to leave first thing Friday morning and hasn't called but a couple of time since then! I just can't imagine! The son has called and, while he doesn't care much for my mom at all, he talked to the doctors and told them he was coming 'after Christmas'.....then it turned into 'after New Year's'.....and now it's turned into, "Well, I'll call again in a few weeks for an update." Can you even believe that? My mom's husband was a doctor, afforded for his family to travel the world, send his children to the best colleges, bought them vehicles, townhouses and condos when they graduated, etc, then to have them not have any more regard for him than that....I am amazed. I realize though that you don't really know a situation unless you live it, but still, they've had a good life and this is their dad! 'Doc,' as we call him, has been good to my mom, good to my sister, brother-in-law, my nieces and me, so I can't imagine that he would have been any less with his own children. I'm just amazed.

As history, we call him 'Doc' first of all because he was a doctor, but he was my mom and dad's internist the whole time my sister and I were growing up, so we've heard his name virtually all of our lives. My parents divorced in 1997 and mom and 'Doc' started dating in probably 2001. His first wife had died of leukemia in 2000, my mom got sick that Christmas and called him to call in a prescription for her. Since my parents had been patients of his for so long, he shared that his wife had passed away and next thing you know, he and my mom were dating! So here we are being step-kids to someone we've heard mention of our whole lives. Although my brother-in-law started the nickname, 'Doc' just seemed to fit, so that's what we've affectionately called him.

While this is a sad situation, my sister had some good words the other night, and really it was a good lesson for life. I said, "You know, isn't it sad that you live the life he has lived, traveled and seen the world like he has, helped people, then come to this point and not remember any of it?" Her response: "Yeah, but you know, he knew what he was doing when he did it and he enjoyed it, and you can't really ask for any more than that."

I had to agree.

"It's NEVER about the presents!"

2007-12-29T18:20:00.000-05:00

Wow. What a sweet holiday.

Kate was only about 4 months old when her first Christmas rolled around back in 1994, so I can't remember if I did this that year or not or if it was her second Christmas that we started doing this, but every year, I spend the night at my sister's on Christmas Eve. Kate is now 13 and Grace is 8, so it's been going on for a really long time. It's just tradition and they start asking in early November every year if I'm going to spend the night there on Christmas Eve. I always act like it's a big decision because I want to see what they say, but truthfully, there is nowhere else I'd rather be! If they didn't ask, I'd be disappointed! :-)

Here's my story:

My sister called me last Saturday and asked if I could come get the girls and take them out for a little while that afternoon so she could get all their stuff out and be sure things were 'even.' Of course, I jump at the chance to do that any time she asks, so we went to Blockbuster, Books a Million, Target, then Starbucks. All was well. My sister had things just as she had hoped. I stayed at their house for dinner then left to come home and start wrapping their stuff for Christmas.

While we were out that afternoon/early evening, Grace was talking about the things she wanted for Christmas, what she'd told Santa, etc, just excited about the holiday. After a few minutes, I said, 'Grace, I know you're looking forward to all that, but you know what Christmas is really all about, right?' Her response, 'It's about spending time with friends and family and being nice.' Well, I had to giggle because she KNOWS that Christmas is about Jesus' birth. They go to church every week and she's heard the story since she was little, I guess just in the moment of me asking, that was what came out of her mouth. I said, 'It is about those things sort of, but it's really about it being Jesus' birthday and that's what we need to remember.' We talked about that for a bit then moved on to other things.

I went to our Vespers Service on Monday evening, after that, to a friend's house for a little while, then I left there to come home, gather clothes and gifts and head over to my sister's. I had been there about an hour or so and my sister discovered that she needed more eggs (she was having about 15 people at her house for Christmas dinner, so she was busy into preparations for that....she is a FABULOUS cook!), so Grace and I left to come here to get eggs....I never cook, so it was amazing that I had any to begin with! As we were leaving, Grace and I decided to ride around my neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. My house is the 7th one in at the second entrace to my subdivision, so I don't see what goes on with all the houses behind me unless I drive around to look, but I was pleasantly, and I mean pleasantly, surprised to see that many houses had a nativity scene set up in their front yard! YEA! I was glad to see that, and it provided more of an opportunity for talk with Grace. That was fun and we decided that might be our tradition. As we were heading back to their house about 10:20, she saw Santa several times up in the sky. She was worried that she wasn't in bed and asleep yet, so I told her he was probably up there looking for the babies homes so he could go there first since they had an earlier bedtime and were surely already asleep. She was satisfied with that. Although I know these days will be coming to an end in the next year or two, I love the fact that she still believes in Santa. It is just so much fun and when I say she still believes, I mean she believes HARD. She told my sister that she wanted to marry Santa so she could take care of him. :-) I guess she's afraid Mrs Claus isn't as good to him as she needs to be! :-) Grace leaves him cookies and milk out every year and, this year, she even left him a Starbuck's mug so he could take his drinks to go and they would stay hot! :-) She wanted a bell from his sleigh too, so my sister had found these ornaments that were like sleigh bells, but they had a portion cut out in the side and had a nativity set inside of them. She left two of them out, one for Kate and one for Grace. Grace was absolutely thrilled! You should have heard her screeching and hollering....it was adorable!

Anyway, not long after we got home from getting the eggs and looking at Christmas lights, it got to be about bedtime, so since I was sleeping with Grace that night, I went in there to lay down with her until she fell asleep. While we were laying there, I told her we needed to say our prayers and asked if she wanted to say them or if she wanted me to. Of course, she wanted me to, so I started:

"Dear God, we thank you for today and for the time we have had together to play and have fun....we pray that you will give us a good day tomorrow and help us to remember that Christmas isn't always about the presents, but that it's about Jesus' birth...."

While I am saying this, I hear this sweet little voice, "It's never about the presents," I keep praying, then I hear a little louder, "It's NEVER about the presents," so I just try to fluff over it and keep going thinking that she surely understands that I know that since we had talked about it earlier, but then Grace stops me and says, "AUNT DIANNE, IT IS NEVER ABOUT THE PRESENTS!!!" :-) Of course, I just had to giggle because it was funny that she just kept right on saying that until I got the point, but I had to acknowledge what she was saying....that she was RIGHT and that I was proud of her for correcting me on that. What a sweetie! Not much gets by her, that's for sure.

Not long after that she was snoozin' away and there I was, laying in the dark thinking about how God has blessed me though these two nieces of mine, each in their own way, and that I probably wouldn't experience such sweet times with them if I had kids of my own.

Have I mentioned lately how lucky I am to have the life that I have???

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-22T21:34:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from me and one sweet, spoiled rotten cat....

hope yours is great!

Older and wiser...

2007-12-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

From a recent e-mail:

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let her know.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, or my family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself...I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60's & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hi t by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it!)

The fabulous Babbie Mason

2007-12-17T20:33:00.000-05:00

There are some things that happen in life that are just too cool. Last night was one of those times.

We were fortunate enough to have the fabulous Babbie Mason at our church yesterday. She sang two songs yesterday morning, then she was in concert last night. After it was over, I bought three CD's....one for me, two for gifts, and a book. There was a line of people waiting to speak with her and since I never know what to say to 'famous' people (and not that I've had many opportunities...some people on Days of Our Lives (who are hardly famous!) many years ago and of course my favorite....Donny Osmond!), I was going to forego that opportunity, BUT as I stood there talking to people, the line kept getting shorter and shorter as others had their turn, got their autographs, pictures, and left. SO, there I was deciding that since she was SO close, I just needed to speak to her. She had mentioned during her concert that they are living in Bowdon now and since I have aunts and uncles there, I thought that might break the ice....big deal, huh? :-) Anyway, I waited my turn, handed her my book to sign, then as that was happening, my friend Pam's husband, Dow (who is also my friend), sidled up next to me and kinda stood there....I was wondering if he wanted to get in on my conversation with Babbie (!!), but imagine my suprise when he leaned in and said, 'They're coming to our house for a little while when they leave here....We have an extra spot, so why don't you come over too?' Babbie said, 'Yeah, come on over!'

I was like, "UH....OKAY!!!" :-) WOW!

So there we were breaking bread together....Pam, Dow, Rick (our Minister of Music--his wife was out of town so that's why they had the open spot), me, Babbie, her husband, Charles, and two people who were helping at the sales table after the program. Babbie had caught wind at lunch that Pam's house is fabulously decorated for Christmas (and it REALLY is!!!), and asked if she could come see it after church last night! Can you imagine....Babbie Mason asking to come see your house?? :-) It was a very nice night and as you would expect, Babbie was as fun, gracious, humble and unpretentious as you would ever want her to be. We all talked and shared things, but she shared about their new ventures, living in a small town where people know her husband more than they know her....as evidenced by her trip to Dollar General one day....her children, her grandchildren, personal prayer requests, etc. It was an amazing night and one that only served to deepen my respect for an incredibly gifted artist and a godly woman.

I told Pam that never in a million years when I left for church last night did I imagine it would end with dinner and fellowship at her house with Babbie Mason! Of course, I'm sure she never dreamed when she woke up yesterday morning that things would transpire like they did either, but it was a fabulous concert and a fun night and once again, I am more than blessed!

But can you believe that I didn't even think to take my camera??? What is UP with that? I thought about that today though and really that may have been best anyway. Babbie may have felt more comfortable since no one 'wanted' anything....just time to relax and talk....no pictures, no expectations....and making it easy to follow Pam's #1 rule for anyone who enters her house...."Make yourself at home." Now THAT is a sweet friend!

But, camera or not, it was definitely a night to remember.....

A Christmas quiz

2007-12-10T21:06:00.000-05:00

I got this quiz as an e-mail and thought it would be fun to post the answers here....I'd love to read your answers too, so let me know if you want to play along....

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?

both

2. Real or Artificial tree ?

artificial....but this is the first year I've had one....and it's SKINNY! :-)

3. When do you put up the tree ?

The day after Thanksgiving this year because Grace was spending the night

4. When do you take the tree down?

Knowing me, as soon as Christmas is over....like maybe that night!

5. Do you like Eggnog?

absolutely.....I can't imagine anyone that doesn't, but I'm sure there is someone!

6. Favorite Gift you received as a child?

I don't know....but the first thing that came to mind is a pogo stick that I got one year.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?

yes

8. Hardest person to buy for?

My dad...he doesn't need or want a thing, except for us to come visit...bless his sweet heart!

9. Easiest person to buy for?

My nieces

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received?

Believe it or not, gel insoles from my boss! NO kidding! Can you imagine??

11. Christmas Cards...Snail mail or E-mail?

Snail mail....I love cards!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?

No favorite movie comes to mind, but if I can pick a cartoon, it is Frosty the Snowman

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?

November-ish

14. Have you ever 'recycled' a Christmas present?

Not that I can remember

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?

My sister is a fabulous cook, so most anything she makes...except oyster dressing.....YUCK! Luckily she makes regular dressing too! :-)

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?

clear

17. Favorite Christmas Song?

O Holy Night

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?

home...at my sister's....but she's only 5 minutes away

19. Can you name Santa's Reindeer?

yes

20. Do you have an Angel or a Star on top of your tree?

A star with a snowman on it

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?

the busy-ness

23. Shopping...Mall or online?

both

Let me know if you play along and I'll come check out your answers too!

Christmas With a Capital 'C'

2007-12-08T10:11:00.000-05:00

My mom sent me this video link last month and, unfortunately, I'm just now getting around to looking at it. Many of you may have seen it before, but for those that maybe haven't, it's a catchy tune that gets to the point.

Enjoy!

A great holiday

2007-11-26T20:36:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving was fabulous. I went to my Dad's for a few hours then came back here and spent the rest of the day by myself putting together a desk that I'm going to be using for a little craft area. I had been gone from home Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, so to have some time at home on Thursday was nice.

I had asked Grace earlier in the week about spending the night with me on Friday night and she just jumped at the chance. No other way to say it. So, with that being said, I actually went and bought a pre-lit 6-foot little tree, a skinny one, and we decorated it with snowman ornaments. She loved it and I have to admit, as one who has not had a tree since I moved from my parents house many years ago, it is nice to sit here as I type and see it out of the corner of my eye. Just kind of a cozy feeling. I'm posting a picture, but I'm not totally happy with it yet...I need to re-work the lights and space them better, plus some of them don't work, but Grace wouldn't slow down enough to let me do that, so I just let her decorate knowing I'd go back an fix it later. It was less stress that way for both of us! I have some snowflake garland to add too. Since Grace knew she was going to be spending the night with me, she started calling around 9:30 on Friday morning wondering when I was going to come get her! :-) I had planned to get her in the afternoon sometime, but wound up getting her about 11:30. We really had a busy day and were both tired by the time bedtime rolled around.

After we got the tree done, I had to spend a little time on Friday afternoon finishing putting together the parts to the desk I mentioned above, so after I got that done, Grace helped me sort through all the craft stuff I have around here. It was all just EVERYWHERE, no organization at all, so it's nice now to have all the blank cards in one place, the stickers in one place, the markers in one place, etc. Grace loved that too, then of course she had to sit her sweet self down and do some artwork. I liked having here here.

On Saturday, I took her home about 2:00, then met some friends to see August Rush later in the day, followed by dinner. There are four of us who go out and celebrate each other's birthdays, and Saturday's movie and dinner were for that. The birthday person gets to pick the movie and I wasn't sure about August Rush when I read about it, but I have to admit that I really liked it a lot. I love when that happens!

Sunday was church, a trip to IKEA with my friend Gina, back to church for a bonus rehearsal for our Christmas program, a quick run through of a song we were singing in church, then back downstairs for the service. Just a busy day. I was asleep on the couch an hour after I got home!

It was rainy and dark this morning when my alarm went off and I hated to get out of bed. It's always hard to get back to normal after having a few days off, but especially with the weather like it was today. Rainy and overcast is my very favorite kind of weather, but I LOVE it when I can stay home. It always seems like the holidays go so fast. It seems like I look so foward to being off for a few days, then "BOOM," it's gone!

I'm going to close here with a couple of pictures. The first one is the desk that Grace and I worked on this weekend, and the second is a precious picture she handed me before we left to take her home on Saturday. I am SO emotional when it comes to both her and Kate, especially when the do such sweet things, so when Grace gave me this precious picure she'd drawn, I couldn't even speak. My eyes just filled with tears and all I could do was hug her. She hated to leave and I hated to take her home. Good grief. What would I have done if God had given me children of my own?

Who could possibly not love that????

An attitude of gratitude...all year long!

2007-11-21T21:22:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite quotes:

"Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow." ~Edward Sandford Martin

May we stay mindful to count our blessings not only at Thanksgiving, but every day of the year!

Hope you and yours have a great Thanksgiving.

7 random facts.

2007-11-17T20:32:00.000-05:00

These kinds of posts are hard for me, but I was tagged the other day by Cheryl to post 7 random facts about myself. I've been trying to think about this and what might be of interest. I am having a hard time coming up with anything....but here are the rules:

Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share 7 random/weird facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, include links to their blogs. Let each person know by leaving a comment on their blog.

So here goes:

1. I can play the trumpet.

2. Bad grammar in writing and in speech drives me NUTS.

3. I don't care what movie I am watching, I ALWAYS fall asleep....even at a theatre! :-)

4. I've only had two jobs in my whole life. I worked at Chick-Fil-A in our local mall as a teenager and into my college years, then left there for my current job.

5. I failed the test for my learner's license AND my driver's license the first time I took them! :-)

6. I never put up a Christmas tree or decorate for Christmas. I may sit out a few snowmen since I collect them (!!), but that's about the extent of my Christmas decorations! (Should I admit that??)

7. I hate housework....but I do LOVE the feeling of accomplishment when I am motivated to get it done!

I am choosing not to tag anyone, but if you read this and want to play along, please do, just let me know so I can read yours too!

Two fabulous days

2007-11-10T16:50:00.000-05:00

I just got through a little earlier today with two great days at church. We had our annual Ladies Luncheon this morning and into the early afternoon and it was just fabulous. I took yesterday off to help get ready for it, then today was the luncheon. A lot of work, planning and prayer has gone into it for months. God was faithful and everything went off perfectly. There were 400 women there and I don't think anyone could have been more pleased.

Our guest speaker was Erin Smalley who co-wrote the book 'Grown Up Girlfriends' with her friend, Carrie Oliver. Unfortunately, Carrie died earlier this year, but Erin did a fabulous job in her speech and it is a blessing that Carrie's insight and part in this book is still blessing others. Actually, another touching thing is that my friends Bev and Cindy were supposed to be part of today's program too, but as many of you know, Bev passed away in September, so it really left Erin and Cindy to kind of carry on the message that the four of them were supposed to share. It was a heartfelt day for many of us in our church who knew Bev and we were fortunate enough to honor her a bit as well.

When I learned that Erin was going to be coming to speak back in July, I bought her book and poured over it. Being single, if there is one topic I am interested in and committed to, it is friendship because those relationships are what I rely on in everyday life. It really is a very good book and if any of you need a good book on this topic, this is it. Here's a description from Amazon.com:

Book Description
Even when life is hectic and harried, every woman has a God-given longing for relationship, and her female friends play an important role in filling that. Oliver and Smalley help women distinguish between self-centered, insecure, childish relationships and other-centered, healthy, "grown-up" relationships. Using personal anecdotes and scriptural principles, they explain ten characteristics of a grown-up friend and offer ideas on how readers can develop these attributes in themselves. Finally, they tackle the tough issues of friendships, such as how to support a friend in crisis, how to work toward forgiveness when a friend has injured you, and how to determine when it is best to let a friendship go.

Below are a few pictures from the day:

Me and friends that I invited, Joan, Christy and Gwen (they're sisters).

My table was hosted my my friend Rosemary. Her husband, Rick,

is our Minister of Music and this is him being our waiter for the day.

Our table decoration. Each hostess was in charge of decorating their

table and Rosemary did a great job with ours.

A shot from the back corner of 400 women, literally,

having a great time of food and fellowship.

This is my friend Cindy, introducing our

guest speaker, Erin Smalley.

Cindy and Erin.

Erin sharing wise insights on friendship.

One great book.

As an added bonus, I was fortunate enough to meet a fellow blogger, Angela, aka 'Terrible Speller' on my sidebar, (I couldn't get the link to work), and had a great time talking with her today as well. I saw her a little earlier this year but I was hurried and didn't have a chance to speak, so I was thrilled to see her at our luncheon today. I'm not always one to just jump into chatting with someone I don't know, but it really was like running into an old friend and I was thrilled to have that time to chat and laugh together. That time with her was a blessing to me today as well, so if you read this, thanks Angela! :-) I'm already looking forward to running into you again!

And just for the record, I am about 95% well, so a couple of more days should do it. YEA!

This really has been a great couple of days. I am SO blessed!

A must read...

2007-11-08T22:37:00.000-05:00

I was checking blogs tonight and found that Jill has written and posted a must read poem.

Well worth your time.

Make a difference!

2007-11-06T18:05:00.000-05:00

Today I Will Make a Difference
by Max Lucado

Today I will make a difference.

I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark.

Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving.

Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It’s OK to stumble… . I will get up. It’s OK to fail… . I will rise again.

Today I will make a difference.

I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

Today I will make a difference.

From Shaped by God
Copyright (Tyndale House, 2002)
Max Lucado

Finally.

2007-11-04T20:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm not going to post about all this forever, but I am finally back among the land of the living. I can't believe I haven't posted anything since Wednesday! After 31 days, that surprises even me! :-)

I am finally beginning to get over whatever this is that I have had for two weeks. I was somewhat better on Friday and really thought things were on the upswing, but yesterday I woke up with a headache and sinus stuff again that just hung on all day. I also woke with a headache this morning, but after a sweet morning at church, it went away for the most part and only hurts when I cough. Hopefully it's really on the way out. I've had sinus issues before, but this has by far been the worst....two weeks! I also got a doctor recommendation from a friend on Friday when I was at the church (you know who you are, my secret reader friend (!!), and thank you!), so I went online yesterday and figured out how to change my PCP. I spoke with another friend who also uses this doctor and she highly recommended him as well, so I decided to go with him. I'll need to follow up with a phone call tomorrow to be sure all that went through, then my doctor issues should be over for a while. I am thankful.

I haven't mentioned this, but our pastor announced last Sunday night that he's leaving at the end of the month for another church, so we are going to be in a state of transition for a while until we get someone else. I really like our pastor A LOT and hate like everything that he's leaving, but I am also eager to see what God has in store for us. I hate to use the word 'but' in a sentence because I've always heard that saying that negates what was just said prior to the 'but.' While that may be true in some instances, that is not how it is intended here. I would have been happy to have him remain our pastor forever, yet since he feels God is leading him somewhere else, we have to accept that and with that acceptance comes an eagerness to see who God will bring us next. We have great leadership and a great staff and I am sure things will be fine, it's just going to be a period of transition for us. Today he preached about 'Responding to God's Will,' and tonight about the passage from John 15 about the vine and the branches. I really am going to miss his preaching...he's just awesome.

With all that said, there's not much more from here for now I suppose. Thanks for all the well-wishes these last couple of weeks. I'm finally on the upswing and that alone is enough to make me very thankful tonight!

A poem at 31 days.

2007-10-31T20:26:00.000-04:00

Some days it's been a trick

Some days a treat

31 days of posting

Has been an undeniable feat!

But it's done and it's over

a month of wracking my brain in the past

Thanks for reading, thanks for encouraging

and thanks for making it pass so fast!

Still under the weather

2007-10-30T19:23:00.000-04:00

Man. It's been a long time since I've felt as bad as I have these last few days. I won't go into all the details here because it's boring if you aren't living it, but I know I mentioned that I went to the doctor last Friday and got two prescriptions. She told me then that if I wasn't much better by Monday to call her and they'd call in an antibiotic. Well, I think it was Sunday, the swollen sinus stuff started and hurt so much that I could hardly sleep Sunday night. I called the doctor on Monday about 9:15 and told them about the anitbiotic the doctor had promised. They normally don't call their prescriptions in until the end of the day, but they promised me more than once (because I called several times when nothing was getting done!), that they would get it called in before 5:00. Making a long story short, they never did call anything in, even after 5:00 and I had to go through another night without any antibiotic. I just sat here and cried when I realized what had happened because I just felt SOOOOOO bad, I was frustrated and there was nothing I could do about it. I called the 'on call' doctor and wouldn't you know, it is the same doctor I see! I left a message explaining what happened in my dealing with her office earlier in the day. She called me back through her answering service, a recorded message, stating that they didn't have the phone number for the pharmacy I use. Well, they certainly did because it's in my file there AND I had given it to two people in her office yesterday. So I called the 'on call' line back and left another message telling her this. She called me back and I told her that I wanted to come by and pick up that prescription this morning instead of waiting for it to be called in. She said that would be fine, so I had myself there first thing this morning. They actually did call it in and I have spent the day here at home sleeping, laying around and not doing much more. I just pray that this is all over soon. As soon as it is, I'm changing doctors....I just need to be sure all this is covered first!

Hope all is well with you!

The long awaited picture....

2007-10-29T21:53:00.000-04:00

How cute is this? Grace as a bag of JELLYBEANS! :-) The only problem she found was that she couldn't sit down and her arms would hardly reach for her to eat the hot dog she had for dinner tonight! Sweet baby though, huh?

Peace

2007-10-28T20:20:00.000-04:00

My favorite furniture

2007-10-27T23:28:00.000-04:00

Just got home from staying with Kate and Grace tonight and wanted to get my post in for today. I should have done it earlier, I just didn't know I would be so late getting home.

I spent part of the day cleaning today....and as I was dusting, I thought, "I need to share what a cool piece of furniture I have!" This radio used to be my great-uncle's. It's a Philco 41-280 and from what I've found online, dates back to 1941. He'd had it as long as I can remember and I mentioned when I was a teenager that I would love to have this some day. I don't think I ever told him that though because my mom said he didn't like people saying, "Can I have that when you die?" He said he'd rather hear, "When you don't need that anymore, can I have it?" :-) So, after he died, my mom inherited everything he had since his wife had died and they had no children. Once I bought my house and had a place for it, my mom passed it on to me. It actually only needs one tube or something and it would still work. It really is the coolest piece of furniture I own, for sentimental reasons and just because it's not something that everyone has.

Kinda unique anyway, isn't it?

Oops!

2007-10-26T20:02:00.000-04:00

I want to apologize for the ending of my last post. I didn't really mean that I haven't enjoyed blogging every day, just that it's been such a change from the 5 or 8 or so times a month that I've been used to that it has been a stretch. My problem is that I have unrealistic expectations of myself. I feel like every post needs to be something fabulous....something enriching....something that makes time spent here worthwhile....and that's a hard thing to live up to! Thanks for being so sweet about it though....I didn't mean I haven't enjoyed it, it's just been different. Actually, at 12 days away, I had intended to come up with a '12 days left of blogging,' thing sorta like the '12 days of Christmas,' but that never materialized. It was a cute idea though!

I woke up this morning knowing that I needed to go to the doctor before I was stuck over the weekend unable to get in touch with anyone, so I called and made an appointment for 1:15 today. After waiting 2 hours for them to take me back, she said I have an upper respiratory infection and gave me a nasal spray and some cough syrup with codine and said if I wasn't feeling much better by Monday, to give her a call and she'd see about putting me on an antibiotic. Hopefully this will take care of it. My boss changed our insurance company last year and I was reassigned to this new doctor because they went by home addresses and she's about a minute and a half from my house. I'm not really happy with her though because I've been about 4 times (because of other prescriptions: blood pressure, thyroid and cholesterol) and have never gotten out of there in less that about 2.5 hours...and I have had an appointment every time! I can understand running late every once in a while, but that is ridiculous! I think I am going to call Blue Cross Blue Shield tomorrow and see if I can't get reassigned somewhere else. For now though, I am glad to have drugs and am glad today is over!

I went for a little while to Grace's 'Trunk & Treat' thing at her school, all ready to get a picture of her to post here....and can you believe that little stinker would not wear her adorable costume??? She said she was embarassed and too many people knew her! (Of course, she is right about everyone knowing her....I can walk down the hall with her at school and everyone's like, "Hey Grace...," "Grace...hey!," Even parents of kids know who she is...it's CRAZY!) She assured me though that she would wear it at Kate's school on Monday night, so for now, that's the plan and I'll post a picture then. If she doesn't do it then, I'll tell you what it is....no sense in letting a good costume idea go to waste!

That's about all from here for now. I'm off to either watch "Days of Our Lives" that I've recorded this week or a movie titled, "Guess Who" that Jean recommended when I joined Netflix a few months ago.

Hope you've had a great day!

Another early night

2007-10-25T21:06:00.001-04:00

I'm about to make this another early to bed night! :-) I just can't shake whatever it is that is trying to set in and all I want to do is find the closest bed with cool sheets and a cold pillow! Although I was careful not to get too 'in their face,' I did go to my sister's tonight for dinner and got to spend some time with my precious nieces. We watched 'The Haunted Mansion' and I got to see the pumpkins that they carved last night. Too bad I didn't think to take my camera. Perhaps I'll do that tomorrow. Grace has 'Trunk or Treat' at her school tomorrow night and I can't wait to show you her costume. It's both original and adorable....of course.....and I think she actually thought of it herself. Kate has 'Trunk or Treat' at her school on Monday night, so Grace will be getting some mileage out of this idea. I think Kate and a friend of hers are dressing up like characters from 'The Breakfast Club,' one of her favorite movies, for Monday night at her school, but being 13, she's still in the decision mode about whether to dress up or not. We'll see...and if she does, I'll get pictures of her too.

Six days of posting left.....and counting (!!)

What's YOUR story??

2007-10-24T22:07:00.001-04:00

Well, sweet Kat gave me this award today and I must say I am grateful and feel exactly the same way. I don't really know how or when it happened, but somehow along this road of blogging, we've developed a friendship that has a real heart to it and is a sweet addition to any day. I would list the same people she did to pass it on to and am just thankful that she thought of me to begin with! This award is "Presented to awesome BLOG owners who keep their readers excited about their posts. Their blog posts are interesting (NOT spammy) and worth reading and keep their subscribers looking forward to each and every post." Funny thing is that I don't know what keeps anyone coming back except commeraderie, friendship and care, but really, those things are hard to find in todays world sometimes, so I am grateful to know they are there! Thanks Kat, it means a lot, and to you other 'B Club charter members,' thanks for all YOU to do enrich my life. Although Kat did it too, I pass this on to you as well.

On another note, I slept great last night and woke up some better this morning. Except for a nagging cough, I was fine for most of the day until I was at children's choir tonight and felt the achiness coming back, so I quickly took some asprin and it went away for now! Lucky for me because we are working on Christmas music in adult choir and I needed to be there for that. Hard to believe that program is only a little over a month away! UGH! Lots to learn before then!

Okay, now.....the BFF Award got me to thinking about the blogging world in general....about how it all just evolves into these great relationships and it got me to thinking about how I started blogging. My friend Tracey started her blog back last summer and sent me a link to it. Next thing you know, we were chatting about me starting one myself....lots of people here were blogging at the time and it was just a fun way to keep up with everyone...with their lives and their humor (and you have to admit Tracey, there were some funny posts in the early days!)....so I fretted over a name and Tracey and I bounced around blog names for me for about a week or two and finally came up with 'Glasses of Grace.' Since then, it's all been history, but I have LOVED the new relationships, the new insight, and the new world that this has been. It's been a fun outlet and I've really loved every minute of it, so thanks to you, Tracey, for getting me started.

So now, that's my story.....how did YOU get into blogging??

Short and sweet

2007-10-23T21:37:00.001-04:00

Tonight's post is short and sweet. My Sunday school class went to serve dinner at the homeless shelter. We do it twice a year and it is always a humbling experience.

After that, we all went to dinner and I just got home.

When Gina and I were at the Concord Jubilee over the weekend, on the way down, she said she wasn't feeling so great. She was better during the day, but that night, Sunday and Monday, she said she was achy, etc. Luckily no one else in her family has gotten it yet. She went to the doctor today and they gave her a shot....but guess who's had a lingering headache for two days and started feeling achy with chills tonight herself....UGH! I knew I had a headache while we were at the shelter tonight, but when I went to get in my car and sat down, I was like....'oh man!'

So I am off to take something, get a bath and get in bed early. I really RARELY get sick, so hopefully it's a passing thing.....

...and I have to be better tomorrow....I have an appointment to get my hair cut and that is like my birthday! I LOVE my friend that cuts my hair and I LOVE getting it cut!

I Stand Amazed.

2007-10-22T18:35:00.000-04:00

I stand amazed at the way God works,

at His lessons and His plans;

I don't have a clue how anyone could doubt

that His ways are higher than man's.

I stand amazed at His sovereignty

at His ability to give and withhold.

He gives us things to strengthen our walk --

To go into the world and be bold.

I stand amazed at the way he discerns

What truly is best for us--

The fact of the matter: We may not always agree...

but to live in His will, we must!

I stand amazed at the gifts He gives

of people, places and things.

They all can be forms of encouragement

no matter what each day brings.

I stand amazed at how He speaks to others,

like when we need a hug or word from friend...

Yet He also leads us and helps us to know

When there are needs to which we should tend.

While I stand amazed at all these things....

which are gifts from God above

My prayer is that I never take them for granted

Because they are tangible gifts of His love!

The silly poem I posted the other day has gotten more comments than anything else this month. I started this one a while back, probably a month or so ago, and never finished it, so I thought I'd do so tonight. You didn't know what you were signing up for when you commented on the other one, did you??? :-)

What's yours?

2007-10-21T20:03:00.000-04:00

Our Minister of Music preached our sermon tonight. It was titled, 'A SINGING Sermon.' He touched on points of 'The GREATNESS of God,' 'The LOVE of Jesus,' 'The POWER of His Spirit,' 'The PROMISES of God's Word,' 'The PRIVILEGE of Prayer,' 'The GLORY of Worship,' and 'The JOY of His Presence.' With each, he gave scripture then he had us sing choruses or parts of hymns that went along with each point. I don't know that I have ever heard or taken part in a sermon like that before, but it was absolutely fabulous. I was thinking on the way home about it all and got to thinking about my favorite scriptures...I have several, but here are a few:

Psalm 19:14
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer."

Psalm 51:9-12
"Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

Romans 12:1-2
"I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing unto God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do no conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

and Hebrews 3:13
"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."

Scripture can be so personal, yet at times so general. Certain passages can mean so much at one point in life where we've never experienced a particular need before, then some scripture just transcends all life events and time. I was thinking that I don't think we've ever 'chatted' on our blogs about our favorite scriptures, so that leads me to the question....

'What's yours?'

The Concord Jubilee

2007-10-20T20:15:00.000-04:00

Not much to report for today, but a fun day nonetheless. My friend Gina's husband is from Concord (a small town south of where I live) and they have the 'Concord Jubilee' down there during the third weekend in October every year. It's one of those small town fall craft fairs with lots of booths, lots of good food, and lots of nice people. I went with them for several years, then didn't go for several years just because it seemed like I was always busy during this weekend. Last year she mentioned they were going, so since she's one of those friends that I can just invite myself along to go with and no one minds, I did! It was a lot of fun, kinda like 'old times' or something; I kept pushing and asking if they were going back this year, so we did. Granted I could go by myself, but it's always more fun to go with someone else, plus I just love her in-laws and it's always nice to see them.

Tomorrow is a Pampered Chef party at my sister's at 2:00, so I'll miss out on my dearly loved Sunday afternoon nap since I'll have to be back at church at 5:00. It seems like the weekends just fly by!

I wish we could come up with a way to have a five day weekend and a two day work week, you know? :-)

More wise words...

2007-10-19T21:13:00.000-04:00

"Be generous and understanding. Let no one come to you without feeling better and happier when they leave. Be the living expression of God's kindness: with kindness on your face...in your eyes...in your smile...in your warm greeting."

--Mother Teresa