PAMPERED CHEF PARTY

ok.....so the stampin' up party was SO much fun that i've decided to have a pampered chef party. rosie (emily's boyfriends's sister) sells it, so i wanted to help her out and there are some things i've been wanting to get from pampered chef, anyway. it will be wednesday, february 4 at 7:00 pm. everyone is welcome and don't feel pressure to buy. i sincerely don't care if you do or don't. i just want to have fun! (you know girls just wanna have fun!) oh, and the food she's making sounds really yummy. it's going to be ceasar salad pizza and non-sinful brownies(not the correct name, but something like that). they are both low-calorie. (since i'm going back to weight watchers now). hope to see you her!

SO GLAD YET SO SAD

just found out yesterday that jim hulse got the job in st.louis, so they will be moving there! jan will stay until the house sells, though. i have such mixed emotions about this! we have grown SO close, since we have become related by marriage (the marriage of our children). jan and i craft together and just love hanging out togeter, too! steve and jim have always hit it off and share the love of sports, also! i guess there will have to be some all night crafting slumber parties after jim leaves and some other marathon crafting going on! we will definitely go visit them and we hope they will come back to visit us! we are making plans for that. steve and i would like to go visit when the astros play the cardinals. navoo, (or however you spell it), isn't too far from there and steve would really like to go there. maybe sometime when megan and travis are there we could go there or vice versa. we are very thankful we had this time to get to know them! we believe the reason why they came here was so megan and travis could meet and now i guess there is a reason why they have to go to st. louis. they will be sorely missed, though, by many people here!!!!

CRAZY CAROL

i haven't been much into blogging posts lately. i've been manic and i can't sit down for very long a one time. i just keep thinking of stuff to do. i still haven't even posted my pics from my trips to dallas, so ya'll don't even know what i did there! ha!ha! hope to be able to chill out soon and do it! i've also started organizing my craft room with the help of THE CRAFTING QUEEN and my hero jan hulse! i'll let you know how that turns out. wish i would have taken a before pic so i could do before and after!

JUDAS ASPARAGUS

The Children's Bible in a Nutshell:
In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that.

Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.

Then God made the world. He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden.....Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.

Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.

Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.

After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.

God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff. Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother.

One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.

After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.

After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore.

There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.

After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.')

During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats.

Jesus also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.

Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.

Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.
* * * * * * *

STAMPIN' UP PARTY TONIGHT

my stampin' up party was tonight. we had a great time! there were 8 people there. we made valentine cards and learned the kissing technique and rockin' and rollin' technique. we also had valentine treats! for those of you who missed it wish you could have been here!!!

JOY LIST

Make a joy list. Anything goes, from losing yourself in a great novel to laughing with friends. Whenever you feel the pressure mounting, pull it out for an instant reminder of the things in life that bring you pleasure. "We are what we think about," says life coach and best-selling author Gail Blanke. "Add up the good, and embrace it."

read this on someone else's blog as well. i think i'll give it a whirl!!!

DON'T FORGET!

don't forget about my Stampin' Up Party tomorrow night! Hope to see you there! Call if you need directions.

OUR BATTLE WITH SATAN

I wanted to say basically that God isn't a game to think you can claim and dis. He is serious, there is a war to fight to hold onto Him. I don't even understand these feelings rushing through me. These feelings of good anger. This feeling that I want to kick the crap out of Satan. That I am disgusted by what Satan has done.

this came from another blog. i thought it was interesting the way he described our battle with satan.(i refuse to use a capital letter at the beginning of his name like i do at the beginning of God's name even when i am not using capital letters).

STRESSED?

had to steal this one from kenzee, but not after next thursday! i start back to weight watchers then!

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT BEING A MEME PART 3

you should have know i'd have more of these after this week:

-when gabby says my name
-when i ask oli if he loves me and he says yes
-when i see them wearing the clothes i have given them
-when i see them playing with the toys i have given them
-when i do crafts with oli
-when oli wants me to watch his shows with him and points out things to me in them
-when gabby says umh (meaning yes) in her own special way
-when gabby slides down the slide and says wheeee (i taught her this)
-when they do pretty much anything i taught them
-when gabby waves bye everytime she leaves a room
-when i get to spend special one on one time with them
-when oli came in the bathroom right after i got out of the shower and said "meme, your hair!"(i
thought he'd be scared for life by the sight of my grotesque naked body!)
-when i get to babysit them
-when i get to play outside with them
-when i sing songs, do poems, or do fingerplays with oli
-when oli goes out to my car with me and helps me carry stuff in
-when gabby smiles (her smile could light up the world)
-when i play ball with oli (he's going to be a pro baseball player someday if he can just get the
catching down! or maybe a pro basketball player! he's got the skills!)
-when they show how smart they are (i'm sure they get it all from me! ha!ha!)
-when other people notice how adorable they are
-when they won't go to other people (not including their parents, of course) but they'll go to me

to be continued........

WHAT A CLASS ACT

whatever your politics (and i'm NOT going to get into that!) you have to admit that laura bush is a class act. she has stood quietly behind her husband through thick and thin! (and there's been a lot of thin lately!) i can't imagine how hard it must have been to watch and hear the man that she loves berated and put down like george bush has been! i have a lot of sympathy for him too but he chose the job and she didn't chose to be in the spotlight! she always had a smile on her face and appeared to be content in whatever situation and graceful. on top of all of this she is beautiful! this lady is one of my heros along with her mother-in-law barbara! well....to get right down to it, i love the whole bush family! they are just good people!

I'M IN HEAVEN

i guess you're all wondering if i fell off the face of the earth, well almost! i am in heaven! i'm spending the week in dallas with my grandbabies and luvin' every minute of it! (right down to the last dirty diaper! no kidding!!!) i love these babies to pieces! when the babies are asleep mandy and i play! we have been doing some card making and scrapbooking! we've even managed to get in a little shopping! (it's a bad job but somebody has to do it!) i'll be sending pics of my activities at some point, right now i'm just having too much fun!

i wanted to share this with those of you who are raising children. i know i can still benefit from most of it myself! i think it is AWESOME!!!!!

Real Resolutions for Moms by Karen Ehman


I will put my Bible before the television, the radio, the telephone and even before good Christian books, for my children will know my priorities by the way they see me spend my free time.


I will make my prayer requests known before God and my children, enlisting their help in the process and informing them of the outcome, for by letting them help when I petition our Lord will they learn of a living God who still answers prayer.


When times of crisis, conflict or confusion arise, I will hit my knees before I hit the phone knowing that by my example my children will discover that although friends are important, God alone is the one who holds the solution to life's every problem.


I will erase the words "luck" and "lucky" from my vocabulary and will instead by my speech point my children toward the One who orchestrates every detail of our lives ad brings all good things to pass, for by this my children will learn of an omniscient God.

When bad things happen, I'll neither grumble nor complain, but will instead help my children see that in the scope of our lives even the bad times are allowed for a reason, for by this my children will learn quiet trust in their Master.

When normal childhood mishaps occur, I will remember that although difficult, it is still easier to remove grape juice from off-white carpet than to erase harsh and unloving words hurled at a child whose chubby little fingers have failed her, for by this my children will see a God who understands when our best efforts fall short.

When my children have witnessed something ugly in me, unkind words, an angry temper, "harmless" gossip, biting sarcasm or even my infamous "mommy pout" when things don't go my way-I will confess it as sin before them seeking their forgiveness, for by this my children will develop the much needed habit of wiping their spiritual slate clean before God and man.

I will teach my children the importance of cleanliness and order while at the same time remain sensitive to the fact that a skinned knee or hurt feeling is more crucial than a spotless floor or uncluttered counter, for by this my children will learn to value people above things.

I will make time for the lonely, the sick, the elderly, the difficult to love, and will bring my children along, for with each afternoon visit, each ride to the doctor, each raked lawn or washed window they will have the opportunity to serve Jesus by serving the "least of these."

I will make our home a haven of rest and retreat from the outside world and welcome place for my children's friends, for with each impromptu backyard soccer game, each video viewed on a rainy day, each cup of hot cocoa or chocolate chip cookie, my children will have the opportunity to practice the act of Christian hospitality thereby learning to share all God has given them.

I will by my actions and my speech let my children see a mom in love with their dad, for by this my children will sense family stability at a time when marriages all around them are crumbling.

I will not require of my children obedience, honesty, patience or kindness without first being willing to submit to the same rules whether in speed limit, miscounted change from the grocery store or when answering a toddler for the fourteenth time, for by this my children will see a mother who is also learning and not a perfect parent to whom they'll ever measure up

In all things will I remember that more is caught than is thought.

saw this on laura's blog and thought it sounded like fun:
put an X in front of all the things that you have done
( ) gone on a blind date
( ) skipped school
( ) watched someone die
(X ) been to canada
(X ) been to mexico
(X) been to florida
(X) been on a plane
(X) been lost
(X) been on the opposite side of the country
( ) gone to washington, dc- although i would really like to!
(X ) cried yourself to sleep- numerous times! what girl (and probably most guys if they'd admit it)hasn't
(X ) played cops and robbers- i'm sure my big brother forced me to a some time or another
(X) recently colored with crayons- i have grandkids! (although i did it before them and would even if i didn't have grandkids!)
(X) sang karaoke- the first time was on a cruise and fortunately nobody was there except my family because i sounded really bad! (and steve always says he thinks i sing good!)
(X ) paid for a meal with coins only- only when i'm out of bills
(X) done something you told yourself you wouldn't- all the time especially having to do with eating!
(X) made prank phone calls- and i've toilet papered houses with my own kids!
(X) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( ) caught a snowflake on your tongue- can't recall ever doing this. you gotta remember i've lived in texas most of my life
(X) danced in the rain- used to do it quite often as a kid. loved it!
(X) written a letter to santa claus
( ) been kissed under the missletoe- my husband isn't romantic
(X) watched the sunrise with someone you care about- i'm sure it has happened before
(X) blown bubbles- once again, i have grandkids and i also taught preschool for 15 years
(X) gone ice skating- once but only once! that was enough!
(X) been skinny-dipping outdoors- don't ask because i'm not telling! my kids aren't going to believe this! i can't even believe i'm admitting it!
( ) gone to the movies alone
i'm not going to tag anybody because it might put them under pressure to do this and it's a really long one. so do it if you feel like it!

STAMPIN' UP PARTY

I'm going to have a Stampin' Up party on January 27 at 7:00pm. I want to invite all of y0u come. It's going to be a lot of fun! Even if you've never stamped before come and try it out. We are going to be doing some Valentine cards. Hope you can make it! <3

MANIC/SPIRITUAL DEPRESSED/NOT SPIRITUAL

i find that when i am manic i am very spiritual and when i am depressed i am not. as you can tell lately i have been very spiritual and also very manic. i wish i could stay on the very spiritual side. i finally called the dr. on friday and he's changing my meds. hopefully that will get things under control. this up and down thing isn't a good thing, although there are perks to being manic. i get a lot done and life seems to be so much better. there are bad things too. i spend A LOT of money and that doesn't go so well with steve. i have A LOT of anxiety and that really isn't fun either. sometimes i say and do stupid things. (even more so than usual!) i can't thing of anything good about being depressed, though!!!!

PS: A VALUABLE LESSON

"... when the gospel is deeply grasped, our need to win arguments is removed, and our language becomes gracious. We don't have to ridicule our opponents, but instead we can engage them respectfully.

People who live in the moral-performance narrative use sarcastic, self-righteous putdown humor, or have no sense of humor at all. Lewis speaks of "the unsmiling concentration upon Self, which is the mark of hell." The gospel, however, creates a gentle sense of irony. We find a lot to laugh at, starting with our own weaknesses. They don't threaten us anymore because our ultimate worth is not based on our record or performance."


Carol's comments: I wish I would have read this the other day!

THE JOYS OF OCD

MY DREAM GARDEN

i want to do a garden in the back part of our backyard beyond the pool fence. i want a winding path and different points of interest along the way. (sorta like the pics above) we already have a little hill back there that was made from the dirt they dug out when they were making the pool. i want the path to wind around it, too. i already have some of the things i want too put back there somewhere like a wishing well, wheelbarrow, and quite a few cement and clay animals. my biggest wish is that we could have a gazebo back there. steve says there isn't enough room! (we have an acre lot and the house and pool probably only take up half of it! how much room does he think the gazebo would take?) he has agreed that we can do the garden sometime, though. i hope we can get started soon! i can't wait to walk down my garden path and look at all the pretties! oh yea, i would want some flowers, too. they'd have to be ones that could take care of themselves, though, or we'd have to run the sprinkler lines back there. i am a terrible gardener! i never remember to water my plants until they start drooping! steve has to water them or they'd all have been dad long ago! i would like to have some kind of little fairies back there, too. maybe part of it could be a little fairy garden! wouldn't that be cute? oh, and i forgot to say benches along the way, too, so you could sit for a while. i already have these, too. steve has put them by the horse shoe pit, volleyball court, and trampoline. see! he already has the stuff he wants back there, so it's my turn now to put the stuff i want! i can't wait. right now i never go back there. steve likes to go back there and just walk around and check out his territory, i guess. that's probably why he knows exactly how many trees we have on our lot. (it was 100 the last time i knew and he has added some since then and had to cut a few down for different reasons) all of the trees were already on the lot when we moved here except the few that steve has had planted. actually the lot was what first attracted us to the place and then when we saw the house we knew it was the right place for us! we love it here! it is so quiet and peaceful. hardly any traffic. we even see deer here sometimes! (usually in the very early morning before i get up, but i have seen them quiet a few times. they also come out at night) we have been very blessed but steve has worked VERY hard for all that we have! i just hope he doesn't work too hard and have a stoke before he gets to retirement! (strokes run in his family at an early age. his dad died of a stroke at 61 and his grandfather at 59! steve will be 55 in april! i don't want to be an early widow! i can't live with the man, but i certainly couldn't live without him! i would be lost!) between his job and his church calling he is one busy man! then when he is at home he feels guilty if he isn't always doing something! i tell him all the time he needs to learn to relax and that it's ok to relax sometimes!!!! i don't think he believes me though! his dad was the same way. the family owns a ranch and he not only worked on the ranch, but had another full time job as well. his dad only lived a few years after he took early retirement from his full time job. (the ranch was also a full time job, actually) it always makes me sad that he didn't have more time to enjoy his semi-retirement. (he would have never retired from the ranch) steve says his dad wouldn't have had it any other way. do any of you have any other idea for my garden? i like to hear them.

5 THINGS TAG

5 things in your purse:
1.wallet
2.planner
3.keys
4.phone
5.brush

5 things in your workroom:
1.craft table
2.futon
3.shelf
4.chair
5.bed-needs to be gotten out of there so i have room to craft

5 things you always wanted to do:
1.be able to paint
2.be able to draw
3.write a book
4.play the piano (i took lessons for 4 years when i was a kid, but i need a refresher)
5.play the guitar (i also took lessons for a little while but didn't stick with it long enough to learn much)

5 things you are into:
1.blogging
2.crafts
3.decorating
4.crossword puzzles
5.reading

5 bloggers you want to tag:
1.jennifer
2.liz
3.leslie
4.laura
5.lori

A VALUABLE LESSON

i learned a valuble lesson today! sometimes it's best just to keep your BIG mouth shut! (even if you are just dying to answer back). i've always known this really and i've never been very good at it! i try to do it with my husband. nothing will stop an argument like silence! (if they don't get mad at you for not answering). also when you say something out of anger just to get back at the person that's bad too! (another thing that i already knew but did anyway!) i caused a mini crisis by doing these things and almost lost a friend in the process!

PATIENCE-NOT ONE OF MY VIRTUES

“Love can only be patient when it is first grateful for what is right now.”

It is true: I can love only when I am thankful for the now. When I embrace the present as a gift, a time and place not to be afraid of, to resist and fight, but a place to welcome as a wise bestowment from a kind Father.

Love cannot be patient when I am discontented or my fears (of failure, of bedlam) drive me to micromanage. Patience can only grow in the soil of gratitude. Lack gratitude, then lack patience, and, ultimately, lack love.

Henri Nouwen suggests that

“[t]he word patience means willingness to stay where we are and live out the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will
manifest itself to us.”

Patience is only a possibility when we mindfully invite this moment to rest here, and not hurry on. And we can, because we know that this moment brings us something, something yet hidden, that will reveal itself as a gift for which we can give thanks.

Nouwen offers that “patient people dare to stay where they are. Patient living means to live actively in the present….”

I reflect on and concur: Patient pilgrims linger in the present, thankful for what is. Patient people dare to accept people where they are, grateful for who they are now, appreciative of works of art not yet finished but still deeply loved. Aren't we all just that?

Deep breathe. Love is patient. And it can only be patient when it is first grateful, receiving the present as a present... grace.


isn't this awesome! it came from the same blog as the last one HOLY EXPERIENCE..

GRATITUDE

To initially enter into thankfulness requires purposeful intent, a daily, proactive effort to maintain. To recognize our life for what it is --- recognize: see, re-think, thank -- we’ll have to have the mental and spiritual fortitude to cognitively re-create the world. To re-cognize how God continually creates beauty good in all things, the ugly too.

We can’t blankly, inattentively, stumble through the day – mindlessly moving from one mechanical task to the next – and maintain habitual gratefulness.

And that’s what we endeavor. Not simply the feeling of gratefulness -- fleeting, that -- but the virtue of gratefulness – a lifestyle of giving thanks in all things.

The emotion of gratitude flaps about according to the weather. Obliging, sunny hours, and it basks. Stormy days and it hangs, limp and beaten. The vulnerable feeling of gratefulness falls prone to circumstances.

The virtue of gratitude, however, determines its own weather. Regardless of forecasts, skies or daily events, virtuous gratitude gives wholesale thanks. “In everything, give thanks!” The robust virtue of gratefulness rises above circumstances.

And the virtue of gratitude necessitates vigilance. We’ll have to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.

In the mess of my day, it’s clear: a lifestyle of thanks isn’t the realm of dim-witted pollyannas. Only the spiritually attentive and mentally robust can re-cognate their days, see their day with God-eyes, and hike their way to the heights of life-gratitude. Isn’t the joy worth the daily effort of the journey?

Because re-cognizing ourselves into gratitude is to enter into the exploration of God right here.


this was taken from the blog "holy experience".

DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS

This is a post from another blog I read:

Will Texas Secede the Union.... again?

from French Lique, Texas by Dixie's Whimsey

Over the Thanksgiving Holiday I received this email from one of my very dear friends, who also happens to be a very-very Texas Gal, born and bred in the country, on a ranch, in South Texas... and while this is "tongue-in-cheek", it's not too far off the beaten path of what some real Texans really think... If you doubt the truth of these words, click here to read Texas Sucession Facts. Texans are a different sort... even down here in French Lique...

* * * * * * * * * * Here's the email...

Hmmmm, let me think about this a minute.....Maybe History can repeat itself.

From The People of Texas

We Texans love y'all, but we'll have to take action since Obama won president over McCain. We'll miss you too. Texas has given all those complainers plenty of time to get used to the results. After seeing the whiners along the campaign route, the folks from Texas are considering taking matters into our hands.

Here is our solution:

#1: Let Barak Obama be President of the United States . (All 49 states.)

#2: The Republic Of Texas elects it's own conservative President.So what does Texas have to do to survive as a Republic?

1. NASA is just south of Houston , Texas . (We will control the space industry.)

2. We refine over 85% of the gasoline in the United States .

3. Defense Industry. (We have over 65% of it) The term "Don’t mess with Texas ," will take on a whole new meaning.

4. Oil - we can supply all the oil that the Republic of Texas will need for the next 300 years. Yankee states? Sorry about that.

5. Natural Gas - Again we have all we need and it's too bad about those northern states. John Kerry will figure a way to keep them warm....

6. Computer Industry - we currently lead the nation in producing computer chips and communications: Small places like Texas Instruments, Dell Computer, EDS, Raytheon, National Semiconductor, Motorola, Intel, AMD, Atmel, Applied Materials, Ball Semiconductor, Dallas Semiconductor, Delphi, Nortel, Alcatel, Etc, Etc. The list goes on and on.

7. Health Centers - We have the largest research centers for Cancer research, the best burn centers and the top trauma units in the world and other large health planning centers.

8. We have enough colleges to keep us going: UT Texas, A&M, Texas Tech, Rice, SMU, University of Houston, Baylor, UNT, Texas Women's University, Ivy grows better in the south anyway

9. We have a ready supply of workers. (Just open the border when we need some)

10. We have control of the paper industry, plastics, insurance, etc.

11. In case of a foreign invasion, we have the Texas National Guard and the Texas Air National Guard. We don't have an army but since everybody down here has at least six rifles and a pile of ammo, we can raise an army in 24 hours if we need it. If the situation really gets bad, we can always call Department of Public Safety and ask them to send over a couple Texas Rangers. (OH NO, DON'T FORGET THE LARGEST ARMY BASE IN THE FREE WORLD, FORT HOOD !!!)

12. We are totally self sufficient in beef, poultry, hogs and several types of grain, fruit and vegetables and lets not forget seafood from the gulf. And everybody down here knows how to cook them so that they taste good. Don't need any food. This just names a few of the items that will keep the Republic Of Texas in good shape. There isn't a thing out there that we need and don't have. Now to the rest of the United States under President Obama: Since you won't have the refineries to get gas for your cars, only Mr. Kerry will be able to drive around in his 9 mile per gallon SUV. The rest of the United States will have to walk or ride bikes. You won't have any TV as the space center in Houston will cut off your communications. You won't have any natural gas to heat your homes but since Mr. Gore has predicted global warming, you will not need the gas.

Signed,

The People of Texas

Have a nice day!

********************************

PS... I wasn't born in Texas, but I got his as fast as I could... *wink*wink*smil

A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP

a lot of people blog about their pets frequently. basically i can catagorize my relatioinship with my cats as a love/hate relationship- they love me, i hate them! well......i don't exactly hate them 100% i guess. if something happened to one of them i would be sad. (at least for a day or so), hey, i'm just a sentimental person. i was sad when my daughter got rid of her dog even though i never particularly liked the dog. it was a good decision for them though. also i wouldn't have anybody to talk to during the day. i guess i'd just have to talk to myself 100% which i do all the time anyway. it can really be embarassing if you do it out loud in a public placem though! (am i talkin' to any of you out there? do you feel me?) i think if i didn't have them soon the saddness would turn into- the joys of not having a pet!!!!! please, please don't anyone turn me in to the humane society! i might get put in animal prison and have to spend the rest of my life cleaning up after all those fuzzy creatures and fixing everything that they destroy!!!! am i a hard-hearted person or just tired of the negative side of pet ownership i ask? i do think kittens and puppies are adorable (if that counts for anything) but they do always grow up!!!

CAROL NEEDS...

1.Carol needs to be grounded in some very basic things-Sounds like a good idea to me!
2.Carol needs Assessment Information Request-?????
3.Carol needs a 1995 a retired Tony Carter teapot of a chaise lounge with the gramaphone on a small table-hmmm. Sounds very interesting!
4.Carol needs our help-That's for sure!
5.Carol needs to change-I need to change my evil ways baby!
6.Carol needs a power source-I sure do!!!! I'm tired way too much!
7.Carol needs more busts-I sure do! Mine are way too small!
8.Carol needs eyes in the back of my head, Elasti-girl arms, and a magic wand-Not a bad idea! I really could of used these when I was raising kids though!
9.Carol needs the alternative GNU classpath class-I'm confused!
10.Carol needs prayers-Amen!
I saw this on another blog and thought I would try it out. You google your name and needs after it. These are the first 10 responses to mine. Try it! It's very enlightening and surprisingly quite a few of them were true!

GIVE ME A BREAK AND OLD HOME WEEK

Sugar Grove Church of Christ
11600 West Airport Blvd.
Meadows Place, TX 77477

i've been having a lot of anxiety lately and been manic a lot, but today i've been pretty even tempered! it's so nice to have a break from the tightness in my stomach that comes from anxiety!
i went back to my old church today (even though it's 45 min. away). i'm giving up trying to find one closer to fulshear that i like. none of them feel right! it felt just like going home! i think i made the right decision. i also think i had guidance with this decision!

DISCUSSIONS, DINNER, DANCING, AND DECORATING (I BOUGHT STUFF FOR DECORATING)

so steve had to go to this thing last night for church. it was a thing for the young men and young women about missionary work. they wanted people to volunteer to be people who weren't members of their church that the kids were coming to talk to about the church. the people were supposed to ask them questions. who could be better suited for this them me?(besides i didn't want to stay home alone all afternoon and night!) i thought hmmm........ this could be fun! so i prepared some really good questions to ask them with scriptures to back them up. when i got there i found out that we were supposed to only ask them questions about the topics they were assigned to talk to us about! drats!!!! i had some really good questions that i don't think they would have known the answer too. when i saw how nervous some of them were i decided that would have been kind of mean though. when i told josh jones, their bishop, about my questions he said "well.......i guess you'll just have to talk to me about them!" i don't think he thought i would say yes, but i said "i would love to!" he said he'd have us over for dinner some night and we could discuss it! i told you i love to debate! the biggest treat of the night was the dance though! steve had to chaperone for that. it was really fun to watch all those teenagers! dancing sure is different these days!!! oh yea, we got to stay for dinner too and they had a potato bar! yum yum! i'm always up for food! (and it shows!) actually the dance wasn't the best part after all now that i think about it. they had some neat shops down at the town square. i love town squares because it reminds me of the town i grew up in. i only had time to go to one of them though! i'm going to have to go back sometime to go to the other ones!

DARLING PICS OF GUESS WHO?????

EMILY AND OUR FUTURE SON IN LAW HOPEFULLY

FOR ALL YOU NEW MOTHERS OUT THERE:

NAUGHTY PIC

im not usually this crude but this just stuck me as so funny!

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

i dont know if yall are getting as much out of these spiritual things im putting on here as i am, but i am trying to strengthen my relationship with God and i just thought others might get something out of it too.

QUIET TIME AND MEMORIZATION

"In the 1950s, a group of mature Christian men discussed the questions: “How do we help new believers develop a relationship with God? What are the most critical and basic elements that will help them grow in their new life with Christ?”

They concluded that quiet time and memorizing Bible verses were the two most important practices to establish believers in the faith and keep them growing.

More recently one of the men was asked if, after all these years, he would still choose quiet time and Scripture memory as the most fundamental helps for becoming established in the faith.

His answer? “I’m more convinced than ever.”

Quiet time is about making space in your life every day to promote a deepening bond with Jesus Christ, a time of mingling Life to life.

Quiet time is not a solitary exercise, nor an independent enterprise.

It is a fellowship, an interchange, a communion, a friendship, a date with God."

~Jean Fleming, Feeding Your Soul, A Quiet Time Handbook

Lord, why would I want to miss communing with you today? Could anything be important enough to keep me away from a time to mingle with You?




Related: Memorization aids and inspiration at Ann Kroeker's January's Mega Memory Month ...

I'm joining MMM with a committment to memorize Phil. 2:1-18. Care to come along too? Prayerfully consider joining Mega Memory Month and making 2009 the year of the new you as His Word does His work within.

PROCRASTINATION- A BIG NO NO!!!

"No unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by putting them off till tomorrow. It is only when they are behind us and done, that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards...

Accomplished, [tasks] are full of blessing, and there is a smile on their faces as they leave us.

Undone, [tasks] stand threatening and disturbing our tranquility, and hindering our communion with God.

If there be lying before you any bit of work from which you shrink, go straight up to it, and do it at once.

The only way to get rid of it is to do it.

(this really speaks to me because i am such a procrastinator!!!!!)

WEIGHT WATCHERS HERE I COME

this morning i got on the scales and what a shock!!!! i hadnt gotten on them in quite a while. i guess i just didnt want to know. well....now i know and i now have the motivation to get back to weight watchers. anyone want to join me? i know it would be easier if i did it with a friend. its not as hard as you think with weight watchers. its the only way ive ever been able to lose weight. you can have goodies sometimes as long as you count the points.

I DID IT!!!

i got off the comp long enough to do the dishes! (thanks, laura! i lol when i read your comment "step away from the comuter!") i hate handwashing dishes! some of them were left over since the new years eve party!(i'm so ashamed!) the dishwasher has been run several times since then just the handwash ones haven't been done! my future son in law did them once without being asked! (you see why i want him for my future son in law! steve just asked the other day "why don't they just go ahead and get engaged!" i guess he feels the same way! they say they are going to get married so why not go ahead and get engaged? emily says she doesn't want a long engagement and she doesn't want to marry him until he finishes school and gets a good job. he says he doesn't have any money! poor excuse i'd say! not really! she's only 20 after all! we just don't want him to get away! they already act like an old married couple!)
i'm taking a break now. steve still hasn't come home for lunch. i'd say i'm probably safe now because it's almost 1. boy i sure did get lucky today! on days like today i guess i should just title my blogsite: meanderings of a manic! i'm much more witty on these days though! i think they should add one more symptom to the list of ones that are signs of mania: blogs a lot! so......when you get a lot of blogs from me in one day you'll know what's going on!
now....back to the housework! yuck! i do have a good incentive though. i told emily i'd go to the first colony mall with her as soon as i got my housework done. i think that was 2 days ago!!!!! ha!ha! i have gotten all the christmas deco down and all the massive piles of laundry that accumulated during the holidays done since then though! i just have to put all the laundry away and i can go to the mall!!! yea!!! i hope she still wants to!

i guess it was my imagination! it's 12:15 and he's still not here! i guess i was given a reprieve and what did i do with it? i'm still on the comp! guess i shouldn't have read that article about doing the things that are uplifting for you first! when i get started i just can't stop!

i think i blew it! i always have to check my email, google reader, and facebook before i shut down the comp! the clock is bonging 12! he'll be here any minute!!!! my anxiety level is rising!(like it wasn't already way up!) i think i hear his truck now coming up the driveway!(or maybe i'm just imagining things!) i think i may be just a little manic! you think?

gotta go quick and start doing something before steve comes home for lunch and asks what have you been doing all morning? i do this all the time. good thing he doesn't read my blog! shhhhhhh! i only have 10 minutes to make it look like i've been slaving away all morning and not been on the comp since i got up! do you ever do stuff like this? i figure it's his fault since he gave me the laptop for a gift? doesn't that sound logical to you?

be sure and go back and check out meme moments and why i like being a meme part#2. i just finished the draft and posted it.

aren't my posts a lot more intesting since i learned how to add pics and don't you enjoy the things i steal from other bloggers since i started reading more blogs? ( i really need a better word then more. maybe lots of or tons of would be better. maybe i should change started reading to i am obsessed with, too!!!!) ok-here you have it. my new and improved sentence- don't you enjoy the things i steal from other bloggers since i became obsessed with reading tons of blogs? there that's better!!!!!

I SHOULD NOT GO TO BED EARLY BECAUSE.....

last night steve convinced me to go to bed with him at 9:45! yes, you are reading that correctly 9:45! he said we could read for a while but by the time i had taken my meds, turned out all the lights, and locked the doors he had finished reading and had the lights out. he said i could read longer if i wanted to and turned over and started snoring. he goes to sleep faster then anyone i know! i read for about 15 minutes and then got sleepy so i turned out the lights and soon went to sleep. well.....i slept unitl 9:30 this morning and have been on the comp ever since. i think the more i sleep the more i want to sleep! i woke up with the zombie feeling again and all i wanted to do was finish off the key lime pie in the fridge which i did! so.........this is why i don't go to bed early!!!!!!

MY FIRST BLOGGING AWARD

http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fsmilingsally.blogspot.com%2Ffeeds%2Fposts%2Fdefault

smilingsally (the blogger listed above) is the one who gave me this award.

COMMUNION WITH GOD

• Speaking truth aloud to myself, to God, as I work: You are here, close, and I love You, Lord. This work is my song of praise to You.
  


• Singing love songs after meals, as I put away the laundry: Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart, naught be all else to me, save that thou art.
  


• Clinging to Him when the day and I unravel: Give me grace, Father. You are here and You’re my help. I need You!
  


• Pausing, intentionally and purposefully, to pray at set times throughout the day: O God of heaven and earth, I bow low

this is from a post i read from one of my blogs that i subscribe to. i thought it might be helpful to others of you who are trying to be closer to God like me.

GUESS WHICH ONE I AM?

All jokes aside, at this point, weight loss isn't just a desire based on vanity. I know that I will never be 22 again, much lighter and wrinkleless. But I do want to be healthier. I do want to enjoy life more and increase the chances of living longer. My children may never admit it, but they need me, and my future grandchildren will too! {smiles}
The paragraph above is a quote from another blog that I subscribe to, but I feel EXACTLY the same way!!!!!! Now I just need the stength, discipline, and motivation to do it!!!!! I've done it before so I know I can do it again! I was manic at the time so that helped me to do it, but I lost 15 pounds another time when I wasn't manic. It all was on Weight Watchers. I kept the weight off for 2 years the first time because I had changed my eating habits. I just gradually slipped back to my old habits. Please pray for me!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A REDNECK WHEN:

Redneck Tree Swing


Redneck cooler races
Now that's class. Notice that she is not spilling her beer.


Redneck windshield defroster


Redneck toilet paper holder


Redneck camper


Redneck motorcycle mover


Redneck revenge


Redneck motorcycle sidecar


Redneck discus



Redneck ice fishing



A Redneck Wedding
(Is that a mermaid on the far left? She is even pulling the top to stay down. )
Don't laugh, you know you are related to these people somehow!


The Treasure here is the chuckle that these Redneck jokes gave you.

TABLESCAPE TUESDAY

to all of you looking for my TABLESCAPE TUESDAY entry i wasn't able to do it because my camera battery is dead and i can't find the charger! i'll try to do it for next week! sorry!

THE PILLSBURY DOUGHBOY

Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment
community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection
and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.

Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities
turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry
Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and
Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a
man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in
show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not
considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked
schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he still was a crusty
old man and was considered a positive roll model for millions.

Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, three children: John
Dough, Jane Dough and Dosey Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is
also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart.

The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

ITS A COLD DAY (YEA!) AND I'M BLOG HAPPY!

the cold weather is back and i've been on the comp all day (except when i was sleeping). when i'm blog happy that usually means that i'm also MANIC!!!!! i've been very anxious all day and that goes along with it too! the good news is THE WEATHER IS COOLER!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT! i'm wearing a sweatshirt and i'm not sweating!!!! too bad i just keep thinking this won't last long! i ruin the good stuff by thinking about it being over!

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT BEING A MEME PART 2

-i love tickling them
-i get to play "get you" with them
-i get to use all my knowledge and all my stuff from 15 years of being a preschool teacher/aide
-i get to sing with them (i love to sing!)

WHY I LIKE BEING A MEME

-the adorable things that they say
-the open mouthed, juicy, slobbery kisses they give you (the juicier the better!)
-i get to shop for them (i love shopping for kids stuff)
-they are excited to come to my house
-the amazement at how intelligent they are
-the smiles they give me
- i get to babysit them (which is never often enough!)
-i get to go and visit them
-i get to read books to them
-i get to stay a child at heart through them
-i have an excuse to watch animated movies
-i have an excuse to watch kids shows on tv (like barney! i love barney!)
-the funny things that they do
-i get a chance to do kids crafts with them (or at least plan them. i never seem to get around to actually doing them)
- they say "i love you"
- they talk on the phone or webcam to me
- i get pics of them
-i get to have the meme bag and do things from it with them
-i get to relive the happpiest time of my life (raising my children) through them
-i get to dream about their future
-i get to see the love and pride on my childrens faces because of them
-i get to help play santa claus again
-i get to send presents for different holidays to them
-i love kids and mine own children are not kids anymore!
to be continued........
-(the they in all of the above, of course, are my grandbabies)
-

MEME MOMENTS

-when you don't wash the handprints off the windows after your grandbabies leave
-when you find toys in random spots in the house that your grandbabies left there and you leave them
-when you walk past the picture wall you have to stop and smile for a while at the pics of the grandbabies
-when you pull out your grandbaby pics and show them to total strangers
-when almost every conversation you have includes something about your grandbabies (and a majority of your blog posts too)
to be continued......

I'm entering the Word of the Year 2009 Giveaway on tipjunkie.com. My word is GOALS.

A VERY THOUGHTFUL GIFT

for christmas mandy gave me a beautiful silver cross and a copy of this poem: (i'm going to frame it and hang it near the cross)

You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb.
You're just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones He chose.
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy,
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart,
So that into His likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason.
You've be formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!

(4th stanza really speaks to me because it reminds me of the time when i had the nervous breakdown. i really did grow from that experience! unfortunately i have let myself slip backwards since that time.)

THE WORLDS BEST BIBLE READING PROGRAM

The World’s Best Bible-Reading Program
January 11, 2007

Posted by Dan Edelen in : Best of Cerulean Sanctum, Bible

Functions : Trackback, ,

Last year, I decided to try a one-year Bible-reading plan because I’m one of those people who lives in cycles of near-coma transitioning into frenzy and back again. (Don’t ask me to do ANYTHING before noon.) That served me well until about age forty, but now I can’t seem to handle the mania like I once did.

So rather than the feast or famine approach I took to Bible reading in 2005 (not my normal pattern, either), I decided to try something highly structured and methodical. As someone who loves Scottish preachers, I threw my allegiance to the Robert Murray M’Cheyne Bible-reading plan.

That lasted four months before I threw in the towel.

Plenty of Bible-reading systems exist, with M’Cheyne’s one of the most popular. No doubt M’Cheyne and I will not cross paths in heaven given that he’ll be next to the throne of God, while I’ll be resigned to a distant spot on the outer edge of things, but this doesn’t change the fact that his Bible-reading program’s not all that good.

The problem, as I see it, is that all such programs miss the point. While reading through the Bible in a year is a worthy endeavor, it’s an artificial one. God’s not so much interested in us making it through all 66 books in 365.25 days. What He desires of us is that we understand what we read in His word, ruminate on it, and then do something with what we’ve read. With some of the plans out there, I could spend an entire year reading the Bible and not remember one whit of it, nor put into practice even one of its commands.

Sadly, that seems to be what a lot of Christians do. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at the state of the world, and especially the biblical ignorance rampant in the Church in America.

Beyond the artifice behind them, most Bible-reading plans suffer from an imposed superficiality and disjointedness. This latter problem drove me off the M’Cheyne plan. It included an OT reading, a Psalm, a Gospel, and an Epistle all in one day. The next day, move up a chapter in each. Is it any wonder that the unity of the Scriptures begins to fall apart when read that way? Yes, I’m reading the Bible! But I’m not putting it all together into a whole that transforms my life.

One of the posts I featured in my “The Best of Cerulean Sanctum 2006” is entitled “Chapter, Verse, Blog” (it’s a good read; make certain to follow the link to the Viola piece). The main idea in that post concerns the artificial chapter and verse system we’ve imposed on God’s word. It may come as a shock to some people, but the chaptering system we’re so familiar with did not exist until eleven centuries after the New Testament came to be. The verse system came three hundred years after that. In other words, when the greatest saints of the Church read the Scriptures, they thought of them solely as uniform books. Today, we think of them more as chapters and verses. Most reading plans slavishly obey chapter delineation for no good reason other than convenience. But God never intended His word to be “convenient.”

The World’s Best Bible-Reading Program, as I see it, moves beyond this piecemeal approach to reading the Scriptures. It has nothing to do with the proud announcement that “I read through the entire Bible this year!” Instead, it has everything to do with knowing the word of God and putting it into practice. It’s not a one-year reading program, but a “rest of your life until they bury you in a pine box” program. The first way of thinking is marketing; the other is transforming.

Here’s how The World’s Best Bible-Reading Program works:

1. Find a quiet, undisturbed place to read. Start in the New Testament since the New Covenant is necessary for perspective on the Old Testament. Might as well begin with Matthew.

2. Read through one entire book in a single sitting. Obviously, the first five books of the NT are going to require some time. But do it. (You’re eternal. Live like it!) These books are whole units and are meant to be read as such. We need to experience their coherence. Trust me; the Holy Spirit will bring the entirety of the book to your mind in the future in a way you’ve never experienced before.

3. When you’ve read the book once, don’t move on! Read through it again. For the first five books, if you must break them into chunks, go with five or six chapters—whatever maintains the arc of the narrative.

4. Re-read that one book. Note the way the narrative and themes flow. Commit those stories and themes to memory. Note where they exist in the book.

5. Re-read that one book. Pay special attention to the way the Lord is portrayed.

6. Re-read that one book. Examine the relational aspects of the book, God to Man, Man to Man, Man to God.

7. Re-read that one book. Note the Lord’s redeeming and salvific acts within the greater arc of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. (This first pass through the NT assumes you have a modicum of OT understanding. After reading the OT through, the second pass through the NT will clarify things further.)

8. Re-read that one book. This time around, note all the Lord’s commands and how we’re told to practice them. Consider how they might work practically in your daily activities.

(By this point, you’ve read the same book seven times. Depending on the length of the book, it may have taken seven days or seven weeks. It doesn’t matter. This is about changing your life and relationship with Christ. This is about sixty years of discipleship. It’s not about getting through the Bible in a certain length of time.)

Now comes the hard (and controversial) part…

9. Take everything you’ve learned in this book and put it into practice. Take a month (*see comments below) to do nothing but concertedly meditate on what you’ve just read by making it real in your own life. It might mean that the only Bible you read this month are the parts of this one book that you still aren’t getting and must re-read. Doesn’t matter—do it. (If you absolutely have to read something every day that isn’t part of this program, consider a few Psalms or a cycle of Proverbs. They’re the most suited to broken-up reading patterns since they are collections of wisdom and less unified than a book like Romans.)

10. After your month, take stock of all that you’ve learned by reading and practice. Make a mental assessment of the themes of the book and how they apply to your discipleship. If you’re confident you’ve read and practiced this book, move on to the next one. Once the NT is finished, move onto the OT. (I realize some of the OT books are daunting in length for a single read-through. Make a concerted effort to read them in one sitting. Failing this, some of the OT books are narrative, which allows for breaks in the story. Psalms and Proverbs are easily segmented, as noted above. All prophets must be read in one sitting the first time through. A book as enormous as Isaiah is hard to partition, so consider reading it on a weekend day.)

Repeat these ten steps for the rest of your life.

George Barna’s dire poll warnings about Biblical ignorance today in Evangelical churches largely reflect the piecemeal approach we take to reading the Scriptures. Too much of our reading and teaching are topical, destroying the uniformity of the revelation. That so few churches preach through the entirety of the Scriptures in the way outlined in this reading programs explains our ignorance, too. Bible reading programs that reduce the Bible to tatters only compound the problem. So does the lack of digesting what we read.

I can’t guarantee many of the things I write here at Cerulean Sanctum, but I guarantee this: If you make The World’s Best Bible-Reading Program your lifetime plan of reading the Bible, you’ll be transformed.

And you can take that with you to eternity.

HOW TO GET THE IMPORTANT STUFF IN A DAY

Every day is an empty jar....and we get to decide how we'll fill our jar.

How is our daily choice.

There are certain things in life that are big, that must be part of our days. Big Stuff that anchors and centers us.

The Big Stuff: Time with Him. Mama-love with the children. Creative pursuits that are our act of worship to Him. We each get to decide what things are Big in our own personal lives, what we individually consider to be our Big Rocks.

And then there is the little stuff. The Necessary stuff. The Gritty stuff of life. Dishes, laundry, meal-making. And we too get to decide what we personally consider to be the gritty, gravelly, sand stuff of life, the small, daily activities that lay down the base for the rest of our life.

Time is finite. We only get so much of it. And we all get the same amount, everybody. Every day, each of us are handed our own jar---our finite, equal amount of time. How we fill that day up, how we use our time, what we decide to put in our jar---it is a choice. Every single day we get to decide. And every day we get a new jar to decide what to put in.

If I fill my jar first with the Gritty, Daily stuff, I’ll never be able to get the Big Rocks all to fit in my jar. However, if I fill the jar with the Big Rocks first, then I can pour the Gritty, Daily stuff in and it will sift in and around the Big Rocks.

I am slowly getting it: If I don’t get the Big Rocks in First in my day, it becomes impossible to get them all into my jar.

What does it matter how much I do in a day, if what I am doing isn’t the Big Stuff?

To ensure that what is deemed to be the Big Stuff fits into the jars of my days:

~Get up early
It’s that simple..(and not). As the sun rises, so does the wind pick up. The wind is driven by the sun. And, quite simply, I will get more Big Rocks into the jar of my day if I get up before the sun rises---before the wind of the day picks up and begins blowing all the gritty sand of everyday living around.

Getting up early doesn’t start in the morning. Getting up early starts at night---when you go to bed. Just like my Grandpa used to say, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, prosperous, and wise.” Rising early is a function of going to bed early. So, self, shut the lights out by 10 pm.

~Time with Him
Daily Reading of my Bible….as soon as my feet hit the floor. This is my biggest Rock. It is the non-negotiable BIGGEST ROCK. It must go into my jar first. Or my jar will crack and everything I try to put into the day will leak out anyways.

~Creative Pursuits need to be put into the jar early
---before breakfast. If, for instance, I had a doctor’s appointment before breakfast, I simply would not get distracted, and I wouldn’t break the appointment. So make an early appointment with self for creative endeavors, and keep it. It is much harder to get that Big Rock into the jar of my day later.

And then mark it down that blank calendar square everyday the appointment with self is kept. It is the visual testament that Big Stuff was tended to daily. It seems juvenile, but it isn’t. Just like the patriarchs piled up heaps of rocks to leave physical markers of their encounters with God, so placing visual markers on the squares of our days leaves a trail of how we used the time He has given us.

~Live by a personal Timer
—on a watch, PDA or timer on a neck rope. It is the way to make the most of the space in the jar. Otherwise, I let nicks and crannies sit as empty, unutilized space in the jar of my day. And those petered away 15 minutes segments add up to significant lost time.

It takes less than 15 minutes to:
~make a significant heart deposit into the lives of one of my children,
~read a story and make a memory with the children
~exercise my heart and strengthen my body
~pick up the house
~wash down the bathroom
~begin supper
~put away the laundry
~commence a project

For some inexplicable reason, I am easily fooled into thinking most jobs are serious undertakings--so I avoid beginning. But 15 minutes is the way every job begins. Taking a summer course for university, I worked at studying 15 minutes at a time throughout the day---biting the job off into bite sizes. And 15 minutes at several intervals throughout the day added up to another university credit!

Setting the timer for 5-10-15 minute segments is the tool by which I can ensure all the crannies of the jar fill with what He has called me to do.

Lord, teach me to number my days….my moments….that I might present to You a heart of wisdom. Teach me how to deem what is the Big Stuff…and what is the Gritty, Necessary Stuff. Teach me how to get the Big Stuff in first. And teach me how to use every moment effectively, filtering all the small details down into all the spaces in the jars of my days.

Lord, every day is an empty jar that You graciously and generously give me. How will I fill today?

(Filling jars with the Big Stuff first is a concept developed from Stephen Covey’s book, “First Things First.”)

JUST ME AND THE CATS/BLOGGING THE CHEAPEST FORM OF THERAPY

Bay look alike
a MUCH skinnier Hooney look alike

i knew it was coming and now its here! just me and the cats and i don't really even like the cats! (they do nasty stuff on the floor and scratch on the furniture.) i'm sitting here with the ghost of christmas past (christmas decorations) singing my newest made up song -me and the cats- REALLY loud!!!! (ask my kids about my made up songs! hey, its one of those things i inherited from my mother, ok? except not the loudness. my mother is one of the most soft spoken people i know! what happened to me you ask? i contribute if to bad hearing on my part from lots of ear infections when i was little so i can't hear how loud i am! does that sound like a good excuse to you?) i didn't go to church today. why? because i'm evil! i had to take megan and travis to the hulses so they could take them to the airport this morning. on the way home i saw all the cars at different churches along the way and i was thinking "i should really go to church today!" then i thought "no it'll be too late when i get home." and then i got home and went straight to bed. i had a relatively good excuse- i stayed up 'til 3am but that's not different then most other nights! i seem to be sleepy all day and wide awake at night! (anybody else have this problem?) steve says it happens if i drink caffeine too late at night but it doesn't seem to matter if i do or i don't and during the day if i drink caffeine i'm still sleepy! something is messed up with my internal clock! while we are on the subject of internal stuff my internal thermostat is messed up too! i don't know if it's menopause (i thought i was over that) or just me! that's why i've been praying for more cooler weather! (haven't had much success though. maybe it's because of what the Bible says about God answering the fervent prayers of a righteous person!) so we're back to the spiritual stuff that i'm trying to avoid because i don't want other people to know about it. i can't remember the last time i went to church (except for to steve's church when megan was here or something special was happening) but i mean MY CHURCH! there i've said it and i'm not proud of it! in fact i'm VERY ashamed of it! i still consider myself a christian even though i know i'm not doing one of the things He commands us to do- attending church! i also still think i'm spiritual! i know God will forgive me of this if i repent and change my ways! i guess i'm just in a spiritual rut right now. i'm too embarassed to go back to the church that i went to before we moved because everybody is going to ask where i've been. that church is 45 min. away now and i've gone to churches that are closer (in the katy area) but it's SO hard to go to a new church especially when you've been going to the same one for 20 years and when you are by yourself! excuses, excuses, excuses- what all it boils down to is that i'm just weak! i'm also a VERY poor example to my children! i used to take all 4 of them by myself every sunday when they were little!!! now it's only me i have to get there! that SHOULD be simple! not for me! i'm the poster child for UNDISCIPLINED! i know the devil is playing a BIG part in this! i just can't seem to get him off my back! now that i've let the cat out of the bag- i might as well tell you the rest of the story! i really don't pray anymore and i don't read my Bible either! well-there you have it! that's probably the answer to what i need to do to get out of this rut! so i need to dry up these tears and JUST DO IT!!!!!! i love it when i figure something out by just blogging it! like i've said many times before my motto is "BLOGGING......THE CHEAPEST FORM OF THERAPY!" actually i'm pretty sure that the Big Guy upstairs probably had something to do with this realization!!!!! gotta give credit where credit is due and all good things come from God!!! there i feel a lot better now just getting this off my chest! now if i will just follow through i know i will be on the road to a more joyful life! why oh why do i keep doing the same things over and over? they say insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result! could that be the answer? i take comfort in the fact that the people in the old testament did the same thing. they kept turning away from God and then going back, then turning away and going back! it gets boring just reading about it! i keep asking "why didn't they learn from their past mistakes?" it's so easy to see the answer to other peoples problems and the problems that stand out in other people are usually the ones we struggle with ourselvcs! if we could only just figure out the answers for our own problems and quit seeing the weaknesses in others! man- i'm preaching a sermon today!!!! preach on sista!!! well (my fav word) -i'm gonna stop now and go read some other peoples blogs now! i've found some really good ones lately and since i've figured out how to list them on my blog you should check them out too (see below)! especially http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fnikkicrumpet.blogspot.com%2Ffeeds%2Fposts%2Fdefault (i still can't figure out how to do the link thing! mandy can you help or is it too complicated for my simple mind to grasp? i have figured out quite a few comp-related things lately though and i'm really proud of myself! guess i better not be too proud 'cause as they say "pride cometh before the fall" and in this case it would be the computer failure!!!!

TWAS THE WEEK AFTER CHRISTMAS

Twas the Week After Christmas

author unknow

Twas the week after Christmas, and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared.

The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt—

I said to myself, as I only can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"
So—away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip

Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
"Till all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won't have a cookie—not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.

I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore—
But isn't that what January is for?

Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

NEW MEDICATION

i just saw this quote and i wanted to share:
i love to cook,
i love to clean,
i love my new medication!
i need some of this kind of meds!!!!!

REALITY STINKS!!!!!!!

we got the deco out of the yard today! this is when you start asking yourself "why did we decorate so much?" its not in the attic yet but if i had to do that now i think i would say "just shoot me now!" jennifer your lack of decorating is looking better and better right now! (you can tell that we just got done taking it all down.) i havent even started on the inside of the house yet except the tree. the rest of it will be up to me! no telling how long that may take at my rate of speed! maybe ill just leave it up for next christmas. now thats a novel idea. christmas all year! that might take some of the magic out of it though dont you think? i dont think there would be much christmas spirit either although it would be nice to have it all year long! the financial aspect of it would be devastating too! ok! so its not such a good idea! i guess i just hadnt thought much about the consequences! megan and travis will go home tommorrow so the holidays will officially be over for us. it was a really good and long one but i guess its time to get back to reality. unfortunately REALITY STINKS!!!!!!!

A SAD DAY

we took the christmas tree out today! usually im SO ready to get it out! im usually getting it out the day after christmas. we left it up for longer after christmas then we ever have! (we also got it up later then we ever have) i bought all new ornaments this year! ive been using the same ones forever! the girls were kind of sad that i didnt have any of the old ones on the tree. i started out to just buy some extra ones because the tree was bigger then weve ever had before but when i got through putting the new ones on the tree it was full! i guess i kinda got carried away! (shocker) i kept buying them up until just before i took it down actually. they are a lot cheaper after christmas! the tree was so dry needles were dropping everywhere. it had to go. i havent put up the other decorations yet but now that the tree is gone im ready to get them out too! i probably wont do it until megan and travis leave though. ive got better things to do while theyre here! were having a great time but that will end on sunday! gotta enjoy every minute!

CHRISTMAS PICS

NEW YEARS EVE PARTY