WIW: Charts Overflowing...

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“If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly jolted.”

~ Amy Carmichael

Next to my love of lists comes my love for a good star chart.  It goes right along with all my other quirky organizational tendencies.  I was inspired by some fellow blogger charts...so, WE decided to use fun star charts to train our behavior for the month of February.  All of us...Loverbrains, Emmer-bean, Ca-Lubby and ME!

This Amy Carmichael quote really hit me in my core as I was determining what to focus on changing first.  We decided to focus/meditate on Proverbs 15:1, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."  I figure if you're going to change, it should be focused specifically on God's Word, right?  

Determining the kid's goal wasn't really all that hard...OBEY RIGHT AWAY!  Ephesians 6:1, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."  Because...if it's delayed it's not truly obedience.  This is hard work on our part too...how do you spell C.O.N.S.I.S.T.E.N.C.Y!? 

I so want to be the cup of sweet water that spills over God's love...His ultimate, CALVARY love...

To see our star charts head over to where I'm determining to be MomE & Loving It!

 

Your Binding Opinion?

I've made a baby quilt for a friend.  The baby boy is due in April...so, I'm doing great...dontcha think?

BUT...what color should the binding (border) be?  Green, Turquoise, Brown?  I plan to tie the quilt together with green, I think.  So, what thinkest thou?  All opinions welcome...well, unless you think it's ugly in which case...keep it to yourself.  HA!

FRONT

BACK

The back is sort of wonderfully wonky...which was an accident...but I actually think it looks sort of cool.  The middle green is a small polka dot flannel.  The dark brown paisley is leftovers from the curtains I made for my Sunday School room. 

Caffeinated Randomness: 2 Birds, One Stone...

I checked my e-mail, only to discover that I'd been tagged...not once, but twice.  Well, technically...the one is an award...So, I decided to "kill two birds with one stone"...as the saying goes.

 

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The blog award has rules (dontcha love that?) and it includes 7 things (convenient)...

Here are the Rules

• First, thank and link back to the person who gave you this award
• Second, share 7 things about yourself
• Third, award 15 recently discovered great bloggers
• Then, contact these bloggers and tell them they’ve won this award

The one and only e-Mom honored me with this award.  She is herself a "christian mom, leader and go-getter" and leads many various and wonderfully random conversations at her C h r y s a l i s cafe.  Some posts are deep, some posts are fun, some posts are just plain helpful.  AND...for the record she is a fabulous e-Mom... e-mailing encouraging machine.  She can read between the lines of my blog.  She has picked me up and cyber-hugged me more than once!  Thank you!!

7 Random Things

1.  I always think it's so cool when people say they've got a word to work on in the coming year...and then I pray about it and come up with OBEDIENCE and ....sigh....HUMILITY.  Yiker-rama!  

2.  I love color.  I have a bright yellow foyer (the paint's called Number Two Pencil)...red curtains in two rooms and a red half-chair...and I have little glass pieces of turquoise scattered all around the house.  It doesn't sound like it works...I promise, it does!! 

3.  I had an epiphany...Winter is difficult for me..but not for the normal reasons.  It's really not so much the weather and general grayness...it has to do with introspection.  I don't go out and socialize as much (note: VERY extroverted) and choose to read DEEP spiritual literature.  Things like missionary bios, devotional things on the tongue or prayer...etc.  I walk around in a convicted, conflicted haze.  One of my friends said...don't do it.  BUT...when else do I have the time to read that stuff...and I wouldn't want to miss out on what God is teaching me.

4.  Our family has a heart for missions and evangelism.  We live in a beautiful area with great schools.  Our darling daughter will begin kindergarten at public school this Fall.  Phew...I've been wanting to say that for a while now.  Although I know the opposite is often claimed, the blogosphere isn't all that encouraging to those of us who feel PUBLIC school is a calling too.   Yes, I am an educator...yes, I work on academic based crafts with my children...still doesn't make homeschooling my calling...

5.  I love menu planning...next to my grocery list.  I have been saving bookoo-bucks on our bill...and making oober healthy things for our family.  With an allergy baby (Ca-lubby eats no dairy, eggs, or peanuts)...this is so helpful.  It also helps schedules to KNOW what is for dinner.

6.  I've blogged for about three years, I think.  I've had about 5-7 followers that whole time...suddenly my followers has over doubled...in the last week...and I'm sort of freaked out.  I mean, what is the etiquette?  If you follow me, do I have to follow you?  Sorry for projecting anxiety into that...but...eeekk!  I mean, thank you!  Oh, and I do have another blog...MomE & Loving It...that was actually my FIRST blog.  See the link??  I do more kid stuff there...it's mostly followed by Grandmas and Grandpas. 

7.  I'm planning to get my Masters in Speech Therapy once the kids are in school.  Well, it's partially correspondence so I'll be starting before they are all in school.  Yes, education has lost another teacher due to their stupid bureaucratic nonsense.  And when I am out and pay off my bill...we are going to save up money...we're planning on adopting.  

Whoa...so much open honesty in one post.  Somebody STOP me!

15 9 Honorees
(By the way, there is no obligation to participate if your time is tight or your blog is award-free. However, please do feel complimented!)

1.  Michelle from Lost in the Prairies
2.  Kayren from Everything's Coming Up Daisies
3.  Janna (my newest follower) from 2 Cool 4 My Minivan
4.  Barbara from Stray Thoughts 
5.  Erin from It's Grace
6.  Jen from Finding Heaven
7.  Ozjane from Five Minutes of Fame
8.  Lori from All You Have To Give
9.  Bekah from Bekahcubed
 
...alright...gasp...I'm going to take e-Mom's offer and tell you that my blog time is limited...Sweet Boobahs want breakfast and I can't go a-hunting for anymore to fill the 15...so the handsome 9 it is!!

Mama's Heart: Skittles of Scripture!

A rainbow of positive Skittles...may they rain plentifully upon my parenting today. 

It's funny that although I find positive reinforcement to be highly effective...I don't discipline myself to use it all the time.  Why?  Well, because it requires just that discipline...forethought, planning, energy!

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid."  Proverbs 12:1

How can I teach my children to be disciplined in their character if I myself am not disciplined.  AND...loving knowledge, also applying it! 

But...this goes much deeper...much greater in importance.  Beyond just flat out being a command...

"Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death."  
Prov. 19:18

....yes, beyond the command...Hebrews 12:7 says, "It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?" This tells me that my discipline of myself and my children teaches a much more important lesson.   

The lesson of God the Father's love for His own.  

"If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."  verses 8-11, emphasis mine!

That's really what I want to teach my children...yes, using Skittles, positive reinforcement, love, kindness...I want to teach them that my love for them is a picture (and sadly poor at best) of God's love for the world...and for them!

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16

 

Mama's Heart

WFW: Looking Through the Curve!

For me living well has a whole lot to do with perspective.  So much comes down to where I look for perspective on life!  I was studying in Isaiah 40 this week...and verse 6-8,

“All men are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.

The grass withers and the flowers fall,

because the breath of the Lord blows on them.

Surely the people are grass.

The grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of our God stands forever.”

made me think of Psalm 103: 15-16 (graphic above).  At some point, I'd written legacy in my Bible margin.  And I started thinking about how nations and life are fragile and temporal...and how only GOD, His Word, and His People last forever.  I want to use my time well...in bloom or fading out.  I want long range goals to help me handle the present.

God's Word gives an eternal perspective for today! 


I'll change metaphors...hmmm....An illustration on how to live the christian life that I just love says..."look through the curve and not at what's right ahead."  If you get all focused on the intense speed of life, the rocks in the road....you forget that you have to make it through the curve...and if you're like me...you crash and burn. 

God's Word gives an eternal perspective for today!  

How will I look through the turn so I'll still be useful? 

The higher the hill, the stronger the wind: so the loftier the life, the stronger the enemy's temptations.  ~John Wycliffe

I've been noticing lately the importance of putting disciplines into place...memorization, prayer, The Word...because they are our weapons against the enemy.  I think it's easy for Christians to get more complacent and proud the older we get (and I'm not that old for the record)...and I notice and wonder if the enemy waits to pounce...because he wants to ruin a life long testimony.  I've seen it happen a few times and it's devastating to Christians and non-christians alike.  I don't want that to happen to me...so by God's grace and mercy...I'm putting disciplines in place.  I want to keep coming back to God's Word.

God's Word gives an eternal perspective for today...and tomorrow and the next day!!
 

TOTALLY Tuesday...

I'm sorry...I TOTALLY forgot to tell you about our fun at the ice hockey game...

...It was TOTALLY freezingly, frigid outside...the walk to and from the truck was numbing and thankfully fairly short...at a brisk trot!  It made the inside 40-50 degrees feel balmy!

...Any time with this fun couple is TOTALLY wild and hilarious...

...I was TOTALLY styling in my ski cap with long tassle and flip up "elf ears!"

...We TOTALLY cheesed it up for the camera...and as you'll notice we had the section pretty much (TOTALLY) to ourselves...

But, the price was TOTALLY right (spelled c.h.e.a.p.)...and we were close to the ice...Yeah!

Sad note...Loverbrains wouldn't do the chicken dance or the YMCA...and I was getting super annoyed until I figured out he'd TOTALLY hurt his back that day...Sitting in the stadium seats TOTALLY didn't help either. 

BUT...The Indy Ice TOTALLY won in the last minute of overtime...FUNTIMES!  TOTALLY!!

WIW: Prayer again...YES, still...

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I wrote a post about prayer last week...and used this quote...

"The supreme importance of prayer is tacitly admitted by most evangelical Christians. It is accepted as an article of faith. And yet there are few areas of the Christian life in which there are more regretful confessions of failure and disappointment."
–J. Oswald Sanders

...and dug out all my prayer quotes...and found a few more...

“praying is more important than eating because your soul is more important than your body.”
(Peter Kreeft)  Seen on A Holy Experience
 
Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
– Romans 12:12

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.
– Colossians 4:2

We bank on service and do away with prayer. Consequently, by succeeding in the external we fail in the eternal, because in the eternal we succeed only by prevailing prayer.
– Oswald Chambers

If you cannot find time to pray, ask for forgiveness. Ask to be cleansed of the sin of having no time to pray … it could be that Satan is pushing you into too much work so that you cannot take time to pray.
– Corrie Ten Boom 

The prayer of the upright is His delight.
–Proverbs 15: 8 

AND...DID YOU HEAR?...JOANNE HAS OPENED HER EYES...AND THE DR'S REPORTS ARE SO ENCOURAGING TO SAY THE VERY LEAST...BUT KEEP PRAYING...PRAYING...PRAYING...

Caffeinated Randomness: Ice Hockey, Nightmares and Prayer...oh my!

Cappuccino by Awa Awa

 

Whoa, am I truly caffeinated this morning (the random could really go without saying)...One of our dear friends from church (adorable newlyweds) got a coffee roaster for Christmas.  In an attempt to bribe me into make little burlap bags for the green beans...I keep getting fresh roasted beans. Oh...WOW...yeah, they are that much better!!!   The downside (upside?) is that nothing is left in the pot and I've about doubled my caffeine intake for the day.  BUT...the med that's keeping my migraines away (PTL!!!) does make me feel really tired...so some more caffeinated pickups were in order.  Right?  

Tonight, Loverbrains and I are going to an ice hockey game.  I haven't been to one since high school...but they sure are fun.  We're going on a double date...which is also fun!  My Sweetest Boobahs are just excited about the babysitter and the games/popcorn.  BIG thrills around here.  They are going to teach her Hungry Hippos and Don't Break The Ice.  If you don't have toddlers...I apologize...but go buy the games!!  I've played them about 100 times...and they are STILL fun!!  How many things can you say that about?

In case anyone noticed...the kids do NOT get a movie tonight.  Why?  Cuz, we have cut evening TV out...no, not because I'm such a good, pious MomE...nope, because my little people are waking with bad dreams almost every night.  If I don't start getting complete sleep cycles soon...grrrrrr....it ain't gonna be good!  I wish I was more sweetness and understanding at night...but I'm really not.  I tuck them (usually her) back in and sing, "When I am afraid I will trust in You..." and tell them to look at their night lights and "go to sleep...PUH-LEAZE!"  Our Pediatrician said to cut out screen stimulation 2-3 hours before bedtime.  So, there ya have it. 

Random flip now...I wrote about prayer yesterday...not an exhaustive post by any means.  I don't like to get people swamped down...but there was another thing I wanted to say.  It is the best possible use of your time.  Think about it...Prayer is placing our needs into God's hands for His ALL-POWERFUL answer.  What could accomplish more than that?  It expresses my trust in Him...for that day...for that moment.  

How is He calling you to pray?  Have you put that discipline in place?  Cuz, it is a discipline ya'll.  Discipline:  Noun...activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training.  I think it just really struck me lately with Joanne...that trusting God turns the deepest crisis into the highest praise.  Generally, that discipline was in place before.  I'm praying for God's grace in that process in my heart and life!

Love to you all!!  Have a wonderfully caffeinated (or de-caffeinated) weekend!!

Prayer: Can you hear me now?

Still Coffee by Geoff Powell

The supreme importance of prayer is tacitly admitted by most evangelical Christians. It is accepted as an article of faith. And yet there are few areas of the Christian life in which there are more regretful confessions of failure and disappointment.
–J. Oswald Sanders

I recently changed my method of prayer journaling...from handwritten to typed.  I was frustrated that I couldn't get my prayers out as fast as I thought them.  It still helps me to see them though...then my mind doesn't wander.  At the same time...I've been super convicted to use more "arrow prayers."  You know...when you think of it...shoot it up!  The Bible does say, "Pray without ceasing."  I stupidly find myself thinking..."I need to remember to pray for that...and this..."  Um, hello?  Just pray NOW!

A good friend of mine recently shared her opinion that it was prideful to even discuss prayer.  She was concerned that I was making the private...public.  She said she just tries to pray but has no idea whether she does or not.  I was left reeling.  Really...if we were talking about cell phones it would be like her saying...she talks to God, but has no idea if He hears her, if she has a signal but it would be prideful to find answers to her account issues...so...she just keeps on talking.  Can you hear me now?  Static?  Silence.

I lovingly told her that I think we differ in opinion due to a major point of prayer.  Access.  I pray to the Father.  My access comes from Jesus...through my accepting his shed blood as atonement for my sin...He names me as His own and mediates upon my behalf at the right hand of the Father.  I pray in the power of the Holy Spirit...who directs and points me to Jesus...the Author and Finisher of my faith.

My friend, although one of the most sincere gals I know...finds her access through the church, through mass, through liturgy.  Her statement regarding not knowing whether she truly prays or not...is due to the fact that she is unsure of her access to the throne.

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,"  I Tim. 2:5

You can talk 'til you turn purple but if you have no access...it's just talking. 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

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1. Do you like your name? Were you named after someone? If you have children how did you settle on their names?

I don't like my given name Roberta...I did try to go by it for a short time...funny I don't like my memories of myself during that time either.  My Mom says she wanted a formal name that allowed her to call me Bobbi Jo (aka. dukes of hazard)...I go by Bobbi.  My Dad cannot be broken of including the Jo...*sigh*...such is life!

My husband like's character quality names...I like old names...and the meanings of them.  Her name means Universal/All embracing Joy.  I know, I know she'll be one of 6 Emma's in her kindergarten class but *sigh* oh well.  I've always liked the name Benjamin but had a student my first year of teaching who sort of "ruined" that for me...ha...so I picked one of my favorite Bible stories and used Benjamin as a middle...it mean Bold, son of the right hand/favor. 

2. How do you define success?
Anyone else notice how Joyce starts with an easy question and then nails ya with a hard one!  Eeek!  For me...a truly successful life will end with me hearing, "Well done, My good and faithful servant." 

3. Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy?

Wheel of Fortune...my Grandma and I are great at this...my husband says we should go on the show together.  HA...too funny!  I do like to sing the Jeopardy song when people are taking a long time to make a decision. 

4. If you could own any single object that you don't have now, what would that object be?

Since this question is totally impractical...so shall my answer be...A shiny yellow Volkswagen bug.

5. What is something that inspires you?

Easy answer, God's Word....on a side-note...it comes very powerfully in the form of music for me.

6. Meatloaf-yea or nay? If its a yay how do you make yours?

Yeah...first off LEAN meat, ya'll...LEAN...keeps it from being greasy.  That floating grease layer keeps most kids (and adults) running from meatloaf.
I use about two lbs. ground beef...Italian seasoning (minced onion, onion pwd, parsley, Mrs. Dash Italian, garlic pwd, s and p)...a few breadcrumbs to get pretty dry consistency.  Squish into loaf pan...cover top with ketchup...Bake at 350 til it's done (30minutes?)...

7. Which is more admirable-the ability to organize and be methodical or the ability to adapt and make do?  I think that these can be the same thing...For example, I think of my grandparents (on both sides)...growing up post depression era and relatively poor...They were (and are) adept at making do but they are also admirably organized and methodical with their belongings and life.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I saw that avocados (currently in season) are one of those super healthy foods...but other than guacamole I haven't heard of other ways to eat it...does anyone have tips for getting this into our family's diet?

Snowy Sand Castle Bundt Cake Anyone??

 I saw this delightful Sour Cream Brunch Cake recipe at Little Birdie Secrets  and had to try it.

 My children call it the snowy sand castle...

...yummiest sand castle I've ever eaten!

WIW: Prayers...

I heard this at BSF this week...i really like kate luther...

The great Christian reformer, Martin Luther, in fact, once spent three days in a black depression over something that had gone wrong. On the third day his wife came downstairs dressed in mourning clothes. “Who’s dead?” he asked her. “God,” she replied. Luther rebuked her, saying, “What do you mean, God is dead? God cannot die.” “Well,” she replied, “the way you’ve been acting I was sure He had!” (James Gallop - Sermon Central).

I used some of these in Joanne's blessing bunting...Please PRAY!

"The best prayers have often more groans than words."
~John Bunyan

"We do not choose suffering simply because we are told to, but because the one who tells us to describes it as the path to everlasting joy."
~John Piper

"Christ was willing to suffer and be despised, and darest thou complain of anything?"
~Thomas a Kempis

Blessing Bunting for Joanne!

Janna at Mustard Seeds...and Joanne's sister Kristen came up with the idea to create blessing bunting for Joanne...

...Janna posted a great tutorial HERE...

Janna said, "I invite you to use this tutorial to created your own blessing bunting for Joanne. You can select scriptures, quotes, prayers and notes. Maybe your prayer group would like to participate or your Sunday school class or your blog readers. After you sew your bunting, mail it to:"
Joanne Heim
c/o Kristen Haufschild
11004 Grayledge Circle
Highlands Ranch, CO 80130

Frugal Friday: Christmas Card Gift Tags!

KEEP PRAYING for The Simple Wife

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever noticed that the pretty fronts of most Christmas cards are blank on the back?  I had the zany little idea to make them into gift tags and bookmarks!

I cut the front off...and then cut them into 2 inch strips.

I try to keep them from 3 to 5 inches...

...usually I just cut about half way...

You can "fussy cut" to get cute snowmen in the middle!

Then...shape the edges and use a hole punch....

And you have all the gift tags your little heart could desire! 

You'll recall my love for scrap bookmarks...I used the scrap strips that were less than 2 inches for book marks.  I always use scraps of paper in basket...you never know when you'll find a good quote to mark in a book, or see a recipe on TV you want to jot down, etc.

Praying for my friend!

When I began blogging several years ago...I faithfully participated in Joanne, The Simple Wife's, meme Memory Monday.  As anyone who's made blogging friends will tell you...it does not feel like you have never actually met the person in real life.  I have exchanged LONG e-mails with her.  I was even privileged to read and promote one of her books, Misplacing God! 

So, it shocked me to my toes to hear she had suffered a massive stroke on Tuesday.  Being a writer and involved in many large ministries over the years...it doesn't really surprise me to see the outpouring of prayers on her blog and twitter...but it intimidated me from saying anything here...cuz who wants to appear to be jumping on a bandwagon.  But, then I thought...that's stupid...she IS my friend...and she needs prayer...so, here I am sharing my heavy heart's request with ya'll.

Please pray that she'll open her eyes today.  That she will awake!  Please pray for her very tired husband and her two sweet girls! 

Joanne (picture taken by her sister)

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Snow Shovel Hodgepodge!

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1.  Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to mis-use, over-use or just general uselessness and they receive over 1000 nominations. Here are the fourteen words/phrases they'd like to see banished in 2011-viral, epic, fail, wow factor, a-ha moment, back story, BFF, man up, refudiate, Mama Grizzlies, The American People, facebook/google when used as verbs, I'm just sayin', and Live life to the fullest.

What word or phrase would you like to see banished from our everyday vocabulary in 2011? You can choose one from the 'official list' or you can get creative and come up with your own. 

Refudiate...awww...I like that one!  Isn't it a combination of repudiate and refuse?  HAHAHA!  Oh, yeah...BFF is annoying.  How about any of those non-words that are for texting purposes only...ie. i heart u, ttyl, btdt, lol but somehow end up in writing or coming out of people's mouths.  Ick!

2. Do you consider opportunity something that comes to you or something you create for yourself?

Sheesh, nothing like jumping to the tough questions.  Well, I believe in Providence...as in God is in control of everything...so I guess, I'd say that all opportunities are pre-ordained by Him.  That being said, I think He's a God of order...and we should be organized and ready to accomplish what would glorify Him daily.

3. Since we're all eating healthy this month, ahem, what's included in your favorite salad? Is there dressing?

Romaine lettuce, fresh garden tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives (the black ones with the pits), a crumble of feta cheese...and a light balsamic vinaigrette. (Notice I said fresh garden tomatoes...so, nope I'm not eating salads in January.)

4. The fourth Monday in January is said to be Blue Monday...aka the most depressing day of the year. The date was calculated using many factors including weather, debt level, time since Christmas, time since we've failed at our new year resolutions, low motivation and feeling a need to take action. Do you get the blues this time of year and if so what is something you do to lift your spirits?

Wintertime is hard for me...especially in Indiana where the snow lasts for maybe a day and it's usually cold, brown and gray...oh, and LONG.  I usually have to work to lift my spirits by focusing on my blessings.  I started keeping a gratitude journal last year...and it really helps.  Start small...those small things are really BIG things...a warm house, adorable children, saw 8 cardinals, 2 chickadees, and 4 woodpeckers today, my neighbor snow-blowed my driveway, my kids have new crayons.... I also love to sing and listen to music!  Usually makes me cry but...sometimes a good cry helps in the long run!

5. Do you wear a watch? Any other everyday jewelry essentials?

I wear a white gold watch with a light pink face.  If I forget to put it on then I look at my freckled wrist forty-million times a day!  HA!  I always wear my wedding ring and diamond on my left hand and my great-grandmother's simple gold signet ring on the right hand.  Oh, and simple gold hoops in my ears.

6. What is something useful you learned in high school?

Guys are generally more stable friends than girls.  HA!  Um, yeah...I was not into the clique thang...I'm still not.  Seriously, I learned a real love for Literature and Languages...and I learned that I could do Math...even if it wasn't my favorite thing.

7. Do you use an accountant when completing and filing your income tax returns or do you attempt to muddle through all by yourself?

See above...Math is not my strongest suit...My sweet Loverbrains does our taxes and I'm ever so grateful.  If it was solely up to me, I'd buy Turbo Tax and I'd probably really need an accountant.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Why do people in the city, who live minutes from several major grocery stores, buy ALL THE MILK AND BREAD, when they hear that snow is coming?  I could understand this if you lived out in the boonies where you were often snowed in for weeks at a time...but um, here in Indy...you might have to go without something for a day or so...I mean, REALLY!?  And another thing...when you see a plow...give it right of way...Don't play chicken with the plow...you will LOSE and end up in the ditch!  Okay, thank you...I think I'm done now!  *sigh* 

Safely Trucking Along?

I would like to tell you a story....

Once upon a time (as all good stories begin), there was a successful trucking company.  Like most, it wanted to hire only the very best drivers available.

One day they took three potential employees on test runs.  They gave them written exams to make sure they knew the rules of the road...and then they asked their final question.

They asked each driver how close to the edge of a steep cliff they could stop their rig!

The first driver said, "I can safely stop about two feet back from the edge."

The second driver said, "I can do better than that!...I can safely stop about six inches from the edge."

The third driver, who got the job, said, "I wouldn't take my truck anywhere near that cliff...It's not safe!"

Now...like many good stories...this one has a moral to it.

Many of us, although graciously saved from our sins, continue to play on the cliff's edge.  We tiptoe near the edge...we peer over into the abyss...we dangle our legs over...

We should be living as God's slaves to obedience...and recognizing SIN for what it is... DANGEROUS...We shouldn't be going anywhere near that cliff...It's not safe!

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.  James 1:12

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  James 4:7

WIW: Excerpts...

p233 Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Barbara Kingsolver

"People who are grieving walk with death, every waking moment.  When the rest of us dread that we'll somehow remind them of death's existence, we are missing their reality."


Seen on Catherine's blog Tide and Time

"The rules for marriage are the same as for a lifeboat. No sudden moves, don't crowd the other person, and keep all disastrous thoughts to yourself." ~Garrison Keillor


Seen on A Holy Experience 

“God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible.

What a pity when we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.” -A.W. Tozer

I re-read one of my favorite stories of all time...Hannah Fowler by Janice Holt Giles...and had to share a snippet with you... p. 155

She bent nearer and looked into the baby's face...."Listen, close, an' I'll tell you.  They's times when I look at yore pa, mebbe when he's jist settin' by the fire, or mebbe eatin' his stew, or mebbe feedin' stock out at the barn, or mebbe even lyin' asleep--they's times when I look at him an' the heart in my bosom swells up till it feels like it's goin' to bust wide open...jist crack an' run down inside of me...jist on account of I'm so purely proud he's my man.  I could jist sink down from the weakness inside of me, knowin' he's mine an' I'm his'n.  That's the way I feel, sometimes, like my bones had turned to jelly, an' a shiver had run up my back an' made me have cold-bumps all over my arms.  That's what love makes you feel like, Janie Fowler.  That's what it makes you feel like.  But, law..." She laughed and her voice trailed softly off and she sighed, " hit'll be a time an' a time afore you're old enough to know."

Foodie Friday: Taco Soup

Brown 1 lb. hamburger with 1/2 fresh minced onion and 1-2 cloves garlic. Add 1 package taco seasoning. Put meat mixture into crockpot.

Add 1 can corn (or fresh frozen), 1 can black beans, 1 can chili beans, 1 can diced tomatoes, and 1 small tomato sauce (8 oz).  Simmer and add paprika, red pepper and chili powder to taste.  

Simmer for ~2-3 hours.  I use the LOW setting. 

Serve with cheddar cheese, corn chips and a dollop of sour cream.  I also included lettuce...for leafy greens!