" For God himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything." Acts 17:25

About Me

About Me

About Me

Welcome...I'm delighted that you chose to visit! I started this blog in March 2010 and I am so happy that I did. It has made me more aware of the many ways that God is blessing my life. I have made some special friends who bless,teach,encourage,and entertain me! My desire is to be an encouragement to you. I hope you will tarry for a while and that you will come back to visit often.

Monday, November 29, 2010

how to "handel" a surprise!

I think you are going to enjoy this........imagine what a surprise it was! It would have been great to be there!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE

I hope you have some unexpected blessings today!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

don't you love a drive-thru?

Do you remember the Shoney commercials from years ago where they are trying to encourage you to "dine in" at their restaurants instead of going through the drive-thru at fast food places? The guy in the car is yelling at the speaker with his order and he has to repeat himself over and over. Finally, he looks at the camera and says..."I could have eaten at Shoneys, but look at all the time I'm saving!" I loved that commercial because I could relate to it so well! Fast forward to tonight.....

Thanksgiving is over. All the children are back at their own homes. All the leftovers are gone. Hubby is at work and I am home alone. I decide I want some fried chicken, so off to Church's (a fast food place that has great chicken!) I go. I drive up to order..."I want a number one with a diet coke." Reply....."What size?" (I thought she said what side) "Mashed potatoes." Reply..."So you want diet coke with mashed potatoes.....what size?" I'm confused...the number one only comes in one size...two mixed pieces of chicken, side, biscuit and drink. While I'm trying to figure out what she means, she says.... "Regular, large or family?" That doesn't help me. So, I decide to start over "I want a number one with mashed potatoes, diet coke all in regular size." Reply...." Oh, okay, that will be $5.56." So, I get the exact change and drive around. "I'm sorry, for the mixed it will be a 5 min wait for the dark." I ask.... "How much more for all white (which I prefer anyway)?" She tells me $6.41, gives me back the six cents (instead of keeping the penny) and then, gives me back 9 cents. So, instead of getting rid of some change, I got more!! I took my food, smiled and said thank you.
Don't you just love a drive-thru? :-)

Friday, November 19, 2010

a psalm of thanks


"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations. " Psalm 100

I am leaving tomorrow to spend a few days in TN. When I return, I will have the family here for Thanksgiving. So, I don't know how much time I will have to post or visit. So, I wanted to say "Happy Thanksgiving" to all my American friends and "Have a Blessed Week" to all my Canadian friends.
Our God has certainly blessed me this year with the opportunity to "meet" all of you. You have become very special to me. I look forward every day to visiting your homes through the things you write and the pictures you share. And I am blessed and encouraged by every comment you leave for me! I pray that God will bless and keep you, provide for your every need, and overwhelm you with His love, joy, and peace!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

there's no stopping God!

I was blessed to hear a powerful message Sunday at my daughter and son-in-law's church. There were two things the speaker wanted us to remember...

1) God is passionate about making His glory known throughout the nations and....
2) He wants to use us to accomplish that.

But there is no stopping God! He will accomplish His Will. So, if we aren't usable, He'll use someone else. I know I've blown it in the past. The Holy Spirit has prompted me and I have ignored Him...only to live to regret it. I don't want to do that anymore. I pray that my heart will be filled with a sense of urgency to do what I am called to do. When that day comes I hope to hear these words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Saturday, November 13, 2010

wrong bride!

When my dad died in July, I brought home several boxes and albums of family pictures. I went though them last night. There were a lot of old black and white ones....some of people I never knew. There were also some of my parents when they were young...... before they were married. There were a couple of my mom with a girl named Sarah. Seeing it reminded me of the story my mom told me about my dad and Sarah. They were sweethearts and decided they were going to elope. So, they pretended to just being going on a date and took off to a nearby town to find the justice of the peace. Her dad was suspicious, so after a while, he headed in the same direction. A couple of miles from their destination, the car my dad was driving broke down. They were sitting on the side of the road, when her dad pulled up behind them! You can imagine the conversation that took place between those two men!! :-) Needless to say, that was the "end of the road" (in more ways than one!) for those lovebirds! Sometime shortly after that, my parents began to date and about a year later, they were successful when THEY eloped!
That story reminds me that God is sovereign....His plan will not be thwarted! He had ordained that my parents would marry and be my parents. (I know He had a different path for Sarah, too!) We can make our plans, but His plan will always prevail! So, the next time your plans "break down", keep in mind that God is in control.

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." Prov. 19:21

Thursday, November 11, 2010

"cup" cake... christmas craft from my kitchen!

Rebecca is is hosting a Christmas craft "linky" party. In recent years, most of my "crafts" have been food related. So, voila.... here's my "kitchen craft"!
My sweet girl and I made these for our co-workers last Christmas. We baked them in Christmas mugs, put them in clear cellophane bags tied with ribbon. They were a big hit!



Here's the recipe:

4 tbsp cake flour
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp oil

Mix flour, sugar, and cocoa in mug. Add egg and mix. Add milk and oil. Mix until well blended. Bake in microwave on max power for 3 mins. Wait until it stops rising and settles in mug. Let cool and top with frosting or sprinkle with powdered sugar. Yummy!
(If it cooks over a bit...don't panic. Wait til cool and wipe off outside of mug.)

Hope you have a glorious day!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

a glorious day

Today was a glorious day! It was 71 degrees, a clear and beautifully blue sky, and, is it just me, or does that cloud look like a dove in flight? :-)


Reminded me of another glorious day we have to look forward to......






Tuesday, November 9, 2010

i'd like to solve the puzzle....

Have you seen the video of the woman who solved the five word, 27 letter puzzle on Wheel of Fortune with one, I repeat, ONE letter? She guessed the letter "L" and then solved "I've got a good feeling about this." IDK. Sounds incredible to me! Either she has x-ray vision or she thought she knew it and was willing to take the leap of faith.
As my hubby says, I'm not "wired" that way. I like info, I like details. I want to have ALL the letters or at least enough to make a good decision. When we go on a trip, I want to know where we are going, when we are going, how we are going to get there, where we are staying, how much it is going to cost, and what we are going to do when we get there. I mean, every minute doesn't have to be documented, but I do like to have a plan. And that can be a good thing. Especially when it involves other people. After all, when you are in a group, someone has to know what is going on, someone has to be in charge. In a former church, every year I planned a Ladies Retreat. The other ladies would tease me by saying "You make the best man!" because I made the reservations, took care of the money, pumped the gas, etc. It was fun and I enjoyed taking care of them!
But, when it comes to taking a trip with God.... well, that can be a little different. Sometimes he gives us details, sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes He shows us the whole plan, sometimes He just gives us the letter "L".....take a LEAP of faith and LOVE me enough to be willing to LEAVE where you are and let Me LEAD the way! We can trust him.....He already knows the answers to our puzzles!

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Heb. 11.1

Sunday, November 7, 2010

he is a "grand" boy!



Our grandson is turning 4! He spent part of the weekend with us so we could celebrate with him. No big plans, just being together. He is a cutie and a sweetie...and ALL BOY!! He has brought us much joy in his four short years. It makes us very happy that he likes to come to our house.....we hope he always will.
Happy Birthday "little man"....Gran and Chief love you very much!
















Saturday, November 6, 2010

Do you feel invisble sometimes?

I got this in an email. It reminded me of the proper perspective and attitude of the heart I should have as a mother (wife and employee, too!) I thought it might do the same thing for you. It is long but well written.....a meaningful analogy..... worth the read. I'd like to hear what YOU think!



Invisible Mom

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner; because, no one can see me at all. I'm invisible... The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

Some days I'm a crystal ball; 'Where's my other sock?, Where's my phone?, What's for dinner?'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history, music and literature - but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. She had just returned from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devoured - the book. And I discovered four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

2) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

3) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

4) The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last minute errand is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home; and, if there is anything to tell his friend, he'd say, 'You're gonna love it there...'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers.


"Give generously and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this, the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to." Deu.15:9

Friday, November 5, 2010

goody, goody! christmas goodies!

Rebecca at Turned Loose posted an easy recipe for Pretzel Turtles today. They look yummy! She asked us to share a recipe for one of our favorite "Christmas Goodies". Here's mine.....

M&M Crunchies

2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp veg shortening
1 2/3 cups plain M&Ms
3 cups corn flakes

Over low heat, melt peanut butter and shortening in heavy saucepan. Add candies. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly with a metal spoon. Press with the back of spoon to break candies until chocolate is mostly melted and pieces of colored coating remain. Remove from heat and add corn flakes. Stir until well coated. Drop by rounded 1/2 tsp onto waxed paper. Let stand until set..... about 30 mins. Store in air tight container. Makes about 3 1/2 doz.

Sorry I don't have a picture. I have had this recipe for many years. I found it on the back of an M&M bag. I looked at their website hoping to find a picture, but they didn't even list this recipe. They are a family favorite and a hit at parties and as gifts. If you like chocolate and crunch, you will like these! I think I'll make some tonight! :-)

Thursday, November 4, 2010

I have a confession.......

I was "cranky" today. I really was! Actually, I was down right irritable. The morning got started off wrong and, then, one thing after another happened to further aggravate my "crankiness". I had made some special plans this weekend that had to be canceled. So, I went to work a little sad. At work, I found out definitely that our office Christmas party has been scheduled at a time when I probably won't be able to go. Then, a co-worker (who is not known for her compassion or tact!) interrupted my conversation with another co-worker and proceeded to be unsympathetic, unkind, and harsh. It hurt my feelings and, to be honest, it made me mad!
Shortly after that, a patient hung up on me while I was confirming his wife's appointment. Another patient saw on her caller ID that our office had called, but instead of listening to the message I had left, she called. So, I had to take her call (instead of confirming another one of the 130 appts. I was calling today) to repeat the message I had already left on her voice mail. By this time, I just wanted to get the heck out of Dodge! So, I skipped lunch and left as soon as I was done!
On my way home, the Lord reminded me that just yesterday Jackie at Empty Nest Full of Life asked the question....."What keeps you focused on your daily blessings?" My response to her question was very spiritual............my response to this day was NOT! God's nudge led to repentance and the frustrations of the day began to melt away. I am disappointed in myself, but if tomorrow comes and I am a part of it, I will have other opportunities to exercise grace and gratitude. It is a comfort to know that my Heavenly Father will not let me get away with disobedience. He loves me much too much for that!

"My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when He corrects you." Prov. 3:11

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

what's in your trunk?

Well, at my son's church in Tennessee, it's candy! They have an event they call Trunk-A-Treat. Families decorate their trunks, truck beds, and van hatches in creative ways and give away candy....GOOD candy! There were about 15 ......these are some of our favorites.

Here is a scene from "Little House on the Prairie". Notice the laundry drying in the back of the prairie schooner. :-)


A truck about horses. The sign in the back says. "Are you ready for the BIG roundup?" Get it?


They were celebrating the World of Coke and....Jesus Christ. the REAL real thing!


A culinary display reminding us to "Taste and see that the Lord is good."



NASCAR fans encouraging everyone to "Run with endurance the race before you". They had cut outs of Mater and Lightening McQueen from the movie "Cars". Our grandson loved those!


And my TN son's favorite...the "Eternity Insurance" store with "Flo" the sales girl (you know from the Progressive ads).



It was special to see the time and energy these dear people had put into their creations and it was fun watching the children respond to the "characters". They also had inflatables for the kids to play on and they gave away hot dogs, popcorn and drinks. It is blessing for parents to have a safe and wholesome place to take their children to have fun.

But as you can tell by the picture below, having fun can be very tiring! That is one worn out "Dora"! On the way home, we asked her what her favorite thing had been and
she said,"When my dad carried me!" Is that precious or what?
Thanks for visiting today. It blesses me when you do!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Guess who I saw Sunday night....

A Pretty Pirate


An Adorable Dora


A Handsome Astronaut


We had a wonderful weekend! I've been home about an hour and am too tired to think. So more on our trip tomorrow. Just wanted to show you our three little "characters"........in more ways than one!! :-)