Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Wordless Wednesday



It's my first time to join in on Wordless Wednesday found here, although I have been watching it for quite some time and enjoyed all the pictures. Today's theme was Bloggers Choice, so I chose Springtime as my subject.





Tuesday, March 24, 2009

HOME is where the heart is...

It's so good to be back home. After almost 1200 miles in eleven days, I am ready to be in my own bed and in my own house. It's true that there is just no place like home!

We had a great trip, and enjoyed ourselves. The only sad part was Anthony's uncle, who has been sick for the last four years took a turn for the worse and passed away while we were visiting. We were able to see lots of family members that we don't usually get to see, but were saddened as to why we were able to see them all. Uncle Jerry's passing put such a sadness to our trip, but I had to smile when my father in law mentioned at his funeral that one of his brother's favorite songs was "I'll Be Gone To Be With Jesus Come Spring", and Uncle Jerry died on the first day of spring. I know that the beauty of Heaven has to be far better than all the pain he was experiencing here in this world.

Uncle Jerry knew how much I loved photography and how much I disliked cats. His home care nurse told us that a few weeks ago one of his cats was stretched out on a post on the back porch in such a way that he knew I could have captured it and made it into a great photo, even though I didn't like his cats, so he asked her to snap a picture of it for him to send to me later. Sadly, he never got to send me that picture, because he was hospitalized shortly after. However, I have been promised a copy of it when they have the pictures printed. I'll cherish it!

Here's some pictures I took on our trip...
Landon got a grand tour of the fire station in DeQuincy, Louisiana. The fire chief attends his grandparents church and has been good friends of ours for many years, so he gave him the royal treatment.



Here's Landon at the Railroad Museum...

Posing for a picture with MawMaw & PawPaw

Anthony and his dad taking the boat out on the river

Landon with the turtle he caught at the river

Landon playing in a natural spring in Manifest, Louisiana near his great grandparents house.

I love to photograph old barns and spring buds...





It's good to be home!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Beautiful Louisiana...I just wish it would stop raining!!!

Here's Anthony, Landon & Pawpaw out on the lake enjoying a boat ride.




On another note...if you know how much I love corn and green beans and how I could seriously eat them for every meal, then you will know that I am in heaven now because I have found out about this. I wish I had taken a picture of it, but just trust me when I tell you it is delicious! My husband is going to have a fit now that I've found another way to cook corn and green beans together!

CORN AND GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

1 can French style green beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
1 Small carton of sour cream
1 can Cream of celery soup
1 stick margarine
1 stack of Ritz crackers


Mix green beans, corn, onion, celery, sour cream, and celery soup. Melt margarine and mix with crushed crackers. Pour green bean mixture into casserole dish, spread crackers on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Mud Bath & Signing off for a bit...

We have a corner area of our back yard that Landon loves to play with his dump trucks in because the grass doesn't grow real well there under the tree. He always has so much fun, but mom decided to show him a whole new level of fun yesterday. The dirt was already pretty loose from his digging and he's even dug out a huge hole that he uses as his dumping spot for his trucks. I introduced him to the water hose, and let him fill the hole up with water and play in the mud. He had a blast.



He decides he needs one of the frogs from my flower bed to put into his pond. Just a little side note about me...I love garden frogs, and have several of them...but can't stand to be near a real one. I'm terrified of them.

Here's where he decided to put the water hose through a hole in the fence and wet the neighbor's dog...yes, the dog that stays inside the house!


Landon decides to decorate the sidewalk with his muddy hand prints.


I love to see the pure joy on his face like this. I was hosing him off so he could come inside for a bath.

Ready to go inside for a real bath...

And, while he was taking a real bath, I used the opportunity to tell him a Bible story about Jesus healing the blind man and how Jesus took the same type of mud he just played in and made the blind man's eyes so he could see. He was pretty amazed and responded with, 'But I don't need mud in my eyes mommy, I can see.' I love this little boy! He's really is one of the best things in my world.

***On another note, we will be leaving shortly to go out of town, and I will probably be so busy I won't have as much time as normal to post. My husband is going to be preaching @ his dad's church in Louisiana this week, and then on Thursday we leave there to travel again and spend the next week preaching for his uncle and his brother and another minister friend we've know for many years.

Say a prayer for me, because I am way out of my comfort zone. I am a homebody and love to be at home. I don't mind going away for a couple of days, but being away for two weeks is longer than I am used to. I will also have to be singing by myself a lot on this trip, and I am much more comfortable singing with a group of people or in a choir.

But that's what I love about God. He pushes me to get out of my comfort zones. He pushes me to fly when I have learned to be content with running. Sometimes we become so comfortable with where we are in our walk with God that we don't realize or see the need to step it up a bit. We don't realize that there are greater things if we walk into a new dimension in Him. I've learned that while I may not be comfortable during the process He takes me through of growing in Him, when He is finished working, I have always loved the results. I'm just the clay, He's the potter and He knows what's best for my life. I trust Him. Hope you all have a wonderful week...and I am hoping that my brother keeps my house clean while he's housesitting! That's probably not gonna happen.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Recycled Lives

John 8:3)And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4)They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5)Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6)This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7)So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
9)And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10)When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11) She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

This is where I was reading last night before going to bed. I just read the passage, not thinking too much more than the normal about it, and went to bed. Then something happened as I lay in bed and tried to fall asleep.

I began to think about the way that the Pharisees and the Scribes had acted towards the woman caught in sin. They unashamedly brought her before Jesus and told Him of her sin. Now why do you suppose they thought it was okay to expose her sin and ask for the right to stone her? Why did they feel the need to embarrass her in front of Jesus? Maybe I'm reading too much into the setting of this story, but what bothers me the most is that they thought this woman to be DISPOSABLE! They would have just as soon stone her and walk away.

Oh, that I would not allow that spirit to get a hold on me. When I see someone who is obviously in a lifestyle of sin, I pray that I have compassion towards them. That I lead them to Jesus...not to highlight their sins,or ask permission to throw stone at them...but to point them to the One who can forgive them of their sins and show them a better way of life. I don't want to look at them and think of them as done for or disposable. No, I want to think of how I can recycle them and bring meaning to their lives by showing the the Love of Jesus.

May I do the same for my brother or sister who has fallen into places they never intended to go. May I have compassion on them and pray for them and help them to stand upright again. I never want to be guilty of bringing them before God or others just to expose them. May I quietly find a place and pray earnestly for them and lift them up in prayer to the God who can forgive and forget. I'm not a good recycler as far as glass bottles, plastic containers, cardboard boxes and newspapers go, but I want to always look at people and see them as having the ability to be recycled into something great.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Is the Weekend over???

Wow, what a LONG weekend it was! Friday night our church hosted a youth service. Our pastor preached and it was nothing short of a masterpiece. He ministered on 'Being the Devil's Worst Nightmare." It was a great service.
Here's me and my friend Jenna at the service.


After the service Friday night, I went to eat with another one of my best friends ever, Monica. (You can see her blog here.)

We always have the greatest time together! Friday night was no exception. We went to eat at Chili's and our husbands rolled their eyes and made goofy faces while we took pictures for what we call 'blog moments'.



They make fun of us for taking pictures of food and everything we do, but we know they secretly think we are the coolest people.


Things did get a little serious when two workers in the restaurant next door had a fight that resulted in one of them hitting the other with his car. AGH! (Can you believe I took a picture of the police cars and emergency vehicles?)

Right after the altercation with the workers next door was over, all the lights in our restaurant went out except for the bar area, (I took a picture of that too. I lead a sad life.)

We were pretty safe, Thanks to this guy who works for Chili's, and whom Landon happened to just love!

All in all we had a great night with our friends. Mainly because they don't get embarrassed when Landon pulls stunts like this.


After this picture you will understand why I stay behind the camera as much as possible!

Fast forward to Saturday. We wake up to a stray dog in our back yard that is very sick and hungry. My husband cannot leave a wounded or hungry animal alone. He feed the dog and gave him water and we leave to go to a birthday party with a sad little boy crying about leaving a dog we just met.


We left to go to the birthday party with plenty of time to spare, UNTIL I decided to lock the keys in the car. That would have been fine and we would have had a spare key had it been my car, but I was driving my sister's car. She had left her car for me to use as an extra car...and her spare key was WITH HER! Go figure. Yep, $50 and a broken door latch later we were back in the car. I kept telling the honeybun he should have called a locksmith in the first place and not try to get in himself.


By the way, I have to mention that I was talking to a friend about how I hated spending $50 for a locksmith and she said, 'We'll just pray that you get the money back somehow.' I have to tell you that I got that and more back. A sweet friend gave me a gift card to Hobby Lobby and another sweet friend gave me one to Bath & Body Works, then someone gave us $30 cash for no reason, then someone gave me back $20 I had given them months ago when they were in a tight spot and I had forgotten about it, and never even expected to be repaid. I had done it as a nice gesture of help to them, not to be paid back. And, a dear mechanic friend of ours fixed the door latch for nothing! Isn't God just great like that? Almost makes me want to lock my own keys in the car...ALMOST!

Sunday morning left me dazed and confused since we lost an hour of sleep, but thankfully we had some awesome church to get me through what seemed to be the longest weekend ever. Here's a sweet picture of my friend's son that was dedicated Sunday morning. Isn't he precious?

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Praise & Worship Sunday

Here's my choice for today's Praise & Worship Sunday. I love when our praise and worship team sings this song. It's so true, when I really stop and think about the Lord and all He's done in my life, it makes me want to shout it out to the world. There's just nothing better than serving Him in every way possible. My favorite line in the song is, 'How He placed my feet on solid ground'...no matter where the road of life may take me, through all the sorrow, heartbreak and disappointments that come and go, I can take comfort in the fact that my feet are on solid ground. When you're standing on something solid, you're not easily moved or thrown off balance by things that come at you.


Head on over to Brittany's place to see all the other songs, and have a blessed Sunday!

Friday, March 6, 2009

Photo Friday


I decided to participate in photo Friday found here. She has captured some beautiful images, so go check them out. Here's my photo. My niece, who is constantly on the phone. I was taking her pictures, but this was when she was taking a break because her phone rang. I just kept snapping. :)

Thursday, March 5, 2009

I'm A Member...

When did I become a card-carrying member of the messy car club??? I have no ideal how it happened. I don't remember signing any papers or paying any membership fees. I just went to get in the car this morning and WHAM...there was the evidence right before me.

Here's a list of what I seen as we got in the car this afternoon...
5 empty Sonic cups
3 pages of Sonic coupons (maybe we go there too often??)
hot wheel cars
2 outfits of my sons
empty hangers
Sunday School papers
a package of goldfish crackers
2 pair of Landon's shoes
a whole stack of mail!
Starbuck coffee cups (I think these were mine?)
the extra pair of glasses I thought I'd lost!!!
a spiderman action figure
$3.00 worth of change in the ashtray
A card to our Pastor & his wife that I intended to mail a month ago...which if it didn't have that coffee stain on the envelope, I'd still mail it.
a bag of cloths I keep forgetting to pass down to my friends little boy
and a bag of greenery from Hobby Lobby.


Yep...I'm an active member of this club. My husband cannot for the life of him understand why my house has to be clean at all times or it drives me crazy, yet I am content with the messiest car in the neighborhood? I don't have the answer to that one. It just don't bother me. Maybe it's because I don't have to look at it all day long? Maybe it's because I'm in denial about it? Or just maybe it's because it on the outside of the house. And one of the rules at our house is if it's on the outside of the house...it's HIS responsibility!

Hopefully, tomorrow he will quite slacking on his responsibility and get the car cleaned out.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

My Feet...they smell wonderful!!!

Bath & Body Works lotion....$10.50
Bottle of Gucci Perfume...$68.00
Knowing your child really grasped his Sunday School lesson...PRICELESS!

I spent most of the morning yesterday wondering why in the world my son would be wanting to put lotion and perfume on my feet? I couldn't quite grasp his reasoning. I was laying in bed not feeling well most of the morning, so I was in the perfect position for him to carry out his duties of spraying my expensive perfume on my feet. I finally asked him if my feet stunk to him. He just said no, and sprayed them again and rubbed them.

So, I done what most mothers would do. I took my perfume away from him and told him to not get them out again. If I had only known what he was trying to portray...if I had only known!

Much later that afternoon we sat down to eat dinner and Landon stopped and smelled my feet! I gave my husband a look of despair, wondering what in the world was going on with the feet issues Landon was seeming to have. My husband asked Landon what he was doing and his reply was this..."That lady in the Bible poured perfume on Jesus' feet because she loved Him."

Yeah, we both just sat there and looked at each other in shock with the biggest smiles on our faces. I had tears in my eyes...just knowing that he had grasped the lesson his WONDERFUL teachers had taught him in Sunday School.

See, the young lady that taught the lesson this past Sunday had read the kids the Bible story of the woman that poured out the expensive oil on the feet of Jesus as an act of worship, and to bring the story to the level of the 2-3 year olds in the class she sprayed perfume on their feet and let them smell the expensive perfume like the woman used on the feet of Jesus. (Granted she told me she had the Avon Sweet Honesty version of expensive oil, which I may have to buy for the little one to use if he keeps acting this story out!) She then brought in how God had made their noses and let them smell many things including their snacks. If I had been near her yesterday I would have given her the biggest hug ever because she touched my baby's life and gave him such a deep understanding of the Bible. Thank you!

~~~~Warning...I'm about to go and get all serious on you guys for a moment!~~~

Allow me to open up and be really honest with you guys for a moment. After I realized what Landon had been trying to do with my perfume yesterday, I had one of those moments. A moment where you check yourself and look deep inside. One thought came to my mind...DO I LOVE ENOUGH TO GIVE LAVISHLY???

Landon could have cared less how much that perfume cost. Matter of fact I am quite sure the reason he choose it was because he knows it's one of my favorite bottles of perfume. The bottle is beautiful, the smell of the perfume is beautiful...he knows how often I wear it and how much I love it. He choose the best to spray on my feet! He was LOVING LAVISHLY!

I had to wonder...Do I give God my very best? Do I pour out my greatest praise and worship to Him? Or do I tend to give Him what's left after a hard day? Furthermore, do I love lavishly on others that I meet who are longing and looking for something more in their lives? Do I care enough to take the time to show them there is a better way, a better life, something more than just existing in this world? Do I give enough of myself to make sure that they know someone cares about them and what happens in their life? Sometimes when we look deep inside and are honest with ourselves we don't like what we see.

Love gives sacrificially. The ultimate illustration of such love is described in John 3:16. 'For God so loved the world...that He gave His only begotten son.'

When I think about how much was paid for my sins, then I realize that I need to give up the selfishness and stop grasping for earthly things and earthly gain. Then and only then can I be content to humbly serve and to give my very best to the One who gave His all for me! I can't wait for next week's lesson!

Here's my alabaster perfume...suddenly it has a whole new meaning when I spray it on!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Toy Story 3

SO, I think my little one has seen Toy Story one too many times. That or his passion for rockets are just out of control.
Take a look at this picture...What is this you ask???


It's two of his army men taped to a rocket engine! Yes, he taped them to a rocket engine! When I asked why, he replied "He wanted to send them to the moon." Simple enough answer. The problem I have with it is that this rocket engine is very powerful. VERY powerful. His dad and him fly model rockets that go up to 1500 feet in the air and then parachute down. Well, obviously Landon has been watching very closely as his dad put the rocket together.

The toilet paper you see in the bottom of the rocket is the wadding that you use to ignite the fuselage in the engine. (Or at least that what my 3 yr old tells me!) And don't comment to tell me that word is misspelled. I have not a clue what a fuselage is, let alone how to spell it. :)

Well, the way I found this scene being played out today was Landon came and asked me if I could light a candle with the matches. I knew something was up because when I do light my candles he's forever blowing them out. But, since this was the second time he's built this contraption we had hid the matches. We only thought we had hid the engines! I asked why he wanted my candles lit, and after pulling it out of him, he takes me to the back yard to show me what he's built and tells me that he could use the candle to light the rocket engine. He's a thinker and I'm gonna have to stay on my toes for sure now!

I asked why he scribbled on it with a blue marker? Seems that is not scribble, but his name so that if the rocket falls then people will know it's his.


Maybe I should have named him SID???

EDIT: edited to include a picture of his new addition. Since we have removed all the rocket engines and locked them in the shed outside, he came running to me last night to show me the MISSLE he had built from things he found in his room and the trash. Here it is...



He made it out of rubber bands, an old foam dart from a dart gun he has, tape, the barrel of a broken cap gun, and pieces of a broken toy I had just thrown in the trash. Will this obsession with rockets and missiles ever end??? Oh, how I long for the days of the Elmo obsession again! At least they were harmless.

Friend Making Monday & Package

Kasey's Friend Making Monday question this week is...
If you had $1000 dollars, and a baby sitter for a period of 24 hours what would you do?

WOW! A thousand dollars AND a baby sitter? Definitely a dream day. First thing I'd do is call and get some tickets to see Michael Buble...three tickets to be exact. Then I'd take a limo over to pick up my two friends (you know who you are!) and we'd be off for a wonderful ride. We'd stop first to eat lunch. Did I mention that we have front row seats for the concert. After the concert we'd head back to the hotel rooms and enjoy some friendship and relaxation, massage time. I say room'S because I am definitely going to have my own room and my own bed. I love you guys, but that sleeping together thingy is just way too close for my comfort!

And speaking of Friend Making, I just received this WONDERFUL package today from this sweet lady. She hosted a giveaway on her blog and I was the lucky winner. Thank You so much. Bath & Body Works and Chocolate. What more could a girl ask for? And this happens to be one of my favorite scents! Thanks Tanya! I love making new friends.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Praise & Worship Sunday

Brittany at Sweet Nothings is hosting Worship & Praise Sundays. I decided to join in and share one of my favorite songs. It's an old song, but definitely still one I turn to on some of my worst days. I couldn't find a video of the song, but here are the lyrics. It's Healing Hands by Jonathan Pierce.

Healing Hands

Pick up your heart and
Carry it to healing hands
There is no scar, no pain
He won't understand
Those broken dreams you've carried this far
Need his touch to mend
Pick up your heart and
Carry it to healing hands

What brought you here to this time, to the place
Where your own strength has found its end
And the load that you bear is too heavy to carry
Come bring it all to Him

Pick up your heart and
Carry it to healing hands
There is no scar, no pain
He won't understand
Those broken dreams you've carried this far
Need his touch to mend
Pick up your heart and
Carry it to healing hands


For the souls that know surrender
He is gracious to hold us so tenderly

Pick up your heart and
Carry it to healing hands
There is no scar, no pain
He won't understand
Those broken dreams you've carried this far
Need his touch to mend
Pick up your heart and
Carry it to healing hands


This song brought me through one of the most traumatic times of my life. When I walked out of the doctor's office on a Friday afternoon after receiving the news that my first pregnancy was over and our baby had no heartbeat at four months pregnant, I was definitely at a loss for words. We had been married for 14 years and had been trying for so long to have a baby.

My world was shattered and my heart was broken and my dream of finally being a mom was lost. As my husband and I drove home in silence, he turned on the radio, and this song began to play. As I sat there numb from the shock and loss, the words of this song began to speak to me. I desperately wanted someone to mend my broken heart. What I realized was that I had to trust God enough to carry my broken heart and broken dreams and place them in His healing hands, because I needed His touch to mend.

I remember laying in bed putting this song on repeat and listening to it over and over, weeping...yet trusting God with my broken heart and trusting Him to take my broken and shattered dreams and mend them with His touch. I know where this CD is at all times. So many times I still reach for this CD and play it when something happens and I am reminded that when I am broken hearted and my own strength comes to an end, God is there with healing hands to help me through. There's just no touch like that of His healing hands.