Enjoyable book 2009 Book #9: The Great Eight

I remember watching Scott Hamilton skate on television in my younger years. I looked forward to reading his new book The Great Eight How to be Happy (even when you have every reason to be miserable) from Thomas Nelson Publishers.

The Great Eight has eight chapters, each focusing on a different tip for happiness in life. Scott Hamilton applies lessons he’s learned on the ice to other aspects of his life and encourages readers to do the same. These tips can be applied to relationships, financial struggles, health issues, job situations, etc.

Hamilton is known as an Olympic gold medal world champion figure skater. He has experience in practicing these tips for happiness while he’s battled both cancer and a brain tumor in recent years. Through facing some rough times, he has remained optimistic in his outlook. By following his example with these eight tips the reader can be optimistic too. These tips include putting others first, letting go of grudges, trusting God, and turning losses into wins.

Here is a line that stuck out to me: “Every stage of life has something different to offer…..But you’ve got to let go of your twenties to enjoy your thirties, to let go of your thirties to be satisfied in your forties….” We face changes in life and need to learn to accept changes instead of trying to hold on to how things used to be.

At first it was hard at first for me to get into this book. Parts of it didn’t seem to flow well to me as I was reading. Overall, I did enjoy this book though.

As long as it is called Today: Homekeepers (February)

Welcome to As long as it is called Today! Our focus on the fourth Friday of the month is to encourage one another as home keepers. I hope you will join me each week on Friday as we encourage each other in our daily lives as Christians, spouses, parents, and home keepers.


You can answer or read other answers to last week's question here:

Christian parents (February)


Today's question: What particular things do you do to make your home a peaceful retreat?


My answer: I like to have the floor picked up when my husband gets home from work. This doesn't happen everyday or get done 100% every time but it is something I like to do to make there be a little bit of order when my husband gets home.


I look forward to reading your answers. I appreciated the answers last month regarding kitchen organization. Have a great weekend!

Blog Jubilee!

Here's the deal:

“I’ve been challenged to participate in a blog jubilee. Against my better judgment, I have been told to brag about something good, positive, uplifting, or kind that I did this past week. It’s not easy to boast about my thoughtfulness, but in return I will be allowed to build up and encourage other women! Feel free to visit Amanda at iammommy.typepad.com to join in the jubilee!”

This is hard for me because I don't like pointing out things I've done! I visited the other women who've participated and read similar sentences on their posts! I do believe I've found some other blogs I'll enjoy reading through this little exercise.

One thing I did this week was make lunch for my husband before he left for work. I try to have this done the night before. We didn't get it done for whatever reason Tuesday night so I made it Wednesday morning.

Thankful Thursday: Basics

This week the theme for Thankful Thursday is Basics. Thank you to Iris at Grace Alone for all she does for TT!

The first thing I thought of was a song that is from the group 4Him, it's an older song called "Basics of Life." You can hear the song on YouTube. The lyrics of this song hold such truth. We've strayed so far from the basics. I really like this line of the song:

"Someday we all will awake and look back just to find what we've lost"

It is sad to me to think about this and the reality of this statement. So many of the basic foundations are missing in homes across our country. As Christians we need to take a stand for our beliefs without fear if we're doing something popular or "politically correct." Leaders fail us and change. Money funds out. Possessions get old or broken. Fads change. Our bodies age.

This week I'm thankful for those basics in my life....my faith, my hope in Jesus, love, and purity. These are things that will last.

There are other basics I'm thankful for also. My needs are met and we have so much more than just our "needs." We have so many extras and I'm thankful for that.

Have a blessed Thursday. I hope today you'll consider your faith and hope you have in Christ and realize those basic things are really what is important in life. Thank you for stopping by. I hope you'll come back again soon.
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"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.' " Hebrews 12:28, 29

10 small things...

Amanda recently posted 10 small things that make my everyday a little better... The theme for Thankful Thursday last week was little things but I wanted to post 10 specific things that make my daily life better. So here is my list in no particular order!

1. hot water heater
It is such a blessing to take hot baths!


2. Internet access
It wasn't really that many years ago when I was growing up that we didn't even have a computer much less Internet access! I remember when we got the first computer. We can do so much online now. It can be a dangerous place I know but I'm thankful for all the friendships I've found here as well.


3. my ipod touch :)
For someone who didn't know what one was a month before she got one. I am thankful my husband blessed me with this fun little gadget. It makes me smile to have it with me to listen to music as I'm hanging our clothes or to check my email.


4. ice maker
This has become aware to me now that ours is broken! It is odd to not automatically have ice. We never had an ice maker growing up but I've grown used to it now!


5. my leg pillow
I have had a pillow that I put between my legs at my knees while I sleep. One time the pillow got left behind at a hotel and was never found. My Mom made me a new one. I feel very strange if I try to sleep without it.


6. washing machine
I think I've previously put this on my Thankful Thursday list. I cannot imagine washing the clothes in with a wash board out in the creek.


7. marshmallows
I like to randomly eat marshmallows, by themselves just for fun!


8. digital camera
I love to take pictures of our boy and am so glad to be able to snap away without worrying about film and developing pictures that aren't good shots.


9. slippers
In the cold months I wear my slippers all the time. My boys get me a new pair for Christmas because I wear them out!


10. library card
I love being able to borrow books and also request new books that I want to read. Our library is great! We rent movies there too.

Do you have 10 things that make your daily life a little better?
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"The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!" Psalm 18:46

1 of 1,112

Last week I received a call for a poll being done by CBS News and the New York Times. The questions were about the current economy, politics, etc. Here is information about the poll and you can view the poll results if you're interested. The first one linked with the February 23rd date is the one I answered. I remembered that the results were reported on Monday so I did a little searching and found them.

Just wanted to share!!

What made you laugh? #3

It's been a while since I asked the question. What made you laugh today (or recently)?

Tuesday Caleb and I were out playing in the yard with a ball, bouncing it back and forth to each other. Caleb kicked it one time and it went under his wagon. I moved the wagon over so we could try to kick it under the wagon. His next two kicks went right under and through the middle of the wagon wheels. I couldn't get the ball to go straight though, it kept hitting a wheel and bouncing across the yard. It was a fun time!

Over the weekend we walked around some display booths at a home show. This one guy started talking to my husband as we walked down an aisle. He asked if we had Time Warner. My husband said no. The guy asked if we had something else. My hubby said no just rabbit ears. The guy was like oh okay, have a good day. It was funny in itself, but later my husband said when he asked what do you have he should have said books, we read. It totally made me laugh. (I don't know if it is as funny typed out to read as it was when he said it but it did make me laugh!)

So what has made you laugh lately? We all need to laugh more!
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"But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful." Psalm 68:2

Can I ask for a balloon?

Can I ask her for a balloon? My son often asks me this when we visit one of our local pizza restaurants.

On a previous visit to this restaurant I heard the familiar question, "Can I ask for a balloon?" Turning to look I was surprised that an employee was not next to the helium tank filling balloons. I thought seeing balloons had prompted his question. I didn't really know if they'd give my son a balloon since they weren't blowing any up at the time. He asked again though and I agreed he could ask, reminding him that they might not since they aren't blowing any up that day, hoping he wouldn't be disappointed if they said no.


I watch as he confidently approaches the girl behind the desk. She leans down to hear his request and asks him his favorite color. He comes back to our table smiling with a green balloon in hand.


Do we ever approach God this way? Do we confidently go to him in prayer to meet a need as my son did with his desire for a balloon? Do we boldly ask, even if the answer isn't really what we want to hear? Or do we hold back, not wanting to bother or interrupt Him like I felt about his asking for one? How many times do we miss out on a blessing because we do not ask Him at all or we don't ask believing He will answer? We are told by Jesus in Matthew 7 to ask and seek. He has good things for us and we need to not be afraid to ask confidently.

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"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:9-11

Proverbs & Prayers: Week #8

Thank you for visiting today at the beginning of a new week. I am just loving these Proverbs as I memorize them and ponder them throughout the week. It really helps me to think about the verse too to choose a section for Caleb to memorize. This week he did "Hold on to instruction" so we talked about the meaning of instruction. It made me ask myself if I hold on to instructions, what things I do hold on to tightly, and how I need to guard what I've learned and been told and taught.


This weeks verse is the following two verses of Proverbs.

Proverbs 4:14, 15:


"Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way."


Please let me know if you have a prayer request this week. My prayers this week will include:

~ Travis. Heather's son who has been sick the past week.


~ Rachel. Kristi's daughter who met with a new doctor over the weekend and was in the hospital with her headaches. Pray for the doctors to have wisdom in helping her and the headaches will cease.


~ Wesley. I have mentioned him before with the brain surgery. He has been having some sharp pains in the back of the head where the cyst was.

~ Caleb has another dentist appointment on Wed. The other dentist found some cavities between his back teeth so referred us to another dentist. Pray for peace about this and for this to work out with insurance also.

~ also for myself. I have an appointment with the eye doctor this week. I think I want to get contacts again and it makes me nervous for them to do the contact exam.

Have a wonderful week! Thank you for stopping by today.

My rainbow

Your rainbow is intensely shaded pink, yellow, and white.

What is says about you: You are a grateful person. You appreciate optimism. You're good at getting people to like you. People depend on you to make them feel secure.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

I saw this at Marsha's and gave it a try!

You're Gonna Miss This.....Moment #3

I have a funny moment to share today. Caleb will randomly come to me and hand me something from his little fingers to my hand. He's been doing this for years now. I don't know what first caused it even. Every time he pulls a piece of fingernail off (like if it is snags on something he'll pull off the little piece the rest of the way), he brings it to me. I told you it was funny! I wonder how long he will continue to give me these little pieces of nail. He doesn't do it that often, but it makes me smile when he does just because it is something so unique in my opinion! I was sleeping late this morning, and he came and brought me a little tiny nail. As random as this is, I'm sure I'll miss it when he quits!

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"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation." 1 Peter 1:3, NLT

As long as it is called Today: Parents (February)

Welcome to our second month of As long as it is called Today! Our focus on the third Friday of the month is to encourage one another as parents. I hope you will join me each week on Friday as we encourage each other in our daily lives as Christians, spouses, parents, and home keepers.

You can read answers to last week's question here: Christian wives/husbands (February)

Today's question: What is a book you have enjoyed reading with your child?

My answer: We enjoy the books by Laura Numeroff like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. This author has written several books we enjoy.

fPhoto Friday

This picture was from our trip to the Abilene zoo last Friday. I like how it shows his long neck and its tongue is sticking out!

Visit Married to the Preacher for more photos. Have a great weekend!

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"God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

Thankful Thursday: Little Things

Our hostess Iris at Grace Alone has chosen the theme of little things today. What perfect timing! I read another "little things" post today by Amanda and have a whole list of things to be thankful for this week.

We read out of a new storybook before bedtime about being thankful for our hands and fingers That is a pretty little thing, huh? I appreciated the setting of the story being a zoo since we'd recently been to one. The little girl was pointing out special characteristics of the animals and being glad she didn't have that feature (like a long neck of a giraffe or the long trunk of an elephant). Her father told her how the long neck helps the giraffe get food from high trees and the elephant can use it's trunk to pick things up. Then he reminded her that she had hands and fingers to pick things up. We were naming things we do all the time with our hands and fingers and talked about what would we do without them. Try to pay attention sometime to how many things you use your hands and fingers for in an hour time period and thank God for them.

This week I'm thankful for these little things....

~ my husband's hands. It gives me comfort to have him touch me with his hand or hold my hand as we walk.

~ my sweet boy's smile. He was sick on Wednesday, just not his normal self, after being sick in the night. I told him his eyes didn't have smiles in them like they normally do. He tried to smile for me. I missed his smile and laughter Wednesday. It made me thankful he is so healthy and is normally a happy active four year old.

~ phones. It is a comfort to be able to call and talk to people and to have people call and check on us.

~ books. If you read my blog you know I love to read. I'm thankful for the new books I've received recently and being able to be a book reviewer. It makes me happy!

~ mail. I always love to receive mail, especially this time of year when I get birthday mail. :) Notes and cards mean so much.

What are you thankful for? I hope you are having a blessed week.
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"Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song." Psalm 95:2

Winner again!

I won another giveaway last week! Thank you to Mocha with Linda for the wonderful books I received in her "Sweetheart of a Giveaway."

Here is what I won:

Linda is hosting another giveaway right now so check it out too!

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"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." Philippians 4:5

2009 Book # 8: Mystery Ranch

This is another book I read with Caleb. It is called Mystery Ranch by Gertrude Warner Chandler.

The children visit Aunt Jane, who is the sister of their grandfather. She is described as a cross little lady but she really changes with the children in her home. Because of several mysteries during the trip, Benny decides to name the place Mystery Ranch.


I don't think Caleb enjoyed this one as much as he did some of the others.

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2009 Book #7: This Side of Heaven

I finished another book on Tuesday. I am a huge fan of Karen Kingsbury so I was excited to see her newest book on the list at our library and quickly put my name on the waiting list for it. It is called This Side of Heaven. (Don't you just love the sweet picture on the cover of this book!)

Josh Warren is waiting for the settlement from a terrible accident that caused injuries to his back. As he waits he holds on to the hope that he will someday meet the little girl he feels is his daughter although most people, even his family, don't believe him.

After a terrible tragedy, Annie and Nate (Josh's parents) learn more about their son and his true character.

I don't want to say too much to give away too many details. Let me just say this is a wonderful book! As always with Karen Kingsbury books, I learned some valuable lessons. Appreciate the people in your life for who they are. Don't try to make them someone or some thing they are not. Just accept and love them as they are. Look for the good in people and let them know you love them always.

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"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 (This is one of the verses referenced in the book.)

Our Valentine's Day weekend

We decided a few weeks ago to do something special for Valentine's Day this year. I've probably shared this here before but the weekend is special to us. On February 13, 1998 during our freshman year of college a cute boy gave me a special Valentine card in the Bean (the ACU cafeteria) during lunch with our group of friends. The card said "Will you be my Valentine?" and was homemade (which just melted my heart even more!). I'm so glad I said yes! I think I waited until Sunday actually to say yes because Friday after lunch we both headed in our separate directions to our homes for the weekend.

Since February 13 was on a Friday this year we decided it would be fun to go back to our "college city" of Abilene for Valentine's Day weekend. My husband took off work and realized he was off Monday too for President's Day so it turned into a four day weekend for us.

We left Thursday night and stayed the night with my Mom. Caleb got to go to school with her in the morning. He loves this (and she does too!). We stopped and picked him up as we were leaving town. My husband handed me a Valentine and said I really needed to open it. I told him I could just wait till Saturday. He kept telling me I should open it before we leave. So I did. (It wasn't too hard to convince me!) He got me a car charger for my Ipod called Itrip auto. I'd been looking at them but had not purchased one yet. This one is not just a charger though, it can also play the music through the car radio. It was really sweet of him. We have an envelope (in our Dave Ramsey plan) for gifts but he had used his own money out of his own funds to get it. I'm glad he got me to open it early!

We got to ACU in time for chapel. Friday is singing day and it was a wonderful time. At the end the president of the university, Dr. Money, got up and spoke briefly about some recent issues with the NCAA that was announced last week. I don't understand all the rules and regulations but one thing mentioned was a local church had a Christmas party for some students. Their receiving small gifts was against the NCAA rules. Kinda crazy in my opinion. Anyway.... After chapel we walked around campus and then went to the Bean for lunch. When I was in college I won a contest hosted by the Bean for a dessert contest. I won 10 tickets for a place on campus called Reservations Only. I never used all the tickets and emailed them to ask if I could use them previously when we thought we were visiting campus. I was told that Reservations Only was closed but come visit the Bean. This time I tried to email but didn't get a response so I just took them. They did give us a discount which was fine with me! The Bean has changed so much. It was much more open and looked very modern. Caleb enjoyed eating there and all the food choices. After lunch we visited with one of my husband's professors. We also went to the Campus Store. Caleb got a hat just like Daddy's. He was SO excited. He kept saying thank you for this hat, I've always wanted a hat like this.
Caleb took his nap after that in the car in a shady spot we found (after we hit Sonic's happy hour!) and then we headed to the zoo. It was an absolutely gorgeous sunny day. It was a perfect day for the zoo. All the animals were playing and we got to feed a bunch of them. Caleb's favorites were the prairie dogs, buffaloes, ducks and giraffes.

The giraffes at this zoo have always been my favorite because there is a tall bridge you cross and the giraffes come to the bridge and lick the animal crackers off the cement as you drop them down to them. It's always funny to see a giraffe tongue!

Saturday morning we got breakfast at Burger King and let Caleb play for a while there. It was a dreary, chilly day (we were so glad we'd gone to the zoo Friday afternoon). I went by James Avery to try on a ring I really like and then we went to a couple other stores followed by the children's museum. After lunch we went back to the hotel for Caleb's naptime. After his short nap Friday, he was wearing out. We went back over to ACU and walked around a while. We looked at the sculpture "Jacob's Ladder" also. It was a bit chilly so we didn't stay long. We ate early at Cracker Barrel for supper before it was busy. The boys played a couple rounds of checkers by their fire too. Then we went back to ACU to go bowling. Caleb saw the bowling alley Friday when we were walking around so after that he kept asking if we could go bowling. It was so much fun for us all.

Sunday morning we got to go to the church we attended while at ACU. Caleb enjoyed his 4 year old class. The teacher was the mother of one of my students I had while doing my student teaching. She was a 2nd grader then and now is a sophomore in high school!

We ate lunch at Gattiland and had a great time in their play area on the bumper cars. Caleb was tall enough to ride and he absolutely loved it. We went back to my Mom's that night and came home Monday.

It was such a nice weekend together. We made many happy memories in our favorite place! I was thinking when we were walking around campus Saturday how special it was to have Caleb there. As we were walking around reminiscing from our college dating days, it was special to have him running around the path in front of us and then stop and come back between us told hold our hands.

Another thought from this trip related to our FPU class. We had planned everything we wanted to do and were able to only use cash and put the hotel on the debit card. When we came home I thought how nice it was that it was all paid for and next month we won't see something we did on the credit card bill. In the past we'd put the hotel on it knowing we'd pay it off. It was just delaying paying for it though. It's nice to have it paid for and just have the happy memories to bring home with us!!

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"For great is his love toward us,and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD." Psalm 117:2

Home again!

We're home after a wonderful weekend. I'll write a post about it later as I'm catching up.

Just a reminder, if you did not give your answer for last Friday's As long as it is called today post, please do that. Some of my "regulars" didn't leave answers this week so I wanted to post a reminder!!

Have a great day!

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"This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another." I John 3:11

Proverbs & Prayers: Week #7

I memorized the verse from last week but did not have it shortened for Caleb to memorize. I looked up some other translations to find different words from "judgment and discernment," but never got around to writing it or going over it with him. Proverbs 3:21 (last week's verse) is a good piece of advice for us all. Do you use "sound judgment and discernment" in all your dealings? If we are going to have sound judgment, we will not be hasty in our choices. We will take time to pray about choices before us and consider our options before jumping into something, whether that is an expensive purchase or a new job or ministry. We are to not let ourselves be distracted by things that cause us to lose our sound judgment and discernment.


This week's verse is found in Proverbs 4:13:


"Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life."


Do you have any prayer requests you'd like to share this week?

Something that has been really big on my heart lately is friends who are looking for jobs. There are several that I know personally looking for employment. I will lift up these friends in prayer this week.

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"This is real love-not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." 1 John 4:10 NLT

Cheer mail ministry

In my 25 things post I mentioned two programs that sends "cheer mail." Kristi asked about this so I thought I'd post about it today. This has really turned into a ministry for me and I enjoy it so much.

I started volunteering with Audrey's Umbrella several years ago. I can't even remember when really. I had found out about a little girl named Cheyenne Fiveash who was battling a brain tumor. Her Dad mentioned the Audrey's Umbrella group so I found out more information and signed up. The group was started by a lady named Bonnie in memory of her sister Audrey. Bonnie sends out information of a new monthly friend for us to send a note or card. We also get a birthday list each month. We have both children and adult friends in the group. Part of the program I really enjoy is the fairy program. Each season we can "adopt" a new friend. When you agree to adopt someone you will send them mail once a week. For children you agree to send small gifts (stickers, books, seasonal items) and the adults is a small gift when you want but mainly mail. I have been touched by many of the lives. I feel like I know the families once I read their sites and updates about their family life and treatments. It is a wonderful program.

The other program is called Heart-4-Seniors. It is a group on Yahoo of ladies. I've not been part of this one for quite a year yet. We have a group of senior citizens on our list. When you sign up you agree to send at least one card every week to one senior. We have a long list of seniors and you can pick one or several seniors. My grandmother is on the list now and it has made a tremendous difference in her life to receive the mail. She looks forward to it so much. This is another wonderful program.

Both of these programs have need for more volunteers if anyone is interested. I have found them both to be a blessing in my life. You may or may not hear back from those you write but you know if you do or not that taking the time to send them a note brightens their day in ways you'll never know!
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"For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love." Psalm 33:4,5

As long as it is called Today: Christian wives/husbands (February)

I'm posting this early since we'll be heading out of town for the weekend!

Welcome to our second month of As long as it is called Today! Our focus on the second Friday of the month is to encourage one another as Christian spouses. I hope you will join me each week on Friday as we encourage each other in our daily lives as Christians, spouses, parents, and home keepers.

You can read answers to last week's question here:

Christians (February)

Today's question: Share a tip that you have used in your marriage to show your spouse you love him/her.

My answer: One thing I like to do is put a CD in his CD player in the truck and have it set to one of "our songs." Then the next time he goes somewhere it comes on to that special song. I have also called to leave a voicemail on his phone at work and let it record a song he loves as it plays, followed by a brief message. It's something easy and free and tells him I'm thinking of him!

Please leave a comment to share your answer. Have a great weekend! I'll update next week on our Valentine weekend.

Thankful Thursday: Love

It's time to stop and give thanks for the blessings we've been given. I have had an enjoyable week. Praise God we received some much needed rain this week, what a pleasant sight and sound. I hope your February has been pleasant. This is such a special month for me with all the wonderful sweet memories I share with my hubby. I'll have to write a separate post about that.

Our hostess for TT, Iris at Grace Alone, has chosen love for this week's theme.

Love is a word that we use so freely in our language today. We can love a person or we can love the smell of warm brownies. We use the same word but mean totally different things. We use it daily to mean a wide range of feelings or emotions. So today on Thankful Thursday I am thinking about the things I love and the love for which I'm grateful to receive....

~ I'm thankful first for God's love. We are told over and over in His Word of His love for us. I'm thankful He put that love into action by sending His Son.

~ I'm thankful for the love I share with my husband. I've said before God knew what I needed when He brought us together, and my husband is truly a blessing. Our love continues to surprise me as it grows all the time in new ways.

~ I'm thankful for the love I experience as a Mom. There is nothing like the love of my sweet boy!

~ I'm thankful for all of the verses about love we can read in the Bible. This was my question last Friday for As long as it is called Today. In my Bible I mark the word love when I see it with a light pink highlighter. These verses are so encouraging to me.

~ I'm thankful for the love I receive from my family and friends. It is nice to know I'm loved. Love is one of our basic needs. Too many today don't know anyone loves them. I'm thankful for those people in my life who regularly tell me and show me their love.


I hope you're having a wonderful week! Thanks for visiting!
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"We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters." 1 John 3:16 NLT

Are you stinky?

When we volunteer at the food pantry one of the things we do is sack produce. It varies from week to week what we'll be sacking. Sometimes we have nothing to sack because they are already in appropriate size bags where each family gets a bag. Sometimes though the produce is in large 50 lb. bags that needs to be separated. We've sacked carrots, apples, onions, oranges, pears, corn, and potatoes.


One day we were given potatoes to sack. As one of the bags was cut open I could smell the awful smell of a rotten potato. We began sacking the potatoes into other bags. The whole time I worked I kept smelling the rotten one, hiding in the bag somewhere. Finally it was found and quickly thrown out. The bad smell was still there though. Some of it's "stink" had rubbed off to the other potatoes in the sack. You'd have thought the bad tater was still there with the way that stink lingered!


Has this ever happened in your life? Have you ever realized something in your life was causing you to "stink" and you had to work to rid yourself of it? Maybe it was jealousy, lack of contentment, discouragement, or pessimism. Once you realized the problem and source of the stink, you have to work to rid your life of it. But later maybe you find some of the evidence of the original problem? Maybe the stink isn't like it once was but you smell that ugliness beginning to creep back into your life. You have to work to rid yourself of the problem once again before it becomes overpowering and out of control. If you aren't careful, your "stinkiness" will rub off on the other people in your life too.


How do you do this? How do you go about keeping the stinky things out of your life? Some ideas are to pray and study God's Word. Also, you need to surround yourself with people who themselves do not have "stinky" things in their lives. They'll eventually rub off on you and you'll smell just like them. Another thing is to keep a word of praise in your heart and on your lips. When you get rid of the stink you need to make sure you fill your heart up with good things so it won't have any room to come back.


We all need to be aware of this in our daily lives to make sure we are a pleasant aroma instead of a stink to those around us.
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"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." 2 Corinthians 2:14, 15

A Valentine project with Caleb

We did a Valentine sorting activity today. I did this during my student teaching in ESL. My supervising teacher made a book to go with the project which I still have in my teacher stuff.

I've done this with Caleb in the past, but this year we made a graph too.

First he sorted the hearts by color.

The he counted the hearts and colored the corresponding squares on the chart.

















We talked about which colors had the most, least, and same amount. Here is the finished graph.

Do you have any Valentine activities you do with kids?
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"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 NLT

25 Things

I was tagged on Facebook for this "25 random things" list and thought I'd post it here too. :)

1. I lived in the same house from the time I was born until I left for college.
2. My favorite pet ever was my dog named Bambi Taylor. She was an Eskimo Spitz. She got bit by a rattlesnake and died.
3. My second grade teacher is my husband's great aunt. She gave me her "Mrs. P" apple at my wedding shower to hang on my classroom door.
4. I love baking and trying new recipes.
5. I like to take surveys online and through the mail.
6. I love strawberry limeade slushes at Sonic.
7. One of my hobbies is writing cards and letters. I am part of two "cheer mail" programs--one for brain cancer patients/survivors and one for the elderly.
8. I have a huge collection of cards and stationery. I use a lot but like to buy more too when I find it for a good price. :)
9. I love the music of Stephen Curtis Chapman and have been to two concerts.
10. Reading is one of my favorite things to do. I keep a list of the books I've read.
11. I enjoy hanging the laundry on my clotheslines. It is relaxing thing for me. (I'm actually surprised I enjoy it as much as I do!)
12. I'm so thankful I was able to attend and graduate from ACU. I made wonderful friends and have great memories of my time there.
13. I taught elementary school for three years. I taught 2nd grade, then 1st grade, then 2nd grade in a private school. I still keep in touch with some of my students, too.
14. My husband is my best friend. God knew exactly what I needed when He brought us together at ACU.
15. I have been to New York City twice with my high school choir, and we sang in Carnegie Hall.
16. I love blogging and have made so many great friends!
17. I had a miscarriage in 2003.
18. I don't have any television shows I watch weekly. (Too much garbage in my opinion!) I miss the old ones like Cosby, Full House, and Family Matters.
20. I like going to the dentist. I was never afraid because of the wonderful dentist I had as a child, Dr. Cox.
21. My son is so precious to me! He has taught me so many things.
22. I have not traveled much at all. There are only a couple places in the world that are high on my list of places to see.
23. I collect Precious Moments figurines.
24. I want to get back in the habit of donating blood. At one time I did regularly because the blood mobile came to our church on Wednesday nights.
25. I am turning 30 this month!

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"The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne." Psalm 11:4

Proverbs & Prayers Week #6

Last week I couldn't help but think of our FPU class with the verse about honoring God with your wealth. I talked with Caleb about the words "honor" and "wealth" in terms he understands. The word "firstfruits" has made me consider what I give to the Lord. Do you give to Him first or do you wait till the end to see what is leftover? He wants us to honor Him first by giving to Him first before we do anything else with our income. Do you like getting the leftovers at the "bottom of the barrel?" Most people do not, most of us want the best. The Lord is no different. I believe once we do this then He can bless us in new ways.


This week's verse is Proverbs 3:21 (this is the last week I chose one from chapter 3!):

"My son, preserve sound judgement and discernment, do not let them out of your sight."


Do you have any prayer requests this week? Leave me a comment or email me if I can pray for you.


I am thankful to report these praises---


~ baby Harper is now home!

~ Wesley's surgery was successful, he went home, and is hoping to return to school at least for half days this week!


~ Also, I'm rejoicing for Christy that her husband is home for R & R from Iraq. I am praying for their time together to be blessed.

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"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music..." Psalm 98:4

2009 Book #6: The Gift of Psalms

I have received and finished The Gift of Psalms from Thomas Nelson to review. This book includes fifty Psalms with devotional thoughts for each one. Three CD’s are included to provide an audio version of 30 of the Psalms and devotions.

The book is beautiful in appearance and layout. The 50 Psalms are well-chosen and the devotional thoughts stir the heart and encourage the reader.

There were several things about this book that I did not like though that would prevent me from buying it myself. First, the CD’s only include 30 of the Psalms. At first I thought every other Psalm from the book would be on the audio but this wasn’t the case. Second, only a portion of the Psalm is printed while the audio included a reading of the Psalm in its entirety. This was confusing to me as well to be following along with the book and have some of the verses left out. Another distraction to me was how the readers changed for each Psalm. Some of the readers were better readers than others. I would have preferred one voice for the reading of the Psalm and one for the reading of the devotional thought. Finally, I heard some repetitions of sentences on the audio as well as some typographical errors in the book.

The Psalm’s on praise blessed me and reminded me to always praise the Lord. Another Psalm that was encouraging was Psalm 96, which talks about singing a new song to the Lord. Many of these Psalms were great reminders to me of God’s love and faithfulness.

You're Gonna Miss This.....Moment #2

I had another one of these moments this week I wanted to share and remember. One day this week I heard the door close and went to check on my boy. He was out in the front yard picking flowers for me. He'd gotten the scissors and was cutting them out of the ground. He brought them to me and I put them in water, thinking all the time what a special thing to have a boy bring me flowers from the yard!
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"If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me." Jeremiah 29:13-14

As long as it is called Today: Christian women/men (February)

Welcome to our second month of As long as it is called Today! Our focus on the first Friday of the month is to encourage one another as Christian women and men. I hope you will join me each week on Friday as we encourage each other in our daily lives as Christians, spouses, parents, and home keepers.


You can read answers to last week's question about winter memories by clicking here:


Random (January)

Today's question: Share your favorite passage on love from God's Word and why it is special to you.

My answer: I love the passage I John 4:7-12. These verses really sum up for me who God is and how we're supposed to live as His followers.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

Please leave your answer in the comments and be sure to come back next week to read every one's response.

Have a great day!

Thankful Thursday: Change

It's time again for Thankful Thursday. The theme this week is Change.

How do you feel about change? If you are like me, change is difficult. I like my routine, and I don't like things to mess it up. If I have something planned I don't like to be interrupted and force me to change my plans. I've tried to learn though that change can be good. Change is part of life, part of growing. I remember when Caleb was a baby I knew eventually he would eat table food and I'd no longer be nursing him. I just couldn't imagine this looking ahead to it. When it happened though, it was a gradual change and I knew it was time. The same is happening now as I look forward to him heading off to kindergarten. It is going to be a big change to have him at school most of the day instead of with me as he has been these past (almost) four and a half years. Right now I can't really imagine how different things will be for us but I know at the same time this change is necessary.

At the same time I ask myself would I not want things to change? Would I want things to always stay the same? The answer is obviously no. If changes didn't happen then that would mean Caleb wasn't growing and developing physically as he should. God made us to change both physically and spiritually. He doesn't want us to stay in the same place. He wants to see us grow and develop. He gives us opportunity to grow in Him and to develop our skills and abilities. How are you growing and developing? Are you having a good attitude as you go through the stages of change? Do you look forward to it with anticipation or with a heart of fear?

Thinking of changes in my life, this week I'm thankful for....

~ my husband. I love to see how God has worked in his life and changed him over the past seven and a half years. He has grown so much in his relationship with Christ in the time we've been married and it is such a blessing to me to watch this.

~ my son. There are things about each age and stage as he's changed that I love and cherish. I'm thankful he didn't just stay a baby but that I've gotten to experience his baby days and toddler days and all the joys those brought.

~ weather. Isn't it nice that God gives us different kinds of days to enjoy and the seasons change?

~ changes in me. I am thankful that in some ways I can be the same and don't want to change who I am but other areas I want to constantly grow into who God is making me.

Give thanks and join us; we're back at Grace Alone this week.

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"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

2009 Book #5: Green Goes With Everything

I finished my fifth book of the year. I checked this one out from the library. It is called Green Goes With Everything by Sloan Barnett. Since I have been thinking about "green" lately with one of my goals for the year to be more conscious of what I'm doing to take care of the planet, I thought this book would be an interesting read.

It was very alarming actually to read all the dangers lurking everywhere on products we use daily. Many are things I knew about because of my husband's experience, like pesticides on the lawn or home cleaning products. But other things were included in the book I had not given much thought to the dangers, like the mattress, carpet, and air fresheners.

The author's son developed asthma. This started her on her quest to learn to "live green." In this book she discusses dangers involved in using everyday products and alternatives for them. The topics include food, water, baby products, personal care products, air, and energy.

She has a list of online resources at the back of the book as well which I scanned over. I have not checked these out yet. Here is a list of some I wrote down though:

Shaklee This is her husband's company and is mentioned a lot throughout the book. At times it seems like the book is a big advertisement for Shaklee products.

The Green Guide She mentions this one several times throughout the book. It is a good resource to find what to look for when purchasing new products for your home and family.

Green Home Guide

Green Goes with Everything

Reading this book has been beneficial to me. I don't plan to rid my house of every product she mentioned in the book, but I do feel I can take steps to being more "earth friendly." We are using up our nonrenewable energy so quickly. This is something we can all improve on by taking simple steps, like recycling, taking shorter showers, turning off lights, and unplugging appliances that aren't in use. I would recommend this book.

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"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1

A monumental occasion!

Last night was FPU lesson #4 Dumping Debt. It is such a wonderful lesson, and I love the stories told by Dave Ramsey. Since my husband is the coordinator I'd looked ahead in his book and realized last night was the night it said to cut up the credit card. We've talked about this for a while. To be honest it always made me nervous! We really don't have any reason to keep the thing. Still I was nervous about actually cutting it up. Just as Dave talks about in the movie, we get these feelings associated with our card that we can't get rid of it, we've had it since college, it was my first credit card, etc. These were the feelings I had--it was my first credit card and I'd had it since college. Also, it had a picture of ACU on the card of Chapel on the Hill where we got married.

I'm happy to say though we did cut up our card last night. It was a good thing to do, and I hope others in the class will join us in future weeks in saying NO to our culture who thinks we have to have credit cards to live. That is just a myth we've come to believe as truth.
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"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." Proverbs 22:7

Marriage Monday: The Surprise of Christian Marriage

Want this button?

Today is Marriage Monday! I've really enjoyed participating in this monthly gathering over at the blog Chyrsalis. You can visit other participants or link up over at Lynn's today.

Here is today's topic: Fire up your keyboard and tell us something that really rocked your world after you got married. Was it a blessing? Or a disappointment? Was it something you were completely unprepared for? Tell us how you handle the unexpected in your relationship.

I have thought about the topic for a few days. I tried to think of what surprised me about marriage and nothing really jumped out at me at first. From the beginning marriage has been such a blessing to me and so much more than I ever expected. One big surprise I have had through the years is something I heard people say before but never understood till I experienced it myself. The surprise: how I continue to love my husband more with each passing day and year. Some moments I just feel so overwhelmed with love for him. I thought we were so in love on our wedding day and couldn't imagine how I could ever love him more than on that day. It has been such a wonderful blessing to feel that love grow through the years. I am so thankful for this love we share in our marriage.

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"In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself." Ephesians 5:28

Proverbs & Prayers: Week #5

This past week Caleb memorized "Fear the Lord and shun evil." We talked about what the word "shun" means as well as "evil." These are two words a four year old doesn't understand. We told him it means run away from bad things. Looking at the rest of the verse, how many times do we think we have all the answers yet we discover we do not.

This week's verse is also from Proverbs 3.

Proverbs 3:9--"Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops."

Do you have a prayer request this week? Please let me know if I can add you to my prayer list.

I will be praying for:

~ Baby Harper. I mentioned this newborn a couple of weeks ago. Praise God she is out of NICU and in her own room.

~ Wesley. He will be having brain surgery this week.

~ our troops. I heard a reminder on the radio to pray for our troops and their families.
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"Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day." Psalm 96:2