It's the Little Things in Life that Makes Me Smile...

Go Read This Amazing Account

Please head over to Mommy Life and read this incredible account of God at work in this present day. Praise God for His bringing up leaders such as Ted Harvey to put a light on the lies of Planned Parenthood.

My question is this: How would pro-abortion people feel if their own mothers did it? It's alright as long as it doesn't affect them... And they would be lying again if they said it wouldn't matter. That would be saying their lives are as unimportant or as non-precious as the babies they want aborted ~ which runs contrary to everything they are fighting for in the first place: "It's all about me and my rights."

It is just another step away from euthanasia. And it is here. Does anyone remember Terri Schiavo?

St. Louis Revisited

Well it seems to be the week of pictures for this blog...

I just received some pictures from the surprise golfing and dinner party for Andy. I only got about 25 pictures, but I am going to save you some grief and only post a few of them that are of me mostly... Hey, it's my blog and I like them.

Dinner: I think that's my best side, but what sad posture! Matt and I were mauwing on the onion strings. We were sooo happy when no one else wanted any... Yum. Oh, and that guy in the very back is Nate, my guest blogger. What a good sport!

Andy opening one of the gifts that I, er I mean, my boss got him.

(Side note: We got into the truck to go to the dinner, and Kent had a gift for Andy. My boss said, "I don't have a gift for Andy!!! Oh man!" I looked straight at him and said, "You have a gift for Andy." My boss looked at me and smiled and said, "Of course I have a gift for him. Why wouldn't I? That's because..." (and here he paused). I said, "I would so love for you to finish that sentence" and then smiled sweetly. He said almost with awe and I think disbelief, "That's because I have a great assistant."

And that, my dear friends, makes going to work a little sweeter.

That's my boss. He is a pretty good guy.

Andy and I at the dinner party. Can you tell he was out in the sun all day? (Okay, I really like the way this picture turned out. I'm so vain.)

Finding God in the Strangest Places

Mostly when I listen to music, I have my radio tuned to the Christian music station. I don’t listen to it exclusively, but I have found myself wanting to get away from all the sexual innuendos and utterly perverted lyrics that many groups use in the secular arena. But every now and then, when the Christian stations plays a song that bores me to tears or makes me feel that I would rather be pushing wood slivers under my fingernails, then I do the old seek and find.

Now for me, the words can make a break a song. I can hear a song once and if I like it, I will have a lot of it memorized for the next time that I hear it. Don’t get me wrong; I like the music too, but if the words really speak to me or the lyrics are very applicable to where I’m at in life or some emotions that I’m feeling, I will overlook some of the notes to like the song.

Have you gone to the pop stations and listen to the words of songs? It is amazing how many of the songs – especially love songs – that if viewed from a Christian perspective, can be songs for Jesus or God? It amazes me how often people will listen to these songs for a human relationship, but they will deny that they apply for any relationship with our heavenly Father.

Take Hoobastank’s “The Reason” for an example.

I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish i didnt do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
That's why I need you to hear

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

and the reason is you
and the reason is you
and the reason is you

I not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that i do
And the reason is you

It is about the regret of one person for the way he treated his love. But when you see it through spiritual glasses, you can see that this is a perfect “understanding the love of Christ” song.

I’ve hurt you (with my sins), I wish that I could undo my past (but I can’t), so I’ll change who I used to be (a sinner) and have a new start on life and you Jesus are the reason for this change.

Or Lifehouse’s “Falling Even More In Love With You”:

Desperate for changing
Starving for truth
Closer to where I’ve started
Chasing after you

I'm falling even more in love with you
Letting go of all I've held onto
I'm standing here until you make me move
I'm hanging by a moment here with you

Forgetting all I'm lacking
Completely incomplete
I'll take your invitation
You take all of me

Now.. I'm falling even more in love with you
Letting go of all I've held onto
I'm standing here until you make me move
I'm hanging by a moment here with you

I'm living for the only thing I know
I'm running and not quite sure where to go
I don't know what I'm diving into
Just hanging by a moment here with you

There's nothing else to lose
Nothing left to find
There's nothing in the world
That could change my mind

There is nothing else…
There is nothing else…
There is nothing else

Desperate for changing
Starving for truth
Closer to where I’ve started
Chasing after you

I'm falling even more in love with you
Letting go of all I've held onto
I'm standing here until you make me move
I'm hanging by a moment here with you

I'm living for the only thing i know
I'm running and not quite sure where to go
I don't know what I'm diving into
Just hanging by a moment here with you
Just hanging by a moment(here with you)
Hanging by a moment…(here with you)
Hanging by a moment...(here with you)
Hanging by a moment here with you...

Or “Everywhere” by Michelle Branch:

Turn it inside out so I can see
The part of you that's drifting over me
And when I wake you're--you're never there
And when I sleep you're--you're everywhere
You're everywhere

Just tell me how I got this far
Just tell me why you're here and who you are
'Cause every time I look You're never there
And every time I sleep You're always there

'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes it's you I see
You're everything I know
That makes me believe I'm not alone
I'm not alone

I recognize the way you make me feel
It's hard to think that you might not be real
I sense it now, the water's getting deep
I try to wash the pain away from me
Away from me

'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes it's you I see
You're everything I know
That makes me believe I'm not alone
I'm not alone
I am not alone Whoa, oh, oooh, oh

And when I touch your hand
It's then I understand
The beauty that's within
It's now that we begin
You always light my way
I hope there never comes a day
No matter where I go
I always feel you so

'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes it's you I see
You're everything I know That makes me believe
I'm not alone

'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I catch my breath
It's you I breathe
You're everything I know That makes me believe
I'm not alone

You're in everyone I see
So tell me
Do you see me?

So try it yourself. Take the time to listen to them and see what words can apply to our relationship with the Father. There are so many more than I can name or even think of right now.

But it goes to show you that you can find God in anything… if you will just look for Him.

WFMW - Coffee Dates

You know how it is. You date people, find the right person, date, marry, date, have kids, raise kids, pay bills, sleep when you can, grow older and live life.

Do you notice how dating seems to disappear? There just doesn't seem to be time for that when you are bringing up a family, working, keeping house, doing things for church, being there for friends. But this one activity is so vital to keeping romance and connection in your marriage. You NEED to date your spouse even after - especially after- you marry, to keep it fun and lively and loving.

If you are anything like me, you don’t have the money it takes to pay a sitter and go out. If we did that, all we could do was sit in the driveway and then go back in after the allotted time. So Mr. Right and I do something else to make sure we have time for each other.

We have coffee dates. During the school year, our children have before and after school childcare. We just make sure that we plan ahead, get them there when the childcare opens, and then we meet at the coffee shop for our time. It is only 30 minutes at the most, but we use it wisely. We sit and talk to each other about stuff.

Most of the time, it is not about the kids. We talk that enough as it is. We use the time to talk about dreams, feelings, struggles, prayer needs… things that get pushed aside with the daily grind. And it is a time to reconnect with each other, to remind each other that we are still happy to be pledged to each other in marriage, to say I’m happy that you are a part of my life.

I would love to say that we do it weekly, but that doesn't happen. So try bi-monthly or monthly to start out. You’ll wish it were more soon enough.

I know it won’t work for everyone, but if you can make this work, you will not regret the time spent on building up and maintaining your marriage.

For some other lovely ideas, head over to Shannon’s for some good stuff!

More Lunch Pics 2

More fun pics...

Yap, yap, yap...

Now that's a conversation I would want to be in on...

Addie and Rebekah (That's a great picture!)

Michelle times 2

Kristy and Addie... another good pic!

Jamie, Jules, Chili and Shannon... They laughed a lot on that corner of the group!

Carnival Time

Hey it's carnival time with the girls over at Blogging Chicks. This is Michele's third Carnival, and you'll just have to click the link to find out what it's about :)

More Lunch Pics

A few more pics of the lunch

Enjoying the grub

I have no idea what is going on here... honestly. (But I'm loving the food...)

Waitress Shannon

Me and KPJara (I love that girl!)

Jamie - crawling under to make room...

Hey! Who took that picture... It's photoshopped! For Real! (Hee Hee Hee)

For the record, I wasn't the only trickster there...

Lunch of Bloggers (Take Two)

Round one goes to Shalee. (Thanks for the prayers to make Blogger behave!)

The Gang...

I am still giddy over this entire weekend… Still smiling and wishing it had lasted Saturday and Sunday. Why, oh why, does time go so quickly when you are having a blast?

Sarah, Lammy Ann and KPJara

At the lunch at a Oklahoma Joe’s, (Jules – you were so right that it is a great BBQ place in KC… who’d have known?), we monopolized an entire section of the seating area. It was ours for the duration, even if they wanted us to leave. Although I neglected to get nametags for everyone, we quickly adapted and made nametags out of the napkins and tucked them into our shirts. Hey, what can I say? We are women of real genius. We sat and talked and ate and talked and laughed and talked some more. Half way through, a few of us did a “speed-dating” move to switch it up and talk to new people. The laughs continued, just in a new spot.

Janna and Aunt Murray (Mary)

I don’t believe anyone felt left out or unwelcomed, and that is a wonderful feeling to have when you’re the organizer. I think I pondered that situation for all of two seconds and then I knew that these ladies would never do that to each other. We all understand the meaning of acceptance and unconditional love in that context.

Strangely enough, I don’t think we talked blogging too much. There was some here and there, but for the most part, we mostly wanted to know each other. The real person behind the blog. And that was another moment of validation. We see each other as more than a bloggers; we see each other as friends. And it is so nice to see that you can make 18 new friend so quickly and easily. Even HolyMama could do it!

Addie and Beka

My Mr. Right was the only man there, not for excluding males though. He came because I promised to buy him lunch if he would be the photographer for the event. I think I had him at food.

After two hours of sitting and talking, we decided to break out of the restaurant. Over half of the ladies had to leave for home, while a handful of us went back to Jules’ house (thanks Jules!) for coffee and more chat time. What a blessing that was! A much more intimate discussion group that let everyone get involved, share concerns, iterate points of views… It really was a great bonding experience.

Look at that! I'm sitting next to Antique Mommy! She even let me kiss her famous shoes!

At about 5:30 we broke into a smaller group again because kpjara and her sister Michelle had to head back to Oklahoma, Aunt Murray had to go home for some much needed rest, and Antique Mommy had to catch a flight to Texas. (For the record, I love that woman as much as I thought I would, plus she paid me the highest compliment in my book. She said that I was like a little sister to her… Wait, you didn’t mean the bratty kind that would leave you alone, did you? Oh that could be so bad for me…) I was so sad to see them go as we had been having such splendid, heart-warming conversations.

So I invited Shannon, Chilihead and Jules over for dinner at my really clean house, thanks to my wonderful friend John. (He came over and cleaned my kitchen and dusted for me. I traded him breakfast for his energy. We both got a great deal!) Jules opted out so that she could feed her men and spend some time with them. So it was a really intimate gathering of four at my house. And what an exceptional time that was! One on one time with Shannon (who is as endearing in person as she is on her blog) and Chilihead (who is as funny and as likable in person as I expected her to be. She almost didn’t come this weekend and I would have missed out on her loveliness and her kindred spirit. Thank you so much for changing your mind, Chili!)

After a wonderful dinner conversation, we headed to Cold Stone Creamery for some fabulous ice cream. Boy were we all laughing at that gathering! Many of the customers kept looking at us with either awe and wonderment or with bewilderment. Why is it that others stare when people really are having a great time? And we weren’t even being annoying! Oh well, some people just don’t know how to have fun.

It was a beautiful night for ice cream, even if Jules couldn't keep her hands off my waffle cone. She was constantly stealing bites...

The last thing I said to Shannon and Chilihead was, “You need to come back when we do this next year!” and they both said, “Next year? We need to do this quarterly!”

That, my friend, makes the entire planning worthwhile. But the next one will need to be in January because I’m going to the gathering in Dallas in October. I’d love to meet you all there if you can make it, but I get first dibs on Antique Mommy’s guest room. I want to play with Sean!

Antique Mommy definitely having a great Mary Tyler Moore day!

PS. If you want to see the logs of everyone who attended, check out Shannon's post at Rocks in My Dryer. I'm not going to reinvent the wheel...

PS again... I'll just post pictures throughout the day if Blogger will let me. There were so many more pictures taken that need to be enjoyed.

Prayers Please

For the record, I had this post done and blogger dropped it all! I had tons of pictures on it too... ARRRRRRRG!

I'll post about the lunch once I have a little smack down time in round one with Blogger. In the mean time, pray that Blogger changes its ugly ways.

But more importantly, please pray for my friend Susan and her mother Kay. Kay is being rushed to surgery as we speak to try to get the blood flowing to her pancreas. It's a 50/50 odds of recovery. Susan is frantically trying to fly to see her. Kay is such a strong soldier for Christ; please pray that God will allow her to still be a servant for Him in the years to come.

Lunch and Night of Bloggers: Recap

Lunch of Bloggers: Random Recordings 2

Lunch of Bloggers: Random Recordings

Shalee, aka Martha (and no, I don't mean Stewart)

One day... Just one day. That's all I have to wait until I get to see some new friends face to face.

I awoke this morning at 4 AM all excited about the lunch tomorrow. And then I thought, "Oh man. I invited them to my house. What was I thinking?! Must clean!"

There's dust everywhere from the work we've been doing on the dining room. The chair rails need to be tacked on the walls. The dining room needs spot painting. The window needs to be washed. The floors need to be mopped. The table must be cleared of papers so that we can sit at it. The back deck needs to be swept. The bathrooms need a run through to make sure there is TP in every one. The vacuum needs to be ran. The sidewalk needs to be swept. The grass needs to be cut...

Mr. Right got up at 6:30, came and gave me a hug in all my mind-boggling thoughts (and dish cleaning), told me to relax because he would help and then reminded me that you guys won't care about the house so much as you will the fellowship, food and fun. Then he made me breakfast.

I am so blessed to have a little bit of God's wisdom living in my house. Not to mention, a really good helpmate who will do the vacuuming for me.

Now I'm just looking forward to chatting with the girls.

My Mug Shot (Oh I'm So Ashamed To Admit That I Have One)

Did you think I meant a real, honest to goodness, I've been to jail mugshot? Shame on you! I've told you what kind of person I was here, just look at the naughtiest childhood behavior to see how bad I was... How could you even think that? Good Night Nurse!

Antique Mommy tagged me with this different meme, and I, for one, could not pass it up, even though I have a few others that I think I have yet to do. (If I've missed your tag for a meme, would you please let me know? I've slept since then and can't remember squat sometimes.)

Anyway... it's a mug shot meme where I am to show my favorite mug, the one I reach for the most when I'm pouring that cup of coffee to get me going or the one I reach for the most when I'm having dessert or the one that I... Well you get the idea.

So here is the one I hold the most.

The picture on the side sums up why I need the cup in the first place. I don't know why I settled on this cup as being "mine", but I did. I do know how to share though, so if you are coming to my house on Saturday after the Lunch of Bloggers get-together (I just had to put it in there again... email me if you want to come and I'll give you the details.) and you reach for that mug, I'll let you use it. I know that I'll get to use it in the morning.

But to be quite honest, I'll take most any mug, as long as it is full of great coffee with a bit of cream. Truly, I am not that picky when it comes to getting my fix. I've been known to use a sippy cup when that was all I could find. Hey, I know no limits when it comes to getting a much needed cup of joe.

So let's see... I challenge Addie from Life with Little Women, BooMama (I love her tag line!), Stacey from Just Me and My Guys, kpjara from Can You Hear Me Now and f-stop steve (I had to pick you. You have a photoblog!) to show us your mug shots and go ahead and tell us with what you like to have yours filled. Curious minds want to know!

Bald Is Beautiful... Right?

WFMW - Audioblogging

I've had several people ask how I audioblog. I would like to make you think that I am some super-smart whiz, a woman who is on the cutting edge of technology, who knows all the next "in" thing, but then I remember that you read my blog and know that I would be absolutely lying. So let me just share with you how I stumbled upon learned to audioblog.

First you go to the Audioblogger site.

Then you follow the directions. It's three very easy steps to set it up.

It's that simple.

The only drawback is that you have to have a Blogger account. I don't know if there is a typepad or another audioblogging system available for the other blog hosts. Oh, and there has been a couple of times that my post has vanished. But most of the time, they show up about 20 seconds after I end the call.

If you are anything like me, then you will set it up and not do anything with it for months until you get the courage to blog via your voice which you will think is too nasally and you will worry that your post will sound stupid or boring. But then you will think, "I don't care. I gotta be me!" and life will be good again, especially when someone calls you a "techno wizard." Yeah, it's really good then.

1 + 1 = 3?

Just checking my math here… We dropped two kids off, but we came back with three. Head count – one daughter, one son… and one cat. Yep, we’ve added to our family.



So we went to pick up the kids from Memphis and while we were waiting for them to arrive with the grandparents, I told this story to my “other mother.” (You know, the one who took you in and loved on you throughout childhood.)

Last month out of the blue, my daughter asked me if I thought she was responsible. I thought about it and replied, “Yeah, for the most part you are pretty responsible. We have to remind you of a few things, but mostly, you do very well with the tasks given to you.”

She smiled really big and said, “Can I have a pet then?!”

That dirty dog… Trapped by my own daughter… I can’t be mad. It’s something I would have done. Mr. Right and I have always said that we could get a pet when a) we lived in a house b) we could afford it and c) the kids were responsible enough to take care of it.

So I told this story to Lou and she said, “Would you like a really sweet cat? She needs a home…”

Back story for the cat: One Christmas two years ago, Ellen (Lou’s granddaughter) rescued a little kitten that someone had left on the side to the street to die, right by Roger and Lou’s house. They feed, warmed and revived the cat, all the time wondering what they would do with it. Roger’s mother took the cat and loved it. She did all she could to make sure that the cat was healthy and well cared for. But Roger’s mother passed away at the beginning of May. They have been dealing with all the things that comes with a death of a loved one. They have just now been thinking about what to do with the cat when I told my story and said that we will be getting a pet by the end of the summer.

So Mr. Right and I went over to check out the cat. I don’t want a cat if it is just going to ignore me. I want a pet that wants to be petted, who has great character and who will fit into our family. Lou was right! She really was a sweet cat. We fell in love the moment we saw her.

Now the big deal would be that my daughter is allergic to some cats, so we did a test run. We told the kids (after they got there) that we needed to go feed the cat, and the kids had a hay day. They petted her, they loved on her, they talked to her. No reactions to the cat so far. My daughter asked who would take care of the cat now that Tutu (Roger’s mom) was gone. I told her that we would if she and her brother would be willing to care for her. They both were wonderfully surprised and conceded to the tasks.



We tried to come up with a name for her. After throwing several names around (Daughter-Princess; Son – Supercat; Mr. Right – Oreo; me – Memphis), we settled on this one: Tennessee Ellen, but that’s just for when she’s in trouble. We’re calling her Tenni, and she actually comes when called.



It’s been nice adding to our family. Now if we can just train her to not scratch my new couches, we’ll be just fine.

I AM Alive

Mr. Right Saw THE Picture...

Listen To My Heart

God has been putting something on my heart lately. It's about you, so I thought I would take the time to share it with you. It is not something that most people say, so I hope you won't take it the wrong way. But I hope you will know that it comes from the deepest, remotest part of me.

I love you. Yep, you read that right. I love you.

Yes you, the one sitting at the computer still in this morning's pjs. You who have coffee stains on the front of your shirt. You who are trying to figure out what to make for dinner... I love you all. You are adorable and delightful in my eyes.

Yes you, the one trying to find a moment's peace over the summer break, with kids running everywhere, whose hair is now shorter just from pulling it out.

I love you - the one who really can do all things, be all things to all people, the ones who really know who they are and where they are going. You give me hope that I too can achieve such lofty goals.

You, the one who sits at work, wishing to be somewhere else, I love you.

I especially love you working moms. I know the struggle you face each day of holding two jobs - full time employee and full time mom. It's tough, but you can do it.

You who are rich I love, not because of your money, for that doesn't define you. I love you because you are worth more than gold.

I love you who are poor and I don't mean the charity love, but the love that knows that even though times are tough, you smile and have faith that God will keep you in the palm of your hands.

I love you all. It makes no difference your religious (or lack of religious) background. I love you no matter your race, sex, political view, whether you are straight ot gay, whether you agree with my views or not. You are valued beyond measure to me.

You who are young and think that no one notices you, that you are unimportant - think again. I love you with all of your mistakes, all your growing pains, all your blemishes. (And just for the record, time can help you to forget the mistakes, pains and blemishes. You will be able to look back and see who beautiful you are now.)

I love you who look perfect but feel empty inside. Your beauty runs deeper than your pretty eyes and flawless skin. I love you for the being within you, the precious you that the skin and hair covers.

I love you, the shy one, the one who thinks "Nobody likes me" or "I'm not pretty enough" or "I don't look/act like everyone else." Those are lies that you need to remove from your mind. I like you, I think you're stunning and I'm glad you aren't like everyone else. How boring would that be!

Those who cannot love yourselves? I love you too, for you need to know that you are beautifully and wonderfully made. That it is only in receiving and accepting love that you can ever know true happiness. If you cannot love yourself, then you cannot accept that others find you radiant and cherishable.

Those who are single, I love you. You are so precious to me. Don't think that because no one is bound to you in marriage that you aren't important to others.

For those of you who are married and madly in love with your spouse, I love you. Thank you for the example you give to me.

For those of you who are in marriages that are loveless, please hear that you are loved by me. May you let God rekindle the fire within you that drew you together.

For you single parents, I love and respect your commitment to raise your children without the help of a spouse. Thank you for being such an example of strenghth.

I love you, you who have had an ugly past, who have made some bad calls, who regret decisions along the way. Those things don't define you. They just are markers that I call experience. I love you despite/because of them. (By the way, no one in this world today has had a perfect past. Please don't let yours keep you from loving and accepting the love of others.)

Unwed mothers, I love you and I praise you for taking the hard road and not the "easy" way out.

Those of you who are longing for children, I love you and pray that God will fill you with peace as you hope for a child of your own.

Those of you who are homeless, I love you. Having no place to lay your head doesn't make you less valuable that the person with one. May others who know you are there, see you and give you a helping hand of kindness.

Those of you who are sick, I love you and pray that your pain will end, that you will be healed, and that you will find comfort in the arms of those caring for you.

I love you my dear sister in Christ who is angry with me for speaking words of love to you. You didn't want to hear them, but that doesn't mean they didn't need to be said. I pray that God will soften your heart and see that you are not being judged, just being loved.

I love you who are struggling with your purpose, your reason for being, you who are wondering if you are important in this life. You are so important! You are so needed! You are loved more than you know, even if you cannot see it right now.

And for those who I have hurt or have not actively shown my love, for those I have judged and found failing, for those who do not equate Shalee with love, please forgive me and let me try again. I am just a struggling, imperfect person who wants so desperately to have a do-over to get it right.

To all of you, and to those who I did not name, I freely give you my heart and ask for you to accept it. You don't have to return your love to me. This is a love with no strings attached, no conditions. It's a gift to you whether you take it or not. If you don't want it, don't worry. It's not a limited, one-time offer. It will be right there if you change you mind.

People just don't take the time to show love - real, honest-to-goodness, you-are-more-important-than-me kind of love anymore. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. It needed to be said... and you really needed to hear it.

Secret Revealed

****UPDATED****

Pictures of the infamous day of golf

Notice that the ball is still on the ground? That happened more times that I can count.

Look VERY closely and you will see one of the few times I connected. Not well mind you, but a connection none the less...

And for the record, I think I look really cute in my new golf clothes. I may just have to put them on and run around a course. I may not be able to play, but I can look good doing it!

Cannot Even THINK Straight Today

First of all, I don't know what happened to my fingers over the weekend. They have decided to forget how to type... This will not bode well for me today at work, I think, especially since I will have a week's worth of stuff to do on this one day.

This week I will be out of town on a (clear throat) business trip. (Wink Wink Nudge Nudge Say no more, say no more.) I'm going out of town to do something that I cannot mention at this point because it is a surprise, but I will tell you all about it later, via audioblog. I fully expect it to be a fun time, even though I will be making a complete fool of myself... It's a really good thing that I have experience with this bit of talent. I can just chalk it up to being the comedy relief! And just for the record, my boss knows and approves and is going, so work will just have to keep until I get back.

Which will be the following Monday because Mr. Right and I taking off Thursday and Friday to pick up these two kids from Memphis.
















And I MISS THEM LIKE CRAZY! Okay, I feel better know.

Plus, I will get to see my folks and the folks that are my "other parents" who I love dearly and all my "siblings" from that family. And I get to have the world's best BBQ in a place where they KNOW how to make it. That will have to do me for a while...

Our dining room is not done yet, but it looks sooooooo much better than it did before we started on it. And I must say that all the sanding will push up my yearly dusting because you really can engrave your name on any piece of furniture or on any shelf and see it from 10 feet away. That is just so sad..

But I will have it done (it being the dining room and the dusting) before June 24th for the "Lunch of Bloggers." If want to join me and about 20 other ladies for a fantastic time, just remember to email me so that I can give you the details. It looks like fun, food and fellowship are on the menu for that day!

Oh, and my owie is healing, even though it keeps weeping almost everyday. It was really bad the first 3 days... I couldn't even keep a bandaid on it. But it is starting to do what God intended the body to do. It's ugly, but it's healing. It just means no short skirts for a while. (I only mean above the knee, so don't anyone write to me about not wearing short skirts!)

That's all I have time for right now. Just say a prayer for us for the traveling and don't worry if you don't see me around the blogdom this week. (No - Mr. Right has NOT killed me yet for posting that picture of him, mainly because he doesn't know about it yet. Remember busted computer at home? God really does work in wonderous ways...)

Why God Made Moms

BRILLIANT answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions. How strange that there is a lot of truth in it...

Why did God make mothers?

1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother & not some other mom?

1. We're related
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?

1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goofball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?

1. Moms work at work and work at home & dads just go to work at work. (This one is my FAVORITE!)
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

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Now I had someone ask my kids these same questions and here were their answers. A hearty thanks to John for his taking the kids for a while so that Mr. Right and I could have a coffee date they would have a chance to answer these questions without us around.

My daughter is almost 10; my son is lucky he made it to 6. No, the answers were not changed... at all.

Why did God make mothers?

D: Because he loves them very much.

S: To have babies.

How did God make mothers?

D: With his own hands.

S: He used his powers and put them down here.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

D: He took a little dust and made them, and then he put a heart in them.

S: Some skin and some bones and some eyeballs. (This one had me cracking up!)

Why did God give you your mother & not some other mom?

D: Because he knew that she was the perfect match - just for me.

S: So I could love on her.

What kind of little girl was your mom?

D: Just like me!

S: Playing.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

D: Is he a Christian? Does he follow God's rules? Does he treat her good?

S: Find out if he was good or bad.

Why did your mom marry your dad?

D: He was a Christian; she loved him very much, and he loved her.

S: Because Dad looked handsome and she looked pretty.

Who's the boss at your house?

D: Mom and Dad

S: Mom and Dad

(Sha here: We've got them trained right!)

What's the difference between moms & dads?

D: Mom is a girl, and Dad is a boy; but they both love me.

S: Short hair and long hair. (I think we have some educating to do on this question...)

What does your mom do in her spare time?

D: She reads. She does laundry. She reads.

S: Lies in bed. (Sha here again: That would be at 11 PM at night to about oh, 5:30 the next morning. See, I have sooo much spare time to lie about...)

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

D: She doesn't need anything. She's perfect just the way she is. (Sha: Okay... That one made me cry it's so sweet.)

S: Just give her love.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?

D: Sometimes she needs to be more patient and let me finish my sentences. (YIKES!!!)

S: Make her play with me everyday after school. (I'm making more playdates with that boy. I'd better work on some of my Transformer moves...)

I'm really glad they answered these questions... it reminds me that I have so much to learn in motherhood and so much love to appreciate. Plus, now I have so much to think about in all that spare time...

TT 9

For those of you who didn't/couldn't hear my audio blog from Saturday, the Lord has graciously found a way for me to get around daycare this summer because really, we just could not afford it. And He started the plan for it all several years ago. Here's how:

In His divine wisdom, which is perfect as we all know, He knocked enough sense into my brother to lead him into marrying one of the world's greatest women, who happened to be one of by closest friends. One of the best attributes about Gina is the fact that family means something to her. She longs to have all her family know all the other family members and she will go to great lengths to see that it is done, even though we all live several hundreds of miles apart.

So this summer she asked for my kids to come down and to visit for a couple of weeks. In Florida. To have lots of fun in the sun and with the cousins, aunts and uncles and the grandparents.

So now I give you the 13 reasons I wish I was my kid this summer.

1. Being with Aunt Gina, eating popcorn and playing farkle
2. Beach... nuff said.
3. Playing with all my cousins
4. Eating Grandma's food
5. Staying up late
6. Watching great movies with the group
7. Shopping for fun stuff
8. Grandma's birthday parties even if it's not my birthday
9. Swimming in the pool
10. Time to read, play or to complain about being bored
11. Fresh seafood
12. Not having to paint the dining room

And the 13th reason for being my kid this summer...

Not having to look at this All. Summer. Long.

1. 

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Shalee's Diner Is Open For Business

So yesterday, I so innocently requested a "Like Joshua" Link from Jules at Everyday Mommy, one of my new cohorts in crime in the KC area. She so willingly obliged and then she sent this note.

Jules: I think it's time we did a custom topper for your blog...don't ya' think?

Me: What are you saying?!! Is it all that boring and lifeless as I think it seems too? Yeah, I know I need a change too…

Jules: You are SO much more shiny & bright and you deserve a design that says that. Wanna' let me design something for you?

Me: Let's yap about it and see what will fit for me…

Jules: Great! Give me an idea...is there anything you've been longing to see up there? I may have an afternoon to myself today! I can hop on the Mac and fire up Illustrator & Photoshop...Throw some ideas my way!

Me: Okay, see now here is where we run into a problem… That lack of creativity thing from yesterday’s post? That applies here. I know that I’m not all girly, country artsy, or really retro. I like to have lots of fun. My favorite color is red. I’m pretty much winging it as I go along in life. I don’t know that any one things defines me. I am a Christian mom, loving wife, full of laughter (mostly at myself). I like to read, clown around, sing, cook, host others in my home, make/eat pies. Not much in the way to help you huh? Call me when you get a second. I’ll chat with you about it.

And the word that caught her attention? Pie. Oh and avid, as in I’m an avid coffee drinker. She was taken by that one too.

We talked about pie and blurbs and coffee and it just hit her.

Jules: Where do you find pie?

Me: A coffee shop.

Jules: Yeah, a diner. That’s it! It’s you. It’s now…

Shalee: It’s perfect!

So I have Jules to thank so very deeply for this design that I absolutely love! She really can work wonders with the uncreative types. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And YOU get a pie sometime soon!

So here I am serving it out until you leave. What will it be honey? I’ve got all sorts of comfort foods. Lots of sides to choose. And the bottomless pot of coffee to share.

And don’t forget: There’s always room for pie.

Order’s UP! (Ding)

WFMW - Falling with Style

First of all, remember this WFMW... it looks like it will be quite a turnout if everyone shows!

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

Now for this weeks...

When you get up in the morning to go for a solo run and this happens:


















Here’s what you do.

First when you fall, you think “Not the cell phone!”

Then you think “Oh, man!” (Not once did a cuss word enter my mind. I am so proud of myself!)

The time it will take you to get up from the fall, retrieve the phone and keep running, will probably 2.4 seconds.

Don't look around to see if anyone saw you. You really can't redeem yourself from that kind fo disaster, so just keep running as if nothing had happened.

At the end of the run, go upstairs to wake someone like him. No NOT him, someone like him. This man has his hands full enough with me already as it is. He cannot take on anyone else...














Have him help you first by taking pictures of the injuries so that you may blog your WFMW post; then he will help to clean you up.

Then he will give you kisses to make it feel better.

Then he will take more pictures to show his handiwork.















Next, if he really loves you, he will give you a big cup of coffee to really make you feel better.

Then you dress in pants and a nice shirt so that no one at work will know what a dork you are, except for those who read the blog and will now call to give you a hard time.

Resist the urge to go find them and push them down. That is not Godly behavior.

Lastly, write up the post really (striving to not despise Blogger because it will not post all the pictures that you wanted to post) so that all your blog friends can leave comments like “Poor baby” or something like that so that you will feel the love, especially since you couldn’t crawl back into bed after your morning began like that.

Begging for sympathy works for me!

Go to Shannon's blog to get some real tips from others much more graceful than me.

Finally Gibee... I am doing the meme

About forever ago, I was tagged by Gibee at Kisses of Sunshine to do this tag. Being a woman of my word, if not timely, I will now commence my THIRD meme… And yes I now have a 4th to complete from Shannon… But I asked for it, so you really can’t blame her.

(I’m feeling mischievous today, so there is no telling what the answers will be. They may change from day to day. These are the ones that work for me today. If I filled it out two days from now, the answers may be different.)

What is your favorite word? I really love the word “sex”, mostly when used in a sentence by Mr. Right, as in “Let’s have sex!”

(I bet I just lost half the readers with that one. Let me check the Sitemeter… Yep, several readers gone after 3.8 seconds. For those of you still here, I’m forging on…)

What is your least favorite word? Leftovers or Brussels sprouts… it’s a toss up.

What turns you on spiritually, creatively, emotionally?
Spiritually: A really good lesson or reading scriptures and finding things for the first time. For example, when reading through John 12, I discovered for the first time that the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus as well because he had been raised from the dead? Or that Judas Iscariot was the money keeper for the disciples and he was called a thief because he helped himself to the purse for his own personal gain? (12:6) Or the reason that Jesus told the demons to be quiet and to not tell who he really was was to fulfill the scriptures in Isaiah? (Mark 1:25 and 34) Or the disciples, after watching first hand and gathering the remains from the feeding of the 5,000 still doubted and pondered how Jesus was going to feed another 4,000? Or when Jesus healed the man with Legion in him, he told him to go and tell how much God had done for him and the man went and told how much Jesus had done for him (inferring that God and Jesus were the same)? (Luke 8:39)

It’s as if God has opened my eyes to scriptures and I am seeing things for the first time.

Creatively: Well, I don’t really feel as if I am creative. I can’t even tell a joke all that well. See here for proof. Go read it…I’ll wait. Did you notice that there isn’t a single comment on it? Not one laugh or anything. That is so disappointing when I think something is funny or creative and everyone just stares at me as if I have horns coming out of my head. You don’t really want to look, but you can’t help it… Mr. Right disagrees with me on this opinion about myself. So, I would have to say that when I see a really good dish, I like to replicate it and make it better if possible. Will that qualify for creativity? If not, then I like to sing songs that go along with what is going on in the situation. For example, my kids are looking all over for a toy they want and I start singing U2’s “But I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” song.

Emotionally: An honest, open heart and all those hallmark commercials… I’m like a water tap with those!

What turns you off?
Spiritually: Gossipmongers/troublemakers and those who claim to love Christ, but show no desire to make the necessary changes to live as if they love Him

Creatively: Not being able to replicate said dish!

Emotionally: Someone not accepting me for who I am and trying to change me

What’s your favorite curse word? I say “fooey”, “My lands” and “Good Night Nurse!” when things just need to be exasperated. (I have been known to say worse… The stories on that will be coming soon.)

What sound or noise do you love to hear?
Sound: Mr. Right gently waking me up, while holding a cup of steaming coffee
Noise: My kids climbing into the bed for some morning snuggles and spooning.

What noise or sound do you hate?
Sound: “Uh oh! MOM!!!...”
Noise: The cash register going on and on and on, indicating that there will be no money in my checking account until the following payday. (And even then, there won’t really be any money to spend on things that are fun!) That or a power saw grinding.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Back up singer to Mercy Me or Faith Hill or Sting or someone fun sounding like that.

What profession would you not like to do? Abortion Clinic Doctor

If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say at the pearly gates? Well since I KNOW that heaven does exist, I have hope that God will say (after hugging me of course) “Welcome home Shalee. Let me show you to your room and then we’ll go party with the angels! Oh, and your brother Jesus has been just dying to see you!”

Whew. Another one done! That was way harder than I thought it would be, but still quite a bit of fun!

Alrighty then, it’s my turn to name a few. I again tag Susanne who is Living to tell the Story, but you will have to go to her new blog to read it (unless she wants to use my comments for old time sake… Nah!), Lori, aka Pezmama, at Ratting Around because she often makes milk come out my nose – and I’m not drinking any (nor am I lactating!), and Kate from The Tate School because there is one lady with who charms my socks off.

Celebration for momrn2 and DD!

Click here to see my kind of celebration for momrn2 and her darling daughter who is on the mend. Praise God!!!

Then go see Carol who has many others celebrating with you too!

Let Me Introduce You All To...

We all probably know her as "Susanne" as she calls herself on your comments. Probably because that is her name... Just a guess there. She is a certified blogger in the sense that she loves to peek into our lives and leave her comments about the things that we are going through in life, to offer encouragement, or to make us laugh.

But there was something missing in her comments. Her name was always just plain old black. No life, no blog, no link.

That was then; this is now!

Introducing (Ta da daaaaaaaaaaa!) Susanne who is Living to tell the Story. She is nervous and excited about sharing her views with you, but I know that you will rally around her and give her the blogging support she needs as a newbie in this blogging world.

Venture on over to her place and give her a warm welcome as she narrates about her life within the Story. She's ready to weave a nice yarn about life, kids, work and Christ, all knitted together to make a beautiful tapistry of insight.

Either that or to tell a story that will make coffee come out your nose... Maybe you should leave your cup on the counter when you make your way there.

Driving Through Hooker, Piggot and... Did that say Boogersville?