Oh, the joys of blogging

I was so excited to start my blog. I have always wanted a place to put my random thoughts. I never realized how hard it is to have random thoughts until I had to write them down everyday. What to focus on today....Hmm... That is the joy of a blog vs. writing a book. Each blog can stand individually and you can pick and choose your topic of the day. Today I want to write about holiday excitement. Once Halloween is over, it seems like the holidays fly by. There is so much planning to do. I have already made my menu for Thanksgiving. Every year we have the same foods. Tradition. We even have the same basic desserts: pumpkin pie, graham cracker pie, pecan pie and a chocolate cake or brownie for the ones who don't like pie. Being a list freak anyway, the holidays cause me to become fanatic about my lists. We all have our own little quirks and I can't believe I am airing mine on the Internet, but here it goes: Even my lists have lists. I start with your basic menu...a list of every dish we want to fix. I place it in an excel form. Then I go through each item and make a list of every ingredient that is needed to prepare the dish. Then I cross reference the items, remove duplicates and walah! You have an instant grocery list. I then check the kitchen cupboards, freezer and fridge to see what we have already and mark it off the list. Over the next month, we will slowly stock up on the canned goods and non-perishables so we don't have as much shopping to do the week of the big event. As we buy something, I mark it off my master list. Now for the really ironic part of all this. My husband does the cooking and the main shopping, I just go along for the ride. He just picks up things off the shelf he knows we need and I discretely mark it off my list. With my month of preparation and my intense list making, he gets up the morning of the final shopping trip, opens cabinet doors and checks the fridge and is able to mentally make the list of what we need. AND HE NEVER MISSES AN ITEM. Oh, to be able to be that good and not need a list.

God's Work

God truly works in mysterious ways, and sometimes he works FAST. I have been struggling all week over something and in my mind, it had become very stressful. In church yesterday morning, I gave up the fight and prayed about it. Twenty minutes after church was over my prayer was answered. Think of the aggravation I could have saved had I only prayed about it a week ago. How many times do you struggle with plans or situations only to find that God had the answer the whole time, you just forgot to ask him for it. It's much like watching your little one learning to tie his shoe. He will struggle and mess it up and have to start over and try again. Yet, you patiently have to stand there and wait for him to ask for help. Even though your first instinct is just to bend down and do it. Our relationship with God is much like that. He watches us as we struggle to handle what life throws our way. It must be difficult for Him to watch, knowing that all we have to do is ask and He will step in and take control. So when life's problems get you down, no matter how big or how little, just let go and let God. He will provide a way.

Sunday's

We grew up in church. In our family, you started church as soon as you were old enough to take into public after you were born. They had a cradle roll and all new babies had little cradles on the wall with their names on one. My parents did not drive so we would walk about a mile to church every Sunday morning. Bad weather didn't keep us away. Back then, women and girls did not wear pants to church. I remember weather so cold and bad that we would wear pants and galoshes under our dresses and then take them off when we got to church. Many Sunday's we would go to Mamaw Eden's for Sunday dinner after church services. The whole family we go. My parents and siblings, aunt's, uncle's, cousins. There would be about 20 of us in a little one bedroom apartment. I think back about what did we eat, who ate where, how did we all fit in there. I don't remember much of those details, but I do remember there was always ice tea and lemon. I grew up in a family of tea drinkers. They love their ice tea. There was always a pitcher of it ready at any family get together. I was the oddity. I did not and still do not drink tea. The only time in my life I ever drank tea was at Mamaw Eden's at those Sunday dinners. Never figured out why I did it then. If we didn't go to Mamaw's, then Mom always fixed a big Sunday dinner. And most importantly, we almost always had cake or pie. My favorites were chocolate cake with chocolate icing and a big bowl of cold peaches to go along with it. We also had spice cake with caramel icing, white cakes and yellow cakes, chocolate pie, graham cracker pie, and lemon meringue pie. Now I've made myself hungry. Think I'll whip up a cake for Sunday dinner today.

The Date

Over the years, a marriage grows stronger and love deepens for that special someone. There are articles written, debates given and TV advice given that provides us with a wealth of information on how to have a successful marriage. We each attribute our marriage longevity to various reasons and everyone has their own opinion. For me, I think the keep is to not only love each other, but to become best friends with your spouse. Think back to those first days when you met. The excitement of going out on a day. What time will he pick me up? Where will we go? What will I wear? Too many of us lose site of those oh so special early days of a relationship. We get "comfortable" in our marriage. We know longer need to make sure our hair is done and make up on before they see us. They have lived with us and know us at our best and at our worst. But that doesn't mean they no longer have those same feelings they had when you were dating. Dating your husband is one of the greatest joys in life. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate. Just a simple dinner out, going somewhere you normally don't go or going back to a special place you enjoy. It can be as simple as shopping together for a special item or getting out of the house for the day and just being together. And even though he loves you just the same, makeup or not, take a little time to look special just for him. So fix that hair and slat on a little makeup and go out and enjoy the day together.

When it's a good thing, it's a God thing.

Today is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing. Life is good. And I'm chained to my desk. The benefit of having your own business is being able to work your own hours and take off when you want. One of the bad points of having your own business is sometimes you just can't take off. Today is one of those days. It's 3:00 and I took a break to walk up to the mailbox and had 2 phone calls and 6 new emails while I was outside...and it's a short walk. Eighteen months ago, I woke up and thought "I'm going to quit my job and start my own business." So I did. That same day. I hoped to be able to do well enough to keep my head above water. The Lord has really blessed me. I have over 70 clients and stay very busy. He has also blessed me with a wonderful assistant who takes a lot of the pressure off just by being a good friend and letting me vent. I have worked over the years with many people who could not be trusted, who did not like to work, who did not care about the company they worked for. I thank the Lord everyday for sending me someone who's work ethics are like mine and who really enjoys what she does. She has been a Godsend since day one. When I decided to expand, I had someone in mind but didn't know if she wanted to work from home or not. One day, I just sent her an email and asked. She had been praying that very day to find work she could do from home. And, as they say, the rest is history. He knew what He was doing when he matched us together. Some may say it was coincidence, others may call it fate. But my friend and co-worker says it best ..... "It's a God thing."

The Way we Were

The older I get, the fonder my memories seem to be. I like to sit and think about things that take me back to my childhood days. The sites, the sounds, the smells. The little things that put a smile on my lips. Playing jacks, jumping rope, leap frog, right-foot still, tag, hide and seek, Easter egg hunts, trick-or-treat, church Christmas plays, frilly dresses and white patent leather shoes for Easter. White straw purses and little white gloves. Playing house, playing school, playing restuarant. Playing with my brother-cars, trucks, marbles, horses, cowboys and indians. Eating Tootsie pops and looking for the Indian on the wrapper that meant you were going to have good luck. Walking to the store with a quarter and buying a bag of penny candy - straws, Kits, BB Bats, Sixlets. Getting library books and having cheese sandwiches and grape Kool-aid with lemon on a blanket under the shade tree while we read the new books. Walking uptown once a week to get an ice cream cone from the corner grill. Drinking ice cold water from a ladel and bucket at Mrs. Gibson's house. Long Sunday afternoon walks in the woods, on the golf course or up to the cow pasture. Mamaw's bathroom smelling like Dove soap. Mom washing our hair with Prell shampoo and rolling it on pink spongy curlers. Free cups in Quaker Oatmeal, free dishrags and dishtowels in laundry detergent. Wringer washers and clothes hanging out on the line. Tents made from blankets on the clothesline. Badminton, baseball and football games in the yard, the ice cream man. Homemade cakes, pies, candy and cookies. Milk in glass jugs with paper caps for the lid. The milk man. Archie comics, Richie Rich, Casper and Wendy. And always and forever Mommy and Daddy and their love holding us all together.

Sisters

I want to wish my sister a very happy birthday today. We is my older sister by 14 months. We were inseparable growing up and though we are over 300 miles apart, we are as close today as we were back then. I know it couldn't always have been easy having a kid sister hanging around, but she never made me feel unwanted. I want to dedicate my blog today to my sister, Rachel. Happy birthday. I love you. Sisters When she was one, she approached the crib. Her small steps were slow and a little unsteady as she was but a mere babe herself. The folks had tried to explain this little creature to her. But she did not understand. She gazed in awe at the little one and wondered, what exactly is this thing they call "Sisters"? But so much is not understood when you are one. When she was six, she could hardly sleep. She whispered across the room to her sister. "Tomorrow is the first day of school and I can't wait to go, but I hate to leave you." The kid sister just smiled. She knows her big sister has no choice. For that's how it is when you are six. When she was thirteen, she sat in her room trying to read. She's thinking what a pain kid sisters can be. All she wants is her own room. But all she gets is a kid sister who is a pain in the neck. But that's how it is when you are thirteen. When she was sixteen, she learned to drive. She discovered it's pretty good having a kid sister. Parents are less suspecting if you offer to take Sis along. But sometimes kid sisters can be so immature and embarrassing in front of the boys. But that's how it is when you're sixteen. When she is eighteen, she sits in the room they shared and stares at the wall. Tomorrow she will wed. A lone, silent tear slowly glides down her cheek. She thinks back on the times they've shared and the memories they've made. So much time has passed and so much love has grown. As she starts her new life, she knows she will never be alone. That other half will always be with her in her heart. Cause that's how it is when you're sisters.