It's a good thing I can laugh at myself....

One thing I loved growing up and still do is Mommy's pancakes. She makes them from scratch and fixes them in an iron skillet and they are to die for. One morning, when I was about 7 or 8, we were having pancakes for breakfast. I was just a few bites into my last one and asked Mommy to fix me another one and she said that was all the batter. My brother had half of his last one left and said he was finished that I could have his. Instead of finishing mine first, I greedily grabbed his plate and raked his remaining pancakes onto mine. I took my fork and stabbed a piece of pancake to get back to my task. I put it in my mouth and began to chew....then it happened. It was horrible. I had forgotten that Jack liked to eat his pancakes with molasses instead of syrup. I despised molasses. Oh, the face I must have made as I dashed for the bathroom. My brother thought is was hilarious and I returned to the table with one of those "if looks could kill" faces. The bad part was, since I had mixed it all together, now all the pancakes would have the gag-nasty flavor of molasses. He cracked up; I got mad. I'm not sure if I stormed off mad or if I cried because of ruined pancakes. But I can assure you, I never made that mistake again. And I definitely have never tried molasses again.

A few months later, Mom was outside burning the trash in the big drum Daddy used for that purpose. Now, those of you who know me well, know I am not known for my patience. And my lack there of has had adverse effects from time to time. Well, this particular morning, I wanted my Cheerios and I wanted them right then. I hollered out the screen door "Mommy, can I fix my own Cheerios." Mommy hollered back that she would be there in a minute. But I wanted my Cheerios right then and begged her to let me fix them by myself. She relented and agreed. Then she yelled back down the hill, what to me sounded like "be sure and use the green carton of milk."  When actually, she was reminding me NOT to use the green carton. But little Miss Impatient was also known as little Miss Doesn't Pay Attention Well, so I poured a bowl of Cheerios, covered them with a scoop of sugar and proceeded to pour the milk from the green carton. I was so proud. My first time of fixing breakfast for myself. I could now tell everyone I had "cooked" my own breakfast. I carefully carried my prize to the table and sat down to eat. One bite into them and I knew I had not listened very well. Have you ever tried Cheerios in buttermilk? Well, don't. Oh how gross! Of course, I didn't like buttermilk any better than I did molasses so it was not a good morning. Mom came in around then and I got a lecture on being impatient and not paying attention.

Now, I guess everybody knows why I don't like to cook. I thank God daily for marrying a man who is not only a fabulous cook, but he can tell syrup from molasses and knows the difference between milk and buttermilk.

Do you remember "It's MINE!"

Do you remember being a little kid and getting mad when somebody took something that belonged to you. We would stomp our feet, get angry and yell "It's MINE!" If that didn't work, we would have a temper tantrum. Or as we call it in the country, "throw a fit."

Do you still have those moments as an adult? I'm ashamed to say that I do. I recently had someone try to take away my joy by critizing my blog and belittling my right to post what I want to post. My faith was even brought into question and it really upset me for over a week. Well it's MY joy and I want it back.

I have always believed that our blogs are exactly that OUR blogs. We do not write to offend or upset anyone, but if we write what God places on our heart and it offends someone, it wasn't intentional. It just may have been needed by someone that was reading it that day.

If I have ever offended any of my readers, I do apologize. That is not the purpose of this blog. It not personal except to me. It is a place for me to write what I feel, what I think, what I enjoy and hopefully bring a little guidance, a little smile or a little pleasure to my readers. Maybe even a little laughter.

I know that when I read your blogs, it always seems to lighten my load. Young mother's who blog bring back fond memory of the days when my twins were growing up. Grandmother's who blog provide me with ideas of things to do with my grandchildren. Christians who blog inspire me, provide me guidance and help me face difficult days simply by the gift of their blog for the day. Crafters and decorators help me with thoughts for new projects or ways to spruce up the house.

So, I guess we each blog for our own personal reasons. If something hits home and I feel like it was meant for me, I hope I can realize that God thought I needed to hear it or I wouldn't have read that blog that day.

So my apologies if I have offended any of you and my thanks to God that HE is faithful and He alone can give back my joy.

Praying.....

...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. - James 5:16

I believe in the power of prayer. I know God can work wonders. We see miracles abound around us every day. Some small and some huge. I love the words James uses effectual (Producing or sufficient to produce a desired effect; fully adequate) and fervent (having or displaying a passionate intensity).

When we pray, do we pray fervently with faith believing. Do we fall down on our knees and pour our hearts out to God? Do we constantly whisper His name throughout our day asking Him for guidance? I personally believe He hears either way. I think the minute we utter His name, His arms open wide to receive our request. I have some friends who are going through some very tough situations and could use some help from my prayer warriors. I'd like to ask my blogging friends to please pray for some special prayer requests.....

I have a dear friend who suffers from severe arthritis. About a week ago, she started having some horrible pain in her hip and couldn't put any weight on her leg. Walking became impossible. They submitted her to the hospital and ran a multitude of tests. They discovered she had a broken hip. She had not fallen so they did not suspect that at first. They were doing surgery last night and I haven't heard the results yet, so please remember her and pray for a speedy recovery.

 

 One of my best friends growing up has twin sons 19 years old. One of them has a type of blood cancer. He went through a series of chemo back in the fall and winter and was doing much better. A recent scan showed that the cancer was back and had spread to the top of his lung. We did get a praise report when they found it was not in his bones as they had feared. This young man has been undergoing aggressive chemo since last Friday. Once he completes the chemo, he will be receiving a blood stem transplant from his twin brother. Please pray for both these boys. They are both good Christians. When he found out the cancer was back, his reaction was "Well, I've been fighting a battle. Now I'll just have to fight a war."

One of my cousins has a cousin on the other side of the family whose son has been in the hospital since early January. He has an extremely rare brain disease that he was born with. He is only 18 and has had over 80 some surgeries. He has to have constant monitor on the shunts in his brain. They have had to externalize them and let him heal and then go back in and internalize them. He has been going through this now for 5 months where they will do the surgery, the shunts will start to leak and they have to go in and externalize them again so his brain can heal and then put them back in internally. He has kept a very blessed positive attitude all through this and is an extremely strong Christian. Please remember him in your prayers.

When I sit back and look at the illness, sickness, financial situations that we all face, it is amazing to me that we let the "little things" get to us sometimes. We have so much to be thankful for and I for one give God the glory for the all the good He has blessed me with. Thank you for your prayers.

Happy birthday to my grandson, Caleb

Eight years ago today, my second grandson was born. He tried to come a 5 weeks early. His mommy was back and forth to the hospital every other day for a week. When they finally couldn't stop the labor any more, Caleb Michael made his appearance. He has been going full speed ahead ever since.

From those days as a smiley little toddler....

 To the days as a typical boy

 A loving big brother

 A pretend semi-truck driver

 Hot from playing outside

 And a typical boy that can't stay out of the mud,

He has always had a uniqueness about him that we always describe as, "That's pure Caleb."

Happy birthday Caleb. I hope you have the best birthday an 8 year old boy can have.

Cleaning House Hazardous to Health

I am not a big fan of cleaning house. It is one of those things that rates right up there with going to the dentist. I do it but I take no great joy in the actual work, but I do take great pride in the finished product.

I have often joked about cleaning house being dangerous. Mostly, to try to get out of doing it. But this weekend, I have come to realize that you do need to be a little careful.

I was happily vacuuming this Saturday in preparation for my Pampered Chef party. In my haste to get done, I wasn't watching what I was doing and somehow tangled my foot in the cord. As I stepped forward, the cord pulled tight...I twisted forward and now I have a very sore ankle. I think I sprained it, but since you can't do anything for a sprain except heat and cold, I'm not paying a doctor a small fortune just to be told it is sprained.

Of course, I did stand on it all day Saturday and I went to the store that evening. I went to church yesterday morning and evening. I'm pretty sure "prop it up and let is rest" is what I should do, not "keep on going and expect it to feel better."

Hubby suggested I wrap it in an Ace Bandage, but being stubborn, I insisted it would be fine.

In additional to the sprained ankle, I ran into a door knob with my arm (did I ever tell you I am NOT real graceful). I now have a bruise forming below my elbow. That night, I was talking to hubby and not watching where I was going and walked right into the coffee table with my knee cap. Talk about an "ouchy". Being me, I was going full speed ahead so there was definitely bruising and torn skin from that injury.

So, I was right....cleaning house IS hazardous to your health.

Good morning Sunday

It's the start of another day. The end of one week and the beginning of a new one. Time to prop up our feet and rest, thankful that the Lord has brought us through this week and praying for blessings for the week to come.

I love Sunday mornings. I love getting up at the crack of dawn, just as the sun is rising over the hill and watching it burn the last remnants of mist off the river. I love sitting out on my patio with a cup of hot chocolate or a glass of Pepsi, swinging in my swing as I listen to the busy chatter of my feathered friends.

I love the Sundays when the eagles across the river are making their morning trek gliding up and down the banks as they bask in the warmth of the first ray of sunshine.

I love reviewing my Sunday School lesson or checking to make sure I have my plans for children's church ready.

I love the thrill of knowing we will be having a baptism this morning for a sweet boy at our church.

I love the awesome, reverent time spent with God as the morning unfolds. The complete peace and content that comes from knowing, I am a child of the King and that with Him in my life, nothing and no one can harm me.

I love the thought of getting to sing in the choir and hearing a beautiful, inspiring sermon or working with the youth in children's church.

Yes, I love Sundays. I love their uniqueness in the fact that after church, I can come home and do absolutely nothing. I can rest and relax and go back that night for a "fill-up" to keep me going through another week.

Oh, yes, Good Morning Sunday. I have missed you and the sweet peace you bring to my soul.

Looking forward to an exciting day......

I am looking forward to an exciting day today. I'm hosting my annual Pampered Chef party for May. Every May they hold a Help Whip Cancer campaign where certain proceeds for various items go to help with the research and education of Breast Cancer.

I can't wait to see what awesome dishes we will be "whipping" up in our fight for the cure. We are going to try a little Mango Confetti Salad; barbeque chicken sliders, and white chocolate fudge. A friend of mine has a delicious pink dessert she has offered to bring and I can't wait to sample it.

One of the specials for May is a coupon holder in pink zebra design.  

It snaps right on your buggy so you won't forget to use your coupons....a problem I seem to have a lot of the time. I'll remember to get the item and remember that I have a coupon....until time to pay. Then I get home and clean receipts out of my purse and find the coupon I had meant to use. Having this on my buggie will remind me to use the coupons....unless I forget and leave the holder on the buggy. :)

 All in all, it should be a wonderful time of good food, good friends and fun times.