Friday, April 30, 2010

Raisen - Craz-en

I am totally beside myself!  How could they do this to me? What you ask?  Who you ask?

My wonderful family and friends!!They are all there!  Laughing at me!  Not one single one of them, willing to tell me... 
Not one single one of them willing to pull me to the side and say, "Look you have to do something about this."      How can I ever show my face there again? 

Thursday afternoon, I was so excited about going to watch two of our grandsons play ball......
I had even bought me a brand new Longhorns shirt so that I would be all decked out and ready to
support the team...(Still working on a mudcats t-shirt).  Sam and I headed out the door and drove over to the ballpark..(our second home).  The sun was shining bright and the weather was just perfect for a good ole' evening of ball.

Had my little blue bag that I always take to the games...You know, full of sunflower seeds, band aids, antibiotic ointment, gum, wipes for cleaning faces,my phone and anything else that would fit into the bag.  I take this bag because I like to be prepared in case the kids need something and also because I don't want to carry my purse.  When we left the house, I remember grabbing my purse, taking my sunshades out and putting them on my face. I put my purse back down and out the door we went.  When we got to the game,  Sam carried my lawn chair for me, so I was all set to relax, sit back and watch my darling little grandsons...

We had two different games going on at the same time, but the good thing was that they were just across from each other and we could go back and forth watching them both play.  This also means that I was able to visit with twice as many people as what I would have done if I were watching only one game.  Oh yes, I strutted myself all around that ballpark area.  Talked to some friends that I haven't seen in a long time and was just having myself a lot of fun. 

Did they win?  Oh wait a minute.....Only one grandson won their game, but the other one played an excellent game too..   We get home and I look in the mirror and to my surprise I see this awful thing..........Yes, there it was on the right corner of my sunshades a big plump raisin!!!!!!  I'm sure some of you ask, "How did I get a raisin on your shades?"    This is how.  I had  the shades in my purse and I evidently did not put them in their case.
I always carry raisins in my purse for Mylee.  The box must have opened and a raisin made it's way into the earpiece fold on my shades.  No,...  I didn't see it when I put them on! 
That raisin was icky and it was icky stuck on my shades.  I'm not kidding...Not one bit.  No, not one bit!  Not only that, but that raisin was so plump that it almost looked like a prune.

How could I have worn that thing around all evening and not one person tell me about it?
I can only imagine what they were thinking....Kinda like "this woman is nuts"..or like "I guess she has that raisin on her shades just in case she gets hungry."  Or, they could have been like "Poor thing"

Well, I only had one person admit that they saw it and that was my daughter Shanda....She said that just about the time she saw it, Mylee had to go potty and she forgot to tell me when she got back.
For the rest of them, they said they never saw a thing. I'm Like sure you didn't.   You can't prove it by me after seeing their faces in all the pictures I took. 

I think that I am scarred for life!....I may never wear sunshades again. I may never go near a raisin again. If Mylee wants raisins, she will have to put them in her own bag.  Oh,... the things that grandmothers have to go through to keep their grandchildren happy.  One thing about it, they won't ever forget this grandmother that gave them all a Great Big Laugh!

Have yourself a Blessed day and be sure to fill it with laughter!!

Fat Rolls or Goals

Good Morning Everyone......I guess the storms are going to be rolling our way in just a short time....Not really looking forward to any of it.  Wanted to spend my day at First Monday, but guess I'll have to pass. 

OK.....I want to talk about our HEALTH......
I had to go to the doctor this week to check on a little peanut size bump that has suddenly appeared on my abdomen.  I have been all worried about it, but turns out, it is a little cyst.
Thank the Lord for that!!

But, as I sat there in the doctor's office, I realized just had sad it is that the people in our country ignore important health issues.  I am very guilty of this myself. 

When I hear about the statistics regarding heart disease and diabetes, I get myself geared up to change my life style.  Eat right, exercise and drink plenty of water is what I determine that I am going to do.  Both of these diseases run in my family, so why wouldn't I make changes in my life that are necessary?  Instead, I wake up the next morning and have completely forgotten about the goals I made the day before.
I just go on about my life assuming that to be fat is the new healthy.  In other words, FAT is in!

We all know how important exercise is.  We all know how important it is to eat the right foods.  You know.., plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grains.  I know how important it is to drink 8 glasses of water a day.  The problem is:  I DON'T DO IT.

Back to the doctor's office visit......As I sat there waiting for them to call me back, I took a look around the office.  What I saw was many overweight (several obese) people.  I wondered how many were there because of high blood pressure.  How many were there because of elevated levels of sugar, cholesterol, or triglycerides.   These are all things that make us sick!  Make us have the health issues we have today. 

I am hoping to set new goals for myself.  I like all the foods that I know are healthy, I just do not like preparing them. 
That is a sign of being lazy.  I'm not particularly thrilled about exercise, but I figure the least I can do is walk a mile or two a day.  I do like living and for that reason I am going to work hard to become more healthy.  Surely I haven't waited until it is too late!  I certainly hope not because I still have a lot of things that I want to accomplish in life.

I am not a drinker (this leads to many health problems) and
I am not a smoker (this leads to all kinds of cancers), but I do consume way too much sugar.  I must kick the sugar habit.  I find myself more tired these days, simply because I don't get the rest I need at night.  Am I living a healthy life?
No......I am not.  It is possible that others there in the doctors office looked at me and had the same thoughts and questions that I had.  It is time (past time) for me to do something about it. 

Along with the healthy eating and exercising goals that I am setting for myself, I plan to be completely off my Blood Pressure Medicine in a short time.  I don't want  to wake up tired and I don't want my joints to ache anymore. I don't want to be fat... So.......America the next time you see me.......I'm going to Try to be HEALTHY and FIT!

Have a Blessed Healthy Day!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Interview

Sam and I are so Blessed to have such wonderful grandchildren.  They each have their own little
personality that makes them special in their own
way........................

Our oldest granddaughter (Tori) aka: Sugar Baby,
is 100 percent full of life. 


Yesterday, she came into the
house and wanted me to
interview her.  I had no clue
as to what I was interviewing
her about, but I agreed to do my
best.  She was quick to inform me that I would need
my camera.  I didn't know that I was about to become
 her photographer.  We took pictures of her, and then
we took more pictures of her.


We took pictures on the trampoline, on the swing, in trees, and some of her smelling the flowers.  My only guess was that she and her friends at school must have engaged in a conversation that day about
photography or becoming a model. 


I don't know anyone that would not agree that this child loves life!  Her energy level could make light bulbs
glow in the dark....


Her vocabulary makes me laugh so hard.  Just the other day, she told me her stomach had a concussion.  She is always coming up with the cutest little lines that I assume she learns at school.  As a matter of fact, yesterday she was hooked on this little joke....   
She said "Shug, I bet I can make you say the word Black"
I said, "Just try and we will see"
She said, " Name all the colors in the flag"
so, I named Red, White and Blue....

She said, "See, I told you I could make you say Blue"
and of course my line was:  You said Black!!

She laughed and laughed.....

What a pleasure she is......she checks my calendar every day to see if I have her name written down.  Because her soft ball games have not started yet, I don't have her box filled in.
Most of the time I just have to write her name somewhere on the board so she knows that she is just as important as the boys.  All she wants to see is her name  "TORI" written on the board.  

There is NEVER a dull moment with Tori around.  But, I wouldn't want it any other way...That is what makes her our little Sugar Baby.......



Oh, and about that interview.........Tori said it was called:
"How The Smartest and Cutest Girl In The World Acts Crazy"

That's our Tori!!
Have a Blessed Day......

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Simple Pleasures

The weather matches my mood today.......

I am in a Fantastic Mood!!
                       

A short time ago I was looking at some old photographs and I was
reminded of the summers when I was little.  I know it's not summer yet, but the day is so nice that I took a little time to reminisce.

I hope this doesn't age me, but seriously, I must say those days were what I would call "The Best" times ever. 

I remember visiting my cousins and all the fun we made for ourselves.  It wasn't about going to town, watching TV, or buying new toys.  Most of our days were spent outside playing in the dirt and making up things to do.  We even loved playing in the PIG PEN.  It wasn't what you would think a pig pen would be like.  It wasn't full of slop and dirty mud puddles.  I will admit that there were a few areas we didn't go to, but for the most part, we played cowboys and Indians all through the gulley's where the pigs were. 

We would ride in the back of my uncle's dump truck when we went to the farm.  I just have to assume that the dumping part was locked in order for him to let us ride there.  The air was always fresh and I can just see my sister, myself and our two cousins with the wind blowing in our faces as we sang "Soldier Boy"  in the back of that old truck. 

We were always begging our parents to take us fishing.  It definitely wasn't the kind of fishing they do today.  We would have our cane pole with the red and white bobber on the end.  It wasn't a lake that we liked to fish in, it was just an old creek running through the farm.  We would fish for a while and if we decided we wanted to run play hide and seek, then we would stick those poles into the side of the creek bed and take off.  Sometimes we would have a fish when we got back and sometimes there would be nothing. 

We all loved swimming, but we never swam in a pool with crystal clear water.  No, we had a place called "Deadman's Hole" that we would swim in.  I know, it sounds terrible, but it really wasn't.  It was just a hole in the middle of another creek bed, and when it rained a lot, we would all go swimming.  If it was dry, then we just were out of luck. 

One of my most favorite things was riding on the tailgate of the truck.  We would all try to fit on the back so our feet could hang off.  Barefoot and all, here we would go.  It was great to feel your toes running through the sand on the old dirt roads. When we would get home, our feet and legs would be covered in dirt.  


Sunday's were great because we would have lunch on the grounds at the church and there would be revivals and singings that people loved to go to.  I especially loved Easter Sunday when I was a child.  I remember my mother starching our "can cans" the week before so our dresses would be full and stand way out!

Those were the good ol' days.  Picking blackberries on the side of the road, walking to town, going to the fields to pick fresh peas and watermelons, climbing trees, catching fire flies at night, and just simply being a kid.  You didn't have to be scared to play outside by yourself and there were NO SCHEDULES.  Life was not busy.

I am glad that I took the time to look at those old photographs.  I am glad that today is a beautiful day that reminds me of summers long ago.  I am especially glad that I have the memories that I hold dear to my heart.  We do have the comforts of daily living now, but I would not trade one single moment of those days for anything. 

Thank you Lord for each one of those special memories!

Enjoy the Blessings of this day..............

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Egg Carton

It is that time again.........I need to use the the egg carton analogy to process what is going on in my life and with all of my time....

Right now the receptacles are not equal and that tells me that I have some things out of balance.  There are 12 different areas that are demanding my time and as it stands right now, the first four or five are using up everything I have.  The way I figure it, I have at least seven of those receptacles that are being totally neglected. 

To make matters worse, everything has shifted and several of my priorities are now in the middle or on the left side of the carton.  I ask myself how does this happen? I have come to realize that  those important things are what is dear to my heart and I just assume that if I skip a day of tending to them it is alright.  But one day leads to another and then another until that area is completely neglected. 

I think that first of all I need to reestablish the differences between important and urgent.  Both of these areas need my attention, but it is quite obvious that urgent is of greater need than the important things.  With important, I need to figure out who it is important to.  Does it benefit me and my family, or is it only a benefit to others.

It is vital that I learn to say NO to additional commitments.  A lot of times I find myself saying yes to something when I automatically know that my time is going to pushed to the limit.
This only brings on undue stress that I don't need.  I just don't want to feel guilty for not doing something that others may have asked me to do.  I have to learn to dump that guilt in order for me to be free of stress and by doing so, I can use my emotions in a more constructive way to take care of the things I am already committed to. 

My goal is to a have clear sense of what matters most in my life and stick to those areas in order that I can evenly fill all of the receptacals in my egg carton.  That way nothing is neglected and I am able to go to sleep at night without worrying about how I am going to catch up the next day.  

Today I plan on putting things back in order.  The prioities will be back in their place and I will strive to make sure that all of these 12 areas of my life get  their share of what I have to give....

Life is good and I am thankful for each day!

Be Blessed Today........I know I am!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Be a Risk Taker

Does anyone have a Talent?.....
We all have some kind of talent, but it might not be the exact talent that we want.  Sure, we would all love to have the talent to be a famous singer or an actor.  I wouldn't even mind having the talent to be a professional speaker. 

There are those that can play a musical instrument as if they were born with the instrument in their hands.  I think that most of us think that our talents should bring us instant gratification.

This is how our minds work....we wake up and dream of being an olympic swimmer.  We go to get in the pool and all of a sudden we need a noodle just to keep our heads above the water. Without trying again, we give up and decide that swimming is not our talent. 

We have to cultivate our desires and let them mature in order to find out if we are truly talented in any specific area. If we want to be successful we must put forth the effort to find out if we have the ability to accomplish what we have set out to do. 

It may take years for us to recognize where our talents lie.  I'm not even sure that I fully grasp any of my own talents right now.  I do know that I don't want to limit God on what he has chosen for me to be successful at.  I want to be willing to be used at whatever He calls me to do.  It could possibly be something that I have never dreamed of. 

So many of us allow fear to step in and we convince ourselves that we are not capable of doing anything.  Because of fear, we bury that talent in the ground.  To be a risk taker does not guarentee that you have a certain talent, but it does show God that you are willing to be used. 

I do want to stand before God one day and hear Him say, "Well done thy good and faithful servant!"  We have to be faithful with a few things in order for Him to put us in charge of bigger things.  A talent is a Blessing and we must not sit back and let the Blessing or the talent be wasted.

I believe that God holds us responsible for our lives and for what we do with them.  I want to always be in tune with the Holy Spirit in order to do what He has called me to do.  I want to be what He wants me to be. I want to use my talents that I may be a Blessing to others. 

Seek God for your talent today....

Blessings, and may this day be what you dreamed it would be!
 

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Heavenly Fragrance

The word "Fragrant" means a pleasing scent, a pleasant odor.  When I think of the word fragrant, I immediately think of a beautiful rose.

The other day I was outside and in the air was this wonderful smell.  It was sweet and the aroma seemed to permeate the entire area around me.  The fragrance was coming from a honeysuckle vine.  I wish I could have bottled that exact smell in order to release a tiny bit into my kitchen each day...Most of us love to smell a pleasing odor.

I was outside again yesterday trying to get part of the front lawn mowed before it rained.  I could still slightly smell the honeysuckle, but there was a stronger foul odor in the air as well.  The closer I got toward the street, the worse the smell was.  I looked over toward our neighbor's driveway and I saw a squirrel that was dead.  I'm guessing that it had been hit by a car several days ago.  The smell was horrible and I could not believe that this offensive odor had practically replaced that beautiful sweet smell that I had enjoyed just days before. 

In the scripture 2 Corinthians 2:14 it says that as we grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ we become a sweet odor to others.  We become a fragrance others want to enjoy and be with.

It made me stop and think, Do I have a sweet fragrance? Do others want to be around me?  Do my family and friends smell the freshness of my spirit? Do I have the fragrance of Jesus Christ?

Or......In my life do I have a smell that is offensive to others, does my attitude stink, do I have an unpleasant personality that might cause my family and friends to run the opposite direction? 

I certainly hope that I allow the fragrance within me to be as sweet as the honeysuckle I smelled days before.  It is my desire to grow in God's word and to allow His sweetness to grow even sweeter in my spirit.  I want to be a person that shares the fragrance of God with others. 






Friday, April 23, 2010

Hungry Eyes.........

Have your eyes ever been hungry?  It probably has happened to us all at one time or another...

Kids always have hungry eyes.  This evening we took Tucker and one of his cousins (on his dad's side of the family) to eat...Cheddar's was the choice for the evening.  Not bad, Sam and I both like Cheddar's.
Sometimes a long wait, but the spinach dip makes it worth it...

We get seated at our table and when the waitress gets there, she took the drink order and ask if we were interested in an appetizer.  Tucker knew right away that he wanted the chips and queso.  I could
tell as soon as Tuck opened his menu that he had already spotted the exact dish he wanted to order...

The waitress came back with the appetizer and was ready to take our order.  $13.99 Steak and Ribs was Tucker's choice.  His cousin ordered a chicken dinner, Sam ordered a vegetable plate and I ordered the potato skins.  After our order was placed, I noticed a look on Tuck's face and I ask if there was something wrong.  He said "No, but I was just wondering how big my steak was going to be"
I assured him that it would probably be more than he could eat. 

As the waitress brought the order out, I could see Tucker's eyes looking really big....His plate was huge.  Ribs, steak, Fries, and a loaded baked potato to top it off.   I knew he was already full from eating the queso and chips.  His took his knife and fork and started cutting into the steak.   Close to the last bite of the steak, he started making these moaning  sounds  and leaning back as to say "I can't eat anymore".
Left on his plate were the ribs, the baked potato, the fries and a couple bites of the steak.

His cousin had eaten about half of his order and I myself could not eat but maybe three or four of the potato skins.  We ask for a carry out box and the waitress brought us two.  Both of the boxes were full and could have fed two other people.  It was quite obvious that at our table the eyes were more hungry than our stomachs.  One good thing is that we didn't let the food go to waste.  When we got home, Taylor had not eaten and when she opened the box, it was as if we had ordered her a plate.  She certainly was glad to see all the food.  I don't think I mentioned Sam's plate.  He did not have any left overs.  Needless to say, his plate was empty!!

Hungry eyes are not wise.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Cutest Yard Guy

Keeping a yard is hard work.....

I'm probably not your norm when it comes to my yard.  I like a pretty yard and I want everything to

be trimmed and the grass mowed.  When I say not norm, that means that I like the yard to be mowed

a couple times a week...Sometimes it's hard to get it done just once a week but twice is certainly nice. 

We have really been working in the yard this Spring and it is beginning to take shape.  I took some

Pictures of the back hedge a couple of weeks ago and as you can see they were really getting too

big.  Well, Sam started trimming them yesterday afternoon and I can now tell you that they are no

longer too BIG...  Check them out now!  All those beautiful

bushes are now cut down to nothing.  I'm thinking that they

surely will come back out.  We have so much more to do.

Who could possibly imagine that underneath those tall

bushes were lots and lots and lots of dead leaves.


Hidden underneath those leaves was some poison oak!

Last year I saw some of it coming up, but I decided to take

matters into my own hands instead of asking the

professional Nurseryman that lives with me.  I got out the

sprayer and added what I thought was just a little bit of

Round Up.  I filled that sprayer full and went to work on that poison oak with a vengence.  It was a

little windy that day, but I never thought twice about the wind.  The next week, my neighbor called

and it seems that the wind navigated some of my Round Up over her way.  I would say that probably

about two feet of her beautiful grass had turned brown...Oops, I had made a bad mistake and I knew

That Sam was not going to be that thrilled with me. 



Oh well, the grass has almost grown back but Sam decided that I didn't need to be the one in control

of getting rid of the beautiful plant that makes you itch this year.

He cut down the bushes so that we could get all the leaves cleaned out and so he could kill out the

poison oak...

My back yard is not a pretty sight at the moment, but I know that after HE gets it all picked up

it will be beautiful again...  The front yard is looking pretty good and one reason is because of this

beautiful tree that Sam planted for me a couple of years ago.

I have never seen another one like it.  The leaves

are a beautiful golden green color and for that

 reason, the tree stands out!  I constantly am

having people ask me about it.  Too bad we don't

grow them! 

I found these beautifl Iris's in the yard that once belonged to his grandparents.  I would love to

have some in my yard....Sooooooooooo,

Last night Sam and I were talking and I said to him "You must not be interested in going and

digging up the Yellow Iris's that I want".  His remark to me was "Shug, you are killing me".

I don't want to do that, but I do know him pretty well and I feel positive that the yard will be

back in shape real soon and I will have those Yellow Iris's as a part of the landscape...

I have the cutest yard guy ever........He simply is the Best!!




Hope You Enjoy the Blessings of this Day!!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Time for Time

Time is clicking away SO  Fast!
Where is it going?  It seems the older I get the faster time goes.
I don't even know what happened to Feburary and March.
I have always been one to keep a calendar.  As a matter of fact, I have a desk calendar, the main calendar in the kitchen that everyone follows, and a personal calendar.  I am constantly marking dates for birthdays, anniversary's, upcoming events and appointments.  If the girls can't remember a date, they usually just ask mom because I have it written down.  (I even love to draw cute little things on certain dates.  Like, I will draw a cake, birthday hat or etc. on someone's birthday.  Just a little extra to let everyone know that is a special day)

My point in all of this is to let you know that I forgot a very important date this past Saturday.  A very special friend called me a few weeks back and invited me to a fundraiser luncheon.  I was so excited because it was going to be held at a home for special needs adults.  This is a place that is dear to my heart because I myself have a neice that is a special needs person. 

I marked the date on my calendar and was looking forward to the event.  This past Sunday, just before Sunday School, another friend told me how much they missed me at the luncheon.  I still did not get it....
I said to her, "What luncheon" and she quickly reminded me of the date that I had missed.  How sad for me...I missed something that I was looking so forward to attending, and I also let a friend down.  The table that I was to sit at was the head table and it was quite obvious that I was not there.  Not only that, but I know there were others that would have loved to have had my spot....

It wasn't that I forgot about this special date, I just happened to mark it down on the wrong day.  Time is passing by fast and I think I know why...I have allowed myself to be TIME POOR.
In other words, I make the choice to fill each day of my calendar, never realizing that I need to set limits to what I do.
I also need to allow others to help me.  This is a big challenge for me because I am the kind of person that prefers to tend to things myself.  If I am in control of these details, then I know that the goals I have set are accomplished.  Appointments are kept, birthday's are remembered and we can all get to our events on time.
(But.....nobody is perfect and I certainly did make a mistake and will again)

I have apologized to my friend and I hope that in the future I will never allow myself to get too busy to respond to others.
I should always make time for kindess, friendship and love.

I do want to slow down and if TIME is passing by fast,
I want to enjoy every single minute of it.....

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Pet Peeves

It is True.....We all have pet peeves..

Even the Best of us have pet peeves.  You know those little things that annoy us.

I decided to jot mine down and see if they really merit being on my list.

1.)  Grocery carts with bad wheels.......
        Oh yes, there is nothing worse than having a cart full of groceries and        
        struggling to push the thing to the check out counter.  

2.)  People Blowing their nose at the dinner table......
        How disgusting!  Totally ruins my meal. Excuse yourself and go to the 
        restroom, PLEASE.

3.)  Chomping Ice.........
        If you are determined to show how strong your teeth are, then go bite 
         something that does not require noise.  A constant chomp, 
         chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp can be hard on the nerves.  You get the picture.

4.)  Popping Gum........
        Oh my,  what is the purpose?  Drives me nuts.  You should record yourself 
         sometimes and you too would see how senseless this is.

5.)  Junk mail..........
       I know this must be a pet peeve to many in my community.  Each time I go to
        the post office, 3 trash cans are filled with this unwanted paper waste.  
        And that is usually by 9:30 in the morning.  This is something that needs to
        be first on the list of those active in saving the earth.

6.)  Drive thru fast food places.......
        If I order a drink with EXTRA ice, I don't want to drive off and find myself
        with a drink that has maybe 5 little cubes of ice in it.  If you are not allowed
        to put extra ice in your drinks, then tell me then.  Don't let me wait until I am already pulling out to find out you have a ice policy.
       
7.)  Spitting on the ground.....
         Do you think someone wants to see your enormous pile of saliva come thrusting
          out of your mouth onto the ground.  Germs? I do believe so...And who wants to
          step in it?

8.)  Trash being tossed out onto my yard....
         I am one of those that takes pride in their yard and I don't want to wake up
         each morning and find all kinds of trash in my yard.  It's messy and heaven
         only know where that person's hands have been before they decided to chunk 
         their nasty waste in my yard.  I don't save or collect beer bottles, I'm not 
         interested in being your garbage lady, and I certainly do not want your left
         over chicken!!

9.)  Cigarette Smoke......
        This is probably my biggest pet peeve...If a person wants to smoke, then I 
         feel that it is their business.   But,,,,, if there are signs that say "Designated 
          Area To Smoke"  ....................  
         (Especially at a community ballpark that is built for children, or any other 
          place where children are present)  then please respect others and go to that    
         area.  This is now even a bigger issue for me since I have a grandson that
         has had leukemia.  Cigarette smoke is very harmful to children with life 
         threatening diseases. I believe that if you are big enough to make a 
         decision to smoke, you should be big enough to respect that their are
         people (children) that do have health issues and do not need to breath the
         smoke from your choice of habit.    Please learn to read and excuse yourself    
         to the desiginated area for smokers.  You will be HELPING 
      and not HARMING the health of others.

         
After evaluating my list, I can now say that all 9 of these pet peeves DO merit being on my list....

Hope you have a Blessed day and thanks for letting me
share my pet peeves with you....It is not my intentions to cause anyone's blood pressure to rise over the things in life that bother me.  If in fact you find yourself slighty on the defensive over a statement that I have made, then please  know that I do realize I have annoying habits as well. 
            

Monday, April 19, 2010

How Ironic

To be content or to be discontented.  This was part of our Pastor's teaching this past Sunday. 

Webster defines content as satisfied with what one is or has, not wanting more or anything else.
The state or feeling of being contented.

Discontent is defined as a restless craving for what one does not have.  dissatisfied, not content.

How ironic that we need both contenment and discontentment in our everyday lives. 

To be content in this day and time is rare.  In today's time, our world is filled with an enormous amount of material things.  Advertisements are everywhere.  They are in our homes by ways of the tv, computers, magazines, and even our mail.  These ads are always leading us to believe that we need more.  Success is More. This is our way of thinking.  We have all heard the phrase (Keeping up with the Jones').  We don't only want to keep up with them, we want to have more than them and anybody else!  The best clothes, the best cars, boats, tires, the best house and furnishings, the best of everything....Always wanting what somebody else doesn't have.  The Best of everything is what we have our eyes on. 

Have you been to the Goodwill store lately....At one time, Goodwill stores were filled with items that wouldn't even sell at a garage sale.  Today you can find top name brand clothing if you are willing to be patient and look for it.   It used to be that when the seasons changed we packed away our winter or summer clothes until the next year.  A lot of people today do not spend that time packing them away, they just send them to Goodwill....I have a friend that finds all kinds of good things that are practically new and she will gladly tell you it came from Goodwill.

We also need discontentment in our lives as well.  We never need to take the people in our lives for granted.  Our goals should be to constantly look at ways to improve our character and to reach out and help those in need.  We need to never be content in serving the LORD.  We need to always seek ways to serve HIM and to have a greater walk with HIM.  To be discontent in your spirtual life means that you are in Love with GOD and you want more and more of HIM.  You want HIM to be the center of your life.  One of my favorite Hymns is:  "I'D RATHER HAVE JESUS"  what a beautiful song.  The question I have to ask myself is, Do I want to live my life as a person that is never content, always wanting more, or do I want to live my life like the lyrics to this song, I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today?


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I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold
I'd rather be His than have riches untold;
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands,
I'd rather be led by His nail pierced hand.

Than to be a king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin's dread sway,
I'd rather have Jesus than anything
this world affords today.

I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause;
I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I'd rather have Jesus than world-wide fame,
I'd rather be true to His Holy name.

He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He's sweeter than honey from out of the comb;
He's all that my hungering spirit needs,
I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead.

Praise God for these words! 

Have a Blessed Day and thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you each day.......

Sunday, April 18, 2010

One Crazy Lady

There is NO doubt about it, I LOVE MY GRANDCHILDREN!

I have a journal for each one of them and I try to write
in it every week.  Not anything big, but something about
them that stood out to me that particular week. 

A lot of times I will sit and read what I have written in the past and I can almost vision that very event happening again. It is usually something so little that they may have said, or something they did that I loved, or even a special need of prayer.  

It's the small things that we often forget about and the years ahead rob us of those precious moments.  By writing about them in their journals, I can cherish those times and I hope that in years to come they will look at them and sweet memories will be theirs again.  
 Tucker is my grandson that always sings to me, and his favorite song is "You are my Sunshine".  I know that he has probably sung that song to me at least 500 times.  No matter how many times he sings it, it gets sweeter each time.

Trey, Trey is the one that laughs ALL the time.  Everything to him is funny. He is always pulling jokes on me and trying to scare me. I call him my little rooter, tooter.  One thing special about Trey is that he always wants a snack, or 2 or 3 when he comes to Shug's house.
I laughed when I read this page in Tyler's journal.  I am sure we took a lot more pictures of him and did some extra crazy things because he was the first grandchild.  I don't even remember where we were when we had this button made, but it was HUGE.  The button was a picture of him and I can remember how cute we thought it was.  I probably wore the thing around for days thinking I had the most wonderful grandson ever. (and I do)   "Grandma's do strange things"
I do love to journal and I love to journal about those in my life that are so very special to me.  It is such a Blessing to look back and read the prayers that you have prayed for a particular child and to be able to see what GOD has done in their lives.  I hope that these journals in themselves will be a testimony to each of my grandchildren.  The kids may someday read them and think (Geez, our Shug is one crazy lady), but that is ok with me.  There is no way that they can read the pages of these journals and not feel the love that I have for each one. 

I would encourage you to take the time to journal about the special adventures in your life.
I know that as for me, every word that I write reveals something that has touched my heart. 

Hope today, your life is filled with joy and peace.

Sunday Thinking

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