I decided that with my new carpet I didn't want my cleaning lady bringing her vacuum in my house anymore after she uses it in other homes with lots of cats. My Melissa is severely allergic to cats and if I let my lady come spray all that cat exhaust into my house Melissa may be triggered into a severe allergic attack when she comes next time. Also, I was raised by a mom who took Home Management 101 at TWU and took Microbiology and she taught me that you never let anyone use their vacuum in your house, you don't let anyone brush their teeth and spit into the kitchen sink, you don't sit on bed spreads, it wears them out, and you don't let anyone put their hands on the walls! It ruins the paint. Ok, get the picture? I was taught alot of things by my amazing Mom and I am becoming her! Lol! It's all good! Anyway, I did it, I let my cleaning lady go. When I told her very nicely that I had a new vacuum and I wanted her to start using only it and then my upstairs one there and not bring hers in she said "well, I don't know, that might hurt my back". Then Bill and I were home for lunch and Bill is adamant that she stay a full 3 hours each time she comes, she was at 2 and 1/2 hours in and she looks at Bil and says "well, do you want me to stay and wait on those towels to dry?" Oh, my, that was the WRONG thing to ask and the WRONG person to ask! Lol! Those of you who know my wonderful husband, I don't have to say anymore! Lol! She nailed the last nail in the coffin right there! opps! She had done tore her britches with him right there! How else can I say it, she sealed the deal! NOT! One day she arrived and asked me, "well, didn't Bill get those sheets off the bed and started in the wash for me today?" Seriously? Why am I putting up with this? Lol! Another day she said to me, "holler up to Brad and have him strip his bed and throw down his sheets to me!" I did love her and she was a help while I was planning and implementing Melissa's wedding but we truly can handle it all now on our own and save the money. Bill really is a GREAT help and he can clean all 3 and 1/2 bathroom well and fast! I do all the floors and the kitchen and we both dust and then do extra projects like the plantation shutters and windows and light fixtures on a rotating basis but not every week. He is such a great help and gotten better and better over the years! Our biggest joke is that every Saturday HE does the laundry, YES, I admit it, He does all our laundry every Saturday AND he does the yard and I don't help! Think about it now, I either delicate wash my own stuff during the week or take it to the best dry cleaners in the area, Arnold Brothers, so the "laundry" is really ALL Bill and Brad's stuff only! Well, maybe a pair of my socks now and then but that is it! We just laugh! He is really doing HIS laundry and Brad does do his himself some too! I am blessed with two great guys here but we DO all laugh A LOT! Brad and I had more fun tonight watching the last season of "Community". Brad attends TCC so it was extra meaningful to us! Chevy Chase is my brother Blake reincarnated! He is SO funny! Blake has always kept us rolling with laughter and has a view and humor all his own! Ok, I have done my floors and the kitchen now off to dust and maybe do the bathrooms for Bill tonight since he is at a church committee meeting. Hey, wait a minute.... how did he get out of "house cleaning" night?
Happiness
Where dreams come true!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
So I got a new vacuum...
So, I got a new Shark upright Vacuum cleaner! I love it! After we got the new carpet I was Vacuuming with my two year old Electrolux tank Vacuum that I love and had coveted and wanted for years! I finally was able to get one and can you believe, everything now days is made of plastic! It broke! Well, a part on the neck broke inside so that when you pull it back toward you after pushing it away, well, the mechanism that should lock the neck extender in place is broken now so as you pull it back to you the whole neck thing extends way out.... oh, can't you just mentally picture this now! Lol! It really is funny, anyway, Bill duct taped it for me and it works great now so it's my upstairs vacuum cleaner now! Lol! I always wondered why my Mom's Electrolux had duct tape all over it! But she loved it and raved about it and always told me I needed one! Ok, I got my new Vacuum and.......... 
I decided that with my new carpet I didn't want my cleaning lady bringing her vacuum in my house anymore after she uses it in other homes with lots of cats. My Melissa is severely allergic to cats and if I let my lady come spray all that cat exhaust into my house Melissa may be triggered into a severe allergic attack when she comes next time. Also, I was raised by a mom who took Home Management 101 at TWU and took Microbiology and she taught me that you never let anyone use their vacuum in your house, you don't let anyone brush their teeth and spit into the kitchen sink, you don't sit on bed spreads, it wears them out, and you don't let anyone put their hands on the walls! It ruins the paint. Ok, get the picture? I was taught alot of things by my amazing Mom and I am becoming her! Lol! It's all good! Anyway, I did it, I let my cleaning lady go. When I told her very nicely that I had a new vacuum and I wanted her to start using only it and then my upstairs one there and not bring hers in she said "well, I don't know, that might hurt my back". Then Bill and I were home for lunch and Bill is adamant that she stay a full 3 hours each time she comes, she was at 2 and 1/2 hours in and she looks at Bil and says "well, do you want me to stay and wait on those towels to dry?" Oh, my, that was the WRONG thing to ask and the WRONG person to ask! Lol! Those of you who know my wonderful husband, I don't have to say anymore! Lol! She nailed the last nail in the coffin right there! opps! She had done tore her britches with him right there! How else can I say it, she sealed the deal! NOT! One day she arrived and asked me, "well, didn't Bill get those sheets off the bed and started in the wash for me today?" Seriously? Why am I putting up with this? Lol! Another day she said to me, "holler up to Brad and have him strip his bed and throw down his sheets to me!" I did love her and she was a help while I was planning and implementing Melissa's wedding but we truly can handle it all now on our own and save the money. Bill really is a GREAT help and he can clean all 3 and 1/2 bathroom well and fast! I do all the floors and the kitchen and we both dust and then do extra projects like the plantation shutters and windows and light fixtures on a rotating basis but not every week. He is such a great help and gotten better and better over the years! Our biggest joke is that every Saturday HE does the laundry, YES, I admit it, He does all our laundry every Saturday AND he does the yard and I don't help! Think about it now, I either delicate wash my own stuff during the week or take it to the best dry cleaners in the area, Arnold Brothers, so the "laundry" is really ALL Bill and Brad's stuff only! Well, maybe a pair of my socks now and then but that is it! We just laugh! He is really doing HIS laundry and Brad does do his himself some too! I am blessed with two great guys here but we DO all laugh A LOT! Brad and I had more fun tonight watching the last season of "Community". Brad attends TCC so it was extra meaningful to us! Chevy Chase is my brother Blake reincarnated! He is SO funny! Blake has always kept us rolling with laughter and has a view and humor all his own! Ok, I have done my floors and the kitchen now off to dust and maybe do the bathrooms for Bill tonight since he is at a church committee meeting. Hey, wait a minute.... how did he get out of "house cleaning" night?
I decided that with my new carpet I didn't want my cleaning lady bringing her vacuum in my house anymore after she uses it in other homes with lots of cats. My Melissa is severely allergic to cats and if I let my lady come spray all that cat exhaust into my house Melissa may be triggered into a severe allergic attack when she comes next time. Also, I was raised by a mom who took Home Management 101 at TWU and took Microbiology and she taught me that you never let anyone use their vacuum in your house, you don't let anyone brush their teeth and spit into the kitchen sink, you don't sit on bed spreads, it wears them out, and you don't let anyone put their hands on the walls! It ruins the paint. Ok, get the picture? I was taught alot of things by my amazing Mom and I am becoming her! Lol! It's all good! Anyway, I did it, I let my cleaning lady go. When I told her very nicely that I had a new vacuum and I wanted her to start using only it and then my upstairs one there and not bring hers in she said "well, I don't know, that might hurt my back". Then Bill and I were home for lunch and Bill is adamant that she stay a full 3 hours each time she comes, she was at 2 and 1/2 hours in and she looks at Bil and says "well, do you want me to stay and wait on those towels to dry?" Oh, my, that was the WRONG thing to ask and the WRONG person to ask! Lol! Those of you who know my wonderful husband, I don't have to say anymore! Lol! She nailed the last nail in the coffin right there! opps! She had done tore her britches with him right there! How else can I say it, she sealed the deal! NOT! One day she arrived and asked me, "well, didn't Bill get those sheets off the bed and started in the wash for me today?" Seriously? Why am I putting up with this? Lol! Another day she said to me, "holler up to Brad and have him strip his bed and throw down his sheets to me!" I did love her and she was a help while I was planning and implementing Melissa's wedding but we truly can handle it all now on our own and save the money. Bill really is a GREAT help and he can clean all 3 and 1/2 bathroom well and fast! I do all the floors and the kitchen and we both dust and then do extra projects like the plantation shutters and windows and light fixtures on a rotating basis but not every week. He is such a great help and gotten better and better over the years! Our biggest joke is that every Saturday HE does the laundry, YES, I admit it, He does all our laundry every Saturday AND he does the yard and I don't help! Think about it now, I either delicate wash my own stuff during the week or take it to the best dry cleaners in the area, Arnold Brothers, so the "laundry" is really ALL Bill and Brad's stuff only! Well, maybe a pair of my socks now and then but that is it! We just laugh! He is really doing HIS laundry and Brad does do his himself some too! I am blessed with two great guys here but we DO all laugh A LOT! Brad and I had more fun tonight watching the last season of "Community". Brad attends TCC so it was extra meaningful to us! Chevy Chase is my brother Blake reincarnated! He is SO funny! Blake has always kept us rolling with laughter and has a view and humor all his own! Ok, I have done my floors and the kitchen now off to dust and maybe do the bathrooms for Bill tonight since he is at a church committee meeting. Hey, wait a minute.... how did he get out of "house cleaning" night?
Things I'm Loving Thursday!
Things I'm loving this Thursday! Here they are! My wonderful hair dresser, Jeannie Payne, told me about this great app for my i-phone and other phones as well called Gas Buddy! It is amazing and really works to help you find the cheapest gas closest to you! I love it! 
Gas Buddy!! gasbuddy.com
Bath and Body works has this great new fragrance! I LOVE it! I bought some for my son and....
I bought all new stuff in the fragrance for my newly redone guest bathroom upstairs! I even got the plug in fragrance with a night light built in! It smells so nice and it's not over powering. I am loving it! I got the Cashmere hand cream for me and every night I slather it on my hands until it soaks in and awaken with the softest hands!
Boston Market's new Mediterranean Salad with grilled chicken on it! So tasty and healthy! If you are fixing dinner, pick up two of these without the chicken, dump in your prettiest salad bowl and voile! You have the most amazing salad all ready to serve with your dinner!
The movie of the book "The Lincoln Lawyer". Very good. Much like a Grisham novel.
I am loving my Corioliss curling iron! Yes, I bought it at the Mall from one of those kiosks where they demonstrate it on you and it really is good! I am loving it!
Gas Buddy!! gasbuddy.com 
Bath and Body works has this great new fragrance! I LOVE it! I bought some for my son and.... 
I bought all new stuff in the fragrance for my newly redone guest bathroom upstairs! I even got the plug in fragrance with a night light built in! It smells so nice and it's not over powering. I am loving it! I got the Cashmere hand cream for me and every night I slather it on my hands until it soaks in and awaken with the softest hands! 
Boston Market's new Mediterranean Salad with grilled chicken on it! So tasty and healthy! If you are fixing dinner, pick up two of these without the chicken, dump in your prettiest salad bowl and voile! You have the most amazing salad all ready to serve with your dinner! 
The movie of the book "The Lincoln Lawyer". Very good. Much like a Grisham novel. 
I am loving my Corioliss curling iron! Yes, I bought it at the Mall from one of those kiosks where they demonstrate it on you and it really is good! I am loving it!What are you loving?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Moms. We always know what to do.
In the book "Captivating" by John and Staci Eldridge it says "As large as the role that our mothers play, the word mother is more powerful when used as a verb than as a noun. All women are not mothers but all women are called to mother. To mother is to nurture, to train, to educate, to rear. In doing this women partner with Christ in the vital mission of bringing forth life." My amazing son, Brad is 20 and will be 21 the end of May. I'll never forget when I had him, Bill looked at me across the delivery room and mouthed the words, "thank you!" He had a son! It was such an easy pregnancy AND delivery! Brad was much like his sister by being a very good happy baby. My Mom said I was really lucky to have had TWO good babies that liked to sleep and were happy most all the time. I am thankful. Brad was misdiagnosed (unknown to us at that time) in December of 2008 with Crohn's Disease. His symptoms were treated with medicine and he went into remission/symptoms went away, for 2 years. Shortly before Brad, Bill, and I ran in the Cowtown his symptoms returned. We scheduled the doctor appointment and procedure which we knew was inevitable and necessary for this etiology. The doctor gave us news that it was not Crohn's but that the biopsy was positive for Ulcerative Colitis. This falls under the umbrella of etiologies called IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Diseases). We are learning and studying and we are happy with our doctor. However, today, I think I hit a wall, to speak in runner's terms. You know when you reach that point of pain when running that you think you can't go on, but then you do and the endorphins kick in, the natural cortisone flows and your pain vanishes and you break through the runner's wall? Well, I think I had a wall experience today. 
Brad and me in Dallas at the end of his portfolio shoot with photographer Jenny Martell. 
My silly son! 
He has always been a happy guy who loves life and makes being his Mom, fun! 
Today he went back to his doctor to see why his flare up (as we have now learned they call it, with Ulcerative Colitis) has flared up again. After his hospital visit, antibiotics, steroids, and Mesalamine he started to settle down pretty quick but then all flared again. I let him go by himself to the doc today and I stayed at work. I know I need to start letting him do some of these things solo now, and learn to be his own health care advocate. I won't be around forever. The doc said he should take an additional medicine and see how that works. If not then he can start IV Medicine every two weeks for a while and see if that will put his symptoms back in remission. Wow. OK, we can do that. I am reminding myself to think on the positives, it IS treatable, it is not cancer, it is not terminal, there are so many things that could be worse. But you know, we Moms, we want to DO something. When my babies were sick I could ALWAYS do so many things. I could take their temp, bathe them, sing to them, soothe them, take them to the pediatrician and do everything he advised and more. I am so sure God created us Moms to thrive on DOING things and doing LOTS of things to help, nurture, and support our loved ones. We drive them crazy sometimes doing all we do for them! It's how God created us women and moms! We live to do! Truly, I would give my life for either of my kids! Today, I couldn't think of anything else I can DO right now. I found myself feeling really irritated and then angry. After work I went and did just Cardio at the Summit. First the bike and then wore out the treadmill. I still felt frustrated and mad. I couldn't put my finger on why? I went home and cooked, served, and cleaned up dinner. (I was busy doing!) I still didn't feel better. I drug Bill to Home Depot to pick out a new light fixture for Melissa's old closet and look at chandeliers for our closet and for a paint roller shield for some more interior painting we have to do. I still didn't feel any better. Then as I pondered and finished my paperwork for tomorrow it dawned on me, I was mad because there is nothing right now I can DO to make these IBD symptoms just go away! I am a mad Mom because I want to DO something to fix it and make it all better right now and I can't! I verbally vented to Bill and he listened. I have to now trust the doctor, help Brad follow his guidance, pray of course, pray, and seek God, Jehovah Rapha, the God of healing, to heal my son and for Brad's IBD to go back into remission, and soon! Philippians 4:6,7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus." Proverbs 22:6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." As daughters of Eve, John and Staci Eldridge say that all women are uniquely gifted to help other in their lives become more of who they truly are- to encourage, nurture, and mother them toward their true selves. In doing this, yes, we do "partner with Christ" in a vital role and mission of bringing forth life. The Eldridges say that "we mother each other when we offer our concern, our care, our comfort. We mother each other when we see a need and rise to meet it whether it is a sweater for a friend who is chilly, a meal for a struggling family, or a listening ear for a friend who is hurting." God created us this way! I shouldn't feel guilty or try to stop myself from "smothering" nor should I fear being made to stop "mothering". As Rick Warren says, this is "my shape". This is part of how God created me and part of my purpose! The Eldridges sum it up best when the wrote, "While our hearts drink deeply and rest in God's good heart, HE "mothers" us and created us to be the women we truly are. A woman who partners with God in bringing forth life in this damaged world- offering, loving, inviting others to become who they were meant to be - she is a mother indeed. She- like God- offers Freedom and Life."
Brad and me in Dallas at the end of his portfolio shoot with photographer Jenny Martell. 
My silly son! 
He has always been a happy guy who loves life and makes being his Mom, fun! 
Today he went back to his doctor to see why his flare up (as we have now learned they call it, with Ulcerative Colitis) has flared up again. After his hospital visit, antibiotics, steroids, and Mesalamine he started to settle down pretty quick but then all flared again. I let him go by himself to the doc today and I stayed at work. I know I need to start letting him do some of these things solo now, and learn to be his own health care advocate. I won't be around forever. The doc said he should take an additional medicine and see how that works. If not then he can start IV Medicine every two weeks for a while and see if that will put his symptoms back in remission. Wow. OK, we can do that. I am reminding myself to think on the positives, it IS treatable, it is not cancer, it is not terminal, there are so many things that could be worse. But you know, we Moms, we want to DO something. When my babies were sick I could ALWAYS do so many things. I could take their temp, bathe them, sing to them, soothe them, take them to the pediatrician and do everything he advised and more. I am so sure God created us Moms to thrive on DOING things and doing LOTS of things to help, nurture, and support our loved ones. We drive them crazy sometimes doing all we do for them! It's how God created us women and moms! We live to do! Truly, I would give my life for either of my kids! Today, I couldn't think of anything else I can DO right now. I found myself feeling really irritated and then angry. After work I went and did just Cardio at the Summit. First the bike and then wore out the treadmill. I still felt frustrated and mad. I couldn't put my finger on why? I went home and cooked, served, and cleaned up dinner. (I was busy doing!) I still didn't feel better. I drug Bill to Home Depot to pick out a new light fixture for Melissa's old closet and look at chandeliers for our closet and for a paint roller shield for some more interior painting we have to do. I still didn't feel any better. Then as I pondered and finished my paperwork for tomorrow it dawned on me, I was mad because there is nothing right now I can DO to make these IBD symptoms just go away! I am a mad Mom because I want to DO something to fix it and make it all better right now and I can't! I verbally vented to Bill and he listened. I have to now trust the doctor, help Brad follow his guidance, pray of course, pray, and seek God, Jehovah Rapha, the God of healing, to heal my son and for Brad's IBD to go back into remission, and soon! Philippians 4:6,7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus." Proverbs 22:6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." As daughters of Eve, John and Staci Eldridge say that all women are uniquely gifted to help other in their lives become more of who they truly are- to encourage, nurture, and mother them toward their true selves. In doing this, yes, we do "partner with Christ" in a vital role and mission of bringing forth life. The Eldridges say that "we mother each other when we offer our concern, our care, our comfort. We mother each other when we see a need and rise to meet it whether it is a sweater for a friend who is chilly, a meal for a struggling family, or a listening ear for a friend who is hurting." God created us this way! I shouldn't feel guilty or try to stop myself from "smothering" nor should I fear being made to stop "mothering". As Rick Warren says, this is "my shape". This is part of how God created me and part of my purpose! The Eldridges sum it up best when the wrote, "While our hearts drink deeply and rest in God's good heart, HE "mothers" us and created us to be the women we truly are. A woman who partners with God in bringing forth life in this damaged world- offering, loving, inviting others to become who they were meant to be - she is a mother indeed. She- like God- offers Freedom and Life."
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
June Cleaver! Yes, this was the lady I wanted to be when I grew up! Actually, in retrospect, I realize that Dixie Ann Wimpee WAS so much like the "June Cleaver" persona that most girls my age grew up visualizing themselves becoming one day. Most women my age and older had mother's who stayed home and were truly "homemakers". The majority of our mom's did not work outside the home and cooked three meals a day, cleaned her own home, drove car pool, volunteered in the community, and ran errands for our father's. Our dad's were the financial providers and eating out was a special treat! 
Most females my age or older grew up being bombarded with this image as our future. I was so fine with that! I WAS disappointed when my vision didn't materialize! I am fine now and have embraced reality but I WAS truly disappointed! My mom always encouraged me to get my college education as "insurance". She said that just in case something happened and I ended up needing to work to help out or God forbid, support myself or me and my family, just get a degree, just in case! Well, I am so thankful I got a degree in something I love! I AM truly appreciative for my Baylor education and my profession. I am very happy and this is written with a huge sense of humor and learning to laugh at reality and embrace it! I grew up so shelter and protected and so spoiled! I was a doctor's daughter with an amazing mother who kept me right by her side at all times. She had a master's degree in Nutrition and she was a registered and licensed Dietitian. She had passed the "white glove" home management program at Texas Women's University and I realize now that Dixie Ann taught me just about everything she knew while raising me! I am so thankful! Maybe I didn't get to stay home full time and wear my pearls everyday while I kept house, like my idol June, or Dixie Ann, but I AM happy anyway! Isn't it interesting that even when our expectations don't always materialize, we can choose our attitude and we CAN make the best of it! We can make up our mind to BE HAPPY or to CHOOSE JOY at all times, no matter what! I am so blessed to be married to my best friend, to have a job I love, to have two kids I am so proud of, and to get to retire in TWO YEARS and draw full teacher retirement for the rest of my life! Hey, you know what, I AM going to get to stay home and keep house and wear my pearls everyday as I vacuum and clean and bake and wear my cute little aprons I love so, hey, wait a minute, I AM going to get to do what I've always dreamed of! I just didn't know I'd be 54 when I got to do so but hey, that's ok! I'll take it! God is so good! Just sometimes surprising! Lol! Isn't life grand! Let's just choose joy, and choose to celebrate EVERYDAY! Psalms 118:24 "...Let us rejoice and be glad!"
Most females my age or older grew up being bombarded with this image as our future. I was so fine with that! I WAS disappointed when my vision didn't materialize! I am fine now and have embraced reality but I WAS truly disappointed! My mom always encouraged me to get my college education as "insurance". She said that just in case something happened and I ended up needing to work to help out or God forbid, support myself or me and my family, just get a degree, just in case! Well, I am so thankful I got a degree in something I love! I AM truly appreciative for my Baylor education and my profession. I am very happy and this is written with a huge sense of humor and learning to laugh at reality and embrace it! I grew up so shelter and protected and so spoiled! I was a doctor's daughter with an amazing mother who kept me right by her side at all times. She had a master's degree in Nutrition and she was a registered and licensed Dietitian. She had passed the "white glove" home management program at Texas Women's University and I realize now that Dixie Ann taught me just about everything she knew while raising me! I am so thankful! Maybe I didn't get to stay home full time and wear my pearls everyday while I kept house, like my idol June, or Dixie Ann, but I AM happy anyway! Isn't it interesting that even when our expectations don't always materialize, we can choose our attitude and we CAN make the best of it! We can make up our mind to BE HAPPY or to CHOOSE JOY at all times, no matter what! I am so blessed to be married to my best friend, to have a job I love, to have two kids I am so proud of, and to get to retire in TWO YEARS and draw full teacher retirement for the rest of my life! Hey, you know what, I AM going to get to stay home and keep house and wear my pearls everyday as I vacuum and clean and bake and wear my cute little aprons I love so, hey, wait a minute, I AM going to get to do what I've always dreamed of! I just didn't know I'd be 54 when I got to do so but hey, that's ok! I'll take it! God is so good! Just sometimes surprising! Lol! Isn't life grand! Let's just choose joy, and choose to celebrate EVERYDAY! Psalms 118:24 "...Let us rejoice and be glad!"
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Things I'm Loving Tuesday!
I LOVE Ketchup, and Heinz is the BEST! I know, I know, lady like, Pam, yes, I have a thing for yes, KETCHUP! I love it on so many things! When Bill and I started dating he admitted later that he thought it was "strange" that I put ketchup on my vegetable egg white omlette! (Hey, it's not really that different than putting salsa on your eggs! ) Anyway, I LOVE ketchup and I love it on eggs, of course on fries (which I don't eat unless they are baked and not very often), on ANY kind of grilled meat, on hot dogs, corn dogs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches and more! I LOVE Ketchup! Lol! It has no fat in it and lots of vitamin C as well as lycopene! 
Heinz is the BEST!
Heinz is the BEST! 
I love baked cheetos! The taste always makes me think of the Swim and Raquet Club in San Angelo where I used to spend hours in the summers. I'd sometimes have a snack of Cheetos there! 
I LOVE Chips and Salsa and I think my favorite place is at Don Pablos! No, Abuelos, no, Chipotle, no how about at On the Boarder... well, I guess almost any Mexican food place has my favorite Chips and Salsa but if I buy them I buy "On The Border" brand amd the mild sauce. 
I love Diet cherry coke and a route 44 from Sonic is the BEST!! 
Long and Lean White Jeans from GAP! The best fit on me ever!
What are you loving today?
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Things I'm Loving Thursday!
Here are three things I am loving today: 
Peppermint Mocha Coffeemate that is now available year round, not just during the Holidays!
Peppermint Mocha Coffeemate that is now available year round, not just during the Holidays! 
Vanilla cupcake Yankee Candle's aroma permeating my house in the evenings!
I found these darlings scroll eggs at Pier One and absolutely LOVE them! The even open and close so you could fill them with treats for an Easter basket! Pier One has some other really fun decor for Easter right now! Oh, how I love Spring! I took Zeus for a long 50 minute walk yesterday after work and I LOVE when the grass is turning green again and the trees are budding and neighbors have tulips and daffodils in their front flower beds! I love Spring! I love the weather getting warmer and I love the approach of Easter celebrations as our sanctuary choir is working on memorizing our Easter Music right now with our most amazing Minister of Music, Joel Salazar and his wonderful wife and friend Becky! These are 3 things I am specifically loving today. What are you loving this Thursday?
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Devotionals Feb 28th - March 5
MONDAY, February 28th
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (3 minutes) “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
Passage: Genesis 2:15-17
You were there. In the Garden of Eden, I mean. How? You were in Adam. Your DNA comes from him, so not only biologically were you there, but spiritually you were there. Paul tells us that when Adam was put in the garden he carried with him the entire human race and when he sinned, everyone sinned with him and became guilty of his sin.
At the moment Adam did what God told him not to do, his nature was infected with sin and that nature, along with his guilt, has been passed down to everyone on earth who has ever been born. That includes you and it includes me. All of us sinned in Adam and so we are guilty of that original sin. At the same time, all of us have sinned on our own by choice, so we are plenty guilty of our own sins as well. This recognition that we are sinners is a key factor in appreciating what Jesus has done for us.
Apply – (2 minutes)
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Pray – (1 ½ minutes)
TUESDAY, March 1st
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (3 minutes) “for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.” (Romans 5:13)
Passage: Genesis 6:1-3
There are many actions that most people would agree are wrong, but unless there is a law that can be applied to a particular action, a person can’t be found guilty if he does something many think is wrong. While the world at the time of Noah had become so corrupt that God decided to send a flood to wipe things clean and start all over with Noah, Paul would point out that those who died in the flood were not guilty of breaking the law. They were sinners because they were guilty of Adam’s sin and what they did simply flowed out of that.
Whether God had ever given the law or not, we would all still be sinners in need of a Savior. It is in our nature to sin. It is in God’s nature to save. The depravity of the world at the time of Noah is a stark testimony to the condition of the human heart without God. It also is a testimony of the love of God reaching out for 120 years to give people a chance to turn to Him. Aren’t you glad, the Lord reached out to you!
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WEDNESDAY, March 2nd
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (3 minutes) “But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” (Romans 5:15)
Passage: Isaiah53:4-12
Adam’s action had a powerful impact. It brought sin into the world and into the nature of man. It brought death into the world. It brought destruction on himself and everyone else. It brought separation from God. The consequence of what Adam did is seen in every act of self-centeredness and in every cruel action done by one person against another.
Jesus’s action had a more powerful impact. Like Adam, He was born without a sin nature, but unlike Adam, He never sinned and what He did for us goes far beyond the damage done by Adam. He not only paid the penalty for our sin, He also gives us His perfect life to allow us to stand before God the Father without any sin counted against us. That is amazing grace!
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THURSDAY, March 3rd
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (3 minutes) “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17)
In his famous poem, “Invictus”, William Henry concludes by writing, “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” To which God would answer, “No you’re not.” No one is. Everyone is under the reign of either death through Adam, or under the reign of life through Jesus.
In Christ, everything is new for us. Everything we have is a gift to us. Whereas death reigned over us in the past, life reigns in the present. Jesus went far beyond simply restoring us to the position Adam had when he was first put in the garden. He took our sin which resulted in death and He gave us His perfection, which results in life. In Christ we have something and someone to live for. Go out today and be the presence of Jesus in your world.
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FRIDAY, March 4th
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (3 minutes) “For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19)
Passage: John 3:16-21
It’s a natural law that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, actions have consequences. Those consequences may be good or bad, but make no mistake, there are consequences. When Adam sinned, his action didn’t just affect him, it affected the entire human race that would follow. While you and I are plenty guilty of our own personal sins, the main reason we are sinners and the main reason we would have face condemnation is because Adam sinned and we were in Adam.
So Jesus left heaven, came to earth, and became a man. In the eyes of God, He became the second man – the second Adam. He came out of love for you. Through your belief in and acceptance of Him as Lord and Savior, His action of living a perfect life is transferred to you and the consequence is that God the Father considers that you lived the perfect life Jesus lived. That allows you to be declared right in His eyes and it means heaven is your home. Let your actions today be reflective of tht love. They will have consequences on others.
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SATURDAY, March 5th
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (3 minutes) “The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,” (Romans 5:20)
Passage: Joshua 24:14-27
The law of God which was given to Moses came thousands of years after the sin of Adam in the Garden. The law wasn’t given to make people sinners. It was given to show the extent of their sin and how truly impossible it was for anyone to become right with God on their own. Joshua recognized this when he challenged the children of Israel that they couldn’t serve God faithfully to which they emphatically replied, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey Him.” They failed.
That’s why Jesus came. Sin was already present, but it was increased when the law was given, because then mankind had all the standards of perfection right in front of them, but they still couldn’t live up to those standards. We needed grace to cover more than Adam lost. We needed grace to forgive, restore, and then cover our lives with righteousness forever. That’s the kind of grace we have in Jesus. That’s the grace that is bigger than all our sin. That’s the grace that makes a person fall on his knees in love and thankfulness to God. Prepare yourself today to fully worship God tomorrow.
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