Bible Study About The Shulammite Woman

The woman I read about this week in my devotional is the Shulammite woman.

Her story is found in the Song of Songs.

The authors of this devotional book point out many things about her story, but two of the points they made stood out the most to me.

The first point is that God does not promise every one of us that our marriage will play out like the words in Song of Songs. Marriage, romance, and love were all designed by God, but not all of us will experience the kind of passion with our spouse that is shared between the Lover and his Beloved. Many marriages are blessed with it, but it is not promised to everybody.

The second thing they point out is that although not all marriage relationships experience this kind of passion, God promises to love each and every one of us with the all consuming love written about in Song of Songs. We can all have this love relationship with our Creator, even if we never experience it in our marriages.

God is the true Lover of our soul.
We are all God's Beloved.
He longs for our company.
He loves to spend time with us.
He cares more for us than we care for ourselves.
He delights in us.
He never tires of us.

Lamentations 3:22-23
"Because of the LORD'S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

He loves us!

Jeremiah 31:3
"I have loved you with an everlasting love."

I recently attended a Shannon Ethridge conference and she said, "God gets giddy over us!" Giddy! Let that sink in. She told us all to say out loud, "God gets giddy over me!" Make it personal.....because it is. God loves you!

Our Sunday school class did a Song of Songs study by Tommy Nelson. It is a video series. It is one of the most amazing Bible studies that we have ever done. He is a wonderful teacher, and he is able to make the words in Song of Songs come to life. If you haven't done this study, I highly recommend it. God didn't create marriage for us to fumble our way through. He gave us all the information that we would need to have a fulfilling life and marriage. We just have to open up His Word and see what He says.

Shannon and I have a favorite verse from Song of Songs. It is engraved on our wedding bands.

Song of Songs 6:3
I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.

You are God's Beloved. Nothing will ever change that.

Romans 8:38-39
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

A Marriage Worth Saving

Last week I came across a post from a blog I love to read, and it really touched me. It's an honest account of her marriage. All the ups and downs. A marriage miraculously saved by God. One that she is so thankful for. She loves her husband, and is overcome with emotion as she writes about him.

My marriage too has seen a lot of ups and downs. There were times that I wanted out. Badly. But because of my relationship with God, I decided to stay and fight it out. Shannon chose to stay and fight it out. As a result, we now have a wonderful marriage. Not a perfect one, but one so full of love and respect. I love him now more than I ever thought would be possible. He is my best friend.

Sometimes you just can't know in life how much someone means to you until you are faced with the possibility of losing that person. What seems like a lost cause with no hope is full of possibilities if you give it over to God. Let Him fix what is broken. I know this because I was broken. My marriage was broken. But God took over both. He knew ours was a marriage worth saving. He did what Shannon and I could not do. He healed our hearts. He restored our marriage. As a result of all that we have been through, I have such a heart for marriages. I know that God can and wants to help our marriages be the way He designed them to be. Shannon and I are living proof that God can help you work through ANY problems. There are no problems too big for God to fix.

My life's verse is Luke 1:37
For with God nothing shall be impossible.

If God could heal my broken heart and marriage, He can heal yours too.

As I have said before I love, love, love movies.
The Story of Us is one of my favorites. It is about a couple that goes through ups and downs in their marriage. They even separate. In the end however, they realize....well, I'll let you see for yourself.

Southern Spelling

Living in the south comes with some challenges. The summertime heat, humidity, and fireants to name a few.
When Matthew was learning to spell, I discovered a "new" challenge. Our accents. Pronouncing words in the south and spelling words in the south are two entirely different thangs.

We encountered this problem when he was in the first grade.
I was grading a spelling test he had just taken and he missed the word thing.
I was surprised because he was a strong speller right from the start and thing was not a hard word for him.

I showed the mistake to him and he looked at me very confused, and then he said, "Yes, ma'am it is spelled right. You said thang, and I spelled
it T H A N G...thang!"

It was at that moment I realized I had officially become a Hillbilly!:)

♫
Well, now it's time to say goodbye to Amy and all her kin
She would like to thank you folks for kindly droppin' in
You're all invited back again to this locality
To have a heapin' helpin' of her hospitality
Hillbilly, that is, set a spell, take your shoes off

Y'all come back now, hear?
♫

Monday.....all day long!

Monday always seems like the most challenging day of the week to me.

Yesterday was no exception.

It was Monday all day long.

I overslept.

As I was getting my first cup of coffee, the dog threw up in the living room floor.

I woke both of the boys up to discover they were both sick.

The sink was full of dishes that I was too exhausted to do the night before. (Sorry, FlyLady!)

The laundry was piled up.

I had a very large stack of school papers to grade and record from the previous week.

I don't even want to discuss the dust on everything!

Now, I realize in the big scheme of things, none of this is really important...but it sure can overwhelm me....... on Mondays.

Instead of trying to tackle all of my To Do List, I decided to first sit down and read my daily devotionals. Here is one of the verses I read.

James 4:8a
Come near to God and he will come near to you.

I'm so thankful for those words. They encouraged my overwhelmed soul.

I came across another verse that I had written in the back of my Bible.

1 Corinthians 14:40
But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

It's funny how many times I hurry around trying to get everything done before I spend time with God, and seem to get absolutely nothing accomplished. But, when I spend time with God first, everything else seems to fall into place.

Mark 1:35
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place where he prayed.

Jesus knew that He needed time alone with His Father before facing all the demands that would be placed on Him throughout the day.
I try to remember that Scripture when I get my priorities confused, which unfortunately happens a lot, especially on Mondays.
If Jesus needed that time alone with God, I need it so much more.

After my quiet time with God, I started tackling the day. One chore step at a time. I didn't even start crying get overwhelmed when Matthew informed me that he had accidentally stepped in another pile of dog throw up in the hall........

Now, if that doesn't prove God was near to me, nothing will.:)

Celebrity Look-a-Likes Part 2

As some of you may know, last week I participated in a Celebrity Look-a-Like profile. If you didn't see it click here .

I had said in that post that I was officially giving up, but....................
Not one to go down without a fight, I decided to do my profile just one more time. I just couldn't accept that every single time I tried to do this my number one match was a MAN!



Ahem! There must be some mistake. I will try again.



I didn't think it would be possible to get even worse results than the twenty few previous times I had tried this.
I was starting to feel devastated a little discouraged. I thought about it and realized I simply had too much invested at this point. I could not give up now!

Well, what happened next just goes to prove that quitters never win and winners never quit! Ding, Ding, Ding! We have a winner! Finally, my number one match is a girl! I resemble a WOMAN!:) It still says I look like Bryan Ferry and Chevy Chase, but why squabble over minor details.




Did you all notice Mark Wahlberg made this list?.... I sure did.... I always knew we had some sort of connection....:)
Shannon if you're reading this, don't be mad, Baby! :)It's just a little love connection facial similarity.:)

Happily Ever After

As a little girl, I was fascinated with Cinderella. I loved her. I would spend hours in my room listening to the Cinderella audio book on my "record" player. I was Cinderella for Halloween. Remember the plastic masks that you would have to take off in between houses so you could breathe, and the plastic costume that would make you break out in a sweat? I felt so beautiful wearing that costume. I was short of breath and sweaty, but beautiful.

I loved the scene in the movie where she was singing while she scrubbed the floors. There were bubbles all around and she fixed her hair in the "reflection" of the bubble. Loved it!

The little girl in me could not wait to grow up and become Cinderella.

On my wedding day, I remember saying that I felt like Cinderella. For a little while, I was a princess who found her Prince Charming.

Then life took over. The fairy tale seemed like a distant memory. I wondered sometimes if I would ever have my Happily Ever After.

I soon came to a place in my life that I no longer even thought of those dreams. I no longer looked at our wedding pictures and saw a princess or a prince. I knew I would never have the fairy tale, so why torture myself with the thoughts of it. I was a grown up now. A big girl. No more room in my life for childhood fantasies.

Right when I had given up hope, God showed up! Just like Cinderella's fairy godmother, He made all my fairytale dreams come true. He gave me the Happily Ever After that I had always longed for. I can look at my wedding pictures now and remember what it felt like to be a princess for a day. Seeing the pictures from our wedding brings me so much joy now. With God's help we have overcome so much in our marriage. We have been blessed to grow with God through our troubles. After weathering the storms in our marriage, we now both have a deeper appreciation for each other than we did on our wedding day. Shannon is my Prince Charming and I feel(almost)certain I am his Cinderella!:)

During a particularly challenging time in our marriage, I came across this devotion in my Bible written by Brenda Wilbee. This passage encouraged my discouraged soul. She points out so clearly the right way to view fairy tales. Take a look.

Reflect

Tell me did Cinderella live happily ever
after without a struggle? Did Sleeping
Beauty live happily ever after without a
trauma? Did Rapunzel live happily ever
after without grief? Did Hansel and
Gretel live happily ever after without
deprivation? Did Jack and the beanstalk
live happily ever after without risk? Did
Thumbelina live happily ever after
without sacrifice? Are there any fairy
tales without dragons?
Where in the world, then, did we
ever get the notion that to live happily
ever after means to live without trouble?
For when we look at fairy tales we
find it's not the absence of dragons-
but the taming of dragons-that ushers
in happily ever after.^a


I like how she titled this passage Reflect.

As I shared with you before, I loved the part of the movie when Cinderella fixed her hair in the "reflection" of the bubble.
The bubble that I used to see my marriage in was not clear. The water was dirty, full of hurt feelings and resentments.

After we let God take over our relationship, the water was made clean. The reflection became clear.
I can now see a beautiful reflection in the bubble. A fairy tale. My fairy tale. Not a perfect couple with no problems, but a couple who love God and love each other. A couple who weather the storms of life together with God.

Just like Cinderella, I have gone through many struggles in my life. I give thanks only to God for helping me through the tough times and for giving my Prince Charming back to me. And as the story goes, with God's help "They lived happily ever after !"



Women's Devotional Bible 2, New International Version, Copyright © 1995 by Zondervan corporation.

Date Night

Flylady encourages all her readers to make Friday night- Date Night!

I'm not always as good at her instructions when it comes to cleaning my house, but I totally rock at Date Night. Besides, like she says, it's all about Baby Steps. I'm perfecting Date Night right now. I'm sure dusting will come naturally to me before too long as well.

So, I thought all of you who read this (Hi Shannon) would like to see the pictures of last night's romance.

The place:


Notice Allie is fluffing the pillows for us.

The entertainment:


Love the DVR!

The romantic couple:


We are much more attractive in person. Hideous self-portraits do not do us justice. You will just have to trust me on this.

I don't want any of you who read this (Hi Shannon)to be jealous. Not everybody can have an exciting life like this. But you can live vicariously through our life here in Crazyville!

A Loaf of Bread

I grew up watching Sesame Street. My best friend Tracy and I rarely missed an episode, but one segment stands out in both of our memories more than any other. It's the one where the little girl goes to the store for her mother. She repeats the list of things her mother needs as she's walking to the store.

Even now, over thirty years later, Tracy and I will repeat the list when we are talking about things we need from the store.

When I met my friend Wanda a couple of years ago, somehow we started talking about Sesame Street. This clip was one of her favorites as well. It's so funny to me the things that stick in our minds from childhood. This is one of those things.

So, if you're too young to remember much about Sesame Street, this clip probably won't mean anything to you. But, if you're old my age, as soon as you see it you will start saying out loud, "A loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of budda!"

Tracy and Wanda this is for you!:)

Bible Study About The Proverbs 31 Woman

This week's woman in my devotional is the Proverbs 31 woman.

At first glance she can seem a little overwhelming. Reading about her may cause you to think "Gee whiz, who could keep up with her?"
She buys fields, makes all her family clothes to wear, is up before daylight to prepare food for her family, just to name a few things that she does. There's no way I can do ALL of that. The book points out that if you only focus on "all" of the things she accomplishes you would be missing the point. The point is that she uses all of the time God gives her wisely, and uses it to bless her family. And in doing so, she is honoring God. She shows her love for the Lord by the way she lives her life. It's not all of the "chores" that she does that brings God glory, it is her love for Him. That is what makes her worthy of praise.

You can be the most physically beautiful woman, wearing the finest clothes, with a perfectly decorated house located in the best neighborhood, but these things do not matter for eternity. They are not bad things to possess, but they do not have a lasting legacy. They are fleeting. The only thing that matters for eternity is the love you have for the Lord. Period.

Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

One year at a fall festival at my church, a mom came dressed as the Proverbs 31 woman. She had a cape that had "P 31" on it. She was a Biblical "Super Woman." It was a great costume. Very funny! But in reality, God does not expect us to all be Superwoman. He just wants us to love Him above anyone or anything else in this world.

You can still buy your clothes from a store, and eat your meals at a restaurant and bring glory to God . Use your time doing the things He calls you to do, not what the world asks of you.

The key to opening the door to a fulfilling life with Christ is wisdom. Know what He says about life. His Word is all that matters.

Proverbs 19:8
She who gets wisdom loves her own soul; She who cherishes understanding prospers.

The book ends the Proverbs 31 lesson with this prayer:
"Lord, you know better than I the kind of heart in which wisdom grows best-one in which patience, faith, and humility are there to nourish it. Help me cultivate a heart in which wisdom can quickly take root and flourish. Let wisdom be so much a part of my life that it produces a shelter for others."

Baking Mishaps

My cousin Katy and I were talking about our pitiful attempts at making our children homemade birthday cakes. She shared a very funny story with me about a little cooking mishap that happened while she was messing up trying to bake her daughter's cake.

It must run in our family.

My children have always been very sweet with me when it comes to their birthday cakes. They knew the drill. They fully understood that something can taste good even if it looks disgusting a little different. It doesn't hurt a thing for the sprinkles to roll off the cake when the candles are being blown out.




When I got this birthday picture printed(see above), I couldn't believe how lopsided the cake was. It was at that very moment that I realized all good things must come to an end. To be honest, the humiliation of making so many scary unusual looking cakes just became more than I could bear. So, I decided right then and there to retire from making birthday cakes. Permanently.

Cookies are much less humiliating work much better for me.

Unique

Today's post is about uniqueness. God created each and every one of us in His own image, and He said that what He saw was "Good!" That being said, why is it that I struggle so much with the way God made me? One of my worst faults, and there are many, is comparing myself to others. I can see so much good in everyone else, but I am so hard on myself. I see other Christian's strengths so clearly, but when I look in my own mirror, I see so much weakness.

I have so many friends that I admire. I admire how they get out of the boat and stand with Jesus in the most frightening of storms. Storms that I know would leave me hanging on for dear life to the side of the boat.

I hear people speak and share their testimony, and I say to myself,"I want to walk like that with the Lord."....I will sometimes look for God to show Himself to me like He does to others that I admire......but He doesn't.....because I am not those people. As much as I admire them, I am not like them. I am like me. God made me (like it or not) how I am. Unique. Not like anybody else. So for me to try to imitate someone else's walk is pointless, because God designed me to walk a different way.

I once took a class that taught about Moses. Often you will hear people say, "I wish God would send me a burning bush!":) But think about it for a minute, if He did, what would you do? Would you tell ANYBODY about it?....:) I probably wouldn't either.:)
You know even Moses had to have been caught off guard by the whole thing. He didn't sit there and think for a minute and slap himself on the head and say,"Oh! This is my burning bush experience like Adam had!" :) He couldn't, because no one had ever had an experience with God like that before. It was unique. Designed just for Moses. God speaks to all of us in a different way, because He created us to be different. We each have our own unique relationship with our Creator.

Psalm 139:13-14
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my
mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully
and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

So now each day, I am trying to embrace my own personality a little more. I am trying to figure out what God wants me to do with the abilities and strengths He has given me. I am going to try to stop comparing my weaknesses to other people's strengths. God made me to be Amy. Not anybody else. I'm so grateful that He loves me just like I am......... a work in progress.:)

Celebrity Look-a-Likes

I am a big fan of Myspace. Shannon and I both made pages so that we could see what our kids were doing, and in the process found out that we really liked it.
I have several friends on Myspace that have these Celebrity Look-a-Like pictures. All you have to do is upload a picture of yourself and it scans your face and finds the celebrities that it thinks you look like....Sounds easy enough, right?

All of my friends that had one were matched to all kinds of women. So..... I couldn't wait to see what celebrity "women" I would look like.:)..... Imagine my surprise when my results came back. See below.





I thought surely there must have been some mistake....so I tried it again.



And again.....





I tried not to take it too personally. I felt sure there must be some computer error. So, once again, I tried uploading a different picture. I was just sure this time I would be much more successful in being told that I do in fact look more like a woman than a man.....I was wrong.



Since I am not one who gives up very easily, I thought surely the "fifth" time would be the charm.......



After doing this, I realized I apparently have been in complete denial about my "masculine" qualities.
Humbling.....I guess I could look on the bright side. Maybe I could be a "Royal" impersonator, play "The Rock's" long lost twin in a blockbuster action movie, or star in a movie about the life of Jake Gyllenhaal. But could someone please tell me, who in the world is Marshall McLuhan?.... Whatever!:)......


Okay, who am I kidding.... you know I tried again.....now I'm officially giving up!

Carpe Diem

Every Christmas now for years, I have received this devotional.
It is so uplifting. My favorite author is Daniel Schantz; I will share some of his words with you in future posts. Today's entry was written by Fred Bauer. He tells of an interesting statement made by Abraham Lincoln. So in honor of President's Day, I am sharing it with you.

"Abraham Lincoln noted that knowing where God is on some issues takes a good deal of cogitating. During the Civil War, an opponent of the president suggested that God was not on Lincoln's side. Lincoln's answer:'My concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.'"

The verse that he shares along with this passage is Romans 12:2.
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Most of us are not in charge of leading an entire nation, but all of us need to be on God's side in our lives, because God is always right. Whether at our jobs, our homes, or with our friends and families, we need to be with God. Our decisions matter; they have an impact on people other than ourselves.

The only way to know God's will and direction for your life is to simply ask Him. Pray about it. Seek the counsel of other Christians. Read God's Word. Listen. He will show you which way to go to follow Him. One of my favorite verses to repeat when I am not sure which way to go in my life is this:

Isaiah 30:21
"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"

God will speak to you. Sometimes we are just not still or quiet long enough to hear His voice. Life is short. Don't waste precious time in your life going the opposite direction of God. Carpe Diem. Seize the day. Make the most of this time God has given you. Step out in faith and listen! Start today. Make your life matter for God!

I received this quote in an email today.
"Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once."

Here's another movie clip. My husband and I love using movie clips for illustration. This one was shown at a church service we both attended, and it made quite the impact on both of us.




I'm closing this with Fred Bauer's sweet prayer.
"Direct us God, when we face a tough decision,
Give us wisdom, give us courage, give us vision."

Thanks to my boys!:)

I just wanted to shout out a "BIG THANK YOU" to Matthew and Daniel for helping me make my new blog header. I love it. Thanks for your help. I love you both!

Love,
Mom:)

When the kid is away the parents will play!:)

Just so no one thinks that we didn't have as much if not more fun than our son did listening to someone snore, I thought I would give you a sneak peek into our "wild" weekend!:)

My husband and I are working on a puzzle together. We are not making any making some progress.



We decided we could use some help coffee. So Shannon made us some cappuccino with our new cappuccino maker. Thank you, Terry!:) It took him a little while to figure it out.



But as usual, my man can figure out how to do anything!



It was YUMMY!:)

So after two cappuccinos each a little bit of coffee, we were good to go and made quite a bit of progress on our puzzle.



A few more weekends with a whole lot of some cappucinos, we figure we might actually finish this thing.

Just another wild weekend in Crazyville.:)

Twelve Year Old's Retreat Update

We picked our son up from his weekend retreat after church today.
The weather turned out to be warmer than forecasted, so all his fingers are still attached. His hair is also still looking fine!:)

We asked him if he had fun, and he said, "Yes".
We asked him if the food was good and he said, "Yes".
We asked him several other questions, all of which we received one word answers.....:)

Then he perked up and said, "Oh yeah, a kid in my cabin snored so loud! It was louder than Nigh-Nigh!(Nigh-Nigh is what the boys call my dad.) He sounded like a beast! It was so awful! None of us could go to sleep!":)

It is so funny to me what boys take out of an experience. If you asked a girl the same questions you would get answers in the form of paragraphs, not one syllable words.:) And someone's loud snoring would probably not be the most exciting event that they wanted to share with their family. I'm glad he had fun. When I told my dad what he said, he laughed out loud, and said that he was glad to know someone out there snores louder than he does.:)....My mom is not so sure about that though!:)

You will also be glad to know, the fifteen steps long haul from the cabin back to the car with the sleeping bag and pillow went okay, even without the help of a sherpa.:)

Noah and his wife

The story of Noah and his wife is one of the most touching stories to me in the Bible. It is so hard to imagine the amount of faith they both had to follow through on every single thing God asked them to do.

When we step out in faith with God, it seems to always make us look like "fools" to the world. Imagine today if your neighbor was building an ark and warning every passerby of the impending flood, what would you think?......

I know some of the things God has called me to do, did not make me seem like the smartest student in the class.:) But during those difficult times of waiting on God to show up, I did have the encouragement of other Christians. Noah and his wife did not even have that. Noah's wife couldn't go to her weekly Bible study to get encouragement from her peers. They "all" thought her husband was crazy! Noah spent about 120 years building that ark!..120 years! None of us will ever have to wait on God that long for a promise to come to pass. It is so hard for me to imagine the amount of faithfulness it took to continue what God had called them to do. But they did it!

Most of us have been familiar with the story of Noah and the Ark our whole lives. As a child I mostly remember animals two by two, the ark, and of course the rainbow, but as an adult trying to follow the Lord in my own life, the story has taken on new meaning.

As a wife, I have been through some struggles in my own marriage. Times of testing that were hard. But nothing even close to what Noah's wife was called to do. She stood by her man and trusted God even when everyone and everything seemed to be against her. For 120 years! When I am going through tough times, I often remind myself of that story. At least I won't have to wait 120 years for God to fulfill His promise to me.:) Amen!

It helps me to be reminded sometimes that the people that I read about in the Bible are not "characters." They were flesh and blood people just like me. Noah hadn't built an ark before. He wasn't a master ship builder. He was just a man who loved the Lord, and He was willing to risk everything in order to follow Him. God is the same today as He was in Noah's day. I have been told many times "God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called." We, like Noah and his wife, just need to be willing to follow Him where He leads us.

Recently my husband and I watched the movie Evan Almighty. We enjoyed it so much. I'm showing you this clip...as you watch it, put yourself in their shoes. Imagine what you would do if God called you to do the same thing as "Evan" and his family.
Enjoy!:)

Packing with a twelve year old!

My youngest son is at a weekend retreat with the youth group from church. They are spending the weekend at a statepark about 30 minutes from home.

Yesterday, I told him that he needed to start packing for the trip....So he did.
He informed me though that he didn't want to carry his sleeping bag, because it takes tooooo long to get it back in the sack it is stored in. He was just going to take "some" blankets. My husband and I informed him that it would be below freezing at night, so he would have to spend the three seconds extra time it took to put the sleeping bag back in its sack.

He comes back a few minutes later and informs us he isn't going to take a pillow either......
We looked at each other a little confused, and then proceeded to ask him why.
He said he didn't want to have to "carry" so much stuff. The bag and the "sleeping bag" were going to be trouble enough.....
I looked at him and said, "You are not climbing Mt. Everest without the help of a sherpa.....Your dad and I are driving you to the door of the cabin and we will help you 'haul' the pillow and sleeping bag the whole fifteen steps it takes to get to the cabin from the car." He wasn't happy, but he caved and took his pillow.:)

As we were getting ready to leave, I reminded him to get his gloves too, because it was going to be cold. He did a big huffy breath and said, "Gloves will make me look stupid, Mom!"...I thought about it for a moment and said,"You're right, frostbitten fingers are much COOLER than gloves. I don't know what I was thinking!"

The one thing we won't have to worry about is his hair. He packed everything necessary to keep his hair looking great! His fingers may be taken over by frostbite, but his hair will be looking fine.:)

So we dropped him off. We even survived the LONG walk from the car to the cabin. It was tough, but we made it.:)We did have to make him put his jacket on though. He was just going to wear his short sleeve t-shirt. We looked at him and informed him that he could either wear the jacket or return home with us.........He chose the jacket.:)


Hopefully he will come home with all his fingers still attached. My husband and I are going to spend the rest of the weekend resting up for the fifteen steps long haul from the cabin to the car with that pillow and sleeping bag.

Housework

Thursday I spent maybe the whole day a little too much time trying to figure out how to work this blog. Time just completely got away from me. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the kitchen and saw this:



I don't know how the dishes multiplied like that if I was on the computer the whole day for a little while. Flylady, if you're reading this, I am very sorry. You taught me to "Fly" better than this. I guess today I should hire a housekeeper spend less time on the computer and more time in the kitchen. I'm thinking it might have been more fun to be born as a dog. A lot less stress!:)

I give you Exhibit A:


"Stress Free Living"


Well, kitchen here I come!

P.S. Flylady, if you are reading, you will be very proud of me. I set my timer and FLEW! I even had time to make Shannon a romantic spaghetti dinner for Valentine's Day. (Very Lady and the Tramp.)



No dishes were harmed during the cleaning of this kitchen.

Bible Study About Esther

I am reading an amazing devotional book for women.click here The woman that I am reading about this week is Esther.It points out how God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary. He uses the most unlikely people to fulfill His purposes. He doesn't need us to be perfect or talented or any number of things; He only wants us to be willing. It encourages me so much to be reminded that God can use me right where I am, just like I am. I don't have to go through some special training for my life to matter for God. Here is one of the verses the book points out.

2 Corinthians 8:12
"For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have."

It's comforting to think that where I am in my life and relationships today is exactly where God wants to and can use me. He can use you too.

Random Survey

A Few Randoms

What were you doing before you started this survey?:	Working on my blog.
What is your greatest accomplishment so far today?:	Feeding the kids breakfast and lunch.
What were you doing 12 hours ago?:	Sleeping
What are you wearing right now?:	Pajamas Comfortable clothes
Name one thing you are not good at.:	Painting
If you could improve one thing about yourself, what would it be?:	I would exercise more.
What is your favorite unique thing about you?:	I very much enjoy the little things in life.
What do you do for a living?:	Homemaker
Do you enjoy your work?:	Depends on which day you ask me.
If you could have any job, what would it be?:	CSI or Cold Case Detective
Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?:	Of Course!...When I was five.
What sports did you play in high school/college?:	Hee- Hee
What is your favorite holiday?:	Thanksgiving
What is your favorite season?:	Fall
What is your favorite color?:	Blue
Your favorite genre of music?:	All kinds
Do you smoke?:	No
Do you drink?:	No
Do you eat meat?:	Yes
What is your favorite way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon?:	Curled up on the couch with Shannon watching a movie.
How do you take your eggs?:	Scrambled
What is your favorite breakfast food?:	Biscuits and red-eye gravy
What is your favorite dessert?:	Chocolate Chip Anything
What is your dream car?:	One that is paid for.
If you could live anywhere in the US, where would you live?:	Rhode Island
If you could visit any foreign country, where would you go?:	Italy
What is your biggest wish right now?:	If you tell a wish, it won't come true...I think Cinderella said that.
Do you wish on stars?:	Of course.
Do you wish on pennies thrown into a fountain?:	Absolutely.
Have you ever had a wish come true?:	Many times. Thank You, God.
What is your favorite TV Station?:	CBS
Favorite TV show?:	Criminal Minds
Do you decorate for the holidays?:	Yes!
If so, which ones?:	All of them.
What is your favorite smell?:	Vanilla
Your least favorite smell?:	Old lady perfume
What is your favorite board game?:	Sequence
Who was your first best friend?:	Tracy
Are you still in contact with them?:	Yes, she is my sister-in-law.
What is your favorite sport to play?:	Hee-Hee
To watch?:	Baseball
If you could be famous, what would you want to be famous for?:	Finding the cure for fat thighs!
Why do you take surveys?:	Good question.
Have you enjoyed this one so far?:	Sure.
What should you be doing instead of this survey?:	Cleaning house.
What will you be doing 12 hours from now?:	Sleeping
What are your goals for tomorrow?:	To accomplish more than I did today.

Click here to take this survey or find others at surveyspace.
Click here to create your own.

Is It Just Me?

This morning I opened the boy's bags of Valentine candy to put in the candy bowls and as soon as the smell of the chocolate hit my nostrils, my pants felt tighter.....

How is it that I can watch other people eat candy and not gain an ounce, but I smell it and have to get out my fat comfortable pants? Is it just me, or does anyone else have this same problem?....I would love to know.

Valentine's Day

Today is VD day...as Crazy Aunt Purl calls it.:)
My husband gave me a very funny card ( I prefer funny to poetic).
It has a picture of this old, old, old, depression era couple on it. They look exactly how I feel after trying to figure out this blog all yesterday afternoon.:)
I hope, for my husband's sake, that we do not actually look like that in our all too near future.

I love all of the Valentine merchandise that you see in the stores right now. Red and pink hearts EVERYTHING! I was thisclose to buying a heart shaped chip and dip bowl last weekend. I was able to control myself and put it back on the shelf, but it was very cute! There was also a darling pet food and water dish set that was yummy! I really think Allie needed it, but I was able to put it back on the shelf too. Maybe I'm crazy it's just me, but I love seeing the aisles full of pink and red. It makes me smile.:)

It's weird how we put so much emphasis on this one day every year for people to buy our love show us how much we mean to them. I would rather have 364 days of love than one day of cards and chocolate.

Friends will call you and ask you what you got for Valentine's and as sure as you say , "A card."......You can hear this sigh...."Oh, your husband must not love you as much as mine loves me well I only got a dozen roses and a diamond tennis bracelet myself....But a 'card' is nice too.".....Whatever.

I'll keep my card and a husband who loves me all year long!:)
Happy Valentine's Day, Shannon!



Since it's Valentine's Day here is one of my favorite romantic movie scenes. Enjoy!:)

My Glamorous Blessed Life

I decided to go ahead and try writing a blog, even though I don't have a clue know for sure what to write. If it stinks isn't that good, oh well! Here goes....

I get up each morning and read my favorite blog Crazy Aunt Purl. I looooove her. She makes me laugh out loud. Laurie, if you ever read this, thank you for that. I feel certain that if you lived here, we would be best friends.:) (In a very non-stalker kind of way!)

My life is very predictable. The same thing everyday. All year. Get up and make the bed. Drink coffee or diet coke. Read Crazy Aunt Purl. Yell at children until they get up. Feed said children. Feed the dog, my favorite of the said children. Then take the dog out and bring her back in. The fun starts here. I have to wipe the dog. No, that is not a typo. You read it correctly, wipe the dog. Wipe all her paws, her mouth, and a couple of other parts I will save for future posts. After the dog wiping is complete, the misery homeschooling begins. As Goldie Hawn said in the movie "Overboard"..... "Everyone wants to be me!":)


I have often said I have a fantasy. I am the star of the fantasy and I am wearing a big, fuzzy bathrobe!(Probably pink) I have a cup of coffee in my hand. The kids are all dressed up ready to go out the door. They also have their lunches (which they packed) and their backpacks ready. We all go to the door with smiles on our faces. I kiss them both goodbye as they run to catch the school bus (which comes to our driveway). I then close the door and enjoy a day of nail painting, teevee watching housecleaning, bill paying, poop scooping, taking naps exercising, grocery shopping, you know, the good life........Then I snap out of it, and realize this fantasy is never going to come true. I am a homeschooling mom, like it or not. There are no packed lunches, or school buses coming. Just another day at home with the kids and my favorite baby the dog. Every day. All year.:)

Fantasy aside, I love my life. Most days.:) I have a great husband. He loves me even when he comes home and I look like I have been at war for 3 weeks without a shower or a toothbrush a little tired. He is also very involved with our boys. He will call the week of my period often from work to make sure the "boys" are okay. He's very smart caring that way.:) I love him. Shannon, if you're reading this, "I love you!"

Our two boys are ages fifteen and the most hideous age ever twelve. They are very funny, and as different as night and day. I looove their differences. They definitely keep me on my toes. Every day. All year.:)

Well, that's all for now.

The dog is about to pee in the floor needing to go out....don't hate me ya'll. I can't help my glamorous life.

If You Can't Make It Better, You Can Laugh At It! ~Erma Bombeck

Southern Spelling

Baking Mishaps

Not Exactly The Ingalls Family

Bathing Suits And Other Mischief

The Elephant Incident

PMS

My Hair

A Physical Date

Southern Cooking

MY Diet Food

Are we going somewhere?

Daniel's Philosophy About Grades

Sleeping and Peeing and Frogs, Oh My!

Frogs In The Toilet 101

Breaking News Flash!

Seven Things About Me You Probably Don't Want To Know

PMS.....AGAIN?

Make-up, Hair Don'ts Do's, And Evening Wear

Soaring Gas Prices Lead To Desperation

Medical Professionals

Let Me Introduce You

My Dad's Vocabulary

Have You Ever Wondered What Your Pets Were Thinking?

The Griswalds On Vacation

Distractions And Yardwork

Hospital Happenings And A Lizard

I've Been Tagged

All Is Fair In Love And Hospitals

Amy From A-Z

Bad Hair Tag (And An Award)

A Little Marriage Humor

Six Random Things About Myself

Tell Me Your Story Tag~Part One

Tell Me Your Story Tag~Part Two

Movies, And Bathrooms, And Kid Rock, Oh My!

Victoria's Amy's Secret

Another Lunch And Movie With Shelly And Her Mom

My Visit With Shelly, Sugar, And Spice

Twilight

Friends And Fun At Shelly's House

A Christmas Tag And An Award

An Interview By JanJanMom

Google Search Words And Phrases~ 2

Honest Scrap~ Part 1

Honest Scrap~ Part 2

Who Is This?

Inside The Actor's Blogger's Studio

Interview with Mia

Interview With Yvette

Interview with Tina

Interview With Denise

Interview With Michele