tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48074570386643908332024-03-13T15:35:38.094-05:00in my life"If you can't make it better, you can laugh at it. If you can laugh at it, you can live with it." ~Erma Bombeck ツAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.comBlogger286125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-71190943410867256822011-09-01T09:30:00.047-05:002011-09-01T11:02:55.265-05:00Nineveh Or Bust<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y7xRoot0chE/Tl-aikABTmI/AAAAAAAAEVg/xOETNgw-W30/s1600/610x350-u-turn-change-direction-arrow-sign.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 184px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y7xRoot0chE/Tl-aikABTmI/AAAAAAAAEVg/xOETNgw-W30/s320/610x350-u-turn-change-direction-arrow-sign.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647402376315883106" /></a>
<br />
<br />Picture yourself heading out on a trip.
<br />A trip you want no part of.
<br />You are "supposed" to go somewhere for your <em>Father</em>.
<br />Somewhere you REALLY don't want to go.
<br />Your <em>Father</em> says, "Go to Nineveh."
<br />But the directions You printed off of Map Quest to get you there have you heading straight for Tarshish.
<br />A city in the opposite direction.
<br />But you keep going there anyway.
<br />
<br />This is the situation Jonah found himself in. Minus Map Quest, of course.
<br />
<br /><em>Jonah 1: 1-3
<br />The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
<br />But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. </em>
<br />
<br />Jonah <em>intentionally</em> boarded a ship headed in the opposite direction of where the LORD told him to go.
<br />
<br />Have you ever done that? I know I have, even though I know there is no where I can run to that God doesn't follow me.
<br />
<br /><em>Jeremiah 23:24</em>
<br /><em>"Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the LORD. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the LORD.</em>
<br />
<br />So many times in this life, we run from what we know is right, because it's too hard. We choose instead to head straight to what is wrong, because it <em>seems</em> easier. It's familiar. It's comfortable.
<br />
<br />Problem is, that comfortable feeling doesn't last for long.
<br />
<br />It's fleeting.
<br />
<br />Then one day you wake up and find yourself in a very uncomfortable place having to finally face yourself. Face your mistakes. Face your fears.
<br />
<br />Just like Jonah did.
<br />
<br /><em>Jonah 1: 4-17
<br />
<br />Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
<br />
<br />But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”
<br />
<br />Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
<br />
<br />He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
<br />
<br />This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)
<br />
<br />The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
<br />
<br />“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
<br />
<br />Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried out to the LORD, “Please, LORD, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, LORD, have done as you pleased.” Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.
<br />
<br />Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. </em>
<br />
<br />Can you imagine? He was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights. Alone. In the dark. Surrounded by what must have been the foulest odor imaginable.
<br />
<br />Jonah was definitely uncomfortable.
<br />
<br />I've often wondered why God stuck Jonah in the belly of a huge fish to get his attention. As I was talking to my friend the other day about a difficult period <em>in my life</em>, she pointed something out to me that I had never thought of before. During that time, all of my friends seemed to scatter. I was left alone. Or so I thought. It wasn't until years later that I realized God had my friends scatter, so He could get my full attention to help me work through my problems. Maybe that's why God stuck Jonah in the belly of the huge fish as well. There was no escape. There was no one to run to or talk to for comfort. No distractions. It was just Jonah and God.
<br />
<br />After his days and nights in the belly of the huge fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD.
<br />
<br /><em>Jonah 2: 1-9
<br />
<br />From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said:
<br /> “In my distress I called to the LORD,
<br /> and he answered me.
<br />From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
<br /> and you listened to my cry.
<br />You hurled me into the depths,
<br /> into the very heart of the seas,
<br /> and the currents swirled about me;
<br />all your waves and breakers
<br /> swept over me.
<br />I said, ‘I have been banished
<br /> from your sight;
<br />yet I will look again
<br /> toward your holy temple.’
<br />The engulfing waters threatened me,
<br /> the deep surrounded me;
<br /> seaweed was wrapped around my head.
<br />To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
<br /> the earth beneath barred me in forever.
<br />But you, LORD my God,
<br /> brought my life up from the pit.
<br />
<br />“When my life was ebbing away,
<br /> I remembered you, LORD,
<br />and my prayer rose to you,
<br /> to your holy temple.
<br />
<br />“Those who cling to worthless idols
<br /> turn away from God’s love for them.
<br />But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
<br /> will sacrifice to you.
<br />What I have vowed I will make good.
<br /> I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’” </em>
<br />
<br />Jonah finally got it. After three days and nights in the belly of the huge fish, he finally got it, so the LORD set him free.
<br />
<br /><em>Jonah 2:10
<br />And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.</em>
<br />
<br /><em>Jonah 3: 1-3
<br />Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.</em>
<br />
<br />The LORD told him a second time to go to Nineveh.
<br />
<br />I would imagine the stench of the vomit alone would have kept Jonah on the right track the second time.
<br />
<br />Scripture says that Nineveh was a large city that took him <em>three</em> days to get through. <em>Three</em> days. He sat in the belly of the huge fish for <em>three</em> days and <em>three</em> nights.
<br />
<br />I've read before that the number <em>three</em> in Scripture is used of God to signify His Purpose or His Will. That's interesting to me. Every single word of Scripture is significant. As is every seemingly small detail of our lives. We need to see God in the details. We tend to see Him only in the BIG things that happen in our lives, instead, we should see Him in ALL the things that happen in our lives. God is in to details.
<br />
<br />If Jonah had listened to and obeyed the LORD the <span style="font-style:italic;">first</span> time he told him to go to Nineveh, he could have made that same trip in a more timely manner without stinking to high heaven.
<br />
<br />Thankfully, the LORD loves us and is patient with all of us. He is the God of Second Chances.
<br />
<br />The Bible is full of stories of men and women just like you and me that made mistakes in their lives, yet God did not give up on them.
<br />
<br />He will NOT give up on <em>you</em> either.
<br />
<br /><em>1 Chronicles 16:34
<br />“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." </em>
<br />
<br />Are you heading to Tarshish in your life right now, even though you know the LORD has called you to go to Nineveh?
<br />
<br />One way or another, you will have to go to <em>(your)</em> Nineveh just like Jonah did. It's up to you if you want to arrive there earlier and smelling nice, or if you want to show up later with the stench of vomit on you.
<br />
<br /><strong>"Remember, if you’re headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns!" ~Allison Gappa Bottke</strong>
<br />
<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-84893032004038491562011-08-30T08:58:00.003-05:002011-08-30T09:01:56.897-05:00♫ Get This Party Started ♫<span style="font-style:italic;">With Labor Day Weekend coming up, I decided to share this recipe for cheese dip with all ten of you again. It's a family favorite. And probably the only reason I ever get invited anywhere.</span>
<br />
<br />Do you pop out at parties? Are you unpoopular?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfTTzYn0aI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/jM1D8Z736VU/s1600-h/I-Love-Lucy--C10230236.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfTTzYn0aI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/jM1D8Z736VU/s400/I-Love-Lucy--C10230236.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194853032359612834" /></a><br /><br />Well, today, I am going to show you how to make the <span style="font-style:italic;">ultimate</span> cheese dip....Once you take this dip to your next church potluck or family gathering.......you will be the most <span style="font-style:italic;">poopular</span> person at the party. <span style="font-style:italic;">(Just kidding!)</span> <br /><br />So join me in my kitchen, and I'll show you how to make the magic happen in yours.<br /><br />Here's all you will need to help you <span style="font-style:italic;">pop</span> out at parties.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhyTDYn0qI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/U8g97_h1eUg/s1600-h/100_0694.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhyTDYn0qI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/U8g97_h1eUg/s400/100_0694.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195027841823527586" /></a><br /><br />The first step in making this cheesy goodness is to cut the cheese. <span style="font-style:italic;">(Just ignore me; I live with three boys. Sorry.)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfUSzYn0bI/AAAAAAAAA9g/WEYIa33zrQY/s1600-h/100_0701.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfUSzYn0bI/AAAAAAAAA9g/WEYIa33zrQY/s400/100_0701.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194854114691371442" /></a><br /><br />You only need one pound of cheese for this recipe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfVZzYn0cI/AAAAAAAAA9o/Es9RcF7SbVQ/s1600-h/100_0702.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfVZzYn0cI/AAAAAAAAA9o/Es9RcF7SbVQ/s400/100_0702.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194855334462083522" /></a><br /> <br />Now cut the cheese <span style="font-style:italic;">(again, just ignore me)</span> into cubes. Like so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfWUzYn0dI/AAAAAAAAA9w/Ka5i42HM5d0/s1600-h/100_0704.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfWUzYn0dI/AAAAAAAAA9w/Ka5i42HM5d0/s400/100_0704.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194856348074365394" /></a><br /><br />Now get out a small saucepan and a can opener. <span style="font-style:italic;">(See how rustic we are; that's right, you can't plug that can opener in. It's a manual one....you know, so I can cook while the <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/03/not-exactly-ingalls-family.html> power</a> is out!)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBdLDTYn0ZI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/P2YeWHVh3DI/s1600-h/100_0706.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBdLDTYn0ZI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/P2YeWHVh3DI/s400/100_0706.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194703215310393746" /></a><br /><br />Now <del>dump</del> pour the rotel into your saucepan.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfXkTYn0eI/AAAAAAAAA94/f6KYPZ7XoPA/s1600-h/100_0708.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfXkTYn0eI/AAAAAAAAA94/f6KYPZ7XoPA/s400/100_0708.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194857713873965538" /></a><br /><br />The next thing you will need to do is to add one-fourth teaspoon of black pepper. Like this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfYkzYn0fI/AAAAAAAAA-A/SC7eAa5E64U/s1600-h/100_0710.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfYkzYn0fI/AAAAAAAAA-A/SC7eAa5E64U/s400/100_0710.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194858821975527922" /></a><br /><br />Now throw in one teaspoon of garlic powder. Trust me; it will be goooooood!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfZoDYn0gI/AAAAAAAAA-I/5cliAEO_ip0/s1600-h/100_0712.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfZoDYn0gI/AAAAAAAAA-I/5cliAEO_ip0/s400/100_0712.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194859977321730562" /></a><br /><br />The last spice you will add is ground cumin. Just toss in one teaspoon of that as well. <span style="font-style:italic;">(This is the secret ingredient; but don't tell anybody.)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfa0jYn0hI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/Nb73X8KyLLo/s1600-h/100_0714.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfa0jYn0hI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/Nb73X8KyLLo/s400/100_0714.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194861291581723154" /></a><br /><br />Grab a spoon, and stir it all together. Like so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfcVTYn0iI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/Qvgv7-ZQ53A/s1600-h/100_0715.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBfcVTYn0iI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/Qvgv7-ZQ53A/s400/100_0715.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194862953734066722" /></a><br /><br />Place your saucepan on the stove and bring the rotel and spices to a boil. Let them boil for about two minutes. Then remove from heat. <span style="font-style:italic;">(Thanks!)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhq9zYn0jI/AAAAAAAAA-g/CK7VwcrTgzk/s1600-h/100_0718.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhq9zYn0jI/AAAAAAAAA-g/CK7VwcrTgzk/s400/100_0718.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195019780169912882" /></a><br /><br />Now you are ready to dump the cheese that you just cut <span style="font-style:italic;">(sorry)</span> into the blender. Like so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhsEDYn0kI/AAAAAAAAA-o/MsNvGx-hTWY/s1600-h/100_0719.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhsEDYn0kI/AAAAAAAAA-o/MsNvGx-hTWY/s400/100_0719.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195020987055723074" /></a><br /><br />Then <del>dump</del> pour the rotel and spices right over the cheese. <span style="font-style:italic;">(Be careful though; it's hot!)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhtJzYn0lI/AAAAAAAAA-w/51nZ6MfJCmU/s1600-h/100_0722.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhtJzYn0lI/AAAAAAAAA-w/51nZ6MfJCmU/s400/100_0722.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195022185351598674" /></a><br /><br />It should look something like this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhuMDYn0mI/AAAAAAAAA-4/qswowLrxtFI/s1600-h/100_0724.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhuMDYn0mI/AAAAAAAAA-4/qswowLrxtFI/s400/100_0724.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195023323517932130" /></a><br /><br />Now for the most important step of this entire recipe.....Make sure the lid to your blender is on good and tight!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhvfTYn0nI/AAAAAAAAA_A/OS87zXutBP0/s1600-h/100_0726.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhvfTYn0nI/AAAAAAAAA_A/OS87zXutBP0/s400/100_0726.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195024753742041714" /></a><br /><br />Put your blender on the <span style="font-style:italic;">High</span> speed and blend.<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Note to self: Next time remember to clean the blender before showing it to tens of people on the internet.)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhzIjYn0rI/AAAAAAAAA_g/Dv0gcHruDYs/s1600-h/100_0727.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhzIjYn0rI/AAAAAAAAA_g/Dv0gcHruDYs/s400/100_0727.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195028760946528946" /></a><br /><br />When it is all blended together and looks something like this picture, it is ready!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhxOjYn0pI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/DqY7oCPnHjE/s1600-h/100_0728.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhxOjYn0pI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/DqY7oCPnHjE/s400/100_0728.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195026665002488466" /></a><br /><br />Now it is time to <del>dump</del> pour it all into your serving bowl. Like this. <span style="font-style:italic;">Mmmmmmmmm!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhz2DYn0sI/AAAAAAAAA_o/X8mXVkmxO1Y/s1600-h/100_0730.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBhz2DYn0sI/AAAAAAAAA_o/X8mXVkmxO1Y/s400/100_0730.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195029542630576834" /></a><br /><br />If you <del>stick your finger in it</del> accidentally get some on your finger, feel free to lick it off......I won't tell anybody!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBh23DYn0tI/AAAAAAAAA_w/DRyDGfeNELo/s1600-h/100_0732.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBh23DYn0tI/AAAAAAAAA_w/DRyDGfeNELo/s400/100_0732.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195032858345329362" /></a><br /><br />Now for the "official" taste test. Grab a chip and dip it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBh46TYn0uI/AAAAAAAAA_4/RFJFwdy9vIU/s1600-h/100_0738.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBh46TYn0uI/AAAAAAAAA_4/RFJFwdy9vIU/s400/100_0738.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195035113203159778" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Mmmmmmmmmmm!</span><br /><br />If you still have some left after the taste test is finished.......quickly leave the house and head to the party.....<span style="font-style:italic;">(Trust me on this; if you don't leave quickly, the cheese dip could possibly disappear before you are able to get out of the house. This has <del>often</del> never happened to me, of course, but I've heard stories.)</span><br /><br />When you arrive at the "party" carrying a bowl of this <span style="font-style:italic;">cheese dip</span> and a bag of chips.......<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBh54zYn0vI/AAAAAAAABAA/hmy0JvtT4uM/s1600-h/100_0739.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBh54zYn0vI/AAAAAAAABAA/hmy0JvtT4uM/s400/100_0739.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195036186944983794" /></a><br /><br />All eyes will be on you, and you will start to hear <span style="font-style:italic;">Pink's</span> voice singing in your ears.<br /><br />Then you'll <span style="font-style:italic;">dance</span> with your cheese dip and chips all the way across the room.<br /><br />That's right!<br /><br />Like this........ <br /><br />♫<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I'm coming up so you better get this party started<br />I'm coming up so you better get this party started<br /><br />(get this party started)<br /><br />Making my connection as I enter the room<br />everybody is chillin'<br />as I set up the groove<br />Pumpin up the volume<br />with this brand new beat<br />everybody's dancin'<br />and they're dancin' for me<br />I'm the operator<br />you can call anytime<br />I'll be your connection to<br />the party line<br /><br />I'm coming up so you better get this party started<br />I'm coming up so you better get this party started<br />I'm coming up so you better get this party started<br />I'm coming up so you better get this party started</span><br />♫<br /><br />Okay, well maybe I'm exaggerating <del>a lot</del> a little bit, but trust me, if you take this cheese dip to the next social gathering that you are invited to........you'll get invited back!<br /><br />I'm just saying is all.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img
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<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-78618590501974099292011-08-27T14:03:00.078-05:002011-08-27T20:27:47.371-05:00Fairy Tales, Storms, & StuffAfter 20 years of marriage, Shannon and I finally got to do something we have been talking about for several years. We renewed our wedding vows in a ceremony on the beach.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NpNJxPUY-pI/TllCwcEe9mI/AAAAAAAAEUQ/Oebn9gKI00Y/s1600/IMG_2870.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NpNJxPUY-pI/TllCwcEe9mI/AAAAAAAAEUQ/Oebn9gKI00Y/s320/IMG_2870.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645617007821780578" /></a>
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<br />It was a very sweet and private affair. Just Shannon, me, the minister, the ocean and sand, and God.
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<br />During the ceremony, the minister said to us, "After 20 years of marriage, I'm sure you two have been through all kinds of <em>stuff</em>." To which we both very romantically gazed into each other's eyes.....and laughed out loud.
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<br />We have definitely been through some <em>"stuff."</em> To say the least.
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<br />All marriages go through <em>"stuff."</em> That's an absolute given. It's how you handle the <em><em>"stuff"</em></em> that life throws at your marriage that makes the difference between the marriage ending or lasting.
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<br />A lot of people like to compare <em>"stuff"</em> in marriages. Since we have made it for 20 years, many people assume that our <em>"stuff"</em> wasn't as difficult as their <em>"stuff,"</em> so that's why our marriage has lasted this long.
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<br />Nothing could be further from the truth.
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<br />We have had to work through our <em><em>"stuff"</em></em> just like every one else. Nothing worth having in this life is easy. Nothing. Even good marriages.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_nk7Zrej3dQ/TllTDqeqtdI/AAAAAAAAEUw/qZUQQuXCQcc/s1600/IMG_2882.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_nk7Zrej3dQ/TllTDqeqtdI/AAAAAAAAEUw/qZUQQuXCQcc/s320/IMG_2882.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645634930293257682" /></a>
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<br />In the Book of Matthew, there is the story about the wise and the foolish builders.
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<br />Matthew 7:24-27
<br />“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
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<br />If you look closely, you'll notice in these verses that the storms the two houses faced were <em>exactly</em> the same. The only difference was their <em>foundations.</em>
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<br />God doesn't want us to focus on the storms in our marriage; He wants us to focus on our foundations.
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<br />If God is the foundation in your marriage, you can weather any storm.
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<br />The rain can come down.
<br />The streams can rise.
<br />The winds can blow.
<br />But with God as your foundation, your marriage can still stand.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tH0yaBQhXiM/TllTEjQrN3I/AAAAAAAAEVI/QthWQvwks0w/s1600/IMG_2926.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tH0yaBQhXiM/TllTEjQrN3I/AAAAAAAAEVI/QthWQvwks0w/s320/IMG_2926.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645634945535391602" /></a>
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<br />Shannon and I are living proof of that.
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<br />We are by no means a "perfect" couple. There is no such thing this side of Heaven. However, we are a perfectly <em>flawed</em> couple, weathering the storms that life throws at us together with God.
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<br />During our vow renewal ceremony, the minister said, "You two are promising to love each other for always."
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<br /><em>Always.</em>
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<br />The preacher did not know this, but around my neck was a necklace that I purchased to wear for that special day. It was a little silver heart on a chain with the word <em>always</em> inscribed on it.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2gDhNWiCgZE/TllLJM7x2lI/AAAAAAAAEUg/5bIJGZi5Ciw/s1600/always.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2gDhNWiCgZE/TllLJM7x2lI/AAAAAAAAEUg/5bIJGZi5Ciw/s320/always.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645626229348489810" /></a>
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<br />Always is now our new favorite word.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bN4Tn5ah0lY/TllcYfWk24I/AAAAAAAAEVQ/GBqHkXheCNU/s1600/IMG_2867.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bN4Tn5ah0lY/TllcYfWk24I/AAAAAAAAEVQ/GBqHkXheCNU/s320/IMG_2867.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645645183688432514" /></a>
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<br />The verses on our rings are from Solomon 6:3. <em>"I am my beloved's. My beloved is mine."</em>
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<br />This post is not to judge anyone that has had a marriage end due to the storms that happened in their life, but to encourage those of you who are or who one day will be in a marriage to not compare the storms you face in your relationship to the storms of any other couple. Focus only on your marriage and the foundation on which your marriage is built. Work on weathering the storms together with God.
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<br /><em>Matthew 19:26
<br />Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”</em>
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<br />Later in the evening after our vow renewal, we received the disc of all of our pictures from the ceremony. Imagine our surprise as we were scrolling through all of them and saw this one.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SX5cPuO6wzU/TllCwsTuqOI/AAAAAAAAEUY/RWRlnoGqo5o/s1600/IMG_2839.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SX5cPuO6wzU/TllCwsTuqOI/AAAAAAAAEUY/RWRlnoGqo5o/s320/IMG_2839.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645617012180691170" /></a>
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<br />It's our personal favorite.
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<br />I once read that what makes a fairy tale so wonderful is not the absence of dragons....but the slaying of them.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7oIF-liAwAA/TllTEIxBTZI/AAAAAAAAEU4/WbnacTC-_s0/s1600/IMG_2894.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7oIF-liAwAA/TllTEIxBTZI/AAAAAAAAEU4/WbnacTC-_s0/s320/IMG_2894.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645634938423299474" /></a>
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<br />Always.
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<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-6237319087980050312011-07-18T14:02:00.001-05:002011-07-18T14:13:55.412-05:00The Shunammite Woman<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gy2DH3OR5xA/TiMyd0bIAJI/AAAAAAAAEUI/ie6H_sYJcR0/s1600/PineConeGroup.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 318px; height: 259px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gy2DH3OR5xA/TiMyd0bIAJI/AAAAAAAAEUI/ie6H_sYJcR0/s320/PineConeGroup.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630399447013261458" /></a><br />The woman I read about this week in my <a href= http://www.amazon.com/Women-Bible-Ann-Spangler/dp/0310223520><strong>devotional</strong></a> book is "The Shunammite Woman."<br /><br />Her story has SO many facets that I want to discuss <em>(and I will do another post in the future about her)</em>, but there is one in particular today that really touches me. It has to do with her <em>hope</em> in the face of unimaginable pain.<br /><br />The Shunammite Woman's story is found in 2 Kings 4: 8-37.<br /><br /><em>8 One day Elisha went to Shunem, where an important woman lived. She begged Elisha to stay and eat. So every time Elisha passed by, he stopped there to eat.9 The woman said to her husband, "I know that this is a holy man of God who passes by our house all the time.10 Let's make a small room on the roof[a] and put a bed in the room for him. We can put a table, a chair, and a lampstand there. Then when he comes by, he can stay there."<br />11 One day Elisha came to the woman's house. After he went to his room and rested,12 he said to his servant Gehazi, "Call the Shunammite woman." <br /><br />When the servant had called her, she stood in front of him.13 Elisha had told his servant, "Now say to her, 'You have gone to all this trouble for us. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak to the king or the commander of the army for you?' " <br /><br />She answered, "I live among my own people."<br /><br />14 Elisha said to Gehazi, "But what can we do for her?" <br /><br />He answered, "She has no son, and her husband is old."<br /><br />15 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, "Call her." When he called her, she stood in the doorway.16 Then Elisha said, "About this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms." <br /><br />The woman said, "No, master, man of God, don't lie to me, your servant!"<br /><br />17 But the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son at that time the next year, just as Elisha had told her.<br /><br />18 The boy grew up and one day went out to his father, who was with the grain harvesters.19 The boy said to his father, "My head! My head!" <br /><br />The father said to his servant, "Take him to his mother!"20 The servant took him to his mother, and he lay on his mother's lap until noon. Then he died.21 So she took him up and laid him on Elisha's bed. Then she shut the door and left.<br /><br />22 She called to her husband, "Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys. Then I can go quickly to the man of God and return."<br /><br />23 The husband said, "Why do you want to go to him today? It isn't the New Moon or the Sabbath day." <br /><br />She said, "It will be all right."<br /><br />24 Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Lead on. Don't slow down for me unless I tell you."25 So she went to Elisha, the man of God, at Mount Carmel. <br /><br />When he saw her coming from far away, he said to his servant Gehazi, "Look, there's the Shunammite woman!26 Run to meet her and ask, 'Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is the boy all right?' " <br /><br />She answered, "Everything is all right."<br /><br />27 Then she came to Elisha at the hill and grabbed his feet. Gehazi came near to pull her away, but Elisha said to him, "Leave her alone. She's very upset, and the Lord has not told me about it. He has hidden it from me."<br /><br />28 She said, "Master, did I ask you for a son? Didn't I tell you not to lie to me?"<br /><br />29 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, "Get ready. Take my walking stick in your hand and go quickly. If you meet anyone, don't say hello. If anyone greets you, don't respond. Lay my walking stick on the boy's face."<br /><br />30 The boy's mother said, "As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I won't leave you!" So Elisha got up and followed her.<br /><br />31 Gehazi went on ahead and laid the walking stick on the boy's face, but the boy did not talk or move. Then Gehazi went back to meet Elisha. "The boy has not awakened," he said.<br /><br />32 When Elisha came into the house, the boy was lying dead on his bed.33 Elisha entered the room and shut the door, so only he and the boy were in the room. Then he prayed to the Lord.34 He went to the bed and lay on the boy, putting his mouth on the boy's mouth, his eyes on the boy's eyes, and his hands on the boy's hands. He stretched himself out on top of the boy. Soon the boy's skin became warm.35 Elisha turned away and walked around the room. Then he went back and put himself on the boy again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.<br /><br />36 Elisha called Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunammite!" So he did. When she came, Elisha said, "Pick up your son."37 She came in and fell at Elisha's feet, bowing facedown to the floor. Then she picked up her son and went out.</em><br /><br />A lot takes place in between verses 8 and 37. But what I want to talk about today is what she says at the end of verse 23 when asked by her husband about why she was going to see the man of God now at this time on this day...she simply responded, "It will be all right."<br /><br />Her son had just died. The son that this man of God had promised her. The son that she wanted so desperately that she couldn't even let herself dream of ever actually having him. This son, was gone. Dead.<br /><br />Yet she says, "It will be all right."<br /><br />She was obviously very upset, but she did not run to her husband in panic. She held on to <em>hope</em> and went straight to the man of God that had promised her this son. She went to him. With <em>hope</em> in her heart. With the <em>hope</em> that if God could bring this miraculous baby into her life to begin with.....He could most assuredly bring him back to life in the same miraculous way. <br /><br />And He did.<br /><br />It's hard to imagine having that kind of <em>hope</em>. <br /><br />Just after reading the Shunammite Woman's story, I watched the Diane Sawyer interview with Jaycee Dugard. I'm sure most of you are very familiar with her unbelievable story. If not, click <a href= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping_of_Jaycee_Lee_Dugard><strong>here</strong></a> to read about Jaycee Dugard.<br /><br />It was a powerful interview to say the very least.<br /><br />All I could think when listening to Jaycee speak was....Jaycee is a modern day Shunammite Woman.<br /><br />When Diane asked Jaycee questions about her ordeal and how she managed to survive it, she said so many things that really touched me. Overwhelmed me. Humbled me.<br /><br />"You just do what you have to do to survive."<br /><br />"Sometimes you have to hold onto any <em>hope</em> to survive."<br /><br />"I was still alive. There was still <em>hope</em>."<br /><br />She suffered and survived through unimaginable horrors. Horrors that precious few could even ever comprehend, let alone survive and thrive. Yet in her heart she held onto the <em>hope</em>, much like the Shunammite woman, that one way or another, "It will be all right."<br /><br />Here is a picture of Jaycee Dugard today.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-igY0GTRV6qo/TiMlGdjTd9I/AAAAAAAAEUA/uAZANs9nri8/s1600/pine%2Bcone.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 231px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-igY0GTRV6qo/TiMlGdjTd9I/AAAAAAAAEUA/uAZANs9nri8/s320/pine%2Bcone.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630384752085399506" /></a><br /><br />You'll notice in the picture that she is wearing a necklace with a pinecone charm hanging from it. <em>(You can purchase one of these necklaces from the <a href= http://thejaycfoundation.org/donate.html><strong>JAYC Foundation, INC.</strong></a> The money raised through the sales of these necklaces goes to help families that are recovering from abduction and other traumatic experiences.)</em><br /><br />Jaycee said, “Back then (the pinecone) was the last thing I touched. You know, the last grip on me. Now, it’s–it’s a symbol of <em>hope</em> and new beginnings. And that–there is life after something tragic....” Dugard told Sawyer that she now wears a symbol of a pinecone around her neck to remind her of the <em>hope</em> that helped her endure 18 years of captivity and the long-delayed freedom she now enjoys.<br /><br />Jaycee went on to say, "I am so lucky and blessed for all the wonderful things I do have. Even if it is just one thing or person you have to be thankful for, that is enough."<br /><br />Like the Shunammite Woman, Jaycee held onto <em>hope</em>. In circumstances that most of us will never have to endure, they both held onto <em>hope</em>. They both believed that one way or another, "It will be all right."<br /><br /><strong><em>"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ~Hebrews 11:1</em></strong><br /><br />I'll never look at a pinecone the same way again. Pinecones have been a nuisance to me in the past, as they fill up our yard and make mowing the grass quite difficult. But now, I will see them differently...no longer nuisances, but symbols of <em>hope</em>.<br /><br />I'll end with this prayer.<br /><br /><em>Lord, thank you for sharing with us the story of the Shunammite Woman and for the unbelievable spirit of Jaycee Dugard. Now when I face troubles of any kind...whether relational, physical, financial, or spiritual, regardless of the outcome and no matter how painful the situation may be for me at the time, like Jaycee Dugard and the Shunammite Woman, I know that I, too, can boldly say with You in my life, "It will be all right." In Jesus' Sweet Name, Amen.</em><br /><br /><strong><em>"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." ~Hebrews 10:23 </em></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-7032506705653030682011-07-15T09:31:00.070-05:002011-07-15T16:54:26.178-05:00Breakfast CakeToday I'm sharing a recipe with all ten of you that Shannon and I really love. It has become one of our staples.<br /><br />It is called "Breakfast Cake."<br /><br /><em>Don't judge.</em><br /><br />I found the recipe on a website called <a href= http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/><em><strong>Heavenly Homemakers</strong></em></a>. You can click here -><a href= http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/mom-is-great-she-gives-us-breakfast-cake>Mom is Great! She Gives Us Breakfast Cake!</a> to see and print the full recipe.<br /><br />So please join me in my kitchen as I show you how to make "Breakfast Cake." It not only tastes <em>good</em>, but it is also <em>good</em> for you. No really. It is. <em>(Trust me when I say it is definitely good for you. I realize, I'm not a doctor, however, I've watched "House" many times on teevee.)</em><br /><br />Here are all of the ingredients I used to make this recipe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QpjrNCeUdIU/TiBsPE_CKOI/AAAAAAAAERo/e1almDc7VMc/s1600/101_2996.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QpjrNCeUdIU/TiBsPE_CKOI/AAAAAAAAERo/e1almDc7VMc/s320/101_2996.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629618540505082082" /></a><br /><br />I started out by pouring 2 <em>(heaping)</em> cups of whole rolled oats into a big glass bowl.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rF9nsSIzVG0/TiBsPYrHYwI/AAAAAAAAERw/15ZNUUaO2oc/s1600/101_2983.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rF9nsSIzVG0/TiBsPYrHYwI/AAAAAAAAERw/15ZNUUaO2oc/s320/101_2983.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629618545790247682" /></a><br /><br />Then I poured 2 cups of whole wheat flour in the same glass bowl.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zOcMY1X5_aU/TiBsPuAufWI/AAAAAAAAER4/M79ZuILOkYg/s1600/101_2984.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zOcMY1X5_aU/TiBsPuAufWI/AAAAAAAAER4/M79ZuILOkYg/s320/101_2984.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629618551518035298" /></a><br /><br />Next I poured 1 cup of melted and cooled light margarine into the mix. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ibmGbpm9zvo/TiBsP02BZ-I/AAAAAAAAESA/AXpgd8w4pcc/s1600/101_2985.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ibmGbpm9zvo/TiBsP02BZ-I/AAAAAAAAESA/AXpgd8w4pcc/s320/101_2985.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629618553352185826" /></a><br /><br /><em>(The recipe calls for butter, but I used light margarine instead to cut out A LOT of calories, and it works beautifully.)</em><br /><br />Next I poured in 1 cup of buttermilk.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KcliQzhseg4/TiBu1giMrUI/AAAAAAAAESI/q13a_-bjcto/s1600/101_2986.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KcliQzhseg4/TiBu1giMrUI/AAAAAAAAESI/q13a_-bjcto/s320/101_2986.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629621399758613826" /></a><br /><br /><em>(Now, I never have buttermilk on hand, so I improvise. I just add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup of milk and stir together. I let it set for just a couple of minutes, then pour it into the glass bowl. The recipe also calls for 3/4 cup of buttermilk, but I've found it works better with 1 full cup of buttermilk. But then again, that's just me. I'm obviously not Paula Deen, but I've seen her on teevee.)</em><br /><br />Now it's time to mix all of those ingredients together. Like so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q0dLhymPRM0/TiBu2B8lo7I/AAAAAAAAESQ/Xf7QVeldJ-M/s1600/101_2988.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q0dLhymPRM0/TiBu2B8lo7I/AAAAAAAAESQ/Xf7QVeldJ-M/s320/101_2988.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629621408727671730" /></a><br /><br />Then just cover the bowl with a towel, and let the grains soak on the counter overnight or for at least 8 hours.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X5xt3ya7pnA/TiBu2NFhzTI/AAAAAAAAESY/pq3q5qmtk3k/s1600/101_2989.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X5xt3ya7pnA/TiBu2NFhzTI/AAAAAAAAESY/pq3q5qmtk3k/s320/101_2989.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629621411717958962" /></a><br /><br />When you uncover it the next morning <em>(or 8 hours later)</em> it will look something like this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HyimUqPmPhY/TiBu2QwuPKI/AAAAAAAAESg/tbRIoSmuYGs/s1600/101_2991.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HyimUqPmPhY/TiBu2QwuPKI/AAAAAAAAESg/tbRIoSmuYGs/s320/101_2991.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629621412704435362" /></a><br /><br />I know. It looks like cement, right? But don't let that scare you.<br /><br />Now it's time to add the rest of the ingredients, so this cement like mixture can turn into some very yummy goodness....that is <em>good</em> for you. You're just going to have to trust me on this.<br /><br />The first ingredient I added was 2 eggs. I poured them in like so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sXLf6gywy5w/TiBu2h39KFI/AAAAAAAAESo/0X5gAD77L8E/s1600/101_2997.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sXLf6gywy5w/TiBu2h39KFI/AAAAAAAAESo/0X5gAD77L8E/s320/101_2997.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629621417298176082" /></a><br /><br /><em>(Don't be jealous. We can't all have such fancy cookware.)</em><br /><br />Next I added 1 teaspoon of baking soda.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zA5tkKbNWrM/TiByIr1VlwI/AAAAAAAAESw/i0yHxMDvM74/s1600/101_2998.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zA5tkKbNWrM/TiByIr1VlwI/AAAAAAAAESw/i0yHxMDvM74/s320/101_2998.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629625027744077570" /></a><br /><br />Then I added 1 teaspoon of sea salt.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W5yfvucexb8/TiByJK2zrAI/AAAAAAAAES4/fcJMLCzurSE/s1600/101_2999.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W5yfvucexb8/TiByJK2zrAI/AAAAAAAAES4/fcJMLCzurSE/s320/101_2999.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629625036071742466" /></a><br /><br />Next up is 1 teaspoon of vanilla.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gkP1Lwly5-E/TiByJcrRgLI/AAAAAAAAETA/iT82LmTKne0/s1600/101_3000.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gkP1Lwly5-E/TiByJcrRgLI/AAAAAAAAETA/iT82LmTKne0/s320/101_3000.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629625040855204018" /></a><br /><br />Finally comes the <del>messy</del> fun part....I poured 3/4 cup honey into the mixture.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O0I6Mcqf-I4/TiByJiaI6GI/AAAAAAAAETI/2et0gjLkwx0/s1600/101_3001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O0I6Mcqf-I4/TiByJiaI6GI/AAAAAAAAETI/2et0gjLkwx0/s320/101_3001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629625042393950306" /></a><br /><br /><em>(It's much easier to add the honey using this <a href= http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/use_care/detail.jsp?productId=210><strong>Pampered Chef Measure All Cup</strong></a>.)</em><br /><br />Now it's time to mix all of those ingredients together.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEw33y4Y90Y/TiByJ7uD5qI/AAAAAAAAETQ/zXaUOrbV1fA/s1600/101_3002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEw33y4Y90Y/TiByJ7uD5qI/AAAAAAAAETQ/zXaUOrbV1fA/s320/101_3002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629625049188394658" /></a><br /><br />As I said earlier, it looks like cement, and it is every bit as difficult to stir as <del>dried</del> cement. It will take a lot of arm muscle to stir all of these ingredients together, but it will be worth the effort. I promise.<br /><br />If you have a sexy man laying out by a $10.00 hard plastic pool from Walmart nearby, you could ask him to come inside to help you stir all of the ingredients together.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PFF3gkw9MHs/TiBsO9Z1apI/AAAAAAAAERg/hTphm7FJbZs/s1600/101_2918%2B-%2BCopy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PFF3gkw9MHs/TiBsO9Z1apI/AAAAAAAAERg/hTphm7FJbZs/s320/101_2918%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629618538470009490" /></a><br /><br />That's what I do. But then again, that's just me. ;0)<br /><br />Once it's all mixed together, it's time to add 1 cup of chocolate chips. Just fold them into the mixture.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-014CbUCkeRk/TiB1hvExNpI/AAAAAAAAETY/EERk_t_z2RE/s1600/101_3003.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-014CbUCkeRk/TiB1hvExNpI/AAAAAAAAETY/EERk_t_z2RE/s320/101_3003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629628756645721746" /></a><br /><br /><em>(I prefer the dark chocolate kind, but whatever kind you like will be perfect.)</em><br /><br />Once everything is all mixed together it's time to pour it into a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking pan.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2XmQW8LRhsk/TiB1hzOj2GI/AAAAAAAAETg/meGpRMhwMBE/s1600/101_3004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2XmQW8LRhsk/TiB1hzOj2GI/AAAAAAAAETg/meGpRMhwMBE/s320/101_3004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629628757760530530" /></a><br /><br /><em>(The recipe calls for 9 x 9 pan, but I used the 9 x 13 size instead.)</em><br /><br />Now it's time to place it into the oven which should be preheated to 350 degrees.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oZhmLyIEKSc/TiB1iNgLLPI/AAAAAAAAETo/FEclKrKZ5eU/s1600/101_3006.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oZhmLyIEKSc/TiB1iNgLLPI/AAAAAAAAETo/FEclKrKZ5eU/s320/101_3006.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629628764813733106" /></a><br /><br />I let it bake for 35 minutes in my oven. But depending on your oven and the size pan you use, it could take 30-40 minutes. You'll just have to keep an eye on it the first time to know how long it will take in your oven.<br /><br />When it's ready, it should look something like this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ceAntEE_hto/TiB1ijm8g-I/AAAAAAAAETw/dDx4UF6vVQ0/s1600/101_3007.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ceAntEE_hto/TiB1ijm8g-I/AAAAAAAAETw/dDx4UF6vVQ0/s320/101_3007.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629628770747712482" /></a><br /><br />You can check to see if it's done by sticking a toothpick in the center, If it comes out clean, then you know it's ready.<br /><br />I always let mine cool completely in the pan, then cut it up into about 12-15 pieces.<br /><br />You can eat it warm or cold. We like it cold.<br /><br />Once it's all done. Help yourself to a piece <del>or seven</del>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bhIRiL3_W-A/TiB1i9L8JbI/AAAAAAAAET4/OZ6SLD-8KD0/s1600/101_3013.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bhIRiL3_W-A/TiB1i9L8JbI/AAAAAAAAET4/OZ6SLD-8KD0/s320/101_3013.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629628777613764018" /></a><br /><br />It makes a great breakfast, snack, or dessert.<br /><br />I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.<br /><br /><strong>"Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart." ~Erma Bombeck</strong> <br /><br />Just for laughs, I've added the Bill Cosby skit from You Tube..."Dad is great, he gives us chocolate cake!" ;0)<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sRmN4KnfPxQ?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-5230102665391484522011-07-13T11:47:00.025-05:002011-07-13T13:00:10.779-05:00If I Want Your Opinion, I'll Give It To YouI'm not sure what it is about me or my personality, that makes people think they can just say anything that they want to say about me. To me. As if I would greatly value <em>their</em> opinion. Of <em>me</em>.<br /><br />Don't misunderstand, I love that my friends and family feel close enough to me that they can share their innermost thoughts and feelings without worrying of what I will think of them or their thoughts, or who I will tell. I'm not talking about those people <em>in my life</em> or those relationships. I greatly value all of my close relationships. Period.<br /><br />Who I'm talking about now are those people <em>in my life</em> that apparently think they and their opinion matter to me. Acquaintance is probably the appropriate word for them. Most of them are nice enough, but we're <em>not</em> friends.<br /><br />While traveling in the Mediterranean, there was a particular lady, that loved to share her opinion of me with me. One of the nicer things she said to me was this, "You know, you would look so much younger and thinner if you would cut that hair."<br /><br />As you can imagine, I was so appreciative of her opinion. It was clearly helpful and uplifting.:P<br /><br />This past week, a man I'll just call "Hank Hill," saw me <em>(after not having seen me for a couple of years)</em> and said, "You still look good. It's a world of difference than how you used to look. A world of difference." He said this as he looked at me and smiled. As if every word out of his mouth would mean so much to me. Like I would be so grateful for his "approval" of me now.<br /><br />If you are a friend or relative of mine, then you already know, his words did not impress or compliment me. At all.<br /><br />I realize, that he "thought" he was "complimenting" me. But that is not a compliment to me. Or any woman. The only thing I heard coming out of his mouth were these words, "I approve of you now." <br /><br />I have family and friends that have "approved" of me for my entire life. They have loved me no matter what my appearance was at the time. Because they love me. Not my outer shell.<br /><br />I have a husband that has loved me through short hair and long hair. Good highlights and really, really bad highlights. Overweight and less overweight. Without stretch marks and with many stretch marks. He loved me walking normally, and he loved me as I walked around limping for 18 months following my back surgery. He walked with me....and held my hand through all of it.<br /><br />He has always approved of me. He loves me on the inside. He loves me on the outside. Exactly as I am. I feel the same way about him.<br /><br />That is how we are supposed to love each other. <br /><br /><em>But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” ~1 Samuel 16:7</em><br /><br />I don't appreciate anyone that can be friendly to me now, because they finally "approve" of me. Their friendliness means nothing.<br /><br />However, the friends and family that have been with me and loved me through thick and thin <em>(physically and spiritually)</em> mean everything to me.<br /><br />I don't mean to imply that I don't appreciate a nice compliment <em>(especially about my hair)</em>, because I do. I just like compliments from people that mean the words they say, and from people that I know love me even when there is nothing about me to compliment.<br /><br />Now, since I'm on the subject of appearance, I feel like I should tell you all that I went to the eye doctor this morning. I have now officially been given a prescription for Bifocal lenses.<br /><br />I'm thinking they make me look like the Nanny's Grandma Yetta. What do you think?<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xoupmfDMwfk/Th3Y7QaXuaI/AAAAAAAAERQ/KhFTMj024mQ/s1600/yetta.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xoupmfDMwfk/Th3Y7QaXuaI/AAAAAAAAERQ/KhFTMj024mQ/s320/yetta.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628893621812443554" /></a><br /><br />Seriously, you can give me your opinion. Don't be scared. I won't do a blog post on your response; I promise.;0)<br /><br />Well, at least my sweet husband loves me no matter <del>how ridiculous I look</del> what I look like. God bless him.<br /><br />I wonder what "Hank Hill" will say the next time he sees me, and I'm wearing the new glasses. Probably something like, <em>"It's a world of difference than how you used to look. A world of difference." </em>;0)<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lM4qp6iOIds/Th3Y7vNE2MI/AAAAAAAAERY/d28O13coQe4/s1600/wanda.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 317px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lM4qp6iOIds/Th3Y7vNE2MI/AAAAAAAAERY/d28O13coQe4/s320/wanda.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628893630078179522" /></a><br /><br /><strong>"He who laughs.....lasts." ~Erma Bombeck</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-77575904447921195202011-07-10T09:31:00.004-05:002011-07-10T09:31:49.065-05:00Who Is This?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W8oeh0li5yw/ThiaTjKzmVI/AAAAAAAAEQ4/H59F2G3fn4Y/s1600/blue%2Bwho%2Bis%2Bthis%2Bgirl.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 316px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W8oeh0li5yw/ThiaTjKzmVI/AAAAAAAAEQ4/H59F2G3fn4Y/s320/blue%2Bwho%2Bis%2Bthis%2Bgirl.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627417395048192338" /></a><br />I'm convinced that God always has a great deal of humor at my expense. Every day my life is one embarrassing situation after another. I guess that is why He gave me the ability to laugh at <del>others</del> myself. Repeatedly.<br /><br />For example, one evening I was eating peanuts <span style="font-style:italic;">(the kind you have to shell)</span> when someone knocked on our door. I answered the door. It was a good friend of my husband's. He needed some help with something and was telling me about it. Shannon was not home at the time, so I told him that I would give Shannon the message. He then asked how I was, and I, of course, told him. I noticed that as I was talking, he was looking at me....strangely. <br /><br />I tried not to think much of it. After we said our goodbyes, I went inside to wash the peanut dust off of my hands. That's when I saw myself in the mirror. And realized what he was looking strangely at.<br /><br />I had peanut skins all over my teeth. Every. Single. Tooth. Was. Covered. I looked like a hillbilly, and I was mortified. <br /><br />That's just a Tuesday for me. But I digress.<br /><br />This past Friday night, I noticed on my blog's Site Meter that someone had visited my blog after Googling the words "Poison Ivy to Cellulitis." I could not find the post that it led them to, so I figured it must have led them to a picture on my blog. I had written about <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2011/06/heartbreak-of-poison-ivy.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Heartbreak of Poison Ivy</span></a> on here, and, of course, <del>since two people wanted to see them</del> due to overwhelming demand, I had also included pictures.<br /><br />So, I entered those same words on a Google Image search. I did not see one of my poison ivy pictures, but I did see my good blog friend Mia's sweet face. You can click <a href= http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&xhr=t&q=poison+ivy+to+cellulitis&cp=4&qe=cG9pcw&qesig=gOEFM-tSBd9nttcyXRjWAg&pkc=AFgZ2tkUbqLAB_qSjGFEb6vPQQXRFGsXCx3QIRc_2WsBP6CF5QSS5hNhDbeAvST3025kam_uJujUHlzaQPhjHYn2z6E_9kZgbg&bav=on.2%2Cor.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1280&bih=631&wrapid=tljp131017507885006&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi#q=poison+ivy+to+cellulitis&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=6680cc9c5e35c176&biw=1440&bih=720><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a> to see her picture. <span style="font-style:italic;">(Hopefully, she'll still be there, as these things change daily.)</span><br /><br />I got so tickled, because I remembered Mia had commented on my post <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2011/06/heartbreak-of-poison-ivy.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Heartbreak of Poison Ivy</span></a> about how she had also had poison ivy and cellulitis, but not at the same time. So, since she left that comment, she is among the pictures of poison ivy and cellulitis that are now available on Google Images. <span style="font-style:italic;">(We bloggers have no shame.)</span><br /><br />I decided to let Mia know she was "famous," so I sent her a link to it on Facebook. I also <span style="font-style:italic;">thought</span> I had her correct cell phone number, so I decided to text her as well.<br /><br />Here's the text message conversation...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> If you can get on fb, I just sent you a funny. :0)<br /><br /><del>Who I think is</del> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mia:</span> I am glad to hear from ya again mami.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Now, Mia has never called me Mami before, but since it is pretty close to sounding like a funny way to say Amy, I didn't think too much of it. Plus it's Friday night, so she could just be having fun and in a silly mood.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> I'm still laughing at what I sent you. You commented on my poison ivy post about cellulitis, so your pic comes up when you google that. Lol! You're famous!<br /><br /><del>Who I think is</del> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mia:</span> Lol great<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(So, I'm assuming she knows what I'm talking about.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> I can say I knew you when. :0) It's better than being known for <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2009/01/google-search-words-and-phrases-2.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">Jennifer Aniston's</span></a> <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2011/06/more-google-search-words-phrases.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">feet</span></a>. Lol!<br /><br /><del>Who I think is</del> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mia:</span> Hey Jennifer is fine now lol<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(This should have been when I realized it wasn't Mia...but I didn't. It was Friday night after all.....)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> I bet she doesn't like my feet posing as hers on the world wide web. Especially with that hideous paint job. Lol!<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">If you don't know what picture I'm referring to, it's this one:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXjNnsm_jEI/AAAAAAAAEDg/YJhNJT5cUVY/s1600-h/100_0365.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXjNnsm_jEI/AAAAAAAAEDg/YJhNJT5cUVY/s400/100_0365.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294207443847318594" /></a> <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I hope you'll want to continue reading after that. If you do, thank you.</span><br /><br /><del>Who I think is</del> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mia:</span> Lol i cant see what u are talking about i jumped on fb where is it<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Now, seriously, the lack of capital letters and punctuation marks should have really made me question, but again...it's Friday night.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> I posted a link on your wall.<br />If link doesn't work, enter "poison ivy to cellulitis" on google images & you'll see yourself. Facebook & blogging is entirely too much fun. Lol!<br /><br /><del>Who I think is</del> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mia:</span> Speakin of fun nevermind lol<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Now it's getting weird...)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Did you see it?<br /><br /><del>Who I think is</del><span style="font-weight:bold;"> Mia:</span> Not yet where i am getting pour reception will be home in hour will pull up then so its ya feet on there mami<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(It's getting weirder, and by this time...I realize it. But continue on, still not sure.....)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Yes. In my naive blogging ignorance, I thought only 10 people would ever see that pic. I was mistaken. I'm sure J.A. wonders why people think it's her feet.;0)It's no longer the first one....but it's still front page. Lol! So embarrassing.<br /><br /><del>Who I think is</del> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mia:</span> Your gonna get sued lol<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(The spelling and grammar are still causing me concern, but the joke seemed like something Mia would say, so I responded.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Lol! Ain't it the truth. I may be forced to sell my pool & box fan to pay my lawyers.<br /><br /><del>Who I think is</del> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mia:</span> Hey can ya get her autograph at trial lol tell her to put love ya ben lol<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(At this point, I'm thinking -since it's Friday night and all- maybe Mia's confusing Jennifer Aniston with Jennifer Lopez and making a reference to the now infamous "Bennifer" combination, so I respond again.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Lol! That's a great idea! What would I have to lose? ;0)<br /><br /><del>Who I think is</del><span style="font-weight:bold;"> Mia:</span> Plus be doing me a favor lol<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Well that is the most important thing. ;0)<br /><br /><del>Who I think is</del><span style="font-weight:bold;"> Mia:</span> Glad u see it dat way its about time u sexy thing lol<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Now, this is when I realize...something is terribly wrong. I'm thinking there's no way that is Mia. Or if it is, she must have cough due to cold and taken a little too much cough medicine. But just in case, I ended the conversation. Or so I thought.)</span> ;0)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Happy Sabbath, my friend. :0)<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Mia loves the Sabbath day, and she always wishes everyone a Happy Sabbath on Facebook.)</span><br /><br /><del>Who I think is</del> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mia:</span> U r crazy So u are girly girl to ya say What are u doing<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(I realize I am <del>blonder than I pay to be</del> a natural blond, but now, I know for sure it's not Mia.)</span><br /><br />So, I don't respond to the last text, and I go to bed. A little confused to say the least.<br /><br />When I wake up Saturday morning, I see I have another text from what my phone says is Mia.<br /><br /><del>Who I'm thinking again might be</del><span style="font-weight:bold;"> Mia:</span> Morning<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(So, not wanting to be rude, I respond.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Morning to you too! Happy Sabbath!!<br /><br /><del>Who I'm thinking again might be</del> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mia:</span> How r u today<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Again with the <del>lack of</del> spelling and punctuation.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Good. Fixing to fire up the Teenager Taxi & drive it across town & back & back again later. Lol! How are you?<br /><br /><del>Who I'm thinking again might be</del> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mia:</span> I am great had to come to office to finish up some paperwork today blah lol what teenager taxi are ya talkin about<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> What office are you talking about?<br /><br /><del>Who I'm knowing is not</del> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mia</span>: My district office i am dm fo verizon oversee 9 locations thought we talked about it<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Is this Mia?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Stranger:</span> Lol no who is this<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Lol! I'm so sorry. I have the wrong number. I thought your responses were strange for Mia. Lol! I'm just a silly blond girl with the wrong number.;0)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Stranger:</span> This is ben u are amber right we were textin and talkin on fb<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Bless his heart.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> No. I'm so sorry. Mass confusion. I thought you were my friend Mia. So sorry.<br /><br /><del>Who I know now is</del><span style="font-weight:bold;"> Ben:</span> Its ok i see i am forgot dat quickly lol<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(I think he understands that I am not Amber by this point. But he does not. About an hour later, I get this text...)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ben:</span> So how r ya today sounds like busy<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Bless his heart. He must really like this Amber.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Like I said...wrong person. I thought you were Mia. I have the wrong number.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(I think this will finally clear up all confusion. It doesn't.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ben:</span> Its ok ya are amber right talkin to ya last night about jennifer aniston post u made<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Bless his heart. He must be <del>blonder than he pays to be</del> blond too.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> No, I'm not Amber. I did talk about Jennifer post, but that was to Mia about my blog. Sorry for confusion, but I don't know who Amber is.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ben:</span> Lol ok enjoyed talkin to ya last nite even though we were both confused<br /><br />He finally got it. And so did I. Lol!<br /><br />Just another humiliating moment <span style="font-style:italic;">in my life</span>.<br /><br />I spent a Friday night texting with a boy <span style="font-style:italic;">(named Ben, who I thought was Mia and who thought I was a girl named Amber</span>) about poison ivy, cellulitis, and my hideously painted feet being mistaken for Jennifer Aniston's on the world wide web. <br /><br />But bless his heart, even after all that, he STILL wanted to talk to that girl.<br /><br />You can't make this stuff up.<br /><br />Amber, if you're reading this, there's boy named Ben who would apparently love you to text him.<br /><br />And Mia, if you're reading this, please send me your new number, so I don't have to confuse that poor boy anymore...teasing him with all that romantic talk of poison ivy, cellulitis, and Jennifer Aniston's feet. ;0)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-1581157800791551362011-07-07T16:55:00.006-05:002011-07-08T16:24:40.053-05:00Humble HonestyThe other day, I looked at my blog stats to see what words or phrases were entered on Google that led people to my blog. I do that from time to time, because it is very funny to me. I'm boring like that. <span style="font-style:italic;">(If you'd like to see some of the funny entries from the past, click <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/04/google-search-words-and-phrases.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a>, <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2009/01/google-search-words-and-phrases-2.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a>, and <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2011/06/more-google-search-words-phrases.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a>.)</span><br /><br />The newest one that made me laugh was this entry: <span style="font-weight:bold;">"her boots shined"</span><br /><br />I don't recall ever typing those words together in a post, so being the nosy creature that I am, I had to see what post this particular search led them to.<br /><br />It led them to a post of mine called <span style="font-weight:bold;">"<del>Victoria's</del> Amy's Secret."</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">(Click <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/10/victorias-amys-secret.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a> to take a look at that post.)</span><br /><br />Poor misguided things. There is nothing in that <del>humiliating</del> blog post that would help them with information regarding <span style="font-style:italic;">"her boots shining."</span><br /><br />In fact, the only thing they will learn from that post is how I humiliated myself in public one day by wearing one black shoe and one brown shoe. At the same time. Having NO idea of my fashion faux pas until <span style="font-style:italic;">after</span> I got home.<br /><br />The sad thing is, that's not even the worst part. When I wrote that post over two years ago, I left out part of the story. I was too embarrassed at the time to tell all ten of you the "whole" truth.<br /><br />Now, over 2 1/2 years later, I'm still embarrassed by it, but I feel led to share it with you, because the Lord humbled me that day. BIG time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">"If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness." ~2 Corinthians 11:30</span></span><br /><br />That particular day, as I was in the waiting room waiting <span style="font-style:italic;">(of course)</span> to be called back and fitted for my fashionable new back brace, an old lady walked in for her appointment just a few moments after me.<br /><br />She was probably in her 80s. When she walked in <span style="font-style:italic;">(using her walker for support)</span>, I immediately noticed her <span style="font-style:italic;">shoes</span>. They were the orthopedic kind.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yQeWT6-o2NM/ThPFmf3vfTI/AAAAAAAAEQg/gCeCdRaw1Ok/s1600/orthopedic%2Bshoes2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yQeWT6-o2NM/ThPFmf3vfTI/AAAAAAAAEQg/gCeCdRaw1Ok/s320/orthopedic%2Bshoes2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626057624696880434" /></a><br /><br />Some people call them "comfortable" shoes. Not me. I've always called them "old lady" shoes. <span style="font-style:italic;">(I don't mean to offend anyone by my comments; it's just that having to wear this type of shoe is something that has always scared me about aging. Like having to sport blue hair. But I digress.)</span> I've even said many times over the years, "Lord, I don't ever want to wear shoes like that. Even if my feet are killing me, I want to avoid that look if at all possible. As well as blue hair. In Jesus' Name, Amen."<br /><br />She was a very sweet woman. She was with her equally sweet husband, who was very attentive to her as she came into the office and signed in. You could tell they loved each other and had for their entire lives. <br /><br />As a married woman, I loved seeing that. But those shoes.....Again, I thought to myself, "Bless her sweet heart, those shoes are just pitiful. Please Lord, help me avoid those shoes. And blue hair. In Jesus' Name, Amen."<br /><br />Well, I got called back and fitted for my back brace. Which was humbling to say the least.<br /><br />I spent the entire drive home thinking of ways that I could convince Shannon that this hideous thing was all the rage at Victoria's Secret. By the time I got home, I had almost convinced myself that I could totally pull that off.<br /><br />I also remember thinking, as I walked in my door, "Well, at least I don't have to wear those pitiful 'old lady' shoes....that would really be awful combined with this hideous back brace."<br /><br />It was at about that same moment that I looked down at my own shoes, only to notice this.....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SPfaRtE63sI/AAAAAAAAC_A/D_pwUNe8cCA/s1600-h/100_3613.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SPfaRtE63sI/AAAAAAAAC_A/D_pwUNe8cCA/s400/100_3613.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257911087671205570" /></a><br /><br />I was mortified. To say the least. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">"Swallow your pride occasionally, it's non-fattening!" ~Author Unknown</span><br /><br />I laughed out loud at my ridiculous self and at God's sense of humor. Only moments before, I had been feeling so sorry for that sweet old lady having to wear her "comfortable" shoes......when the whole time she was probably feeling sorry for me not even being able to "match" mine.<br /><br />I could just hear her saying as I left the waiting room, "Lord, look at that poor girl. She's probably not even 40 years old yet and already having to wear a back brace. Poor thing can't even pick out matching shoes to wear. Please don't ever let me leave the house looking so ridiculous. Or with blue hair. In Jesus' Name, Amen." <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." ~Proverbs 11:2</span></span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-85599463643044898512011-07-04T21:44:00.002-05:002011-07-04T21:51:46.487-05:00Bible Study About NaomiThe woman that I read about this week in my devotional book is Naomi. The devotional book that I am reading is called <em>Women of the Bible</em> written by Ann Spangler and Jean E. Syswerda. Click <a href= http://www.amazon.com/Women-Bible-Ann-Spangler/dp/0310223520><strong>here</strong></a> to see the book as listed on Amazon. <em>(If you are interested in learning about any of the other women that I've written about before, click <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/02/women-of-bible-studies.html><strong>here</strong></a> to see the list of women. I hope to continue adding to that list in the future.)</em><br /><br />We are introduced to Naomi in the book of Ruth.<br /><br /><em>Ruth 1:1-5<br />In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. <br />Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. </em><br /><br />Right as we meet Naomi, we are also met with tragedy. The worst kind of tragedy that any wife or mother could ever experience. In the span of about ten years, Naomi loses her husband....then loses both of her sons. As a wife and a mother to two sons, I cannot imagine the pain that Naomi must have felt.<br /><br />There are so many lessons to learn from Naomi's story, but what I want to discuss today about her life is this: She was so overcome with grief that she felt she had to change her name.<br /><br /><em>Ruth 1:19-21<br /><br />So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” <br /><br />“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” </em><br /><br />In the Bible <em>(and even still today)</em> names have great meaning to the Lord. There are several instances in the Bible where He Himself changed some one's name due to a significant change in their life.<br /><br />For example:<br /><br />He changed Levi <em>(meaning "joined")</em> to Matthew <em>(meaning "Gift of God")</em>.<br /><br />He changed Saul <em>(meaning "prayed for")</em> to Paul <em>(meaning "small or humble")</em>.<br /><br />He changed Jacob <em>(meaning "he who grabs the heel")</em> to Israel <em>(meaning "he struggles with God")</em>.<br /><br />He changed Abram <em>(meaning "high father")</em> to Abraham <em>(meaning "father of a multitude of nations")</em>.<br /><br />He changed Sarai <em>(meaning "contentious")</em> to Sarah <em>(meaning "lady or princess")</em>.<br /><br />You'll notice that in each of these examples, when God changed their names after a significant event in their lives, the name that He gave them was representative of what He had done and would continue to do through their lives. You would have to read each of their stories to appreciate the exact significance of each of the names, but each one of them were <em>positive</em> changes that gave glory to God. That's not to say they did not continue to have struggles in their lives, but they were forever changed for the better, because of the changes that the Lord had seen them through.<br /><br />Naomi's God given name meant <em>"pleasant,"</em> but the name she gave herself, Mara, meant <em>"bitter."</em><br /><br />Naomi did live to see her life come full circle with the Lord. She witnessed God's goodness and faithfulness even in her old age.<br /><br /><em>Ruth 4: 13-17<br /><br />So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” <br />Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.</em><br /><br />In her <em>"bitter"</em> grief, Naomi could not have imagined the <em>"pleasant"</em> blessings that God had in store for her future. <br /><br />Since we have the benefit of knowing how Naomi's story ends in the Bible, we know that <em>"bitter"</em> is not the name change that God would have chosen for someone He originally named <em>"pleasant."</em><br /><br />But Naomi, of course, did not know her future. When she changed her name to mean <em>"bitter,"</em> she was trapped in her own pain and despair, and there was nothing <em>"pleasant"</em> about her life to her at that time. Her grief weighed so heavily on her heart, that she could not ever imagine feeling differently. Or even wanting to.<br /><br />There are many difficult times in all of our lives that make it hard for us to clearly see that the Lord is <em>still</em> with us.<br /><br /><em>"For we live by believing and not by seeing." ~2 Corinthians 5:7 (NLT)</em><br /><br />We have to rely on our faith during those times.<br /><br /><em>"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." ~Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)</em><br /><br />Thankfully we also have His Word to help us through those times. <br /><br /><em>"Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up." ~Psalm 71:20(NIV)</em><br /><br />Naomi's story is a reminder for us all to try our best each day to keep our focus on God...not our circumstances.<br /><br />During rough times, we have to hold on to His promises.<br /><br />We all have to remind ourselves to never undo in doubt, what we did in faith.<br /><br />My parents named me <em>Amy</em> after a Bobby Darin love song by the same name.<br /><br />If you're not familiar with it, here it is.<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8pknqJXtIao?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe><br /><br />My mother just loved the song <em>(as well as Bobby Darin)</em>, so she named me <em>Amy</em>.<br /><br />But what God knew when she chose my name was that it meant <em>"<strong>Beloved</strong>."</em> <br /><br />The meaning of my name is something that has encouraged me through my entire life. The older I get, the more it means.<br /><br />After a particularly difficult time in our marriage <em>(you can read a little more about that <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/10/this-is-my-corn.html><strong>here</strong></a>)</em>, I gave my husband Shannon a ring with this verse from Song of Solomon 6:3 engraved on it that says, <em>"I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine...."</em><br /><br />Since Amy means <em>"Beloved,"</em> every time Shannon sees the ring he is reminded of our marriage commitment to each other. <em>"I am Amy's and my Amy is mine...."</em><br /><br />When I am struggling with difficult circumstances in my life, I remind myself that <em>Beloved</em> means <em>"one that is dearly loved."</em> And if God dearly loves me, then He will always take care of me. My life may not always play out like I hope or expect it to, but God will always allow things that happen <em>(whether good or bad)</em> to benefit my life...no matter how they may seem as they are happening. <br /><br /><em>"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) </em><br /><br />In the Bible, we are all referred to as God's <em>beloved</em> children.<br /><br />Ephesians 5:1-2 says: <em>"Therefore be imitators of God, as <strong>beloved</strong> children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."</em><br /><br />I am His <em>Beloved</em>.<br /><br />You are His <em>Beloved</em>.<br /><br />We are all His <em>Beloved</em>.<br /><br />God dearly loves all of His children. He would never want for any of us to walk through this life with the burden of being labeled as <em>"bitter."</em> <br /><br /><em>Dear Lord, <br /><br />Thank you for sharing the story of Naomi's life with us. Seeing your faithfulness through the difficult circumstances in her life, encourages us as we go through difficult times in our own. Like Naomi, there are times when we all feel "bitter" facing life's difficult trials, but through Naomi's story, we are all reminded to walk through every trial knowing that regardless of the painful situations we may find ourselves facing, we are all still your "Beloved" children.<br /><br />In Christ's Sweet Name,<br />Amen</em><br /><br /><strong>"Let God's promises shine on your problems." ~Corrie Ten Boom</strong><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-10408674442016474902011-06-30T17:29:00.004-05:002011-07-04T21:43:40.437-05:00Sheldon The CardinalFor the last two years, we have had an interesting bird take up residence on our property.<br /><br />It's a gorgeous male cardinal that we have lovingly named "Sheldon."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-povT_rLiBtQ/TffVCJ2OrTI/AAAAAAAAEPw/qkAyb3T656c/s1600/101_0582%2B-%2BCopy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-povT_rLiBtQ/TffVCJ2OrTI/AAAAAAAAEPw/qkAyb3T656c/s320/101_0582%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618193293147811122" /></a><br /><br />If you're a fan of the comedy "The Big Bang Theory," then you are very familiar with the character of Sheldon. Sheldon always knocks three times <em>(over & over)</em> on the door of the person <em>(or persons)</em> he is trying to get the attention of. If you've never seen the show, here is a clip of Sheldon "knocking."<br /><br /><iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/f85ViOmwbI0?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe><br /><br />We were first made aware of our "Sheldon" when we heard him knocking on our basement windows.<br /><br />From sun up to sun down, "Sheldon" is knocking.<br /><br />Every. Single. Day.<br /><br />We've tried to do things to scare him away. <br /><br />We've put rubber snakes in the window. They didn't scare him off.<br /><br />We've put stuffed animals in the window. They didn't scare him off either. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xlW8oRvMLko/TffWhFTRClI/AAAAAAAAEQA/Rn1IyxQIJp4/s1600/101_0782%2B-%2BCopy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 166px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xlW8oRvMLko/TffWhFTRClI/AAAAAAAAEQA/Rn1IyxQIJp4/s320/101_0782%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618194924014996050" /></a><br /><br />In fact, he looks like he's sitting amongst his friends.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ywTm1-eJ4AQ/TffWgrpddQI/AAAAAAAAEP4/0fZ-YR03pxk/s1600/101_0783%2B-%2BCopy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 160px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ywTm1-eJ4AQ/TffWgrpddQI/AAAAAAAAEP4/0fZ-YR03pxk/s320/101_0783%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618194917128762626" /></a><br /><br />(Every time I see him sitting in the window with all of the stuffed animals, I'm reminded of an old Sesame Street song that has lyrics that go something like this: <em>"Four of these things belong together. Four of these things are kind of the same. Can you guess which one of these doesn't belong here?" </em> But I digress.)<br /><br />Day after day "Sheldon" knocks.<br /><br />I've been told a few different reasons as to why people think "Sheldon" knocks on our windows all day long. Some say that he more than likely is seeing his own reflection and is trying to protect himself and his nest from this stranger he thinks he is seeing in the window.<br /><br />I at first thought to myself, "What an idiot! He spends all day long, every single day fighting a battle that doesn't even exist. He's his own worst enemy!"<br /><br />Then I realized, that sounds very familiar......<br /><br /><em>"You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (NIV) ~Matthew 7:5</em><br /><br />I was suddenly humbled.<br /><br />Very humbled.<br /><br />How many days have I wasted <em>in my life</em> fighting battles that don't even exist?<br /><br />How many days have I wasted on worry? <br /><br />How many days have I wasted on doubt?<br /><br />How many days have I wasted on all of the "What ifs" that I could possibly think of?<br /><br /><em>"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."(NIV) ~John 14:27 </em><br /><br />I realized, the only difference between "Sheldon" and me, is that I know better.<br /><br />I have God's Word to read and be encouraged by each and every day. I have no excuses for wasting my days fighting battles that don't exist. Not one.<br /><br /><em>"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (NLT) ~2 Timothy 1:7</em> <br /><br />I also have to hand it to "Sheldon," because he does have an incredible work ethic. From sun up to sun down, he is working, which is more than I can say for most humans I know.<br /><br />He works so hard, that now he's even decided to take up a second job. He has started knocking on our kitchen window as well. I guess I should say "crashing into our kitchen window." There is not a ledge for him to sit on at the kitchen window, so he just crashes into it. <br /><br />Over and over.<br /><br />Every. Single. Day.<br /><br />As I sit typing these words, he is crashing into the window. <em>Bless his heart.</em><br /><br />Now every time I hear "Sheldon" knocking on or crashing into the windows, or even if I see a cardinal just flying outside, I'm reminded to not borrow trouble and to not create problems, where problems do not exist.<br /><br />I hope after reading this, that each time you see a red cardinal, that you will also be reminded to not have a spirit of fear and to simply trust the Lord with your life.<br /><br /><em>“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" ~Matthew 6:25-27</em><br /><br />That being said, if any of the ten of you reading this blog post have windows that would benefit from a bird knocking on them all day long every single day, I know of a cardinal in Crazyville that has lost his current position and is looking for a new place to work. ;)<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~John Watson</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-84656880538295593152011-06-28T12:19:00.003-05:002011-06-28T12:20:08.978-05:00~ Taming The Tongue ~My family and I recently watched the movie "The King's Speech." If you're not familiar with the movie, the <a href= http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504320/><strong>IMDb</strong></a> website describes "The King's Speech" this way: <em>"Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war." </em><br /><br />It was a wonderful movie, as truth usually is much better than fiction. I was struck by the relationship that the King had with his speech therapist. As I've shared <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2011/06/good-hair-moment.html><strong>before</strong></a>, true friends in this life are a very rare blessing. <br /><br />But that's not what I want to talk about today.<br /><br />The part of the King's story that stood out the most to me was his ability to say curse words without any hesitance, but regular words took so much more of his concentration and effort. Human nature is so interesting. As a general rule we can quickly accuse someone of a wrong doing with an entire list of inappropriate words, but it's much harder for us when we've wronged someone else to say these two simple words, "I'm sorry."<br /><br />The King had a stammer that he struggled with for most of his life. He struggled to say the most basic of words and phrases. But when his speech therapist gave him curse words to say.....they would just roll off of his tongue.<br /><br />Many years ago, Shannon and I stepped in to be substitute teachers for our Sunday school class. The lesson we were given to do was on "Taming the Tongue" from the book of James.<br /><br />Shannon and I were both very nervous about taking the lesson on, but we agreed to do it anyway. We put our heads together and prayed.<br /><br />Here are the verses from James that we were going to cover.<br /><br /><em>James 3:1-12</em><br /><br /><strong>Taming the Tongue</strong><br /><br /><em>1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. <br />3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. <br /><br />7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. <br /><br />9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.</em> <br /><br /><br />The Saturday evening before the class, we went for a walk together to discuss the lesson for Sunday school, and then we had to stop in at Walmart to pick up a few things. In order to speed up the shopping, Shannon went and picked up a few items around the store, and I decided to pick out all of the produce that we needed.<br /><br />While trying to sort through some bags of grapes to determine what was seedless and what was not, I heard a young man ask over my shoulder, "Are these grapes seedless?" <em>(Now he had quite a stammer, so it took him a bit to get all of those words out.)</em> I patiently let him finish his question, then answered, "Yes, they are. I was having trouble figuring that out myself." Then I smiled at him.<br /><br />He looked at me and smiled, then proceeded with so much struggle to try and say something else to me. He was trying so hard, but he could not get the words out. He even started growling like a bear. I wasn't sure what to make of all of that noise. <em>(It made me think of Loretta Lynn in "Coal Miner's Daughter" saying to Doolittle, "Stop makin' that noise, Doo! You sound like an old bear growling." But I digress.)</em> I did not want to be rude, but Shannon was motioning for me to come on, as he was done with his part of the shopping, so I asked, "Are you trying to say, 'Thank you?'" To which he replied with a huge sigh of relief, "Yes!"<br /><br />I told him that it was no problem, and I was happy to help. He then starts trying to say something else to me all the while growling like a bear. I realized that most people would probably be taken aback by all of that growling and never give him the time of day, so I wanted to let him say what he was obviously desperate to say.<br /><br />He said <em>(with still much struggle)</em> that several years earlier he had been in a motorcycle accident that left him with brain damage. He said he struggles being able to speak. He can curse very easily, but normal words and phrases are much more difficult for him to get out.<br /><br />He went on to tell me that he had been "caned" since his accident. I said, "Excuse me?" So he explained. He said that one day while shopping, he got so frustrated trying to ask for help, that he started spewing curse words....At about that same time an older woman with a cane walked up and hit him with it. She told him that curse words of that kind were uncalled for, and that he should work on saying nicer things. <br /><br />He said it taught him a lesson, so now he tries very hard to stop cursing so much, especially when other people are around. Instead of cursing, he growls. I laughed with him as I said, "Well, I totally understand. I don't have a brain injury, and sometimes it is a struggle for me too. Oh, who am I kidding? It's a struggle for me a lot of the time. Maybe I should start growling too.";)<br /><br />As we wrapped up our conversation, he tried again <em>(with much struggle)</em> to thank me for taking the time to listen to him. Shannon walked over to me as the man walked off and asked, "So, who's the new boyfriend? Ya'll sure did talk a long time." ;)<br /><br />I told him about the conversation, and like me, he was so tickled at how God works. We had just been on a walk together, wondering what on earth we were going to use as examples of "Taming the Tongue" in class Sunday morning, and there, over the mixed up bags of grapes, God placed that example right in our path.<br /><br />As I was talking to Shannon about the man and his struggle, it still struck me how even with <em>brain damage</em>, it was easier for him to spew curse words than to say the two simple words, "Thank you." But at that same token, even with <em>brain damage</em>, he still made an incredible effort each day to <em>growl</em> instead of curse when he was frustrated. That really humbled me, because I have NO excuse.<br /><br />Even though curse words come more easily for me than even I care to admit, other hateful words have not <em>always</em> come as easily <em>(until I turned 40 that is, but I'll talk about that in a different post)</em>. I know there have been times <em>in my life</em> that I have LONGED to say something to someone that has hurt me. I have thought to myself, "If only I could say this or that to a particular person, I would feel so much better!!" But the truth is, even if that person deserves every hurtful word that I could think of to say to them...it will never make me feel better to hurt them with my words. In fact, the times that I have been able to say the very "ugly" thing I wanted to say, it only made me feel worse.<br /><br />One of my favorite scenes from the movie "You've Got Mail" tells exactly what I'm trying to say. The scene is an email exchange between Joe and Kathleen.<br /><br />Here are their words.<br /><br /><em><strong>Joe:</strong> Do you ever feel you become the worst version of yourself? That a Pandora's Box of all the secret hateful parts --your arrogance, your spite, your condescension -- has sprung open. Someone provokes you, and instead of just smiling and moving on, you zing them. Hello, it's Mr. Nasty. I'm sure you have no idea what I'm talking about.<br /><br /><strong>Kathleen replies:</strong> I know what you mean and I'm completely jealous. What happens to me when I'm provoked is that I get tongue-tied. My mind goes blank. Then I spend all night tossing and turning trying to think of what I should have said.<br /><br /><strong>To which Joe responds</strong>: Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could pass all my zingers to you and then I would never behave badly and you could behave badly all the time and we'd both be happy? On the other hand, I must warn you that when you finally have the pleasure of saying the thing you mean to say at the moment you mean to say it, remorse inevitably follows.</em><br /><br />Remorse inevitably follows...Let those words sink in.<br /><br /><strong>"By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach." ~Winston Churchill</strong><br /><br />It's interesting to me how we work on our physical bodies to make our muscles stronger, but the muscle in our body that needs the most attention, we let atrophy....which is something for us all to ponder.<br /><br /><strong>"The tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body; use yours to lift someone up today." ~Terri Ann Armstrong </strong><br /><br />If you have not seen "The King's Speech," here is the movie trailer to watch. If you watch the movie, keep your own tongue in mind as you watch the King struggle to tame his. If you're like me, you may see yourself in his struggle.<br /><br /><iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pzI4D6dyp_o?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe><br /><br /><strong>"Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it." ~Robert Frost</strong><br /><br />God Bless,<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-81332357552751676702011-06-20T20:10:00.006-05:002011-06-20T20:36:53.314-05:00Soaring Gas Prices Lead To Desperation<span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">(I have had so much going on lately, that I haven't had time to complete a new blog post, however, I've managed to find plenty of time to <del>complain</del> think about how much it costs just to live in today's times. I've especially <del>complained</del> thought about the price of gas.<br /><br />Last night as I was <del>complaining</del> thinking, I remembered an old post that I did about that very subject. Ironically enough, it is still very true today.<br /><br />Even though the price of gas is not a funny subject at all, I hope this post will still make you smile.)</span></span><br /><br />I don't know about your family, but the price of gasoline is putting a real strain on my family. <br /><br />We live about twenty minutes "from town" so to speak, so just driving to the store uses up quite a bit of gas.<br /><br />We thought about making our own <del>moonshine</del> fuel, but that is an awful lot of trouble. (Not to mention <del><em>illegal</em></del> dangerous.)<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/R_vbqAaFFYI/AAAAAAAAArY/rsCUXaEeyAg/s1600-h/msn.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/R_vbqAaFFYI/AAAAAAAAArY/rsCUXaEeyAg/s400/msn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186980910557631874" /></a><br /><br />So instead of risking <del>the law being on our tails</del> being blown to bits, we thought of some different methods of gasoline conservation.<br /><br />For example, I try to run my errands all at the same time so that I do not have to make unnecessary trips in to town.<br /><br />We split the driving with other parents when our boys go to various activities at church or to spend the night with friends. <br /><br />I've even started ordering some things we need over the Internet, because it is cheaper to pay the shipping and handling costs than it is to pay for the gas to drive to the nearest stores.<br /><br />Shannon bought a car that gets right at thirty-two miles to the gallon to help keep our gas costs down, but we still spend a fortune in gasoline every month. <br /><br />It's starting to look like Shannon and I are going to have to get our boys to help us get around.<br /><br />Pretty soon we might have to park the cars and dust off the bicycles and the roller blades.<br /><br />Desperate times call for desperate measures.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/R_vXYAaFFXI/AAAAAAAAArQ/qC343gz8ksc/s1600-h/pull+me+into+town.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/R_vXYAaFFXI/AAAAAAAAArQ/qC343gz8ksc/s400/pull+me+into+town.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186976203273475442" /></a><br /><em>(Of course, I am only kidding. Shannon and I would <del>definitely</del> never make our children pull us into town this way. We don't even have any roller blades <del>yet</del>.)</em><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-73236729324669703022011-06-12T18:19:00.018-05:002011-06-12T18:42:20.798-05:00Bible Study About Joanna<strong><em>This weekend, I opened up my email, only to discover this wonderful message. It was by a woman that had left a comment on my blog post about Joanna that I had written in July of 2008. <br /><br />"Hi Amy! Your blog post on Joanna is still inspiring others in 2011! I found it searching about Joanna to teach a girls' Bible study in my home in India. The girls are all from Hindu or Sikh background. Later in the week I teach their moms the same lesson but with different applications.Thank you!"<br /><br />I was so touched by her kind and encouraging words.<br />I have been feeling like I'm supposed to share more of these devotional posts on here, and that email was truly confirmation for me. So, I will be doing more in the near future. <em>(Click <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/02/women-of-bible-studies.html><strong>here</strong></a> to see the Women of the Bible that I've shared so far.)</em><br /><br />Until then, I wanted to share the post about Joanna again. I hope that it will encourage you in your own walk of faith. <br /><br />Thank you to all of you that have encouraged me through this blogging journey; you all mean the world to me.<br /><br />God Bless,<br />Amy </em></strong><br /><br /><strong>~</strong><br /><br />The woman that I read about in <a href= http://www.amazon.com/Women-Bible-Ann-Spangler/dp/0310223520><strong>my devotional</strong></a> study book this week is Joanna.<br /><br />This study is the first time that I have ever heard of Joanna. There is not much said about her in Scripture, but God does not have to use very many words to say so much, amen?<br /><br />We are introduced to Joanna in the book of Luke.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Luke 8:1-3<br />After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; <span style="font-weight:bold;">Joanna</span> the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. </span><br /><br />Being the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household, would have made Joanna a woman of high rank in Herod's court. <br /><br />These verses tell us that Jesus healed Joanna, but we don't know "what" she experienced healing from, but her response to Jesus' healing touch was huge and personal. She gave herself to Jesus and His ministry. She, like the other women, followed Jesus wherever He went, and she supported him and his ministry from her own means.<br /><br />The devotional that I am reading points out that Herod himself may have known about Joanna's personal story of healing at the hands of Jesus.<br /><br />As with all of the other women that I have learned about in my devotional, there is always a certain part of each story that sticks out in my mind. This story is no exception.<br /><br />Before I tell you what struck me the most, let me share the verses from God's Word that tells a little more about Joanna and the other faithful women that were with her.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Luke 24:1-12<br />On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. <br />They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. <br />While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. <br />In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? <br />He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" Then they remembered his words. <br />When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. <br />It was Mary Magdalene, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Joanna</span>, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. <br />But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. <br />Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. <br /></span><br /><br />What strikes me so much about the story of Joanna is her faith and the faith of the ladies that she was with.<br />Think about it for a minute.......These ladies are telling the Eleven and some others what the angels had just told them to be true of Jesus and what had happened to His body, but the men did not believe them.<br /><br />The Eleven did not believe them.<br /><br />The Eleven who had been with Jesus all throughout His ministry.<br /><br />The Eleven that knew Him personally.<br /><br />The Eleven that loved Him.<br /><br />Are the same Eleven men that thought that these women spoke words of <span style="font-style:italic;">nonsense</span>.<br /><br />But these ladies, including Joanna, spoke boldly in faith to the Eleven. They knew what they had seen with their own eyes, and they knew what they had heard with their own ears. They knew the peace that they felt in their hearts.<br /><br />That is what strikes me the most of the story of Joanna; her complete confidence in Jesus.<br />Being married to the manager of Herod's household, Joanna was a woman very familiar with power. But she knew that the power she had been surrounded by in her wealthy lifestyle in Herod's court was nothing like the power she had found in Jesus.<br /><br />It did not matter to her if others thought that she was just an hysterical, grieving woman, because she knew what the truth was. She knew <span style="font-style:italic;">Who</span> the Truth was. <br /><br />God honored her faithfulness by letting her be one of the first witnesses to the Resurrection.<br /><br />So many times in our own lives and walk with the Lord, others don't believe us when we tell them something wonderful that God has done in our lives. If you go so far as to tell someone that God has promised you a miracle in any given situation, most times you will be looked at as someone speaking "nonsense."<br /><br />But thankfully, God has given us the testimony of Joanna and her faithful friends for encouragement in our own walks of faith. What those faithful women told the Eleven about Jesus was one hundred percent true. The disbelief of the Eleven did not change a thing; these women knew the truth.<br /><br />When God speaks a word into our hearts, we need to walk with that same faith. Others may not believe you, but that's okay, because you know what God spoke to your heart.<br /><br />I have been confronted by someone in my past who tried to argue with me about this very topic. I shared with her a promise that God had made to me, and she told me very matter of fact that I was completely mistaken. She said that God would not promise me that because of decisions that Shannon and I had made in our past. I looked at her and said, "You can think what you want, and that is okay. The thing is, God told <span style="font-weight:bold;">me</span> about this promise, not <span style="font-weight:bold;">you</span>." She was quite speechless after that. And I will humbly tell you that was the first time in my life that I did not back down, and I did not let the devil use her negative comments to confuse me or make me question what I knew God had told me.<br /><br />And several months later, God honored my faithfulness of believing His Word over the negative words of another. That same girl called me and apologized, because God had shown her that what He told me was completely possible, and that it lined up with His Word. She said that she realized just because God wasn't speaking to her in that same way, didn't mean that He wasn't speaking to me. <br /><br />Our relationship with God is a personal one. So no other person can know (without your sharing) what God says to you. That is between you and God. <br /><br />God speaks to each and every one of us differently.<br /><br />Only Moses stood in front of the burning bush.<br /><br />Only Jonah sat in the belly of a whale.<br /><br />Only Daniel sat in the lion's den.<br /><br />Only Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood in the fire.<br /><br />God speaks to us uniquely,and works through us all uniquely, because we are all unique. Not one of us are the same, nor will our walks with Him be the same.<br /><br />So listen for God's Voice in your own life.<br /><br />Look for His activity all around you.<br /><br />Open your Bible and read it to see if what you are seeing and hearing lines up with the Word of God.<br /><br />He will speak to you. You just need to open your heart, listen, and believe!<br /><br />The devotional book points out how Joanna and the other women went to the tomb grieving, but left the tomb rejoicing.<br /><br />Scripture tells us that we will experience that same type of joy. It may not come in "our" timing, but our joy will come in God's timing.<br /><br />And it <span style="font-style:italic;">is </span> a promise.<br /><br />His timing is perfect.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Psalm 30:5<br />For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. </span><br /><br />The devotional ends with a beautiful prayer that I will share with you.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Lord, you laugh at the rulers and powers of this world who oppose you. Help me to realize that no evil, regardless of how terrible or prolonged it might be, can ever stand against you. Give me a greater sense of your resurrection power and majesty."<br /></span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-66345118280566142162011-06-09T07:45:00.036-05:002011-06-09T11:02:14.848-05:00~ Make A Difference~Since our family rescued Daisy Dooley <span style="font-style:italic;">(you can click <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2011/06/daisy-dooleys-rescue-story.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a> to read that story if you missed it)</span>, we have been made keenly aware of the pet population crisis in this country.<br /><br />We found Daisy when we saw her picture that a friend of ours had posted on Facebook from <a href= http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=b57b0265e86894ffffccf7ad2ecacff7&eu=BbZdt_rkzuhBlvpVSGiXrA#!/petpardons><span style="font-weight:bold;">Pet Pardons</span></a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9wCduNLLXG4/TfDKMt_fObI/AAAAAAAAEPo/bYFeF-p17Q8/s1600/01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9wCduNLLXG4/TfDKMt_fObI/AAAAAAAAEPo/bYFeF-p17Q8/s320/01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616211055184132530" /></a><br /><br />Pet Pardons is a Facebook App. It is where <span style="font-style:italic;">"you can post a pet who is on death row (or in a no-kill shelter) to try & save them, or go to a pet's profile & click "Advocate" to share the pet on your wall & hopefully find the help they need. The more Advocates a pet has, the better chance they have of being seen by someone who can save them."</span><br /><br />I made a Facebook page for Daisy Dooley <span style="font-style:italic;">(click <a href=http://www.facebook.com/petpardons#!/pages/Daisy-Dooley/207945109238858><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a> to see it)</span> and now along with thousands of others, I work advocating for the animals found on the Pet Pardons site located <a href= http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=b57b0265e86894ffffccf7ad2ecacff7&eu=BbZdt_rkzuhBlvpVSGiXrA#!/petpardons><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a> on Facebook. <br /><br />Here's a <a href= http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/6/prweb8540548.htm><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">link</span></span></a> to a great article about Pet Pardons. Since Chris Hoar and Ashley Owen Hill launched Pet Pardons on December 24, 2010, over 3,000 pets have been saved through Pet Pardons!!!<br /><br />People taking the time to ADVOCATE using <a href= http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=b57b0265e86894ffffccf7ad2ecacff7&eu=BbZdt_rkzuhBlvpVSGiXrA#!/petpardons><span style="font-weight:bold;">Pet Pardons</span></a> LITERALLY saved Daisy's life. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-So5Zx1kzLWU/TfDFA29VoWI/AAAAAAAAEPg/F7GRhs9Ulak/s1600/40.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-So5Zx1kzLWU/TfDFA29VoWI/AAAAAAAAEPg/F7GRhs9Ulak/s320/40.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616205353874465122" /></a><br /><br />All of the sweet babies in shelters across the country deserve to know what it's like to be wanted and loved. They should know what it feels like to be part of a family.<br /><br />Advocating is easy to do. It takes only minutes of your time. And it saves lives. Lives of boys and girls just like Daisy's. <br /><br />There are literally MILLIONS of people on Facebook every single day. If each person only shared one animal, imagine how many pets would be seen & saved every single day.<br /><br />I now work each day with Daisy Dooley's friends to help save more lives.<br /><br />That's my mission. I can't do everything. But I can do this thing. Sharing their profiles and pictures from Pet Pardons is giving so many of these animals a chance at life and love. <br /><br />They deserve that chance. <br /><br />My family and I now hope for nothing more than to inspire others to want to make a difference in the lives of these boys & girls that are in shelters all across our country.<br /><br />Please watch and share.<br /><br />God bless.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/126337030781961" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/126337030781961" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-73052264906722756602011-06-07T08:41:00.050-05:002011-06-07T11:50:23.993-05:00Her Colors Are "Pink" And "Pink"If you've read this blog before, then chances are you have already met my sweet friend Melissa. I shared the story of how Melissa and I met in this post <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-hair.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a>. <br /><br />We also went on a trip to the Mediterranean together. If you'd like to see all <del>87</del> the posts of that trip, click <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/02/mediterranean-trip.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a>. <span style="font-style:italic;">(And if you're interested in the nonsense that happened on that trip, I will have more posts about it coming sometime in the near future.)</span><br /><br />Today, I want to tell the ten of you <span style="font-style:italic;">(well really nine of you, because Melissa already knows)</span> that Melissa is getting married this Saturday night. On June 11, 20011, she will be marrying Patrick, the man of her dreams. Here is a picture of the happy couple.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lxx8JuovJbg/Te4tmae9eTI/AAAAAAAAEPY/NR-SQ1g1lSg/s1600/for%2Bmelissa%2526patrick.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 249px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lxx8JuovJbg/Te4tmae9eTI/AAAAAAAAEPY/NR-SQ1g1lSg/s320/for%2Bmelissa%2526patrick.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615475923345045810" /></a><br /><br />Aren't they darling together?<br /><br />Patrick <span style="font-style:italic;">"is from a good old Southern family with good old Southern values. You either shoot it, stuff it, or marry it."</span><br /><br />They are getting married in the <a href= http://www.memphiszoo.org/northwestpassage><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Northwest Passage</span></span></a> area of the Memphis Zoo. For those of you that don't live near here, this is a gorgeous area of the Memphis Zoo where the Polar Bears and seals live. Click <a href= http://www.memphiszoo.org/facilities><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a> to see more about the location.<br /><br />If you've ever been around Melissa and me in a public setting <span style="font-style:italic;">(bless your hearts)</span>, then you've undoubtedly heard us quoting from <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/08/there-is-no-such-thing-as-natural.html><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Steel Magnolias</span></span></a>, since it is one of our all time favorite movies to quote <span style="font-style:italic;">(hence the title of this blog post)</span>.<br /><br />With her wedding coming up this weekend, our quoting of <span style="font-style:italic;">Steel Magnolias</span> has been on the rise, much to my family's dismay, I'm sure. <span style="font-style:italic;">"How pretentious is this weddin' gonna get, I ask you?" </span><br /><br />Even though <span style="font-style:italic;">"I'm not as sweet as I used to be,"</span> I'm really looking forward to the wedding and the reception. <span style="font-style:italic;">"It's going to be a great party."</span> The Northwest Passage will <span style="font-style:italic;">"look like it's been hosed down with Pepto Bismol."</span><br /><br />I am so honored to be included in Melissa and Patrick's wedding. <br /><br />However, I do have <del>50 or so</del> a few concerns.<br /><br />The first thing that I'm concerned about is the weather. This week in Crazyville we have been experiencing record breaking high temperatures. The kind that make you sweat. Profusely.<br /><br />Add that to my second concern...I have to walk in heels. <span style="font-style:italic;">"In a good shoe, I wear a size six, but a seven feels so good, I buy a size eight."</span> And in these heels, I will have to walk down stone steps. In front of people. While sweating from the heat <span style="font-style:italic;">(see the above mentioned concern)</span>. <br /><br />Melissa is so thoughtful that way.<br /><br />Could ya'll pray?<br /><br />Not that I'm complaining about this, mind you, I'm just concerned is all. <span style="font-style:italic;">"Well, you know what they say: if you don't have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me!" </span><br /><br />As we all know, <span style="font-style:italic;">"There is no such thing as natural beauty."</span> Which is the thing that concerns me the <span style="font-weight:bold;">most</span> about being in this wedding.<br /><br />If you've read my blog before, then you probably already know that when it comes to dressing up, applying make up, and doing my own hair....left to my own devices.....well, let's just say....the result I achieve is not always a desirable one.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SKwNAKo7PwI/AAAAAAAAB4U/-o8wG6bQqKQ/s1600-h/Living-Color-BH-02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SKwNAKo7PwI/AAAAAAAAB4U/-o8wG6bQqKQ/s400/Living-Color-BH-02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236574763232214786" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize." </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Honey, time marches on and eventually you realize it is marchin' across your face." </span><br /><br />It's going to take a village.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"But the bridesmaids' dresses, they are really beautiful."</span> I just have that fear of people seeing me in my dress and saying, <span style="font-style:italic;">"Looks like two pigs fightin' under a blanket." </span><br /><br />Could ya'll pray?<br /><br />Melissa, <span style="font-style:italic;">"you know I love ya more than my luggage."</span><br /><br /><iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sHNBvGXLUt8?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe><br /><br />(P.S. If you're a true <span style="font-style:italic;">Steel Magnolias</span> "Geek" like Melissa and me, leave a comment with your favorite quote.)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-52777493772996566792011-06-05T09:41:00.028-05:002011-06-05T12:10:59.045-05:00The Heartbreak of Poison IvyWell, as I promised you all in my first post back (click <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2011/05/bueller-bueller-anyone-anyone.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a> if you missed it), I am now going to tell all ten of you about the horrible, miserable case of poison ivy that I had to deal with this spring.<br /><br />Edith Bunker once said (referring to another illness), "Oh, my, I hope it ain't as bad as the heartbreak of psoriasis." I don't know about that, but this case of poison ivy was pretty heartbreaking to me.<br /><br />As the ten of you probably already know, I'm not one to complain <del>much</del> about things, but this experience caused me to complain <del>every single day for a month</del> a few times on Facebook, much to the dismay of my tens of friends on there, I'm sure. <br /><br />It also led me to <del>threaten</del> have serious questions regarding my personal health care professionals. I felt like Joanna Stayton/Annie Proffitt in the movie <span style="font-style:italic;">Overboard</span> saying, "Listen to me, medical people. ... I don't know who I am, but I'm sure I have a lawyer."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j4akONJuyQo/TeubwghByAI/AAAAAAAAEPI/t6iI37nUrpI/s1600/0375049_25122_MC_T.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 144px; height: 80px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j4akONJuyQo/TeubwghByAI/AAAAAAAAEPI/t6iI37nUrpI/s320/0375049_25122_MC_T.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614752618111944706" /></a><br /><br />But I digress.<br /><br />I'll just share the story and the pictures with you now, so you can <del>feel extremely sorry for me</del> see for yourself.<br /><br />Shannon and I worked on cleaning up our land one weekend at the beginning of spring, and we both managed to get poison ivy all over us. NOT on purpose obviously, but nevertheless.....<br /><br />However, as is par for the course <span style="font-weight:bold;">in my life</span>, I managed to get a much more serious case than Shannon did. We were both treated for the poison ivy on the same day, but my poison ivy had a mind of its very own.<br /><br />A dirty, twisted mind.<br /><br />I had poison ivy all over my body (please don't worry, I'm only going to show you the pictures of my arm), but it was REALLY HORRIBLE on my left arm. I noticed two days into this miserable case of poison ivy that something on my arm was different than the other parts of my body.<br /><br />It looked like this....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--YTYfZhK2Ps/TeuYIxVKg2I/AAAAAAAAEOo/EHGlmBzJFOw/s1600/Photo04151047.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--YTYfZhK2Ps/TeuYIxVKg2I/AAAAAAAAEOo/EHGlmBzJFOw/s320/Photo04151047.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614748636895937378" /></a><br /><br />Then the next day it looked like this....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EVKvYfeVQHs/TeuYIhQwV9I/AAAAAAAAEOg/AkQnmI0JAFw/s1600/Photo04141851.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EVKvYfeVQHs/TeuYIhQwV9I/AAAAAAAAEOg/AkQnmI0JAFw/s320/Photo04141851.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614748632582477778" /></a><br /><br />As the days wore on, it continued to get worse.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9UZxsADumJE/TeuYJVX-aMI/AAAAAAAAEOw/ZSPLxY3-IK0/s1600/Photo04151654.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9UZxsADumJE/TeuYJVX-aMI/AAAAAAAAEOw/ZSPLxY3-IK0/s320/Photo04151654.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614748646571403458" /></a><br /><br />I took pictures of it each day, so that I could text them to my family and friends. I wanted them to <del>share in my misery</del> know how I was doing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NUcl0TVhBXo/TeuYJqeBPoI/AAAAAAAAEPA/x1P1gCp9UCs/s1600/Photo04190956.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NUcl0TVhBXo/TeuYJqeBPoI/AAAAAAAAEPA/x1P1gCp9UCs/s320/Photo04190956.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614748652233899650" /></a><br /><br />By now, I'm sure you've all had enough.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KrlCxBx_SUs/TeuYJZkoNOI/AAAAAAAAEO4/AAX2y_Lzhqc/s1600/Photo04171240.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KrlCxBx_SUs/TeuYJZkoNOI/AAAAAAAAEO4/AAX2y_Lzhqc/s320/Photo04171240.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614748647698216162" /></a><br /><br />I'll share this last one with you.....This was many, many, <del>many</del> days into the poison ivy misery that I experienced.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-orc1RaRHyfY/Teuf0ty1JxI/AAAAAAAAEPQ/I1FT9CUzWCM/s1600/Photo04201330.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-orc1RaRHyfY/Teuf0ty1JxI/AAAAAAAAEPQ/I1FT9CUzWCM/s320/Photo04201330.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614757088442263314" /></a><br /><br />This is also after 2 Depo Medrol shots, 1 1/2 Medrol Dose Paks, 3 antibiotics (because the first one didn't work, & I had an allergic reaction to the 2nd one...but that is for another post), & 2 different strengths of steroids. <br /><br />After so long on steroids, I am now in the process of trying to grow a beard, and my voice is deeper. <br /><br />But I'm not bitter.<br /><br />The poison ivy that was all over my body was your regular run of the mill misery. The poison ivy that was on my left arm, however, was cellulitis. Which as you have just seen...isn't pretty.<br /><br />I'm better now. I just have what appears to be a shadow of it left behind on my arm. If you weren't looking for it, chances are, you'd never notice it. That, of course, will never happen, because if I see you, I will show it to you. ;)<br /><br />Now, you may think I'm telling you all of this just to get your sympathy, but that's <del>very</del> not true. I'm telling you this for <span style="font-weight:bold;">YOUR</span> benefit. The next time you're at a party, and you find yourself talking to that person at the party that always has to <span style="font-style:italic;">OUTDO</span> every single story they hear <span style="font-style:italic;">(you know the person I'm talking about)</span>, you can now tell them this story. You can tell them about the lady you know that had to suffer through <span style="font-style:italic;">"The Heartbreak of Poison Ivy."</span> And not just any poison ivy, but the <span style="font-weight:bold;">WORSE CASE OF POISON IVY EVER RECORDED</span>. <br /><br />There's no need to thank me. The enjoyment you will get from being able to tell my poison ivy saga to others and always <span style="font-style:italic;">outdo</span> those "competitive" story tellers at parties is thanks enough.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-38032703357368526772011-06-02T06:09:00.039-05:002011-06-02T17:29:40.987-05:00More Google Search Words & PhrasesEven though I took an over 2 year hiatus from writing on this blog, every day people are still led here from various entries of Google search words & phrases. Several years ago, I did a couple of posts about the different Google search words and phrases that people had typed in only to be led to my blog. <span style="font-style:italic;">(You can click <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/04/google-search-words-and-phrases.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a> & <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2009/01/google-search-words-and-phrases-2.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">here</span></a> to see those posts.)</span><br /><br />The letters in <span style="font-weight:bold;">bold</span> are the <span style="font-weight:bold;">exact</span> words that the people entered in a Google search. You can click on each of the phrases below to see the exact post of mine that their search words led to. I'm willing to bet that the majority of people that were led here did not find the information that they were looking for. Most of the time. ;)<br /><br /><a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/04/frogs-in-toilet-101.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">"why are frogs in my toilet?"</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(That really IS a great question for the plumber <span style="font-weight:bold;">in my life</span>; isn't it?)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBXmCDYn0CI/AAAAAAAAA5A/e1L9ifMbTcE/s1600-h/plumbers+painting.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SBXmCDYn0CI/AAAAAAAAA5A/e1L9ifMbTcE/s400/plumbers+painting.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194310668184440866" /></a><br /><br /><a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/09/frog.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">"frog in the toilet"</span></a><br /><br /><a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/04/frogs-in-toilet-101.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">"how to stop frogs from coming into toilet"</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(These are really great questions, and ones I wanted answers to myself at one time <span style="font-weight:bold;">in my life</span>.)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/R7-H6h88xJI/AAAAAAAAAO4/-fGd-ttHf6A/s1600-h/IM001771.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/R7-H6h88xJI/AAAAAAAAAO4/-fGd-ttHf6A/s400/IM001771.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170000336860791954" /></a><br /><br /><a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/04/bible-study-about-woman-with-issue-of.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">"the woman with the issue of blood devotional"</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-style:italic;">(I'm sensing a theme here, and trying not to take it personally.)</span></span><br /><br /><a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/03/elephant-incident.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">"elephant ear wash"</span></a> <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/R-eCgQaFEbI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/mat44yx-C5o/s1600-h/100_0081.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/R-eCgQaFEbI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/mat44yx-C5o/s320/100_0081.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181253386984821170" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Don't even ask. My life is a series of one embarrassing situation after another.)</span><br /><br /><a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2009/01/google-search-words-and-phrases-2.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">"jennifer anistons feet"</span></a> <span style="font-style:italic;">(Not once, but 6 times?)</span><br /><br /><a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/05/things-i-wonder-about.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">"aniston feet"</span></a> <span style="font-style:italic;">(7 times. 7!?)</span><br /><br /><a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2009/01/google-search-words-and-phrases-2.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">"jennifer aniston feet"</span></a> <span style="font-style:italic;">(Are you ready for this? This was entered 78 times!! 78!)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXjNnsm_jEI/AAAAAAAAEDg/YJhNJT5cUVY/s1600-h/100_0365.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXjNnsm_jEI/AAAAAAAAEDg/YJhNJT5cUVY/s400/100_0365.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294207443847318594" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(This is the only picture of feet on my blog. I shared with the ten of you that used to read this blog my personal battle of not being able to paint my toenails without getting the polish all over my toes. I had no idea that 78 strangers would also be staring at my feet.)</span><br /><br />What's weird too, is I don't even like feet that are attached to grown ups. At all. Not even the beautiful Jennifer Aniston's feet. I'm sure as you're reading this 45 more people are landing on this blog with their desire to know more about her feet. I could see Googling about her hair, but her feet? Makes you wonder about people. Not judging, mind you, just find it interesting. Very interesting.<br /><br /><a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2009/01/honest-scrap-part-2.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">"cindy crawford"</span></a> <span style="font-style:italic;">(And they got led to my blog? Must have been disappointing. Bless their hearts.)</span><br /><br />Now last, but certainly not least, my new personal favorite:<br /><br /><a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2008/02/sleeping-and-peeing-and-frogs-oh-my.html><span style="font-weight:bold;">"house wife peeing in the bathroom while plumbing"</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Thankfully, I don't have a picture to share with you about this entry. You're welcome.)</span><br /><br />If this is the last time you ever want to read my blog, I completely understand.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-83753218832634358072011-06-01T08:34:00.004-05:002011-06-09T10:54:18.355-05:00Daisy Dooley's Rescue Story<span style="font-weight:bold;">Since I've been away for over 2 years <span style="font-style:italic;">*gulp*</span>, it's hard to figure out where to begin, but I've decided to begin with the most important thing that has happened <span style="font-style:italic;">in my life</span> recently. (It's not the miserable poison ivy that I told you about in my first new post, but don't worry, I will get to that.) ;)<br />This is the story of how Daisy Dooley came into our lives. I originally wrote this for a lady that is putting together a book on personal stories of animal rescue, but since my story was longer than she could use, I decided to just publish it on Facebook instead. She offered to edit it, but I feel like if I took anything out, it took away too much meaning. So, now I'm going to share it here with you. Please read it & share it with your friends. We hope that our story will inspire others to make a difference in the lives of shelter pets all across this country. Thanks so much. ~Amy</span><br /><br />It's funny how God works in our lives. While we see seemingly insignificant little "pieces" of our lives as they happen, He sees the "full picture."<br /><br />The story of how Daisy Dooley came into our lives is very much like that.<br /><br />Pieces of our lives that fit together to form a beautiful picture designed by God.<br /><br />This is our story.<br /><br />Just to give you a little background (at the risk of putting you to sleep), I love daisies. Always have. They are my favorite flower. I guess because they just seem so happy.<br /><br />My name is Amy, and I'm married to Shannon. For many years, as a term of endearment, I have called Shannon "Mr. Dooley." The name Mr. Dooley comes from a funny scene in one of my all time favorite movies "Barefoot in the Park." But I digress.<br /><br />I love to read, and I'm a sucker for alliteration. One day last year, I was browsing through the bookstore and came across a title that made me laugh out loud. The book was called "Daisy Dooley Does Divorce" by Anna Pasternak. Well, after what I've just shared with you, you can understand that I had to purchase the book immediately.<br /><br />I, of course, didn't read it immediately. I actually didn't open it until many months later. At about the same time that I started to read the book, I told my friend Melissa about it, and the title made her laugh out loud as well. She got so tickled. She said, "Amy, if you ever get another dog, you HAVE to name her Daisy Dooley." I laughed at that thought as well. It would be the perfect name. I told Shannon what she had said, and he thought it was funny...and a perfect name too.<br /><br />But see, at this time in our lives, getting another dog was not something we had ever even discussed. We were still grieving the loss of our sweet American Staffordshire Terrier named Allie Girl. We lost Allie about a year and a half before. She was our baby. Allie was 7 1/2 years old when she died from heart & kidney failure. The pain of losing her was still so great, that we didn't know if we'd ever be able to love like that again.<br /><br />But God knew something we didn't. Little did we know that He was already busy putting the "pieces" of a beautiful puzzle into place for us.<br /><br />I started to read the book that I mentioned to you on a Monday....the following Friday afternoon, I signed into Facebook just like I do 456 times every single day. This day, however, would prove to be quite different. As I logged on that particular day, the first thing I saw in my Facebook feed was a picture of this gorgeous dog.......named <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Daisy</span></span>. My friend Judy Jacobs had posted the picture of Daisy from a new Facebook App called Pet Pardons. Pet Pardons is an app designed to promote animals on death row at shelters, or in no-kill shelters all over the country, and to help find them a forever home.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QpjXakhhcH0/TeDyyOB8YYI/AAAAAAAAEOE/SLDAIl9Bwn0/s1600/daisy%2Bdooley.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QpjXakhhcH0/TeDyyOB8YYI/AAAAAAAAEOE/SLDAIl9Bwn0/s320/daisy%2Bdooley.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611752080277266818" /></a><br /> <br />Above Daisy's picture were the words <span style="font-style:italic;">"Please help save Daisy the Dog."</span> See, Daisy was scheduled to be killed Monday, January 24, 2011, but as I'm looking at her picture it is Friday around 4:00pm (closing time for the shelter) January 21, 2011.<br /><br />I don't know how to explain to you the feeling that I had in the pit of my stomach when I saw Daisy's face. She reminded me SO much of our sweet Allie. And something inside of me said, "Call right now about that dog!" Shannon was not even home from work yet, and calling about getting a dog was not something I would normally ever do without speaking to him first. But again.....something said, "Call right now about that dog!"<br /><br />So, I did.<br /><br />A lady by the name of Ashley Owen Hill had posted Daisy on the Pet Pardons site, so she was the person that I had to call. I called and left a message with her just saying that I wanted to ask about Daisy.<br /><br />I had so many butterflies running around in my stomach. I didn't know what to make of any of it, because I didn't even want another dog. My heart was still so broken over losing our precious Allie. But something inside of me kept saying...."She is yours."<br /><br />And in my heart, I already knew that.<br /><br />I already wanted her.<br /><br />I already loved her.<br /><br />As I sat waiting for Ashley to return my call and for Shannon to get home from work, I told our youngest son Daniel about the phone call I had just made, then, I showed him Daisy's picture. He took one look at her and said, "Momma, you have to call Ashley back again. Make sure she gets your message."<br /><br />At about that same time, Shannon arrived home. He brought the mail in with him...there was a package. He set in on the counter, as I approached him. I looked at him and said, "I have to show you something and tell you what I've done." I proceeded to show him Daisy's picture and told him that I had called and left a message with Ashley.<br /><br />He was just as shocked as me. And a bit overwhelmed.<br /><br />But something inside him was telling him as well...."She is yours."<br /><br />And in his heart, he already knew that.<br /><br />He already wanted her.<br /><br />He already loved her.<br /><br />Then Ashley called. Basically, I shared with Ashley everything that I just shared with you. She told me that Daisy was a very sweet and friendly girl that desperately needed help. She was scheduled to be killed on Monday if Ashley could not find a home for her. I didn't find out until later, but Ashley told me that the area of Mississippi that she's in cannot allow any Pit bull or Pit bull Mixes to be adopted. They are always put to sleep, unless they are pulled by a Rescuer. The shelter does that in order to keep the dog from being adopted by Dog Fighters that would use the helpless babies as bait dogs. They figure, and rightly so, it is more humane to put the dogs to sleep, than to risk them being tortured by cruel, violent people.<br /><br />Ashley and I continued to talk for a while. She ended the conversation by telling us to pray about the decision and to call her back the next day.<br /><br />Shannon and I were just so overwhelmed with mixed emotions. Both of us "knowing" what we were "supposed" to do, but still so unsure about all of it.<br /><br />As we were talking about adopting Daisy, I walked over to the counter to open up the package that Shannon had brought in from the mail box. Shannon said, "It's just so weird to agree to adopt a dog that we've never even <span style="font-weight:bold;">seen</span> in person." At that moment, I had opened the package. Inside the envelope was a plaque that my sweet friend Valerie had sent me. And on the plaque were these words from Hebrews 11:1....<span style="font-style:italic;">"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."</span> Shannon and I looked at each other and just laughed out loud. What more was there to say. That was our answer.<br /><br />God has an amazing sense of humor that way. His timing is impeccable.<br /><br />So, needless to say, the next day we called Ashley and told her that we were definitely adopting Daisy.<br /><br />Ashley pulled Daisy from the rescue that Monday and took her to the vet to have her checked out and spayed. She found out that Daisy tested "low" positive for heartworms. Although that was devastating to hear, we still knew she was "ours."<br /><br />We spoke with Ashley several times that week. All of this was so new to us and we had so many questions for her.<br /><br />One of the times we spoke, I just had to ask this one question that I kept thinking of over and over. I said to Ashley, "If you don't mind me asking, who named Daisy?" She replied, "I did. I can't explain why. I just looked at her and knew her name was Daisy." It was so amazing to me to realize God's hand in all of this. I always thought if we did ever get another dog, we would pick her out and name her Daisy ourselves, but God knew different. He picked our Daisy and named her for us. Maybe just to reassure us that, "Yes, SHE is your girl."<br /><br />I also told Ashley that I looked forward to our spring daisies blooming in the front yard, so that I could take a picture of our Daisy in them.<br /><br />We arranged to pick Daisy up the following Saturday. It was a 3 1/2 hour drive to get her, so the entire way there, we were just so excited.<br /><br />When we finally saw her with our own eyes, we were overjoyed! She was so precious and so very happy to meet us. It was as if she had always been ours. There was not one moment of "adjustment" with her. I don't know how to explain it, but she was "at home" the minute she was with us. It was overwhelming and wonderful.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dbHMAojA95I/TeDyxxjAU5I/AAAAAAAAEN8/BVPJQdi0uFY/s1600/us.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dbHMAojA95I/TeDyxxjAU5I/AAAAAAAAEN8/BVPJQdi0uFY/s320/us.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611752072631309202" /></a><br /><br />I sat in the back seat with her all the way home, and I could not take my eyes off of her. I was overcome with emotions. It's so hard to imagine that this precious girl just opened her heart to us with no hesitation. She had no reason to trust us....two complete strangers to her....but she did. With abandon.<br /><br />We don't know really anything about her past....but based on what we could see and would soon find out...she had obviously been used as a breeder dog. And once she was no longer "useful," to her previous owners, she was dumped. Left alone to fend for herself...with a heart FULL of heartworms.<br /><br />One week after bringing Daisy home, we almost lost her. She was coughing up blood, so I took her to the vet. He did an Xray of her heart and lungs. He called me in the exam room to look at the films, and even I could see it was very bad news. She had a case of heartworms much worse than the original rescue vet had diagnosed. Her heart was completely deformed from the amount of worms inside her. She had lost 25% of her lung capacity as well. She was very, very sick.<br /><br />I asked the doctor what could we do. What should we do. He was perplexed, because this happy, sweet, healthy looking baby, that he could see with his own eyes in his office, did not match the Xrays that he was looking at. He said to let him keep her for a week. She would be on complete cage rest, and he would keep a close watch on her.<br /><br />Having to leave Daisy for that week at the vet was one of the hardest, longest weeks of my life. I prayed for her constantly and could not stop crying. I ached for this precious girl that had never known the love of a family before and now that she had a family to love.....she was so close to losing her life. I clung to the verse on that plaque that my friend Valerie sent me. Hebrews 11:1... . <span style="font-style:italic;">"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."</span> I had to trust that God had brought this baby into our lives for a reason, and He was going to let her live and know what it was like to be loved.<br /><br />And He did.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vIJuOXd5SDk/TeDyy33b_6I/AAAAAAAAEOM/tM-IvqhDPCs/s1600/ridiculouslycute.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 253px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vIJuOXd5SDk/TeDyy33b_6I/AAAAAAAAEOM/tM-IvqhDPCs/s320/ridiculouslycute.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611752091507490722" /></a> <br /><br />One week later, she came home. She was still very sick, but so full of love and life. You could tell she was just so happy to finally have a home. I sat by her side constantly for the next two weeks, because she had to have complete rest in order to survive the heartworm treatment. As I would hold her and just cry, she would lick my tears. She, the little girl that had been through such a horrific ordeal, was comforting me. This little girl had never been shown love before in her life.....but she so desperately longed to share love with us.<br /><br />Loving Daisy has changed us....in ways that we didn't even know we needed to change.<br /><br />After Daisy was through the worst part of her illness, I was able to take some time to think about what we could do as a family to help other boys and girls just like Daisy.<br /><br />So, we started a Facebook page for Daisy. Without Ashley Owen Hill and the Pet Pardons Facebook App, we would have never known about Daisy, so now we work every day to spread the word about Pet Pardons. We want to spread awareness about the needs of shelter pets all over the country, and we also wanted to show people that Pit Bulls and Pit Bull Mixes make such loving pets. Society and the media have made them all out to be vicious dogs, and nothing could be further from the truth.<br /><br />Pet Pardons creators Chris Hoar and Ashley Owen Hill and all of the people who use the Pet Pardons App work tirelessly every single day to save the lives of as many pets as they can. They also promote educating the public about the importance of having pets spayed and neutered, always adopting animals, and information on all kinds of preventive vet care. They have an amazing goal: To End ALL Euthanasia in American Shelters by January 1, 2015. My family and I want to work every day to help them meet that goal. (You can click <a href= http://luckydogrescueblog.blogspot.com/>here</a> to go to Ashley's <span style="font-weight:bold;">Lucky Dog Rescue Blog</span> and read all about the work that she is doing.)<br /><br />That's our rescue story. So many seemingly insignificant little" pieces" of our lives, that once all put together, formed one of the most significant "pictures" that God has ever created for our family.<br /><br />God made my wish come true for a picture of our special Daisy sitting among the spring daisies too. That was a very special day for me....to see her sweet happy face surrounded by the happiest flowers on earth. I will never forget it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PurywOCMlKk/TeDyxgQ-5fI/AAAAAAAAEN0/aFtcbEeR7gU/s1600/happybaby.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 317px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PurywOCMlKk/TeDyxgQ-5fI/AAAAAAAAEN0/aFtcbEeR7gU/s320/happybaby.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611752067992315378" /></a> <br /><br />People say we did a good thing by rescuing Daisy Dooley, because we saved her life.<br /><br />Truth is, she saved ours.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-83556383523184451252011-05-30T08:53:00.007-05:002011-05-30T09:00:47.837-05:00Happy Memorial DayMy Grandfather served in World War II. <br /><br />My Daddy served two tours in Vietnam. <br /><br />My Uncle Danny R. Ayers followed my Daddy's example & served in Vietnam as well.<br /><br />He did not make it home.<br /><br />As we all know, freedom isn't free at all.<br /><br />I want to say, "Thank you to all the men & women who have served our country & who are still serving to keep our country safe & free." <br /><br />And to Danny, you are never forgotten. ♥<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-whfGOjEjx8o/TeOh7ewRNEI/AAAAAAAAEOU/q9CgV0ope20/s1600/100_1154.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-whfGOjEjx8o/TeOh7ewRNEI/AAAAAAAAEOU/q9CgV0ope20/s320/100_1154.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612507603873641538" /></a><br /><br />"And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today. 'Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA." ~Lee Greenwood <br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-2835624039054417912011-05-28T12:40:00.011-05:002011-05-28T13:52:14.181-05:00"Before I speak, I have something important to say." ~Groucho Marx.Even though I've decided to start blogging again, I still have no idea what I'm going to write about. I'm touched that my mom & Liz are <del>pressuring me</del> excited for me to be back "in business," but I sit here and think to myself, "I've got nothing to say. What am I going to say to the ten people that will be hanging on to my every word?" <br /><br />Oh, the pressure. <br /><br />Okay, probably only two people hanging on to my every word, but still, you get my point.<br /><br />So, this morning, as I was thinking about this dilemma of mine, I saw the "Verse of the Day" on the right side of my blog.<br /><br />This is what it said:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." The LORD said to him, "...I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."<br /></span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Exodus 4:10-12 (NIV)<br /></span><br />How cool is that? It's like God knew what I was thinking? He's very clever that way, amen?" ;)<br /><br />I love what Erma Bombeck <span style="font-style:italic;">(my hero)</span> said about the time she wrote obituaries for the paper, "I was terrible at straight items. When I wrote obituaries, my mother said the only thing I ever got them to do was die in alphabetical order." <br /><br />Mom & Liz, rest assured, you don't ever have to worry about anything being written in alphabetical order on this blog. ;)<br /><br />I know eventually, I'll figure it all out. Like Charles Schulz <span style="font-style:italic;">(my other hero)</span> said, "I think I've discovered the secret of life, you just hang around until you get used to it." <br /><br />So, that's exactly what I'm going to do. One blog post at a time.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-15001104699777250662011-05-28T00:27:00.011-05:002011-05-28T08:36:47.329-05:00Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone?Are the ten of you that used to read my blog still here? <br /><br />I'm back.<br /><br />Of course, I didn't go anywhere (unless you count Walmart -which I never count), but I've been away from Bloggyville for some time. (Over 2 years, if you're counting -which I never count.)<br /><br />I've been gone so long from this place, I feel like Rose remembering her time on the <span style="font-style:italic;">Titanic.</span> "It's been 84 years, and I can still smell the fresh paint."<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Just ignore me.</span><br /><br />I've finally decided that it's time to blog again. (My mom & my friend Liz pressuring me every day to start writing again might also have had something to do with it.) <span style="font-style:italic;">But I digress.</span><br /><br />A lot has happened <span style="font-weight:bold;">in my life</span>, since I wrote my last post. Some good. Some bad. Some wonderful. Some very sad. But in everything that happened, God was with me, and for that, I'm very thankful.<br /><br />I'll be back occasionally sharing my nonsense with you. <span style="font-style:italic;">(You'll <span style="font-weight:bold;">REALLY</span> enjoy hearing all about the case of poison ivy that I recently suffered through for over one long, long miserable month. I even have pictures. I don't want all ten of you to feel like you've missed out on anything.)</span><br /><br />I also have many stories of what God has shown me <span style="font-weight:bold;">in my life</span> to share with you. He is always SO full of surprises, and He has the BEST sense of humor. Many times at my expense. ;)<br /><br />It will take me a bit to figure it all out, but I hope all ten of you will join me once again. <br /><br />I just know you're all excited!<br /><br />And don't worry. I won't make all ten of you wait too long to hear about the poison ivy drama.<br /><br />No need to thank me. It's my pleasure. ;)<br /><br />God Bless, <br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-66864819796293109492009-02-16T07:03:00.022-06:002009-02-16T12:24:52.752-06:00It's Been A Long Time.......Testing. Testing.<br /><br />One. Two. Three.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SZlky2z7LZI/AAAAAAAAEL8/iuMUNVvYQOg/s1600-h/microphone.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SZlky2z7LZI/AAAAAAAAEL8/iuMUNVvYQOg/s400/microphone.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303380861075008914" /></a><br /><br />Is this thing on?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Just ignore me.)</span><br /><br />It has been a long time since my last post. During my blogging break, I had all intentions of getting loads of housework done, and finally living in Martha Stewart like conditions. But that didn't happen.<br /><br />Instead of working around the house, I had to deal with more medical issues for myself <span style="font-style:italic;">(I am okay; Thank You, Jesus!)</span>, and two kids that have been <span style="font-style:italic;">(and still are)</span> very sick with the flu.<br /><br />I did, however, manage to spend some time with God. I read a great book by <a href= http://www.donnapartow.com/>Donna Partow</a> called <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">"Soon to be a Major Motion Picture."</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SZll7rlY1aI/AAAAAAAAEME/swrvpb32y4Q/s1600-h/book.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 186px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SZll7rlY1aI/AAAAAAAAEME/swrvpb32y4Q/s400/book.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303382112191698338" /></a><br /><br />I learned a lot about myself while reading this book. I learned so much about God in my life, but the main thing that I have realized about myself is that I have SO much more to learn. This past year has been a difficult one for me physically, but it has really taken a toll on me emotionally. I have noticed things about myself that I am not proud of. Things about my personality that I simply don't like. I won't bore you with all of the nonsense that goes on in my head on a daily basis, but I will tell you this: I have noticed that instead of just facing people and situations that have hurt me head on....I just run in the opposite direction. I don't know why I do this either. It's almost like I'd rather have my toenails ripped off one by one than to have to deal with conflict of <span style="font-style:italic;">any</span> kind.<br /><br />I run from situations that make me uncomfortable like a scared rabbit, and I don't know why. I am in the process of spending more time with God and trying to figure this out. <br /><br />As the tens of you who read this blog probably already know, I am a very visual learner. And in the book <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">"Soon to be a Major Motion Picture,"</span></span> Donna Partow describes a scene from the movie <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Out of Africa</span></span>.<br /><br />I will share with you what Donna says about this particular scene from <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Out of Africa</span>.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SZln8ifwqPI/AAAAAAAAEMM/ob6R70RSTao/s1600-h/out-of-africa.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 237px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SZln8ifwqPI/AAAAAAAAEMM/ob6R70RSTao/s400/out-of-africa.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303384325955299570" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The following words in bold are Donna Partow's exact words.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The movie <span style="font-style:italic;">Out of Africa</span> contains an interesting scene where Karen Blixen has just arrived in Kenya from Denmark and is completely clueless about life on the savannah. She is out walking, unarmed, when a lioness confronts her. As she stands there terror-struck, a wise hunter happens upon her and offers this advice from shouting distance: "Don't run, Baroness, or she'll think you're something good to eat." Baroness Blixen stares the lion right in the eyes, stands her ground, and sure enough, the lion walks away.<br /><br />Yes, we have an enemy roaming around like a roaring lion, actively seeking someone to devour. But if we simply stand firm in the face of his attacks, he'll go roar somewhere else. We have God's Word on that: Resist the devil, and he <span style="font-style:italic;">will</span> flee from you (James 4:7, italics added). We don't need to become obsessed with him, but neither should we ignore him. We should see him for the roaring lion that he is and respond accordingly: Don't run. Stand firm.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Don't run. Stand firm.</span><br /><br />Those words really touched me, because only a week or so earlier.....I was running scared. Shannon and I were shopping in Walmart <span style="font-style:italic;">(where else?)</span>, and I saw someone from my past that I absolutely did not want to run into. I barely caught a glimpse of this person, and I grabbed Shannon's arm and immediately went in the opposite direction. I could not get us out of that store quickly enough. <br /><br />How ridiculous does that sound? I have not done anything to this person to be ashamed of, but I ran anyway. I still don't know the answer to <span style="font-style:italic;">"why"</span> I do that, but I love now having the visual of Meryl Streep staring down that lioness. The next time I find myself in that type of uncomfortable situation, I pray that I <span style="font-style:italic;">don't run</span>. I pray that I <span style="font-style:italic;">stand firm</span>. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">1 Peter 2:23<br />"When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly."</span></span><br /><br />Anyway, for now, I am spending more time trying to work on seeing myself from God's perspective, so that I don't get devoured, so to speak. And the only way that I can do that is to spend more time with God.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SZmddaUamGI/AAAAAAAAEMU/b6XXzg6IqxQ/s1600-h/100_4827.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SZmddaUamGI/AAAAAAAAEMU/b6XXzg6IqxQ/s400/100_4827.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303443164812187746" /></a> <br /><br />I have missed blogging, but I have needed the break from it to deal with all of my emotional nonsense. Hopefully, I will be back posting regularly soon, but until then, just know that I am a work in <del>very slow</del> progress. And, God willing, I'll be able to post about making progress with my emotional nonsense, amen?;)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Ephesians 6:10-12<br />Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.</span></span><br /><br />God Bless,<br />Amy:)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com71tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-90709521609974210442009-02-02T04:00:00.004-06:002009-02-02T04:00:01.717-06:00A Blogging Break<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SYNILgJIflI/AAAAAAAAEL0/DwldzXSz8A0/s1600-h/taking+a+break.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 198px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SYNILgJIflI/AAAAAAAAEL0/DwldzXSz8A0/s400/taking+a+break.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297156949161836114" /></a><br /><br />Starting today, I will be on a blogging break for a while. After all the months of back recovery nonsense that I have been going through, I have a lot of things that I need to finally try to accomplish around my home. <br /><br />I pray God's blessings for all of you, and I'll see you soon.<br /><br />In Christ,<br />Amy:)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1 Corinthians 14:40<br />"But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way."</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-42394178393514102442009-01-30T04:00:00.009-06:002009-02-17T08:08:38.835-06:00Honest Scrap~ Part 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXojVcB56DI/AAAAAAAAEFg/Eieg_g9Xz8k/s1600-h/Honest.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 193px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXojVcB56DI/AAAAAAAAEFg/Eieg_g9Xz8k/s400/Honest.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294583163135846450" /></a><br /><br />Now for <span style="font-weight:bold;">Part 2</span> of <span style="font-weight:bold;">Honest Scrap</span>. If you missed <span style="font-weight:bold;">Part 1</span> of this post, you can click <a href= http://amahoney-amy.blogspot.com/2009/01/honest-scrap-part-1.html>*here*</a> to see it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">6.</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">I use the <a href= http://www.proactiv.com/>Proactiv</a> System to help with my facial break outs.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtH4TN3TRI/AAAAAAAAEKc/YenPQE0sMe0/s1600-h/proactiv.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtH4TN3TRI/AAAAAAAAEKc/YenPQE0sMe0/s400/proactiv.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294904819460820242" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I love it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Before I started using <a href= http://www.proactiv.com/>Proactiv</a>, I really struggled with embarrassing break outs. But after only a few weeks of using this system, my skin improved so much.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I personally think that my skin has never looked better. What do you think?</span> ;)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtH4Y_RXRI/AAAAAAAAEKU/MPpIL__dEvA/s1600-h/jessica-simpson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtH4Y_RXRI/AAAAAAAAEKU/MPpIL__dEvA/s400/jessica-simpson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294904821010226450" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">7.</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">I used to have a big mole on my face.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtIod3ZiqI/AAAAAAAAEKk/6hHivjfUNfM/s1600-h/img017.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 284px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtIod3ZiqI/AAAAAAAAEKk/6hHivjfUNfM/s400/img017.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294905646953106082" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I always hated it. But I lived with it, until I was in the eleventh grade that is.<br /><br />A <del>jerk</del> guy in my art class at the time drew a caricature portrait of me. It was very good, admittedly, but he made the mole in my portrait ginormous! I was so <del>humidified</del> mortified. I went home crying and begged my mom to take me to the doctor to have it removed. Which she did. Thank you, Mom!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Not long after I had that big thing whacked off of my face, a new girl was making a name for herself in the modeling scene. You may remember her....Cindy Crawford anyone?</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtJFOQx4WI/AAAAAAAAEKs/sj1GaFlOVjc/s1600-h/CindyCrawford4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtJFOQx4WI/AAAAAAAAEKs/sj1GaFlOVjc/s400/CindyCrawford4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294906140980797794" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />And much to my chagrin, she was made famous because of the "beauty mark" on her face.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Sigh.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I was so far ahead of my time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">8.</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">Once I tried to be helpful to a stranger, but it did not work out at all like I had planned.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">See, my mom and I were driving by this house in Crazyville, and there were a lot of cows all on the property. And to me, it looked as if one of the cows was on the grass, way too close to the road. I didn't like the thought of someone crashing their car into that BIG animal, so I pulled over and got out of the car. I saw the farmer out near the house, and I went to tell him that one of his cows was loose.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">It went something like this....</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtL4Zaju2I/AAAAAAAAEK0/6XisJiPnqxI/s1600-h/carlson20041.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtL4Zaju2I/AAAAAAAAEK0/6XisJiPnqxI/s400/carlson20041.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294909219171187554" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">(As I was walking closer and closer to the man)</span> Excuse me sir, one of your cows is llllll...oooooo.....sssssss...eeeeee.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Farmer:</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">(Said as he chuckled to himself)</span> No it's not! I've got an electric fence all the way around the property.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">(Dizzy and numb from having just been shocked as I walked right into the electric fence)</span> Just ignore me....I'm sorry that I bothered you.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">*Sigh*</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Needless to say, if I say a loose cow now, I just keep on driving.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">And please, whatever you do, do not mention that I told you this story to Shannon. He falls over in a heap of laughter every time anyone mentions getting "shocked" or "cows on the loose" around him.</span><br /><br />You know the old saying.....<span style="font-style:italic;">"No good deed goes unpunished."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">And just between you and me, till this very day, every time I see a cow, I swear my leg goes numb.</span> ;)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">9.</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">After living in the boonies of Crazyville for almost twenty years, I now talk like a hick. I sometimes feel like a full blown hillbilly if you want to know the truth.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I catch myself saying words like a hillbilly all the time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">For example I will ask Shannon sometimes, "What did ya do that fer?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Fer? You would think I was raised in a barn.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">That being said though, one of my all time favorite movies is <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Coal Miner's Daughter</span></span>. I love how Loretta and Doolittle Lynn talk. And much to my family's dismay, I imitate them both. A lot. And if that movie is on, I have to watch it. I cannot help myself.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtOtriWRNI/AAAAAAAAEK8/Gs5cGu4eyzQ/s1600-h/coalMinersDaughter.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 328px; height: 263px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtOtriWRNI/AAAAAAAAEK8/Gs5cGu4eyzQ/s400/coalMinersDaughter.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294912333592020178" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from the movie:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">{the Webb children all receive new shoes, Loretta also receives a dress}</span><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Webb child:</span> Hey, how come she gets somethin' extry?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ted Webb:</span> Cause, your sister's become a young woman.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Webb child:</span> Aww, she ain't no woman, she ain't nothin' but a dadburn kid. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">{Loretta is seeing the doctor to see if she is pregnant}</span><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Doctor:</span> How you like married life, Loretta?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Loretta:</span> Fine, 'cept me and Do is separated.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I could keep going, but I don't want the tens of you reading this blog to fall asleep before the end of this post. Just let me say, if you haven't seen this movie yet, run, do not walk, to your nearest Blockbuster store and rent it.</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I'm just saying is all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">10.</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">When I was about two years old, the lady that babysat me at the time, one day informed my parents that she believed I was retarded.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtQ0bQGqEI/AAAAAAAAELM/MX9up62WGgg/s1600-h/img183.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 395px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXtQ0bQGqEI/AAAAAAAAELM/MX9up62WGgg/s400/img183.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294914648502872130" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">She thought I was retarded, because I could not do or say the same things that her kids could do or say.</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">(Obviously, she was a little slow herself, because she didn't take into account that her kids were a couple of years older than me. But I digress.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I'll give you an example.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">My parents and I referred to my "private part" as my <span style="font-style:italic;">Beep-Beep</span>. Well, the baby-sitter thought that was just ridiculous. She believed that all children should use "proper" terminology when referring to anything having to do with the <span style="font-style:italic;">body</span>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">So, she insisted that I refer to my <span style="font-style:italic;">Beep-Beep</span> as a <span style="font-style:italic;">vagina</span>. Which, seeing as how I was apparently retarded, I could not pronounce correctly. So, instead of saying <span style="font-style:italic;">vagina</span>, I would say <span style="font-style:italic;">"cagina."</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">And as if that wasn't bad enough, if I said that I had to go <span style="font-style:italic;">"Doo-Doo,"</span> she would have a fit. She insisted that I say that I needed to make a <span style="font-style:italic;">"Bowel Movement."</span> Which, needless at this point to say, I also, could not pronounce. Instead, I would say, "I need to make a <span style="font-style:italic;">'Bow Ma Mook.'"</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Hence, why she thought I was retarded. Anyway, also needless to say, that was the last day that she ever baby sat me.</span>;)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Well, if you made it all the way to the end of this long post, I applaud you and thank you!<br />And I would love all of you to take this <span style="font-weight:bold;">Honest Scrap</span> prize for your own blog and do a post of 10 honest things about yourself. No pressure though.;)<br /><br />But, if you do this tag, please let me know, so that I can come to your blog and get my nosy fix on. ;)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807457038664390833.post-40809569768649868682009-01-28T04:00:00.015-06:002010-06-09T19:45:19.414-05:00Honest Scrap~ Part 1I was given this great prize last week from <a href= http://sondrelyn.blogspot.com/2009/01/and-i-would-like-to-thank-academy.html>Sondre Lyn</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoDSfzvVxI/AAAAAAAAEEA/jKW4jYCXxfY/s1600-h/Honest.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 193px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoDSfzvVxI/AAAAAAAAEEA/jKW4jYCXxfY/s400/Honest.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294547928238479122" /></a><br /><br /><a href= http://sondrelyn.blogspot.com/2009/01/and-i-would-like-to-thank-academy.html>Sondre Lyn</a> always says the sweetest things to me.<br /><br />Thank you for thinking of me for this prize, <a href= http://sondrelyn.blogspot.com/2009/01/and-i-would-like-to-thank-academy.html>Sondre Lyn</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Sigh.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The rules are as follows:1) Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.2) Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with "Honest Scrap." Well, there's no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.3) List at least 10 honest things about yourself.</span><br /><br />I am having a hard time thinking of ten things about myself that the tens of you reading this blog don't already know, but I'm sure I will come up with something.<br /><br />Let me see.<br /><br />Oh, yes, here we go.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. </span> I loved the <a href= http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilightseries.html><span style="font-style:italic;">Twilight</span></a> series of books by Stephenie Meyer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoHuf-jBWI/AAAAAAAAEEg/xXZM_Ns7duk/s1600-h/Twilight-Series-Covers-twilight-series-1381301-956-360.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 151px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoHuf-jBWI/AAAAAAAAEEg/xXZM_Ns7duk/s400/Twilight-Series-Covers-twilight-series-1381301-956-360.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294552807366657378" /></a><br /><br />Well, I loved <span style="font-style:italic;">most</span> of them. I was <span style="font-weight:bold;">SO</span> excited to start the fourth book in the series. And I loved it up to a certain point, but then it started to just become ridiculous to me.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Please, no tomato throwing.)</span><br /><br />It got so bad that I could not even finish the book. I suffered my way through three fourths of the book, and finally, just gave up and skipped to the last chapter to see how it ended. And if you knew me at all, you would know that I usually have to finish a book if I start it.<br /><br />Now don't get me wrong, I love Edward and Bella and their love story, but the last book was just too much for me.<br /><br />I'm just saying is all.<br /><br />I hope that we can all still be friends.;)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2.</span> I don't like watermelon. At all. I think it is nasty! I know. I know. I am from the south; we are all supposed to love eating watermelon. I just can't do it. Sorry.<br /><br />*<span style="font-style:italic;">ick</span>*<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3.</span> I love to watch this new show called <a href= http://www.mystyle.com/mystyle/shows/ruby/index.jsp><span style="font-style:italic;">Ruby</span></a> on the Style Network.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoMIZAuEHI/AAAAAAAAEE4/grY8PLXiD1s/s1600-h/ruby300.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoMIZAuEHI/AAAAAAAAEE4/grY8PLXiD1s/s400/ruby300.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294557650219831410" /></a><br /><br />It is a show all about Ruby's journey to lose weight. My son Daniel likes to watch it with me. Ruby is so funny, and she has the <span style="font-weight:bold;">best accent</span>,<span style="font-style:italic;"> evah</span>. Which, unfortunately for my family, I love to imitate.<br /><br />I think it is very funny when I talk like Ruby, but my family does not. Especially Daniel. He <span style="font-style:italic;">hates</span> when I do it. Oh well, you can't please every body all the time, amen?;)<br /><br />I found this clip on You Tube so you can hear her for yourself.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MaQegpUF0MM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MaQegpUF0MM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Daniel gets so <span style="font-weight:bold;">humidified</span> when I talk like Ruby in front of his friends. LOL!:)<br /><br />Seriously, you can just ignore me if you want to.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4.</span> I just recently joined <del>and have become addicted to</del> Facebook. This is my current default picture on Facebook.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoLRb4zHWI/AAAAAAAAEEo/nLuhmfYrzPU/s1600-h/100_4691.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoLRb4zHWI/AAAAAAAAEEo/nLuhmfYrzPU/s400/100_4691.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294556706099109218" /></a><br /><br />Okay, that being said, a couple of weeks ago I received a friend request from a guy that I went to high school with. And attached to his friend request was a little personal message.<br /><br />This is what his message said: <span style="font-style:italic;">"Holy crap, Amy, you look <span style="font-weight:bold;">so different</span>! How's everything going? It's been a long time."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Different</span>?<br /><br />What does that even mean?<br /><br />I mean I know it's been a long time and all, but I look <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">so different</span></span>?<br /><br />Who says that to an insecure woman that's about to turn 40?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoL3Vdz6dI/AAAAAAAAEEw/hjR2DRrD7Wc/s1600-h/Living-Color-BH-02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 396px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoL3Vdz6dI/AAAAAAAAEEw/hjR2DRrD7Wc/s400/Living-Color-BH-02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294557357210331602" /></a><br /><br />Holy crap, I was SO <span style="font-weight:bold;">humidified</span> by that statement. ;)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5.</span> Even though I am all grown up, about to turn 40, and haven't lived with my parents in almost 20 years, my mom still blames me for any and all items that she cannot find. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoXmtV38_I/AAAAAAAAEFA/FWYHdG_9xk8/s1600-h/img238.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 313px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoXmtV38_I/AAAAAAAAEFA/FWYHdG_9xk8/s400/img238.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294570265701250034" /></a><br /><br />I'll give you an example of a typical "missing item" alert phone call.<br /><br />The telephone rings. <br /><br />I answer it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">(Is this the party to whom I am speaking? *snort-snort*)</span> Hello!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoYmiG79GI/AAAAAAAAEFI/qFlwyJ0LUzU/s1600-h/Lily_Tomlin_telephone_operator.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 333px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXoYmiG79GI/AAAAAAAAEFI/qFlwyJ0LUzU/s400/Lily_Tomlin_telephone_operator.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294571362197435490" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Mom:</span> Amy, do you have my Tupperware lettuce keeper? I can't find it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> No, Mom, I don't have it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Mom:</span> Are you sure? Because I thought you borrowed it once.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> No, Mom, I never borrowed it. I have my own Tupperware lettuce keeper.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Mom:</span> Well, I didn't loan you my can opener, did I?<br /><br />LOL!:)<br /><br />The only missing thing that she doesn't blame me for taking is her Tupperware hair brush that she had been using for the last 30 years. She blames that on my uncle.;)<br /><br />So, please, I urge you, if you see either one of these vintage Tupperware items.....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXodd3nP0TI/AAAAAAAAEFQ/Uzb5gzTZJb4/s1600-h/tupperware.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXodd3nP0TI/AAAAAAAAEFQ/Uzb5gzTZJb4/s400/tupperware.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294576710909415730" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXodeMO_lfI/AAAAAAAAEFY/_soE4JByxUQ/s1600-h/hair+brush.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 360px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2DTWFQf3sC4/SXodeMO_lfI/AAAAAAAAEFY/_soE4JByxUQ/s400/hair+brush.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294576716444833266" /></a><br /><br />Please call me. ;)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">I love you, Mom!</span><br /><br />I'll finish up with the last five honest things about myself in my next post.<br /><br />Until then.......<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/260/A6622F6B7CF0C54C3377400F3CD02DAF.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05336144938479561819noreply@blogger.com25