Picking Weeds

After church, my husband stayed behind to do a Fantasty Football thing with some guys at church so I came home & had the afternoon to myself. Its AMAZINGLY beautiful outside so I wanted to do something out to just enjoy the weather. I looked in the back yard & noticed that our little flower bed (which holds no flowers because I have no green thumb) was starting to be over come with weeds. So I grabbed my gloves, a garbage bag & got to work.

So many things hit me while I was out there... First, I thought how it doesnt take long for weeds to creep up & take over things. Because when they grow, they grow FAST & they intertwine with other weeds & next thing you know, they cover the whole ground.... just like sin tends to do if we dont keep an eye out.....

And remember - the purpose of weeds are to kill or to take over... wow... the way sin is reflective of that!

Then I noticed how hard it was to pull them up, but once I got in there, since they were all interwined, I could get my hands under & give a good pull & it brought up so much in one pull... but showed how deep the weeds went..... again, just like sin.... how one sin can lead to another & another & to clear most of the sins out of your life - its going to take ALOT of jerking of some stuff out of your life.....

But the clearing comes! You start with one little section & you see progress & you can move on from that area.... just like you can work on an area in your life & get some glimpses of hope. Its a place to start... the point is to get started SOMEWHERE!!!!

And it wasnt FUN cleaning up the weeds... I'm allergic to grass & by the time it was over, I was itchy, sneezing & ready to run & scream.... but healing, or cleaning of sin, doesnt come easy either. It comes with some sufferings maybe... but now, I can walk out & see how the hard work has paid off....

And the most important thing I've learned... I have to stay on top of it because if I ignore that flower bed again.... I'll be right back to where I started from....

May the weeds of your life be easily pulled....

Friday Fragments

*My phone is all messed up... my phone is a Razor & had the flip face... but every time I flip it to close, the light burns out & then I cant see any numbers or any texts... so its useless to me. After all - who expects me to REMEMBER numbers when all you do is go to a name & hit the enter button.... SOOOO... I'm off this weekend to get a new one. Any recommendations? My brother has the Iphone which is SWEETTTTT... but I'm looking at maybe a Blackberry sorta thing? What do you all have? Which is better?

*My doggies go to get groomed tomorrow! Thank goodness - Zoe is chewing at herself & matting herself up, while Sydney is just panting away.... they'll be all beautiful skin tomorrow night.

*Jeremy Camp gave a free concert at the Kentucky State Fair Monday night. It was FANTASTIC!! I got to go with 6 girls from our girls youth small group. They are each such different personalities, but they get along so well & are each a blessing in their own way. Look at these faces... arent they the cutest!!! (& look at that crowd! Nothing like praising the Lord with HUNDREDS & HUNDREDS of other people!)

*Anyone else watching "Drop Dead Diva" on Lifetime? My mom turned me onto this & I'm in total love with it now. Its about a beautiful aspiring model who died & came back in the body of a "size 16 lawyer"... it has a feel of Ally McBeal (which I LOVVVVED) but its just the sweetest show - funny, touching. The actress who plays Jane is just so adorable! It comes on Sunday nights so if you havent caught it yet... its a MUST!

*SPAT OF THE WEEK: Ready for this heavy topic.... BREAD!!!! Yes, the argument was over bread. And this is a long going argument that spurts its ugly head every now & then! I like soft, squishy bread, if you will. Ricky likes the "tougher" sorta bread - which I just call STALE! So since I'm tired of throwing away a half loaf of each, & I do the grocery shopping, I've just bought my kind lately. Oh, the fit a grown man can throw over bread! hehe!!! I told him when he starts doing the grocery shopping, he can then buy his own stale, nasty stuff... I'm such a mean wife! :) (For the record, I do try to slip his kind in every now & then... on weeks I know I'm going to fast from eating bread of any kind!)

*Anyone else interested in watching Kate Gosselin on "The View" when she fills in for Elizabeth? I think I may have to tape it just to see how it goes.
*Not to make anyone jealous if you dont live in the area... but the next week... OH MY GOODNESS... its going to be in the 70's for the high & in the 50's for the lows at night... AAHH - open the windows... fresh air, welcome to my humble abode!

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday

Comic Book Character?

I was visiting my blog buddy over at In my mind its always funny & she had a question, if you could be any comic book cartoon character, which one would you be? hmmm

Well, I always did like the Smurfs growing up & Smurfette was always my favorite... but being the only female in a village of only little blue men... they would get on my nerves quick...


So how about Mystique from X-men. The ability to turn into whoever I want? And to have a body like Rebecca Romijn-Stamos... that would be a good thing too? Dang, I could TURN into her if I wanted too... but she's a bad guy... & I'm tired of BLUE characters here...

How about Lois Lane? She's a smart lady, good writer, always on top of things... but she's always in need of being rescued, isn't she? so maybe not her....

I always liked Electra... I can dig a chick that is into marital arts! But she's got a tormented past... dont care for that...

Hmmm... Catwoman? I like she's all PUURRRR-fect with her ways of slinking. But she's a pro with a whip & I'd probably get myself all tied up in it... and anyways, I'm a dog person...


I think I'd go with BATGIRL!!! After all - she can wear a costume, & keep her identity secret. And she gets access to the Bat CAVE & all the fun toys!! And she fights for justice & good!... & look at the list of Batman's... Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Chrisitan Bale... I'll partner up with any of them to save the world!... & she's already a red head! Gotta love a red head comic book character!

Who would you be?

Romance via broken tooth

So, if you hadnt read my Facebook or Twitter - or if you were one of the lucky ones who actually got a phone call of me crying & freaking out - then you already know.... I've had ANOTHER tooth break....

Yep - Sunday night, my tooth was aching, but I thought it was just sinus stuff since I was having another "dizzy day" with my ears. But Monday morning, it was still hurting & I pulled out a mirror & lo & behold, half of a tooth is missing in the back.... cue tears!

So I go to the dentist & yep, it needs a root canal & a crown. This made for my 6th root canal & my 5th crown.... and seriously ya'll - I am GOOD about taking care of my teeth, which makes it all even more frustrating! I can remember my daddy making me go in the bathroom when I was little to get me in the habit of even flossing....maybe its because I'm from Kentucky & the rule is, you can only have 4 teeth in your mouth... JOKING fellow Kentuckians.... we all know its 5 teeth!! hehe!!!

(Oh - & by the way - as I'm sitting in the chair waiting, my mom calls me on my BROKEN cell phone - another story - & tells me her tooth just broke!!! She had no idea I was in the dentist chair with my own... aahh - family teeth)

Then the work up of the cost comes in & this is where the freaking out part REALLY kicks in, because it's going to be another $1600.... GASP... but what can you do? Bye bye vacation... hello little tooth

So... here it is - the romance coming up... Ricky keeps calling to check on me - see if I'm ok - what the latest is. I told him the price of my tooth & he says....

"Dont worry - your tooth is my tooth"

There's love for you right there! My husband isnt the most romantic thing in the world, so I'll take a goofy comment like that any time I can get it. I have to admit, it made me laugh & took the freak out level down... romance at its finest!

Changing

I have early mornings... & by early mornings, I'm in the car driving by 6:30 am....

Its always nice to watch the sun rise in the morning - to see things come to life.

During the winter, its dark on the drive into work & I sit & literally watch the darkness fade away while the sun creeps up from my office window. During the summer, its already shed its light by the time I'm driving in & the sun is creeping higher & higher in the sky.

But I can tell when the shifting of the light happens - I can keep my shades open during certain times of the year because the sun can come in but doesnt hit my desk DIRECTLY until the closer to Fall.

Or I can notice the difference in driving too. At the beginning of Summer, on a certain curve, the sun is BLARING in my eyes & I have to be prepared with shades & the visor to be down. But by the end of Summer, the glare isnt there, the brightness isnt a problem anymore.

Then I realized something as I watched the sun coming over a different building thatt it did a few months ago....

I always feel like its the sun that is moving, making these changes - the light hitting in different areas but in reality the sun hasnt moved at all - we did... the earth has rotated & moved its location while the sun has stayed in the same place, constant & unchanging....

What a visual for us as Christians to think of our relationship with God. God is always the same - never changing - always merciful - always with us. We are the ones who move - ever so slightly - just a little bit at a time until its the difference between light & dark....

Thank you Lord that you remain the same - so we know where you are - waiting on us...

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday & today & forever -Hebrews 13:8

My day with Woolsy!!!

OK - so I wanted "Woolsy" - the teeny beanie that was in McDonald's Happy Meal. My buddy Rachel came to my rescue & sent me the cutest little lamb. Here is Rachel & I headed to Women of Faith when I got Pico insteand.... Pico now has a friend!

And so in honor of my new friend - I wanted to take Woolsy with me on a normal day in my life... here are my adventures with my new furry lamb friend!

My morning started with Woolsy early to head out to work. You can see its still dark - its 6:30 am & the headlights are needed. But I'm prepared with a bagel with Diet Coke (you all can have your coffee - I'll have my Diet Coke to get me going!)

An accounting position isnt a day unless you have checks & need to work on a calculator - so Woolsy had some fun learning all about numbers.....

Then the surprise of the day - Ryan's girlfriend missed her flight back to Vegas - so we were able to meet up for lunch at Rocky's Italian Grill. Woolsy was hungry after his first day at work so he got some fresh bread too to nimble on. Nina was so nice to let him nimble on her food.

Then Woosly got to see a little bit of Downtown Lousiville & see where the great Kentucky Center for the Arts was.... Woolsy is going to love the Arts.... especially the BAAAA-llet (OHHH - that's bad!)

But back to work.....bills must be coded & entered....

After the full day though - Woolsy had some tension & headed to Jazzercise with me for a good workout. He figured if he got on his back to do crunches, his little legs wouldnt go back over so he just decided to do weight work instead....


Then it was off to a Board Meeting at church... & home for some dinner...

Woolsy finally relaxed by curling up in a ball of yarn while I knitted. He thought he may know the sheep this came from... a long lost relative?

But the night was coming to an end & Woolsy got to meet all his other sheep friends that are in my house. He seemed to fit in right away. He's pretty small compared to the others, but he'll be right at home in his new Lamb home.


So thank you Rachel for my new little lamb friend.... it was fun to have little Woolsy with me for a day.

Open Arms....

So first, I have to thank these two right here for taking me to see Journey & Heart... it was such a blessing & I so appreciate it!

And of course, the concert was FANTASTIC! The bad thing - we had the Photo Nazi in our area. See the picture above, I took just this one picture & she was running down, snapping her fingers & letting us know "NO PICTURES ALLOWED"... I tried to tell her that I was just taking pictures of my friends - there were no bands even out there.... NO!!!! Sigh... so no pictures of the concert... but know - it was FANTASTIC!

But, I did snap another picture during the night - one picture that will forever strike me as a memory of the night.... here it is...

Who are these two women? I have no idea...

Their names? I have no idea...

But I can tell you - these two women touched me beyond words...

The woman in the wheelchair, I'll call her "HOPE" - you could tell she was not well. She looked like she was in pain - looked weak - looked uncomfortable - looked like she was just suffering.

Her friend, I'll call her "GRACE" was with her during the whole concert. And I mean WITH her during the whole concert.

Hope was sitting during Heart & was enjoying it, but you could see that when Journey came on - that was why she was there! And since being in the wheelchair & with everyone standing, her view was distorted. Grace put Hope's arm around her shoulder & helped lift her up so she could see Journey with her own eyes for just a few minutes.

I knew right there during this concert, my view & my heart were going to be settled right here on these two.

Grace would rub Hope's back when she was getting uncomfortable - she would hold her hair up & fan the back of her neck (as she's doing in this picture), she would alter her position to try & get Hope into a place where she could sit for just a few more minutes.

The best part - Grace would look down at Hope & smile at her every time their eyes met - it was like speaking with no words - words of "I'm here for you... I'll help you through anything"

Then... oh mercy... I can see it all again - the song "Open Arms" came on...

Hope barely raised her arms in full excitement & Grace came from behind the wheelchair & put her arms under Hope's arm & she lifted her right up out of that wheelchair. She griped her arms around Hope's chest & with all her strength, she held her up during the whole song...

when the words of the chorus was sung: "So now I come to you, with open arms - Nothing to hide, believe what I say - So here I am with open arms - Hoping youll see what your love means to me - Open arms"

They both started streaming tears.... it was such a view of friendship that just tore me right to my heart....

To hear those words of that song through the eyes of a friend who obviously is there to help her friend through all the struggles of her life... with this woman holding up her friend, literally with open arms... it was such a moment I felt honored to even witness.

After the song was over, Grace had to walk out for just a minute to wipe her face....

I dont know these women or their story.... but I can tell that there is struggle there.... I could see pain & heart ache.... but I sat in a rock concert & witnessed what LOVE was... the power of a friendship....

Yeah - it was a great concert....

Friday Fragments

*OH MY GOSH... tonight is the night!!!! What, you may ask?... well one of the awesome girls in my youth group & her fantastic mommy has invited me to come along with them tonight... Where, you may ask? Just take a look!!!

YES!! I'm going to go see Journey & Heart tonight!!! (No Cheap Trick - but that's fine with me)... I am going to flash back to the 80's tonight! I think I may have to sport a side pony tail & put on some blue eye liner & pink eye shadow & sport some lace gloves in honor of Heart!!! Hopefully I'll have some pictures to come!

*I am so excited for my friend Lynn - you have to go visit her & tell her congrats! She is going back to school!!! And she just celebrated her 50th birthday this past year & is ready to tackle the books again!! I think that is the coolest thing EVER!!!! I told her she has to carry some Princess notepads & pencils!! I'd even sport a cute pink Princess backpack.... What an inspiration though! You can ALWAYS follow your dream!!! WHOOO HOOO Friend!
*Did everyone see the new cast for Dancing with the Stars? At first, I wasnt all that impressed, but you know what - I didnt even know who Shawn or Giles was at the beginning of last year - & they quickly became my favorites. So I'm excited about just seeing them all dance!


My prediction though - Donnie Osmond will make it to the finals! If his sister made it - Donnie has even more fans out there! Plus - he's a little bit Rock-n-Roll.. he's gotta be able to shake that booty! Let's just hope that his partner doesnt dress him up like a doll anytime during the year... anyone remember this tragedy of a dance?




*Spat of the week: WHY WHY WHY must Ricky leave his belt in his pants when he takes them off at the end of the day? So every time I go around to pick up pants out of the hamper - (or the floor, which is the norm.... man thing, I guess) - I have to stop & take out the belt.... dude owns like 10 belts too, so its a constant!!!!

*Poor little Tommie - my "great nephew" doggie - has bronchitis... he's now on antibiotics, but to hear a 2 lbs doggie cough is just so pitiful! But never fear - he doesnt have to exert himself even walking... his "mommy" is ready to carry him everywhere... they even have time to play dress up! My brother sent me this picture this morning... can a dog get TOO much attention? nah!!!

(& for perspective - that hat is a hat that fits the American Doll)

*Still gotta get to the movies - I want to see "Time Travelers Wife" & I also want to see "Julie & Julia"... anyone see either yet? Do you recommend?

*PROJECT RUNWAY is back!!!! I DVR'ed it - so havent go to watch it yet... but looking forward to it!!! I just love Tim Gunn... but I wonder 'Where's Andre... Andre?... Andre!"..... (Santino did the best impression EVER!)

Happy Friday everyone!!!

The Cross

My dad sent this to me awhile back... I've kept it for awhile to read it again & again... many of you have probably seen this before - but as I do - its good to re-read some of these over & over..... so, wanted to share:
_______________________________________________
A young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer.

"Lord, I cant go on" he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear"

The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door & pick out any cross you wish"

The man was filled with relief & said "Thank you Lord" & did as he was told.

Upon entering the other room, he saw many crosses; some so large, the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall.

"I'd like that one Lord", he whispered.

The Lord replied, "My son, that is the cross you just brought in"

When life's problems seem overwhelming, it helps to look around you & see what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself far more fortunate then you imagined.

Jesus story with my niece

The twins start back to school this morning... school being pre-K... but they are so excited to get back with their teachers & to learn & play & draw - all the fun stuff that Pre-K has to offer.

So I had to go over & love on them some before their first day (& visit those adorable puppies)...

It was bath time & their mommy was giving Madi her shower so I got to play with Sophia until it was her time. So one thing I love about these girls - they've got their love of books like their Aunt Bec.

Sophia & I sit on the bed & I pull up their story book Bible. We are going through pages of Jesus.

Sophia showed me a picture of them nailing Jesus to the cross (all in cartoon pictures, mind you) & then the next page had him hanging on the cross.... she asked "Why are they doing that to him"... how do you respond to a 4 yr old about that? I did give her the answer that Jesus had to die so that we could be with him forever - that he took away our sins on that cross... & then QUICKLY turned the page to show him coming out of the tomb... DA-TAAAAA - he's OK!!! Relief on Sophia's face!!!! Whew!

So I flip backwards in the book & we see Jesus feeding the crowds with fish & bread... we see the picture of Zaccheus in a tree... all cute stories...

& then we come across the picture of Jesus & Jarius's daughter. Sophia asks "What is Jesus doing with that little girl?"... well - after the "Death scene" from the previous pages, I did leave out that this little girl had died.... but I did tell Sophia that this little girl was so sick & her daddy went & got Jesus & Jesus came in & she was healed - she was OK!!! DA-TAAAA!!! (I love adding sound effects to stories with young ones!... & of course, you gotta throw your arms in the air along with sound effects for dramatic purposes!!!)

Sophia asked - "How did Jesus heal her?"

I told her that he touched her... she then said "How did he do it?" - I said "God can heal like that - with just a touch!"

Then with all the innocence of a child - she said "Is Jesus MAGIC!!!!????"

Me & my mind... I immediately said - "I dont think Magic is the word - but Jesus does have SPIRIT FINGERS"....

Then I just made myself laugh - which got her laughing (I'm sure she didnt know why) - but then it was Sophia's time for a shower....

Jesus stories with my nieces... the best times ever!

Dating in the Dark

Has anyone seen this show on ABC? I've watched it twice & swore I'd never watch it again - but I ended up turning on the TV last night at 9:45 & the end of it was on... & I was reminded once again why I am disgusted & amazed by this show!!!

For those who haven't seen it - it is a show that has three men & three women go into this dark room & talk & see who they "connect" with most. At first, I thought it was pretty funny how they try to make their personalities come across in the pitch dark - & some of the conversations get really deep.

At the end, they each get to pick who they connected with the most, then they get a light turned on them so they can see each other - they cant say anything - & then they get to decide if they want to meet on the "balcony" to see if they want to see if it can go further.

OK... the thing that gets me about the show..... you will see this happen over & over - example of last night - there was a woman who was more curvy then the other girls. She even was worried because she said "Men think I'm heavier & they don't care to date me"... this isn't the first time this has happened - the women are scared to death that once the men see them, they'll have nothing to do with them. But YET.... they'll go in, see the man & then leave & not meet them on the balcony. SERIOUSLY???? This woman -who was in tears about the man seeing her & being disappointed that she was heavier - she chose not to see this guy because he wore a scarf in the reveal & had a receding hair line!!!!!

And when you go on the balcony - the "wait-ee" can see if the person chooses to leave out the front door.... so he stands there in "shame" as this woman walks out the front door - & in the voice over, she says "I guess it really does come down to looks"....

And folks - that right there is what bugs me to NO END!!!!!!!!!!

I mean - first of all - they are NOT saying if you go on the balcony, you are engaged to this guy & you HAVE to marry them.... its going on a DATE with this person.... even if you thought he or she was the most hideous thing in the world - you cant go on a DATE with them???? You'd rather hurt them - even after you learned some of the most secret details about them - & make yourself look like a vain person who thinks you are too good for someone "below you"....

This one couple in this picture... I did like them both because she wasn't a beauty queen but a hippie sorta chic that was just adorable. This guy was from England - cute accent & all... when she saw him, she was thrilled - he was surprised how she looked, but in the end, he said, "I told her things about me & she still wanted to meet me - so she's gotta be a good girl"... & that's what its supposed to be about....

Maybe its the "Beauty & the Beast" love in me that makes me think - don't they see the heart on the inside?.... apparently not.... most just walk off saying the "looks" was a deal breaker.... what a sad world we live in....

Anyone else watch this? Anyone else completely disgusted by it? Anyone else wanna punch some of these people?

Sacred Grounds Reveal, Baby Showers & Chicken babies?

Well, its been a busy Sunday - but an exciting Sunday.... why so exciting? Because we got to open up the other side of our "trailer" that the Youth uses. You may remember the pictures of the Jr. High side - if you dont know about that - the "Cross Roads" in my header is an example of the painting my brother did.

So time to do the OTHER side for the Sr. High. Everyone wanted a more "mature" atmosphere & it turned out just PERFECT. Look at some of these pictures!

My brother & his friend Maurice, who helped out bundles too!



For the record - that is NOT real stone - but painted with air brush touch ups! My brother, Tony also did window covers out of cedar wood that blocks out all the light, which we need for the media we use.... they have crosses on them too & just look AMAZING! - smells so nice in there too with all the cedar!!!!




To add to the theme - since the Sr. High's name is "Sacred Grounds" - & coffee shop based - Tony painted it like you were sitting in the coffee shop looking out the window... how awesome is that?

I need to take a picture of the WHOLE room come together now.... there is a bar unit he also built that is being finished up this week... & the room just looks awesome with tall tables & short tables & chairs scattered around the room... a true coffee shop atmosphere... its so impressive - truly! I'll post some "finished" room pictures later!

The kids all LOVED it! Is my brother talented or what??????

I said my donationa could be a KNITTED WINDOW COVER!!!! yeah - not so much... but hey, we all have something we're good at - or in Tony's case - some times, its about things you are GREAT at!!!!

Then I got to hang out with my buddy Carly at Subway & we headed to the baby shower.... here's a quick shot of the fastest knitted blanket in the world!!! I still cant believe I finished it... the pics not that great, but I was literally snapping away as I was wrapping it up..... baby's room is pink & green so now little baby Ava is going to be wrapped in love!

And for fun - here's a picture of my baby I drew on a paper plate on the top of my head... dont you love Baby Shower games? I totally thought I should win - I added a bottle (that actually ended up in the hands!) - a rattle & a block for play... who cares if the baby looks like it has chicken legs & chicken hands... I came in 2nd... I'm such a sore loser!

But now, I'm ready to kick back, watch the madness of Big Brother (did you all see Chima is GONE!!!) & get some rest!

OH - & FYI - wanted to show the picture from today of my sunflower I mentioned the other day - the "damaged" one... look how beautiful those blooms are... it may be one of my favorite years of sunflowers - even though it fell... LOVE those reaching blooms!!!!

Hope you all have had as great as a weekend as I have!!!!