Have a great time....

In the small town where I live, news gets around fast.  I mean, we dont even have a stop light in our town... so when something tragic happens, you usually can tell by all the local business signs offering prayers & sympathies.  Last week, our little town lost a little girl by the name of Kayse.  She was 6 years old...

I dont know Kayse or her family, but the thought of someone loosing such a small child just breaks my heart.

Since our area is so small, most of the people that have small children did know Kayse & her family. One of Kayse's friends from school actually goes to my church. Her name is Josie...

Josie wanted to go to the funeral home to say good bye to her friend.  Her mother, Michelle, wasnt sure if it would be the best thing for her since a few years earlier, her sister too lost a friend & the experience of going to the funeral home was a little harder on her then expected.  Josie didnt care - she wanted to go say goodbye to her friend.  Michelle obliged.

At the funeral home, they had little pieces of papers in the shape of hearts that Kayse's friends could write something on & they would be left with her when they closed the casket.  Michelle said Josie wanted to leave a message.  I can just imagine this little girl who is so full of energy & spunk, taking that piece of paper & writing her final message to her friend.... what would be the final words of a small child to a friend?

Michelle said she glanced over Josie's shoulder to see what she would write... she saw these words:

"Kayse, hope you have a great time in Heaven!"

Michelle said she realized right then how important it is to instill faith in a child so that when death or loss comes, its more acceptable... makes sense somehow...

I was talking to Ricky about it & we were saying how that note just has such celebration in the words.... "have a great time"!  Like Josie was almost saying "Tell Jesus Hi for me! I'll be there having a great time with you one day too!"

Oh, the things we can learn from children who have a heart for the Lord... before things of the world like bills & jobs & stress can get in & taint all the innocence & ease of what God wants us to know...

May we see all the things that breaks our grown up hearts with new eyes...with the eyes of a child...

(Jesus said,) "I tell you the truth, unless you change & become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 18:2-4

Sshhhh...

Who doesnt need this on a Monday morning?

May we all just take a few minutes of stillness & remember that He is God...

Project 365-29

Sunday - What happens when I miss 2 days.... I love blogs... I have some amazing people I've "met" via blog world.  And when I cant get to a computer easily, it doesnt take long for the blogs to build up on unread stuff!  So this is how many blogs I had to read when I got home from Women of Faith... Its a good thing I like to read...

Monday - Beginning anew... the Girls Small group met & we started a new series called 24/7 ... this DVD lesson shows teens who travel the US & learn about people who are living their life for Jesus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week... I'm excited about this video... its filmed in "reality TV" style, so you know I'm gonna love it!

Tuesday - Lunch with the Radio ... I went out to do some chores at lunch time & then got caught up in a caller on the radio on "New Life Live" with Steve Auderburn.  It was such a beautiful day & I had my door open so I could enjoy the air & looked up & saw the beautiful sky with the bricks on my work building.... & of course, I always have a camera ready...just thought it was a neat picture

Wednesday - the face of a bad day .... I didnt have the best night at church & came home & was bummed out of my mind.  It was such a beautiful night, I went out on the front porch to just look at the moon, let the dogs play in the front yard & talk about the messed up night with Ricky... Ricky said I looked like I was thinking really hard... that's always a dangerous thing! :)

Thursday - "Green" yellow bag ... Here's my latest knitting project finished.  It is made out of the softest cotton & its a "green" bag... a bag you can take to the grocery & not have to use those yucky plastic bags... I think I may have to make everyone I know a few of these if they make a "No-Plastic" deal with me...I need to get a contract for people to sign like Oprah did with the texting while driving...

Friday - love to embarass my husband ... Ricky got the day off work so he was ready to go out to dinner on Friday.  Usually he's beat at the end of the week so its usually dinner at home - which I dont mind now that I like to cook, but its always fun to go out too... When I pulled out my camera, Ricky was like "WHY?" - I said, "Hello - Project 365" - he just covered his face & said "HURRY before anyone sees" ... I think he feels like I have a camera to just torture him sometimes... maybe I do... hmmm...

Saturday - Time just stands still .... Ricky & I went to the state fair ... (no, I didnt try the Krispy Kreme Hamburger... but did see quite a few of them) ... & we were petting some dogs when all of a sudden, I hear my name... look up & see this gal - Stephanie... You all have NO IDEA how this girl was a part of my life... we were BFF's before anyone knew was BFF's were... we were those inseperable kinda girlfriends... if I wasnt at her house, she was at mine... we grew up together & loved & laughed through the years.  Of course, time & life sneak in & I havent seen her in quite awhile... but seeing her, it was like time doesnt even exist.  We were instantly laughing at stories & memories of the past... oh my gosh, I forgot how much I love this girl... I forgot how awesome friendships are & how they transend time... I didnt want to leave her... but we got the numbers in our cell phones saved so now, I'm not going to let time & life sneak anymore away from us...

Saturday's picture alone made my whole week.... so I hope you all have some amazing click-worthy moments in the week to come....

Friday Fragments

So last Friday, I was heading to see my guy, Steven Curtis Chapman... along with a few THOUSAND women ... & this Friday, I'm back in my office.  You'd think I'd be sad... but I'm not because this week, I've got Friday Fragments to make me happy... so let the fun begin...

*****

I have a new addiction.  No, I havent gotten RID of my other addictions of M&M Pretzels or of course, my addiction to yarn... the new love of my life... HEADBANDS... with BIG flowers on them!!!  I have seen people wearing them & think they are adorable but had yet to find them where they were big enough for my big old head...(I'm talking about the FLOWERS being big enough - not the band... my head aint THAT big) .. but I found in Claire's the mother load & was so happy.  I ended up walking away for 5 new headbands last weekend! 

*****

So I found a bunch of old Christmas cards here at work that I saved the front covers of.  Wanted to think of something to make out of them.  Anyone ever use old Christmas card covers for anything?  I'm thinking about hole punching them & tying ribbon & using them as tags for this years gifts... or cutting a lot of them up for Scrapbook embelishing?  Do you all save your Christmas cards for a "recycle" purpose?

*****

WEIRD!!!! I had a dream last night that Sylvester Stallone died... & I was devestated... the whole world was... it was like when Michael Jackson died... where do dreams COME from sometimes?

*****

Did you all realize the new Dancing with the Stars cast is announced Monday?  Do you all know how excited I am about it?  I'm hearing "the Hoff" could be a dancer... that'd be interesting... Bristol Palin apparently has already signed on as well... wonder if that means her scummy baby-daddy will be back so he can get attention.  I'm not sure if I'll be recapping this year - may have to just enjoy the year standing in front of my TV in my fringe, doing my own version of a salsa... maybe that means I need to go to video format to recap?  Nah... I wouldnt do that to the world...

*****

Just in case you were wondering...

*****

Spat of the Week:  America's Got Talent!!!! ...  someone really needs to put Ricky & I on that show as judges because we make Paula & Simon look good (Sharon & Pierce arent as snappy with each other)... I think EVERY act that was on this week, we disagreed about.  And then it got personal when he didnt like Prince Poppycock... those are fighting words!  Ricky really liked the young singer who played the piano instead of the guitar... I liked him too, but there is no way he can compete with Michael Grimm...let the spatting commence!  I mean we were even arguing if it was healthy for the girls with cystic fibrosis to be singing... I expect a contract at our door anyday now for a judging gig....

*****

I was looking at knitting patterns & came across this... question... would a real man really wear this?  I can see maybe... MAYBE... a model guy in New York wearing this... but if I made this for my rock-n-roll husband, I think he'd just laugh...would the men in your life wear this?

*****

But look at THIS knitting wear... A Wonder Woman Super Soaker... OH my - now this is just too cute!!!   She just needs a little gold tiara... & a lasso in her hands... You cant see it, but her invisible jet is laying right next to her on the right...she's pointing at it, giving it away...

*****

I just finished a book I reviewed on my Book Blog - which I actually just renamed "My Companions" because I found this quote:

"No man can be called friendless who has God & the companionship of good books"

Isnt that a great quote???

Anyways!!! Check out my latest read, "The Heart Mender" ... It was so good... So far, there is  nothing Andy Andrews has put out that I havent fallen in love with.  We just saw him too in Indianapolis & I love him even more because he's hyper AND has a great southern accent!  My kinda guy!

Hope everyone has a Fantastic Friday!!!

Shining onto others...

Anyone a camper? 

If you know anything about me - you know I'm not going to be without running water for long.  I love nature & I love the outdoors - on beautiful, humid free days... but if I cant get to a microwave, or a toilet with easy access, then all deals are off.

For those of you are ARE campers... have you ever used one of these lanterns?

Last night, our pastor was able to give the lesson to our youth & he gave this fantastic image using one of these lanterns....

In the good ole days with no electricity (gasp!!!) they didnt have flashlights that could shine way down a path - they usually just had some sort of lantern that they could light & hold out in front of them... something that would light their way... but would also reflect off them so others could see who they were as they were walking through the night...

What hit me was when our pastor was walking down the aisle showing how you could see who he was with this light reflecting off of him, I could see the light reflecting off people who were near to him as well... just a soft glow that gave them the littlest glimpse of light...

It just hit me in such an amazing way ... what if we let Him shine enough through us, then that light shines on those around us... & gives them just a little glimpse of that light... & it will make them want more light... because who wants to go back in the dark after that?

So, is your light of Jesus shining onto others?

Descriptions....

Anne Rice... she's been in the news a lot lately because she accepted Jesus in her life & became a Christian.  But then she's said she's decided to "leave Christianity" ... not that she doesnt believe or accept Jesus, but that she has issues with Christians or the Christian community... she has said the following:

"In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay.  I refust to be anti-feminist.  I refuse to be anti-artifiical birth control.  I refuse to be anti-Democrat.  I refuse to be anti-secular humanism.  I refuse to be anti-science.  I refuse to be anti-life"

The sad thing is, I can see where she is coming from... not that I agree with her on everything she is saying - but I can see where she may feel like she does...some of the things she says, I can see what she's getting it & I can see how it would be frustrating.  For the record, I always say its a gift, but also a curse of mine because I can 99% of the time see both sides of a story & really sympathize with it... so for future reference, dont ask me for help in decision making... I'll see both sides of a decision. :)

In a new video series I'm watching with our youth girls, they mentioned, "What are some of the words that your friend use to describe Christians?" - the answers from most people were:

hypocrites

judgemental

close minded

feeling like they are perfect

feeling like they are above others

OUCH... but that's what the world thinks of Christians...

The video talked about that in the days of the first Christians - did any of those words describe the disciplies?  Nope... they would be more likely described as:

Courageous

Loving

Healing

Comforting

Sacrificing of themselves

Dedicated

What a difference between the two... so what has happened to make such a change in what a Christian USE to be described as & what a Christian IS described as today? 

What has happened that makes Christians, like Anne Rice, want to pull away from being "labeled" a Christian?

I dont claim to know the answer to any of this... at all... just something that really struck me.

And in all of this, I cant shake from my mind the quote that says:

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Chrsitians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips & walk out the door, & deny Him by their lifestyle. 

That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable"

I just think its a sad statement for Christians today...

I think we have a battle in front of us that only requires nothing but love... of being an example of Jesus... Jesus hated sin... but he loved the sinner....is that what we're doing?  Is that what we are showing the world?

Or are we only the things that people describe us as today? 

Believe me... I know some AMAZINGLY wonderful Christians - as I'm sure you do too... that the words that describe the first Christ Followers would apply to them as well.  People who give of themselves totally - who are the hands & feet of Jesus - who love & forgive & shine the face of God to others.  But why isnt the world seeing more people like that?

I guess  I have to remember I am responsible for my own actions...and I want to work on being described as the first followers of Christ.... I want to represent Jesus... not claim to be perfect or have all the answers, but love everyone, as Jesus would...

Dont you think the world would describe "Christians" differently if everyone just loved as Jesus? ....

Project 365 - Women of Faith Edition

So I had to make a special edition blog for some of my Women of Faith pictures... always such a good time. 

A road trip can never start out without a trip to Cracker Barrel.... I ended up getting a "egg beater" sandwich cause I got a little scared when our waitress wasnt even AWARE of the egg -recall... um, no thank you - give me fake eggs please...

Got to the outlet mall & I was excited to go into a COOKING STORE... since I'm now a COOK, in case you didnt know!  And every cook needs a great apron - right?  How adorable is this?  I didnt end up getting it & wished I had... I think I'd wear it as part of my attire daily if I had it. (& no, I'm not a giant - I just didnt untie the straps that went around the neck... so its sitting WAY higher then it should be)

Carly has a tradition of trying on kids headbands at the "Children's Place" & I got to join in this year.  I actually liked the little witches hat... again, part of the daily attire?  Between this & the apron, I'd be the coolest dressed person ever - right?

We met up with Jordan - Carly's best buddy & then the fun was on... This is in a shoe store... seriously?  Who should have this much fun trying on shoes?

We found a Hurricane Simulator & had to try it out... I love the laughs in this picture.  You cant even see my face because my hair is all over the place!  The winds in this tunnel got up to around 100 mph.  I kept screaming "I cant breath" because it was literally taking my breath away... which made the girls just laugh harder.  Nice!  I love how we each have on shirts with things that we love too... yes, mine is a Steven Curtis Chapman shirt!!!  Surprised?  Didnt think so....

Onto the conference... it was incredible as always & I actually didnt get lots of pictures in the arena.  I did take a picture of Patsy though - she is always my favorite speaker.  She's so funny but can just BAM! - lay a message on you that you werent expecting & it be so powerful & profound.  I want Patsy Clairmont to be my best friend.... just some reason to get to be able to listen to her all the time!

But of course, you KNOW the highlight for me is when this man came on stage....

And yeah, he said this in front of 11,000 in the arena... at least in my mind, he did......

Meet our youngest member of the trip... she wants to start a new conference called "Babies of Faith" - isnt she just gorgeous!  She had it made with women just waiting in line to hold her... every baby's dream

The trip home called for a treat... we stopped at Cold Stone Creamery - I had never been there before & was amazed at the possibilities.  But I had been doing good with the food during the weekend so I went for a Strawberry/Banana Smoothie.  WOW - so fresh & so yummy!  A great way to get back on the road.

Here is just PART of the group that went with our church... we had 52 women in all...

We left inspired, knowing the love of our Lord is OVER THE TOP for us!

Until next year....

Project 365-28

Sunday - Oh mom... its green... green's never good! .... I called Erica & asked if I could stop by for a FEW MINUTES... little did I know, they couldnt get rid of me for about 5 hours!  I dont know how to take a hint to leave! :)  But had fun talking with my friends & holding & kissing little Emily.  It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon... Emily got to have some dinner while I was there & her face was so funny when she got the taste... not too appetizing...

Monday - I'm going to get fired over a plant!!!! .... This is my manager's plant... I forgot to water it Friday when we left... this is what it looked like Monday morning... Oh man.... I got the cold shoulder for it too...You'd think I took a knife & chopped off stems personally... geez...if I loose my job, it'll be over this stupid plant...

Tuesday - Forgot what hills do to a run.... Monday evening was NICE outside - & by nice,  I mean 90 degrees but no humidity!  I havent ran outside in so long & couldnt wait to get on the road.  I must have forgotten that the road holds lots of hills!  And my knees also forgot about those hills.  So Tuesday, I woke up with a sore knee from the evil running monsters.  All was well on Wednesday though - got another good run in.  I love my Alleve.

Wednesday - Stained Bible scores me some cuteness.... I got a stain on the side of my Bible pages.  Its driving me insane!  (it doesnt take much) - so I ordered a Bible cover to help cover it up where I wouldnt have to see it so well.  This came in the mail Wednesday & I love it!  Love the Vera Bradley look & pattern.  Plus, all the pink & green... so girly...

Thursday - My daily step ... This is what I get to see everyday when I got into work... this stairwell.  I wish I knew how many times I have gone up & down these stairs.... after 18 years on a job, I'd say quite a number of times...

Friday - Morning Notes make me smile... I woke up to get ready for my trip to Women of Faith & saw this laying on the counter from Ricky... He always says that to me "Always remember that Ricky loves you" ... dont know why, but that's what he says... isnt this cute... love he marked out "spiderGIRL" for "spiderWOMAN"... after all, it isnt "Girls of Faith"!

Oh yeah - the Women of Faith pictures are being uploaded right now... so there may be a Project 365 Special Edition tomorrow... such a great time... pictures to share... stories to tell...until then!

May you be blessed with click worthy moments your life....

Over the Top!!!

No Friday Fragments today... wanna know why?  Because I'm getting ready to go on a Road Trip!!! 

Women from everywhere are on the road heading to Indianapolis to get revived & recharged with God's love! Its time for the annual Women of Faith trip!  Doesnt it just seem like it was yesterday?  But another year has indeed gone by!

I look so forward to hearing Patsy, Marilyn & Anita... as well as all the other talent & artists.  You ALL know it was killing me not to say Steven Curtis Chapman first, but yes, I get to get my SCC fix in this weekend as well!  Andy Andrews is also going to be there & I just think he is one of the most gifted authors there is right now...



I know there is going to be laughter... I know there is going to be tears... I know there is going to be some yummy food along the way.... & I know God is going to be there with all couple of THOUSANDS of us as we just Praise Him... together...

See ya Sunday!!!

Yummy or gross?

Our state fair starts today... The Kentucky State Fair... & yes, I live in Indiana so how is Kentucky my state fair... it gets confusing, I know.  But I live in Indiana but my work, my parents, my heart is in Kentucky - so there is actually a name for people on the border edge - its called "Kentuckiana"... seriously... I dont make this stuff up!

Anyhoo... Ricky & I are going to the fair next weekend & I love going... I can get lost for HOURS in the arts/crafts area.  There are rows & rows of drawings & photography submissions & I seriously have to look at every one of them.  That is the point that Ricky heads over & does things I have no interest in... like watching pigs race....

They were talking this morning on the radio of the latest foods that are coming to the fair... of course, there are the favorites - corn dogs, elephant ears - or funnel cakes - however you prefer to call them, cheese fries, gyros...

And then there are the "fried foods" - I've never had any of these & truthfully, am a little afraid to try it - afraid I'd kill over instantly from a cardiac BURST... that's my medical training terms coming at you...

*Fried Oreos
*Fried Twinkies
*Fried Pickles
*Fried COKE (how is that even possible?)
*Fried Butter - that's new this year...

But the kicker that is new this year at the fair.... a KRISY KREME BURGER!!!!!!!!!!  An actual hamburger in between two Krispy Kreme glazed donuts!!!!

I cant even imagine what that tastes like....

What do you think?  Does that sound yummy or gross?
What's your favorite "Fair Food"?

I've got a week to think about what I'm going to indulge in....

Do they have a "Fried DIET COKE"?  That could ring my bell....