These Are The Special Times

Saturday's Song - The First Noel & Joy To The World

2009-12-26T01:28:00.000-08:00

Well this will be my last installment of the Christmas version of Saturday’s song. I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas day yesterday. I hope it was filled with the ones you love celebrating the birth of one who loved us so much He came to this earth born in a humble stable to save us from an eternity of being lost.

We will be traveling today to spend the rest of the holiday season with my family in Boise. It has almost been a year since we were last there and I’m still reeling from what happened to the year that has flown by so quickly I wonder where it went. They say time flies when you’re having fun, I don’t think 2009 was a particularly fun year (only a few great highlights) but not working has had some plus sides to it.

I still keep coming across Christmas songs that are my favorites but I will end it with these two.

The First Noel
as sang by Carrie Underwood

The First Noel, the Angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the East beyond them far
And to the earth it gave great light
And so it continued both day and night.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made Heaven and earth of nought
And with his blood mankind has bought.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

Joy To The World
as sang by Casting Crowns on the "Peace on Earth" album

Joy to the world
The Lord has come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and heaven and nature sing

Joy to the world
The Savior Reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods
Rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy

He rules the world
With truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders of His love

Saturday's Song - O Come All Ye Faithful & Silent Night

2009-12-19T10:39:00.000-08:00

This is my 100th post and I'm less than 2 weeks away from my Blogoversary, wow!

I can't believe Christmas is less than a week away...where did the last month go? But then again where has the last year gone. This has probably been one of the better Christmas holidays we've had in a long time...even though we are short on finances this year and are paring way back. Scott has had very few days in the last 2 weeks where he has actually worked and in the next several weeks things look as if they will be slow for him as well. We went to his Christmas party tonight and the owner of the company he works for apologized to all the guys for being slow but also expressed that they were hoping things would pick up soon and that this is the first time ever they have had to deal with these challenges....for being in the construction industry that is pretty good if this is the first time they have encountered a slow time. Since Scott has been home more, we have decorated together, baked together, shopped together, wrapped together, watched Christmas movies together and have been spending a lot of time together...he's been speaking one of my love languages. It has just made this normally hectic time flow so much smoother and relaxing for me.

Here are another 2 Christmas favorites of mine. I can remember singing "O Come All Ye Faithful" year round though in church (especially those years where my dad was the worship leader).

O Come All Ye Faithful
Casting Crowns from the Peace on Earth album

O come all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye
To Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the king of angels
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the lord

Sing, choirs of angels
Sing in exaltation
Sing, all ye citizens
Of heaven above
Glory to God
Glory in the highest
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

Yeah Lord we greet thee
Born this happy morning
Jesus to thee be all glory give
Word of the Father
Now in flesh appearing
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

O come let us adore Him
He is Christ the Lord
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him

Silent Night
Casting Crowns from the Peace on Earth album

Silent night
Holy night
All is calm
All is bright
Round yon virgin
Mother and child
Holy infant
So tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night
Holy night
Shepherds quake
At the sight
Glory streams
From heaven afar
Heavenly hosts
Sing alleluia
Christ the Savior is born
Christ the Savior is born

With the angels
Let us sing
Alleluias to the King
Christ the Savior is born
Christ the Savior is born

Christmas Tour of Homes 2009

2009-12-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

Last year at this time I came across The Tour of Homes 2008 from one of the blog's I follow and thought it was pretty cool and loved some of the decorating ideas that others had. I thought about joining in then but I hadn't started a blog yet and I had a lot going on last year so I kept it in mind to do this year. If you have a chance go here to check out everyone who has joined in on this years tour; it can be overwhelming so you have to do it over a period of time since there are so many. If you would like to join in you can also do so by adding your link to that post.
This is what the outside of our house looks like all lit up. We used to put up two of those animated deer and three spiral trees in the yard, however, after the last two winters we've had, where the snow is so deep they are buried, we've left them in their boxes. Maybe one of these years we will have a mild winter again and they'll be able to join the rest of the holiday lights again. We try to get these lights up the weekend before Thanksgiving before a lot of the snow starts to fall.We usually try to get the inside decorated the weekend after Thanksgiving or that first week in December. It takes a couple of days to get it all up and this year I was so thankful that Scott helped put up 90% of the decorations. I hate doing it all by myself and it feels more like a holiday if you can do the decorating as a family.

Two years ago we added the smaller 4' tree to our decor and I use it to put all the grandkids ornaments and any fun type of ornaments...making it our grandkids tree. I got this wonderful idea from my stepmom, who puts up about 15 (I think that is the number this year) trees (mind you they are the pencil trees) all decorated differently and put throughout the house. I collect ornaments and I have so many that I can decorate two trees and they both end up very full. I've also added to our main big tree lots of twisted glass icicles and a lot of clear (crystal looking) snowflakes. The picture of our banister all lit up is taken standing next to the larger tree, so all of this is in our living room area of the house. At night when all the lights are off besides the Christmas lights and all the candles lit our room ends up being so beautiful and cozy. The "Noel" blocks in front of my tv were a gift from my stepdaughter last year, so this is the first year I was able to add them to the decor.We put all the stuffed "toys" on the stairs and the snowman at the piano is one of those Hallmark specials that is Scott's favorite...he feels the need to hit the button at least a couple of times a day going up the stairs....it cracks me up that he is so much of a kid inside.

The red and gold floral arrangement on the floor is one we got from my dad and stepmom that was part of the decor in their December wedding several years back.

In the picture with the two Santa's (the closer one) is a new addition this year. It belonged to Scott's parents and he has always remembered and loved this Santa and has wanted it passed down to him. His mom passed away almost 4 years ago and his dad brought it over to him a couple of weeks ago when he came across it while going through things, making Scott very happy that he now gets the Santa (apparently it is a very old one as well).

The cream colored nativity in the bookcase is probably the oldest (aside from some of my collected ornaments) of my Christmas decorations. I've had this since the early nineties, way before Scott and I were married, and it is one of my favorites to put up.

As you can see I have a lot of candles all over too, I've learned it is best to just use a lot of tealights so I don't have all these candle cups to clean out.

These are only some of the ornaments I've collected over the years. I love Tinkerbell and have several ornaments with her, we have several from different trips we have made, and my sister and I always exchange an ornament with each other every year. A lot of years it will be a "sisters" ornament but not always. The Santa and Mrs. Claus ornament in the bottom right corner of the picture above is really cute, I have it on a spinner thing that you plug into one of the sockets on the light strand and it spins around like they are really dancing. The two bears kissing on a pinecone in the top right corner, was our first ornament for our first Christmas together.

This is the first year I've done the top of my tree so elaborately with all the "stuff" coming out of the top with the angel. After seeing so many trees decorated this way at the Festival of Trees I decided to try it on our tree this year.

We got our tree the first year after being married (so we've had it 9 years now) and it is 7.5' pre-lit with 800 lights (last year I put flashers in some of the strings so it kind of twinkles) and has a motor in the base of it that makes it spin around. I love this because we get to see all of the ornaments on the tree. This year we had quite a bit of trouble with the lights because after 8 years, there were a bunch of bulbs that had just had it and needed to be replaced so I ended up replacing a ton of them before we could even decorate it.

These remaining pictures are throughout the house. Above my kitchen cabinets I have the snowmen with the silver metal trees, the Santa next to the green sleigh, the pencil trees with poinsettias, and the silver lit tree. The nativity was a new addition last year and is one of my favorites. The white poinsettia trees and the poinsettias going down the railing downstairs are also leftover wedding decorations from my dad and stepmom's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding all the "Christmasy" decorations. I do have a few more things here and there but I already overdid it in the pictures department.

I hope you enjoyed seeing all my decorations, I know I enjoy doing it. My house makes a transformation at this time of year, I take down all my pictures and collectibles that are usually on the bookcase and hutch and put up Christmas. I try to get as much enjoyment out of it every year. Sorry for this being such a long post, if I decide to do this again next year, it shouldn't be so long.

Merry Christmas & God's blessings to everyone this holiday.

Saturday's Song - The Virgin's Lullaby & Joseph's Lullaby

2009-12-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

These two songs are ones I remember hearing for the first time last year and I just love them both.

The Virgin's Lullaby
performed by The Nativity Voices (from the movie "The Nativity Story")

I am a shepherd
Humbled by Heaven's bright star
I am nothing to offer
But the peace that I hold in my heart
Tonight I saw the Heaven's open
As angels filled the sky
But nothings ever touched my soul
Like a virgin's lullaby

Chorus
Sleep tonight
Close your eyes
Oh child of mine
You bring the world love
Glory divine

We are the kings
Traveled so far from the East
Bearing gifts
To lay before the Prince of Peace
We've seen the world and all its wonder
But here before our eyes
We're humbled by the miracle
Of a virgin's lullaby

Chorus
Sleep tonight
Close your eyes
Oh child of mine
You bring the world love
Glory divine

We are the angels
Sent from the throne on high
To join in this lullaby
His praises we sing

Chorus
Sleep tonight
Close your eyes
Oh child of mine
You bring the world love
Glory divine

Let your light shine
Bring the world love
Glory devine

Joseph's Lullaby
by Mercy Me on their Christmas Sessions album

Go to sleep my Son
This manger for your bed
You have a long road before You
Rest Your little head

Can You feel the weight of Your glory?
Do You understand the price?
Does the Father guard Your heart for now
So You can sleep tonight?

Go to sleep my Son
Go and chase Your dreams
This world can wait for one more moment
Go and sleep in peace

I believe the glory of Heaven
Is lying in my arms tonight
Lord, I ask that He for just this moment
Simply be my child

Go to sleep my Son
Baby, close Your eyes
Soon enough You'll save the day
But for now, dear Child of mine
Oh my Jesus, Sleep tight

Saturday's Song - Breath of Heaven & Mary Did You Know

2009-12-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

Another couple of Christmas favorites of mine.

Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)
as sang by Amy Grant

I have traveled
Many moonless night
Cold and Weary
With a babe inside
And I wonder
What I've done
Holy Father
You have come
Chosen me now
To carry your son

I am waiting
in a silent prayer
I am frightened
by the load i bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone
Be with me now
Be with me now

Chorus
Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven

Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me, your holiness
For your holy
Breath of Heaven

Do you wonder
As you watch my face
If a wiser one, should of had my place
But I offer-all I am
For the mercy-of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be
Help me

Chorus

Mary Did You Know
as sang by Mark Lowry (he also wrote this song)

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
That your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered
Will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?
Did you know
That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby
You've kissed the face of God

Mary, did you know?
The blind will see
The deaf will hear
And the dead will live again
The lame will leap
The dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know
That your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding
Is the Great I Am

Oh Mary did you know?

Linking to some good stuff - Volume 3

2009-12-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

An inspiring video about loving your spouse

A great post about forgiveness, an act I have to reflect upon and practice on occasion

Why? Why do a video of this? Why even go so far as to put it on YouTube?

A good post that I thought explained being a Christian really well. I too grew up in church and not that I fell away from the Lord but I know that I wasn’t CLOSE to Him for years and recently I’ve been back to being closer to Him.

This post is kinda long but the blogger was a guest writer for the Crazy Love book the Bloom Book Club was covering and her post is REALLY good.

This post brought tears to my eyes….I can remember having a couple of dogs that expressed such great joy at my coming home.

I think this is a great Christmas tradition to carry out

Saturday's Song - Away In A Manger

2009-11-28T23:44:00.000-08:00

Since we are in the holiday season I thought for the next 5 Saturday's I would do a Christmas song or two that are my favorites.

This song I can remember clear back to my childhood singing in many Christmas programs at church or school and has always been a favorite.

Away In A Manger
(this one is sang by Patty Loveless)

Away in a manger,
no crib for His bed,
The little Lord Jesus
lay down his sweet head.
The stars in the sky
looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus,
asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing,
the poor Baby wakes,
But little Lord Jesus,
no crying He makes;
I love Thee, Lord Jesus,
look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle
till morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay,
Close by me forever,
and love me, I pray!
Bless all the dear children
in Thy tender care
And take us to heaven,
to Live with Thee there.

What is your favorite Christmas song?

Black Friday....Madness?

2009-11-27T23:45:00.000-08:00

I've probably always done some shopping on "Black Friday" when I was younger, as I was always the one who loved to shop, but I never did the crazy...get up in the middle of the night...shopping. I've never been a morning person and generally if I am up at 3-5 am it is because I have yet to go to bed from the night before.

One year (2004) my sister and my mom were at our house for Thanksgiving and my sister and I had perused the newspaper ads, found some good deals and thought we'd get up SUPER early to run out and get our treasures and come back home and go back to bed (she too is a night owl and together we can stay up late, catching up, whatnot). We fell asleep on the living room floor, talking, went out did our shopping and that was the year I started to get hooked on it. It was fun getting up early (not that I'd want to do it all the time, but once a year or so is fun) getting a special coffee drink, standing in the cold with all the other die hards and being with someone else made it something fun to do.

The next year (2005) it was a Thanksgiving of just my husband and I and I was (surprisingly) able to talk my husband into going with me on this crazy shopping trip. He is a morning person so getting up early didn't bother him too much, getting a special coffee...he loved...then he saw the MADNESS (long lines you wait in, the pushy people grabbing the last one of what you were just going to get) inside a couple of the stores and couldn't believe it. He kept saying this is insane, however, I still enjoyed myself.

The following year (2006) I was sure my husband wouldn't join me in my endeavor again but I was able to introduce my oldest stepdaughter to this wonderful day after Thanksgiving tradition. She had worked in retail the several years before and has always been able to see it from the working side of things but this was her first try as being the customer. I made it kinda fun and made up a couple of little blank notebooks for us to make our lists in and jot down ideas of what to get those we needed to buy for and be able to check off what we got. We ventured out early, got our special coffee (which she is an addict to anyways) and stood in line. We giggled and shivered and had a blast...she was HOOKED! We went to so many different stores and shopped til early afternoon.

In 2007 we were in a teeny tiny but wonderful mountain town with my Dad & stepmom Terry and there were no stores that held any sort of Black Friday shopping deals...which was fine by me (hey, I can skip a year and it doesn't bother me at all) we helped decorate for Christmas instead and my stepdaughter in her own town did the Black Friday shopping but we still remained in contact as to what good deals she found, etc...

In 2008 we were in Lewiston with my stepdaughter and her family for Thanksgiving so I went with her and her friends....yeah...one of which was up and in line at Walmart at 1:30 am...with a nice little heater, saving us a place in line. It was pure madness....everyone rushing to what they wanted (oh, by the way, I am a people watcher too so just watching these pushy people was fun as well). We shopped until later in the morning and went to breakfast and went home for a nap.

This year was another year of my husband and I being at home by ourselves but he piped up and mentioned he would go with me if I wanted to go shopping this year...of course I do...by now there is a feel good feeling that I get when I go out on this crazy shopping day, that is invigorating and fun. So yesterday I perused all the ads (and I'm going to admit this totally OCD way I did it, but I put all the ads in order by if we were leaving our house and making a huge circle and the order of what stores we would come to...I wanted to make it easier when I did my list).

Since this year has been a difficult one for us financially we weren't getting too much but I want to highlight on the few wonderful deals we did get. Cabela's (opening at 6 am...not too terribly early) had these Roughneck jeans (regularly $24.95) on sale for $9.95. Since my husband likes Levi 501 jeans, and they are generally $40+ and the cheapest I can ever find them on sale is $32, I wanted him to look these jeans over, try them on to see if they fit well and he liked them so we could get them for him to wear to work instead of his expensive jeans. Yeah, on a tight budget we saved a bunch on the jeans, he liked them so we got 3 pairs, when the guy gave us our total, we paid for 3 pairs what I would normally pay for 1 pair of the Levi's....score! Walmart was doing price matches on other store ads and I wanted to get the Uno Moo game for our granddaughter (which was at Kmart for $12.99 & they opened at 6 am too - and way too far away to make sure we got one) so we checked Walmart for it, they had one left on the shelf. Walmart also had in their ads these reversible, puffy down type coats for men, women and children for $7. I've been wanting a coat of this type for a year or so but I figured they would all be gone by the time we got to Walmart so I didn't even write it on my list. When we got there and I was making my way back to toys (to get the game) I passed by all these racks that had these coats and they had a bunch of them still left and the top of the rack was marked $4...I figured that was a mistake and checked their ad and it did say $7 so I picked one out...it rang up for $4 and the checker told me that yeah they sometimes will have in store sales like that....unbelieveable to me that I got a coat like I've been wanting for that cheap. I truly believe that it was a gift from God because He knew I've been wanting one and it really had to be cheap for me to get one. We went to a few other stores to get a few stocking stuffer type items, to Costco for a few groceries and our free cookbook and then we needed to make a quick stop at the mall for Bath & Body Works. Scott had let me know a couple of days earlier that he was getting low on cologne and back in the summer he had found one they carried that we both really liked. I had 3 different coupons for Bath & Body Works so I figured I could get him a stocking stuffer and use up these coupons. I ended up with pine scented oils for our burner and our plug in thing and a free lotion along with his cologne and I only paid $3 more than what his cologne was...I like how they allow you to use all kinds of coupons in one shopping trip.

We were both beat so we headed back home to take naps because we were going downtown to see the Festival of Trees and the lighting ceremony that the Coeur d' Alene Resort puts on every year. We hadn't been down there for the last several years and it is something we enjoy doing. We have had a very fun, eventful day.

I know many people don't understand the craziness behind shopping on this day but it is like I heard a lady say on the TV the other night, when you are on a small budget, (especially in such a bad economy as what we have right now) you try to get more bang for your buck and this kind of a shopping day makes it easier to do so. My brother got his first taste of it this year as he was looking for the Nintendo DS and Walmart had them for $98. He couldn't believe how wild it was, how crowded it was, but he started looking around at some of the things on sale and was better able to understand it a bit. He said he found a few things he'd like to have but since he wasn't shopping for himself he by-passed them.

I myself have always been lucky (I know it is the Lord blessing me) to not have to encounter the rude, pushy people on this shopping day. I always encounter the other ones who are kind and considerate, say excuse me, or even help you look for what you are looking for if you help them as well...makes for a much more pleasant shopping experience.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T19:52:00.000-08:00

Wow....an actual post that doesn't coincide with my Saturday's Song segment...but with today being Thanksgiving I wanted to do a quick post for what I am thankful for. For those of you who are on my Facebook some of these will be familiar since for the last 2 weeks I was participating in a challenge of daily posting what I am thankful for. I was really enjoying seeing what everyone else posted as well.

I am thankful for:

Jesus, my Savior...He has saved me from an eternity of hell and being lost
My husband...even though some days I wish some things were different or I'd like to change him in some ways, I can't imagine being without him
My home...even though some days I wish it were a different house
My car...I love it and in 4 years, I haven't had any problems with it and still have not found one I like more
My friends...I've had so many that I've known through the years some for a long time and several for just a short time but they have all brought something good into my life
My family...I was raised in a close-knit one and my siblings and I all get along and love each other
My hobbies...I have several that I love to do (stamping, crocheting, reading, baking, beading)
My education...my parents sacrificed to put my siblings and I through private school and I am so grateful for that
My freedom and all those who serve or who have served in the armed forces so I can have those freedoms
My health...for a year we haven't had health insurance and we've only had a few minor illnesses
Music...I love music, both listening to it and singing it
Prayers of my friends and family
My mind...I have so many good memories to remember
My ease of joy and laughter
The beauty and scents of nature...I live in the mountains surrounded by pine trees, lakes, fresh mountain air and lots of my favorite flowers
Makeup...without it I look like I haven't woken up yet
Faith and hope
My grandkids & stepkids...I didn't have any children of my own and I am able to spoil and do for them what I would have done for my own kids had I had any

I know I could come up with so many more if I took the time but I need to end this list somewhere. I'm even thankful for this last year. It has been a hard one for us, me being unemployed, we've had to make a few sacrifices but it has been a nice "vacation" from the workforce that I think I really needed. I know from the line of work that I was in that I would tend to get to a point where I hated people and I don't like that kind of me. I think that the Lord knew I needed to make a change in ME and get some of my priorities straight. I'm hoping and praying that He will bring me a new job in a field I would be happy in.

I hope everyone has had a wonderfully, blessed and enjoyable Thanksgiving.

Saturday's Song - My Wish

2009-11-21T23:09:00.000-08:00

I almost didn't get this weeks song done. We spent a large portion of our day putting up the Christmas lights outside trying to beat the snow we are supposed to get tonight and tomorrow and after dinner I was so tired I fell asleep on the couch at 7:30....on a Saturday night. Most of you who know me would find that surprising as well. Scott's the one who always falls asleep that early, not me. But after a 2 hour nap I woke up and figured I'd get this post done so I could go to bed.

I heard this song last night on the radio and thought it would be a good one to highlight. I wish....for all of my loved ones...what this song says. I need to keep it in my mind fresh for myself as well.

My Wish
Rascal Flatts

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow
And each road leads you where you want to go
And if you're faced with the choice and you have to choose
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you

And if one door opens to another door closed
I hope you keep on walkin' til you find the window
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile
But more than anything, more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish

I hope you never look back but you never forget
All the ones who love you and the place you left
I hope you always forgive and you never regret
And you help somebody every chance you get

Oh, you'd find God's grace in every mistake
And always give more than you take
But more than anything, yeah more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish, yeah yeah

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish
(My wish for you)

This is my wish
(My wish for you)
I hope you know somebody loves you
(My wish for you)
May all your dreams stay big
(My wish for you)

To see a video with this song click here.

Saturday's Song - I Believe

2009-11-14T23:28:00.000-08:00

This song is one that I just wanna get up and dance when I hear it. The message is so good too...I believe in God, I'll shout it from the mountains and I'm not ashamed to talk about it.

I know there are a lot of times in my Christian walk where I don't express this enthusiasm as much as I should. Mainly though because I let "things" in life get me down and blind me to the excitement of what life should be. I want every day to be a pleasure and wake up to another day of serving & trusting in Him.

I Believe
Zoegirl

I used to close my eyes and pray the time would pass me by
So I could fly away in my dreams to anywhere unreal
And I'd hide away from everything
I didn't know what was real, I didn't know the truth
There was a day when somebody introduced me to You
And You breathed Your life in me
You set me free...

Chorus:
Now I'll shout it from the mountain
That I'm not the same that I used to be
I believe in God, believe in God
I'm not ashamed to talk about it
To a world that slowly slips away
That I believe in God, believe in God

Now at the end of the day when
nothing seems to go my way
I've got a friend, I've got a
love that's never gonna let me go
Since You gave Your life for me
You set me free...

Chorus:
Now I'll shout it from the mountain
That I'm not the same that I used to be
I believe in God, believe in God
I'm not ashamed to talk about it
To a world that slowly slips away
That I believe in God, believe in God

Oh, when I feel so alone
He comes to sweetly say
It's all gonna be okay
Oh, when my emotions flow
He comes to sweetly say
It's all gonna be okay

Chorus:
Now I'll shout it from the mountain
That I'm not the same that I used to be
I believe in God, believe in God
I'm not ashamed to talk about it
To a world that slowly slips away
That I believe in God, believe in God

To see the video of this song click here. I can't embed this video into my blog.

Saturday's Song - Praise You In This Storm

2009-11-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

This week was a really bad week that I hope we will not have to repeat for awhile.

Scott finally went to Immediate Care on Monday and found out he had bronchitis. I'm really glad I pushed him to go because bronchitis turns into pneumonia if you don't get antibiotics to keep it from getting worse. He has had pneumonia before so he could get it easily and it took a month for me to get over it back in May. So far I've been able to keep it to just a head cold, I've been continuing with all the vitamins and Tylenol Cold. I still keep up with the hand sanitizer if I’ve been out somewhere.

Earlier this week some of the guys Scott has been working with were laid off and then on Wednesday he was told that on Friday (yesterday) after he was finished with this job he’s been on for awhile that he was going to be laid off for about 3 weeks. Because I had already had one big shock for the week Scott was afraid to say anything to me but when he did I think he was surprised that I didn’t freak out. I think it is because I was still in a state of shock. I am almost at a one year anniversary of being unemployed and quickly running out of unemployment funds with no confirmations on any of the jobs I’ve been praying I get. But after Scott talked to the owner and he mentioned going down Monday to file for unemployment he told Scott to hold off they were going to be having a meeting on Monday and from the way he talked they are going to keep him working one way or another. Praise the Lord!! We already know this Christmas is going to be one of the bleakest for us ever but we are just trying to keep our heads above water in this terrible economy….um what happened to our President creating jobs to help the growing number of unemployed?

The week ended pretty good when I got an e-mail this morning from one of my favorite authors, Stef Ann Holm, (she lives in Boise) whose blog I also follow that I had won an autographed copy of her latest book. I had just read the first 2 books in this series and I had gone through and caught myself up to all of the books she has written in the past. She posted to her blog how she came up with a winner and it involved her Yorkie dog....perfect, since that is the next dog I am wanting to get....a sign? Maybe.

Needless to say since our week was a bad one I really wanted this to be my song for the week. Another song I love and have ever since I first heard it on the radio. We may have been weathering a storm this week but He's still with us.

Praise You In This Storm
Casting Crowns

I was sure by now
God you would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as You mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will life my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Saturday's Song - The More I Seek You

2009-10-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

So it has been 2 weeks since I did my last post. Last weekend we went to Lewiston and I didn't get my post done ahead of time so I just skipped it. I have REALLY been neglecting my blog lately. I do have several cards that I've been working on that I need to get posted.

Scott started getting sick last weekend and he usually kicks it pretty quickly but he's been fighting it all week and I'm afraid we'll have to make a trip to the Immediate Care center so he can get an antibiotic because I'm thinking from the sounds of him and what he is coughing up...he may have bronchitis. He has had walking pneumonia before and I'm afraid if he lets it go too far he'll end up with it again. Having insurance would be helpful....if only. Especially since it is so easy for me to catch any and every bug that goes around. I've been popping TONS of vitamin supplements (because I have such a poor immune system) and I've been spraying Lysol everywhere and using the Lysol disinfectant wipes to swab everything he has touched to keep me from picking up the germs.

This week's song is one my sister sent to me as a suggestion since they sing it in her church during worship and I just loved it from the moment I heard it. They lyrics are very simple and heartfelt.

The More I Seek You
Kari Jobe

The more I seek you,
The more I find you
The more I find you,
The more I love you

I wanna sit at your feet
Drink from the cup in your hand.
Lay back against you and breathe, feel your heart beat
This love is so deep, it's more than I can stand.
I melt in your peace, it's overwhelming

Saturday's Song - In Christ Alone

2009-10-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry I skipped Saturday’s song last weekend. I was busy on Saturday and then on Sunday I felt like my body was trying to fight being sick because all I wanted to do was sleep. With all we are hearing in the media right now with this Swine (H1N1 or as I like to refer to it as the hiney) flu going around, I am fearful of getting it. The school that Scott has been working on has had about a 10% attendance decrease because of it and several teachers have also been out this week. There have even been about 5 deaths in the area that are related to the flu; one a coach for Post Falls that was in perfect health. A few nights ago, while sleeping, Satan kept trying to attack my mind. I had nightmares all night about getting it to the point of I was terrified of leaving my house. Since we don’t have insurance and I have a terrible immune system I’m just fearful of what could happen but I need to put my faith in God that we will be okay.

I just finished devouring the autobiography of Michael English “The Prodigal Comes Home”. I say devoured because autobiographies are hard for me to get into and read and it generally takes me awhile to finish one but this one I finished in 2 days it was so good. If you’re looking for a good book to read check this one out.

I was raised listening to southern gospel music and was a fan of Michael English before his big scandal and the several years that followed where he continued running away from God. (I even have all of his albums that he did as pop music.) I didn’t know what all he got involved in but it all comes out in this book and it is a miracle he is living to tell about it. He completely turned his life back around towards God and is back with the Gaither Vocal Band.

I thought it was quite sad in his book how he mentioned there were churches that he would attempt to attend that would just ask him to leave. It is those types of churches and “Christians" that make trying to witness to someone who is lost very hard.

This is one of my favorites that Michael has done and the words really were speaking to me in this time in my life where I need to be placing my trust in Christ.

In Christ Alone
Michael English

In Christ alone will I glory
Though I could pride myself
In battles won
For I've been blessed beyond measure
And by His strength alone, I overcome
Oh, I could stop and count successes
Like diamonds in my hands
But these trophies could not equal
To the grace, by which I stand

In Christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory
In the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone

In Christ alone will I glory
For only by His grace
I am redeemed
And only His tender mercy
Could reach beyond my weakness
To my need
Now I seek no greater honor
Than just to know Him more
And to count my gains but losses
And to the glory of my Lord

In Christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory
In the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone

Mojo Monday #107

2009-10-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try something new...a sketch challenge.
I've never participated in one of these before but I sure have looked at lots of them. I follow the Mojo Monday Sketch Blog and I use them a lot for ideas on what to do on my next card but this time I'm going to participate as well.

I have a friend whose birthday is this weekend and we are going to a surprise party for her 50th Birthday so I knew I wanted the main colors of my card to be black and white.
For my stamps I used Autumn Leaves Florishes V2 set and created my own background on the large piece of white and around the white circle in silver. The "Happy Birthday" is by Parked on Rubber.

I used my Nestabilities Large Circle dies to cut the circles and I also embossed the larger black circle but I'm sure that won't be picked up in the photo.

The patterned paper I found at Michaels and it is by Recollections. It has a real pretty filigree pattern. I also used it with my iTop to create the larger brads in the middle.

I finished off my embellishments with some mini black brads, a piece of black satin ribbon and a piece of thinner white satin ribbon for the bow.
On my inside I used my circle punch to cut out circles of the patterned paper and printed off a nice quote I found.

If you'd like to check out some of the other cards submitted for this challenge you can do so by going here...but there are a lot to see.

Saturday's Song - I Need You To Love Me

2009-10-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

I picked out this song for this week and as I was reflecting on the words, I was reminded of something I had read recently about God's love for us. I wasn't sure which book I had read it in because I am studying 2 at the moment so I went back through both of them and found it in the "Crazy Love" book, so to quote from it (and Francis Chan the author) again this week a few sentences from Chapter 3 titled the same as the book "Crazy Love".

The very fact that a holy, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, merciful, fair, and just God loves you and me is nothing short of astonishing.
The wildest part is that Jesus doesn't have to love us. His being is utterly complete and perfect, apart from humanity. He doesn't need me or you. Yet He wants us, chooses us, even considers us His inheritance (Ephesians 1:18). The greatest knowledge we can ever have is knowing God treasures us.
The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time.

Ephesians 1:4 - Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

I Need You To Love Me
Barlow Girl

Why, why are You still here with me
Didn't You see what I've done?
In my shame I want to run and hide myself
But it's here I see the truth
I don't deserve You

[Chorus:]
But I need You to love me, and I
I won't keep my heart from You this time
And I'll stop this pretending that I can
Somehow deserve what I already have
I need You to love me

I, I have wasted so much time
Pushing You away from me
I just never saw how You could cherish me
'Cause You're a God who has all things
And still You want me

Your love makes me forget what I have been
Your love makes me see who I really am

Saturday's Song - Legacy

2009-09-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

I really need to do a regular blog post one of these days I do have a few things to catch up on.

I started reading the book "Crazy Love: Overwhelmed By A Relentless God" by Francis Chan to participate with the Bloom Book Club and since I started late I've been trying to catch up (which isn't too hard since they are only covering a chapter a week and I started 2 weeks late).

But this last week I did Chapter 2 and the title of it is "You Might Not Finish This Chapter" and the author is speaking about we don't know when it is our time to go. I may not finish reading the chapter before I pass on or he may not finish writing the chapter before he passes on. To quote a few sentences it states:
"...it's easy to think about today as just another day. An average day where you go about life concerned with your to-do-list, preoccupied by appointments, focused on family, thinking about your desires and needs. On the average day, we live caught up on ourselves. On the average day, we don't consider God very much. On the average day, we forget that our life truly is a vapor."

James 4:14 "How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog-it's here a little while, then it's gone."

I know the Lord is really working on me and my priorities lately and making me realize the absence of time I spend with Him. I know that this whole lay off/absence of a job at this time, was in His plan for a reason...I'm starting to see one of those reasons.

The book club blog talked about this song and I thought so fitting for this weeks song. I want to leave a legacy.

Legacy
Nichole Nordeman

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthly list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one...

If you think you may be interested in reading this book, I highly recommend it and I've heard that the first 5 chapters can be read online at barnesandnoble.com.

Linking to some good stuff - Volume 2

2009-09-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

I've been collecting some good links and they have just piled up on me and I need to get them shared. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Here is an enlightening post on being happy in our ordinary lives. I know I wouldn’t trade mine for the limelight.

This one made me breathe deep…I have claustrophobia and a weird thing with heights…the glass walls make it look like you could slide right off the edge

The best diet secret ever….I need to rely on this

Here is a really cute Staples commercial (which I’ve never seen on TV)

This is a pretty good video…the enthusiasm this crowd has is addictive.

I wonder how many households where this actually happens A LOT.

I like this post and I even can relate to it on #4 and Gaps being gifts.

This is a really cool video….great song too.

This short post and this little longer one had me laughing.

Why You Don't Take Your Husband Shopping

2009-09-20T00:38:00.000-07:00

I got this e-mail the other day and had to share it on here because it is so funny.

After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Target. Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunate, my wife is like most women - she loves to browse.

Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter from the local Target.

Over the past six months, your husband has caused quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against your husband, Mr. Samsel , are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in other people's carts when they weren't looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals

3. July 7: He made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women's restroom.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away! This caused the employee to leave her assigned station and receive a reprimand from her Supervisor that in turn resulted with a union grievance, causing management to lose time and costing the company money.

5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&Ms on layaway.

6. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told the children shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department to which twenty children obliged.

8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?' EMTs were called.

9. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.

10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department , he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.

11. October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the 'Mission Impossible' theme.

12. October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his ' Madonna look' by using different sizes of 20 funnels.

13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'

14. October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!'

And last, but not least:

15. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! There's no toilet paper in here.' One of the clerks passed out.

What a creative imagination...Target is one of my favorite places to shop and I'd have to laugh if I saw any of these things happen.

Saturday's Song - Jesus Calling

2009-09-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

I can think of a few friends (including myself) who could probably use the reminder of this song in their lives right now. We may feel like there is always a storm going on in our lives but we just have to listen to God's still small voice saying, I'm right here with you, you're not alone.

Jesus Calling
33 Miles on the album One Life

What do you see when you look at your world today
Is it so full of clutter that you feel like you’re going insane
And you can’t fight back cause you’re just too afraid
and it seems like the clouds in your sky don’t wanna change
You see there’s always another story, another side to every coin,
And how you see your circumstance is all about a choice

CHORUS
When you see the rushing wind, feel the pouring rain
hear the thunder now as the clouds roll in
and you’re blinded by the lightning
do you also hear that still, small voice saying
It’s okay, you’re not alone, you may be scared to death,
But I won’t let you go
You may think the sky above is falling
But can you hear Jesus calling

What do you see when you look at your world today
Do you see a glimmer of hope, or has it all turned to gray
Well start by counting your blessings one by one
Oh and I’m sure right there, you’ll start to see the sun
You see there’s always another story, another side to every coin
And how you see your circumstance is all about a choice

CHORUS
When you see the rushing wind, feel the pouring rain
hear the thunder now as the clouds roll in
and you’re blinded by the lightning
do you also hear that still, small voice saying
It’s okay, you’re not alone, you may be scared to death,
But I won’t let you go
You may think the sky above is falling
But can you hear Jesus calling

Calling out to you
Because the darker the night, the brighter He can shine

CHORUS
When you see the rushing wind, feel the pouring rain
hear the thunder now as the clouds roll in
and you’re blinded by the lightning
do you also hear that still, small voice saying
It’s okay, you’re not alone, you may be scared to death,
But I won’t let you go
You may think the sky above is falling
But can you hear Jesus calling

Friday Faves - Shoes

2009-09-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

It is Friday Faves again and this week is our favorite shoes we own and favorite shoes we wished we owned.

I think this will be a fun post as I am excited to see what some of the other gals (I have yet to see any guys participating in these posts) have for their favorite shoes. I am not a typical girl, in the shoe kinda way, they aren’t my weakness on a shopping trip. However, pass me by a handbag department and I can’t just walk by, I have to see if there is something I’d like to take home too. I have slowed down on purchasing handbags (it used to be I couldn’t go into a new month without getting a new one) though when I stepped it up to buying a Dooney & Bourke and I have carried it for 2 ½ years straight now….I’m really wanting something new. The amount of money I spent purchasing several handbags in a year exceeded my one purchase of the Dooney. I love it though it fits just right on my shoulder and is large enough to hold all my treasures. But hang on, I got off track, we’re discussing our favorite shoes, not handbags….they do kinda go hand in hand though.

I have a few favorites, depending upon the season, because you know in Idaho, we have our seasons and lately winter has over stepped its bounds into a few more months than what it should.

First up are my Ariat Fatbabies. I LOVE boots (I also have a pair of Durango’s, Laredo – lace up roper’s, and an Ariat ankle boot) and these are so comfortable. I’ve had these for 3 years now and they still look brand new, because I want to make sure they’ll last me a long, long time. Both of my step-daughters each have a pair (not the exact same) and my granddaughter even has pink ones.

Next are my comfy slippers. I have two pairs that I alternate between, Woolrich (purple ones) or Minnetonka (tan ones). My husband bought them both for me and I do wear these out to the grocery store. They both have hard soles on them so I can wear them out and about and they keep my feet warm. I love wearing them with a cute pair of jeans.

The last of my favorites are actually many in number but it is more of a type of shoes (if you can call them that).
Flip flops are my most frequented summer shoe. As you can see from the picture, I have MANY to choose from and I generally pick by the color I am wearing. I have a few that are really thin though and I don’t wear those if I’m going to be walking around a lot instead I opt for the Sketchers with the really thick good sole on them.

Most of my shoes I wear for comfort but they have to be cute too.

As for the favorite shoes we wished we owned, I’ve always wanted to try a pair of Ugg’s because, there again, they look so comfy. Although I’m afraid with the sheepskin on the inside my feet would sweat like crazy, since that is generally where I do all my sweating is through my feet. I think these are the ones I like the best the Ugg Classic Short – Boots.

I’ve also wanted a pair of these mule like tennies by Sketchers. I like the looks of them; however I have a pair that is similar that I bought at Payless Shoe Source that was a fraction of the cost of the Sketchers. So until they have completely worn out I’ll stick with them for now.

And, since I was out there in cyber world scanning for some new shoes I thought I’d see what the latest in the Ariat attire was and found these SUPER CUTE boots that I would definitely like to have. I love the colors and it would help to have a black pair too.

That’s it (should be I went over too many pairs as is) and if you would like to check out what everyone else’s favorites are, pop on over to Missy’s site to see, I know I’m excited to check them all out.

Saturday's Song - What If

2009-09-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

There have been many times in the past where Satan has tried to impose doubt in my mind of my beliefs, because that is one of the strongest tools he uses against us (doubt and unbelief) but as this song states, what if they're wrong? I would hate to be the one left behind because I didn't believe and serve Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:2-6 (NLT)

2. for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
3. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
5. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
6. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.

What If
Nichole Nordeman on her album Brave

What if you're right?
And he was just another nice guy
What if you're right?
What if it's true?

They say the cross will only make a fool of you
And what if it's true?
What if he takes his place in history
With all the prophets and the kings
Who taught us love and came in peace
But then the story ends
What then?

But what if you're wrong?
What if there's more?
What if there's hope you never dreamed of hoping for?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He's more than enough?
What if it's love?

What if you dig
Way down deeper than your simple-minded friends
What if you dig?
What if you find
A thousand more unanswered questions down inside
That's all you find?

What if you pick apart the logic
And begin to poke the holes
What if the crown of thorns is no more
Than folklore that must be told and retold?

You've been running as fast as you can
You've been looking for a place you can land for so long
But what if you’re wrong?

Friday Faves - Favorite old hymn & modern praise song

2009-09-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

It’s Friday Faves again with It's Almost Naptime and this week is about our favorite old hymn and favorite modern hymn or praise song.

I love music, as I’ve mentioned before, so just picking one of each is hard. There aren’t a whole lot of churches anymore that sing hymns in their worship services, which I find sad. There are some great hymns out there and these two stick out as always being favorites.

I Surrender All

1. All to Jesus I surrender; all to him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust him, in his presence daily live.

Refrain:
I surrender all, I surrender all, all to thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.

2. All to Jesus I surrender; humbly at his feet I bow,
worldly pleasures all forsaken; take me, Jesus, take me now.
(Refrain)

3. All to Jesus I surrender; make me, Savior, wholly thine;
fill me with thy love and power; truly know that thou art mine.
(Refrain)

4. All to Jesus I surrender; Lord, I give myself to thee;
fill me with thy love and power; let thy blessing fall on me.
(Refrain)

5. All to Jesus I surrender; now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation! Glory, glory, to his name!
(Refrain)

Here is a video of it performed by The Isaacs, they do a really good rendition of it.

The Old Rugged Cross

1. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown.

2. O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above to bear it to dark Calvary.
(Refrain)

3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, a wondrous beauty I see,
for 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died, to pardon and sanctify me.
(Refrain)

4. To that old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then he'll call me some day to my home far away, where his glory forever I'll share.
(Refrain)

Here is a video of it sung by John Berry:

There is a hymn that my dad doesn’t like with a funny story behind it. One time many years ago (before I was ever around) while singing “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” in church, he looked over and caught one of the usher’s (I think) picking his nose. So every time my dad hears that song, he has that memory in his mind and I guess I do too now.

Two of my favorite modern day worship songs which I’ve already featured in my Saturday’s Songs posts are “Revelation Song” back in July and “We Fall Down” back in May.

Do you have a favorite you’d like to share? Leave me a comment and let me know what it is.

If you’d like to check out the others who have participated this week in Friday Faves, click over to Missy’s site at It’s Almost Naptime.

DipTacular - Bean Dip

2009-09-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

I’m a little late in getting on board with my contribution to BooMama’s Diptacular she started last week but being gone for 4 days away from home and the computer has given me a lot to catch up on but I loved the relaxation of being in the mountains (a post on our weekend soon to come).

I’ve slowly been going through all the others who have participated in giving their dip recipes (I haven’t gotten through them all yet) and I’ve found several (including variations) of my two favorites that are easy to do. The chili (with no beans) and block of cream cheese dip or the can of Rotel and block of Velveeta dip, so I didn’t want to do those. In looking at so many others, I’ve decided that on game days I am going to do a new dip recipe and maybe just soup for dinner. My husband and I love college football….especially if the BSU Broncos are playing or his favorite team the Washington State Cougars.

Here is a dip that I got from a friend of mine that is good and easy.

Bean Dip

2 cans Campbell’s Bean with Bacon Soup
2 cups sour cream
2 jars Bacon Cheese (or the canned stringy cheese you would put on crackers)
4 chopped green onions

Mix all together in a crock pot & heat. Serve with chunks of French bread.

If you would like to check out the other dips click on over to BooMama’s post, but it may take you some time to get through them all.

In the meantime, enjoy your favorite team play a good game of football….GO BRONCS!!

Saturday's Song - Turn Your Radio On

2009-09-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

Since tomorrow is my grandma’s birthday I wanted to do a song that reminds me of her.

I can always remember singing this song with her and my grandpa in the truck on the way to logging camp. My grandpa was a logger and every summer they would pull their trailer up to the area he was logging and take one of us grandkids (8 in Idaho) at a time to stay for the week. While he was working we would spend time with grandma playing hundreds of games of Yahtzee, walking on the logging roads, picking up pinecones or rocks and just spend quality time together. There were times where we would pick huckleberries too and in my recent trip to pick huckleberries, the scent of them reminded me of such. I think bonding times like these are important for grandparents and I think that is one of the reasons I was so close to them.

I was raised on Southern Gospel quartet music and I can also remember hearing it played in their house many, many times there was many an occasion when their house was always filled with kids, grandkids, friends or other family where they'd put on the records and we'd all sing along. I can also remember grandma always having the radio on in the kitchen to KBGN and most of my memories I remember a sermon going on, but there were sometimes there would be music too.

My grandma always has had a sweet and loving spirit. I can’t ever remember her speaking bad about or to anyone. If we ever got into trouble with her, we had to put our nose in the corner or if mom and dad were around and we’d get in trouble with them she would hate that we were in trouble and try and get us out of it. In doing a Bible study just recently on our mind and thoughts, I was having to do a lot of reflecting and realized I have an easier time of forgiving and not letting any bitterness consume me. I let things go pretty easily and figured I have gained this wonderful personality trait from my grandma. She was a huge peacemaker and I want to be more like her in that respect.

My grandpa passed away 6 years ago and grandma is in a care facility with Alzheimer’s. I don’t make it home very often anymore to get to see her much and the last trip home (last January) it took her a few minutes to realize who I was. If you’re reading this and are unfamiliar with the Alzheimer’s disease it affects the short term memory. They may ask you the same question 5 times in the span of 10 minutes because they forgot they have already asked it or they can't remember what they ate at their last meal but they can remember events of what happened 50 years ago, like it only happened yesterday. In the last year, I’ve had a chance to talk to her a few times and she talks more about when she was a little girl than she ever did around me and I cherish hearing her stories. This is the 3rd grandparent I’ve had that had this terrible disease and each case has been different. I get teary eyed, even now, just thinking about and knowing that there may not be too many more years where she is around.

If you know my grandma, please leave a comment about a memory you have about her, I would really love to hear them. (This is from the last time I was home)

Turn Your Radio On
as performed on one of the Gaither Homecoming videos

Come and listen in to a radio station
Where the mighty hosts of heaven sing
Turn your radio on turn your radio on
If you want to hear the songs of Zion coming
From the land of endless spring
Get in touch with God turn your radio on

Turn your radio on turn your radio on
And listen to the music in the air
Turn your radio on heaven's glo-ry share
Turn the lights down low and listen to the Master's radio
Get in touch with God turn your radio on

Don’t you know that everybody is a radio receiver
All you have to do is listen for the call
Turn your radio on turn your radio on
If you listen in you’ll be a believer
Believing on a truth that will never fall
Get in touch with God turn your radio on

I included this specific video because it has some comedic material to it…making it a little longer.

The last couple of weekends...bringing us to an end to summer

2009-09-01T23:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe the summer is over. What happened? Where did it go? There are so many things this summer lacked. We only ate out on our patio half a dozen times, didn't even hang out back there much this summer, and the only fire we had in our pit was just last weekend. We planned on going camping a lot this summer, instead, only one big trip this coming weekend.

We have done a few things that were first's for us though. This last weekend we did a day trip over to Colville, Washington. I sold a BUNCH of stuff on Craigslist to a lady that has a horse ranch even further west than Colville and it was a good meeting place to exchange. I have never been any farther north in the eastern part of Washington than North Spokane, so I was looking forward to seeing some new country. What a beautiful drive and a really pretty area. It was like driving through a valley area with mountains all around.

We also went out to Carver Farms (our second trip out there since our first time was last October when we went to get our pumpkins) to pick zucchini and peppers. This is the first year we don't have a garden so we had to buy our zucchini instead of being able to give a bunch away. I spent the last two days making zucchini bread and blanching and freezing the rest to use all winter. Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables and I even tried a piece after blanching it and it was good only slightly cooked...so then I ate several more slices.

The weekend before that we went Huckleberry picking. We've been meaning to do this for years and just never have. Last year, Scott accompanied our neighbor (who partially owns a satellite internet company and has a tower) up to the top of Rathdrum Mountain so he could do some maintenance work for them. On his little trip up there, he found LOTS of huckleberries and so many of them untouched because the land is primarily owned by Inland Paper and there is a locked gate you have to get past to get up there.

(The picture on the left has the tower at the top that we went up to / the one on the right is the locked gate we went through to get up there / the one below is of the road going up - very steep & rocky) So we went up and found several bushes along the road that we may have gotten 30-40 berries off each bush but then Scott stopped in one area and walked back in and we found at least a dozen or more bushes that were laden with 4 times as many berries on each one. It was at the foot of this rocky area all around that he found them.

(The picture on the left is looking from the top down -so at the bottom of all the rocks is the picture on the right - where we found so many huckleberries)

We ended up getting almost 6 quarts and I'm hoping that is enough for all I have planned to do with those little berries.

We did purchase this handy dandy little "Huckleberry Rake" to help us with the picking and Scott was able to pick 3-4 times more than I was by hand. We only bought one because we wanted to make sure it wasn't a waste of money first and now that we know it works so well we'll get another next year so I can use one too.

You can see all the huckleberries we found on these plentiful bushes.

We've had a lot of fun the last couple of weekends and just trying to cram in a few fun activities before the snow starts to fly, because we are both not ready for that to happen.

Here is a little video that I did at the top of Rathdrum Mountain and all the areas that can been seen from it....beautiful.

Saturday's Song - While You Were Sleeping

2009-08-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

I love this song and they (Casting Crowns) even did a Christmas version of it....maybe I'll post that one around Christmas...but it makes me tear up thinking of how many of those will be caught "sleeping" on that day. It makes me sad that our country and so many Christians even are being deceived. I know I don't want to be caught "sleeping" when that day comes. I want to be ready and alert to His call.

While You Were Sleeping
Casting Crowns from their album Lifesong

Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight, tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night, in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night

Friday Faves - Room(s) in my house

2009-08-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

It’s Friday Faves again with It's Almost Naptime and this week is about our favorite room in our house. I have two rooms that are my favorite my living room and my craft room.

My living room is where you will find me hanging out most often. I have a wonderful down filled sectional couch that I just LOVE. In fact there is one spot (along the chaise side) that I think has formed to my hiney. I can kick back here and watch TV, be on my laptop, or read a good book. My sister loves my couch so much that when she comes to visit, she prefers to sleep on it versus the guest bed. I have been known to sleep on it myself if I’m not feeling well and instead of keeping my husband up all night (since he is a light sleeper) I just sleep on it. I love how open my living room is to my kitchen and the vaulted ceilings, it is so spacious that I don’t feel closed in at all. By looking at the picture below, you can tell I LOVE pictures. Here is a picture of my living room first and then a very short video (at the bottom) of what I can look around and see while on my perch.

My other favorite room is my craft room. I have been using it much more this year than any other time since I’ve lived here (8 years). It used to be a room that was considered my craft room/office/catch-all for ALL things that didn’t have a place, but last year I removed almost everything out of it (except all the furniture and large cases) and completely re-did it. I gave all the miscellaneous stuff a proper home somewhere else in the house or garage or just plain ole got rid of it and have been organizing it to be useful. I mostly use it for rubber stamping/card making but I could also do scrapbooking, if I were to ever get back into it. I really love it now and like to be in it, where as before, I hated to even look into it. I do plan on doing a paint job on it in sometime within the next year, I am wanting a real light pink, mint green and chocolate brown…just think spumoni ice cream colors. I am also in the process of (slowly) taking my wood mounted stamps apart and just using them as rubber mounted but I have SOOO many that it is quite a task. That is why I am doing bit by bit, that and I haven’t figured out a great idea for storing them this way yet but I know it will be more compact once I’m done. I have been stamping for about 18 years so I have accumulated quite a bit in all those years and every so often I do clean out and get rid of ones I haven’t used in quite awhile. Here are a few pics of my craft room (I did do a short video of it but since Blogger was taking several hours to upload one small video I bunked that idea and am adding pics instead). (You can click on the pics to make them bigger)

Do you have a place in your home you favor more than others?

I would link back to Missy's (It's Almost Naptime) site for you to see any other's who have participated this week, however, Missy didn't get her post done yet, so I'm going ahead with mine and if I see her posting for Friday Faves, I will update my post with it.

Oh I love these - The Whole Jar Of Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-08-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

I always like to try a new cookie recipe and Peanut Butter cookies are one of my favorites. When I came across this recipe on Allrecipes.com (one of my new favorite websites) I thought, wow, with a whole jar of peanut butter they should be real tasty...and they are.

I did under cook mine a little bit because both Scott & I like a softer Peanut Butter cookie than crunchy and that did the trick for us. I also left out the chopped peanuts just because I'm not a fan of peanuts in my cookies.

The Whole Jar of Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (18 ounce) jar peanut butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped peanuts

In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, yolks, and vanilla; mix until fluffy. Stir in peanut butter. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Finally, stir in the peanuts. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Roll dough into walnut sized balls. Place on the prepared cookie sheet and flatten slightly with a fork. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should look dry on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to cool completely on a rack. These cookies taste great when slightly undercooked.

Since the dough needs to be refrigerated, it works great if you only want to bake a dozen or so and save the dough for baking more later...kinda like I did...and we still have dough in the frig to make more.

Saturday's Song - Desert Song

2009-08-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

This one I'm doing special for my sister, she has been loving this song right now and is feeling it speak to her.

We need to praise the Lord no matter what season of our life we are in. Whether we are feeling dry in the desert or being refined in a feiry trial. Whether we feel as if we have been doing battle with the enemy non-stop or in those times we are being filled by the spirit during the harvest so we can go on to minister to others.

Desert Song
Hillsong from the This Is Our God album

This is my prayer in the desert
And all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

Friday Faves - Music in my car

2009-08-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

It’s Friday Faves again with It's Almost Naptime and this week is about our Favorite Music in our car right now. I LOVE music. I’ve said many a time I can live without the TV but don’t take away my music. It has been a long time since I’ve kept track of how many CD’s I have in my collection so I’m sure it is somewhere between 300 – 400 by now. I have a lot of them loaded onto my iTunes but I like to keep the CD’s for the car or as a backup. Most of what I listen to though is Christian (worship music, contemporary & southern gospel), Country and some Pop (but not a whole lot).

These are the CD’s I currently have in my car and the one in the player RIGHT NOW is the Hillsong “Faith+Hope+Love”…I went out and got this one the first day it came out as I mentioned before that I would. I love ALL the songs on this CD and if you are a Hillsong fan, it is a must for your collection.

As far as some of the country music I listen to I love the sounds of Little Big Town, Sugarland and Lady Antebellum they all have a strong vocal harmony sound that makes them all seem very mellow. I’ve always been a fan of Martina McBride, her voice is wonderful, and so I have every one of her CD’s.

The Cedarmont Kids Sunday School CD is actually a favorite of my granddaughter’s. She always wants me to play it when I have her in the car with me (but she calls it the green one since I also have the red & blue CD’s). She really likes me to play “I’m in the Lord’s Army” over and over and I can handle it but her papa doesn’t handle redundancy so well if he is with us.

Top to Bottom / Left to Right:
Christy Nockels – Life Light Up
Hillsong - Faith + Hope + Love
Sugarland – Love On The Inside
Passion – God of This City
Jeremy Riddle – The Now & The Not Yet
Lady Antebellum
Hillsong United – All of the Love
Newsboys – In The Hands of God
Little Big Town – A Place To Land
Cedarmont Kids – Sunday School Songs
Sara Bareilles – Little Voice
Martina McBride – Shine

To check in on everyone else's faves click on over to Missy's site

A weekend with the Flores'

2009-08-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

I'm very tardy in blogging about this but 4 weeks ago we spent a wonderful weekend with my girlfriend, Nichole, and her husband, Terry.

Nichole & I have been friends since we were 15 (22 years ago), we went to church together, school together, had many sleepovers and so many other fun times, she was like part of the family. When I got married 8 years ago and moved away from all of my family and friends, I also left her & her family behind. We had talked about raising our kids together and being able to talk about married life and just continue to be really close. Her kids even refer to me as their aunt and I never had any kids of my own, which at first really disappointed Nichole. Now that I live 7-8 hours away our times we get to see each other and talk are so very few.

For the last 8 years that I've been away her and her family have come up to visit 7 of those years; there were even a couple of years that she brought her girls up and they stayed for spring break. I love these times together because I get to devote my time to her and not split it with visiting my family when I go home. In the last few years, our husbands have had a chance to get to know each other and enjoy fishing together when they come up.

This year they came up but left all the kids back at home with their grandparents because they were also participating in their first tri-athalon. They both did really well considering it was their first and are excited to do more. It was something they had decided they could do together, both would enjoy and stay healthy in the process.

After their tri-athalon we decided to go up on the Coeur d' Alene River so the guys could fish. Initially, Nichole had mentioned us doing something fun and letting the guys go fish but we weren't really interested in shopping or a movie and didn't know what else to do so I suggested we just take some games and pack a cooler with sandwiches, fruit and drinks and go up with the guys. While they spent their time fishing we could play games (something Nichole & I have done SO MANY years in the past, since she is my fellow competitive game player friend). We enjoyed ourselves, just relaxing by the river and spending time catching up.

The only bad thing about our weekend was after taking a picture of Nichole along the river, I dropped her camera and we couldn't get her lens to retract, it was stuck and wouldn't take any pictures. I felt HORRIBLE but she tried to console me and tell me it was okay it could have happened to anyone. I knew the next day when they were planning on leaving they were going to go on the Hiawatha Trail with their bikes and wouldn't have a camera to take pictures so I sent my back-up camera, battery, charger, etc... with her so she could still get pictures. While they were on the trail after taking some shots somehow my camera came out of their backpack and fell and they didn't notice it until they got to another place to take a picture. Once they got off the trail they checked in to see if anyone had reported finding a camera and it was turned in but it wouldn't work, so she felt bad too. When she called to tell me about it, I just laughed because it helped ease some of my anxiety about breaking hers, and she expressed that she now knew how I felt.

Here are a few pictures from that weekend:

Another good dinner recipe - Swiss Chicken

2009-08-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

I came across this recipe from another LPM Siesta and tried this one a couple of months ago but came across another recipe that was similar I wanted to try to see which one I liked the best, as it turns out the first recipe tried was the best so here it is. It is really easy too.

Swiss Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I pounded out my chicken breasts so they were about the same thickness)
Swiss cheese slices (enough to cover)
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
¼ cup butter or margarine
Bread crumbs or stuffing

Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a baking dish, cover with slices of swiss cheese, add cream of chicken soup on top of the cheese like your frosting a cake, then melt some margarine in a pan or a bowl, and add Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing until moist and cover on top of the dish. Bake 1 hour at 350.

(I didn't have the "herb" flavored bread crumbs so I used plain bread crumbs but added a little parsley, basil and onion powder over the top)

Cards made in the last few months

2009-08-19T22:05:00.001-07:00

It has been a while since I posted the cards that I finished...maybe one day I'll actually post each card after I've finished it.

Mother's Day Card:
I created the scallop border on my Cricut using the Cricut Design Studio & the George & Basic Shapes cartridge & ran it through the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. The tulip stamps are Stampin' Up. The inside I used my Spellbinders Nestabilities to cut out the scalloped rectangle & the stamp used inside is Inkadinkadoo. I scraplifted this from "The Pink Stamper".

Father's Day card & both my sons-in-law Birthday cards:
On this one I used some fishing wrapping paper we had & ran it through the Distressing Stripes Cuttlebug folder. The fly stamps used are Close To My Heart & the inside is a font (LD Flyfish) from Scrap n Fonts.

Graduation cards: I made a couple of these this year one for Scott's niece & one for my second cousin. Fortunately for me their school colors happened to be the same & they were in two completely different states.

On this one I created my own embossed vertical lines on the main piece of blue cardstock. I cut out the "2009" & "Congrats" with the Cricut & Doodletype cartridge. For the 2009 I used the Cricut Design Studio to weld it altogether & ran it through the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder - but first I inked up one side of the folder with blue ink to get the raised dots to be blue. The Cap & Diploma stamps are DeNami. It needed a little bit more so I created my own tassel with white crochet thread & I inked up part of it to be blue.

Sydney's Birthday card:
I first stamped up the pink cardstock with Versamark & Scrappy Cat Sparkle Flourish stamps. I also used Versamark to stamp the Dragonfly (Magenta) & used PearlEx over it for the shimmer. The flowers are from Michaels in the wedding section in a pail as confetti from "Brides" that I inked up with pink along the edges & put rhinestones in the center.

Lisa's Birthday card:
On this one I stamped with Versamark several stamps from Heidi Grace's Paradise set & then ran through the Birds & Swirls Cuttlebug folder. I used my Spellbinders Nestabilities to cut out all of the scalloped rectangles & used another stamp from the Paradise set for the sentiment. The inside I used a panel that I stamped & embossed the same as the front but I used the Versamark Dazzle in Frost to ink along the raised embossing. The stamped Happy Birthday is from Parked on Rubber.

It shouldn't be so long before I do my next card since it is my Grandma's & her birthday is only a couple of weeks away...better get working on that card I guess.

Saturday's Song - The Motions

2009-08-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling this song lately. I feel as if I've just been going through the motions and I don't want to. I was listening to a podcast of Joyce Meyer's recently and she asked if we were just biding our time, waiting for the Lord to return or if we were actually doing something for the Lord while we are here. Yep, I felt conviction. I pray I don't continue to just go through the motions, I live passionately for Him.

The Motions
Matthew West from the album “Something To Say”

This might hurt, it's not safe
But I know that I've gotta make a change
I don't care if I break,
At least I'll be feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

No regrets, not this time
I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love make me whole
I think I'm finally feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

take me all the way (take me all the way)
take me all the way ('cause I don't wanna go through the motions)
take me all the way (I know I'm finally feeling something real)
take me all the way

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

take me all the way (take me all the way)
take me all the way (I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go)
take me all the way (through the motions)
take me all the way

I don't wanna go through the motions

Friday Faves - Website

2009-08-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

It’s time for Friday Faves again and this weeks topic is our Favorite Website. I’m so glad Missy made a list of upcoming subjects because it allows me to work on a post ahead of time and get my mind working on something to say, Thanks Missy!

We are supposed to give our favorite website but not a blog. Although, blog’s have become a favorite of mine within the last year and I follow so many different people from all over. I think the first two blog’s I started to read are “Bring The Rain” and “The LPM Blog” and it went uphill from there. Some are family, some are card makers, some are my favorite authors, some are connected to a ministry I love and I’ve picked up several from others that I follow. Just like Missy’s blog. I read “Baby Bangs” which I started following because she is Beth Moore’s daughter and also one of the contributors to “The LPM Blog” and she linked over to “It’s Almost Naptime” (Missy’s) on a funny post and I’ve followed ever since. I like blogs that are comical because I love to laugh. Sorry, I had to venture onto blog sites just a little bit.

I have a handful of websites I visit on a daily basis (Facebook, Blogger, Twitter, Craigslist, CDA Press). My laptop has become another appendage on my body, just ask my husband. I know I wouldn’t be so connected to it if I were working but since I am home and it is my biggest outlet on trying to find a job, I’m on it A LOT and checking several job searching websites A LOT. One of the cool features we have with Internet Explorer 8 & Google toolbar is it has these tabs you can open different websites and keep open along the top and each time I want to open another tab to go to another website it saves my favorites as thumbnails making it much easier for me in my OCD state to visit them in the appropriate order. This is what it looks like:

I’d have to say my favorite website would be Facebook, since it is visited most often and on occasion even from my cell phone. I used to be big on MySpace but have been converted over and just check MySpace on occasion for those friends who haven’t made the switch yet. I live far away from all of my family and several friends so using Facebook is a wonderful way to stay in touch with them on a daily basis. I’ve also been able to re-connect with my youth pastor and several individuals I used to go to church and school with and lots of extended family I rarely get to see at all. I love seeing what everyone is up to. I get to see pictures of what my niece and nephew have been doing and almost daily pictures of my grandkids, since I’ve introduced my step-daughter to uploading mobile pictures. I get to see them grow up through a social networking site since they are not close and our visits aren’t very often. I love how we can banter back and forth with each other commenting on each other's status or photos.

My husband on the other hand is so ever faithful to check weather.com and orvis.com....he's a junkie for these sites.

If you would like you can click over here to see the others who are contributing to the Friday Faves post.

Saturday's Song - Beautiful Jesus

2009-08-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

As I watched this video, I had tears in my eyes, not only for what Jesus did to save us, but also for Mary, as a mother watching her son go through what He did for us.
I am glad to call Him a friend of mine.

Beautiful Jesus
By Kristian Stanfill

Your love, oh God
Displayed for us
As crimson covered
Over sinless hands
Your majesty
For all to see
In raging storms and quiet cloudless days

Beautiful Jesus
Beautiful Savior
Nothing is greater, brilliant Creator
Friend of mine

You're powerful
Above this world
The universe is under your command

Your glory shines
A holy light
That leads our hearts to praise
Your holy name is on our lips

Beautiful Jesus
Beautiful Savior
Nothing is greater, brilliant Creator
Friend of mine
Perfect in power
Matchless in glory
Nothing is greater, brilliant Creator
Friend of mine

My lips will sing
My heart will bring
Praise to you, the holy King
My lips will sing
My heart will bring
Praise to you, holy!

Friday Faves - Perfume

2009-08-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

One of the blog’s I follow (Missy at It’s Almost Naptime) is starting a “Friday Faves” and the subject is perfume…right up my alley so I thought I’d join in.

I am a woman highly driven by my olfactory senses. There are some scents that trigger my memories, and I think that is so bizarre how that can happen. I love it when my husband wears a great scent as well. I change all the time and I go to the Fragrance Festivals to get special deals on all the good ones and see what is new out there. I used to just buy real inexpensive grocery store scents but realized the scent did not last very long and if I just spent a little more on my fragrances, the scent not only lasts longer but I can make a bottle last a long, long time (years in fact). There are so many that are favorites and I’m sure I will go overboard on listing them so I won’t put too much explanation into each one.

I used to be a big fan of Victoria Secret’s Rapture, but they quit selling it a long time ago. I heard it had pheromones in it which would explain why my husband REALLY liked it and I had heard from a couple others that wore it, when it was out, that their husbands liked it as well when they wore it.

Donna Karan Black Cashmere (it is a heavy scent that lasts a long time) - fragrance notes are patchouli, jasmine and heliotrope.

Tom Ford Black Orchid (another heavy scent that lasts awhile) - fragrance notes of patchouli, sandalwood, truffle, dark chocolate, ylang-ylang, black currant, bergamot, orchid, fruity notes, incense, and vanilla.
This one is also a fragrance for men and it smells real good on my husband and my dad.

This is one I’ve been trying in the store a lot lately and I think it will be my next one to get; I’m just not sure the scent is long lasting enough for the price.
Juicy Couture - fragrance notes of mandarin, watermelon, marigold, hyacinth, passion fruit, creme brulee, vanilla, patchouli, lily, caramel, woods, tuberose, and wild rose.

Jean Paul Gaultier Fragile – fragrance notes - a floral rich with tuberose.

Michael Kors – fragrance notes - dewy freesia, tamarind, chinese osmanthus, incense, fresh tuberose, white wings peony, blue orris, arum lilies, cashmere woods, musk and vetiver.

Jean Paul Gaultier - Top fragrance Notes: anise, orange blossom and tangerine. The middle notes are: ginger, orchid and ylang-ylang and the base of the fragrance is: vanilla, musk and amber.

Some of my fav’s that my husband wears. Most of them have a “clean” smell to them and after he has showered and put one on…I…well lets just say a good scent is a turn on for me.

Viktor & Rolf Antidote – fragrance notes - mint, mandarin orange, gaiac wood, cardamom, grapefruit, jasmine, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange blossom, amber, patchouli, musk, and vanilla.

Nautica Classic – fragrance notes - watery florals and tones of aromatic woods.

Joop! - fragrance notes - exotic spice and florals, with woods, patchouli and honey, very masculine.

Jean Paul Gaultier – fragrance notes - warm fresh mint, lavender, orange blossom, bergamot, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, musk, amber, vanilla, and woods, manly and warm.

Carolina Herrera 212 – fragrance notes - mandarin, grapefruit, iron woods, and sandalwood.

My husband has never been a fan of this one but I’ve always liked this scent on men is
Obsession – fragrance notes - mandarin and spice, with low tones of musk, sandalwood and amber.

I just don't know when to stop there is also Organza & Amarige by Givenchy, Tracy by Ellen Tracy, Premier Jour and...and...and. I guess if I had my way, I'd have a different one every week...but then I'd be really broke.

From the looks of it though I lean towards scents with vanilla, tuberose, gardenia (because tuberose & gardenia smell similar to me), musk, sandalwood, and patchouli and I can go up to my fragrance sales guy at Nordstrom's and tell him I'm looking for something new with... in it and he can always help find a new one that will compare.

I'm just glad my allergies aren't affected by these types of scents, I would just be devastated.

Saturday's Song - We Will See Him

2009-08-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

This week I read a post by Pete Wilson (Pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville) and it really spoke to me. I have linked that post if you will take a minute and go over and visit it. I feel the same way he does at times, but I never recognized it as my bucket needing filled, I needed that word. But I too LOVE worship. I love it in the car, at home relaxing, cleaning or while I’m in the shower. I have to say it is my prime source of communication I have with God….I love to worship Him.

This song is on their album that comes out on Tuesday the 4th, so far I haven’t found a Hillsong song that disappoints. I listened to all the clips on Amazon and I will have to invest in it, this is one I’d love to learn. I don't have the lyrics to it since it hasn't been released yet.

While listening to it in my own living room, I can just feel the spirit of the Lord come over me. It makes me ready for that day when we will see Him. I have always been fearful of the rapture, mainly because of a fear of the unknown. As I recently heard Chonda Pierce put it....she wants to ease into Heaven...like in her sleep. She said we all don't know what it will be like, it could be a big yank. I guess I just need to have faith that it won't be so fearful, especially if I just rely on where it leads me, will make up for it all.

We Will See Him
By Hillsong on their album Faith + Hope + Love

We Will See Him from Pete Wilson on Vimeo.

New Stuff at Summer CHA - Part 3

2009-07-30T20:32:00.001-07:00

This is the last thing I saw that I thought was neat. I'm sure there are other things out there but I am relying on the videos of others.

When I first saw this product I was kinda thinking…nah…but then I got to thinking, it would make it easier to coordinate your brads with the paper you are working with…so maybe. It is the I-Top Brad Maker by Imaginisce it will retail for $29.99 and if Michaels carries it, I could use a 40% coupon making it oh so much cheaper. There are 3 different punch sizes for $11, $14 & $17.

New Stuff at Summer CHA - Part 2

2009-07-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

New cutting product that looks like a good one…no more mats to replace, reasonably priced, etc…

Here is the new product that Provo Craft has released for all us Cricuteers. Looks like one I would love to have for traveling purposes and being able to design without being connected to the computer but it will be a long time before I get one since they are going to retail them for around $400. Seems a bit much I think.

I did see several pictures of Cuttlebug embossing folders and Spellbinders Shapeablilites and Impressabilities that I definitely would like to get. I guess we'll see if there are any other good things that come of Summer CHA.

New Stuff at Summer CHA - Part 1

2009-07-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

Summer CHA is going on now and I would never be able to attend but I always like to see the new stuff before it hits the stores. On occasion I have ordered from Two Peas In A Bucket and they are a wonderful online store that carries a lot of variety so you can shop from the comfort of your own home. I also follow them on twitter. This week, they are doing videos of several companies and their releases for CHA. I wanted to share some of my favorites. They state that they are going to do this for 3 days so that is why this is Part 1, if I like anything on the next two days, I'll share those as well.

Basic Grey is one of my favorite paper lines and I was SO EXCITED to see the Eskimo Kisses line. I really loved the paper with the little deer on it. There are actually 2 videos to showcase the Basic Grey lines.

Little Yellow Bicycle is fairly new company, they haven’t been out very long and I was REALLY surprised at all of the embellishments they do for their lines. My favorite is the Autumn Bliss so I will have to be watching for that paper.

Pink Paislee is another fairly new company and I really liked their Amber Road line. I don’t do Halloween so having the leaves and anything for autumn along that line is great.

Bella Blvd has a really cute camped out collection that I liked.

There are several other videos that they shared today and if you want to see them on the YouTube site after watching one of these videos, along the right hand side there is a section “More From TwoPeasInABucket” and there are videos for Prima, American Crafts, Maya Road, Anna Griffin, Jillibean Soup, Hero Arts, and Fiskars.

Saturday's Song - Worshipping You

2009-07-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

I love this song and I don't even remember how I came across it. I think I may have heard it on YouTube and went in search of it on iTunes. A wonderful worship song...they are my fav's.

Worshipping You
Deluge

(verse)
Take this offering that I bring
Humbly I fall on my knees
To proclaim You're everything
My life's nothing without You
Take my hand and lead me through
You are my sustaining love

(pre chorus)
I live to worship You
I live to worship You

(chorus)
Here I am worshiping You
With all I am worshiping You
Bowing down in spirit and truth
With lifted hands worshiping You

(bridge 1)
I'm not ashamed of you
I'm not ashamed of you
I'm not ashamed of you
Whoa...

(bridge 2)
I'm gonna worship You forever
I'm gonna worship You
I'm gonna worship You forever
I'm gonna worship You

Saturday's Song - Roses Will Bloom Again

2009-07-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today's song is kind of a tribute to an old friend, my former pastor, Glenn Button, who passed away Thursday night. In speaking to his wife, Diane, also a friend, she asked if she could play this at his funeral. I've sang this song in church many times and I did a recording of it to be played at my great uncle's (maternal) funeral and it was played at my grandfather's (paternal) funeral as well. I get too emotional at funerals (especially of someone I knew really well) to actually sing it so the recording was a necessity. This time the recording artist will be singing it.

While growing up, Glenn was like another dad to me and my siblings and we were raised with his kids so we were all like family, but then again sometimes that is the way it is when you are raised in church and you have a church family in addition to your blood family.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family through this time in their lives. Glenn, is in a better place now, a place we all long to call home one day.

This is a picture of me with Glenn & Diane back in 2003 when I was home for my grandpa's funeral, he officiated the service.
Roses Will Bloom Again
by Jeff & Sheri Easter on the Shining Through album

Verse 1
I planted a little rose bush
I tended it with care
It’s buds began to blossom
Their fragrance filled the air
But when winter came it withered,
The petals drooped and fell to the ground
My heart sank as it faded
But I’d forgotten who had made it

Chorus
Roses will bloom again
Just wait and see
Don’t mourn what might have been
Only God knows how and when that
Roses will bloom again

Verse 2
Rose was his only sweetheart
A loving wife for forty years
Cherished every day they had
And held memories oh so dear
He never dreamed he’s bury love
And go to live alone
But he lay his Rose to rest
Looked up to heaven and tried his best
To believe that

Chorus
Roses will bloom again
Just wait and see
Don’t mourn what might have been
Only God knows how and when that
Roses will bloom again

Verse 3
The precious Rose of Sharon
Broken and bruised in cruel shame
Stained on the cross of Calvary
So that men might be saved
Oh, satan cheered as He died
While Mary and the others cried
Then God raised Him up from that sleep
And kept a promise only He could keep

Chorus
Roses will bloom again
Just wait and see
Don’t mourn what might have been

Conversations with my granddaughter

2009-07-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

This last weekend my stepdaughter and the grandkids came up for a visit. My granddaughter always has something funny, smart or amazing to say and I'm going to try to keep track of them and put them into posts.

Here are 3 different scenarios that happened this last weekend....she always has new material that we have no idea where she comes up with.

Scene: Sitting at Sonic getting drinks and fries at Happy Hour – we were staying in the car

Aydann: Mom, I need ketchup
Mandi: Sorry Aydann they don’t have ketchup here. (She didn't want it all over the car)
Aydann: Oh man…(in that bummer voice)

Uh she is 3 where did she come up with that

Scene: In the kitchen at our house talking before dinner (It has been 3 ½ months since she was up to our house and a couple of weeks ago we got a couple of new rugs in the kitchen.

This is the rug we used to have in front of the sink

This is the rug we replaced it with -->

Aydann: Meema, when did you change out the moose rug?
Meema: *Looking at her in AMAZEMENT and a shocking look to Mandi*….give me 5 peanut…..You are sooo good.

Once again she is 3 and KNOWS our décor or what it used to be.

Scene: After dinner, Aydann & I sitting out on the front porch steps watching the hummingbirds come in for dinner to my 3 feeders (Aydann was having fun watching them zoom in and out)

Meema: Are you ready to go in?
Aydann: No, I just want to sit out here some more
Meema: Ok, well I’m going to go in, I need to empty the dishwasher and re-load it
Aydann: Ok….can I help?

I let her help put the silverware away…what a sweetie.

Saturday's Song - East to West

2009-07-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

Trying to figure out which (out of the many favorites that I have ideas for these posts) song to choose, I heard this song on my way home last night and was singing it to the tops of my lungs in the car (I love to do that...more so than the shower), so I thought hey, we'll do that one this week.

How far has our sin been cast? This song describes how far....from as far as the East is to the West, there is no end. We remember more frequently than He does. He forgets after we have asked for forgiveness and casts it away but we can't fathom that forgetfulness because we ourselves are bound by our thoughts and memories.

East to West
Casting Crowns on the album "The Altar and The Door"

Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don't want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight
I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west
And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned
But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west
'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins, endless reminding of my sin
Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in
Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

I know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light
I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night
I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals
I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me
You're holding on to me

Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west
I don't have to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
One scarred hand to the other
From one scarred hand to the other

Linking to some good stuff

2009-07-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

I’ve been coming across some blog posts lately and making notes of them to “share” because I thought of it having a good message or being funny.

If I continue to find good ones, I will continue to do posts like this in the future…but keeping it to a couple at a time.

*This first one I thought was good especially when the writer makes the comment that “I didn’t get what I deserved” and he is right…none of us do.

*This one is good about marriages…I like the analogy that “difficulties [in marriage] come in waves. If you can make it through the wave you're on, you'll find that it will end.” I have experienced this many times and yes, it surely does come in waves.

*This one is comical especially after reading about what she did in a shoe store…

*This is another one that talks about riding the waves but in different circumstances.

*This one was linked by a blogger that I read all the time and it is funny…I think I would have to skip Thanksgiving dinner with the family this time around.

Fantabulous Cake Recipe - Mocha Sheet Cake

2009-07-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

I came across this recipe in a magazine a couple of months back and I've been REALLY wanting to make it but knew if I did for just Scott and I....I would be the one to EAT THE WHOLE THING....soooo, when we were invited to a BBQ for the 4th of July it was a perfect oppotunity for me to try it out. It is so yummy and moist...next time I will do it with just the cake and after it is cooled just sprinkle powdered sugar over it instead of the frosting, mainly because the frosting just really makes it sweeter....and I really just like the CHOCOLATE!!!

Mocha Sheet Cake

1 cup butter
1 cup brewed coffee (decaf if desired)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dairy sour cream or plain yogurt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 recipe mocha frosting (below)
1/2 cup miniature semi sweet chocolate chips

(Note: for this part, I used a smaller saucepan for boiling and put the flour, sugar & salt in my Kitchen Aid mixing bowl and added the boiled mixture to it, because I don't have any saucepans that I could use a mixer in)

In a large saucepan bring butter, coffee, and cocoa to boiling, stirring occasionally with a wire whisk. Remove from heat and stir in flour, sugar and salt. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add sour cream, eggs, baking soda and vanilla and beat on medium speed until well-blended, about 1 minute more. Pour batter into an ungreased 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan. Bake in a 375° oven for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. *
Spread Mocha Frosting atop cake; sprinkle with chocolate pieces.
(I used a 9 x 13 glass Pyrex dish and baked for 25 minutes)

*Make ahead: Freeze cooled, unfrosted sheet cake in the pan for up to 3 months. Thaw cake at room temperature before frosting.

Mocha Frosting

5 tablespoons butter, softened
1 lb package powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cold brewed coffee
1 tablespoon milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar a little at a time on low speed until combined. Beat in coffee, milk or cream and vanilla until frosting is fluffy and spreadable. Add 1-2 additional teaspoons milk if needed to attain desired consistency (I didn’t need to do this last part).

Saturday's Song - Independence Day Tribute

2009-07-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

My post this week is going to be a little different and I thought I would pick a few songs that we all know that are patriotic, since today is Independence Day.

I know I am very thankful that I was born and raised in America. I can't even imagine what a lot of people go through in these countries where they aren't free like we are.

Note: I won't spell out the lyrics to all of these this week either. All of the videos are short and you can watch them all or pick your favorites.

The first song is our National Anthem and I searched for it by this group specifically because I love their acapella rendition of it. The video quality isn't the best but the song is still amazing in their format.

The Star Spangled Banner
The Isaacs

The next song is done by another favorite vocal group and the video has some really good footage of our country.
This song is one of the most popular of the many American patriotic songs and it has been proposed as a replacement for The Star-Spangled Banner as the National Anthem. The poem part of it was published to commemorate the 4th of July. (I learned this all from here)

America The Beautiful
The Gaither Vocal Band

This last one is by one of my favorite artists. Martina has a wonderful voice. If you want to know any trivial information about this song you can go here.

God Bless America
Martina McBride

May you all have an enjoyable 4th of July and remember to say a prayer of thanks for our freedoms we still have and those who fight for us to have those freedoms.

An enlightening experience with the catering biz and some rich folks

2009-07-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

I have a friend, Kathleen, who, on the side, does catering with her sister, Margo, (they are partners but Kathleen also works full-time). They have done several different events and have done it for years but last weekend they had a wedding for 350 people (the largest event they've done) and it was a buffet dinner with appetizers, so she asked if I could help. I was glad to, thinking it would be fun (and it was) and to have a new experience in doing something I hadn't done.

The wedding was to be at 4:oopm at a church in town and the reception would be at the parents of the Bride's home in their backyard...hmm...backyard is an understatement...but I'll go into that later. We were to have everything set up and ready expecting the first of the guests to arrive around 4:45pm. Kathleen asked me to come around 12 to help out and to be dressed in black slacks with a white shirt. I had both so I didn't have to buy anything special to wear. I also have several pairs of black shoes...I have always worked in an office setting and have black dress shoes, however, working in an office setting...I'm usually sitting most of the day.

She gave me the address of where their home is...at the top of a hill that sits above Hayden Lake. So I get there and there were several cars parked along the street and in the driveway (family and the bridal party were getting ready) so I parked a couple of houses up the street so I wouldn't block anyone in. I had also wondered how in the world they were going to have so many people here, in a residential area...where was everyone to park....I figured out how later.

I rang the doorbell twice and no one answered but I could see on the side of the house a gate was opened to the back and I could also make out kind of a tent back there and figured that would be where I would find Kathleen, Margo and anyone else who was helping them out. So I walked around...several landscaped stairs down to a landing in their backyard to a pool...and further out I could still see that tent (what it actually was...they had their tennis court tented off with all the tables for everyone to sit, the band to set up and the dance floor).

I was quite relieved that someone came out the back door just then so I could inquire as to where the catering people all were and he said, oh this way...they are down in the garage (not the garage to the house because I was just there at the front of the house and it was opened but no one there) and I'm so glad he showed me because we went around the pool, down several more stairs to another landscaped terrace that has a huge outdoor kitchen set-up, down another larger set of landscaped stairs to a huge house....they call it their "funhouse" and in that garage all the catering people were setting up. Margo, and her daughter, Jennifer, were there and they had been working at getting things set up for awhile, I could tell, she told me to go on in and Kathleen would show me around and get me started.

So I go in the door to an area that has a 2 lane bowling alley and a putting green and around the corner they have a pool table, big screen tv & a full kitchen....now I know why they call it their "funhouse". Wow, they don't lack for any kind of entertainment. Kathleen was there helping a couple of other gals that were there to help out as well. She showed me around where everything was going to be set up and I discovered that they had parked their cars on another street (with the address of the "funhouse"). They have patio furniture everywhere, a huge fire pit and Kathleen said they even have an outdoor screen to watch movies on. I could tell that they entertain a lot because in this garage they have a bunch of cupboards that had all kinds of plates, serving pieces, anything we could think of to put food out on.

These people have 3 lots in a subdivision, 2 that have houses on them that are back to back (kinda - more kitty corner) and the other lot has the tennis court on it, so it is more of a triangular area that they own). I also spotted 3 golf carts...to be used in transporting the guests to the reception from some area, I didn't know where, they would all be able to park.

I started helping out with prepping the food, slicing cucumbers (by the pounds), tomatoes and lemons. Then I got to enjoy their outdoor kitchen by grilling several pounds of sausages that were being sliced up for appetizers. We were really lucky in that the parents of the bride also got 10 high schoolers (all dressed in black slacks, white shirts & black ties) to help us out, which in essence was a life saver for us all because there was soooo much to do.

I ended up looking like the garbage disposal blew up all over my white shirt (I kinda figured I would end up that way cuz I am messy when I'm in the kitchen) so I didn't have to go out and mingle with any of the guests, we pretty much let the high schoolers do all the running (thank goodness because I was past the point of being able to walk much). My shoes had rubbed the skin off the backs of my ankles/heels and I was trying to carefully walk around to not touch the backs of my shoes to them.

I helped put together these HUGE salads (the bowls had to have been 2 1/2 ft diameter) and we did 2 - 3 of each kind of salad (4 different salads) in them. Then I helped with dishes for the rest of the night. For some of the appetizers they had overnighted fresh King Crab legs (already cracked...I was told it costs more to have them done this way to make it easier to eat), shrimp, salmon, another kind of fish, sausages, pork riblets, veggies, antipesto type trays, 3 huge fruit kabob displays (that a couple of the gals decorated), a white chocolate fountain, several different breads and lots of fancy cheeses. They had a sushi bar, a section where there was pork loin and prime rib (we weren't minding any of those) they did a cinnamon pork dish, chicken and rice dish & green beans. They ended up having so much leftover food.

In looking around a few of us were talking and we figured that the wedding had to have been over $50,000...just seeing the amounts of food that we were preparing, all the real flowers, all the dishes and chairs, tables, etc...for rental (there was no plastic ware everything was real silverware, real plates, real wine glasses, etc...) and this was just the reception.

Kathleen used to work for the father of the bride (he was a partner in a land development company she worked for and he is a Neuro-surgeon here in CDA) and so she knows the parents (that is how she got in on the catering part of the wedding). She said the mother-of-the-bride made her dress, the Bride's dress, the Bridesmaid's dresses and the flowergirl's dress. I didn't get to see the Bride unfortunately but I saw all the other dresses and she does WONDERFUL work. The Bridesmaids dresses were all Tiffany blue with a wide, white, satin sash that had a bow in the front and rhinestone straps...very fitting for the color, the mother-of-the bride dress was beautifully beaded, the flower girls dress had this tulle in the front that at the bottom (it was somehow folded to incorporate this) was silk rose petals in Tiffany blue.

Kathleen also told me that they had flown (in a privately rented plane) all the bridesmaids to Vegas for a bachelorette party....geez.

I did manage to snap off a few pictures with my cell phone so they aren't the best but you can get a little glimpse of what it looked like.
This is looking at the "funhouse" from the outdoor kitchen

This is the tennis courts with all the tables for seating (taken from the outdoor kitchen)

This was looking up towards their outdoor kitchen from the garage of the "funhouse"

This was looking up at the tented area from the garage of the "funhouse"...after the sun went down they had votive candles ALL OVER these rocks that were so pretty

Needless to say the next day, I seriously was having some major issues with walking. I hurt from my knees all the way down...must have been all that standing on a concrete floor, let alone up and down all those stairs in their backyard. I didn't leave until 11pm and I still had to walk all the way back up to the house and down the street to my car. Next time, I'm gonna get me some REAL "Crocs" (I hear nurses wear them on their shifts) in black and I should be good to go.

I was telling a couple of the gals that my step-daughter is getting married next summer and it won't even come minutely close to how HUGE this wedding is...but then again....my husband isn't a brain surgeon either, so we couldn't afford even a minute fraction of the cost....it will be just as beautiful though. For my own wedding, I found you can do a lot of things, make them all nice and still be able to afford it.

*Note: Sorry I feel like this post is poorly written in that I am jumping all over but it is late and I was trying to remember so much and just get it all down.

Saturday's Song - Revelation Song

2009-06-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

This is a new song that is in circulation with the radio station I listen to and I love it, every time it comes on I just want to blast it on the radio and sing to the tops of my lungs...and I do do that, a lot. It sounds like a perfect love song that we would sing to the Lord. I can just picture singing it with all the angels in glory one day.

Revelation Song
By Phillips, Craig & Dean on their upcoming album Fearless

Worthy is the
Lamb who was slain
Holy, Holy, is He
Sing a new song, to Him who sits on
Heaven's Mercy Seat
(Repeat)

[Chorus]
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And I will adore You

Yeah I will adore You

Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To You the Only Wise King,

Yeah

(Repeat Chorus)

Holy, Holy
You are Holy

Filled with wonder,
Awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your Name
Jesus, Your Name is Power
Breath, and Living Water
Such a marvelous mystery
Yeah...

(Repeat Chorus 2 x)

Holy, Holy
You are Holy

Could it be? Summer...finally here?

2009-06-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

This post will seem to have a few random things to it but they are all tied together by "summer".

The weather has been so crazy, up and down, here that it has made me wonder if summer would EVER come. A couple of weeks ago it got up into the upper 80's making me think, finally our long winter and extremely short spring had finally morphed into the summer season, but then last weekend it had cooled way off. There were a couple of days that our heat even kicked on. Sunday, the 21st, was the offical First Day of Summer but then it was cold enough that we needed heat...huh? Yesterday and today though have finally warmed up again but is it here to stay? I hear that this summer is supposed to be a hot one though (joy for us that don't have air conditioning) so I'm not looking forward to those REALLY hot days.

Our hummingbirds are going to eat us out of house and home this summer...or at least our sugar containers...maybe I should look into buying a 25 lb bag of it for this year. Back at the beggining of May we started to pull out all the summer furniture for our patio but we forgot about getting the hummingbird feeders out until I had the front door open one day and I could hear them out there chirping away. I immediately got their food boiled and started out with making 6 cups, that was quickly consumed. So then I increased it to making 12 cups every time I'd make it. About 2 weeks ago, they slowed down their consumption and I remembered from reading this would happen because they were tending to their nests & eggs but they would be back and to keep the feeders filled. Well sure enough last week we started seeing more and more and MORE of them. I filled up the feeders (we have 3 out that hold a cup each) last Thursday...by Sunday they were empty. We filled them again and by Monday 2 were empty. So I decided to made 20 cups of food (that is 5 cups of sugar) hoping I wouldn't have to make anymore for a couple of weeks, however, I'm not sure how long it will last because NOW I'm filling them up every other day. I think we may be the only house in our neighborhood that has feeders out. My step-mom had a point though when I mentioned that I was worried about going anywhere because I wouldn't be able to fill them and they would leave...she said, they'll come back, they will just feed off of nectar from the flowers around here instead of doing it the easy way, off my feeders. I didn't think of that and it also made me realize that I wonder if our feeders are being hit so hard because our honeysuckle didn't come back this year that we planted 2 years ago.....think?

All of our strawberries have been ripening too so I've been out picking them a couple of times a week...and we have strawberries galore. We have a little strawberry patch out back that is 30 inches wide and about 2 yards long (that my husband and his ex-wife started 11 years ago and started with 25 plants - but has grown to hundreds of plants now). When I first moved up here just after getting married, Scott was showing me everything and mentioned the strawberry patch and that we'd have to be out to pick strawberried every night. (Even as a brand new newlywed) I said, "WHAT....I'm sorry, I'm not spending every night out here picking strawberries"...gardening is not my thing and I could think of SOOO many other things to do with my time than picking strawberries every night of the summer.....but he failed to mention they were June bearing strawberries only, not ever-bearing. Makes it a little easier to take on but I'm still not out there every night picking.

We are hoping to go camping at some point in time this year too, if the gas doesn't get to astronomical prices like it was last year. But so far we haven't had any luck. Last weekend when we wanted to go, the weather was stinky so we stayed home. Hopefully the weekend of the 4th will be better.

I'm hoping everyone will get to enjoy their summer doing something you love to do.

Saturday's Song - Mighty to Save

2009-06-20T15:22:00.000-07:00

I would just love to be in a worship service with Hillsong, just once. I can always feel the Lord's presence whenever I hear any of their songs and this video just shows it.

I feel the Lord has been working on me the last couple of years on compassion. I know growing up I had a lot of compassion but I think when your emotions have been manipulated too many times for the wrong, it has led me to be incompassionate.

I pray for more compassion and that my eyes will be more open to situations that are just trying to play on my emotions. Everyone deserves a chance at forgiveness and salvation.

Mighty to Save
By Hillsong

Everyone needs compassion
A love that’s never ending
Let mercy fall on me

Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a savior
The hope of nations

*chorus*
Saviour he can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as you find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again

I give my life to follow
Everything i believe in
Now i surrender

*chorus* x2

Shine your light and let the whole world see
Were singing for the glory of the risen king JESUS x2

*chorus* x2

Shine you light and let the whole world see
Were singing for the glory of the risen king JESUS x6

Yummy Muffins - Peanut Butter Muffins & Sweet Pineapple Muffins

2009-06-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

I've tried a couple of muffin recipes lately that were pretty good and thought I'd share them. They are both Quick & Easy recipes from Taste of Home.

Peanut Butter Muffins

2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 cups buttermilk baking mix
3 tablespoons jam

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, milk and peanut butter until smooth. Stir in the baking mix. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Top each with 1/2 teaspoon jam. Bake @ 375 for 15-20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Yield: 12 muffins

My own personal note: These are best made for the day they are going to be eaten or the very next day since they got a little on the dry side after 24 hours but the tops are really moist.

Sweet Pineapple Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cans (8 ozs each) crushed pineapple, undrained
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. In another bowl, mix pineapple, eggs and oil; stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before revmoving to a wire rack.
Yield: recipe states 20 muffins, but I got 29

My own personal note: When these bake the tops get really brown but I think it is just because of the pineapple in them because they aren't burnt or overbaked.

I have several other muffin recipes that I'm wanting to try and if they turn out good, I'll share those recipes as well.

Randomness

2009-06-17T22:28:00.001-07:00

It has been a while since I've posted and all I have are a few random thoughts/things going on...

I'm still doing the whole job search thing and at the suggestion of an aquaintance I went into Spokane and got registered with Accountemps. I've had a lot of experience in the Title/Escrow industry and would really like to get out of it and go more into accounting, since I got a little taste of that while working at Stewart in Boise.

The Escrow business is so stressful and is so up and down with being busy/slow. When I got into the Title business back in the early 90's, a little after high school, it was a good industry for me to go into since I don't have a college degree in anything. You can work your way up in the business and learn a lot and get paid a lot making it hard to find anything else to compare and the only way to get experience in the business is by working in it.

Out of high school, I had no clue what I wanted to do....kinda, I thought I wanted to go into photography but I wanted to do studio photography and found the best place to go for a degree in that was Santa Barbara, CA and I was in no way ready to move away or out on my own, so I ditched that idea. Now that I'm older and know what I'd like to get a degree in, I can't afford the college tuition to pursue it...but upon winning that lottery, that I don't play, enrolling in a college to get a degree would be one of the first things I'd do.

I've never had any experience with temp agencies and knew nothing about how they worked and I really wish I would have gotten hooked up with them back in December. I think it will be easier for me to obtain a job in accounting being with them. It is hard for me to really boast about myself and how good of a job I can do and how quickly I can learn new things and most companies want you to have a degree in accounting before they will even interview you. Accountemps will be the ones to market and sell me and my work. The rep I interviewed with helped me with some major suggestions on my resume because she said it screamed "escrow" and she wanted me to highlight my skills and what I could do to get me more into accounting. So I spent some time completely re-doing my resume and I had to come up with a Marketing Summary for myself too, ugh. I also did some pre-liminary testing with them to see where I was with experience in Excel, Accounting principals, Quickbooks and 10-key. The Excel I was tested on was Excel 2007 and I haven't even opened up the new Excel but I've heard that it has changed a lot from those who have used it and it has taken them some time to "find" some of the items in it. If I can remember right I scored around a 60-70% on that test. The test wants you to know from memory where to go to do a task, and I'm used to if I don't know, clicking on each of the tabs at the top to find it. On Quickbooks I did pretty well (80-90%) considering I've never been in that program either, but the rep said that from my score on the test it showed that "I got it" as far as accounting procedures go and where I need to go within the program to apply accounting tasks. I did exceptionally well on the the 10-key test. On the average key strokes per minute (spm) most get around 7900 spm and I came in at almost 11,000 spm with 95% accuracy. She said I could actually slow down quite a bit on that and my accuracy would come up and I'd still be doing really well. The accounting principals I did so-so (50-60%) on but it has been 8 years since I've worked in the accounting department at Stewart.

I have access to their online training site and can go in and take a HUGE number [8,000] of courses online and do tests, but I have to go back into their office to re-test on their system to get scores they can use. I have already gone through the big list and so far have 28 courses to take in Excel 2007, Accounting and Quickbooks. Once they are able to place me after I get my first check, I am eligible for their insurance and it has health, dental (including orthodontics - now that we won't need it), vision, short-term disability and AD&D. After working 1, 150 hours, I get 6 paid holidays; after working 1,000 hours, I can enroll in their 401K; and after working 1,500 hours I am eligible for a bonus check. Some pretty good benefits for a temp agency, especially since I figured working with a temp agency, I wouldn't have any benefits at all.

I have already gone on and taken the Basics to Excel 2007 course and took a bunch of notes, I have another 12 courses in Excel 2007 alone picked out to take but they also include Advanced procedures and things I've never done before in any Excel program before...if I can only retain the information because I don't have Excel 2007 on my own personal computer and I typically forget if I'm not utilizing it.

Since I have been unemployed though (or really since the first of the year) I have been reading A LOT...I went back through and counted and I've read 36 books. My sister told me to get a library card and that would save me so much money by not having to buy books...wow, I'm so glad I did. I also have over 100 books (so many that I've had since before Scott & I were married but have never gotten around to reading) of my own to read and I also have a friend who loads me up every time I go to her house....so I've been reading up a storm trying to get through all of them.

For the summer though we're hoping to get in several camping trips (especially if the gas prices don't go up too much) and we have some decent weather on the weekends instead of so much rain. Scott is even wanting to make a long weekend trip over to Montana and fish around Dillon, sounds good to me, I've never seen that part of Montana and I'm sure it is beautiful. I know my oldest girlfriend, Nichole, and her husband, Terry, will be coming up for a long weekend in July to do a mini tri-athalon and that will be fun since they will be sans children for the first time so us adults can do what we want. We are also hoping and planning to go down for another "Cousins Reunion" in August this year at my Dad & Terry's...wow, it has been 3 years since the last one and I've heard that a lot of my cousins from Missouri are planning to be there. Before we know it, the summer will be over, but I hope it doesn't go by that quickly because I'm not ready for it to get cold again anytime soon.

Saturday's Song - Don't Blink

2009-06-06T23:30:00.000-07:00

This week is a little different in that this song isn’t a Christian one but a good one, one I’ve always liked of Kenny Chesney’s when it hit the radio. I found it appropriate for this time of the year with all the graduations happening.
This song is so true….while we are little kids or in high school we want time to pass so quickly, to be out of school, to hurry and grow up…then we graduate and days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months and months turn into years and they all pass SO QUICKLY. The years just slip by and we turn around and wonder wow what happened, where did time go, next thing we know we are getting older and wishing time would just slow down, if for only a little while.
I especially like the part of the verse that says "Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand/
You can't flip over and start again/Take every breathe God gives you for what it's worth" - no matter how many times we wish we could go back and do a do over on a part of our lives or change our mind on a decision we made, it won't happen.

Don’t Blink
Kenny Chesney on the album Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates

I turned on the evening news
Saw an old man being interviewed
Turning a hundred and two today
Asked him what's the secret to life
He looked up from his old pipe
Laughed and said "All I can say is."

Don't blink
Just like that you're six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your better half
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink

I was glued to my TV and it looked like he looked at me and said
"Best start putting first things first."
Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand
You can't flip over and start again
Take every breathe God gives you for what it's worth

Don't Blink
Just like that you're six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your better half
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink

I've been tryin’ slow it down
I've been tryin’ take it in
In this here today gone tomorrow world we're livin' in

Don't blink
Just like that you're six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your better half
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
Don't blink

Naw, don't blink

You can watch the video by clicking here (sorry I couldn't embed this one in my post).

Honey Do's

2009-06-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

I had to do a quick, little, "funny" post about this.

Two weekends ago we painted (my husband found out it isn't very fun to paint with me because I'm very anal retentive and want it to be just right in the corners and along the edges) a few small walls in our house and all these walls have lots of pictures on them. One of the walls was going to be put back the exact same so we just left all of our nails where the pictures would go. But we had a couple that were changing and my husband has to be the one to hang them since they are on our stairway and I'm afraid of heights on a ladder....and increase that fear by putting it on a staircase. I've told him in the past, if he'd build me a little platform that is flat but the bottom side would form onto the stairs, I could use my step stool and I'd be good...too much work, so he gets the joy of doing this part and I get to be the boss as to where/how close/no move it over/etc...to him on this little task.

Well last weekend, he was going to hang them all for me and we measured off the "area" in which I had to work with and on Sunday, I laid them all out on our rug (just the right size) so we could get an idea of where they would be placed on the wall. I wanted to leave room on the wall for future pictures because lets face it our family only grows....so I was kind of bunching them together in little groupings.

This is the wall on which they are to be placed....(all of the pics can be clicked on to make them bigger if needed)
This is the rug on which I had to work with for area wise (mind you I thought they would be hung up that day or the next at the very latest or I wouldn't have laid them out)

This is the area of our house that I am referring to...right in the middle....as you walk in the door... and right through from the living room to the kitchen....at the bottom of the stairs going up...at the top of the stairs going down...
(it does look like this now, I wish I would have taken a picture of it with the pictures all laid out at this angle, oh well, too late and not going back to that view)

After 4 days of stepping over them, my honey FINALLY put them up last night....WHEW!! He did mention taking a picture of them so he could refer to when hanging them but I KNEW, if I did that they wouldn't have gotten hung until another weekend had passed or so and I wanted it done and over with.....if he would just make me my little platform (it would be so much easier to dust them too). He is real picky too and doesn't like stuff laying around, drives him crazy, I was just surprised it too him so long.

Here is the picture of them all back on the wall...

Here are a few other pictures of the other walls that received a fresh coat of new color....the first one is the finished wall from an earlier post (yeah took a while to get those pictures hung back up too) but it looks soooo much better, don't ya think?

Well, I thought it would be a quick little post....I need to read up on my "Blogger" tips so it doesn't take so stinkin' long to post pictures (moving them to just the right spot and deleting all the extra line spaces after doing so...takes way too long) it is just one of the reasons I don't post too much....sorry.

Saturday's Song - By Your Side

2009-05-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

This song I picked out for this week is another favorite from the first time I heard it.
It is a wonderful reminder that He is always by our side. We may be searching for fulfilment in other areas of our life trying to take care of everything ourselves when if we would just realize...He is there for us always, we just need to call out to Him.

By Your Side
Tenth Avenue North

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

(Chorus 2x)

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go

(Chorus 2x)

Saturday's Song - In The Hands of God

2009-05-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Well this was a totally unplanned song but since it has been stuck in my head all Friday evening, I went in search of it.

I figured it was a Newsboys song because I could just hear their voices singing it and I don't even know if I heard it earlier on the radio today or what but the chorus has been rolling and rolling through my head so I need to do this one this week. I don't even have this song or cd, I had to go onto iTunes through the store and look it up because I was even unsure of the title. Guess now I'll be looking to find the cd to add to my collection because while on there I listened to the other songs on the album and it is a good one.

It is another one about trusting in God. I know He is trying to tell me something.

In The Hands of God
Newsboys from the In The Hands of God Album

We have raised our hopes and our cities high
We have followed fragile dreams
But only One could take the measure of our goals
And we've stumbled over the trials of life
And we've wrestled the unseen
But only One can calm the storm inside our souls

In the hands of God we will fall
Rest for the restless, and the weary
Hope for the sinner
In the hands of God we stand tall
Hands that are mighty to deliver
Giving us freedom

When our strength gave way to the weight of guilt
'Til we strained for every breath
Only One could lift our shame and make us well
And when all is finished and we face
The fearsome power of death
Only One has overcome the gates of hell

You're amazing
You're amazing, You are
And we praise You, Lord
For what Your hands have done

Saturday's Song - We Fall Down

2009-05-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

Wow, I made it two weekends in a row with the Saturday's Song.

This song has been out for a while but the first time I heard it, and just about any other time I hear it, come across the radio the spirit really moves me and the tears start to flow. The words say it all and I never get tired of hearing it.

We Fall Down
Chris Tomlin from the Passion: Live Worship from the 268 Generation Album

We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of
Your Mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb
We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of
Mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb

This is just a video I found that I'm sure is used in many churches worship service due to the way it is presented.

This being sick is getting OLD

2009-05-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

What is the deal....since we don't have insurance (haven't since last November when I was laid off) I've tried to stay healthy to avoid going to any doctors and racking up any bills. But shoot this year hasn't started off too good in the healthy category of living. I was sick back at the end of February first of March for a few weeks battling a sinus infection and I managed to kick it all on my own with the help of Mucinex and Sudafed (even though it took me longer than if I had gone to the doctor for antibiotics).

Then we come back from Maui and within a week I started coughing. It was weird. I didn't have any sore throat, stuffy nose, post-nasal drip, nothing but a little tickling cough. Then within a couple of days I was coughing up stuff (but nothing green, so I knew there wasn't an infection of any kind). So I started taking Sudafed again and Mucinex, sucking on cough drops and cough syrup trying to get over it. I was going to job interviews because I felt okay physically just this stinking cough. (Oh yeah, my sister was the unlucky one by catching this while we were in Maui and had to deal with it there but she was able to kick it on her own so I figured I could too, I'm just glad it waited for me until we got home.) By a week and half of battling the cough, I could feel myself getting more tired and wearing down a little more. Scott kept saying I needed to go to the doctor but I really didn't want to fork out any money to do so. I told him I would if I started to get really bad. I had been using a vaporizer and taking hot, steamy showers to break anything up but I still didn't have a tightening in my chest or feel like I had any congestion going on. I'm prone to getting bronchitis so I figured that is where I was at and I also knew if I waited too long it could go into pneumonia but I also figured my lungs would hurt if that was the case. I had been coughing so much my sides hurt like I had just done a ton of crunches but not in my back where my lungs were.

A couple of days before going on 2 weeks of this coughing (and by now I was producing the green stuff) I finally called our local medical clinic to inquire as to how much this was all going to set us back. Since I have moved to North Idaho I have not found a regular GP and I've always gone to North Idaho Immediate Care. I generally call first to see what doctor is on call because my favorite one there (Dr. Hjeltness) I've seen for 8 years and if he had his own practice I would be one of his first patient's (I told him this too) and I always try to go in when he is there. I just about had a heart attack on the phone when the receptionist told me how much an office visit was without insurance....I figured okay $75-$100....oh NO...try $250....to just see the doc for 15 minutes...are you kidding me??? She also told me that if I thought I had bronchitis (which I was sure of it by now) they may want to do a chest x-ray and that would be another $69. She also said since I've been a patient there before they could set up a payment plan for us but 30% would be due at the visit time. So then I called a couple of local pharmacies to see how much my drugs would be....I figured I would get a Z-pack (which Dr. Hjeltness usually prescribes to me) so I tried Walgreens first, thinking they would be low $44...okay....Walmart next and they were a little better at $29....so then I thought Costco....wohoo their cost was $10 (all generic) so I knew where we would be going to get the goods.

Scott took me into the doctor and by now....I could feel a wheezing in my chest pretty badly. He listened to my chest and lungs and said...."You're in pretty bad shape", I figured as much and he couldn't believe I had been coughing for 2 weeks without coming in. I explained to him about not having insurance and I was just really trying to fight it on my own. He said he could hear it in my left lung and didn't really want to spend my money but he did need to take an x-ray to see just how much of my lung it was affecting. Thankfully, it was only showing up in the middle section of my left lung (pneumonia) and he wanted to get me started on antibiotics right away, so he gave me a shot and prescribed my Z-pack but also wanted me on a breathing treatment so he prescribed Abuterol and then prescribed a really good cough syrup Tussionex (I've had before and it is really good) but I had no idea how much those other prescriptions would cost. We lucked out a little at the clinic because they took Care Credit (which we've had for a while when we thought we'd need it for Scott's braces and I thought it was only for Dental & Veterinarian's) and they told us if we paid in full we would get 30% off the total bill...it ended up being like $374 total and only had to put $249 on our card. It was a good thing too since when we got to Costco the drugs were close to $100 for the 3 prescriptions....OUCH!! The doctor also said that if I wasn't feeling 100% better by the 10th day (last day of antibiotics that he was prescribing) to call back and he would prescribe it again because he wanted me to kick this completely not just get a little better and then be off the antibiotics and get worse again.

By the 10th day, I still wasn't feeling 100% maybe only 50-60% better so I got another prescription....I also had to get another for the Abuterol because I wasn't using it properly and I wasn't getting all of the medicine in my lungs (the real expensive drug though was the cough syrup and I could live without another prescription of that).

Scott by now is thinking I should be in the hospital because I haven't kicked it but I also know it is because I don't get a TON of rest like I should either. Some nights I lie there awake trying so hard to fall asleep but my mind won't shut off (why do I have to have insomnia now) and some nights I cough too much and can't get comfortable. So the nights that I do get REALLY good rest and I'm not coughing so much I just sleep and sleep and sleep...sometimes until 2 pm the next day. But then I'll have a day where I feel a bit better and try to do too much (because I have things to do and nothing is getting done with me trying to rest all the time) and then the next day I'm down pretty bad because I did too much the day before.

I hate having pneumonia, I've found....it is the WORST because it is really hard to get over and my immune system isn't the greatest so it is taking longer to kick. I was reading on one website that it could take a month to get rid of it (oh please God, no). Scott feels discouraged because he just wants me better so we can do things together and I want to get better because I feel guility that he works all day then comes home and has to make dinner because I don't have the energy to do it or a couple of times that I have....I'm just BEAT.

REST....REST....REST.....I'm kinda getting sick of all this rest. I want to get up and go and I have so many things to get done. I wanna go to Lewiston and see my granddaughter's recital...so I really better get RESTED and get this kicked FAST so I can. Today I did sleep MOST of the day and I felt a little better once I got up, in fact I haven't coughed as much today as I usually have, that is a good sign....hopefully tomorrow I won't have a down day because I'm feeling so much better and try to do too much.

Please keep my in your prayers and thanks to those of you who have been. I really appreciate it.

Cards

2009-05-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

Another thing I have been remiss about keeping up with is posting the cards I have done, but again I don't want to post them until they have been given to the recipients because I don't want them to be seen on here before they get them in person.

The first one is a card I did for my sister & Dad & stepmom since we were all having a Maui vacation together. All of the stamps are from DeNami and they are ones I already had on hand...I didn't buy anything new just for the card. But I also figured since I had the stamps, it would be opportune to use them for such a card. I also did one like this for my step-daughter Witney for her birthday coming up in June, but it has "Happy Birthday" on it instead of "Aloha". It is perfect for her and her personality.

The next one...I 100% lifted from this gal. I love a lot of her cards. She does a really good job and when I was looking for an idea on my Easter cards and I came across this one....I knew I had to copy it. Most of the stamps used are by Verve and the swirl inside is an Autumn Leaves. I had to create my own "background" paper of sorts on the lighter blue paper (with my Versamark stamp pad and some Pearl Ex) because I couldn't find something that would match but it was fun. I thought it would take a long time to do them (I think there were 10+ layers of cardstock) but I cut out all of my papers first and it went pretty smoothly, thankfully since I did 8 of these.

The next one I did for my stepmom's (Terry) birthday. Her favorite color is yellow so that was the only thing I was going for in this card was to incorporate that color, but I did start out by trying to match everything to the patterned background paper. The stamps I used on it are Magenta and it is a stamp line I really like and have several of their stamps but I haven't used in a long time. I colored it in with colored pencils, used my Nestabilites to cut out the scallop rectangle and a friskars border punch on the green piece. The patterend background paper is by Basic Grey.

This next one is one I threw together really quickly because it was our Anniversary and I realized I hadn't gotten a card for Scott. Since I've been trying to make all of my cards for the year, I figured I run down to my room quickly and put one together before he got home. The stamp I used is DeNami and I've always liked it but never had an opportunity to use it before. I also used my Nestabilites to do the scallop circles and I used my Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls embossing folder. I put stickles on the swirls and the cardstock colors I used were the actual wedding colors we had. I think I need to make sure to put some of that paper aside in my "Wedding" box of all the papers, embellishments, etc...I've been collecting for when I FINALLY decide to scrapbook our wedding photos (come on...it's only been 8 years).

For the last one, I did a birthday card for my friend Amy (I also did one like this for my friend Nichole last November for her birthday and for my step-daughter Witney's birthday last June). I love these colors together they just "pop". The stamps I used are mostly DeNami (you can see why I label them as my favorite stamp line...I have a lot of them & use them a lot). For the background & sentiment I used some Studio G (cheapie $1) stamps. The background I used my Versamark stamp pad to get the watermark look and I created my own border around the sentiment with some decorative scissors to make the box and just traced around it.

That is all I've done, but I was pretty busy in February & March trying to get them all done before we went to Maui. I really wish I would have done my Mother's Day cards before we left but I figured I would have several weeks to get them done...I just didn't realize I'd get so sick and wouldn't have a chance to work on them after we got back. Now if I could just get better so I can do them (yes, I know Mother's Day is over and I've explained to my mother's that they haven't been done but they are okay with that and worry about my health more) and I have a couple of graduation cards to get done. Oh mercy.

Saturday's Song - While I'm Waiting

2009-05-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

Here is another Saturday Song, it has been awhile since I have posted anything just because I've been sick, but that is another post altogether.

I have had this song running through my mind a lot lately and the first time I heard it was watching the movie "Fireproof" (which is a really good movie that I think everyone should see).
In the movie it is played during a period where the husband is waiting on his wife through a trying time in their marriage. I know we've all gone through a period of our lives when we ask God for something and we are waiting on an answer but while we are waiting we go on living, continuing to serve Him.

While I'm Waiting
John Waller from the album While I'm Waiting

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

I am linking 2 videos this time the first one is from the movie and shows clips throughout and the second is the regular video John Waller did on this song.

Lil' Dancer

2009-04-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went down to Lewiston just to see Peanut dance in the Dogwood Festival. She has been in dance for several months and this was her first performance. We weren't sure if she would freeze up or not. Around family she is the total performer and goofball but there were a lot of people there that she didn't know that would be watching her. She did so good. She was excited to get up on the stage and kept trying to go up before her turn then when her turn was over she kept wanting to go back up. She has a recital in a couple of weeks and I'm hoping I'll be able to go down to see her.

This is a video of her performance and she is the 2nd one in from the left. Everytime you see her look over her right shoulder she is looking back at her own little cheering crowd of all of us that showed up to see her dance.

8th Anniversary

2009-04-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Scott & I have been married 8 years today. Wow, how time flies. He says it feels longer but only because he feels that we fit together so good that it seems like he's always been married to me....not being on #3.

Here is to many more years to come and praying they will only get better and easier.

Yummy dinner recipe...Peachy Chicken

2009-04-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

I tried a new recipe last night that ended up being real yummy & one to do again.
If anyone would like to give it a try, it is really easy too.

Peachy Chicken
Prep/Total Tim: 25 min.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each) - I used 8 chicken tenderloins
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 can (15 1/4 oz) sliced peaches, undrained
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 envelope onion soup mix
hot cooked rice (optional) - this is what I used

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil and butter; remove and keep warm. Add peaches with juice, brown sugar, orange juice and soup mix to skillet; stir until combined. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes.
Reduce heat; return chicken to pan. Simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Serve over rice if desired.
Yield: 4 servings

Saturday's Song - Sweetly Broken

2009-04-11T23:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted a Saturday's song in a few weeks due to not being home for awhile but I really wanted to post this one on the Saturday before Easter (just got to it a little late). It seemed really appropriate.

May you take the opportunity this Easter to look to the cross and all that Christ did for us by dying on it for yours and my sins. Remember the true meaning behind this holiday.

Sweetly Broken
Jeremy Riddle From the album Sweetly Broken

To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing

For on it my Saviour both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just

Chorus:
At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified

You've called me out of death
You've called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the Cross I'm reconciled

Chorus:
At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

In awe of the cross I must confess
How wonderous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness

Vacation Favorites and Funnies

2009-04-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do a little list of some of the things that I jotted down to remember:

I LOVED:
*the way the humidity made my hair really curly and I didn't need a curling iron all week long.

*having coffee on the lanai every morning watching the surfers and listening to the surf.

*falling asleep every night to the waves crashing on the beach.

*walking on the beach and wading in the water.

*watching the dolphins swimming in the shallow waters with everyone out there at Big Beach.

*watching Scott run down fully clothed in his jeans to the ocean when we first made it to Maui on the first night.

*seeing my dad standing in the airport awaiting our arrival with 3 lei's around his neck for us.

*the relaxing and laid back atmosphere.

*taking a shower and looking out at the ocean.

*and cherished the wonderful time I got to spend with my family on an amazing vacation.

WE LAUGHED AT:
*dad...anxious to get back to the condo to check his Facebook.

*Logan & Lilly's Photo Booth pictures on dad's Mac...our ribs and bellies hurt, we laughed so hard.

*the chef at Kobe who also picked on Scott while dining there - Scott's reply to him was...I get this treatment from them, now I'm getting it from you.

*Terry stating that she'd be the designated mule, at the 'Ulalena show.

*Dad and Terry checking out Little Beach.

*the statement of getting sand on your balls and in all other cracks and crevices on Big Beach.
(my husband was not the only one to say this either...a cute little nephew of mine said it too)

*Terry scratching her foot with her back scratcher.

*the comment I made in the book that after seeing the layout of the condo, the real narrow, spiral staircase and being on the 3rd floor that...if the condo were to catch fire...Scott & Dez would die being stuck upstairs.

*the fact that one day my sister and I had a piece of bread for lunch...really.

THE JOURNAL:
My sister, for a Christmas gift to my Dad & Terry, made up a "Hawaii" journal book that they could put out for everyone to write in their thoughts on their vacations. But maybe I should back up a little....my Dad & Terry (my stepmom) have 6 kids between them and 22 grandchildren so their Christmas gifts to us were tickets for us to fly to Maui and they were getting a place to stay for a month and each week they were over there some of the kids/grandkids went over to stay.

The 1st week was my brother, Shane & Lisa, and his family and my step-brother, Todd & Kathleen, and his family, grandson Garrett (Daren's son) and his friend (15 total with Dad & Terry). The 2nd week was my step-brother, Daren & Sherri, and his family (8 total with Dad & Terry). My sister, Amanda, Scott and I were there for their 3rd week (5 total with Dad & Terry). The 4th week my step-sister, Marcie & Brett, and her family (8 total with Dad & Terry). While we were there they did get an offer to stay an extra two weeks in the condo at no additional cost to them. We believe they will work it in to stay, why not, an offer you can't pass up.

But this journal that my sister made...every night when everyone came in they had to write something down about that day. Whether it be a word about an event to describe what they felt or experienced or what they did or what not. By the time we got there we were able to go back and read the prior 2 weeks of what everyone said. That was so neat. A great way to document everyone's memories.

Overall it was a WONDERFUL vacation. One we did not want to see end. I told Scott that I felt he would love it over there so much he would want to stay and maybe even move over there. We won't rule that out. My sister was thinking of it too. She isn't married and doesn't have any kids so she could easily take a couple years and go over and work in the service industry. If we did it it would only be for a couple of years too. You go and don't want to come back.

Day 8 & 9 of Maui trip

2009-04-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

Day 8 - Friday - Today is the day we leave our short lived time in paradise. The day we've been dreading to come and hoped wouldn't come too quickly once we arrived. Unbeknownst to us it would be the longest day of our lives...melding this day and the next into one.

We had talked about going into the aquarium on our way to the airport but once we found out how expensive it was to quickly just go through it didn't seem a good idea. What we all really wanted to do was just relax and enjoy the beach as much as we could before we were to fly out early that evening. None of us knew when the next time we would be getting to the beach again (the Couer d' Alene lake doesn't count) so we just really wanted to take our time there. We walked along the beach and enjoyed the surfers for the last time. Later on in the early afternoon we loaded up and started for the airport but planned on doing a little shopping and looking around in the city that the airport is in. We finally made it into the scrapbook store too. They had a couple of aisles that was paper they have designed themselves along with a ton of die cuts that are specialized to Hawaii and things to do over there.

We got to the airport and wow what a WONDERFUL experience that was. We had to go through an agriculture check (for our check-in luggage - finding this out after we made it up to the ticketing counter) then regular check-in and security. Once we made it up to security we had things in our carry-ons that they wouldn't allow on...oh joy. So we had to take one of my bags and switch everything around so I could go back in and check it. My sister had in her bag some syrup and jams that she had bought (in glass jars, you carry it on generally because the way they throw your luggage around, just what you need is a bunch of broken glass in your luggage when you get home) and I had a larger bottle of really yummy lotion I had bought off Terry, since I didn't make it back to get my own bottle. The bag I had to check it in was the one we had our laptop in and we weren't going to let our laptop get checked so we had to re-arrange our carry-ons and hold up the lines. By the time I went all the way back down to ticketing and ran it through the agricultural check, then get it checked in and back through security...I had definitely got my workout in for the day. It was a good thing we were there 2 hours before our flight was to leave. We flew out and had a layover in Oahu, so we grabbed something to eat really quickly there. Our layover time got cut short because they started boarding early and thought we may be able to take off early if everyone was boarded. Since we didn't have much time we were scarfing down our food and I ended up taking my burger onto the plane and waiting until we were ready to leave before I ate it. We had the same size plane coming home as we did in going so we were all crammed in there like sardines and since we were leaving at 9:15 from Oahu and getting into Sea-Tac at 5:29 am...that was supposed to be our sleep time as well. We lost 3 hours coming home and there was so much turbulence coming back it was really hard to sleep. I think we all got a little bit though and when we got into Sea-Tac we were super tired. We picked up our bags and had to re-check into Southwest to come home but first we had to do some re-arranging again because we had to get Amanda's stuff to her and we weren't planning on checking the bag that we HAD to in Maui. Once we got checked in and got our boarding passes, Scott and I's flight was to leave at 8:55 am to come to Spokane and Amanda's flight didn't leave until 1:05 to go to Boise. Since we were there so early, Southwest has it so you can't check your luggage until a minimum of 4 hours before take-off....OH JOY! So my sister had to sit out by the ticketing counter. We hung out with her for about an hour before we had to get through security and find our gate so we could leave. What a terrible feeling to have to leave your sister sitting there by herself and knowing you are in the same airport but on two different ends of security and you can't spend that time together....who knows when the next time we'll see each other will be. We were all so exhausted too that she wasn't going to get home until after 3 pm her time. I slept the whole flight to Spokane (which is only 35 minutes). Both Scott and I were just tired all day and once we got home and un-packed it felt like it should be late afternoon but was only actually 11:30 am...thus the feeling of being the longest day of our lives.

Once we got everything put away we both just wanted a hot shower (because I was still in yesterday's makeup, etc...) but were a little bummed by the fact that the last shower we had taken the day before we had this as our view and it was no longer to be. The shower in the bathroom that Scott and I had looked right out over the ocean...how great would that be everyday.

Day 6 & 7 of Maui Trip

2009-04-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Day 6 - Wednesday - We had a whale-watching/snuba boat trip planned for the early afternoon it was overcast and windy all day. (This picture of my sister was taken on the boat on the way out). When we started out on the boat, it was keeping pretty close to the shore all along our excursion and about 8 - 10 miles out of the harbor it dropped anchor so everyone who wanted to could snorkel.

The snuba is a lot like scuba diving but you don't have a tank on your back. The tank is on this little floating raft and 2 people share the same tank for 20 minutes. The line to the tank will allow you to dive 20 feet down. The instructor was taking down 6 people at a time in 2 different dives (so a total of 12 people on board were snubaing...not sure if that is a word?) Scott and my stepmom, Terry, were going to snuba. My sister, Amanda, had planned to but within a day of us getting to Maui she started to get congested and was still battling that so she didn't feel like going down and come to find out they wouldn't have let her anyway.

They had BBQ'd burgers, hotdogs, and chicken up for if you wanted to have lunch you could eat that too. Since my sister & I went to see the whales and take pictures of the snuba part, we just chilled on the boat.

When it came time for Scott & Terry to do their dive, I got ready and took lots of pictures and did a little video too. Once Scott got in the water though, he couldn't get his breathing apparatus to work and found out that because of his braces, he couldn't bite down on it all the way to seal it in his mouth so he couldn't dive but he was able to do some snorkeling. We also found that it messed up his wire in his mouth and stressed about having to find an orthodonist on the island that could fix it (luckily he was able to get the wire routed back to where it was supposed to be). Terry had lots of fun though and since she is certified to scuba dive (but it had been awhile since she had done any diving) it all came back to her quickly and she enjoyed herself. (These underwater pictures were taken by the underwater photographer they had on board).

On the boat, Scott happened to meet a gal (22) from Coeur d' Alene who was there on vacation as well but she got there a day ahead of us and was leaving a day before us. After talking to her a little bit we (my sister & I) noticed....hey, she is flirting with my husband, so we figured we would keep an eye out on her on this trip. Unbeknownst to me that Scott had realized it as well but once she found out he had 4 kids and the youngest was almost 17, she didn't seem interested anymore....how about the fact that he is already married....that should have made her loose interest...some people.

After the 2nd set of divers came back on the boat it started to head into shore and we realized, hey if we REALLY wanted to see a whale, this wasn't the right boat to go on. This boat was more geared to those who were snorkeling and doing the snuba part. To see a whale you had to go further out in the ocean that closer to shore. We did see at least one whale...way off in the distance that had come up for air but that was it.

Day 7 - Thursday - This was the first rainy day we encountered on our trip and it rained ALL day long, so we opted for shopping. We walked down in Lahaina and saw the Banyan Tree that covers 2/3 of an acre. It was planted in April 1873 and started out at 8 feet but has now grown to over 60 feet with 12 major trunks. We've been told that in the early morning birds are in this tree and there are so many and they are so loud you almost need ear plugs.

We had scheduled to go to the Old Lahaina Luau that night but just a few minutes before going in they cancelled it due to the rain. Scott and I were a little bummed about it because he had never been to a Luau and I wanted to see another one. Since we were to leave the next day we made it an early night so we could get everything packed up so we didn't feel so rushed the next day.

Day 4 & 5 of Maui Trip

2009-04-08T00:55:00.000-07:00

Day 4 - Monday - We spent most of the day relaxing around the condo and on the beach. We walked up and down the beach a little, read a little, played in the ocean, and got lots of sun since it was a BEAUTIFUL day. It was our first day that it wasn't overcast but the sun was shining brightly. Maui's weather is weird it is overcast a lot but not always rainy and it can rain in the front of one place but in the back it isn't. It is a little humid over here but not so much as you feel as if you are wet all the time. My hair has a little natural curl in it and the humidity is really making it curl and doing wonders for my skin....think I'll stay....better look for a job first though.

We went to Bubba Gump's (the picture is of my sister) for dinner and it is a little restaurant that is based around the "Forrest Gump" movie. Then that evening we went to the 'Ulalena show, wow, what a beautiful show that tells a little bit about the beginning of Maui. It has an all percussion orchestra maned by 4 people with over 70 instruments, some of them native to Hawaii. My favorite part is an acrobatic number where the acrobat is shown in a waterfall. So amazing.

Day 5 - Tuesday - We started out the day by going to Big Beach, the waves were HUGE and would crash up on the beach with a lot of sand swirling in it. There was sand everywhere. If you got into the surf at all, you ended up with it in every crevice of your body (no joke, my hubby said so). We spotted several times a bunch (7-9) dolphins swimming off shore real close to where everyone was out in the water. It was pretty cool to see them jumping and showing off and swimming with everyone. There is another beach just over a rocky little mountain called Little Beach where it is a known nude beach. I definitely wasn't going to check it out...yuck!

We did a little site seeing for the rest of the day and took a long drive up along the base of Haleakala. (Little note about this I found on a map - The Hawaiian islands are a series of volcanos rising from the ocean floor, with the island of Maui being made up of two volcanos. The larger volcano is 10, 023 foot-high Haleakala, which means house of the sun.) We also went up north around Makawao, Pe'ahi, Ha'iku & Pa'ia. Right between Ha'iku and Pa'ia there is a huge area of the ocean where all the wind surfers and kite surfers go. We got a few pictures as we were zooming through. It was cool since there were sooo many of them out there.

We ended the evening by taking my dad & stepmom to Lailani's on the Beach for dinner, so nice and elegant. So far all of the dining we have done is all open, they open up these shades and the fresh air comes right in. No windows just all open to the outside. I love it.

Day 2 & 3 of Maui Trip

2009-04-06T00:19:00.000-07:00

Day 2 - Saturday - We were moving from Ka'anapali Shores (resort) to Puamana Park (privately owned condo in gated community) but we couldn't check into the condo until 3 pm so we had plenty of time to hang out at the resort and enjoy the beach and pool there. My dad wanted to catch the 1st game of the Final Four games and wanted to work it in that we would move at 1/2 time so he wouldn't miss the game. Ka'anapali Shores was beautiful but a little windy because it is further north. We went down to the beach for awhile and took pictures. We were all just very excited to be at the BEACH, it had been so long since any of us had been to one. We were trying to get as much enjoyment out of the resort since we didn't know what to expect once we got to the new place. The downfall to the new place is that we had very, very minimal internet connection. We were using someone elses wireless connection and it wasn't very strong so it was hit and miss.

**Our room is on the top floor of this condo and we get to fall asleep every night to the waves..oh bliss!

The 2nd picture is of our room and view.

The 3rd is of the condo - main floor.

And 4th the spiral staircase that goes up two more floors.

Day 3 - Sunday - We went to Palm Sunday service at King's Chapel (a part of King's Cathedral). The people there were very friendly and it was a real good message on faith. I thought it funny (ironic) that they announced that Joyce Meyer was to be at the King's Cathedral that night for a service and I love Joyce Meyer. I get her daily podcasts and love to listen to her messages.

We took a drive up the western coast of Maui north to Napili and Kapalua and saw several surfers. Since we weren't getting an internet connection anywhere we went to Starbucks and paid a little so we could all get online for a bit. We had an amazing dinner at Kobe (a Japanese steakhouse) and I generally don't like Japanese food but this was really good. If you have never been to a Japanese restaurant, they typically put on a show for you and cook it right at your table. It was good and our cook even did a good job of picking on Scott. (Little side note: my family loves to pick on Scott since he is generally so serious and easy to pick on, so he had a whole week to put up with being picked on.) But we thought it cute when my family wasn't the only one doing the picking. My sister started getting sick from her allergies, she is sensitive to many smells of perfumes, flowers, etc...and she had so many of them floating around she started getting sick from it all. Not a real fun time to be sick, you want to be able to enjoy your time here, but she is a tough little cookie and trooped right along.

(This was the first sunset we were able to see because it wasn't overcast)

Day 1 of Maui Trip

2009-04-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

We started out by getting up at 3 am to get ready to head for the airport. I am familiar with 3 am but it is usually because I haven't gone to bed yet, not on the getting up side. We got to the airport and before getting on the plane, noticed that it was snowing once again outside...WOW...so glad that we won't be seeing that for a week.

We met up with my sister in Seattle and had a whole day in the airport. Our original flight we were to have a couple of hours before our next flight out to Maui, however, when my sister checked to make sure everything was okay with our flights, it had changed and we were flying out 45 minutes earlier. Since we were using two different airlines and had to go pick up our luggage and re-check it with the other airline and unsure of the Sea-Tac airport, we wanted to make sure we didn't miss that flight going to Maui so she got it switched around so we left a lot earlier and had plenty of time.

Spending a whole day in an airport kinda sucks, thankfully, I was with my husband and sissy, which made it better. I'm really glad I didn't have to deal with any little ones and trying to keep them from being BORED and trying to keep them entertained.

It was finally time to board our flight to Maui...we thought we were going to be in a really big plane but the only difference between this plane and a regular Southwest flight plane was it was longer. Not any more room in the seats or leg room. I also didn't realize that our flight was actually 6 hours long. So glad we had plenty of stuff in our carry-ons to keep us busy. I was able to snooze for about 30 minutes but REALLY...we were just TOO EXCITED. My sister and I watched "Twilight" on our first part of the trip, she had never seen but decided she would like to be able to see it again on a much larger screen than a little iPod.

We arrived in Maui, got off the plane and my dad was standing there with 3 lei's around his neck. He "lei'd" all of us. This used to be a tradition a long time ago that anyone coming to Hawaii would get a lei and when we were here when I was 17 we got one but found out that it was included with the vacation package that my dad had. Mine smelled like gardenia's but they are little flowers and have found out that they are Tuberose, right now they are in the refrigerator in a baggie so we can take them home.

(These pictures are of the first place we stayed at Ka'Anapali Shores)

We grabbed some dinner (our time 11 pm) and headed to our condo at Ka'Anapali Shores, we couldn't see a whole lot because the sun sets here at 7. We walked around the outdoor courtyard, saw the pools and Scott ran to get his feet wet in the ocean. It is soo beautiful here. We hadn't even been here for 24 hours before Scott said he was ready to move here. I told him he wouldn't want to come home and that he would LOVE it here.

A special trip for Peanut

2009-04-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

Whenever we leave to come home from Lewiston, little Peanut, ALWAYS wants to come home with us. Likewise, whenever we talk to her on the phone she always asks to come to our house. This time, mommy and daddy finally said, "Yes". Since I'm not working right now it worked out perfectly for us to take her. She was SOOO excited. She doesn't really understand how long it takes to get to our house because she typically sleeps the whole way or at least 3/4 of the way.

When we finally pulled into our driveway, Scott backed into it and she woke up, looking at the house across the street, and said, "Meema, your house got bigger and bigger". We laughed and told her that no, our house was behind her. She promptly came in and wanted to watch cartoons. She knows that Meema & Papa don't have cable, but we have a lot of DVD's that are cartoons. Since we needed the chance to unload the car with all our gear, I got them started for her so she wouldn't be bored, while we were working.

The first night was a little hard to get her to go to sleep, 1 - because she took a 2 1/2 hour nap all the way from Lewiston and 2 - she was a little scared, not having mommy and daddy here with her. By the second night I had her figured out and put her on the floor in her sleeping bag and turned off all the lights but left the tv on so we could finish watching our programs. She went to sleep a lot faster that way.

The first day we watched "Care Bears" so much I was ready to choke them (Aydann just wants to be a Care Bear - if you've ever heard the starting up music, you'd know what I'm talking about). I told her we needed to turn the tv off to give it a rest and I pulled out a couple of games to play with her and a couple of books to read. Much quieter without that nasty tv going. We were going to meet Papa in town after work because Meema had a Cold Stone birthday ice cream coupon that expired that day to get used up...who wants to pass up free ice cream, not me. So we went to dinner and took her to Cold Stone, she just happened to be in the right place at the right time, we wouldn't normally do this with her, but she got spoiled just the same.

We made a quick trip to Walmart and by the time we got home, Papa had the tv on and she walked in and said, "Papa, the tv needs to take a rest". So cute.

She also was in the cupboard spinning around the lazy susan looking for something and she said, "I just want, I just want, this kind of sugar" and pulls out the strawberry milk. I made her let me take a picture of her with it because I thought that was so funny.

On Tuesday, Mandi, Justin and Jaxon came up to get Peanut and stay the night. Mandi had some shopping she wanted to do and Justin needed a break from the valley, since he was on vacation, what a good chance to come up. She was so excited to see mommy and daddy but she still wanted to come back to our house. Wants the best of both worlds I guess.

We got snowed on a few days this week and she was excited to see it and run through it a bit. Here it looks like she is going to throw a snowball.

She was so incredibly good for us. I never have any problems with her, she even did a little snuggling with Papa. Hopefully it won't be so long until she comes to visit again, I know it won't be long before she's asking, "Can I come to your house"?

Last weekend was a busy one

2009-04-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do a post about last weekend before we go on our vacation, because I will have lots to post then.

This last weekend we went to Lewiston so Scott could help put in an egress window in Mandi & Justin's basement. There were several guys there to help because they were also starting on replacing the roof. The prior owners left it with 3 -4 layers on top...I think legally there should only be 2. They were also removing the chimney built up the side of the house because it serves no purpose and was just an eye sore. Too bad the weather couldn't cooperate with them, it rained on them the WHOLE time. It slowed down Justin and Ryan on the roof and Scott and Nate in the muddy hole dug for the egress. They were soaked by the end of the day and cold.

Here are a few pictures (you can click on any of them to make them larger) Scott breaking out the old window

Here is a picture of the chimney before they are taking it down. They were really lucky that when it came down that it didn't take any of the power lines with it, there were a lot of prayers being lifted that day. Here it is all over the yard, makes the side of the house look better though.

This is the HUGE piece that Scott managed to get out that was under the chimney but slightly attached to the existing foundation. Boy the whole house shook when he dislodged it, we were running for the door.

Here is Scott with the concrete saw and Nate's help cutting out the window. What a HUGE mess that made for the women folk to clean up on the inside. He was so upset that we didn't let him know it was wreaking havoc on the inside. He takes pride in keeping a clean construction site, but once he started what to do? We were more worried about all the kids inside and breathing in all that dust that was floating up the stairs. We know what to do now for the next one that needs to be put in to minimize cleanup.

Here is Scott wacking out the concrete...just about every guy there took a turn. It really lets a lot more light into the basement.

Since we will be in Maui when the little guy, Jaxon, turns 1 (and we were going to miss his birthday party) we took our gifts to him and I did a little smash cake for him...guess it was a trial run so he knows what to do this weekend. He didn't do too much damage to it. We got him this "CAT" dump truck. It is so cute, he can sit on it and ride around, put all kinds of stuff in the back of it. From the reports we've gotten from mama, he plays with it a lot. Good, I'm sure it will get a lot of use in years to come out in the dirt too.

My latest cards...I've been busy

2009-04-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

I have slacked a little in getting some of the cards I've done lately posted. I've been really busy in that craft room lately and since these cards have been given to the recipients, I feel safe in posting them now. I do have a few that I will post later in a couple of weeks.

This first one is my brother's birthday card and I used the Cricut on it 100%...not used to doing that and I look at it and see it isn't really my style to do the whole card only by cutting out on the Cricut. I can do much better than this. I knew I wanted to use the BSU paper since he is a HUGE fan.

This next one I did for my best friends daughter (kind of my adopted niece) Cassie's birthday. Once again I used the Cricut to cut everything out and then used my Cuttlebug to emboss several items on this card. I did do a little stamping on this one behind the cupcake and added my own dotted/line border around the whole card.

Next is my niece, Lilly's birthday card. I wanted to do another Tinkerbell card since I heard she liked Tinkerbell as well but I wanted to do something different than Aydann's card...only fair. I used my Cricut with the Design Studio to cut out the scallop circle and light purple border and the "4". A punch to cut out the green strip and my Nestabilities to cut out the smaller scallop circle.

The last card for now is Jaxon's Birthday card...he is a big 1 year old tomorrow. I did a lot of paper layering on this one so the front is pretty heavy. I used the new Imaginisce paper-Twitterpated- and rub-ons with the woodland animals. I created my own layered flower with a couple of punches that I have and the "1" was cut out on my Cricut. When I did this card it was prior to knowing what Mandi was doing for a theme, so it is a little off (he's having a jungle party) but since we won't be able to celebrate with him this year, I guess it will all work out okay. We did our gifts/cake with him last weekend because this weekend we are leaving for Maui (trip was planned before the little guy was even born).

7th Scripture for memorizing

2009-04-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

Psalm 127:2 (NLT)

It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to His loved ones.

Thanks Manda for your help in getting this one for both of us to memorize.

I wanted to find a scripture that had to do with rest, since we are leaving in 2 days for Maui for a week, it seemed fitting for a vacation. Hopefully it will be an easy one to memorize since we will be on vacation for most of time frame I have to memorize it in.

Another sign that Spring is here

2009-03-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

WARNING: This post may cause you to squirm and itch

I was going to post about this the other day and forgot about it but after another experience this morning...it reminded me.

It may not be all that warm out yet and my flowers aren't coming up either but this season is bringing out the 6 legged sign of a new season...ants! Not the little sugar ants but these are about 1/4 inch - 1/2 inch long and their bodies "crunch" when you crush them in a paper towel or kleenex...YUCK!! I'm so grossed out in my own home right now.

If first started a couple of weeks ago when one was in the bathroom (upstairs)...a few days later...another in the bathroom...few days later then one in the kitchen (main floor)....then last weekend...one in my craft room (basement)....then a few days ago one crawls up next to me on the couch...the real freak out though when 2 days ago, having trouble getting up....ONE IS CRAWLING ON MY ARM IN BED....AHHHH!! I was up then. I can't even sleep in my own bed without them being there. Well I can't sleep hanging from the ceiling and I'm sure they could still get to me...I can't get away from them.

What happened this morning and reminded me about it is; I was fixing my coffee and one crawled up onto the counter next to me from underneath...where did he come from...then I killed NO JOKE at least another dozen or more in the span of about 1/2 hour...around the kitchen drawers, and dishwasher, in the sink...I was about in tears. There were about 6-7 of them congregated along the cabinets around my drawers like they were having a meeting or something (I almost grabbed my camera because I couldn't believe it and I wanted to show Scott but was afraid they would get away). I was afraid I couldn't get them all killed at once and I think one of two of them escaped. Time to bring out the ant traps, in FULL FORCE. Scott said he already planned on getting some when he went to Lowe's today, so I asked, "Why?" (does that mean he killed some himself this morning) oh yes, he did. I asked him to find something for outside to spray around the perimeter too.

I've read another gal's blog post about ants and some of the comments she has gotten as hints to get rid of them...one of the suggestions is to find where they are coming from...well....since they are sporadically all over our house, I'm guessing the inside of our walls has hidden away our own private ant farm...never did like those...so not sure what to do. I'd REALLY like to kill them ALL off so we don't continue to have this problem, year, after year, after year...I think one of these days our world will be taken over by them...forget another flood.

Saturday's Song - Over My Head

2009-03-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

I first heard about this song by a post on Beth Moore's blog where she mentioned it and since it was a song...one I hadn't heard, I had to go check it out. I looked up Brian Littrell on MySpace to hear the song (one of the places I know to go to hear a full track without purchasing it) and fell in love with it. The music is simply beautiful, a love song to the Lord and it speaks of a place where I long to be. I went right over to iTunes and downloaded it because it is a keeper.

"Over My Head" Brian Littrell

I tried to figure it out
Time and time again and time again
I guess there's just some things I'll never understand
'Cause Your ways aren't our ways
But deep down in my soul, down in my soul
There is one thing I know that I know

I'm in over my head
Right where I wanna be
I'm so lost within Your love
The love that always covers me
So high, so deep, so wide
A strong and cleansing tide
My soul has found a place to rest
I'm in over my head

I've been holding on
Now I'm letting go, just letting go
Gonna let Your love carry me away
I don't know where I'm going
But I'm surrounded by the truth
And I can feel the current pulling me
Deeper into You

I'm in over my head
Right where I wanna be
I'm so lost within Your love
The love that always covers me
So high, so deep, so wide
A strong and cleansing tide
My soul has found a place to rest
I'm in over my head

You see me for who I am
You did reach out Your hand
You made me understand
That Your love has always covered me

Brian is a former Backstreet Boy, I definitley think he is much better off utilizing his talent to glorify the Lord the rewards are so much greater.

Cleaning up

2009-03-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, while I was busy crafting away at all the cards I need to get done before we leave on vacation, I went to get out some materials to start on another card and got a wild hair.

I've been using my craft room a lot lately and when I first set some of my stuff up I wasn't functioning in that room so I wasn't aware of the best place to put my things and it wasn't working too well for me. I would have stuff strewn about on both tables and have such a mess to clean up all the time (still will have that problem, just not the the extreme I had). So instead of starting another card, I decided to re-organize things so they were more handy to me...in doing that I was cleaning out drawers and re-arranging things. Took a few hours but I think it is in better condition now than when I first got it all put together last May.

I do have more plans for my room. I am wanting to paint chocolate brown on the bottom of both walls that has the shelf that goes around, A really light pink on the top of the wall that has a lot on it and on the wall behind the big desk and mint green on the top of the other (wall with the window) and the wall behind the stamp bins.

The decor is a HUGE mish-mash right now making it really busy looking. All the "cowboy" themed stuff will eventually make its way to our bedroom once the animal horns have been moved to "the man cave". I want to keep my Tinkerbell and Mary Engelbreit things in there...it is my dream room after all. It also looks pretty busy because I have so many things out they aren't really organized in matching containers, etc...and I just have so much of it. I think I need a couple more shelves in the same color to put all my flower jars and other tools that I want to keep at arms reach on to maybe make it so it flows better when you look at it.

Here are a few pictures of how it looks now.

It is much more fun crafting in a room that flows smoothly.

Here is something I did come across and threw out....

Scott & I have been married almost 8 years now and have NEVER had a reason to pull these out. Since our new computer doesn't even have a drive to support these, I figured they were perfect for the round file. Felt so good to throw them out and there were a TON of them.

Spring is here?

2009-03-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

Now I'm really getting spring fever. Today, the first day of Spring, it was in the 60's here in North Idaho. Just love it, wish it would have been here a couple of months ago. After Christmas is over, I'm ready for the snow to disappear. I was wanting to pull out our futon on the back patio and relax. However, this is what it still looks like here (I took these yesterday when the sun wasn't shining quite so brightly).

The first picture is of our neighbor's yard across the street and the second is of our house...doesn't seem very fair that they don't have any snow in their yard and we still have a bunch. The sun doesn't quite get to our yard though until the afternoon and it doesn't melt off very quickly. Scott suggested we shovel it off into the street then it would melt faster. I'm just hoping that by the time we leave for Hawaii (2 weeks from today) a majority of it will be gone and when we come back...we won't be seeing it in our yard at all.

Oh yeah, the Christmas lights on the outside...those are coming down this weekend too. One of the things on Scott's honey-do list before we take off and since we won't be around next weekend...it has to be this one. I didn't want to come home to Christmas lights on the house after a nice relaxing week in warm, sunny Hawaii.

6th Scripture for memorizing

2009-03-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

I'm a day late in posting this...I hope it won't be a sign of how behind I could get in learning this one.

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strenghten you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Seems a fitting scripture for the days we are living right now. The next one will be a fun one, with the help of my sister got one already picked out but I better get to cracking on learning this one first.

Saturday's Song - God Of This City

2009-03-14T16:07:00.001-07:00

I have loved this song from the moment I heard it on my Passion - "God Of The City" album.
It reminds me of revival, I guess. I always loved times of revival, a time where you could get so spiritually filled up you were full and spilling over.
I'm sure that right now there are many churches who have incorporated this song into their worship services. Chris Tomlin does several really good worship songs and there may be others I post in the future.

"God of This City " as sung by Chris Tomlin

[Verse 1]
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

[Verse 2]
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

[Chorus]
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City

5th Scripture for memorizing

2009-03-01T11:30:00.000-08:00

This may be another one that will be easily memorized, however, I need to go back and do a refresher on one of the previous scriptures that I feel isn't sticking with me so easy. With February being a shorter month, I lost a couple/few days in what I could have used.

Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I'm starting to keep in mind one to memorize for the first part of April because my sister wants to join me in memorizing a scripture while we are in Hawaii...I'm looking into scriptures that have to do with "resting"...seems appropriate.

Saturday's song - Life Is Good

2009-02-28T21:56:00.001-08:00

This one is just a song that has been going through my head all day today...probably because I've been hearing it on my sister's MySpace page. Since it is such a simple song...it is real catchy and gets stuck in your mind easily. I remember singing it a couple of years ago (first time I heard it) when Manda, Mandi and I went to the Newsboys/Kutless/Stellar Kart concert on my Birthday...I have to say that has been one of my better birthday's in most recent years.

This song simply states....life is good...but ETERNAL life is BETTER.

"Life Is Good" - as sung by Stellar Kart

Life is good, eternal life is better
Life is good, eternal life is better
Life is good, eternal life is better
Life is good, eternal life is better

All around me smiling faces
Different people from different places
Time is short, don't wanna waste it
No ashamed so I'll just say it
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

All around me your creation
Brings me to my knees in adoration
Beauty here cannot compare to
What I see when I first see you

Life is good, eternal life is better
Life is good, eternal life is better
Life is good, eternal life is better
Life is good, eternal life is better
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

All around me your creation
Brings me to my knees in adoration
Beauty here cannot compare to
What I see when I first see you

Life is good, eternal life is better
Life is good, eternal life is better
Life is good, eternal life is better
Life is good, eternal life is better
Life is good, eternal life is better
Life is good, eternal life is better
Life is good, eternal life is better
Life is good, eternal life is better
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

Little hiatus from home & then sick

2009-02-28T21:34:00.000-08:00

It has been 2 weeks since I've posted and wow how time flies...especially when you've been gone from home and you've been sick.

I spent a few extra days in Lewiston when we went down for Peanut's birthday party over Valentine's weekend. What fun. It had been since Christmas since we saw those little ones and I was needing a desperate fix.

Saturday the 14th was her Birthday party and she chose to have a gymnastics party with a Tinkerbell theme....her Meema LOVES Tinkerbell so it makes Meema real happy that Peanut shares this love. There were so many kids and it is a good thing so many parents stayed to enjoy the fun...the gymnastics place only had one person there to man 3 different parties, one right after another. I took a TON of pictures for her mom though since she was helping with the kids, we are both camera freaks so it worked out well. We later went to dinner at El Sombrero and let our waitress know it was her birthday so they brought her a hat, some fried ice cream and sang to her...all so cute. Meema and Papa's gift to her was a mini trampoline (Aydann's term = jumpolene) because every time we stay and blow up our air mattress...she thinks she has to jump on it...also she has been caught jumping on her mom and dad's bed a lot lately. She loves it and so does little brother, he sits on his knees and bounces.

Sunday the 15th we had lunch with Witney and Nate (soon to be son-in-law) at Red Lobster, was a nice but rare occasion that they got us all to themselves. Scott went home by himself, once I had finally decided to stay and had a way home mid-week, and Aydann was so excited that Meema was staying and not going home. Had we announced I was going home too, I'm sure the much asked question of "Can I go to your house?" would have been posed. That night, Mandi had planned to go with some friends to see "Twilight" (for the 3rd time) and wanted me to tag along. It was good but I'm not a junkie...just not into those sci-fi type movies...but my favorite part was the baseball scene....so cool.

The following 3 days, I just hung around with them and the little ones. Justin apologized several times thinking I was bored...are you kidding...just hanging out and being around, I had fun. I don't need to be entertained or running around all the time to not be bored. The rare occasion of me getting to watch the grandkids for a bit when mom and dad are gone too...I miss out on that when we live a couple hours away.

Witney had me go down to the bridal store to see the dress she had picked out and she tried it on for me, very pretty. I had to send a picture to her dad so he wouldn't feel left out. I got to take Aydann to her dance class on Wednesday too. She LOVES dance and I'm looking forward to going down for her recital and another program they are to dance in.

The plan was for Mandi to bring me home on Wednesday night after Aydann's dance and she planned to stay overnight with the kids, do some shopping at these wonderful stores we have up here in CDA that they don't have in Lewiston, and head home on Thursday. It was cute, when we were leaving from dance to go back to her house, she asked, "Can I go to your house?" (if you hadn't figured it out yet, she asks this question A LOT and we are generally telling her, honey, we're coming to see you) but this time I said...Yeah, we are going to my house. When I pulled into her driveway, she started balking..."No, I want to go to your house". I told her we had to pick up mom and Jax first. Being 3, she doesn't quite realize yet that a trip to Meema and Papa's house requires being in the car for a while. All her past trips, she has either slept for most of the way or watched a movie for most of it...and then she is there.

Tuesday night I started getting a sore throat (from post-nasal drip) so I feared starting to get sick and went raiding Mandi's medicine basket to get started on med's. I can never get just a little cold, it always turns into Sinusitis or Bronchitis...needing a doctor and antibiotics by the time all is said and done.

I suggested that on Thursday she could go into town to get some shopping done and just take Jax (and Ashley who came up with her...Ash hasn't been to our house in years, so it was fun having her up here, Scott calls her our adopted-daughter) and I would bring Aydann in with me when she got to her last store; I know from past experience that Aydann gets bored with having to behave in a store and Target is her most favorite to start acting up. This way, Aydann could get up when she was ready (she's like Meema and can be grouchy in the mornings - unless she is up before you and is waking you up...telling you, come on, it's time to get up, the sun is up) have a little breakfast, watch cartoons and just chill. We both really slept in because she too was starting to not feel so well. We got together and met Mandi & Ashley in town but she wasn't too happy with the fact she was going home and not coming back to our house....we'll have to plan when she can come up for a couple of days, just her, to spend at our house. If I'm still unemployed and in the spring when it is warm and she can play outside..she'll have fun...all attention on her alone...oh yeah.

Then for the next week, I've been TRYING to just fight off this cold junk and keep it from becoming a sinus infection because, well, we don't have any health insurance and I know antibiotics are expensive to pay out-of-pocket. I've been addicted to Sudafed - Maximum Strength - Severe Cold for a week...taking Mucinex, to keep that mucus under control...drinking tea and water, 'til I feel as if I could float...breathing in steamy water, to break up all the congestion in my head...I even went so far as to try the sinus irrigation that my brother and sister do now to keep this junk away...any home remedies I found that are supposed to help...to keep from getting worse. Scott can't believe that I've been going over a week now and still haven't kicked it...I do have a poor immune system though and thus the reason I aim to stay away from any and all that have any sicknesses that I could catch. I am feeling much better though...Praise the Lord. I've even been praying for healing and I hate to admit it but I never pray when I am sick. I've never really thought much to do so and was wondering why I never pray when I get sick...I think it is because I feel my little cold or what not is so menial in comparison to those who have cancer or some other terminal disease that is so much more important than any little illness I may have. But then the Lord impressed it upon my heart that nothing is too small or unimportant for Him and He is the Healer.

While I was in Lewiston, Scott surprised me with starting a task we've been talking about doing for a while and have just been waiting until we can afford it. He told me he was just cleaning up a little "hot chocolate" and knowing he doesn't drink hot chocolate, I became suspicious so asked a few other questions leading to the fact I figured he was painting our walls. We had decided on 3 brown colors in the same hues, a dark, medium and light and he went and got a gallon of one of the colors to start. I LOVE IT!! I'm so happy with the color and so is he...thank goodness we could agree on a color. He started on a little wall on the top floor in the hall and last weekend painted the wall in the hall downstairs. He's been itching to do it and he knows me well enough that I would have kept putting it off...so he pounced while I was gone to get started on it. We are doing the whole house basically and for a couple of walls in our house it is a HUGE task because the top of our ceilings start at 9 feet and then progress to about 12-13 feet on the back part so we are doing it in parts.

This is the next wall to be done:

Bye-bye Ivy wallpaper...you've had your day in our house.
Scott & I have grown so sick of looking at it.

Sorry this post has been so long, I need to learn to post several, small posts but as I've said, not feeling well, I haven't felt like doing anything.

4th Scripture for memorizing

2009-02-13T02:55:00.000-08:00

Here is the next verse I chose to memorize. I do have to admit, it is starting to get harder...remember I have that short term memory issue going on.

Jeremiah 29:11 (TNIV)

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.

I've heard this verse a lot and see it on different plaques and when I went looking for it, my concordance wasn't very helpful. I knew it was in Jeremiah and then I had to read a couple of different translations to find just this one.

Saturday's Song - Slow Fade

2009-02-13T02:19:00.000-08:00

I thought I would try something...maybe not every Saturday...but I've been wanting to share some songs that have been touching my heart lately. I can remember when this would happen to my dad, he would hear a song that would minister to him and if it was a southern gospel song (generally was) he would suggest I get the background tape and sing it in church....one of the times I miss.

I think the Lord speaks to me through music more than anything. I love music and would have a real hard time making it without it in my life. It relieves my stress and I just love to sing along.

This song is hitting the Christian music charts pretty heavy right now but since I have all of the Casting Crowns cd's, I heard it quite some time ago and knew it would be a hit.

This song brings tears to my eyes because I can really see that this is happening in our world today and I can see that Satan is really attacking God's people in such a sly and subtle way. It's the...I'll only do it this one time...that after each time Satan tries to tell us, now wasn't that easy...why don't you do it again.

I can remember growing up as a child, we weren't allowed to watch certain movies and the music we were allowed to listen to or the books we read were monitored. I thank my parents that they cared enough for my well being and Christian up-bringing that they filtered a lot from our little eyes and ears. I really think there aren't enough parents out there anymore who take the time to look into what their kids are really seeing or listening to and why we have kids growing up the way they are now. I heard just recently, on the radio station I listen to, of someone giving a little interview that he came across a PG movie that he wouldn't let his kids see. Not because of any violence in it or anything like that but for the simple fact he didn't like the attitude of the kids in the movie and how they treated their parents. He didn't think is was something he wanted his kids to pick up on and act the same way....I thought, WAY TO GO....If only....

Slow Fade - sung by Casting Crowns

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands
As darkness pulls the strings

Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you
That are sure to follow

It's a slow fade
When you give yourself away
It's a slow fade
When black and white are turned to gray

And thoughts invade, choices are made
A price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

It's a slow fade
It's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattering leads to compromises
The end is always near

Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises
Leave broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade
When you give yourself away
It's a slow fade
When black and white are turned to gray

And thoughts invade, choices are made
A price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade
When you give yourself away
It's a slow fade
When black and white are turned to gray

And thoughts invade, choices are made
A price will be paid
When you give yourself away

People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

© MY REFUGE MUSIC; CLUB ZOO MUSIC; SWECS MUSIC;

The rest of my cards

2009-02-13T01:45:00.001-08:00

Here are the other 2 cards that I made.
First up is Aydann's Birthday card. She was having a Tinkerbell themed birthday party and since Tinkerbell is one of my personal favorites...that is what we went with.

I stamped and embossed the flower background with one of my many DeNami stamps and the rest is stickers. I have a Tinkerbell cartridge that I would have used, however, someone else has been borrowing it and it is over a hundred miles away, so I went in search of some Tinkerbell stickers.
I used my Nestabilities Scalloped Rectangle die to cut out the piece Tinkerbell is posed on. She really is our little Princess.
This is the inside of the card which I used my Cricut to cut out the "Happy Birthday" with my Calligraphy Cartridge. The crown and Tinkerbell are stickers.

Here is my main Valentine card (I made 9 of these). Here again I used the Basic Grey-Bittersweet Line-Mousse paper. I cut out the hearts on my Cricut with the Calligraphy cartridge and my Design Studio. It is normally one heart facing in one direction and I welded them all together and flipped a couple of them. I learned a really cool tip and used it to cut out the different colors. The pink hearts I ran through my Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots embossing die. This card was too plain without the little addition in the lower left hand corner and trying to decide what to do there was the most difficult of this whole card. It was at that point I realized I needed more embellishments...so I went off to Michael's with my card to see what I could find. *Just a little side note: Our Michael's really sucks and needs to get with the times on their scrapbooking and stamping stuff. I finally decided on these little wooden hearts that I painted with the Making Memories "Chocolate" paint. I added a little dot of pink hot glue (believe it or not I found my glue sticks in a fishing shop down in Boise). I've been invading on some of Scott's materials he uses and coming up with other ideas you'll see in the future for some of the fly tying stuff that can also be used in card making. I used the Martha Stewart "Branch" punch for the twiggy stuff coming out from the back of the heart. I have to say I think they turned out super cute. I think I may submit this one to the Cricut message board. Try to win myself a new cartridge.

I've been busy crafting

2009-02-13T00:53:00.000-08:00

I feel as if I've been living in my craft room lately and here is most of the evidence of it. I can't show all of them yet (until my Valentine's reach their recipients...I don't want to spoil it for them).

A friend that I've known for like 19 years lost her father a couple of weeks ago and since I've been close with her and her kids and all her sisters and her parents...I made sympathy cards for them all (I made 7 total of these). This is the first sympathy card I've ever made. But I think it turned out good.

I used my Nestabilities Scallop Rectangle dies and I just LOVE them and my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder. I stamped it with Autumn Leaves Flourishes stamps. I had to print out the sentiment on the computer since I didn't have any sympathy stamps, with the exception of "With Sympathy" which I did stamp in the inside.

Next up, I made a birthday card for a friend of mine that I will be seeing this weekend in Lewiston (she is actually my step-daughter's mother-in-law but we hit it off real great and are friends). Her Birthday isn't until Monday the 16th.

Again...you see the Nestabilities (this time) Scallop Circle die. I used my Cricut and Design Studio to create the large black scalloped edge. I used my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder and a Sizzix die for the cupcake.

This one was a little harder for me to do mainly because I don't have a lot in these colors so I was limited in what I did. However, the silver strip in the middle (don't gasp when you hear this) but it is from some wrapping paper that was on one of our wedding presents. I have several big chunks that were in good condition and SEE I did use it again.

And lastly, for now, is the Valentine card I made for Scott. It has literally been years since I've made my Valentine cards and I figured since I was home and had the time, I would make all my cards this year.

Well lookie here...another card with the Nestabilities Scalloped Circle die (I'm gonna get my money's worth out of these and like I said, I LOVE them). I also used the much sought out Basic Grey-Bittersweet Line-Mousse paper. When I finally found it in Boise at Archiver's I bought out the 7 sheets they had. I just think it is so pretty. I also found I really like the way Basic Grey's paper distresses, it is very workable. I stamped the mice from one of my Penny Black stamps and altered it a little (it has a big flower above their heads that shields them like an umbrella). I used to make cards for Scott when we were dating that had these Penny Black mice, hedgehogs, cats on them but haven't in a long time. I stamped the "Love You" at the top.

Well that is it for this post...my next one will show 2 more cards but I will have to wait until Saturday to post that one.

I've been having a lot of fun. I spent all weekend in my craft room and Scott spent all weekend in his man cave (across the hall from my room) watching movies and doing his craft of tying flies. I asked him who he thought made a bigger mess when they were creating...he definitely thought I did but that I could control it better than what I do. (I will have to take a picture next time it is in such disarray and show you...maybe one day a short little video on my craft room). He said he will usually pick out a fly from his book and pull out those materials to make it and that is it. I told him it was impossible for me because I didn't have a book I could just duplicate a card from. I am creating...trying to find if one thing looks good to find that no not really but lets try this. I usually only have the for sure thing of my paper colors decided, the type of card and MAYBE a particular stamp. I am finding though that I need more embellishments. And I think I can honestly say that since I've moved up here, away from all my stamping buddies, that this is the first time I've spent this much time in my room doing my thing. It was a blast. I think I will try really hard to do all of my cards for the year, handmade. So next up would be my brother's birthday card. Paper already sitting on my table waiting to be used.