tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86303032461931630922024-02-06T18:47:27.020-08:00Only Yanks Put Sugar In There GritsAs defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-61954140922923154342012-08-15T10:02:00.002-07:002012-08-19T12:34:20.741-07:00Be the message<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GHiwMSBCLbc/UCubHFXAJBI/AAAAAAAAAXI/6G1WQs5rGrE/s1600/christians_swearing1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GHiwMSBCLbc/UCubHFXAJBI/AAAAAAAAAXI/6G1WQs5rGrE/s320/christians_swearing1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
I get so tiered of encountering mean Christians. Look, we can't continue to be a bunch of babies, that go to church 3 or more times a week and have no idea how to represent God out in public or towards others. The fruits of the spirit are Love, joy, peace, patients, kindness , goodness, faithfulness, self control. If you are a Christian, then all those should be real attributes of your daily self. All the fruits come out of love and if you learn how to walk in love, think more about what you can do for others instead of yourself, you'll have so much joy, you won't know what to do with it. John 13:34 , A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. <br />
<br />
I remember reading a quote from an early Latin writer named <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tertullian" target="_blank">Tertullian of Carthage</a>,I know very little about Tertullian , which is why I included a link to wikipedia but I do remember him being quoted as saying, "That the one thing that converted him to Christianity was not the
arguments they gave him, because he could find a counterpoint for every
argument they would present but rather it was what they demonstrated something I didn't have. The thing that converted
me to Christianity was the way that they loved each other," Now that saying so much and I often think, If he encountered some of the people i know would he feel the same or would he walk away with his counterpoints?<br />
<br />
Folks, please don't just give preach the message be the message.<br />
<br />
I love you and have a very blessed and wonderful day.<br />
<br />
Anna Marie.<br />
<br /></div>
As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-59913355779962577802012-08-13T13:36:00.001-07:002013-02-23T18:58:53.964-08:00Superman Live here....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-85511483192080540572012-08-05T00:29:00.006-07:002012-08-05T00:29:42.231-07:00Keep Silent, Keep Sweet, Keep Steppin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I love this poem so much. As a child I was given this poem to memorize by my great Aunt Opal. She was always such a wise women. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Keep Silent - Keep Sweet - Keep Stepping</b>
<br />
Keep silent when rumours about you are stirred<br />
When friendship is hurt like a broken winged bird<br />
When clamours your heart for it's right to be heard<br />
<br />
Keep Silent - Keep Sweet - Keep Stepping<br />
<br />
Keep sweet when provoked by some petty affair<br />
By those whom you love or your loyality wares<br />
When the milk of your spirit is curled with care<br />
<br />
Keep Silent- Keep Sweet - Keep Stepping<br />
<br />
Keep stepping when other folks hinder your way<br />
When your weary and tired at the close of the day<br />
Too footsore to run, too weary to pray<br />
<br />
Keep Silent- Keep Sweet - Keep Stepping<br />
<br />
Keep silent and you'll save yourself needless regret<br />
Keep sweet and you'll have the whole world in your<br />
debt<br />
Keep stepping...God's spirit is within you,over<br />
you,underneath you,and all around you... the truest<br />
friend you've met<br />
<br />
Keep Silent- Keep Sweet - Keep Stepping<br />
<br />
Unknown</div>As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-35797278699678183982012-08-04T17:24:00.002-07:002012-08-06T20:54:53.948-07:00Released.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
God is soooooooooooo Amazing! I just got a call that was so refreshing.<br />
<br />
Have you ever had something on you heart for a long time but for whatever reason, you sit on it, instead of taking to the Lord? I am guilty. For over a year, I've been holding on to the familiar, staying in my comfort zone but because I was not where the Lord wanted me, my comfort zone, was in no way comfortable. The Lord had given me specific instructions about a certain situation and I basally did some but not all of it. Guess what... it doesn't work that way. It's either all or nothing.<br />
<br />
<b>"See, I am setting before you today a blessing
and a curse -- the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that
I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your
God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which
you have not known" (Deuteronomy 11:26-28)</b>.
<br />
<br />
About four month ago, the conviction was so strong on the matter, that I just broke down and went to the Lord and asked for forgiveness and to please grant me the strength to follow through. Also about that time, we started a study on Prayer in school, it was such a magnificent study. It taught the when, how, why, the ins and the outs and so much more. I started applying it and our life as a family, started to change in big ways. I've always prayed but nothing like I do now. Along with my new prayer life, came even more revelations about myself and everything around me. What Ive learned, I've not only applied to my life but have been sharing with others and my children. I have to say for the first time, my children now pray openly, with me and by themselves. I can't tell you how amazing it is to hear them in their room, off to themselves, talking with the Lord. Of course, when you have an amazing prayer life, you ushering in an amazing praise Life as well. We, get our Praise on in the Patterson household. lol<br />
<br />
So, tonight I received a call and the call, completely released me of all the Lord showed me to move away from. I know they thought I was absolutely bonkers because I busted out laughing, even caught myself off guard but I couldn't help it. It was a serious, WOW moment. This last month, the Lord has really been working , moving, showing out on the behalf of me, my families and friends. He has also been using me to minister, pray and be of service to those in need or just need help, doors have been open, networking continue to fall in my lap. JUST WOW! Lord I Praise You!!!<br />
<br />
I am more than thrilled to embark on this next leg of my journey. I'm so excited ! The kids start school, in a few weeks and I'm finishing up my last few classes, to only start school back up, when they do.We will be traveling and studying together. I plan on enjoying every min of it because the Lord, will surely be with us on every single leg of our journey. I have to say as well. I'm excepting great things to happen as we go as well.<br />
<br />
Tonight, I've been release, Praise God and will keep my eyes from now on where they were supposed to be all along, on The Lord and His perfect will in and over our Life.I want what the Lord has shown me is to be mine , if I life of full service to Him.<br />
<br /></div>As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-30262251277745232232012-08-02T20:59:00.002-07:002012-08-02T21:21:28.418-07:00Here I go again being happy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Elijah made his first, sugar free chocolate pie today all on his own. Didn't ask for help, didn't want help when I offered, loving these moments. His pie turned out quite lovely ... I'd share a picture but it's almost gone and I had absolutely nothing to do with it because I think PIE, all PIE is yuck! Arianna, on the other hand has gone garden crazy, she is driving me crazy( in a funny way) looking over everyone's shoulder, so she can collect the grounds, peels, skins or seeds of anything you may be eating or drinking. Did I mentions, she has talked gardening, non stop today? Oh no, well guess what, SHE HAS TALKED GARDENING ALL DAY. lol and Miss Tiara, is the best hang out buddy ever. I love our little sneak out mother and daughter days.She is always such a pleasure to be with and very humorous to boot. So her and I spent the day taking care of errands and tying up loose end before we take off. Then to have all three of then in class with me tonight along with one of my besties, was just the icing on the cake( cake, which is also yuck,lol). From start to finish this day has been good.<br />
<br />
I know, I know, here I go again, being Ms. Positive Pansy, AGAIN but I ask, what do I have to be sad about? I could have wrote this instead:<br />
<br />
Today I woke up and was still so sleepy, but i somehow managed to pull myself out of bed anyways. I made breakfast but manged to somehow ruin my favorite muffin dish, baking eggs for breakfast. I'll never ever be able to replace that pan, because it's discontinued. Then I had to drag my son out of the bed so we could go have the truck serviced and it cost me and ARM and a LEG..................<br />
<br />
I don't care to even go on folks with all that negative stuff and although there is truth to all situations I typed. I only care to dwell on the events of the day that will bring about continued joy in my life, I see it as a much needed maintenance plan, if you will. The word of God says<b> "Love life, and see good days" (1 Peter 3:10)</b>. I happen to love my life in all it's ups and downs, in all it's ins and outs I simply love my life. Many years of my past were spent in the down dark doldrums of life. I don't know if you know what a Doldrum is but it's a <span id="hotword" style="color: black;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;">dull, listless, depressed mood: causing one to be low in spirits and I represented myself so very well. When I finally had enough, I started to climb up and out and upon doing so I found myself in valley. While I was climbing, I couldn't have told you what I was after, where I was going or what I was going to encounter, when I got there( where??) but I can tell you I was seeking, longing for something different. I felt as though, something or someone was calling me. Battered and beaten, I landed in <a href="http://sugaredgrits.blogspot.com/2010/06/valleys.html" target="_blank">My Valley</a> ( another blog) and finally it was there, while living in a Salvation Army, age 25 I had my first real and audible, encounter with the Lord. Yes, I've been in church all my life but I only knew of God, as if He were a friend, of a friend, of a friend. Even then my first real encounter left me hope in the form of a small flickers of light that came and went which each passing breeze. One day I'd see it, the next I didn't and it went on that way for years but I never let go, even though in the back of my mind, I still had the enemy, attacking me at every turn. One of the biggest lies, he had me believing is that, I wasn't good enough for God for all my efforts, in the end I was still hell bound. Praise God I've always been a fighter and a stubborn one at that.lol I started saying to the devil, most times with tears in my eyes..." So what, I may not make it but I can at least help others make it( WOW RIGHT? but that the enemies job to place doubt 2 Corinthians: 11</span></span><span id="hotword" style="color: black;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;">).</span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="hotword" style="color: black;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;">Ok, now this was not intentionally supposed to be a long blog but things flow out or I feel compelled to share,lol . So let me close it out. I just wanted to make this point, For years I allowed the enemy to steal my joy and notice I said. I ALLOWED it. When I finally caught on to something not being right, the peices just weren't fitting together.The life I was at least trying to live( lukewarm), wasn't inline with what the Bible said, or The God I claimed to be serving. I myself was not a true representation of God but I did a dandy job of representing my life as a listless wonder. When I started seeking after the Lord, regardless of my life , situation or circumstance, My Life Changed! I became Happy without effort, even when my day is full of effort. I asked the Lord for joy and He indeed gifted it to me and it's up to me to maintain it daily. </span></span><br />
<span id="hotword" style="color: black;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span id="hotword" style="color: black;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;">As of late, I've been attacked because of always being happy. I've been told everything from, it's not real, I'm hiding something, I'm mocking others,It's annoying, to the latest... It's demonic( OUCH! and that comes from those who say they also love the Lord, ekkk!). The truth is, my daily life is extremely busy, no matter what time I go to sleep, if I go to sleep, my day starts at 4:30 a.m. I'm always on the go and have a constant mountain of work on and off the field. I'm almost always sleepy, most days wake up achy because I fall asleep at my desk, on my floor while studying and get up with crooks and whatnots,lol This does not include, school, homeschooling, and helping friends , family and prefect strangers in need... or... Dat ta da daaaa... Ministry. but you know what? I love every min of it and I thank and Praise god for choosing me and He knows better than I , the plan of my future and that just keeps me HAP HAP HAPPY!!! </span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="hotword" style="color: black;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;"> Please never ask me to change ( not that i would for you anyways,lol, just being honest), I love who the Lord is making me and how he is using me. </span></span><br />
<span id="hotword" style="color: black;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span id="hotword" style="color: black;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;">Be blessed ,</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword" style="color: black;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;"><br /></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rWU8nYIvpdk/UBtMazO0QRI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/s-fCPnDoebg/s1600/5086B4C36CF5269F4FAB0D441BACFA8A.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="93" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rWU8nYIvpdk/UBtMazO0QRI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/s-fCPnDoebg/s200/5086B4C36CF5269F4FAB0D441BACFA8A.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<span id="hotword" style="color: black;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;"><br /></span></span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-45590925308736810232012-07-27T03:56:00.000-07:002012-07-27T04:01:44.926-07:00Controling my tounge...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Have you ever been in a situation where you have blurted something out before you had time to think about it or reacted hastily to a situation but regretted your actions only moments later? I'm sure if being honest, we have all been there done that at one time of another in our lives. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ONmMipAm0CY/UBJ0fjaK7sI/AAAAAAAAAU0/R_xYcrbRx8s/s1600/Holy+Boldness+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ONmMipAm0CY/UBJ0fjaK7sI/AAAAAAAAAU0/R_xYcrbRx8s/s320/Holy+Boldness+Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
For years I used to go around, proud as a peacock , boosting about how wonderfully bold I was. How I spoke what was on my mind and heart and even went s far as to say, It was a gift from God, a gift of Holy boldness but I can't tell you just how wrong I had it. I do indeed have a boldness stored in me and although, I still believe it's a gift from God, what I know now, is that gift is best when completely governed by the Holy Spirit. What I've learned, still learning is that leaving self out of the equation, works! The boldness the Lord has placed in me, was never for me in the first place but to be able to go out and share His goodness, love, and mercy to the hurting and dark world and I can't begin to tell you what a humbling revelation that has been for me. Simply put, my feathers where plucked!!!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Don't get me wrong, there are still times where I personally would like to give a good tongue lashing, a normal reaction to the flesh, when hurt or angered, especially if it involves hurting my children, but is it worth it? I suppose if your in need of self satisfaction but right now in my life, I just want God and I find myself, burying myself in His arms for peace , comfort, rest and most of all to help control my tongue, lol, when those moments occur. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Reading James 3 this morning was such a profound reminder:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="text Jas-3-1"><span class="chapternum"></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. </i></span></b> </span> <b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="text Jas-3-2" id="en-NIV-30322"><sup class="versenum">2 </sup>We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. </span></i></span></b> </div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="text Jas-3-3" id="en-NIV-30323"><sup class="versenum">3 </sup>When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. </span><span class="text Jas-3-4" id="en-NIV-30324"><sup class="versenum">4 </sup>Or
take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by
strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot
wants to go.</span> <span class="text Jas-3-5" id="en-NIV-30325"><sup class="versenum">5 </sup>Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.</span> <span class="text Jas-3-6" id="en-NIV-30326"><sup class="versenum">6 </sup>The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. </span></i></span></b> <br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="text Jas-3-7" id="en-NIV-30327"><sup class="versenum">7 </sup>All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind,</span> <span class="text Jas-3-8" id="en-NIV-30328"><sup class="versenum">8 </sup>but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. </span></i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="text Jas-3-9" id="en-NIV-30329"><sup class="versenum">9 </sup>With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. </span><span class="text Jas-3-10" id="en-NIV-30330"><sup class="versenum">10 </sup>Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.</span> <span class="text Jas-3-11" id="en-NIV-30331"><sup class="versenum">11 </sup>Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?</span> <span class="text Jas-3-12" id="en-NIV-30332"><sup class="versenum">12 </sup>My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.</span></i></span></b> <br />
<br />
What stood out for me was James saying, that our tongues are mighty rudders, guiding the body where
it will go. We should be very careful of the words that come out of our
mouths. We can do the greatest good, and the most terrible evil, by the
use of our mouths. Christians should let the truth and grace of Christ
govern their language. Otherwise, terrible problems can occur. Let our
words reflect our commitment to Christ, and God will bless us and defend
us.<br />
<br />
Lord I am indeed committed! I will do a better job and showing that fact daily.<br />
<br />
Psalm 34:13<br />
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.</div>As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-8224695378936890842012-01-01T02:06:00.000-08:002012-01-01T02:06:24.777-08:00Breaking the Complacency Habit: 10 Ways to Grow Spiritually in 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <strong>1. Read through the Bible in a year</strong>. There are several good resources available to help you do this. If you've already done it, do it again, but in a different translation. (Even better, team up with a friend to do this with you and hold each other accountable).<br />
<br />
<strong>2. Choose a book of the Bible to study. </strong>The next step after simply <em>reading</em> the Bible is to <em>study</em> it, go beneath the surface, uncover the truths, principles and insights in Scripture. You may want to study one book of the Bible each quarter...or one for the entire year. Try picking up the <em>New Inductive Study Bible</em> which actually teaches you how to study the Bible on your own. Make sure you regularly share with others what you are learning.<br />
<br />
<strong>3. Study</strong> <strong>a topic that will help you grow. </strong>Ask yourself where you want to be in your relationship with the Lord by the end of the year and then set tangible goals for getting there. For instance, if you want to know Him better, consider a study of His names in the Old Testament and Jesus' "I am" statements in the New Testament. If you need to slow down and learn to listen for His voice, study all the Word says about "rest" or "hearing" or His "voice." If there are character traits you know you need to work on, consider an in-depth study of some or all of the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).<br />
<br />
<strong>4. Participate in a weekly small group Bible study</strong> or lead one among your friends, neighbors, or co-workers. We can grow at a faster rate in community because we are able to share our experiences with one another and hold each other accountable.<br />
<br />
<strong>5. Read three books to deepen your devotional life. </strong>Set a goal to read a book every month, every three months, or whatever is realistic for you. Also consider reading books that will challenge and convict you...that's where the growth comes.<br />
<br />
<strong>6. Start a weekly prayer group </strong>with others who share similar concerns on your heart. (For example, praying with other moms for your children, praying with other wives for unsaved spouses, praying during your lunch hour with co-workers, or praying with friends or church members for a specific burden God has placed on your heart.)<br />
<br />
<strong>7. Start a journal to record your growth. </strong>Start journaling your thoughts as you read the Word. How did a certain passage compel you to pray? What changes are you asking God to make in your life? What discoveries have you made about His character or His Word? Date each page. By the end of the year, you'll have a record of where God took you and what He has shown you through the past 12 months.<br />
<br />
<strong>8. Record your blessings and answered prayers</strong>. Keep a "blessing book" in which you record every blessing that comes your way throughout the year, adding a prayer of thanks or praise. In addition, write out your prayer requests and record the answers as they come. By writing out these types of things, you will not only be more keenly aware of how God is working in and around your life, but you will be able to see your progress in becoming one who does "everything without complaining or arguing" (Philippians 2:14) and a person who gives thanks "in all circumstances" (First Thessalonians 5:18). <br />
<br />
<strong>9. Disciple a young believer. </strong>We learn the most when we teach it to others. And seeing them grasp truth for the first time gives it a fresh impact on our lives as well. Pick up the <em>One-to-One Discipleship</em> manual from <a href="http://new.multimin.com/wordpress/">Multiplication Ministries</a> and take a young believer through the adventure of living the Christ-directed life.<br />
<br />
<strong>10.</strong> <strong>Pick a 'theme verse' for the year.</strong> Say it aloud every day. I guarantee if you do this, by the end of the year -- and probably a lot sooner -- you will have memorized that verse. And that's one more verse in the Word of God that you will have memorized during your lifetime. Choose from Psalm 90:12, Psalm 119:32, Psalm 119:133, Galatians 5:16, Philippians 1:27, Philippians 4:6-7, or find one of your own.<br />
Make some of these action points priority in your life this next year and hopefully, by the end of 2012, you'll be not only another year old in your body, but another year older in your faith and walk with Christ. That's <em>my</em> goal for the year. How about you?<br />
<br />
<strong>Cindi McMenamin</strong> is a national speaker and the author of several books including <em>When Women Walk Alone, Women on the Edge, </em>and <em>Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs</em>. For free resources on how to start your year right and grow spiritually, see her website: <a href="http://www.strengthforthesoul.com/">www.StrengthForTheSoul.com</a><br />
<br />
</div>As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-70690813875896331562010-12-02T11:08:00.000-08:002010-12-02T11:08:02.075-08:00Is confidence a bad thing?<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"><b>Confidence</b>: To believe in ones self, ones abilities, </span></span><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">full</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">trust;</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">belief</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">in</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">the</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">powers,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">trustworthiness,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">reliability</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">of</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">a</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">person</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">thing.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">Seems pretty solid in definition but in reality a very shaky and sensitive ground for most, if most were to be honest. Yesterday after being asked a series of questions that first started out as an easy going inquisitive conversation between two single women, turned out in the end to be a angry judgmental one because as they put it I had too much confidence. I asked... is that even possible? NO, Is confidence a bad thing? NO. That is if it's real. I assure you my confidence is real, but not in self...</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">Here's the thing I'm confidant in lots of areas of my life but there are also things from day to day I'm very unsure of when it comes to life, myself, raising my children and even down to cooking and cleaning. However the source of confidence I do have and maintain is in the God I serve and it's only because of that I'm am able to make it. If it were left up to me, most days I'd never leave my home. I'd take one look in the mirror and say oh no... can't go anywhere looking like this and honesty it's how i feel each day before, spending my one on one time alone with the Lord each day. So the confidence she seen wasn't me, it's the Lord showing through me. </span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">There was a time in my life when material things meant more to me than I meant to myself. The passion I put into, looking the part, playing the part, driving the part, dating the part, fake smiling the part of a happy women was tons of work. A majority of the time, the requirement were so overwhelming I still found myself, hiding behind locked doors and away from those I thought at the time important , just to get a breather. I dare not allow them to see I had a weakness and was a FAKE. I felt like those people could make or break me and truth be told because of the faith and confidence level was, they very well could have broken me because I had no real confidence in myself let along The Lord.</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">So here I am many years later, have so much less material wise, but stand before you one of the most truly confidant women or individuals I know. My joy is real, my life is amazing, my children are awesome, my businesses are doing very well, I'm surrounded by people who truly love and care for me, Everywhere I go I have favor and I'm not kidding and anything I set out to do I do very well,if i put my heart and mind to it but it's not me... I can't take credit for any of it, It's all God. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">Me,alone = Not so confidant</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">Me in Christ = unstoppable, undeniable, joyful, beautiful, loving, caring, wise, fun, exciting, unselfish, highly favored and so much more. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">WOW, so perhaps looking at it that way, one who is on the same shaky fake foundation I once stood on, I would have way to much confidence. Is that even possible?</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<b><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"><br />
</span></span></b><br />
<b><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;">The word of God says this about confidance:</span></span></b><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"></span></span><br />
<div class="verse"> </div><div class="verse">"For the LORD will be your confidence,<br />
And will keep your foot from being caught."<br />
Proverbs 3:26<br />
<br />
"In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,<br />
And His children will have a place of refuge."<br />
Proverbs 14:26</div><div class="verse"><br />
"For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit,<br />
rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,<br />
though I also might have confidence in the flesh.<br />
If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:"<br />
Philippians 3:3-4 <br />
<br />
"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him,<br />
that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."<br />
1 John 5:14<br />
<br />
"Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us,<br />
we have confidence toward God."<br />
1 John 3:21<br />
<br />
"Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,<br />
who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols."<br />
Psalm 40:4 <br />
<br />
<br />
Those is where I stand in the confidence and my confidence is int he Lord God.<br />
<br />
</div><span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"></span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span id="hotword"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="background-color: transparent; cursor: default;"><br />
</span></span>As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-4564884256769663312010-10-08T06:39:00.000-07:002012-08-04T19:04:19.585-07:00No Payday Loans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This morning I woke up with a urgency to walk my floors and Praise the Lord. For the first time in a very long time, we are going without. Without alot, yet I know it's only temporary but making my mind get in line with my heart has required me to get up and worship the Lord, even in my Valley's. Despite, not having much in the pantry, in the gas tank, I had to remember, that i have my health and had the means to pay for my surgery,I have my children, our home, and our joy. So it's ok that we don't have much else... we need to diet anyways. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!<br />
<br />
<br />
In the valley's there should still be praise. I had to come around to lifting the Lords name on high this morning and loudly, so that I could breakthrough the ceiling and made sure my praises got to the Lord, not my wants, desires or needs but my praises...If I'm to trust the Lord in all that I do, than giving him Praise is far more appropriate for knowing whats going to come about instead of walking in daily fear of the unknown. In my praise my peace come and I'm surely going to enjoy the rest of my day as it was meant to be enjoyed.<br />
<br />
<br />
On the suggestion of everyone around me i needed to run out and obtain a payday loan right away. Theses are all individuals who know God as Jehova- Jireh, our provider but are showing no faith in Him as being so by giving me this advice. The Lord is Jehova - Nissh, my banner, he will keep us covered until he rains and storms stop. I don't know about you, but personally, I love a good storm because I know that afterward, everything will be green and grow. I'm ready for my growth. I'm right now only being fertilized.( smile).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Have a Blessed and wonderful day,<br />
Anna Marie</div>As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-23037587054993535332010-09-15T06:38:00.000-07:002010-09-15T06:41:02.105-07:00The ReplacementsWho are they, where do they come from, how do you send them back????<br /><br />As much as I have enjoyed my children over the years, watching them blossom into these strange creatures called teens has been, well… quite the ride and a fun one at that. I was told many many years ago, that because my children had Autism, they would never ever be able to show me love, express themselves or show emotion. I’m so glad I didn’t listen to the medical science and put my faith and trust in the Lord for if I hadn’t I’d most likely be like the countless other parents out there with a special needs child… miserable, unhappy, sad, depressed and angry at the world as they struggle to understand why?<br /><br />Me, I’ve never asked why, I just went with the punches. When they started to spin, I started to spin, when they started to squeal, I started to squeal, when they started to flap... Well, Ok I started to laugh, but it worked for us. We made it and we are here today still rising above what was expected. Sure we have our days and will continue to have our days, but If the Lord is on our side, those days simply don’t measure up to the blessing.<br /><br />So I can’t help but wonder, after it’s all said and done, where my babies have gone? Just yesterday they were leaning on me for everything and today, they are putting me in check about my inconsistencies. A strange new world I live in with these replacements. It’s no longer mom, can or may I, it’s I’m going to. It’s no more, ok mom, sure, it’s YEAH, maybe and I guess if I’m to be perfectly honest, I kinda like em but I dare not tell them that, or they will get the upper hand.As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-56562045452267759552010-08-09T09:32:00.000-07:002010-08-09T09:38:24.095-07:00Two Frogs<img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 321px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 296px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.mumey.com/photos/favorite_photos/two_frogs.jpg" /><br />A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.<br /><br />The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-35448352060138821312010-07-07T14:40:00.000-07:002010-07-07T14:46:17.391-07:00YOU HAVE TO TRY THESE!<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tantemarie.com/recipes/horsdoeuvres/images/bltsteak_popover8.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 149px;" src="http://www.tantemarie.com/recipes/horsdoeuvres/images/bltsteak_popover8.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Yields</em>: 12 to 14 popovers<br /><em>Ingredients</em>:<br />4 cups milk (warmed)<br />8 large eggs<br />4 cups flour<br />1 1/2 tsp. salt<br />2 1/4 cup grated gruyere cheese<br /><br /><em>Directions</em>:<br />1. Place the popover pan in the oven. Heat the oven and pan to <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tantemarie.com/recipes/horsdoeuvres/images/bltsteak_popover1.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 148px;" src="http://www.tantemarie.com/recipes/horsdoeuvres/images/bltsteak_popover1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>350F. <p>2. Gently warm the milk over low heat and set aside.</p> <p>3. Whisk egg until frothy and slowly whisk in the milk (so as not to cook the eggs). Set the mixture aside.</p> <p>4. Sift the flour with the salt. Slowly add this mixture and gently combine until mostly smooth. Once the mixture and gently combine until mostly smooth.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tantemarie.com/recipes/horsdoeuvres/images/bltsteak_popover9.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 149px;" src="http://www.tantemarie.com/recipes/horsdoeuvres/images/bltsteak_popover9.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p>5. Once combined remove the popover pan from the oven and spray with non-stick vegetable spray. While the batter is slight warm or room temperature, fill each popover cup with 3/4 full.</p> <p>6. Top each popover with approximately 2 1/2 Tbsp. of grated gruyere.</p> <p>7. Bake at 350F for 50 minutes, rotating pan half a turn after 15 minutes of baking.</p> <p>8. Remove fro the oven, remove from the pan and serve immediately.</p>As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-82015528558829634812010-06-09T08:11:00.000-07:002010-11-01T05:37:17.939-07:00The Valley's<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZ5zx55o-kdgsPHSst3eCmN_XLXwzzyrP9jnv3aERKR3MtN2lPNjXRycLzLYYg9c_cQLCP1UTrvvCb3zs_tECsydPaoIuv4P44mPlQfOyV7gzdbM0TLmQu3gV1nyjt86LUtaRTEPCQUxY/s1600/praise-god.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZ5zx55o-kdgsPHSst3eCmN_XLXwzzyrP9jnv3aERKR3MtN2lPNjXRycLzLYYg9c_cQLCP1UTrvvCb3zs_tECsydPaoIuv4P44mPlQfOyV7gzdbM0TLmQu3gV1nyjt86LUtaRTEPCQUxY/s200/praise-god.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480797231819627010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Yesterday while speaking with another parent of a son about the same age as Elijah, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said. You know Anna, people just don't understand how exhausting it is to have a child with Autism. I have only one, but you have three and I'm worn out. How in the world do you keep going? My response..."I've come to love my Valley's."<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">When we are on the “</span><em style="font-family: times new roman;">mountaintops</em><span style="font-family:times new roman;">” in our lives, we can see our future clearly. We have perspective and confidence. When we are in one of life’s valleys, however, our vision is limited and our future seems hidden. Yet valleys are also the most fertile places on earth. These are times which will produce fruitfulness in our walk with Christ. And you can expect there to be a harvest of virtue when God lives with you in the valleys.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> The Lord's promise to me as a mother, was if I were to remain obedient, there would be a s</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">ure future in it for my children and since I trust and believe in what the Lord God has promised me, while in m</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" >y Valley's I find peace. </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-size:100%;" >The pathways of God's people are not always in the sunshine and invigorating air of the mountain top; our experiences often involve our passing through the lowland, the valleys. It is one's desire that we all may find the "comfort of the Scriptures" in such experiences.</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /><br />Check out the Valley's mentioned in scripture.... Their undeniable.<br /></span>________________________________________________________________________________<br /><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The pathways of God's people are not always in the sunshine and invigorating air of the mountain top; our experiences often involve our passing through the lowland, the valleys. It is one's desire that we all may find the "comfort of the Scriptures" in such experiences.</span></p><div style="font-family: times new roman;"> </div><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">When God spoke of His earthly people possessing the land to which He would bring them, He said that it was "a land of hills and valleys," (Deuteronomy 11: 11); but He also spoke of "fountains and depths that spring out of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >valleys</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> and hills," (Deuteronomy 8: 7). Thus there is provision for the refreshing of our souls whatever may be the circumstances in which we are found.</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">In Psalm 104: 8, we see that "valleys" are actually a creation of God Himself, "the valleys sank, unto the place which thou hadst founded for them," (New Trans.). We can therefore accept our "valley" circumstances as the ordering of God, and rejoice in the knowledge that "he sendeth the springs into the valleys" (v. 10). How blessed to hear Him say to His people, "I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them, I will open . . . fountains in the midst of the valleys," (Isaiah 41: 17, 18).</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Again we read in Psalm 65: 13, "The valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing." Refreshment, support and a joy that cannot be restrained are the portion of those passing through the valleys of God.</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">David was a man who knew what "valley" experiences were. In the valley of Elah, as a type of the Lord Jesus, he knew what derision and scorn were (1 Samuel 17: 28), and he knew what conflict meant. But in the list of the "</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >king's treasures</span><span style="font-size:100%;">" we read of "the herds that were in the valleys," (1 Chronicles 27: 29). If we consider for a moment the anti-type, what increase and substance has accrued as the result of that conflict in the valley! Do we not adoringly own that all the joy and blessing which is ours has come to us through the going down of the One who loved us; He who went into the very valley of death itself?</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">It is possible for us to find ourselves in "valley" circumstances as the result of our own failures, an experience involving sorrow of heart. In Joshua 7, the people of God are found in the "valley of Achor" — the valley of sorrow, consequent upon their defeat by the men of Ai. Achan (which means "troubler") had coveted "a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight," (v. 21). It was the "goodly Babylonish garment which apparently attracted him first, something which would cause him to be outstanding and give him prominence before others. Doubtless he considered the silver and the gold would help him to keep up this prominent position. Alas! how often the desire for self-examination has brought in conditions of sorrow amongst God's people! The "valley of sorrow" remains "unto this day," (v. 26). yet the light of sovereign mercy shines even in the gloom of such a valley. In Isaiah 65: 10, we read "the valley of Achor (shall be) a place for the herds to lie down in, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >for My people that have sought Me</span><span style="font-size:100%;">". If failure has come in, with its consequent sorrow, the remedy is to seek the Lord. He alone can make such circumstances to yield blessing and substance to truly repentant hearts. Again we read in Hosea 2: 15, "I will give her . . the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day she came up out of the land of Egypt." Who but God could fill the "valley of sorrow" with the joyful strains of Exodus 15?</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">There is a further reference to the valley of Achor in Joshua 15: 7, in relation to the lot of Judah, and careful study of that verse, and the route given, will yield much for the exercised heart.</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Psalm 84 introduces another valley — the "valley of Baca," which is the valley of weeping. This speaks of the deep exercises which belong to those whose desires are towards the living God and towards His habitation. As appreciating the mercy of God — and as longing for His interests, our hearts are conscious of the contrary scene through which we are passing, but as finding our strength in God (v. 5), and our affections making room for His ways, we find the vale of weeping turned into "a well-spring; yea, the early rain covereth it with blessings," (v. 6, New Trans.). The blessing of God moves quickly towards those whose hearts are truly set upon Himself, and whilst </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >still in the valley of weeping</span><span style="font-size:100%;">, the whole scene is filled with the consciousness of His inexhaustible supplies of refreshment and blessing.</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">In 2 Chronicles 20, in the days of Jehoshaphat, a great multitude of the enemies of God's people were arrayed against them, but in the power of the prophetic word of Jahaziel ("seen of God") they moved forward to complete victory. As obedient to the word of God they were able to assemble "themselves in the valley of Berechah; for there they blessed the LORD; therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berechah (blessings) unto this day," (v.26). In the history of the Church men who have opposed the truth have often brought the saints into conditions of anguish and distress, but as waiting upon God and giving place to His word, the apparent defeat has been turned into a "valley of blessings" in which the praises of God have issued from the hearts of His people. This was true in the so-called dark ages, when many a Swiss valley rang with the praises of God's people, and it is equally true to-day. God is "The Same;" and His word abides in all its unalterable power and authority.</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; font-family: times new roman; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The taunt of the Syrians was "the LORD is God of the hills, but He is not the God of the valleys." God's answer to this was the complete deliverance of His people.</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; font-family: times new roman; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">There is no valley experience which is beyond the reach of the love of God. The Psalmist could say "Yea, though I walk through </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >the valley of the shadow of death</span><span style="font-size:100%;">, I will fear no evil; for </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Thou art with me</span><span style="font-size:100%;">". Thus in the darkest valley of all, where the strongest enemy is found, we have not only the inexhaustible blessings of our God, but </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >His actual presence with us</span><span style="font-size:100%;">. In Mark 5, we see Jairus passing through such a valley, and it is said (v. 24), "Jesus went with him." When the shadow had deepened, and his daughter was dead, what comfort there must have been to his bereaved heart in the precious words of Christ, "Be not afraid, only believe," (v. 36).</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; font-family: times new roman; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">If the experiences of the "valleys" are to yield their fruit there must be real exercise in relation to them. The valley of Eschol was "searched out," and as the fruit of the searching was "in their hand," they were able to say, "It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us," (Deuteronomy 1: 24, 25).</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"> </div><p dir="ltr" style="text-indent: 0.3937in; font-family: times new roman; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Above all the blessing that may be ours as we move through these exercises with God — there is the fruit which accrues to the heart of the blessed Lord Himself — "I went down . . to see the fruits (verdure) of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, whether the pomegranates blossomed. Before I was aware, My soul set me upon the chariots of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >My willing people.</span><span style="font-size:100%;">" (Solomon's Song 6: 11, 12. New Trans.). Is He not worthy of our willing praise?</span></p><div style="text-align: center; font-family: times new roman;"> </div>As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-20553694331938205402010-06-06T15:08:00.000-07:002010-06-06T15:18:56.931-07:00Just one of many personal moments of insanity…<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://unrepentantoldhippie.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/insane.jpg"><br /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ccfm.org.za/go/assets/images/home/toadily-insane.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 450px;" src="http://www.ccfm.org.za/go/assets/images/home/toadily-insane.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span>Hi, my name is Q. Anna Marie and below is a testimony of just one of my moments of insanity.<br /><br />While most are tucked away in their beds getting must deserved rest as to renew themselves for the day’s events. I sat steady at my </span><span class="googie_link" style="color:green;">PC</span><span>, working away on a project for a new client. Realizing it was time for me to take a much needed break, I took a quick glimpse of my computer clock!???? 4:27 a.m. are you serious? Yes folks I had managed to get so involved with what I was doing I </span><span class="googie_link" style="color:green;">didn</span><span>’t realize I had worked right through the night and into the wee hours of the morning. What makes it even worse; I had no clue that much time had past. I seriously thought it was closer to midnight than anything. It figures, was my immediate thought followed by going for a peaceful slow paced run in the wonderful mist that had formed outside. Yep! I had just that much energy. Yet, even more so than that, I hardly get any alone time. Having </span><span class="googie_link" style="color:green;">home schooled</span><span> two out of three children this year left me with NO time but the wee hours of the morning to get some peace and quite. So at this point I’m taking it all in. What better way than to use my energy than to start off with an hour alone with the Lord, so I opt out of my run for that.<br /><br />As soon as I’m done, I can finally feel the sleepiness setting in. PERFECT! So I off my knees turn around and scream bloody murder… there standing behind me in complete silence was Eli in the midst of the darkness. He, catching me off guard sends him into wild hysterics over the event: “</span><span class="googie_link">Haaaaaaa</span><span> I scared mom!” All the while pointing and now doubled over in stance. My Response… Praise God, I </span><span class="googie_link">didn</span><span>’t deck my child. Here is a bit of honesty… when I get scared I fight, fair warning!!!! LOL Then I just get caught up in his very infectious laughter.<br /><br />“Elijah, you would get up when I’m ready to go to bed. Boy I’m sleepy, you’re on your own, I say jokingly.”<br /><br />“But we don’t have anything for breakfast” came his reply.<br /><br />“Followed by OH CRAP!, </span><span class="googie_link">Opps</span><span> Lord forgive me” All I could think is. I’m so sleepy… </span><span class="googie_link">Whyyyyyyyyyyy</span><span>! It’s my own fault, </span><span class="googie_link">lol</span><span> and with that reminder, Eli and I pack up in the truck and head to the Store. At this point I’m dragging, and a tad irritable but mindful of the situation and decide it best to find something easy for lunch and dinner as well. I pretty much felt I’d be missing church already and I’m pretty much certain the Lord fully understood. With each min passing I grow increasingly delirious, </span><span class="googie_link">lol</span><span>. Because up to this point I had actually been up a full 28 hours and counting (Yeah I know horrible). Elijah senses my weakness because that’s what all children do and hits me with all his might, “Hey MOM can we have ice cream for breakfast?” I look at him and catch the most amazing smile; I’m talking from ear to ear. I let out a sigh…” I don’t care” But you can’t just have Ice cream what are you going to put with it?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >YEP! My personal moment </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://unrepentantoldhippie.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/insane.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 174px;" src="http://unrepentantoldhippie.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/insane.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://unrepentantoldhippie.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/insane.jpg"></a></span></span></span><span> <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">ITY!!!!<br /><br /></span></span>They had Ice cream and brownies for breakfast. Roman noodles for lunch but in all fairness. LOL Home made beef </span><span class="googie_link">stroganoff</span><span> for Dinner. … THANK YOU ( taking a bow)<br /><br />You may all carry on now!!!!!!</span>As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-46410442713215382072010-05-12T16:07:00.000-07:002010-05-19T06:22:16.516-07:00They choose their weapons wiselySo I heard Elijah and Tiara in the living room, where I left each of them to start on their chores, cracking up. The laughter was so intense, I couldn't help myself from giggling and it peeked my interest. So of course I just <i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>had</b></span></i> to get up from my work to see what hoo ha was all about. So delighted with the prospects of getting a good LOL in, I walked into the living room, then immediately did an about face and came right back to my office trying to make sense of what I just seen.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Staples/s0134555_sc7?$sku$" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Staples/s0134555_sc7?$sku$" width="200" /></a></div><object height="364" style="clear: right; float: right;" width="445"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/6l1tvTs_j7k&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/6l1tvTs_j7k&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>Yesterday, I went shopping for cleaning supplies. I bought all of my goodies ( trust me they become goodies when your a stay at home, work from home mother ,lol) home and neatly tucked them away in their proper places. I also found for the first time, large industrial size bottles of Febrez, I was thrilled, I mean doesn't need an INDUSTRIAL SIZE of this stuff , right? So I did the only right thing, I bought two because two of everything is important. I mean even putting my obviously ocd aside, Seaseme Street is bound to set you straight.... <br />One would think that having that much Febrez, you'd keep it around for a while, except when it comes to my household and my children. You see I no longer have either bottle of my special industrial size of extra strength febrez, because for some unknown( to me) reason, my children decided to take the bottles of febrez and have a febrez fight. When I walked int he room, they actually pointing it at one another and spraying away, which had them both in hysterics. So I did what any mother who is striving to remain sane did. I walked out and ignored it.<br /><br />It's been a few hours now and I have a wonderful justified reason for allowing it to all go down. My home and two out of three children still smells wonder!As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-3356976463537136662010-05-06T10:00:00.000-07:002010-05-19T06:49:48.284-07:00As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-60572683236535182292009-11-07T18:30:00.000-08:002010-05-19T06:22:16.522-07:002 stool+1 fluffy Blanket in my book = COMFORT!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tumuses.com/teddybear_boy_sad_on_crutches_md_clr_4600.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tumuses.com/teddybear_boy_sad_on_crutches_md_clr_4600.gif" /></a><br /></div><br /><br />So Elijah was injured at school the other day and to avoid surgery and to see if he will mend naturally, which is what I prefer. He has been placed on crutches for the next two weeks and he is extremely awkward and to be honest I was more worried about him hurting himself, more with the crutches, but Praise God he has managed, clumsiness and all.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Ok here is where I may get the tisk tisk. For this first week he has been still and taking full advantage of it. Can someone get me some water... Can someone pick that up for me? I can't do this, I can't do that and well we have catered to him. My child, even had the nerve to ask if I'd help him shower,lol Adorable huh?We all had a good laugh at that one. lol. The girls have been doubling up on chores to help him out. However tonight he is back in the game. Yes, I'm a mean ole mom, That's right folks I made him get up off his <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Royal Canadian Rusty Dusty</b></span> and do his part, which tonight was the few dishes we had accumulated during the day. At first he complained about not being able to function, that was until he seen i was going to go out of my way to make him super comfy, while tending to his chore.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2 stool</b>+ <b>1 fluffy Blanket</b> in my book = <b>COMFORT</b>!</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrmoSv2LKvu5yremBLjbTLRqTZejwT6PGDBqTp3jcErqZz0Q8wqxZ_xpeQAlaXy6yYy-h2FLNtR8fI3OSH9MuTS8UNBh2djD2uufk5TBexkHMcjKKNrnMRhHTe6qNHBBjSRFzWawSUmY/s1600-h/Elijah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrmoSv2LKvu5yremBLjbTLRqTZejwT6PGDBqTp3jcErqZz0Q8wqxZ_xpeQAlaXy6yYy-h2FLNtR8fI3OSH9MuTS8UNBh2djD2uufk5TBexkHMcjKKNrnMRhHTe6qNHBBjSRFzWawSUmY/s320/Elijah.jpg" /></a><br /></div><br /><br />and it only took him 8690869659587585859595769748480 hours and 15 sec. to get the 8 dishes done. After all was said and done, the very frist thing he did was get down, grab his crutches, go to the living room and holla... CAN YOU MAKE ME A PLATE!( BIG SIGHHHHHH). oh well it was fun while it lasted.<br /><br />Have a very blessed evening.<br /><br />Anna MarieAs defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-48669858817636601662009-11-06T18:31:00.000-08:002010-05-19T06:22:16.525-07:00The faith of a child<b><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The story below is just that... a story, but it's one that could help remind us of the faith we are supposed to have in all of life situations. It may never play out as easy or well verse as the story below, it may take days, weeks months but rest assure, The Lord is on our side and he will answer any call when it's time and that's where our faith should always lay.</span></span></b><br /><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"><br /></span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbZu6uToIGOYJCWo6cCpRBKTcM5ppFSxiO5zzj73DhozfsfrTJH-qthc1KojY86-g3nsC2EbB7ImARJaEmS-mYSu46UpaYKWz21vKvvwJ0SrK734HHzWNHHd7IZRRHhOWt-RF2lyCxUg/s1600-h/c005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbZu6uToIGOYJCWo6cCpRBKTcM5ppFSxiO5zzj73DhozfsfrTJH-qthc1KojY86-g3nsC2EbB7ImARJaEmS-mYSu46UpaYKWz21vKvvwJ0SrK734HHzWNHHd7IZRRHhOWt-RF2lyCxUg/s320/c005.jpg" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet.<br />She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three<br />times, even... The total had to be exactly perfect... No chance here for mistakes.<br />Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she<br />slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment.<br />Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat<br />with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a<br />quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter... That did it!<br />'And what do you want?' the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of<br />voice. 'I'm talking to my brother from <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1257560638_29">Chicago</span> whom I haven't seen in ages,' he<br />said without waiting for a reply to his question. 'Well, I want to talk<br />to you about my brother,' Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. 'He's<br />really, really sick...and I want to buy a miracle.' 'I beg your pardon?'<br />said the pharmacist. 'His name is Andrew and he has something bad<br />growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now So how much does a miracle cost?' 'We don't sell miracles here, little girl.. I'm sorry but I can't help you,' the pharmacist said, softening a little.. </span></span><br /><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"><br />'Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs....' The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, 'What kind of a miracle does your brother need?'' I don't know,' Tess replied with her<br />eyes welling up. 'I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an<br />operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money.' 'How much do you have?' asked the man from Chicago . 'One dollar and eleven cents,' Tess answered barely audibly.<br /><br />'And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.' 'Well, what a<br />coincidence,' smiled the man. 'A dollar and eleven cents---the exact price of a<br />miracle for little brothers. ' He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he g rasped her mitten and said 'Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents.. Let's see if I have the miracle you need.'<br /><br />That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well. <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1257560638_30" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">Mom and Dad</span> were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. 'That surgery,' her Mom whispered.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> </span>'was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?' Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost..one dollar and eleven cents....plus the faith of a little child</span> <br /><div style="color: black;"><br /></div><div style="color: black;"><br /></div><div style="color: black;"><br /></div>As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-28291323743198840492009-11-03T07:30:00.000-08:002010-05-19T06:22:16.527-07:00The gift that keeps on giving...How blessed we are ,as individuals to been chosen by the Lord to be the parents of a child with a disability. Seems like such a strange thing to say, I know, but over the years I have found that this gift the Lord has bestowed on me, has changed me forever and for the better. It makes me smile to think that the Lord thought so highly of me, his child, to give such a unique gift.<br /><br />If you think about you, normally when we receive a gift from a friend or family member, we pay close mind to put it up on a shelf, so we can sit back and take it in, protecting it, as it collects dust. However, for us, our gift, in being the parent of a special needs child has truly been one, that continues to keep on giving. You see, we are required to daily maintain our gifts from God, which has, if you really think about it, made us stronger.<br /><br />Perhaps I need to just speak for myself here but when one of my chidlren are in an immediate need, even though I'm no longer a gym rat, I have managed to leap over furniture, run faster and longer distances without ceasing to take a breathe, I have worked around the clock, just to keep the home in order and keep the bills paid on time. I have fallen on my knees in prayer and cried out to the Lord with absolutely no shame, even in public(smile). So i can say without fail, my gifts from the Lord has truly made me an all around stronger individual. It's even blessed me with patients, wisdom, a kind ,understanding and loving heart towards others, by default. lol. No vase from grammie, could have ever done that, although... it's SUPER NICE!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6COZMlJsSHsBW7wAdbuKZhbX-qvsRZhstG5jmKM8fTfEGKmKfKlPvTG7W9t3X-lP7Ycu0uiusSxWoiV5R0NeRQfpViYbL4ZAVurvjRVN7HePDPO-p0m1PcK5zkL6WMA2jqIh-T-ySVc/s1600-h/Love_someone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6COZMlJsSHsBW7wAdbuKZhbX-qvsRZhstG5jmKM8fTfEGKmKfKlPvTG7W9t3X-lP7Ycu0uiusSxWoiV5R0NeRQfpViYbL4ZAVurvjRVN7HePDPO-p0m1PcK5zkL6WMA2jqIh-T-ySVc/s320/Love_someone.jpg" /></a>From time to time, I need to remind myself, that I was hand picked by the Lord to live in this position,, this ministry, this honored standing in life. Yes, it's gets hard, daily,push through, your child needs you. Yes you may desire to cry, crying is yet another blessing from the Lord, so go for it! Others may not truly understand but the Lord does and he is truly what matters.<br /><br />I encourage you, to remember, we were hand selected by the Lord to take this on, sure bring about a smile to my face. What about yours?<br /><br />Much love,<br /><br />Anna MarieAs defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-81465881985417864352009-11-01T13:46:00.000-08:002010-05-19T06:22:16.529-07:00Family Game Night gone wrong- Sorry Joel Osteen Fans but I'm not letting this one goJoel Osteen. Many adore this man and hang onto his every positive word, but is what he teaching biblical, is it meant to get and keep you in tune with the Lord of with nature and self? When i came to matters of Joel, i always stood very neutral, Because, to each his own, right? NO , there is nothing right about thousands and and I me and Thousands of men women and children being taught to Discover the Champion in you. I have personally heard him say have faith in yourself that you will archive your goals? No mention of having faith in the Lord. So after my recent experience and what the lord has revealed to me... in the famous words of Jessica Alba, I can no longer " , BE Neutral,BE SWEDEN"( sorry Mrs Alba, I couldn't resist.LOL.<br /><br />This summer I decided to spend as much time having fun with my children as possible, so I buy board games all the time. So imagine my delight when at a christian bookstore I found an area of board games. . One in particular called <b>Your best life Now</b>( pay attention to the title it's going to come in a little later) stood out to me like a sore thumb.The sign promotion read... an excellent choice for a solid , christian game, to play with your family and friends. The description, something like will help your family open up share and talk to one another and blah blah blah self esteem. I knew It was going to be a bust, but jokingly bought it anyways, thought of all types of ways to sure ways to lovingly, and jokingly torment my teens, while playing a game that was based on talking openly about ones feelings. However to be honest, really bought it because my spirit was so bothered by it. Garrett and I talked about it in depth before buying it, we actually went back and forth. I finally said, you know Garrett ,I just have to see whats in this box.<br /><br />We made dinner, and set up the game smack dab in the middle of out living room. The game had soooooo many pieces to it, so it actually took some time to set up. As I set it up, I told my oldest to go get the bible, in case we needed it for reference. Boy was that a trip to the bedroom, that wasn't needed.<br /><br /><b>Here is the set up of the game</b><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" height="400" src="http://api.ning.com/files/DOX7kC4BjHd6nj6YnDwTgkRs4uwrHaPYKYRCxuPc-CiYtX0Woh6306n-J2Wm6FPZPBOuk0kEvklPEO61ggVtO2-4kgaNdmg7/6a00e54eea6129883300e54f7cdab88833800wi.jpg" width="327" /><br /></div>Now as your are clearly able to see, there is a Massive head shot of yours truly on the box yet, honestly, OK not enough to worry some, I know, I was there and heard many times over, OH HEY it's Joel O, look mom the hay this Joel O game marked down. So ok moving past that, lol because that's just me being well retentive. Here is where the truth needs to set in and sink in deep. Take a close look at board game it's self. Notice anything? OK you have a Valley and a Mountain top. OK I'm hopeful and so that's what I thought when I first opened it, nothing new age about it, right? Well no not just based off of that.<br /><br /><b>Game Play Time</b> (YEAHHHHHHH)<br /><br /><ul><li> Enlarge Your Vision</li><li> Develop a Healthy Self Image</li><li> Discover the Power of your Thoughts and Words</li><li> Let Go of the Past</li><li> Find Strength Through Adversity</li><li> Live To Give</li><li> Choose to Be Happy</li></ul><br />Noooo, I didn't just quote Dr. Phil. Those are the name of the game play cards.<br /><br />First all players must take a goal tab and write one goal on it, with one way of archiving that goal, fold it , place their name on it and place it in the <b>MY MIRACLE</b> Envelope. Yet i thought the Lord said, miracles are things HE does, not things we do, check out John 2:18; and Matt. 12:38.<br /><br />ok so Then each Player gets dealt 7 Enlarge your vision cards and two faith cards.<br /><br />There are seven levels to complete so let's get started shall we? Humm 7, this poor number can pretty much be associated with tons of things from the sublime to the ridiculous.<br /><br />● Seven ages of man<br />● Seven colours of the rainbow,<br />● Seven wonders of the ancient world<br />● Seven gates of hell<br />● Seven primary chakras<br />● Seven Christian sacraments<br />● Seven Sisters (the Pleiades)<br />● Seven dwarfs<br /><br />THAT'S A WHOLE other blog folks... However I had to point it out. So where is Joel's stand in all of this. Let's play on!<br /><br />Level one: <b>Enlarge your Vision</b>.<br /><br />You start with the youngest player, they in turn roll the die and then move their game piece that amount of spaces. Then they must pull one of their enlarge your Vision cards.Here is what is on each card and the instructions<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" height="74" src="http://api.ning.com/files/Z2XqZ34oPVIE1JVnwaDwdYiwg9*x7lGEe-s*1-Xwpa9NvpgR3SNEgSSH6YX-VqrFtuP-kNA*GAuA2l8CaUJWg-CSmcq-*lX9/Enlargeyourterritorycards.jpg" width="400" /><br /></div>Example given per game instructions, search the images with in the image. If you look at a tree and see a cat, then say cat, there are no wrong answers. <b>YEP MEDITATION TIME.</b> However if your not able to describe why you see a cat, you loose a turn or you can use on of two of your faith cards.<br /><br />NOW I think it's safe to say what role seven plays in this game. Remember the title... Your best Life NOW. Here is where 7 comes in, Meditation 101, <b>Living in the Now<br /></b> <b>Your best life NOW</b>.Living in the NOW is the is just one key focal point of Meditation. Which is then dear sisters, divided off into 7 categories, or LEVELS.<br /><br /><b><i>1.Meditation: Peak Experiences and Flow:</i></b> <i>peak experiences are those moments in which you get totally involved to the point that you lose all sense of time and forget all your worries, fears, and problems.You generally do this by focusing on nature. Do you all remember the Enlarge your vision Cards? No right or wrong answers?</i><br /><br />Well how does this line up with the word of God? In the word of God we can definitely see there is right and wrong answers in all areas of our daily lives.<br /><br />Level two:<b> Develop a Healthy Self Esteem:</b><br /><br />Players must look into the little mirror provided as they make a statements about themselves, with a 15 sec limit. If not, the player looses a turn, unless you use that good ole faith card. Mind you the game instructions warn you in the the start, basically not to have to much faith, because it only allows you two faith cards.<br /><br /><b>2. <i>Meditation :Acting instead of Being</i></b><i> part of human nature to be in the NOW at all times. With the help of Meditation, you can be happy without doing anything. It is essential to realize this aspect, otherwise, the attainment of happiness will be difficult. One sure way of getting to this place is learning to be happy with who you are, right here and now.</i><br /><br />Look into the mirror everyone, pick out everything you love about yourself NOW and accept and embrace it.<br /><br />OK I'm not going to go and outline the entire game, but what i am going to do is show you the different levels that line up perfectly with new age teachings and that the bible is no where to be found, Nor was there one mention of the lord anyone in the entire game, no scripture... nothing. Just believe in your, you can do it, and have faith in your self.<br /><br /><b>Game levels</b><br /><br />3Discover the Power of your Thoughts and Words<br />4Let Go of the Past<br />5 Find Strength Through Adversity<br />6Live To Give<br />7 Choose to Be Happy<br /><br /><b>Meditation levels</b><br /><br />3unnessacery thoughts- pretty much self explanatory<br />4 in the Now everything is beautiful- here you learn to let go of your past<br />5 the key to now- teaches you how to overcome life situations<br />6Your potential is Now- learn to give to yourself, serve yourself<br />7 Acceptance- learn how to be and stay happy.<br /><br />It goes even deeper than this, however i know if i were to bust it all open, no one would read it, soooo,lol, but if you are following the teachings of Joel, please, do so prayerfully, questions things, don't take things for face value. Stay in the word of God, if you desire a good meditation meditate in that day and night. Pray and ask the Lord to up your potion of discernment.<br /><br />This game and I'm going to have to also go on his books are not safe. you can take it or leave it, but right now, I personally wouldn't be dabbling in anything other than the Lord. I'm glad I bought this game, for me I needed to see it IN MY FACE, but mainly because the Lord allowed me to research it and see what was really going on and then post it here.<br /><br />We all, including myself have got to be careful. I was going to sell the game on ebay, but the was instructed to destroy it, one less game out there, i guess,lol.<br /><br />Sorry for the typos, as i DID NOT spell check this one,lol.As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-40967559694787115152009-11-01T13:25:00.000-08:002010-05-19T06:22:16.532-07:00Noooooooo, not my Ice Cream!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://api.ning.com/files/C8eM72eFlj9gKU-A5NkgyPmV914r541-ULUY-J57m37byjDSYWBii9hByHS7UbBDb4SKuuqi32bLkSVgu3APvvbTzOD5FE6t/snapshot.png.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://api.ning.com/files/C8eM72eFlj9gKU-A5NkgyPmV914r541-ULUY-J57m37byjDSYWBii9hByHS7UbBDb4SKuuqi32bLkSVgu3APvvbTzOD5FE6t/snapshot.png.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></div>My favorite ice cream in the entire world used to be Chubby Hubby by Ben and Jerry's, however times have changed and the company with it. They have decided , it is extremely important for them to support Freedom to Marry. Freedom to Marry is the gay and non-gay partnership working to win marriage equality nationwide. We promote the national conversation about why marriage equality matters while bringing together partner organizations into a larger whole, a shared civil rights campaign and now MY ICE CREAM... is also openly following them as well. So what do you do?<br /><br />Personally, I can not support homosexuality . Now mind you, I'm not one of those who will go out and in the name of Jesus and go bash someone head in, but I won't support, by or purchase from any company that does. It also doesn't mean I HATE men or women who choose( because it is a choice) to live a homosexual lifestyle. I don't feel they should be cast aside or killed, or hurt and in fact although i do not , will not support a homosexual lifestyle. I won't knock their personal decision to do so. The lord has allowed all of us free will. That means EVERYONE, but being disobedient has a heavy price to pay.<br /><br />It does mean I'll pray for them, ask the Lord to direct me in his will to minister to anyone who is living this lifestyle and I'm almost certain he will direct me to do so out of love, compassion and weather you like it or not, some understanding, so that I can minister to them appropriately and get through. I will also be contacting Ben and Jerry and let them know how I feel as former customer, a christian and ice cream addict, who LOVED me some Chubby Hubby because I'm a very proactive person and I believe closed mouths don't get feed. PLUS , this stuff was so good, a weakness... so I need to let them know how horrible I feel not being able to cuddle up to my Chubby Hubby.<br /><br />LOL, I just wrote the last few sentences,lol It made me laugh. You know how we always ask the Lord for help to overcome weaknesses. For the last few weeks have been doing just that, sometimes with a pint of chubby hubby in tow,lol Haaaaaaaaaa. My weakness JUNK FOOD, SUGAR...I'm not here to lie, I'm being real,lol. So today's news stopped me cold turkey. Who says the Lord doesn't have a since of humor? You ask, you shall receive, lol. Plus this gives me the challenge of making my own version and I'll call it Plump Spouse.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://api.ning.com/files/jSnJTCZ0WTuB8fgoYvQT4l0KZ*d33J2x7l4zNSkW3XcSa7MP0MyGZb-gsBpD4*xqkS*9wiV7x-ko3cGsrNqV8jKcE2h3egeE/snapshot.png2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://api.ning.com/files/jSnJTCZ0WTuB8fgoYvQT4l0KZ*d33J2x7l4zNSkW3XcSa7MP0MyGZb-gsBpD4*xqkS*9wiV7x-ko3cGsrNqV8jKcE2h3egeE/snapshot.png2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></div><b>Good By Chubby Hubby, Good bye!</b><br /><br />Good Bye Chubby,<br />we were once the best of pals<br />Good bye chubby....<br />you made me who I am, a big ole gal<br /><br />I shall no longer eat you, oh so cold and so comforting<br />I shall no longer have the dream of candy fields and flowing ice cream cubby hubby streams.<br /><br />LOL Ok , there is no way I'm going to sit here and really write a poem about ice cream, geeeeees! Because in all honesty, The ice cream is not really the issues. My stand and walk in the Lord is. I mean how hard is it for us not to know, if a company or product we have been supporting for years is in fact supporting something that goes against our personal belief systems as Christians? How many of us do research to check these type things out? In all honesty, if i hadn't gotten this email today I would have not known , until i went to go pick up my fix. Now , please misunderstand, I do not feel the Lord will come and strike you down for buying a dish detergent, from a company that support Freedom to Marry, but I do think after finding out the truth about such an instance, and you either choosing to ignore it, go with it or decided you can do without it, and take a stand for what you believe in. Look at how far you have come, are you really willing to possibly risk it all int he end, because you did not stand firm on the word of God?<br /><br />I don't claim to know everything but I am spirit lead and when the Holy Spirit quickens me I act, not always when I'm supposed to, and sometimes to late, but if i don't make my mark the conviction is strong and really not worth it. So here is what I do know. If you buy say, any Ben and Jerry's ice cream, you are in fact giving them gusto to add more support for organizations like Freedom to Marry but hey if you don't mind going against the Word of God, then go for it. Then in doing that you support even a bigger cause called Religious Institute and they are specifically sending people to hell on rockets on a daily basis, by teaching and spreading lies about the God we serve and his stance on homosexuality.<br /><br />The word of God has this to say about the homosexual lifestyle...<br /><br /><b>Leviticus 18:22</b><br />Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.<br /><br />In case your not sure what abomination means . It means anything abominable; anything greatly disliked or abhorred. A vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit, etc.<br /><br /><b>Leviticus 20:13</b><br />If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.<br /><br />Now we should all Thank God we are not living in the Old testament, or under the same convenient, because Life was harsh in early Old Testament times. The wanderings and struggle for survival of the Israelite s did not permit prisons or rehabilitation. Anyone who deviated seriously from the norm was either stoned to death or exiled. Thank God for grace , mercy and his son, Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. So see there is hope for everyone, in the form of deliverance, including anyone who is currently living in sin. Know that if we aren't willing to stand firm, teach and spread the word of God, so many will be lost. Maybe a close friend, family member, or child, maybe even us. So is it worth it?<br /><br />Pay attention, once the truth is revealed, don't continue following it. Pray about it, Ask God what his will for your life is and stand!<br /><br />If there are typos, then... well if you got this far, who cares, you understood, LOL.As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-64826902639961472182009-10-30T23:31:00.000-07:002010-05-19T06:22:16.535-07:00I'm a mad scientist.LOL, WOW at me this time. So I got this wild hair in me this evening and decided I would make a night of making up new bath salts and such. Since it's so close to Christmas I wanted to experiment with chocolate. So I went to the store, went grocery shopping for my ingredients and guess where they are now?<br /><br /><b>A.</b> In nice cute contaniers ready to be given out as samples.<br /><b>B.</b> In the trash.<br /><b>C.</b> Drippingof my kitchen ceiling.<br /><b>D.</b> Everywhere, because they exploded.<br /><br />If you said <b>D</b>, your correct. Apparently, there is a <strike>slight</strike>, huge chemical reaction when one mixes chocolate powder, sea salt etc. I mixed it all up, and walked away for a sec. It actually POPPED.lol. Poor Tiara was standing next to it, lol cutting up the pizza she just took out of the oven. Yes tonight dinner was ruined in the cross fire. It even managed to reach my ceiling.<br /><br />Now I ask, what have I done about it?<br /><br /><b>A.</b> Laughed, then cried, because of the clean up.<br /><b>B.</b> Laughed and haven't stopped yet.<br /><b>C.</b> Well, since it's eatable, let the dog lick the floors clean.<br /><b>D.</b> Clean my daughter up, while laughing, gave the dog the pizza and headed for Mc Donald's.<br /><b>C.</b> Took one look at the clean up, and did an about face, thinking oh well there is more pizza in the oven. Then laughed at my poor daughter.<br /><br />It was <b>C</b> poor Tiara, Thank God she has her mothers sense of humor. We all had an pretty good laugh but I have yet to clean it up. I walked out of the kitchen, turned the lights off and am hoping that when I go back, it will somehow managed to all disappear. <br /><br />It's time like these when all you can do is smile and Thank God for your life as it stands. We have had a very busy week, I mean extremely busy. and this was actually just what the Doctor( God) ordered for all of us.<br /><br />Thank you Jesus for my goofy life. it's great!As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-33182869970194940382009-10-29T00:44:00.000-07:002010-05-19T06:22:16.539-07:00We all have priority!However most of us don't use it... Well i do and below is just one example as to why.<br /><br />I make no apologizes for being a positive person. If your not and being around one bothers you, I suggest you stop reading now, because my joy is fixed and I mean for it to be contagious. Life doesn't have to be all woes, not if your priorities are in order. I feel mine are in order.<br /><br />As a child of God I feel privileged, we all are. I believe I am blessed with opportunity in and over my life. Therefore I <b>KNOW</b> I'm priority in the Lords eyes. Just as he is mine, followed right now only by my chidlren. Although it has not always been that way and at times I forget my place, I'm quick to get back in the ranks my blog will explain the reasons why.<br /><br /><b>Priority explained</b> ...the right to take precedence in obtaining certain supplies, services, facilities, etc., esp. during a shortage.Something or someone given special attention.The highest or higher in importance, rank, privilege, etc.: a priority task.<br /><br />Yep that's my life in a nut self. I'm extremely privileged as a child of the Most High God.. <br /><br /><br />What is my secret to maintaining my privileged life? What keeps me on the priority list of The Lord? My Prayer life, which puts me in a place of intimacy and favor. If you have this, it puts you there as well. I advise you to start using your privileged status. Now I wasn't really writing about my prayer life, but rather situations and circumstances where it pays to be privileged, where it has certainly paid off to have priority in the Lords eyes.<br /><br /><br />This week, has not been the easiest week. A few of you know I have been going back and forth with doctors since April, one day I'm told this is whats wrong with me, the next I'm told this is... basically it's gotten to the point, where i have removed myself from all medications and started spending just as much time, as I did running to the doctors, on my knees.. Well it's pretty much evened the playing field and I have never felt better. Now I'm not one of those who say The Lord will heal me and never grace the steps of a doctors office again. I instead I believe wholeheartedly, that the Lord heals his chidlren an abundance of ways and so it pays to be in tune at all times when your going through situations in your life.<br /><br />My Prime Example.<br /><br /><br />Mon. I was doing some work for church, all of a sudden , something occurred that stopped me dead in my tracks. I had no choice but to stop working and get seen about it, immediately. Before I left, Pastor and his wife laid hands on me and prayed for healing. Tuesday I had the situation taken care of by that afternoon I was feeling well enough to go to a meeting I could not reschedule,I prayed all he way there, I know the Lord was over that meeting because it went very well, it was very peaceful and quick. Today I woke up with an urgency about my son. I prayed over my chidlren and pleaded the blood of Jesus over them because honestly, i had no clue what it was about. Then the Lord told me to take my son to eye doctor. So I called to make an appointment for him, but found out they were taken walk ins, so i decided to take my girls as well. Just before walking out the door. I had the urge to go back to my office and clean out my desk. In doing so i found lots of old bills and such i never even opened. I started opening them one by one What i seen next blew my mind, so much in fact I had to pick up my phone and verify what I was holding in my hand. In my hand was an insurance card back dated from May until Oct. 31 for me from the state. Now mind you I did apply for it while i was in the hospital, but was denied because of my finical situation. However due to the nature of my emergency and because they knew i would be needing more care outpatient, they approved me , temporarily.I of course had no idea they had done this. I called to verify it and found out that I only had it until Oct 31,2009. Haaaaaaaaaa. Still in disbelief i took it to the eye doctor, and asked them to run it. It came back valid. So I was able to be seen as well. All this time i have had medical insurance, but have been paying all my medical expenses out of pocket. LOL. Now mind you I have racked up over 46,000 bucks in medical bills since April and now, thanks to this, they have all been paid for. Praise God. Oh but it doesn't stop there... So we all see the eye doctor. Tiara fine..., Arianna, fine. Elijah... The doc looks at him a even before the examination starts and says . Oh yeah he will need glasses, he really needs them. The Holy spirit is speaking to me. I was like excuse me what did you say? He turns to me and says, I'm a Christian and the Holy spirit told me your son will need glasses. All i could do was laugh.LOL and I mean loudly. I know this man was waiting on a negative response from me, especially since i said what i said and how i said it,lol. However i told him why i was laughing, and he smiles, turned back around and started Elijah's exam. After the examine he told me, Your son has a severe astigmatism, and he has Deuternopia. HUH????<br /><br />Red/ Green color blindness. I was like your kidding me! So much was explained. Now mind you I tried tot ell the last doctor, something was wrong with his color, but the doc just sunbed me off. Anyways Praise God now we know for certain. So now, My turn. I passed with flying colors. However he looks at me and says, have you ever been tested for diabetes? I told him yes, in fact two months ago and was fine. He looked at me and said, you need to be tested immediately again. He said, you are bleeding in the back of your eye. Praise God! I'll have it checked out tomorrow, but WOW... How awesome was that?<br /><br />So Garrett had a doctors appointment this morning as well. He didn't tell me about until we pulled up at the eye doctor, and then he says... I have a doctors appointment. The reason he does it this way, because he didn't want me to worry or go with him. HUMMMMMMMMMM. Mind you he has been weezing for a few weeks an his inhaler has not worked nor has the one they given me a few weeks ago. So he goes, comes back to pic us up. I immanently ask him what the doctor said. Without hesitation he tells me. She says my heart is enlarged.I looked at him, rolled up my magazine and smacked him with it, and said, will you be serious? He laughs and says, I am being serious... She told me that's the reason I'm wheezing, because my heart is pressing against my lung. We both got very quite. I really wasn't certain what to say, other than the fact i had a million medical questions. but the Lord held my tongue. I was a tad upset i wasn't at the appointment, because I really had TONS of questions. <br /><br />We were still waiting on glasses, after a few mins i told him I'd be back i needed to make a call. Went outside and called my mother. I needed to know what having an enlarged heart meant and asked her what we needed to do. My mother is not only an amazing women, but is also a profound women of medicine. We prayed and The Lord instantly let me know it would be just fine. I so believe Him an his promises. I'm pretty certain Garrett does to, because he is as cool as a cucumber. <br /><br />It pays to play the priority card the Lord has placed in the hands of his children. He desires and wants nothing but the best for his children. His first priority of course for us s our salvation, but sec is our well being. When we pray it sets up and establishes a link, relationship a direct line to our father. I like to think when in need, I can just simply give it a tug. This week have been tugging constantly and he has answered each one, with love.As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-19413964900469263122009-10-26T21:30:00.000-07:002010-05-19T06:22:16.542-07:00You know your a mother when...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sWkxhiyLnZ1YRT3HDUOUy_-rWIstXQMnYy6hvLWqb7_DKfMBM8eILV_eCY5dEa-pvw3RQq5uyNFhhgW-zDEfVGJxZ9ybp7Qc104LE9gqiljIl8CwGED_NzURBfUSsprOI2TysgWGOLbs/s1600-h/happy-juggling-mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sWkxhiyLnZ1YRT3HDUOUy_-rWIstXQMnYy6hvLWqb7_DKfMBM8eILV_eCY5dEa-pvw3RQq5uyNFhhgW-zDEfVGJxZ9ybp7Qc104LE9gqiljIl8CwGED_NzURBfUSsprOI2TysgWGOLbs/s320/happy-juggling-mom.jpg" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">1. You count the sprinkles on each kid's cupcake to make sure they're equal. </span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKhM4NQh_YUeJPNitxYuj55D5jeLKxPHhtlPTv2eVfjHl8WJzYRs_x_qwP8jv8iH2Ttaj3E9geRw0exW92n90YSOmHmjHKIDNwxC1_bIscbgPpD0WEzfxEQQwM9hMuPIEaMsG14U6fLsg/s1600-h/b08c3703818c2ac8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtKhM4NQh_YUeJPNitxYuj55D5jeLKxPHhtlPTv2eVfjHl8WJzYRs_x_qwP8jv8iH2Ttaj3E9geRw0exW92n90YSOmHmjHKIDNwxC1_bIscbgPpD0WEzfxEQQwM9hMuPIEaMsG14U6fLsg/s320/b08c3703818c2ac8.jpg" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">2. You have time to shave only one leg at a time. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">3. You hide in the bathroom to be alone. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">4. Your kid throws up and you catch it. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">5. Someone else's kid throws up at a party. You keep eating. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">6. You consider finger paints to be a controlled substance. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">7. You've mastered the art of placing large quantities of pancakes and eggs on a plate without anything touching. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">8. Your child</span><br /><div id="preLoadLayer3" style="display: none; left: -18px; position: absolute; top: -32px; z-index: 4000;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><a class="kLink" href="http://www.praize.com/jokes/parents/page1.html#" id="KonaLink3" style="position: static; text-decoration: underline ! important;" target="undefined"><span id="preLoadWrap3" style="position: relative;"><img src="http://kona.kontera.com/javascript/lib/imgs/grey_loader.gif" style="border: 0px none;" /></span></a></span><br /></div><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;"> insists that you read "Once Upon a Potty" out loud in the lobby of Grand Central Station and you do it. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">9. You cling to the high moral ground on toy weapons; your child chews his toast into the shape of a gun. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">10. You hope ketchup is a vegetable, since it's the only one your child eats. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">11. You can't bear the thought of your son's first girlfriend. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">12. You hate the thought of his wife even more. </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4vX6Ny453gzqidNk2akt1uX8YylaTRN_dp_SIultk_MUlfc7Mgy6smOO3bLuhLNC07At5alUr54FTn_cpnF5UQxn-aOxcTzi1y6vsw7O7kIX88CNz5l9FhpReGc2ssIaI8YB1ayVOmHI/s1600-h/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4vX6Ny453gzqidNk2akt1uX8YylaTRN_dp_SIultk_MUlfc7Mgy6smOO3bLuhLNC07At5alUr54FTn_cpnF5UQxn-aOxcTzi1y6vsw7O7kIX88CNz5l9FhpReGc2ssIaI8YB1ayVOmHI/s320/images.jpg" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">13. You find yourself cutting your husdband's sandwiches into cute shapes. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">14. You can't bear to give away baby clothes - it's so final. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">15. You hear your mother's voice coming out of your mouth when you say, "NOT in your good clothes!" </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">16. You stop criticizing the way your mother raised you. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">17. You donate to charities in the hope that your child won't get that disease. </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC8priCtT7988PapioxKwLinpITAoB8cp5x3Sq9yIQRhlua1Nc8V0ZsTN5XAm26nb8rdE0Ceisz5xDq8weyOkV1gve7Sm1wPIEtGqiabSI712A-1qg10HaDHykvTuNVee-guLBYNxw76o8/s1600-h/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC8priCtT7988PapioxKwLinpITAoB8cp5x3Sq9yIQRhlua1Nc8V0ZsTN5XAm26nb8rdE0Ceisz5xDq8weyOkV1gve7Sm1wPIEtGqiabSI712A-1qg10HaDHykvTuNVee-guLBYNxw76o8/s320/images.jpg" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">18. You hire a sitter because you haven't been out with your husband in ages, then spend half the night checking on the kids. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">19. You use your own saliva to clean your child's face. </span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">20. You say at least once a day, "I'm not cut out for this job", but you know you wouldn't trade it for the world. </span>As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8630303246193163092.post-89629985000482181452009-10-24T12:41:00.000-07:002010-05-19T06:22:16.545-07:00Gooooood Morning Cinnamony Goodness!<span class="googie_link" style="color: green;">OK</span><span> this turned out well.<br /><br />Due to last nights dinner mishap, I decided to get up and try something different. I have nerve made a coffee cake and went online to find a simple recipe because i wen to bed actually craving coffee. I came across this easy recipe and will make sure to keep it tucked away for another day of cravings.</span><br /><br /><span><b>Cinnamon Nut Ring </b></span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mrfood.com/mainstreet/get_image.aspx?domain=mrfood.com&image_guid=11ba30ab-dae5-4deb-bd16-a2062a4cb3c5&size=2" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.mrfood.com/mainstreet/get_image.aspx?domain=mrfood.com&image_guid=11ba30ab-dae5-4deb-bd16-a2062a4cb3c5&size=2" width="320" /></a><span class="recipeIngredientsNew" id="_ctl0_Body_recipes_detail_lblIngredients">1 (16.3-ounce) package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (8 biscuits)<br />1 (10.2-ounce) package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (5 biscuits)<br />1 tablespoon butter, melted<br />1/2 cup granulated sugar<br />1/2 cup raisins<br />1/2 cup chopped walnuts<br />2 teaspoons ground cinnamon<br />1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar<br />4 teaspoons milk</span> <br /><div id="_ctl0_Body_recipes_detail_divStps"> <span class="recipeIngredientsNew" id="_ctl0_Body_recipes_detail_lblSteps"><ol><li>Preheat oven to 350°F. </li><li>Coat a 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. Separate large package of biscuit dough into 8 biscuits and small package into 5 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 6 pieces and place pieces in a large bowl. Pour melted butter over biscuit pieces. </li><li>In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar, raisins, nuts, and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture over biscuit pieces and toss until evenly coated. Place dough into Bundt pan. </li><li>Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until center is firm. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes then invert Bundt pan over a plate to release cinnamon ring. </li><li>In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar and milk to make a glaze; drizzle over ring and serve immediately. </li></ol></span> </div><span><b> </b>This was so easy and we all enjoyed pulling it apart. not the most cooth thing, but hey, who needs etiquette when your having fun? <br /><br />I just got finished cleaning my office. it's amazing how fast one can become unorganized. I hate clutter, so it was either do or die. So now it's off to game stop to replace two broken DS Lites( oh what joy), and to the gardens to take lots of outdoor pictures . It's amazing outside, right now. Saturdays are our family drive drives. We get in the car and just go, no destination, just drive. I would love to take this opportunity to sleep,lol but with Garrett at the helm, one must always be alert,lol. He is a good-bad driver. Those are the ones who love to drive so are always so willing to do it, but thy put your life in danger because they can't drive a straight line...YEP that is him. he i going to kill me for saying that.<br /><br />To be honest I don't feel like moving right now, I'm not feeling myself( ladies I know some of you can relate monthly) but it's one of those push through days. So even as I'm type this out. I'm pushing,lol. I have no idea yet what will be having for dinner. Chili sounds nice.<br /><b><br /></b></span>As defined by my grits...http://www.blogger.com/profile/11917053313791401717noreply@blogger.com0