My Courage and Strength Comes from the Lord

I know when God puts a task in front of us or encourages us to try something new I should have no worries. God is at work - not me.

Knowing that and still not worrying are sometimes two different things. These words in Isaiah brought me much comfort this morning.

"I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, 'You are my servant';
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:9-10

In whatever you life brings today or what you see coming in the future, may you trust that you are held and strengthened by a righteous God.

Not Quite a Snow Day

Our kids love the snow here, but they just can't understand actually going to school with more than an inch of snow on the ground. It's enough to put an already grumpy, hormonal pre-teen over the edge.

Maybe a few pancakes and a syrup sugar high will improve his mood until he has to trudge through the snow to the bus stop. Maybe I need the sugar high to weather his murderous glares. He keeps insisting that the school calendar has three snow days and this should be one of them. I'm not even going to try to change his mind.

I hope your family is enjoying a quiet morning at home. :)

Does Snow Make Anyone Else Think Cookies?

The possible 1 inch of snow we were supposed to get has turned into a beautiful snowy day. Since The Dude has a friend coming over after school, I thought cookies were in order.

You should be semi-impressed. I'm trying to eat less sweets and breads. I made it until I placed the last spoonful of cookie dough on the baking sheet before I had a taste. I think I showed great restraint.

Several cookies later, I can assure you this is a good batch. I'm off to sit in front of a window and watch huge snow flakes make a winter wonderland. If you're in the mood for delicious cookies you can check out the recipe here.

Teaching an Old Mom New Tricks

In my search to learn a little about blog design I've finally admitted that it's time to learn a little about photoshop. Why I even feel the need to understand my blog template is beyond me, but at least it's better than the addiction I had to spider solitare last year. Needless to say, I will now devote large amounts of time I will never get back adjusting the color on photographs and then deciding I like them in their original format.

This will require several cups of coffee, children that get themselves ready for school, and 5 to 6 Windows open for tutorials. I predict it will make massive differences in my photos. As seen below.

At least I'll be easy to find. You know I needed another worthwhile hobby...

A Shiny Ceramic Sink

If you've ever encountered Flylady, you know a shiny sink is high on her list of priorities. I have to admit, there is a certain peace to walking into a kitchen with a clean and shiny sink...and countertops you can see. However, if you happen to have a ceramic sink that is over 10 years old, getting it to actually shine and not be covered with scratches is an impossibility...or so I thought.

I love our ceramic sink. I did not love the metal colored scratches left from every pot that ever touched it. No matter how much I scrubbed I couldn't get rid of those grey squiggly lines.

And then my mother-in-law came to visit at Thanksgiving, and asked, "Do you have any silver polish?"

Two minutes later my sink looked brand new!!!

So that's what Works For Me - try silver polish, I specifically use Wright's Silver Cream, to remove stubborn scratches from ceramic surfaces. Check out other great tips at Rocks In My Dryer.

Compassion International Trip to Uganda

If you listen to Christian music stations you might have heard that Compassion International is going to Uganda in February. What you might not know is that they are taking 16 bloggers with them to record the experience.

I.am.so.excited!

I love a good post! I LOVE seeing the glory of God and his amazing works! I just know that this is going to be fun, amazing, heartbreaking, and inspiring. They leave on February 10th from Chicago and return on February 18th. I'm praying for their safety, their courage, and that their faith grows in this experience. I'm also praying that God's plan will be accomplished.


Here are the bloggers that are going (I copied this list from Anne Jackson's site). Check them out now and again during February.

Joe Carter http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/ and http://www.frcblog.com/
David Kuo http://blog.beliefnet.com/jwalking/
Randy Elrod http://randyelrod.typepad.com/
Chris Elrod http://www.seekersolutions.typepad.com/
Carlos Whittaker http://www.ragamuffinsoul.com/
Heather Whittaker http://whittakerwoman.typepad.com/
Shannon http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/
Sophie “Boomama” http://www.boomama.net/
Anne Jackson http://www.flowerdust.net,/
Phil Ware http://blogs.heartlight.org/phil/
Doug Van Pelt http://www.hmmagazine.com/blogs/doug
Shaun Groves http://www.shaungroves.com/shlog/

Compassion Staff
Spence Smith http://spencesmith.typepad.com/spence
Brian Seay http://brianseay.wordpress.com/

Photographer
Keely Scott - http://keelymariescott.blogspot.com/

Have a fun clicking!

I Have No Title, Just Love For These Dear People

I read a great book last year. It's If You Can Talk You Can Write, by Joel Saltzman, and basically he uses 190 pages and a lot of humor to expound on his title. I loved it. When you have a writing block, just imagine talking to someone and the words will come. I'm sure anyone that's ever read this blog has realized that his theory is the entire basis of my writing style. No metaphors, double meanings, or words I need to look up to spell here. I'm obviously more of a talker than a writer, and this blog is just me talking on the Internet.

I get my gift of gab from my dad. He can talk to anyone, anywhere, and within 10 minutes he'll find a way he's distant cousins with a native of Mumbai, India or the new couple from Australia. He's a great storyteller. I remember nights around the dinner table, laughing until we cried as he told stories about his childhood, his years in the Air Force, or a joke he'd heard at work that day. He also loves genealogy. So not only does he have his own stories, but he's spent years gathering stories about the families and area where our family has lived since the late 1700's.

Despite his wealth of stories my dad is not a writer.

But his dear wife is.

She's taken it upon herself to collect his stories. A few nights a week after dinner as they sit in their chairs petting their well-fed lap warmers kitties, Dad talks and Cindy types. She's not allowed to edit as she types, yet sometimes when she reads the story back to my dad he insists he did not say it that way.

And so it's true, if you can talk, you can write.

However, it does help to have a dear wife that loves you so much she wants to preserve the stories that make her laugh.

Html Tutorials???

Today is Works For Me Wednesday: Backwards Edition. Everyone is seeking answers to a question they have.

I've decided I enjoy blogging. Which would explain why I get up with my husband at o'dark early, so I have time to post in the mornings. Now, I'm ready to learn a little about this Html code stuff.

I'm looking for an easy book about Html.

I don't want to design my own graphics at this point, but I would like to know how to manage a few things like putting comments in boxes with borders, changing the position of a picture, etc.

I'd love to hear about a website or book that could give me a few tutorials. Thanks for any ideas you can offer. Check out Rocks In My Dryer and share your wealth of knowledge.

Etiquette Lessons for Shy 10 Year Olds

The Dude can be very shy, reserved, and cautious. Unless he's 99% sure of the outcome of his actions, he's unlikely to act. He usually needs a more boisterous friend to balance his reserved nature.

There is a boy The Dude's age, who was in his class last year, two doors down. A nice family. He's as shy as The Dude. Therefore, they never play. However, on Saturday due to a little motherly intervention, they had plans to play. So I suggested he walk two doors over and ask his friend to come over.

"But Moooommm, what do I do," he worried.

"You walk over, knock on the door, and say, 'Do you want to come over?'" I explained.

A few minutes passed, and I had not heard our front door open or close.

"Dude, are you going yet?" I asked.

"But Mom, I forgot. What am I supposed to say?" he asked.

This went on for at least 10 minutes.

"Do you want to come over? Repeat it with me." I practiced with him.

Finally, I pushed him out the front door. Ten minutes later when he and his friend had not appeared I called our neighbor. I asked if the boys were playing there, and explained our small drama. It turns out The Dude knocked on their door. The neighbor's mom answered the door and The Dude stood there, silently (probably thinking, what did mom say again?). She asked if he wanted to come inside. The Dude nodded, took off his shoes, and headed in for an afternoon of fun. Talking was completely unnecessary.

The other mom and I laughed. She worries about their future wives. The strong silent type looks good but can drive us talkative women insane. I'm glad they're still 10. I'm glad there's still time to nurture and model normal conversation. Even though he's quiet, The Dude is very observant. He makes me laugh and shake my head, and thank God for such a sweet gift.

Linking Blueberries, Riverdance, and Eat, Pray, Love

I made blueberry muffins this morning.

I know, hold the horses, and pick yourself off the floor. I baked! From a box of course.

The point is, as I was gently lifting the smoking hot muffins out of the pan, my daughter was beside me doing the I-can't-wait-to-eat-a-muffin-dance. It looked a lot like the chimps doing Riverdance to me.

As she danced about in excitement and impatience she said, "Mom, I want the muffin with the MOST blueberries, because blueberries are soooo good!"

And I had the opening of my post...

Because don't we all want the MOST goodness in our lives. Oh, we may go about it completely the wrong way, but what we each want is the MOST goodness. The MOST love, the MOST happiness, the MOST joy, the MOST peace. Unfortunately we sometimes confuse ourselves by thinking if we have the MOST stuff or the MOST attention, we'll have the MOST love that we desire.

We can look so many places for that inner peace and love we are hardwired to desire. Often the last place we look is to God who lives in our hearts and changes our lives. Calling us to love him, so he can fill us with a love that never ends.

I finished reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert the other day. While I do not claim to subscribe to all her thoughts on God and life, I found many quotes in her book worth marking such as this one.

"Imagine the universe is a great spinning engine," he said. "You want
to stay near the core of the thing - right in the hub of the wheel - not
out at the edges where all the wild whirling takes place, where you get can
(sic) frayed and crazy. The hub of calmness - that's your heart.
That's where God lives within you. So stop looking for answers in the
world. Just keep coming back to that center and you'll always find peace."

We are made in God's image, and He is a part of us. If we seek him with all our hearts we will find him...in our hearts.

"You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

Have a great weekend. Enjoy all the goodness that God provides in your life.

Where Christmas Never Ends

Well, it finally arrived. My Christmas spirit showed up around 2 o'clock yesterday. Honestly, I'm just glad I got a chance to feel it all this year. As you might guess, I wasn't quite filled with the right spirit this year. I'm usually known as Mrs. Santa Claus around our house. However, no matter how much prayed and tried this year, I was the crankiest I've ever been at Christmas. I certainly didn't enjoy myself. My poor family.


At least I thoroughly enjoyed the week after Christmas, I figured I try harder next year. I just regretted ruining my own favorite holiday for myself.

Then over the last few days I've had lots of nostalgic feelings. I've taken time to look at photos of past Christmases and the kids when they were little. I've really enjoyed the Christmas tree lights and the Santas on the mantle. The calendar was telling me it was time to start putting away the Christmas decorations, but I wasn't ready. I know lots of people keep their decorations up until the Epiphany, but I wanted our weekend to be free. Since I had a few hours alone today, I decided un-decorate the tree.

I had more fun un-decorating the tree than I did decorating. I had time to look at each ornament we've collected over the years. Our first married Christmas, the first pregnancy, each child's first Christmas ornament, ornaments from friends, made by the kids, the chicken I gave Fred the year he was crazy about chickens, the horrible Harry Potter ornaments all the kids loved one year, etc. The kids gladly carried all the ornaments back to the storage room. When I started to take off the lights I commented that the tree was still holding its needles really well.

The Dude begged, "Leave the lights on. Please let us keep the tree."

He'd didn't need to ask twice. I quickly re-wrapped some red ribbon around the tree and turned the lights back on. The Santas never left the mantle. It's still Christmas at our house. So what if the I got in the mood for Christmas more than a week late, my heart is singing. If I didn't enjoy Christmas before the 25th, I can enjoy it now.

Our tree is here to stay...



until it drops all its needles or smells like it will ignite in the presence of a flashlight.

And since we're still celebrating, do you think that means I can stay in my pj's all day???

How to Improve at DDR and Other Lofty Goals

I've never returned to blog my thoughts on 2007, because I really haven't come to any share worthy conclusions. I also didn't have any New Year's Resolutions. I guess you could say I had a whole bunch of nothin'. Until yesterday morning that is.

At about 11:30 am yesterday, I was given my New Year's Resolution by the cute little physical therapist who pronounced my arches - flattened, my pelvis - rotated, my posture - abysmal, and my core strength - non-existent. Happy New Year to the Old Me.

All these difficiencies can cause a little thing I've come to live with known as a foot on fire or alternately numb. Random timing for either is provided by my irritated sciatic nerve. It's only been bothering me since my daughter was born...oh, let's see...almost 9 years ago. However as the raging inferno spread from my foot to my knee over Thanksgiving weekend, I thought maybe I should have it checked. (I'm sure my husband and friends who listen to me complain daily are glad I finally went.)

Yet, that is how I arrived at the diagnosis of bad posture. Which lead me to my number one New Year's Resolution - Improve My Posture. I sure hope the physical therapist has a plan for teaching me how to stand up straight, because obviously I missed it somewhere in the last 38 years. Even though I knew my posture isn't great, but I never realized where that could lead. I'm totally ready to follow her plan, because after her diagnosis I have resolutions. I have important things to accomplish in 2008, such as:

• be able to walk without limping after watching a movie in a theatre
• walk my kids to school without regretting it the next three days
• score better than a D on my daughter's DDR
• And if I'm going to stand up straight, I certainly hope to find my waist in the process.

I have lofty athletic goals people.

For now, I'm off to try some more crunches on the floor...with the dog sitting on me to add a little extra resistance. If you see anyone running into poles or if I don't turn my head to say hello, please realize how hard I am concentrating on tightening my core, holding my shoulders back, keeping my pelvis un-rotated, and walking with my brand new arch supports.

Oh, yes indeedy, 2008 is going to be a stellar year.

Ham and Pineapple Over Rice - Yum!

Leftover ham. What do you do with it besides make sandwiches or stew? And if you're like me, what do you do with all that part at the end where they didn't spiral slice it? What were they thinking? It's like a bone got in the way or something.

I love left over ham. But even if you're tired of it, you'll love this recipe. It's one of my favorite recipes, because it's almost too easy to count as a recipe. Its What Works For Me.

Ham and Pineapple Over Rice

1 lb. or more Leftover Ham cut in small pieces (or ham steak)

1 Tablespoon oil

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 large can cubed pineapple in own juice

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

2 Tablespoons cold water

Cooked Rice

Saute ham in oil in large frying pan over medium heat until browned. Sprinkle with brown sugar. I might use more than 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar, but my sweet tooth is out of control. Stir until sugar is well dissolved. Pour pineapple and juice over ham. Stir occasionally as pineapple warms. Mix cornstarch into cold water. Pour into ham mixture and stir well until sauce thickens. Serve over rice.

Yummy!

Even my picky child will eat this. Okay, I pick the ham out and serve his rice plain, but we're all eating the same meal. :)

Check out other great tips at Shannon's Rocks In My Dryer.