And The Blog Award Goes To.......

I received this award today from one of the sweetest people that I have gotten to know in this great big blog world.

Caroline, I was so touched by the sweet words you had to say about me.   You have the most interesting posts and I can just feel your excitement and enthusiasm for life as I read them. Besides being absolutely gorgeous on the OUTSIDE, you are even more beautiful on the INSIDE! God has given you a special ability to communicate His Word SO clearly and you are mature WAY beyond your years! I am so glad that I found your blog because you are such an encouragement to me!

I would now like to pass this award on to someone else that also brings me great encouragement with her posts.

Dawn at Dawn's Cottage Corner is another one of the sweetest people that I have met in this blog world.  She loves to cook and loves music which are two of my loves.  She is a wonderful mother to a 15 year old son.  God has given her a deep love for teenagers and she has a heart for seeing a great revival among our young people.  She has an amazing sense of humor and she always leaves the most encouraging and uplifting comments. Dawn, thank you for the blessing that you are to me and many others! 

If any of you have not met Dawn yet, please pop on over now to visit her now!

My Anchor Holds

Hebrews 6:19 "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast." 

I was reminded today of an old hymn that we used to sing in church years ago, "Will Your Anchor Hold In The Storms of Life?"---- or some hymnals call it "We Have An Anchor". As I laid down to rest this afternoon I started thinking about some of the lyrics to that great old hymn:

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,

When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?

When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,

Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

Refrain

We have an anchor that keeps the soul

Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,

Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,

Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

It is safely moored, ’twill the storm withstand,

For ’tis well secured by the Savior’s hand;

And the cables, passed from His heart to mine,

Can defy that blast, thro’ strength divine.

A few years ago, Walt and I went to Sanibel Island, FL on vacation and I was out in the ocean just floating (and dozing off) on an air mattress.  After awhile, I opened my eyes to find that I had drifted way down the shoreline -- quite a ways down the beach from where I originally was. It didn't take any energy for me to "drift" down the coast, but it took a WHOLE LOT of energy to paddle my way back to where I needed to be -- working against the ocean current.

The same thing is true about my spiritual life.  It is so easy to start drifting.  I can start out strong and in no time, drift away from where I know I need to be. I start not reading my Bible as much as I used to, or maybe I'm not praying as much as I used to.  I have seen it happen in my own life.

When we drift, we are not stagnant.  We continue to move, but sometimes in an unhealthy direction. Have you ever noticed that when we drift it is usually DOWNstream?

How does the drifting occur?

We are no longer at the helm.

We are no longer on guard.

We are no longer cautious about what is going on around us.

We are no longer anchored.

Hebrews 2: 1 "For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it."  

Without an anchor, our boat that is "parked" will begin to drift. Unless I am anchored in the Word I will begin to slip away from a close relationship with God. That slippage can be so gradual that I may not even notice it until I am SHIPWRECKED.

It is a fact that we all face storms in life.  The storms come in many different forms - the tornado of failing health, the cyclone of financial reversal, the tsunami of the death of a loved one, the tropical storm of the loss of a job, or the hurricane of a failed marriage. But one thing is for sure, the storms of life will prove the strength of our anchor.

And the cables, passed from His heart to mine,

Can defy that blast, thro’ strength divine.

Are the cables of my heart fastened to the cables of His heart?

How about you?  Are you fastened to the Rock which cannot move?

GRACE UPON GRACE

God's Grace --- God's unmerited favor

God's Grace --- God's Riches At Christ's Expense

John 1:16 says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace."  Jesus gives us grace on top of grace, out of the fulness of His own grace.

I absolutely love the ocean.  I love the smell of the ocean, the feel of the sand between my toes, and the tide washing up over my feet at the water's edge. I love how smooth the soles of my feet are after a few days of walking on the beach. But, the thing I love the most is the sound of the ocean.  It is the most peaceful sound of anything I know.   The sound of one wave coming up after another in endless succession.

Take a moment out of your busy schedules to experience what I am talking about.

There is never a time that the waves stop.  The tide may come in and the tide may go out; the waves may be bigger at times than others, but the waves never stop. 

The same is true of God's grace.  One wave of God's grace is coming in and it is constantly being refreshed by a new wave. This all comes out of His fulness.  What that says to me is that we can't drain Him!  There is no limit to the supply of grace that is at our disposal in Christ!  WOW!

The New International Version of the Bible puts it his way,

" From the fulness of His grace we have ALL received one blessing after another."

This doesn't mean that I will always be happy, but it does mean that I will always have an underlying joy that cannot be explained by this world.  All of us have burdens, but God DAILY LOADS US WITH HIS BENEFITS!  He gives us one blessing after another (just like the waves of the ocean coming in in succession) and He has countless ways that HE chooses to bless us.

The blessing He chooses to give me may be different from the blessing that He chooses for you.  What he blesses you with may be different than what He blesses me with.  But....His fulness can never be exhausted. His fulness can never be drained. He tells us in His Word that "No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly."

As I think about this, I am convicted that many times I don't really take the time to look around to notice the "waves" of God's grace that continue to pour in on me in succession.  My focus many times is on what is "wrong" in my life; on the burdens that I am dealing with at the present time.  

I am blessed with so much natural beauty surrounding me.  The flowers, the Carolina blue skies, the birds singing outside my window, the much-needed rain. I am surrounded by people that I love and people that love me, I have a roof over my head, 3 meals a day, a great job...and the list goes on and on.

I pray that God would give me a new perspective -- HIS perspective.  No matter what burdens I am carrying, help me to always be mindful of the many benefits He daily loads me with and to never take them for granted.

What about you?

What are some of God's blessings to you? 

Can you see the blessings as they keep coming in succession?  

I challenge you to click back on the picture above and as the waves flow in in succession, let Him remind you of what benefits He has just today loaded you with! His grace to you is coming in and constantly be renewed by another wave!  There is no limit to the grace that is at your disposal!

Another Blogger in The Family

I am excited to say that I have another family member joining the world of blogging! My youngest daughter, Grace, with the help of sister, Faith, has created her own blog. The two girls spent yesterday afternoon working on Grace's new blog, 

"A Maze of Grace".

I think they have done a wonderful job!  It is so cute...but, then I AM a little biased!! 

Please stop over and visit her and "E" and say "hello".

One Word Meme

I am embarrassed to say that my friend Melissa"tagged" me last Tuesday and I am just now responding!  Better late than never, huh?  (I have had my Dad and his wife visiting for the last few days and have not had a lot of time for blogging.) But, here goes....

The challenge of this meme is that all the answers have to be just one word. Do you have any idea how hard that is for me?

where is your cell phone? bedroom

your significant other? loyal

your hair? short

your mother? funny

your father? interesting

your favorite thing? kids

your dream last night? none

your favorite drink? Starbucks

your dream/goal? retirement

the room you’re in? den

your hobby? cooking

your fear? loss

where do you want to be in 6 years? home

what you’re not? lazy

muffins? cinnamon

one of your wish list items? devotional

where you grew up? Columbus

last thing you did? cooked

favorite gadget? IPod

your pets? precious

your computer? Mac

your mood? upbeat

missing someone? yes

your car? reliable

favorite store? chicos

like someone? yes

your favorite color? green

last time you laughed? today

last time you cried? Sunday

Thanks for thinking of me Melissa!

Mimi's Making Meals IS HERE!

I LOVE TO EAT!  My husband tells me that is one of the things that he loves about me -- that I love to eat and that I have a hearty appetite.  I know that my dad always said that I could eat more than any boy he had ever seen!  He tells the story about my family and a guy I was dating going to a place called The Country Kitchen in North Georgia.  It was a restaurant that served "family style"  and I mean it was delicious! Country ham, creamed corn, stewed tomatoes, fried okra, cornbread, fried chicken, chicken and dumplings -- you name a good Southern food and they had it in a bowl on OUR table!  My dad reminds me that my family (and my date) finally just went outside and waited for ME in the car because they were so embarrassed!

Not only do I love to eat, but I love to cook!  Since I was a young girl I have always had an interest in cooking. I come from a lineage of good cooks --my mother is a good cook and my grandmother was an amazing cook as well.  Fortunately, I had the benefit of learning under both of them.

I LOVE cookbooks!  If someone is unsure what to give me for a gift, they can never go wrong with a cookbook.  Call me weird, but when I get a new cookbook, I read it from cover-to-cover like a novel!  My favorite TV channel is The Food Network!

Ever since I started my Mimi's Making Memories blog just a short time ago, I have known that I wanted to have a recipe blog as well.  With the help of my very talented daughter, I now have my very own Recipe Blog and I want to invite each and every one of you to come on over to Mimi's Making Meals!

I plan to post many of the recipes that my family has grown to love over the years, as well as, new favorites that I discover  along the way. I am excited about having this new blog and look forward to hearing your comments, suggestions and requests.

Bon Appetit!

Another Fun Family Weekend

I had  a nice surprise when I got home from work on Friday evening. Faith, Chad, "E", Josh and Michelle were all at my house for an impromptu family cookout.  (We had given Grace a much-needed "night off" while "E" spent the night with MiMi and Poppa.) We designated Chad to be in charge of the burgers and he made his signature Cajun Ranch Burgers.  YUMMO!  

His "secret" ingredients are a package of Ranch Dressing mix, salt, pepper and some Worcestershire sauce in the meat and then the burgers are sprinkled with Cajun Blackening Seasoning  just before grilling!  That was my assigned job!

Here are some of the yummy burgers cooking on the grill. (The 2 burgers off to the right are Josh's Gluten-Free burgers.)

We gathered around the table complete with french fries, Onion Rolls, sliced vine ripe tomatoes, sliced Vidalia onions and romaine lettuce leaves.  Chad had topped the burgers with Pepper Jack cheese and I am here to tell you!  I knew I loved that boy!

I made brownies and after dinner we all gathered around the TV to watch the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics with brownies and frozen vanilla yogurt!  The ceremonies were incredible!  The Chinese people outdid themselves on the festivities.

Everybody went home except Miss "E" and she spent the night with us. As with every other time that she has ever spent the night with us, she woke up saying, "I want BlueBEDDY pancakes!"  Well...MiMi was not too prepared this time because I was out of buttermilk and blueberries and I had also exhausted my supply in the freezer. So....that only left us with one possible alternative.    

BOB TUBE-EBBINS! (aka Bob Evans)

Well here is the Breakfast of Champions!  BlueBEDDY Pancakes!  Who needs a fork when there is whipping cream involved?

MiMi loves her girl!

Gonna Take A Sentimental Journey

I am probably one of the most sentimental people that you know. I have quite a few things that belonged to my grandparents (MaMa and PaPa) and I cherish each and every one of them. They were the sweetest grandparents that anyone could have. My PaPa was a perfect gentleman.  I never remember seeing him in anything but dress pants and a dress shirt.  He even mowed the grass in nice pants!  He also wore a hat most of the time.  My MaMa was such a godly woman.  She taught me so many things about "being a lady" and she was an amazing cook! I can remember sitting beside her on the piano bench in her living room while she played and sang "The Old Rugged Cross" or "Softly and Tenderly". MaMa and PaPa took me to Sunday School and church with them on many Sundays and some of my earliest memories of church included them.

One of the things that I remember about my grandparent's house was a little "man" that hung on the wall of her kitchen. She always referred to him as Mr. Petrie.  For as long as I can remember, he hung right by the back door next to her little breakfast nook.  Since MaMa passed away about 10 years ago, I have often thought about him and  wondered what  happened to him.

While home for my Mother's surgery last week, I asked her if she knew what ever happened to Mr. Petrie and she said that she didn't, but she would ask her sister.  She called her sister, Rosie, and ...guess what?!?!  Rosie had Mr. Petrie!  And...she said that if I would promise to take good care of him that she would let me take him to my house.

So....last Monday morning, Mr. Petrie made the trip from Manchester, GA to Columbus, GA with my aunt and uncle, Rosie and Ben,  and Rosie passed him over to me to take to my home in NC.

How cute is he?!?!??

I asked Rosie what the story was about him and she said that she bought him at a "five and dime" store years ago for her mother (my MaMa). Rosie thought that he looked like the father of a friend of hers, so they decided to call him by that man's name! MaMa hung him on the wall, stuck a flower in him and he became Mr. Petrie!  

(As you can probably guess after looking at Mr. Petrie's picture, they never told Rosie's friend or her dad about the name of the figurine.  I don't think he would have been real flattered!)

Now I know to many people they would not understand why I would be sentimental about a little figurine from the dime store, but he is very special to me.  I have so many wonderful memories of times spent at MaMa and PaPa's house. This is just one of the things that makes me recall those fond memories, Now when I look at Mr. Petrie on the wall in my breakfast nook beside my back door, I will be reminded of some wonderful times with two very special people.

What about you?  

What special item do you have that brings back memories of loved ones that have gone on to be with the Lord?  

Is there something that makes you recall "good times" every time you look at it? 

Are there any "Mr. Petries" in your life?

Thank you so much, Rosie, for sharing this special family memory with me!  I will cherish him always!

The Steven Curtis Chapman Family

Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, were on Good Morning America yesterday speaking about the loss of their daughter, Maria, that was killed in a driveway accident earlier this year. 

The interview is a little over 8 minutes long, but if you have not seen it, I would encourage you to watch it.  It also includes an interview with their son that was driving the car that ran over his little sister.

Let's continue to pray for these precious servants of God as they deal with the grief of losing a daughter and a sister.  Their incredible faith and hope is such an inspiration to me! 

To Grandmother's House We Go

My Mother and me

Thank you all SO much for all of your prayers for my Mother's surgery, and for Faith and I as we travelled to GA and back.  My Mother is doing as well as can be expected following the surgery she had.  I spoke with her today at lunch and she was in a good deal more pain than she had been, but was still in good spirits. She had been out of the bed most of the day, sitting in a chair, and before the day was out, she was supposed to get up and walk!  Needless to say, she was NOT looking forward to that!  

Her biggest complaint is that she just cannot get any rest because the nurses are constantly waking her up to check her vitals, give her more medicine, etc.  Her husband stayed with her last night at the hospital, but she said that she was sending him home tonight because he snored all night last night and kept her awake!

Faith had posted a picture of my grandmother's house on her blog and she had mentioned that I would be sharing a story about that house at a later time. The house in the picture was where my grandparents lived for 62 years.  I have so many wonderful memories of both of them and of countless hours spent in that house.

Well, about 4 years ago my best friend, Becky, called me one day at work and said, "Emilie, I just walked in a house here in Columbus and I feel like I have been in this house before.  Do you remember what the address of your grandmother's house was?" I said, "Of course, it was 1408 XXXX  Street."  She said, "You're not going to believe this.  My son is getting ready to buy THAT house!".  To make a long story short, HE DID!  Can you believe that out of ALL the houses in Columbus, GA my best friend's son bought MY  MaMa and PaPa's house!  

This is a picture of the house today.

Is it not the most adorable little house you have ever seen!  PaPa was very particular about his grass and the house still has a wonderful stand of grass.  Looks like a golf course, doesn't it?  I wish I could just pick this little house up and move it to NC!

 Becky and me

Becky and I  went to high school together and then both of us also went to Dental Hygiene School.  We have been friends since 1971 when we met the first day of Band Camp when I needed a ride home.   She is an amazing mother to her 2 wonderful sons and the best friend anyone could ever have! I love you, Beck Beck!

Surgery Update

My Mother' surgery went very well yesterday and I appreciate all of your prayers so much. She was in surgery for about 3 hours --the doctor was able to move her stomach back down where it should be and close the hole in the esophagus. When he went to move the spleen down, it was attached to the stomach and it began to bleed profusely and he had to remove her spleen. He said that many people survive fine without a spleen, but it does lower your resistance to infection. She had to be given vaccines for "everything" to help her be able to fight off infections.

I left her around 10:30 last night and she had just been moved to a private room and was still feeling pretty well. She was not having very much pain at that time because prior to the surgery they had given her an epidural to help with about 80% of the pain following surgery. She was also well-equiped with her "lifeline", as the nurse called it --the button for the morphine drip.

My Mother had the most wonderful doctor. He came into her room right before taking her to surgery and prayed the sweetest prayer, calling on the name of Jesus to guide his hands and his mind. After he finished I told him how refreshing that was to hear him pray for her and how rare that is anymore to find a doctor willing to do that and he said, "Well, I can't do anything unless HE helps me!" WOW! I wanted to shout!

Faith and I are headed back to NC after lunch today and will be home later this evening.

Thank you all again for your prayers thus far and please continue to pray for my Mother as I am sure she will have some difficult days ahead of her.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Faith and I left NC early Friday morning headed to GA to spend a couple of days with my family prior to my Mother's surgery on Monday morning and we have had a busy couple of days ---and a WHOLE LOT OF HOT DOGS!! (This coming from someone that normally eats almost entirely natural or organic foods when I am at home!) But....when I head south to my "old stomping grounds", there are just some things that I have to partake in or my trip would not be complete!

We got on the road about 8:15 on Friday morning and, of course, our first stop HAD to be Starbucks before the car would even allow me to steer onto the interstate. After a tall, soy, extra hot, no foam, no water Chai Latte, I was good to go!

Next stop (other than the obvious bathroom stops with 2 females traveling together) was - you guessed it -- THE VARSITY in downtown Atlanta. The World's Largest Drive-in! As we arrived, we realized that the next day was the 80 year anniversary of The Varsity and we were SO glad that we had not come a day later because THIS was bad enough!

We both had the World Famous Chili Dog, Onion Rings and Varsity Orange and of, course, the Fried Apple Pie! It did not disappoint!

(Everyone needs to eat here at least once a year --just to keep your system cleaned out and in good running order!)

We made it into Columbus about mid-afternoon and went to a great "fish camp" that evening that serves the absolute best jalapeno hush puppies in the world! I had me some fantail shrimp and tartar sauce and...oh...my...word! Good bye South Beach Diet!

Yesterday morning, Faith and I went out snooping shopping around some cute little monogram and gift shops in Columbus, to get some ideas for her store and business. We saw some of the cutest stores with the cutest "stuff" in them! She was able to find some new vendors that she might be interested in carrying their lines in her store.

By this time, it's approaching lunchtime and...you're not going to believe this, BUT... more HOT DOGS!! I grew up going to a little pharmacy in Columbus with a lunch counter that served Scrambled Dogs! Over the years my Mother has perfected our family recipe for them and my family loves them, but Faith had never been to where it all began! The birthplace of The Scrambled Dog! The Dinglewood Pharmacy---World Famous Hot dogs!

We went in and the place was packed and "Lieutenant" was STILL behind the counter serving them up! He's been doing it for 62 years and still looked exactly the same! It was like stepping back in time!

We went by to visit my Dad for a little while. This is a picture of my Dad and me.
After that we headed back to my Mother's house for a cookout last night ---with, imagine this, hot dogs and hamburgers! I decided my system could NOT take another hot dog, so I stuck with a hamburger - with no bun!

I imagine that I have gained back every pound (and then some!) that I had lost over the past 3 weeks, but it has been all worth it to take a trip back down memory lane!