One Year Blogaversary

"MiMi's Making Memories" is ONE YEAR OLD today! 

On May 29, 2008, what began as an attempt to establish a Google account so that I could leave a comment on my daughter's blog, turned into "MiMi's Making Memories". As Faith designed my blog for me, I had no idea what I was doing, what I would ever have to write about and more importantly, who would possibly be interested in reading it! I just thought it would be a good way for me to "journal" about those I love most -- my precious family.

I had NO idea the impact that blogging would soon have on my life. I began blogging and in the process I "met" and fell in love with some of the most wonderful women  - and literally from all over the country! (And even a few from other parts of the world!)  Over the past year, I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet some of you "in person", and what a treat that was!

My prayer for my blog on that Thursday in May still remains the same:

"I have no idea whether I have anything to say that would be of any value to anyone else, but I would hope that having  been married for 30 years and raising 3 children would definitely have taught me some valuable lessons in life.  I know that the Lord sometimes allows us to go through things in life so that we can be a help to someone else going through similar things.  I pray that the life lessons He has taught me, and IS teaching me, will be an encouragement to others."

I am so blessed to call so many of you my friends.  You really are so important to me!  I look forward to reading your blogs, as well as, reading your precious comments that you leave on my posts.  Many days, the Lord has used so many of your sweet words to encourage me in such a mighty way!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and for all of your thoughtful comments.  Thank you, also, for "enduring" all the pictures of my kids, grandchildren and "grand-dogs"!  Thank you for just being "YOU"!

I look forward to another year of blogging and hopefully meeting many more of you "in person"! 

May God richly bless each and EVERY one of you! I love you, my sweet friends!

My Blogging Hiatus

To say I have been experiencing a writer's block in recent days and weeks would be an understatement. Every time that I have sat down to post on my blog in recent weeks, God has had other plans for me. I literally have had my fingers on the keyboard, but nothing came!

Prior to the last time that I posted on my blog, God had begun continued convicting me about the amount of time that I had been spending on blogging, emailing, FaceBook, television, etc. Even as I sat down to comment on all of your precious blogs, the words would not come. So, that being said, I have taken some much needed time off from blogging to listen to what God had to say to me. 

It turns out that God has been trying to teach me more about listening to His voice. Being able to discern His voice amid all the "noise" that this world has. This seems to be a recurring theme that God has had with me, because apparently I am a very slow learner.

I wanted to share just a little of what the Lord has been doing in my life in my blogging absence: 

• He has reminded me that I am to come apart from all the noise and confusion of this world and spend time with Him.
  

• He has reminded me that I am to come to Him with anticipation - eager and expecting to hear His still small voice. 
  

• He has reminded me that I need to stretch my spiritual earlobes so that I can hear Him better. He speaks loudly enough and clearly enough for wide open ears to hear!
  

• He has reminded me that even when I do not see Him or I do not hear His voice, He is still working. He is ALWAYS working - even when He is silent!
  

• He has reminded me that I am to sit quietly and wait for Him to speak.
  

• He has reminded me that His ways are higher than my ways and that if I could explain all the "whys", that He wouldn't be God! 
  

• He has reminded me that what I really believe is reflected in my personal conduct.
  

• He has reminded me that his grace empowers me to say "No" to worldly desires and ungodliness.
  

• He has reminded me that my prayers need to be more about Him and less about me.
  

• He has reminded me that He is much more interested in my holiness than my happiness.
  

I want each of you that read my blog and comment on it on a regular basis to know how very much I have missed you.  I have met some wonderful, godly women through my almost one year of blogging and you have become an important part of my life.  

I also want those of you that have blogs that I read and comment on regularly to know that even in my absence I have continued to follow many of your blogs.

Please pray for me that I would be obedient to what the Lord would have me to do in my life.

"But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." 

James 1: 25

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 10

I can hardly believe that we are already on Verse #10 in the  LPM Scripture Memory Challenge -- to memorize 2 verses (or passages) of Scripture each month for 2009. It has been such a blessing to have the previous 9 verses committed to memory and God has given me so many opportunities to use these verses in recent weeks.

There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day for me any more! My life has been so busy recently and I have not been able to find the time to blog as much as I used to or would like to. As a result, I must say that the 15th of the month slipped up on me this time!

Without further ado, the verse that I have chosen to commit to memory in the last half of the month of May is:

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

Psalm 37:4 & 5 (NASB)

As I ponder the meaning of this verse, I believe that God is reminding me once again that HE must become the obsession of my life! HE must be the focus of my life and the object of my affection!

If I will let everything in my life focus on HIM, then I will be absolutely amazed at what HE will do for me!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Mother's Day 2009

I had the most wonderful Mother's Day! I was blessed to have all of my children in church with me on Sunday! Even after all these years, there's just something so special about being in God's House together!

The 3 of them got together and planned barbecue and all the fix-ins for lunch and we had so much fun.  After lunch a few of them "scattered" and took naps while Chad, Josh and I watched the National Geographic Channel.

Josh, me, Grace and Faith

Josh, me, Grace, Walt, Faith And Miss E

(I am so sorry that my son-in-law was not included in this picture, but he insisted on being the photographer.)

I had to include THIS picture because it is so hilarious to me!

And, NO, Josh is not holding a giant stuffed animal! That's his "baby", Turk, his Labradoodle! He's getting HUGE, isn't he? (He reminds me of "Alf" -- if any of you remember who he is. Or maybe Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street -- if he only had a trunk!) lol

I am so proud of my family and I love them all so very much! God has truly blessed me with an awesome family. I can think of nothing better than having them all together in church and then spending the day at my house! 

Thanks for making it a wonderful day, guys!

One Day Closer To Being Shredded

Along with many of my fellow bloggers, I recently decided to try the "30 Day Shred" - the exercise DVD that is taking the country by storm.

One of the claims made about this exercise program is that you will lose 20 pounds in 30 days. That in itself would be pretty awesome, but I am not even as concerned about that as I am of getting rid of this spare tire that has decided to attach itself to my waistline. I also would like to be able to walk to the mailbox without becoming "winded" !! 

In preparation for my mission trip to Brazil, I would really like to increase my endurance and energy level. As I will most likely be the "matriarch" of the group, I would like to be able to keep up with the people I am traveling with. (-:

I had an added bonus in that I actually received a workout just BUYING the DVD. Allow me to explain.....

I made my trip to Target to buy the DVD -- opting for instant gratification- instead of ordering it online, saving $5.00, and receiving it 3-5 days later, at which time I very well might have been out of the notion to try it.  After walking the length of the store, back to the Sporting Goods department, (since when are DVDs in Sporting Goods?!?) I talked myself out of purchasing it because I told myself, "Self...you are not going to do this.  You have an ellyptical machine that you haven't touched in the last year and you are not going to do this."  So I placed the DVD back on the shelf for some already physically fit YOUNG girl to purchase and I made my way to the front of the store to the bagged candy aisle.

As I got to the front of the store I again started to have this internal civil war. 

"You should buy it." 

"No, you're not going to use it." 

"You used to be good at your Jane Fonda videos." 

"You don't have time to do it." 

"You're in pretty good shape for someone YOUR age." 

"You don't have a big enough area to do it in." 

"You're TOO old!" 

And finally, "But, you have got to do SOMETHING" won out!  I purchased the DVD with high expectations of looking like Jillian Michaels in just a few short days!

Just the title alone makes me cringe with fear! I looked up the word "shred" in the dictionary and it says, "to cut or tear into small pieces; reduce to shreds". And, after only 3 days into the program.....I would say that is a pretty accurate description! This coming from someone who the most exercise they have done in the past year is walking from their car into their office each day!

Shortly into Level 1 of the video, Jillian began saying things like "pain is fear leaving your body" or something crazy like that! I must have been TERRIFIED then because I was certainly experiencing my share of pain! As I was contemplating dropping out on the jumping jacks, she made me feel so much better when she told me that she had 400 pound people that could do jumping jacks! Thanks for the encouragement, Jillian!

I guess that after this 30 days is over I will need to post a new picture of me in my header because I am sure there will be no resemblance to the other pictures of me on my blog. I know you can hardly wait to see the new and improved, SHREDDED MiMi!!

For now, though, I am off to get an 800 mg Ibuprofen, some BioFreeze and a heating pad!

Calling All Prayer Warriors

One of my sweet blogging friends, Laura, sent me an email this week asking me to pray for a very special young man, Reggie, that was involved in a terrible automobile accident earlier in the week. Reggie has a collapsed lung, is in a coma and has severe swelling and pressure in his brain.

I have met so many amazing Christian women through blogging and I believe in the power of prayer. I am calling on all "Prayer Warriors" to go here to read about Reggie and to please pray for him and his family.

Laura posted an update on 05/07/09 with some very specific prayer requests for Reggie's condition. Reggie's mother has been signing on to Laura's blog to read all the encouraging words and prayers for her son. What a great opportunity we have to lift up this young man in prayer and also provide encouragement and strength for his dear mother.

Please add this young man to your prayer list and go here to let his family know that we are praying for Reggie.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. 

I LOVE Spring!

I have a new little family living in my Jasmine vines!  How sweet is this little momma protecting her unborn children.

And, I think I know why they call these KNOCKOUT Roses!

They are really "knockouts" this year!

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 9

As I continue with the LPM Scripture Memory Challenge -- to memorize 2 verses (or passages) of Scripture each month - I am now up to verse # 9  in 2009 and what a blessing it has been to have 8 new verses in my "arsenal"! God has brought these messages to my mind so many times over these past months and He has also given me opportunities to share these verses with others.

My verses for the month of April were 2 Corinthians 5:9-11:

Therefore, we make it our aim, 

whether present or absent,

 to be well pleasing to Him.

For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, 

that each one may receive the things done in the body, 

according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 

Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.

What an awesome reminder and challenge these verses have been to me, not only of the need to share my faith with others, but to also live a life that is well pleasing to God, because we will ALL stand before the judgement seat of Christ. Unbelievers will be judged for their rejection of Christ and believers will be judged for our works.

Simply put -- how I live my life here on this earth is going to determine what I experience at my appointment with God. 

This week my Target group began an in-depth discussion of how do we go about living our lives so that we will be well pleasing to God. The first way that we discussed is by living a life of prayer. As a result, I selected the following verse as memory verse # 9.

But you, when you pray, go into your room, 

and when you have shut your door, 

pray to your Father who is in the secret place; 

and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Matthew 6:6

I know that the enemy likes nothing better than to get me so "busy" that I don't have time --- or rather, that I don't MAKE time - to spend alone with God.  

Isn't it ironic that the thing that usually gets neglected is the ONE thing that is the MOST important - my relationship with the Lord. 

It is so important to my relationship with Christ (and with others) that I have a "quiet place" where I meet God on a daily basis. The older I have gotten, the more difficult this has seemed to be.  There are so many "things" that are constantly competing for my attention - some of which are very "good" things. It seems harder and harder to cut out all the  busyness, noise and confusion so that I can actually hear God's voice. Many times I feel as though God would have to yell over all the "noise" in my life before I could hear Him. 

When I fail to spend time in this "quiet place", not only does my relationship with God suffer, but all of my relationships suffer.

O Lord, help me as I desire to set myself apart from all the distractions this world has to offer and spend time in my "quiet place" with you. I want to be able to hear Your still, small voice. I know that if I will do this, that You will reward me for pursuing You,  for you promise in Your Word, that You are the rewarder of those who diligently seek You!