MiMi's Memories

Let's Pick Up Where We Left Off..

2011-08-21T17:58:00.000-04:00

Where has the time gone? I cannot believe that the last time I posted was on May 18th!! And to think, I had such high expectations on that date, that I was jumping back into the blogging that I love so much.

Well..here we are some 3 months later....so let's just pick up where we left off. When I last posted, I was just beginning my new "position" at my part-time job in the restaurant where I had previously been working as a Hostess. To say that I was a little fearful and apprehensive about the prospect of waiting tables for the first time in my life, would have been an understatement! I think that most people have waited tables at some time in their lives, but I never had. I began working part-time in a dental office when I was 15 years old and never had the opportunity to wait tables. So...at age 54 (Yikes!)...I waited on my first guests in a fine dining restaurant! And, I am here to tell you that I absolutely LOVE it!

I have known for some time that my "love language" is "Acts of Service", so this is "right up my alley". There are so many things to remember and I am still learning how to think ahead and know what my guests are going to need before they even need it, but I truly love taking care of them. I love seeing people have a wonderful dining experience, and I really take pride in offering them the best time service I possibly can. I am currently averaging about 23% in tips, so I am thankful to God for providing me with this opportunity and helping me to learn all that I have to learn. I can do ALL things through Christ!

On another happy note, we have a new addition to our family. For some time now, I have wanted a little "lap dog"...in a house filled with 2 big dogs and a 13 pound Ragdoll cat!

So, without further ado...

I am pleased to introduce to you, Isabella, who we affectionately call, "Izzie".

"Izzie" is a Bolognese puppy and currently weighs about 7 1/2 lbs. The vet expects that she will probably weigh about 10 lbs. when full grown, so she is the perfect addition to our pet family. When I found her through a friend on FaceBook, I knew absolutely nothing about this breed, but only that she was a "lap dog" as I had wanted for sometime AND she was adorable! I drove 4 hrs. (round trip) on the Friday before Memorial Day in a terrible storm, and as soon as I saw her, I knew she was mine!

Bolognese are of the Bichon type and have a single coat which flows in loose ringlets; sort of woolly, rather than silky. They are not to be trimmed or clipped. They are very intelligent and have a very keen sense of hearing. (The girl can hear a pin drop in the house next door, but thankfully, she is NOT a "yapper"!

After researching more about this breed, I learned that they were bred in Italy to be companion dogs --- and companion dog she is! They are known for forming a close bond with their owners. She is in the middle of everything and is clearly the boss of EVERYONE in the house.

Thus, the name "Izzy-Busy-Body" that we have nicknamed her!

Another reason for wanting a new puppy was that my Boxer, Champ, is now almost 11 years old and is starting to "slow down" a little. The vet said that it would be good for Champ to have another dog around - that it would help to keep him young.

I think she was exactly right, but I'll let you decide for yourself....

A New Venture

2011-05-18T10:09:00.000-04:00

There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day lately...but, then again, if there were any MORE, I'm not sure WHAT I would do! I was really in hopes that life would "slow down" just a little after my daughter's wedding at the first of April, but so far, I have not seen too much change in the pace.

I am continuing to work as a hostess (several evenings a week) at the local restaurant that I worked at prior to Grace's wedding, but I am now taking on a new venture...SERVING! A month or so ago, the General Manager of the restaurant asked me if I would be interested in learning to be a server. He said that I should be able to make more money for the same number of hours worked and he thought that I would be good at it. My first response was, "Sure!", but then as I began to think about learning something all new, I started having second thoughts. And, after the first night of training (on a SATURDAY night), I was having serious reservations...and I'm NOT talking about the dinner kind!!

For those of you who haven't discovered this yet, memorizing and retaining information starts to become a little more difficult after "a certain age"...and I have definitely passed that said age! I had no idea of all the "details" that go into running a Fine Dining restaurant...right down to how many inches away the from the table chair sits! And who knew that each chair at every table has a "position number"?!?!

This week, I will be taking my "Menu Test" where I will be expected to write down EVERY ingredient in each of the Appetizers and Salads on our menu. I have made 3 x 5 index cards (much like I use to memorize my Bible verses) and have been trying to learn all the ingredients, but I must say that I am still struggling with some of the dishes. I haven't even begun to study the ingredients in all of the Entrees yet, which I will be tested on next...not to mention the extensive wine list!

It is a very fast-paced job and, at this point, I am wondering if I should just stick with being up front at the Hostess stand where I can just "Smile and Wave, Boys...Smile and Wave". I know I can handle that!

A Busy Past Couple of Months...

2011-05-02T21:18:00.000-04:00

Well...once again I am returning from a rather lengthy time of being MIA. I can hardly believe that the last time I posted on my blog was when I was beginning my Beth Moore "Breaking Free" Bible study! That alone tells me that it has been AT LEAST 12 weeks since I blogged...because my class ended last week! Yikes! Where does the time go??

Speaking of "Breaking Free", it was an amazing Bible study and I have to admit that I am kinda sad for it to be over. I met some wonderful godly ladies and learned so much about the captivity and bondage that the enemy can sometimes keep us, as women, in. How exciting it was last week to hear testimony after testimony of what the Lord has done in the lives of so many as a result of this study! I plan to start back through the study at my own pace and just take my time...because there is just too much awesome information to absorb in 12 short weeks and I don't want to miss anything the Lord has for me!

In the midst of this in-depth Bible study, (what was I thinking!) my youngest daughter, Grace, got married! It was such a joyful time for our family as God sent a wonderful man into our family that He had chosen specifically for Grace and Emma!

It was an absolutely perfect day...the wedding was outside on the Green in our neighborhood and the weather was beautiful! It was very simple, but everything about the day was just as I had envisioned. We were blessed to share this special day with about 100 of our closest friends and family members, which made it even more special!

These are just a few of my favorite memories of the day...

Me and both of my girls

Father of the Bride and all the handsome groomsmen

Me and my sweet girl dancing

One of my friends made the cake and it was amazing! It was almond pound cake and each tier had three layers. Each tier had a layer of Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting and also a layer of Cream Cheese frosting and the cake was iced with a Butter Cream Icing! I can't even begin to tell you how delicious it was...OR, how gorgeous it was!

We had the Reception at the restaurant where I have been working as a Hostess a couple of nights a week for about a year now and it was just the perfect little Saturday afternoon venue. We had a DJ and there was lots of dancin'!!

Hmmm.....Not sure why my son-in-law, Chad, is the only one going the opposite direction, though?!?! LOL

Welcome to this big ole' crazy family, Josh! We couldn't be more tickled to have you be part of it! We thank the Lord for bringing you into Grace and Emma's lives...as well as into ALL of our lives and we already love you to pieces!

God has now blessed me with TWO amazing son-in-laws! I thank the Lord for the godly men that He has provided for both of my girls!

It's TIME....to BREAK FREE!!

2011-02-08T21:30:00.000-05:00

Over the years I have done a number of Beth Moore Bible studies. The last one I was a part of was on the book of Esther and it was an awesome study. Every one that I have been a part of has been great...so you can imagine my excitement a few weeks ago when I learned that my church would soon be offering one of her studies that she has recently updated.

On that Sunday morning, I saw this "promo" for her "Breaking Free' study and as I watched I KNEW that I wanted to be a part of this study, but more importantly, I felt in my heart that God wanted me to be a part of it.

I dropped my registration for the class in the "connection box" at the back of the church on my way out that morning and have been counting down the days until it starts.

Well...it is FINALLY here! My "Breaking Free" study begins tomorrow night. Over 100 women are signed up to go through this study with me and I could not be any more excited about what God is going to do in my life and the lives of each of these precious women.

The class is a 12-week commitment...with 5 days of homework each week and class for 2 hours every Wednesday night. I would have to say, I am a little concerned about all the demands that I currently have, with my work schedules and all the details of my daughter's upcoming wedding...so I covet your prayers as I commit to this study.

Please pray that I will discover the victory that only comes in complete surrender!

Siesta Scripture Memory Team - Verse #3

2011-02-02T17:07:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe that it is already time to memorize our THIRD verse of scripture in the Siesta Scripture Memory Team challenge for 2011. There are so many verses that I want to commit to memory this year, but for some reason I had a hard time settling in on one for this week.

Last night as I was reading, I ran across this passage in Malachi and I felt like this was the ONE that I was supposed to choose for my SSMT Verse # 3.

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other,
and the Lord listened and heard.
A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence
concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name.

Malachi 3:16 (NIV)

How awesome is this! When I am boasting in the Lord with a friend over a cup of coffee, writing a post on my blog, sending an email, or speaking with a girlfriend on the phone - the Lord stops what He is doing and pays attention to what I am saying! He listens and He hears and His heavenly "secretary" is recording the "minutes" from my conversations in a "scroll of remembrance".

I want that heavenly "secretary" to have "writer's cramp" from having to write so quickly to record all of my conversations that honor the Lord!

The Message puts it this way -- the names of the God-fearers were written down, all the names of those who honored God's name.

I don't know about you, my sweet friends, but oh, how I want my name to be written among the God-fearers and those who bring honor to His name!

When I live my life in reverence and awe of who He is, He stops what He is doing and listens in to my conversations! Isn't that amazing!

When my life honors God, He keeps a historical record of my conversations in a scroll of remembrance that is being recorded in His presence!

Oh, Lord...how I pray that my life would bring honor to Your name and that there would be PLENTY of stuff to write in your scroll about me!

Happy Birthday, Joshua!

2011-01-24T05:09:00.004-05:00

Twenty eight years ago today, I received the precious gift of a son,

Joshua Reid Davis.

Since the very beginning of your life, you have always been a "night owl"... making your debut into this world at 4:36 a.m.! You've remained on that same "time schedule" to this day! LOL

You checked in to the world at 7 lbs. 3 oz. ... a mere 51 minutes after we arrived at the hospital! Most everyone that saw you thought that you resembled your dad when he was a baby.

*******

My favorite President of all time, Ronald Reagan, was President of the United States. Leg warmers, scrunch socks and designer jeans were popular fads and "It's Raining Men" was one of the most requested songs. Feathered hair and side ponytails were popular.

******

We have surely been through a lot together since that morning 28 years ago....

You have taught me so much about life. Your zeal for life is contagious and your love for the Lord and for others is refreshing. You have "never met a stranger" and everyone who meets you thinks that you are such an interesting guy. You are well-read and knowledgeable about so many topics.

I thank God for the blessing of a son. It has been an awesome experience to watch God work in your life, especially over the past year, and to see you mature into such an awesome young man.

Just as I have prayed for you (and your sisters) for many years, my prayer for your life today remains the same:

That God would fill you with all the fullness of His will; with all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

That He would teach you to walk in a manner worthy of the Christ which you profess.

That He would create within your heart a desire to please Him in everything.

That He would so work in your life that you would bear fruit in every good work.

That He would so create a desire in your heart for the things of God that you would continually be increasing in your knowledge and understanding of His ways.

That God would strengthen you with all power and might according to His glorious supernatural power, so that steadfastly and with patience that you would be able to endure all kinds of trials.

And that the Lord would let you so live a life of thanksgiving for His work of grace --that you are part of His inheritance -- translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

It is so exciting for me, as your mother, to see God answering many of the prayers that I have prayed over your life. God IS faithful!

God has begun a mighty work in your life and I am confident that He will complete it!

Happy Birthday, Joshua...I love you!

Mom

"And this is the confidence that we have before Him that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked of Him."

I John 5:14-15

End of a LONG, LONG Week......

2011-01-22T08:53:00.000-05:00

This week has been an EXTREMELY long one!

My office is usually open 4 days each week, but because we were closed for 2 days due to snow a couple of weeks ago, we were open 5 days this week to try to accommodate all the patients that had to be rescheduled. It is amazing how much more demanding working one additional day can be! AND...we are scheduled to work 5 days NEXT week, too! I think my boss is already rethinking his decision to add these two additional days! We are ALL "pooped"!

In addition to my "regular" job, I also work several nights a week as a hostess in a local restaurant. I started working here about a year ago, knowing that there would probably be an upcoming wedding in our family in the near future. Sure enough, on May 4th of 2010, I came home from working that evening to this romantic sight on my patio:

My daughter's fiance', Josh, had built a fire in the outdoor fireplace and he had spelled out "Will You Marry Me" on my patio - in tea lights! How sweet and romantic is that!

Now, their special day is FAST approaching! On April 2, 2011, my daughter, Grace, and Josh, plan to be married and our family could not be more excited!

As for my second job...what started out as a means to earn extra money that would be designated for their upcoming wedding, has actually turned into something I really enjoy! I call it my "No-Brainer" job....meaning that after my more stressful "day job", my working in this fine dining restaurant is really enjoyable. I love people and since my love language is clearly Acts of Service, it is "right up my alley".

Since I have been working in this local area for the past 11 years, I know many of the guests that frequent our restaurant. I sometimes say it is like a "Cheers" setting because we have so many "regulars" that come in every week...some of which have their "set" table that they sit at each time they come in. Some even come several times a week! Our atmosphere is a very "family" atmosphere which has definitely led to the great success that our restaurant has experienced over the past 7 years.

Last night was the first night of Queens Feast - a semi-annual event here in the Queen City. It is an opportunity for the people of Charlotte to "dine like royalty" for thirty dollars a person over a 10-day period. Many of the upscale restaurants in our metropolitan area participate, giving guests an opportunity to choose an appetizer, entree and dessert -- all for the $30 fare. It also brings a great boost to our local economy in the process--with the July 2009 event serving over 80,000 dinners for an estimated local impact of $3.76 million.

The first night of Restaurant Week was a great success...with our restaurant being on an at least an hour wait most of the night. Unfortunately, we also had to turn away many disappointed guests who waited to the last minute to make their reservations. ) :

Now that this LONG work week has finally come to a close...I am so excited to have today off!
I have lots of projects that NEED to be done around the house...i.e. mail to sort, bills to pay, 2010 tax "stuff" to be filed away...you know, "fun stuff" like that!

Now... whether or NOT I will DO anything of those things....remains to be seen!

How about you?

Do you have any exciting plans for the weekend?

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-01-19T21:10:00.001-05:00

Interruptions...or Divine Appointments?

2011-01-16T18:59:00.000-05:00

This past Thursday morning, as I was having my Quiet Time with the Lord before leaving for work, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me during my prayer time to pray that I would be an encouragement to someone that day that needed encouraging. The last thing that I wrote in my journal that morning was asking God to bring someone across my path that day that I could be an encouragement to.

Shortly after arriving at work, I placed a call to a business colleague and God CLEARLY answered that prayer. He had me call a person I had not spoken with in at least 3 months and this person, on this very day, was dealing with extreme loss, grief and pain and just needed a "shoulder to cry on" and a listening ear.   God had scheduled a "Divine Appointment" for me!

I had an opportunity to share the love of Jesus and the comfort of the Holy Spirit to this person experiencing so much hurt and pain in her life right now. I was filled with compassion and my heart broke as she shared with me the circumstances that she was currently facing in her life.

Have you ever had a coincidence that was so special that you felt like God was in it?

I believe many times those "coincidences" are divine appointments - "meetings" which are God led or inspired.

God is Sovereign. He is all-knowing and all-powerful. He knew that on this very day that this person would need a call from me...to listen to her, cry with her and most importantly, covenant to pray for her. He knew that I ALSO needed this appointment! The more that I shared with her about my faith...the more MY faith increased!

I couldn't help but wonder about how many appointments that God may have orchestrated for me in the past that I was "too busy" to see.

Those divine appointments that I may have viewed as "interruptions" to my already busy schedule.

Those situations that came across my path that I ignored because I didn't have time to "get involved".

As I thought about this encounter throughout the rest of the day, the Holy Spirit convicted me of the times that I have not allowed my daily life to be led by the Spirit. I was challenged to slow down long enough to see, REALLY SEE, the people He has placed in my path; people that need to experience the love and compassion of Christ. To take a second look at the "interruptions" in my schedule and see possible divine appointments orchestrated by my Heavenly Father.

I was reminded of the lyrics to a popular Christian song by Brandon Heath:

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity.

Give me Your arms for the broken hearted
The ones who are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see.

I pray that, as I go about my daily life, that I would be sensitive to the divine appointments that God, in His Sovereignty, has arranged for me. I know that if I am willing to be led by the Holy Spirit, GREAT things are possible!

Make me willing, Lord....

Give me YOUR eyes....
   YOUR heart....
   YOUR arms....
   Give me YOUR love, Lord!

Siesta Scripture Memory Team - Verse #2

2011-01-15T05:05:00.010-05:00

In 2009, I joined the Siesta Scripture Memory Team (SSMT) for a one year plan of scripture memorization with Beth Moore. God used His Word to speak to my heart in amazing ways that year!

I have been looking forward to the beginning of 2011 so that I could make another commitment to memorize 24 passages of God's Word over the next 12 months. I found in the year 2009 that the accountability of memorizing scripture with other ladies was such an encouragement.

So.....On January 1rst, I decided to join the Siesta Scripture Memory Team again this year. I've got my spiral bound index cards and and I am already on my second entry for 2011. 

The verse that I have chosen for my memory verse for January 15th is:

Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm, 
NOTHING is too hard for YOU.
Jeremiah 32:17 NIV
 
I listened to this interview yesterday on the LPM Blog and I could hardly believe that in just 1 short month (from Dec. 13 - Jan. 13) LPM has mailed out 8009 Spirals for their 2011 Scripture Memory plan!  Isn't that incredible to think that over 8000 people have committed to memorize at least 2 verses of scripture per month over the next 12 months!  LPM also has developed an "App" for those of you that are IPhone or IPad users!  How awesome is that!  So check it out here if you're interested.

And...don't feel like you can't participate because you don't have your cute little Siesta Scripture Memory Spiral.  I don't have one of those, either...I am still just using my plain index cards I got from Walgreens.  If I end up ordering a "Siesta Spiral", I will just transfer them over to the new "cute" one later.

So...come on, Siestas....won't you join in with me and over 8000 others and commit to hide God's Word in your heart this year?  He promises that His Word will NEVER return void, but will accomplish what He sends it forth to do!

Happy Birthday, Walt!

2011-01-12T06:15:00.002-05:00

Today is my sweet husband's birthday!

I can hardly believe that this is his 34th birthday that we have celebrated together!

Walt, I hope that your special day is as special as YOU are to me!
May God grant you the deepest desires of your heart this year.

I love you very much and look forward to celebrating the next 34 birthdays with you!

Praying God's richest blessings on you today and throughout this year!

May this be your BEST year YET!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HONEY!

Snow Day Thoughts...

2011-01-11T09:02:00.000-05:00

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is My word that goes out from My mouth:

It will not return to Me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55: 10-11

Thank you, Lord, that You are the one who tells the snow when to fall...

You appoint when it should come, and to what degree and how long it shall remain.

Job 37:6

52 Weeks, 52 Letters - A 2011 Project

2011-01-10T07:20:00.003-05:00

I have always had a love for handwritten notes, cards, and letters, but with the fast pace of our current society and the advent of email, cell phones, text messages, Skype and Google Talk, I feel like handwritten letters are a dying art. I just recently was talking with a friend about this and began feeling impressed in my heart that I wanted to do better in 2011 about writing more handwritten notes, cards and letters. There is just something very special about letters that are actually handwritten and mailed ... and not delivered to the desktop of a computer!

I think that someone taking the time to write you a handwritten note means so much. It shows that they put a lot of thought into the perfect card or note, they had to plan ahead to have postage stamps on hand and they carefully thought out exactly what they wanted to say... from their heart to yours!

Who doesn't enjoy getting mail from a precious friend or loved one? I don't know about you, but when I go to the mailbox and find a handwritten envelope in the midst of the plethora of bills, I immediately grab that card out and rip it open - FIRST!

I am also one of those people who save EVERY card, note or letter that I receive from my loved ones and friends. I have a card box on my dresser that is OVERFLOWING with precious memories that I have received just over the last couple of years! I have at least TWO other such boxes in the floor of my closet right now!

I also have another VERY special box that contains every "love letter" that my husband and I exchanged when we were dating - while he was away at college in NC and I lived and worked in GA. As you can see....I am a little sentimental when it comes to handwritten cards, notes and letters.

When I started back blogging recently, one of the first blogs I revisited was my sweet friend, Anita's, at A Woman, A Wife, A Mom. I saw this post on her blog and I felt that it was another confirmation that I was supposed to write more cards and letters this year...and what better way to do that than to commit to writing a handwritten note to someone for EVERY week during the year 2011! 52 Weeks, 52 Letters!

The details from the blog that Anita linked to in her post were,

“One piece of “real” mail sent out each week. It can be a letter, a postcard, a care package, a thank you note, handmade art, etc. I’m searching for all of the cards and stationary I have collected over the years and gathering them into one place with pens, envelopes (regular & padded), lots of stamps (.28 & .44), a glue stick, unlined index cards (great for making postcards), and a few USPS Small Flat Rate boxes. Oh, and I’m updating my address book.”

So...Thank you for giving me the extra "nudge" I needed, Anita. I think this is going to be such a rewarding goal for 2011!

Now.....how about you, my friends?

Would you like to be the recipient of a nice surprise letter in 2011? Share your mailing address with me, if I don't already have it, and who knows what might happen!

Or, maybe this sounds like something you would like to commit to with me this year?

I would love to have you join me in bringing some much-needed love and encouragement to others this year ...

52 Weeks, 52 Letters in 2011!

MiMi Gets A Makeover

2011-01-09T07:05:00.001-05:00

MiMi's Making Meals got a makeover yesterday from my very-talented daughter, Faith at A Design of Faith Blog Designs! I have known since I recently started back blogging that I wanted to update AT LEAST my photographs, since they were several years old, but after someone that was new to my blog last week said, ..."Now..the pictures at the top of your blog are not YOU, are they?"... I KNEW it was time!

My blog designer, Faith, is just so busy... designing other blogs, working full-time outside the home and working with the youth of our church...I hated to ask her to change it. I was originally hoping that all she would have to do was to update my photos, but since my old blog design was on an old computer of hers that she did not have access to anymore, she had to completely redesign it.

She asked me several times what kind of design, colors, etc. that I wanted and I told her that I totally trusted whatever she picked out for me because she is SO talented in this area --- she has such an eye for design! She said that it needed to be wider anyway and after seeing her new design I TOTALLY agree! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!

Thank you so much, Faith, for not only giving MiMi's Making Meals a complete makeover, but also for the recent redesign of MiMi's Making Memories! You've helped to motivate me to jump back into blogging...that I have missed SO much!

If you have a minute....hop over to MiMi's Making Meals and let me know what you think!

"Girls DAY Out!

2011-01-08T14:00:00.004-05:00

Several days ago I sent both of my daughters a text and asked them if they would like to join me Friday after work for a quick lunch and then on to the nail salon for a manicure and pedicure. I had been blessed with 2 Gift Certificates to the same salon and I decided to share them with my 2 sweet girls!

We all got off from work around 1:00 p.m., so we decided to meet up at M@es for some Naked Burritos and Taco Salads before our 1:45 p.m. appointments. After lunch, we walked a few doors down to the nail salon where I had previously made our appointments.

Since Grace was scheduled for a manicure AND a pedicure, she was the first one to be taken back for her appointment.

Faith was still busy trying to make her final decision on the perfect nail color before it was her turn to be seen. She only wanted a manicure since she had just gotten a pedicure last week and the nail tech had CUT her toe and it still had not healed! OUCH!!

Finally, I got to join Grace for an awesome hot foot bath, scrub and pedicure. I had forgotten just how good a pedicure feels! I could get used to THIS!

As an added bonus, the massage chairs were awesome in this salon. It was massaging up and down my entire body. I felt like I had to be college graduate to operate the remote control, though! Every time I thought I had the power off...it would start back up with all sorts of gyrations! LOL

Faith got a hand and arm massage prior to her nails getting polished. I must say that I LOVE this part of a manicure service, but for some strange reason...I have an allergic response to something they use and it causes my skin on my hands to peel off and be very painful for a few days following my massage, so I decided to just stick with the pedicure only this time.

By this time Grace had moved on to the drying cycle....

And very soon she was joined by her sister, Faith...

I had SO much fun spending time with my two sweet girls...we laughed so much and it was just fun to get a little pampering to start the weekend off right!

After the "Mani and Pedi" appointment, Grace and I headed to our next appointment....

Grace had her first fitting for her wedding gown. We looked at shoes, jewelry, etc., but still have not made any final decisions. Hopefully, she will make a decision about which shoes within the next month so that she can have her dress hemmed at the next fitting appointment. April is going to be here BEFORE WE KNOW IT! Her dress is so beautiful and just "looks like her"! I know that she is going to be such a beautiful bride!

There are so many details yet to be decided....I'm starting to "panic" just a little as it's been a LONG time since I planned a wedding, but I know that very soon everything will start falling into place.

After we were done there, we headed to Jos. A. Banks to look at suits for the men in the wedding and finally home after a LONG, but fun day!

I spent the rest of the evening in my "jammies" with my hubby and this handsome fella"! ( :

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-01-05T20:01:00.000-05:00

Prayers for My Fur Baby...

2011-01-04T22:41:00.000-05:00

One of my sweet "fur babies", Champ, had to have surgery today and is feeling a little under the weather this evening.
If you know anything about Boxers, you know that they are prone to all kinds of "bumps" and growths. This was my sweet boy's 3rd or 4th surgery to have a tumor removed and the second one on the same leg.

When we picked him up from the vet this afternoon he was still very disoriented from the anesthetic and he was wearing an Elizabethan collar to keep him from licking the wound and possibly pulling out the sutures. Bless his heart...he looked like he had a lampshade on his head! ) :

In addition to having surgery on his hind left leg, he had his teeth cleaned and he also had to have 2 teeth extracted that were abscessed! He keeps licking his front left leg where his IV was inserted so it must be a little sore, too. It's so hard to watch my buddy feel like this...he looks so pitiful.

He was able to have a light meal before bedtime and has been tucked in his bed ever since. Tomorrow he starts on his prescription medicines...praying he feels much better tomorrow after a good night's rest.

I love you, "Champer Doodle"!

Bringin' in the New Year...Southern Style, YAWL !

2011-01-02T07:21:00.000-05:00

As you may have figured out by now, ANY special occasion revolves around food here in the South. New Year's Day is NO exception!

Yesterday morning, I had the sweetest treat from my husband! I came out of the shower and, as he does MOST mornings, he delivered my fresh cup of coffee to me to drink while I dried my hair. That in itself would have been enough, but after I finished getting ready, he told me breakfast was ready and I came into the kitchen to this DELICIOUS goodness....

He had brought the new year in the night before preparing this traditional Breakfast Casserole with sausage, eggs, bread and cheese that we typically have every CHRISTmas morning, and boy was it yummy! He was so proud of his culinary skills....the first thing he said to me was, "Take a picture!"... I said, "Really?" and he said, "Why not?...You take a picture of everything else!" HA!

So, be on the lookout...in addition to having MiMi's Making Meals, we may soon be having Poppa's Making Meals, too!

After we finished with our breakfast I began preparing our traditional New Year's Day meal. For those of you who don't know....us Southerners have a tradition of eating black-eyed peas, cornbread, "greens" (collards, kale, turnips, spinach, etc.) and some type of pork on New Year's Day. This variety of foods are said to bring good luck and increase the odds that the new year will be a great one.

The black-eyed peas are thought to look like coins so people consume them with financial rewards in mind. The hog, and therefore the meat from the hog, is thought to symbolize wealth and prosperity. The "greens" are also considered to bring good luck because their leaves look like folded paper currency. It's widely believed that the more "greens" one consumes, the larger one's fortune for the next year.

My family joined us at lunch to partake of all this Southern goodness.... Marinated and Baked Pork Chops, Turnip Greens, Southern Buttermilk Cornbread, Black-eyed Peas with chopped onions and Chow-Chow. Chow Chow is a relish that is a staple on many Southern dining tables and is typically served with pinto beans and cornbread, or anything else you want to put it on. It's a mixture of sweet and spicy that really "perks up" the taste of about anything you add it to. It is something my soon-to-be son-in-law has discovered that he absolutely LOVES!

We also came to the realization in this new year, that not only does little Miss E no longer need a booster seat to reach the table, but she no longer needs a small little plate! Girlfriend has really started eating so well!

So....from now on she gets a BIG dinner plate just like the rest of us Southerners! Oh..and a big ole' glass of Sweet Iced Tea....YAWL!

Wishing you much health wealth and prosperity in 2011 -

Happy New Year from my family to yours!

Siesta Scripture Memory Team - Verse #1

2011-01-01T22:11:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe that another new year is already here, but I am very excited about what God has in store for me and my family in the coming year.

I really believe that God is going to do some amazing things in the year 2011!

In 2009, I joined the Siesta Scripture Memory Team (SSMT) for a one year plan of scripture memorization with Beth Moore. God used His Word to speak to my heart in amazing ways that year! I have known for some time that I needed to be memorizing scripture again and for awhile now have been looking forward to the beginning of a new year. I found in the year 2009 that the accountability of memorizing scripture with other ladies was such an encouragement.

So.....I decided to join the Siesta Scripture Memory Team again this year. I've got my spiral bound index cards and and I am ready to make my first entry for 2011 with these verses:

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded,

YOU NEED TO PERSEVERE so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.

Hebrews 10:35-36 NIV

I would encourage any of you that might not have been planning to participate in this to hop over and check out Beth's blog and learn more about the SSMT.

COME ON...It's not too late to jump in and we'll ALL hide God's Word in our hearts in 2011!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOTHER !!

2011-01-01T10:41:00.000-05:00

Today, New Years Day, is my sweet mother's 79th birthday!

I wish that I was able to spend the day celebrating with her on her special day, but, fortunately, I was able to visit with her a couple of weeks ago when she came up for a visit. We had a great time playing games together, laughing and just enjoying each other's company. I even got her on Facebook where she can keep up with all of our family on a daily basis!

Mother, thank you for all the sacrifices that you made for me growing up and the unconditional love that you always showed to me. I am so grateful for the values that you instilled in me, even as a young child.

I love you very much and pray God's richest blessings on you in 2011! May He grant you the desires of your heart!

December 2010 with her Great-Granddaughter

HAPPY 79th BIRTHDAY, MOTHER!

Looking Forward to 2011...

2010-12-30T08:57:00.002-05:00

I have never really been one who makes New Year's Resolutions...I guess I just don't like setting myself up for failure. lol I do, however, try to set some spiritual goals for myself at the beginning of each new year; i.e. Scripture memorization, journaling, Bible reading plans, books I want to read, etc.

I LOVE the idea of having a "fresh slate" every January 1rst. For the previous year's goals that I failed to reach, I have a brand new opportunity to start over and do better in the new year. For the goals that I WAS able to attain in the previous year, it is a time to reevaluate and "set the bar a little higher" in the new year.

I can hardly believe how fast the year 2010 has gone by. It has been a difficult year, but it has also been one in which I have learned so much and seen God's hand on my life in so many ways. I would not trade the difficulties of the year for all the life lessons that I have learned through the process.

As I was riding home on Tuesday, I was listening to the radio and thinking about the new year that is right around the corner and some of the things that I hope to accomplish next year. A lyric to a Casting Crown song that I have heard many times suddenly jumped out at me and I have not been able to get it off my mind. The lyric was,

"I want to sign Your name to the end of this day, knowing that my heart was true...".

I couldn't help but wonder how many days in 2010 that I would actually have been able to sign His name to?

How many days did the words I said and the things I did bring a smile to Him?

How many days was I His hands and feet to reach a dying world?

Oh, how I want to be able to sign His name to the end of each day, knowing that my heart was true. If I could do that, then 2011 would surely be a year with no regrets and would definitely be my BEST year yet! If I could do that, I would be one step closer to that day when I will hear those words that I so long to hear from Him, "Well done, Thou good and faithful servant".

So for the year 2011, Lord....

May the words I say and the things I do bring a smile to You, God.

May my life be a living sacrifice so that I will be Your hands and feet to a dying world that is very much in need of You.

Give me Your eyes to see the things that I keep missing.

Remove all the distractions that are constantly competing for my attention and keep me focused only on You.

Quieten all the "voices" that are "screaming" at me to listen to them and give me only ears to hear Your still small voice.

Give me Your love for humanity.

And this time next year as 2011 comes to a close...
I pray that I would be able to sign Your name to it,
knowing that my heart was true.

I NEED YOUR HELP!!

2010-12-04T21:55:00.010-05:00

**Edited to add: Thank you so much to all of you for taking the time to vote for my daughter. She did win the contest, but things turned out to be a lot more complicated that we ever anticipated. I appreciate your help nonetheless!**

My family is very excited about my youngest daughter, Grace's upcoming April wedding. Her and her sister, Faith ,have been busy planning and coming up with ideas for the wedding. God has already worked in many ways to make their day be a special one on a very limited budget.

Faith recently learned of a giveaway from an amazing wedding photographer who was having a contest for a FREE wedding package! She told Grace that she should enter.

Grace submitted hers and Josh's story and was selected as one of the top three! Now, here is where I need YOUR help. The winner will be selected by a vote so I'm asking all of you to PLEASE go here and vote for couple #1 - Grace and Josh.

It would be such a blessing if this was another way that the Lord provided for them!

The voting is open until Monday at 9pm, so PLEASE, go and vote and spread the word - blog it, tweet it, facebook it, etc.! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

After reading their story, just scroll to the bottom of the page and vote for COUPLE # 1 - Grace and Josh.

You can only vote once PER COMPUTER so if you have access to multiple computers PLEASE cast your vote from each of them!

Again, thank you so much and I have already been making plans to update my blog and start posting again. Looking forward to catching back up with all of you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-13T08:50:00.014-05:00

For God so loVed the world,
That He GAve
His onLy
BegottEn

SoN
That whosoever
Believeth In Him
Should Not perish,
But have Everlasting life."
John 3:16

NIGHT AT THE LIBRARY

2009-12-13T17:16:00.018-05:00

For quite some time now I have wanted to visit the Billy Graham Library. When I heard that they were having a special "Christmas At The Billy Graham Library", I knew that I wanted to go while the grounds were all decorated for Christmas. So...last night, Walt, Grace, Emma and I piled into the car and headed south for the Christmas experience at the library.

We picked one of the most crowded nights of the year so far, so after parking, we caught a shuttle that carried us to the library. Emma was very excited about the shuttle ride!

As we came off of the shuttle we saw Billy Graham's Birthplace all lit up for the holidays. This is the actual home place where he lived just a few miles from its current location, from about age 9 until he left for college. The home has been restored using about 80% original materials. Billy's father built the house in the 1920's for about $9000.00!

It was so neat for me to walk through and see so many similarities to the fixtures and furnishings of my grandparents house. I even saw a set of porcelain figurines that were identical to some that my grandmother had.

During Billy's childhood, the Graham family owned a dairy and so the building is barn-shaped with a huge cross-shaped opening. It is absolutely breathtaking in the darkness with the Christmas lights.

There was a live nativity.

And inside was a beautiful, huge Christmas tree with lots of handmade wooden crosses and rustic ornaments. We took advantage of someone offering to take a group photo in front of the tree.

Inside, they have the Graham Brothers Dairy Bar, where you can purchase salads, ice cream, and sandwiches; as well as, coffee and hot apple cider.

Here are Grace and Emma waiting on Poppa to bring us some coffee and cider.

Emma and me waiting in the Dairy Bar for our treats!

And after we were done eating, we turned our "eating" booth into a little "Photo Booth" and took some pictures of everyone.

I couldn't resist a picture of Miss Emma in front of the gorgeous poinsettias. They were almost as tall as she was!

And before heading out, we decided to stop for one more photo op in front of that gorgeous Christmas tree.

There was so much to see and do, but we decided that we would need to go back for a visit without a certain little "munchkin" with us. The tour itself takes about an hour and a half and we were afraid that might have been just a little too much to ask of a 4 year old!

The grounds must be beautiful in the daylight, but they were absolutely MAGICAL all decked out for Christmas!

Outback of Brazil - Pelo Sinal (Part 2)

2009-09-21T21:57:00.001-04:00

When our team went to go look at the living conditions of the family that I mentioned in my previous post, we sent all the children of Pelo Sinal to the town square. We told them we would meet them under the big tree in the center of town shortly.

All the children gathered there as we sang songs and taught them hand gestures to some of our favorite songs. Here we were teaching them lyrics and hand motions to "O, Happy Day".

O, happy day, happy day

You washed my sin away

O, happy day, happy day

and I'll never be the same

Forever I am changed.

We wanted to make one home visit before time to meet back with our entire group for lunch, so my team grabbed two precious sisters, Victoria and Raphaela, and asked them if we could go to their home for a visit. My team leader, Daniel, already knew them from a previous trip.

(L to R) Shelby, Katarina, Daniel, Raphaela, Victoria and me

We headed through the village and up the hill to their home.

We had an amazing visit with this sweet family. Unfortunately, their brother, Oscar, was not there when we visited in their home, but the girls' parents and their paternal grandfather were there. They were so gracious to us and so appreciative to us for coming to visit them. Their mother was disappointed that we could not stay and eat lunch with them and made us promise that when we come back that our entire group would eat lunch at their house!

Victoria went to her room and got a notebook with her schoolwork in it and read some of her answers regarding what she believed about the Bible and why, and I was absolutely amazed with her spiritual maturity! She said she had been reading her Bible that had been given to her on a previous trip.

My heart just melted as little Raphaela snuggled up to me on the sofa. She just latched onto me from the minute we sat down in their home and I couldn't get enough! So precious!

This is a picture of this precious family (minus brother Oscar) with our team. (Unfortunately, our translator, Katarina, was taking the picture so was not able to be included in this photo.)

They made us feel so welcome that it was really difficult to leave. I had to snap one more photo of this precious family- taken outside the door of their home.

We headed back through the village to Nalva's house (the Mayor of Pelo Sinal) for a delicious lunch prepared by Pastor Carlos' wife, Dinalda.

As soon as lunch was over, it was time to head back to the town square. The "Face Painters" took their places......

The lines started to form ......

And beautiful faces were painted!

My daughter, Faith, even threw in her hair braiding services!

Afterwards we even got to observe a dance class that the little girls in the village got to be a part of. So sweet!

To be continued.....

Outback of Brazil - Pelo Sinal (Part 1)

2009-09-20T22:03:00.001-04:00

Saturday was our first day in the Outback and the first village we would be working in was Pelo Sinal. Several of our team members had been in Pelo Sinal on previous trips and had started building relationships with some of the people they had lead to the Lord on previous trips, so they were very excited about getting back to this little village. At this point, I still didn't know what I was in store for.

We ate breakfast and loaded the bus early. On the way, Pastor Carlos and our team leader, Daniel, gave us our schedule for the day and assigned our teams for the day.

We drove by bus to the end of the dirt road that lead to Pelo Sinal and there we unloaded all of our supplies and left the bus for the day.

This is a picture of my son-in-law, Chad, my daughter, Faith, and myself. I was blessed to have them on the trip with me. They have been on several mission trips before and were a great help to this "rookie"!

These were four of our amazing translators on that first day. Ruth, Katarina, Anne and Monica (L to R).

Here are my team leader, Daniel, and his wife, Jennifer . I cannot even imagine how much work went into planning and organizing a trip like this, but they did an amazing job! Everything went so smoothly!

After we got all of our supplies unloaded from the bus we all climbed onto the "Turnip Truck". It was at this point that I really started to get excited! This trip was finally a reality and I was really here in the Outback of Brazil!

After about 6 miles of very rough roads we started approaching a little village and this is a glimpse of what I saw. Children from the village came running toward our truck because they were already expecting us.
As I went to climb off the truck, I was taken aback by all the beautiful little children. It was a very emotional moment for me to see all of these precious ones.

On our way over on the bus, Pastor Carlos had mentioned to us about a home that needed to have a new roof put on it that they were hoping that we could help with, but they had not been able to come up with all of the money to buy the necessary supplies prior to our coming. The family that lived in the little house had 3 children, the youngest of which was 4 months old. On an average day this time of year, the temperature inside their house was approximately 40 degrees Celsius! That translates to over 100 degrees Farenheit!

Our first stop was for the team to take a look at the living conditions of this family. As you can see, they had a flat metal roof and the heat was just being absorbed into this house.

This is a view from the side of their house. It was made out of block and they only had one window in the entire structure.

These were the children's toys that they played with.

This was their "oven" -- whatever they place in here was cooked by the sun.

And this was their laundry area. The big 50 gallon drum was full of rain water that they captured during the rainy season.

As we were walking around and through this little house, I think all of us were very disappointed that we had not known about this need prior to our coming so that we could have raised the necessary money and had the supplies on hand to replace the roof while we were there.

We broke up into our teams for the day and I was on the team that stayed to talk to the woman that lived in this home. As Daniel and Monica began to talk to the lady, her baby started to get a little fidgety and I asked if I could hold him so I could remove that distraction and have her focus on what they were sharing with her. As you can imagine, this was right up MiMi's alley!

Daniel used the Evangecube to share the Gospel and with the help of our translator, Monica, the lady of the house prayed to receive Christ! We gave her a Portuguese Bible and a list of verses to encourage her, but she told us that she could not see. She needed glasses, but that she had been to the doctor and the glasses she needed were too expensive. Last year, a group had taken reading glasses to give out on the trip and she had tried a couple of pairs left from that trip, but none of them had worked for her. This just broke my heart that she could not see to read and I hope that there is some way we can get her some glasses so that she can read the Word of God.

We all signed the Bible that we left with her.

Here is a picture of us with our new sister in Christ! I know the angels were rejoicing in Heaven!

This was only the beginning of our exciting day in Pelo Sinal. I have lots more to share.

(To Be Continued)

BRAZIL - Finally A Reality

2009-09-19T17:43:00.002-04:00

Well...after about 6 months of planning for, praying about and looking forward to my very first mission trip, it finally became a reality! I, along with my team, left on Thursday, September 3rd for the Outback of Brazil. Our flight left Charlotte in the evening and we flew to Miami, FL. We immediately got onto a flight (10:30 p.m.) and flew all night to Salvador. After a brief layover in Salvador, we boarded our last flight that took us to Recife, where we landed around 10:30 am on Friday. It took us a while to claim our baggage and get through Immigrations and Customs, but soon we were greeted by Pastor Carlos. I had heard so much about him and could hardly wait to meet them.

We headed out with all of our luggage to our tour bus that would be our transportation for the 7 hour trip to the Outback. Our first stop, before we got on the road, was to stop for lunch at a local restaurant in Recife, called Tio Pepe....and OH MY WORD!

It was here that I knew that I was probably not going to be losing weight on this trip as I had hoped and expected! The food was delicious and I also had my first taste of Guarana- the carbonated beverage that is original to Brazil that I had heard so much about. It tastes sort of like a much sweeter Ginger Ale and is really yummy! Pastor Carlos and our team leader, Daniel, ordered a variety of different dishes --beef, chicken and fish -- and everything I tasted was great! This is a picture of my plate. YUMMY!

It was here at the restaurant that I first got to meet Pastor Carlos' sweet wife, Dinalda, and with the help of an interpreter, start to get to know her. I could tell right away that I was going to love her! (Please keep in mind that this was me after being on an airplane for about 14 hours! lol)

It is also where we got to meet up with more of our amazing translators that would be helping us all week, two of which are pictured here L to R, Katarina, and Carla, Pastor Carlos' daughter.

This is another one of our translators, Anne, with my daughter, Faith. God was so faithful to provide us with so many awesome translators and we certainly could not have done it without them!

Soon it was time to load onto the bus again and head for the Outback.

After driving a couple of hours, we stopped at a little place on the side of the road that everyone on my team that had previously been to Brazil fondly called "The Chicken Ball Place". It was like a little "Cantina" with a gift shop, ice cream, fresh coconuts, and the infamous "chicken balls". Several people had Coconut Water, but most of us had ice cream and an opportunity to stretch our legs.

Here is Brooke, one of our precious teens on the trip, giving the the fresh coconut a try.

After this little stop, it was back on the bus for the remainder of our trip into the Outback. We arrived at the Hotel Brotas somewhere around 9:00 that night, and after checking into our rooms, we headed for the hotel restaurant and found this spread awaiting us.

After dinner, it was off to our rooms for a good night's sleep before heading out the next morning to Pelo Sinal, the first village where we would be ministering.

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verses #15 and #16

2009-08-18T19:21:00.001-04:00

I am so behind on blogging and I am also late in posting my last two memory verses, but both of them have been very meaningful to me in recent days. As many of you already know, in January of this year, I committed to the LPM Scripture Memory Challenge to memorize 2 verses of scripture each month for the year 2009. I can hardly believe it, but with these 2 verses, we have memorized 16 out of 24! We only have 8 more memory verses remaining for 2009! I cannot tell you what a blessing this Scripture Memorization plan has been for me!

The verse that I selected for August 1st was a verse that God just seemed to keep putting before me. I heard my pastor refer to it in a recent sermon and then when I went to Deeper Still in Greensboro, Kay Arthur mentioned this verse in her teaching in Hebrews that Friday night. I knew then that this was a verse that I needed to have in my "arsenal".

"Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it."

Hebrews 2:1 (ESV)

It is so easy to drift, isn't it? Have you ever been floating on an inner tube or air mattress out in the ocean when you decide that you need to paddle back to shore, only to find that you are way downstream from where you originally started out. You thought you were floating in the same place, but all the while you were drifting--without even knowing it--unaware that you had moved from your original location.

I believe that our very heritage is being destroyed in this country. We, as a country, have not listened to God and we are in trouble. I believe that God is saying to America, and to me in particular, that He wants us to wake up and listen to Him!

I pray that the verses that I have committed to memory this year, might be an anchor for me --that I might "pay closer attention to what I have heard...lest I drift away from it"!

The verse that I chose for the second half of August is found in Ephesians and is one of my favorite promises found in God's Word. I have always loved this verse, but after Priscilla Shirer taught an amazing lesson on this verse at Deeper Still, I will never look at it in quite the same way.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us"

Ephesians 3:20 (NASB)

Just a few of the awesome points that Priscilla made about this passage that made an impression on me were:

My ability to rest comes from whether or not I believe that He is able to handle what concerns me.

Whatever difficulties I may face in life, I need to see them through the "filter" of God.

Whether or not He chooses to change my situation is a question of His sovereignty --not of His ability!

The most incredible miracle is - not when God changes a circumstance, but when He changes a life.

I guess if I had to summarize the main message that I take away from this verse is that OUR GOD IS ABLE! Whatever it is......OUR GOD IS ABLE! If we truly believe that God is God, we will let Him do His job! We can rest because God Is Able!

He is able to do it FOR ME and He is able to do it FOR YOU, sweet friend!

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse #14

2009-07-15T20:01:00.008-04:00

In January of this year, I committed to the LPM Scripture Memory Challenge to memorize 2 verses of scripture each month for the year 2009. I can hardly believe it but the verse for the second half of July brings us to verse number 14 out of 24!

But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

I also really like the way The Message interprets it:

It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.

Unfortunately, I still do not have my camera back from being repaired so I cannot post a picture of my actual memory verse on my index cards as I normally do. I sure hope that I get it back soon! But, until then I thought I would leave you with a little something that should bring a smile to your face!

I'll Be There

2009-07-05T19:01:00.003-04:00

With the death of the "King of Pop" this past week, the news has been full of stories about the life of this very talented, but obviously troubled man. It got me to thinking, though, about all of the "hit" songs he had and some of my fondest memories of Michael Jackson were when he was a part of the Jackson 5. That cute little boy with the high-pitched voice.

The one song of Jackson's that really sticks out in my mind is "I'll Be There". I can still remember being at the county fair with 3 of my very best friends in the early 70's, when that song was being played over the loud speaker system throughout the fairgrounds. To this day, when I hear this song, it conjures up fond memories of fresh-cooked corn dogs and french fries sprinkled with salt and vinegar!

You may recall that the chorus went something like this:

Don't you know, baby, yeah
I'll be there, I'll be there, just call my name, I'll be there

(Just look over your shoulders, honey )
I'll be there, I'll be there, whenever you need me, I'll be there

As I was reminiscing about those days some 25+ years ago and the lyrics to that song, God began to take me in a different direction with my thoughts. As a wife and mother like so many of you, I feel like I am pulled in so many directions. Many days I feel overwhelmed by all the tasks that I need to accomplish that day. I do laundry, answer phone calls and emails, pay bills, shop for groceries, make dinner, clean house AND work a full-time job OUTSIDE the home.

I am a serious list maker and I LOVE the feeling of being able to cross off something on my to-do-list when I have completed it. As I have confessed to you before, I have even been known to write down something on my list AFTER I have already completed it, just so I could mark it off the list! That's pretty bad, huh?

Sometimes in an effort to multi-task and be able to cross off more things on my list, I find that I do not give the proper amount of attention to my family members. When my little granddaughter is asking me question number 200 in the last 30 minutes, I find that I am not really listening to her, but rather preoccupied about what I need to accomplish that night before bedtime. Or, when my husband is telling me about his day, my mind is thinking about what I am going to fix for dinner or my day at work and I'm not really listening.

God reminded me that I need to be there for my family - to give love and attention to my family members - not just try to check things off of my never-ending task list. I need to learn to prioritize and realize that it is OK for some things to wait.

Lord, I want to be there for my family. When my husband comes in the house at the end of his day, help me to get off the computer or phone and give him my undivided attention. When I pick up my granddaughter from daycare, help me to give her my full attention as she recounts all of the "events" of her day. When one of my children call and I am in the middle of cooking dinner, help me, Lord, to stop what I'm doing and listen to their concerns.

I want my family to know that I'll Be There for them!

"She looks well to the ways of her household,

And does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and bless her;

Her husband, also, and he praises her"

Proverbs 31:27-28

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 13

2009-07-03T16:38:00.007-04:00

In January of this year, I, along with many of you, committed to the LPM Scripture Memory Challenge to memorize 2 verses of scripture each month for the year 2009, and with this week's verse, we are now on verse 13 out of 24 verses! Can you believe that we are now over halfway!

If you have been reading my blog for very long, you know that I record my verses on index cards and I always have a picture of my memory verse written on my card. Unfortunately, I am not able to have a picture this week as I had to put my camera in the shop for repair. I have really realized how much I use my camera since I have been without it! I am praying that it will be repaired and returned prior to my trip to Brazil.

My verse that I have chosen to commit to memory for the first half of July is:

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer."

Psalm 19:14 (NASB)

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2009-07-01T05:40:00.002-04:00

How Sweet Is This?

2009-06-19T14:28:00.006-04:00

Last evening, I was in the house paying bills and my husband was outside pressure-washing the driveway.

After a few minutes he opened up the back door and said, "Honey, look out the dining room window."

This is what I saw......

After 31 years of marriage, how sweet is that?

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 12

2009-06-18T21:10:00.001-04:00

WE'VE MADE IT HALFWAY!!!!!!

Back in January of this year, I, along with many of you, committed to the LPM Scripture Memory Challenge to memorize 2 verses of scripture each month for the year 2009, and with this week's verse, we are officially halfway! We are on verse 12 out of 24 verses! I can hardly believe it!

My verse that I have chosen to commit to memory for the second half of June is:

"And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

Hebrews 4: 13 (NKJV)

Remembering An Awesome Night Of Praise & Worship

2009-06-06T09:00:00.014-04:00

On January 25th of this year, my daughter, Faith, and I hopped in the car after church Sunday morning and headed for Atlanta for an awesome night of Praise and Worship with Travis Cottrell at First Baptist Church of Woodstock .

It was exciting enough to be able to participate in a LIVE recording with Travis Cottrell, but one of my all-time heroes in the faith was also going to be there -- Beth Moore!

We had made plans to meet up with one of our sweet blogging friends that we had never had the privilege of meeting in person -- none other than JennaBabe!

It was an awesome night of worship and one I will never forget.

On Tuesday of this past week, the LIVE recording from that amazing night was released on ITunes and in the stores. Those of us that were there that night were able to pre-order the CDs and DVDs -- and mine came in the mail yesterday! As I looked at the CD cover and began to listen to the very first song, "To The King", I was taken back to all the emotion and excitement of that incredible evening with thousands of people praising the Lord. It was like a tiny glimpse into what Heaven is going to be like!

If you ask me what are my favorite songs from the recording, that is a tough one because, honestly, they are all so good, but if I had to say, they would probably be - "My Inheritance", "Praise the King"(with Cindy Morgan), "Mercy Seat", and "Do It Lord".

I have not stopped listening to it! I fell asleep listening to it last night and I woke up to it this morning. I just have to say, if you haven't already purchased this CD, it is a must-have!

It will lead you to the throne of worship, sweet friends!

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 11

2009-06-05T15:04:00.001-04:00

As I continue with the 2009 LPM Scripture Memory Challenge, I can hardly believe that we are already on verse 11 out of our goal of 24 for 2009! On the 15th of this month, we will be halfway through the verses that we have committed to memorize for this year! Where has the time gone?

I have been so blessed by the commitment I made back in January to memorize 2 verses (or passages) of Scripture each month. Sometimes I have a difficult time retaining things that I want to remember, but God has definitely honored my commitment to this challenge by giving me the ability to "hide these verses in my heart"-- many times bringing them to my remembrance at the precise time that I need them.

The verse that I have chosen for the first part of June is:

"He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord."

Psalm 112:7 (NIV)

I don't know about you, but this verse has "my name ALL over it"! As many of you that have been reading my blog for awhile may recall, I am the reigning Queen of "What If". I like to think of myself as a "realist", rather than a "pessimist", but I tend to worry about what COULD happen. There is so much bad news in our world today! Just turning on the evening news, picking up the newspaper or even reading some people's blogs, makes it very difficult to not to be fearful.

Case in point: Many of you know that I am planning to be a part of a mission trip to Brazil in September and I have some fear about flying that far. I have never been on an airplane for that length of time, over THAT MUCH WATER, and I get MOTION SICKNESS! Need I say more?

What timing to learn this week about AirFrance 447 vanishing only 4 hours into their flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The plane carrying 228 passengers disappeared!

How timely that God would give me this very verse this week!

I must put my trust in the Lord, and Him ALONE!

If I am trusting in HIM, and in HIM alone, then His Word says that I will have NO fear of bad news!

I don't know about you guys, but for me --- "them's shoutin' words!"

One Year Blogaversary

2009-05-29T05:35:00.003-04:00

"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

2009-05-25T08:52:00.026-04:00

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

2009-05-17T18:17:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-13T05:30:00.006-04:00

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-11T20:36:00.010-04:00

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

2009-05-10T21:41:00.008-04:00

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

2009-05-09T07:31:00.014-04:00

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!

2009-05-06T19:54:00.005-04:00

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

2009-05-02T12:24:00.026-04:00

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!

"The Eyes Have It"

2009-04-28T20:52:00.004-04:00

** UPDATE : Champ went back to the vet Wednesday morning and the doctor thinks that maybe he did not run into anything after all. She said that Boxers and Pugs are known for eye problems and that some of them actually have their cornea pop off! She said they sometimes lose their eyes due to ulcers. She prescribed another antibiotic, in addition to the drops we were already giving and we have to take him back for another recheck next week.

Ironically, when I went for a walk tonight, I saw a 12 yr. old Boxer that had both eyes so hazed over that it appeared that the dog could not see. The owner said that she had had ulcers and had surgery to do a lens implant and she can see fine despite the cloudiness.

I pray that Champ does not have to go through anything like that. Thank you so much for all your sweet comments and prayers and I will keep you posted on his progress.

One morning last year, we discovered that Champ, our Boxer, had somehow injured his eye. We took him to the vet and she determined that his eye had an abscess on it, most likely from running into a stick or some sharp object. After a round of antibiotic drops, the condition seemed to be resolved.

Well.... this past Sunday evening, I looked at Champ, and his left eye was all hazy, draining and had an area that appeared to have some blood in it. It looked just like it had last year.

Walt took him to the vet yesterday and, once again, he has an abscess on his eye. The vet thinks that he ran into another sharp object. I am beginning to think that maybe "our boy" cannot see as well since he is getting on up in years.

Here is a picture of my boy waiting for his eye drops tonight. Bless his little heart. It seems to be so painful.

Please pray for Champ. He goes back to the vet tomorrow morning for a recheck. It doesn't seem to look much better to us, so we are hopeful that he has not done any permanent damage to his eye.

Happy Birthday, Cindy!

2009-04-26T19:20:00.001-04:00

In 2008, shortly after I first began blogging, I was introduced to Cindy at Army Brats and Me . Not long after "meeting" her on her blog, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer.

As I began praying for her and following her journey, she became such an encouragement and inspiration to me. There was just a "bond" there that I don't know how to explain.

Several months ago, I learned that she was going to be relocating to a city very near me and I was so excited! I thought to myself, "I hope that I get to meet Cindy in person someday."

Well...several days ago, Nicki at Three Girly Girls contacted me on FaceBook and said that some friends were going to be giving a surprise birthday party this afternoon for Cindy -- about 40 miles from my house. I immediately said that I would be there!

It was so awesome to finally meet in person someone that I have prayed for all these months and felt like I already knew!

********

Cindy thought that she was coming to a birthday party for a friend's little girl.

This is Cindy when she opened the door to the clubhouse.

SURPRISEEEEEE!!!!!

This was the moment that she realized that all this celebration was for HER!!!

Friends and family loving on her as she arrived.

How adorable is she? Praise the Lord she is CANCER FREE!!

I finally get to meet the person I have prayed for all these months.

Nicki , Cindy and me

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CINDY! WE LOVE YOU!

One Step Closer To Brazil

2009-04-25T08:30:00.020-04:00

Look what came in the mail!!!

I was told to allow 4-6 weeks for my Passport Application to be processed, but it came in 10 days!

***To read more about the upcoming Brazil Mission trip and how God "winked" at me and provided for my passport, go here.

(It was Wink #9.)

On the same day that my passport arrived, a check from one of my dear blogging friends arrived, too -- completing the money that I need to get my necessary immunizations for my trip. God is so good!!

Please keep praying that God will provide the support needed to cover the expenses of our trip.

I am so excited to see how God is going to provide!

"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request

in your wildest dreams!"

Eph. 3:20 (The Message)

My Journey Book

2009-04-20T19:49:00.024-04:00

As some of you may have noticed, I have not been blogging very much lately. I have had a very stressful couple of weeks at work and to be honest, not a lot has been going on in my personal life that was blogworthy. I have pretty much been going to work, coming home, eating dinner and going to bed. Not much to blog about there, huh?

Today was an especially difficult day as I received the news that a very dear family friend who had been battling cancer had passed away this weekend and I was just heartbroken over that news.

Isn't it just like God to know that I was going to have a day like that today and to have something special waiting for me in my mailbox when I got home!! My sweet blogging friend, Dawn, had made me the most precious gift you can ever imagine and I just had to share it with you.

First of all, look at this card that she HANDMADE! How adorable is that and inside were the sweetest words to brighten my day, lift my spirits and encourage me in the Lord.

She made me this "Journey Book". I can't imagine how much preparation and work went into making this special gift!

On the backs of each of the pages she had written in calligraphy a verse that I have been memorizing in 2009 as part of my LPM Scripture Memory Challenge and each of the slideout little tags had verses that she chose because they reminded her of me and our friendship.

Each of them were made with beautiful colors, ribbons and accents -- this one even has a little jeweled butterfly.

Look at this one with the adorable pattern and cute little buttons. This has been a verse that I have recited over and over to myself in recent days -

"HE is your CONSTANT source of stability. He abundantly provides saftety and great wisdom. He gives ALL this to those who fear Him."

Isaiah 33:6

When I first began blogging, almost a year ago, I never knew that I would meet so many wonderful, godly women and would develop so many special friendships with people that I had never even had the privilege of meeting in person.

Dawn is one of those special friendships. She is a constant source of encouragement. She is one of the most thoughtful people that I have ever met. If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting my dear friend, I hope you'll stop by to visit her right now.

Thank you again, Dawn, for such a special gift. What an awesome reminder to me of you and our sweet friendship! I thank the Lord for you!

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 8

2009-04-15T20:10:00.024-04:00

For those of you that have come alongside and committed to the LPM Scripture Memory Challenge -- to memorize 2 verses (or passages) of Scripture each month of the year in 2009 -- can you believe that we are already on verse # 8?? I can hardly believe it - time is going by so fast!

My verse for the first half of the month of April was 2 Corinthians 5:9:

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent,

to be well pleasing to Him.

This has become such a meaningful verse to me as I continue reading the book that my Pastor has written, regarding "living my life on target". On Easter Sunday, he brought an awesome message based on this very passage of scripture, as well as the 2 following verses. After hearing these verses preached on and covered extensively in his book, I feel that the Lord has impressed upon me to continue on and memorize the next 2 verses in this chapter.

So, as a result...my memory verses for the second half of April are:

"For we must all appear before the judgment 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."

2 Corinthians 5:10-11 (NKJV)

I am called to make it my ambition, my goal, my target, to be well pleasing to Him. It doesn't mean that I am always successful at this --in fact, many times I fail miserably! But, the desire of my heart is that I would be found well pleasing to Him.

Why? Because we must ALL appear before the judgement seat of Christ.

We all have an appointment with God!

In the words of my Pastor, "What we experience at our appointment with God.....and in eternity will be determined by how we live out our faith on earth."

Therefore... I make it my aim, to be well pleasing to Him.

Tip Toe Through The Tulips

2009-04-13T19:15:00.004-04:00

The tulips in our neighborhood are just beautiful this year. Miss E spent the day with MiMi and Poppa on Friday because her daycare was closed for Good Friday.

I had to walk downtown to pick up something at a local store and I decided to pull E for a ride in her wagon.

I couldn't resist a photo shoot in the tulip patch.

How beautiful are these flowers, and, well....

You already know how I feel about this little "flower" in the middle!

He Is Not Here! He Is Risen!

2009-04-12T05:16:00.005-04:00

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.

And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel;

and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead?

HE IS NOT HERE, BUT HE HAS RISEN."

Luke 24:1-6

HALLELUJAH, WHAT A SAVIOR!!!

When God Winks

2009-04-11T06:18:00.001-04:00

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a coincidence as "A sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged".

I believe that God is the one that plans and arranges those things in our lives - both in the past and in the day-to-day that we live in now. I recently read a little book entitled, "When God Winks" by SQuire Rushnell. He calls these times in our lives "God Winks". He defines these times as "a personal signal or message, directly from a higher power." He says, "they are clear signposts on the path of life, revealing that each of us is guided by a powerful force".

These "God Winks" happen for a reason and that is to let us know that we are not alone. Rushnell likens it to a time when we were kids and were sitting at a dinner table with the grownups. You looked up and saw a parent or maybe a grandparent smiling at you -- and they winked. That was a reassuring message of love that said, "Hey, kid, I'm thinking about you. You're OK. Hang in there."

Simply put, "God Winks" are messages of reassurance that come to us when we most need it.

I love the idea of "God Winks" in my life. I can look back over my life and see many times that I have experienced them, some of which I did not even recognize at the time. Recently I have been experiencing a number of them in my life.

Let me tell you more......

For years, I have wanted to go on a mission trip and have looked into the possibility of going on a medical mission trip on a couple of different occasions, but it has just never seemed to work out. As I began to hear about an upcoming mission trip to Brazil, I felt that the Lord was impressing upon me that I needed to go on this trip - that it was time. My daughter, Faith, and son-in-law, Chad, are planning to go on this trip, but neither of them had said a word to me about it, other than the fact that they were planning to go.

As I was walking out of church a couple of Sundays ago, I was walking next to a sweet friend and I commented that I loved her necklace she was wearing. She said, "Oh, thank you. I got it in Brazil!" As she said that, I felt a little nudge in my heart. Wink # 1 (-;

Walt and I went out to lunch with Faith and Chad on this particular Sunday, and while we were in the restroom washing our hands, I asked if all the "spots" were already filled for the Brazil trip. Faith said, "I don't think so, why --DO YOU WANT TO GO???" I told her I had been thinking about it and that I felt the Lord might be leading me in that direction. She said, "Oh, that would be awesome!" Wink #2 (-;

As we walked to our seats in the restaurant, Faith saw some friends from Brazil seated in the booth right beside us and she introduced me to them. After talking to them for just a few minutes, I could just sense in my spirit that these were some of the sweetest people in the world. Wink # 3 (-;

We sat down at our table and we started talking about Brazil and the possibility of my going. Faith shared that they were having 1 (and maybe 2) dentists go on the trip -- and then she suddenly remembered that I AM A DENTAL HYGIENIST!!! Wink # 4 (-;

As I began praying about whether I would go on this trip, of course the biggest obstacle (apart from the funding) would be the time off from work. I was unsure whether any of my employees were already planning to be off during the same time period. When I got back to my office on Monday, I checked the scheduling calendar and, not only was no one off during those dates, but it fell over a period of time that my office was already going to be closed for several of the days. I would only have to miss 3 days of work! Wink # 5 (-;

When I mentioned to my boss that I was praying about going on a mission trip to Brazil, he volunteered cases of sample size toothpaste that he needed to get rid of because we d0 not use it in our office and do not have the space to store it. I now have a huge box of toothpaste samples in my possession that, Lord willing, will end up somewhere in a little village in Brazil! Wink #6 (-;

I began checking online to see what immunizations I would be required to have before making the trip. After obtaining the information, my boss suggested that I call a local doctor that used to work next door to us. I told him that I was pretty sure that you had to go to a special place to get the travel immunizations for missions. I decided that I would check and as I flipped to the doctor's business card in my Rolodex, across the bottom were written the words "Travel Immunizations and Vaccines"! I called and spoke with the Office Manager and he said that whatever immunizations that I needed they would not charge me anything to administer the vaccines -- and would only charge me for the "vaccine" itself!

Wink # 7 (-;

As many of you know, my husband has been out of work for over a year, so needless to say we do not have the extra money to fund my trip. My first thoughts were, there is no way that I can afford to do this. This past week, it was confirmed that our team would be able to work the concession booth in the Family Section of two of the major NASCAR races that we have locally here in May. Anyone that works the booth will be raising money toward their trip, so Walt and I both signed up to work those days. (He is working to help raise money for my expenses, too.)

Wink # 8 (-;

My most immediate need was to secure a passport because you are looking at a girl that has never been out of the U.S! I went to the post office and got an application and discovered that the passport cost $75.00, plus $25.00 to execute it and $15.00 for the passport photos - for a grand total of $115.00. Right now, there is not $115.00 extra dollars in the budget, so I began praying that God would provide the money for my passport if I was supposed to go on this trip. (I went ahead and scheduled my appointment for yesterday.) This past Monday, I received a birthday card from a very special family member and when I opened it up, inside the card was---you guessed it --a check for $115.00!!! I called her the next morning to tell her how God had used her to answer a prayer in my life. She said that she had no idea why she made the check for $115.00, that she fully intended to make it for $100.00, but that somehow she had written it for $115.00 before she knew it! She didn't know WHY she did that! I know why she did, because God took hold of her hand and had her write the exact amount that I needed!! Isn't God awesome!! Wink # 9 (-;

I know many in this world would call these things coincidences, but I much prefer to think of them as "God Winks" in my life.

I believe they are direct and personal messages from God reassuring me that He is thinking about me.

I like to think of them as clear messages of reassurance that no matter how uncertain my life may seem right now, He is moving me toward certainty. They are reminders that I am never alone. A signpost from heaven that I am on the right track.

A reassuring message of love that says, "Hey, kid, I'm thinking about you. You're OK. Hang in there."

How about you? Can you look back and see any "coincidences" in your own life?

Is it possible that they weren't coincidences at all and maybe "God Winks"??

How has God "winked" at you recently?

As you look back over your life, I believe that you will see many times, at various turning points in your life, when God has clearly "winked" at you!

I would love for you to share some of your stories about the "God Winks" in your life.

The next time a coincidence pops up in your life, I hope you'll start to wonder ----Was that a "God Wink"?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRACE!!!

2009-04-10T06:00:00.004-04:00

Twenty four years ago today a very special gift from God arrived in our family!

Our very own,

PRINCESS GRACE!!

A precious little girl with the biggest blue eyes !

And the prettiest silkiest blonde hair!

Everywhere we went, strangers would stop us and comment on your eyes.

You even had one of your friends in school go home crying to her mother that "Grace gets to wear eye makeup!" because she thought you had on mascara!

Grace, you have given us such a beautiful granddaughter in Miss E that, in so many ways, is just like having another Grace around. She has your same big beautiful eyes, your same contagious smile and she is so smart - just like her Mom.

You are such a blessing to our family! You have such a sweet and sensitive spirit and you have such a giving heart.

You are an incredible Mom to E! You work so hard to provide for her and we could not be any prouder of the fine young woman you have become.

It is so exciting to watch how God continues to work in your life. Dad and I pray that you have a wonderful birthday and may God richly bless you this year. May God give you the deepest desires of your heart!

We couldn't love you more!

Happy Birthday, Gracie Macie!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2009-04-08T07:03:00.004-04:00

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 7

2009-04-01T06:05:00.003-04:00

I know that many of you, like me, committed to the LPM Scripture Memory Challenge at the beginning of the year. Some of you have come alongside and joined in on this challenge since then and have committed to memorize 2 verses (or passages) of Scripture each month for the entire year of 2009.

For me, it has been an awesome blessing and just the accountability that I needed in my life. I cannot tell you how many times God has brought my memory verse(s) to mind at just the right time, in just the right situation, over these past 3 months.

Can you believe that it is now time for Verse # 7 ?!?!?

This past weekend, Walt and I attended Discipleship 1 classes at our new church on Friday evening and from 9-3 on Sunday. It was the most awesome 2 days of "equipping" that I can remember in my life as a Christian! I only wish that I could have been through classes like this as a young person! As a result of these classes, I had no trouble deciding what my memory verse would be for this week.

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent,

to be well pleasing to Him.

2 Corinthians 5:9 (NKJV)

What better day than today, my birthday, to make this my goal, my target, my AIM for my life - to be well pleasing to Him.