ABC's - Anniversary, Buttons and Coney Dogs!

This is going to be a bit of a random post for me.  I have been sort of in a blogging "funk" for the past couple of weeks and have had difficulty getting my thoughts down in a post.

Yesterday was 31 years since this day.....

I really cannot believe it! Surely I am not old enough to have been married 31 years! Where does the time go? 

Walt and I have been through our share of "for better" and "for worse" in our 31 years together, but if I had to do it all over, I would walk down that aisle again on that Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in South Georgia and commit myself to the same man. We are truly soul mates!

On another note.....Did you notice the new "cuteness" on the side of my blog. My daughter, Faith, has helped me (and many others) with blog design. She is so creative and just has a "knack" for this stuff. She designed this little button for me and how adorable is it? 

She has decided to make her services available to anyone needing help with their blog.  For more information on her blog designs, just click on her "button" below. She will be glad to help you with redesigning your blog, designing one for the first time or making you your very own "button".

And, on a final note....

Walt and I LOVE hot dogs!  Especially a good ole' Coney Dog!  We try not to eat them very often any more, but nothing tastes better when you haven't had one for a while.  We have been known to drive to Sonic on a Friday night, but tonight we had our own version at home.

The only thing that could possibly make a Coney Dog any better would be to have it all prepared in the crock pot when you get home---right! Check out Mimi's Making Meals for my Crock Pot Coney Dog recipe.

Have a blessed weekend!

Fun Times On A Saturday Morning

"Miss E" spent the night with us last night and, let me just tell you, the girl is sooooo funny.

This was just one of the funny things that she came out with this morning.

"Mimi........Can you see what time it is on my feets?"

LOVE this girl!

Two New Blogging Buddies!

Two of my co-workers have decided to join the blogging world and I am so excited.

Laura is a brand new mommy to a precious little boy named, Ryder. What a perfect time for her to start blogging to be able to "chronicle" all the "firsts" and fun times that she will be experiencing over the months and years to come.

Stacy is mom to 6 year old twins - a boy, Christian, and a girl, Carleigh. She is one of the most creative and crafty people that I know, so I am sure that she will be "a natural" at this whole blogging thing.

If you have a minute, pop over to say a quick "hello" to each of them. I know they would love to hear from you. They have heard so much about all of my wonderful friends that I have made through blogging, but I would love for them to have the privilege of meeting you "in person"!

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 4

After reading this post prior to the beginning of the year, I committed, along with many of you, to memorize 2 verses (or passages) of Scripture each month for the entire year of 2009.

My verse for February 15th marks the fourth verse for this year!

The verse that God has impressed upon me to memorize and meditate on during this last half of February is:

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31 (King James Version)

Like most of ya'll, I have heard this verse most of my life, but God brought this verse to life for me this week in my Esther Bible study. Instead of just hearing the verse, I heard His voice!

WHEN does this verse say that our strength will be renewed? 

When we "wait upon the Lord"! 

How many times have I been waiting on a "thing", or on a person, or an event -- rather than waiting on the LORD! As Beth Moore so clearly brought out in this week's lesson, our strength will be depleted when we are waiting on ANYTHING other than the Lord! 

My strength will be depleted when I am waiting on the person, the event or some "thing" to happen.

My strength will ONLY be renewed if I am waiting on HIM!! 

Father, we live in a world that is constantly telling us that we don't have to WAIT - that we can have everything "instantly". We have self-checkout lines so we don't have to wait. We have fast food restaurants, some of which have 2 drive-thru lines so we don't have to WAIT. We have DSL and if that's not fast enough then we have even faster high-speed DSL.  We have remote starts on our cars, so we don't have to WAIT on the car to warm up when we get in it.  I confess to you, Lord, that waiting is very difficult and sometimes exhausting.

Help me to trust you, Lord, that while I am WAITING, it does not mean that you are inactive! You are working behind the scenes to bring about something very exciting - when the time is right! Teach me to wait upon you, Lord, and during this process, You promise that my strength will be renewed.

My Son Launches His New Company's Website

I've got some good news to share about the launch of my son, Josh's, latest company, AirEfficient.

After many months of working on the website, AirEfficient.com was successfully launched last Friday, and in the process became the nation’s first online retailer to offer consumers a completely carbon-balanced transaction. They have made a commitment to carbon balance ALL operational carbon emissions on every product for a period of 5 years from the date of purchase. CO2 released as a result of shipping from the manufacturer to the end-user has also been offset.

They are an authorized North American online retailer of the Dyson AirBlade.

(Made by the same people that make the amazing Dyson Vacuum Cleaners.)

AirEfficient is being featured on a couple of large "green" websites. In fact, you can see them on the homepage of EcoSeek.net right now. (EcoSeek is the search engine for all things "Green").

** Note: You can link directly to his company's site by clicking on the AirEfficient logo under "What's New" on the front page or by clicking on one of the banners at the top of the front page of EcoSeek.net.

I would really appreciate it if you would check it out: www.AirEfficient.com.

As with any new online business, they are trying to make their way up in the search engine results, so feel free to visit and revisit AirEfficient.com until your heart's content : -) This will help them with their results on Google.

Lastly, be sure to check out the AirBlog section on AirEfficient.com. It is written by my son, Josh!

The Queen of "What If"

Let me just begin this post by saying that if you have an Esther study beginning anywhere near you, you need to RUN to sign up for it, because this study is the most awesome study for women that I have ever been a part of. Every week's lesson has spoken directly to me and this past week was no exception. I'm not sure if it was even necessary for all the other ladies in my class to even be there this week, because I am convinced this lesson was meant solely for me!

God so clearly showed me this week that I have been living my life in the "tight fist of fear" for TOO LONG! Whatever that thing is that is my greatest fear, the enemy knows exactly what that is, and he continues to threaten me over and over and over again with it.

Let me just confess to you that I am the "Queen of What If". 

"What if" someone that I love very dearly is taken from me unexpectedly?

 "What if" we suffer a complete financial reversal in this economy and lose our home and everything we own?

"What if" my husband falls in love with a younger woman and leaves me to grow old alone?  

"What if" I receive a diagnosis of terminal cancer and I have to leave my family?

God has shown me through this week's lesson that:  "What If" = "I fear". Don't think for a minute that the enemy is not aware of the very things that I am most fearful of. He knows EXACTLY what they are and takes great delight in tormenting me with them. The lesson this week pointed out that we can be in such a stronghold of fear (and in particular the fear of death) that we never really live!

God wants to do a work in my life! I know that He is calling me to a life of courage. He is calling me to be brave! I can never know the abundant life as long as I stay in the grip of fear of death. Listen to this verse that Beth Moore shared with us this week:

"By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil's hold on death and freed all who cower through life, 

scared to death of death."  

Hebrews 2:14-15  The Message

Christ destroyed the Devil's hold on death and He freed us so that we no longer have to cower down --scared to death of death!  We can be freed to live because we already WERE dead!  

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ." 

Colossians 2:13

Death is NOT our final destination. As Beth reminded us this week, the only thing that we have to do in death is just trade this body in for a new one! (And I don't know about you, but I am pretty excited about that!)

So God is telling us to TAKE COURAGE! Whatever this life throws at us, no matter how fearful it may be, God will ALWAYS offer us His courage!  We only have to reach out and "take it" from Him!

What about you, my sweet friend?  

What is it that you are most fearful of? 

What is your "What If"? 

Lay it at the feet of Jesus today and let's be mighty women of valor! Courageous women! Brave women!  Because whatever happens to us, we have to rest in the fact that "my God will take care of me"!

Fear not!

"SNOW ANGELS" Pay Me A Visit

Yesterday we had a "Snow Day" and just look at the "Snow Angels" that I got to spend the day with!

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 3

After reading this post prior to the beginning of the year, I committed, along with many of you, to memorize 2 verses (or passages) of Scripture each month for the entire year of 2009.

Can you believe that it is already February and time for our THIRD passage of scripture to memorize?  I don't know where the month of January went!

Without further ado, the passage that I have chosen to memorize next is Psalm 9:10 (NASB) - 

And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee;

For Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee. 

Psalm 9:10

What a wonderful reminder to me that He will never abandon me if I seek Him! I am praying that this year I  will seek Him with my whole heart and more than ever place my trust in Him!