This Post Brought To You By The Letter....

As many of you have probably noticed, I have been in desperate need of some blogging inspiration recently. I have seen this fun little letter tag on a few of my favorite blogs and I decided to participate.

My daughter, Faith, gave me the letter "B", so .....here are just a few things that I love that begin with the letter "B":

1. Bible

I love God's Word. I love writing notes in my Bible and marking in my Bible with highlighters, but more importantly, I love how my Bible has "marked" me. I am far from being the person that I need to be, but Praise the Lord, as a result of Him applying His Word to my heart, I am not the person that I used to be!

This is the actual Bible that I have and I have used this particular one for many years. Over the years I have participated in several Kay Arthur Precept Bible studies with this Bible, but I have never had the privilege of hearing Kay speak in person.  I am so excited that in June of this year I am going to have an opportunity to see and hear her in person at the Deeper Still Conference!

2. Boots

I LOVE cowboy boots!  They are without a doubt the most comfortable "shoes" that I own. I can stand in them all day and my feet will never hurt.  I wish I could wear them to work everyday! And besides that...they're just plain cute, don't you think??

3. Big Sexy Hairspray
Any of you that have been reading my blog for awhile already know about the great "love affair" that I have with this hairspray!  I don't even bother trying others, cause this is the only one for me.  I am so excited because I found out yesterday that a local store has it on sale for $5.99 a can!  Yippee!!

4. Banana Pepper Rings

I heart Banana Pepper Rings!  I think I originally got my start with loving these at Jenna's favorite eating establishment and it has just deepened over the years.  If I have banana pepper rings on my salad, I don't even have to have salad dressing on it!  YUM!

5. Beth Moore Bible Studies

No one can lead a Ladies Bible Study like Beth Moore!  I am in my third week of her new "Esther: It's Tough Being A Woman" Bible Study and let me tell you--it DOES NOT disappoint!  The insight that she brings to the scriptures is just amazing!  I love her and I am so excited that I have an opportunity to see her tonight in Atlanta and then again in June at the Deeper Still Conference!

6. Bears

I have a huge collection of "Cherished Teddies" that I collected for many years. I even had the privilege of meeting the artist, Priscilla Hillman, many years ago and having her "sign" a few of my special pieces. Some of them are very sentimental because of where I found them or because of their names.  I have ones named with each of my kid's names -- Faith, Joshua and Grace!

7. Baths

There is NOTHING like a good hot bath at the end of the day. I love taking an Epsom Salt Bath. The Epsom Salts are good for relaxing muscles and drawing toxins out. When absorbed through your skin the salts are supposed to sedate the nervous system, relax muscles and reduce swelling.  The salts are also a natural emollient and exfoliator. My husband and I both agree that we always sleep better after taking a bath in Epsom Salt. This usually leads me directly to number 8.....

8. Bed

I  LOVE my Tempur-P@dic mattress!  There is nothing like climbing in my bed, with soft organic cotton sheets, after a long hard day. It sometimes makes it very difficult to stay up to see THIS guy...

9. Bauer!

I am a SERIOUS Jack Bauer fan! I have loved "24" since the beginning so you can imagine my excitement a few weeks ago to learn that JACK IS BACK!  Most people would need months to recover from 20 months of Chinese interrogation, but Jack Bauer only needs a shower, a shave and a change of clothes!

10.Boxers

Champ  is seriously the sweetest boy ever! Before I ever got a Boxer, people used to tell me that once you own one you would never want any other kind of dog. Now I know what they meant!  Not only is he man (and woman's) best friend, but he is Ragdoll cat's best friend, too!

This post would not be complete without one final "B" that I love and that would be all of my Blogging Friends! When I started blogging, (about 8 months ago this week) I had no idea what a wonderful network of friends that I would be joining. I have met so many wonderful ladies through this blogging world  and I look forward to meeting many more of you.  

Eight months ago I would never have dreamed that I would be on the way to Atlanta today to meet someone that I had met on the internet. A fellow blogger who I have already grown to love, even though we have never met in person!  I'll be sharing some pictures of this fun trip after my return!

Have a Blessed Sunday!

An Award and FIVE FABULOUS BLOGS!!

What a great surprise! I received this award from Jodi at Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow. I have just recently discovered her blog and have really been enjoying it!

The rules of accepting this reward are that you have to list 5 favorite addictions and then pass along this award to five other fabulous blogs!

Now...let's see if I can narrow it down to just FIVE favorite addictions...hmmm:

#1 would have to be DARK CHOCOLATE. I LOVE dark chocolate! My absolute favorite is this:

And this would have to be a close second:

But, don't get me wrong, I'm not above settling my craving with a good ole' H@rshey's Speci@l D@rk from the grocery store!

#2 addiction - BIG SEXY HAIR SPRAY AND PLAY hairspray. There is no substitute! I have tried all kinds of cheaper alternatives and I don't even waste my time (and money) anymore. This is the only spray for me!
# 3 addiction - VINEGAR. I wouldn't know what to do without vinegar. I use it to clean absolutely EVERYTHING in my house. It's inexpensive and it works great!

#4 - MUSIC! I love all kinds of music! I have approximately 5000 songs on my IPod and they cover pretty much every genre of music.

#5 addiction - DISHES! I have a dish "fettish"! I have sets of dishes from both of my grandmothers and my great aunt, plus dishes that I have acquired during my married life. I cannot even get them all in my cabinets! My newest set are these beauties that my husband and kids gave me last year! I had always wanted Christmas dishes, but I decided on these instead because they are "Winter" dishes and can be used much longer than just at Christmas.

Another one of my addictions would have to be reading the following fabulous blogs that I would like to pass this award on to:

Jenna at These Are The Days. This girl is funny, witty and wise beyond her years and God has given her a great gift of storytelling. She is part of the most wonderful family and after reading her blog for awhile, you will begin to seriously wish this girl was your daughter, daughter-in-law, sister or best friend.

Megan at Tales of the Trees. She is a newlywed who has also been given a great ability to capture her audience with her words. Her and her husband, Luke, are just the absolute cutest couple and you will wish that you lived close enough to them to be able "hang out" with them.

Dawn at Dawn's Cottage Corner. This girl is one of the sweetest people I have met since joining this blogging world. She and I just hit it off almost from day one and I feel such a kindred spirit with her. She just recently got back from The Mayo Clinic having some major knee surgery and is going through a difficult time right now. Please pray for her as she gets her staples out this week and begins her Physical Therapy.

Faith at Walk With Me By Faith. As many of you know, Faith is my oldest daughter, but if she wasn't I would so want to be her friend! God has given her a remarkable faith (HE named her appropriately, huh?) and such a sweet spirit. She is funny, witty and very talented. Her and her husband are struggling with infertility and we are excited about the miracle that God is preparing, even now, for her and Chad.

Cindy at Army Brats and Me. I met Cindy just a few months ago as she began her battle with Stage 3 Breast Cancer. You have to meet this remarkable young lady. Her strength and faith is incredible. She is such an inspiration to me and many other ladies that are right alongside of her on this journey she's on. She is going through a difficult time right now as her white counts are very low and she has the flu. Please visit her blog and let her know that you are praying for her.

**Note: I do not want Cindy and Dawn to feel pressured to have to list 5 fabulous blogs and link to them. I know that they are not up to that right now, but I love reading their blogs and wanted all of ya'll to visit them and "show them some love" during these diffult times they are facing right now.

Tag I'm It !!

Nicki gave me my VERY first tag and, I'll be honest, since I am so new to "blogland" I had to call up my daughter to make sure that I understood exactly what that meant. LOL! This is such a good way to get to know more about people, though.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

Oh my....I can hardly remember what I did yesterday and you want me to remember 10 years ago!

I was raising 3 teenagers! I had a 13 yr. old, a 15 yr. old and a 17 year old (that MAY be why I have no memory anymore!) AND my husband lived and worked away in West Virginia. I was also working full-time in a dental office. Needless to say, that was a very busy time in my life!

2. My Favorite Snacks

Definitely almonds or cashews. I have one or the other for snack EVERY day!


3. Five things on my to-do list today

1. Empty the cat litter box
2. Place my monthly Miessence order
3. Water all my flower baskets and vegetable containers
4. Balance my checkbook
5. Wash a load of hand washables

4.Things I would do if I were a billionaire

I would give God His portion right off the top and then I would like to be able to practice "random acts of kindness". I would like to give lots of "just because" gifts to people. I would like to be able to support various ministries that have ministered to me over the years. I would also love to purchase and run my own Bed-And-Breakfast in the mountains of NC.

5. Five jobs that I've had

Well...I haven't really had too many jobs. I started working in a dentist office when I was 15 years old and I am still in one! I worked at the school and then in the church office when my kids went to Christian school.

1. worked after school in an Oral Surgeon's office during high school
2. assistant to English Professor while in college
3. dental hygienist
4. elementary school secretary and later church secretary
5. dental office manager


6. Five places I've lived

1. Chattanooga, TN
2. Columbus, GA
3. Toccoa, GA
4. Gainesville, GA
5. North Carolina

7.Five random things people wouldn't know about me

1. The first day that I FINALLY stayed all day at kindergarten without crying and my mom having to come get me, I fell off my bicycle that afternoon and broke my arm and had to miss school the next day!
2. I played the saxophone from the 3rd grade thru high school ( I also played the oboe in high school)
3. The first solo that I ever sang at church was "There's Just Something About That Name" (Gaither)
4. I LOVE fried green tomatoes! (And fried okra!)
5. I am extremely sensitive to chemicals and fragrances so I am obsessed with avoiding the use of chemicals whenever possible. I use all natural products to clean my house, do my laundry, etc. I make my own dishwashing powder, laundry detergent, furniture polish, bathroom cleaner and all-purpose cleaner.

8.Five cds that I'd have to take on a desert island

All my CDs are loaded onto my IPod (along with various Podcasts) so I would just carry it with me. It currently has 6542 songs loaded on it. That oughta last me awhile, huh!

9. People I tag are.........

Robyn
Becky
Stephanie
His Doorkeeper
Heather