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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Dear God, I can't find my......


I would venture to guess that just about everyone has lost something at some point in their life....Keys, shoes, glasses etc. When you lose an item such as these what do you do? Do you retrace your steps and hope to find the item that way? Do you ask a member of your household if they have seen the item? Do you PRAY and ask GOD to show you where the item is??

19 years ago I was a new believer. Something I experienced that proved to be HUGE in building my Faith was when I would lose something.....my keys, my purse, my glasses or dare I say it .... even a shoe ~ God would take me too the lost item

EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.

This has continued over the years and still to this day God takes me straight to it!

Wednesday proved to be another example of HIS Faithfulness and HIS care and concern even in the little things. We had planned on taking Jenna's prom dress to be altered. I was loading up the car with all the items she would be wearing and of course that would include some high heels. Because I haven't changed out my closets from Winter to Spring/Summer I had to do a little hunting for those particular shoes. I found one shoe right away but couldn't for the life of me find the matching shoe. I looked all over my closet, Jenna's closet, the mud room closet where we keep the "out of season clothes". I LOOKED EVERYWHERE!! I might add, I was on a tight schedule and didn't really have time to be hunting for one shoe! So I did what I always do when I can't find something ~ I prayed and asked God to show me where the shoes was.....

Not 30 seconds later did I find the matching shoe!!

It just NEVER ceases to AMAZE me and bring me SUCH JOY when the Lord does this!! Like a sweet kiss from HIM saying I Love YOU and care about you .... even this.

There have been times that I have shared with others how the Lord has shown me my "Lost" items before and some will say...


Oh gosh! How silly! I would never "BUG" God with such small details ~ OR ~

You seriously ask God to help you find your keys or a shoe? Like I am some weirdo or something LOL


You know what.... I do. I ask and HE shows. It encourages me soo much and has at times, turned my day around ~ from frantic to joy-filled! Just knowing the Lord heard me and cares that much..... WOW

What about you? Has you ever asked the Lord to show you where your keys are? Or even a lost shoe? Isn't it just awesome when HE does that!! :) If you haven't ever asked HIM before.... just know this! HE really does care and loves you enough to help you find what you are looking for! Even a lost shoe!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

An Important Read

My Friend Melanie shared this on Facebook and I thought it was important enough to share here as well! An unbelievable and oh so important read (in my opinion) It's longer than my normal post but it's an important read



THE PRESIDENT WITHOUT A COUNTRY



© 2011
"We're no longer a Christian nation." – President Barack Obama, June 2007

"America has been arrogant." – President Barack Obama

"After 9/11, America didn't always live up to her ideals."

– President Barack Obama

"You might say that America is a Muslim nation."

– President Barack Obama, Egypt 2009


Thinking about these and other statements made by the man who wears the title of president … I keep wondering what country he believes he's president of.

In one of my very favorite stories, Edward Everett Hale's "The Man without a Country," a young Army lieutenant named Philip Nolan stands condemned for treason during the Revolutionary War, having come under the influence of Aaron Burr. When the judge asks him if he wishes to say anything before sentence is passed, young Nolan defiantly exclaims, "Damn the United States! I wish I might never hear of the United States again!"

The stunned silence in the courtroom is palpable, pulsing. After a long pause, the judge soberly says to the angry lieutenant: "You have just pronounced your own sentence. You will never hear of the United States again. I sentence you to spend the rest of your life at sea, on one or another of this country's naval vessels – under strict orders that no one will ever speak to you again about the country you have just cursed."

And so it was. Philip Nolan was taken away and spent the next 40 years at sea, never hearing anything but an occasional slip of the tongue about America. The last few pages of the story, recounting Nolan's dying hours in his small stateroom – now turned into a shrine to the country he foreswore – never fail to bring me to tears. And I find my own love for this dream, this miracle called America, refreshed and renewed. I know how blessed and unique we are.

Is Shariah law coming to a court near you? Get "Stealth Jihad" – Robert Spencer's expose about efforts to quietly establish the Muslim system in Amerca

But reading and hearing the audacious, shocking statements of the man who was recently elected our president – a young black man living the impossible dream of millions of young Americans, past and present, black and white – I want to ask him, "Just what country do you think you're president of?"

You surely can't be referring to the United States of America, can you? America is emphatically a Christian nation, and has been from its inception! Seventy percent of her citizens identify themselves as Christian. The Declaration of Independence and our Constitution were framed, written and ratified by Christians. It's because this was, and is, a nation built on and guided by Judeo-Christian biblical principles that you, sir, have had the inestimable privilege of being elected her president.

You studied law at Harvard, didn't you, sir? You taught constitutional law in Chicago? Did you not ever read the statement of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and an author of the landmark "Federalist Papers": "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers – and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation – to select and prefer Christians for their rulers"?

In your studies, you surely must have read the decision of the Supreme Court in 1892: "Our lives and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian."

Did your professors have you skip over all the high-court decisions right up till the mid 1900s that echoed and reinforced these views and intentions? Did you pick up the history of American jurisprudence only in 1947, when for the first time a phrase coined by Thomas Jefferson about a "wall of separation between church and state" was used to deny some specific religious expression – contrary to Jefferson's intent with that statement?

Or, wait a minute … were your ideas about America's Christianity formed during the 20 years you were a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ under your pastor, Jeremiah Wright? Is that where you got the idea that "America is no longer a Christian nation"? Is this where you, even as you came to call yourself a Christian, formed the belief that "America has been arrogant"?

Even if that's the understandable explanation of your damning of your country and accusing the whole nation (not just a few military officials trying their best to keep more Americans from being murdered by jihadists) of "not always living up to her ideals," how did you come up with the ridiculous, alarming notion that we might be "considered a Muslim nation"?

Is it because there are some 2 million or more Muslims living here, trying to be good Americans? Out of a current population of over 300 million, 70 percent of whom are Christians? Does that make us, by any rational definition, a "Muslim nation"?

Why are we not, then, a "Chinese nation"? A "Korean nation"? Even a "Vietnamese nation"? There are even more of these distinct groups in America than Muslims. And if the distinction you're trying to make is a religious one, why is America not "a Jewish nation"? There's actually a case to be made for the latter, because our Constitution – and the success of our Revolution and founding – owe a deep debt to our Jewish brothers.

Have you stopped to think what an actual Muslim America would be like? Have you ever really spent much time in Iran? Even in Egypt? You, having been instructed in Islam as a kid at a Muslim school in Indonesia and saying you still love the call to evening prayers, can surely picture our nation founded on the Quran, not the Judeo-Christian Bible, and living under Shariah law. Can't you? You do recall Muhammad's directives [Surah 9:5,73] to "break the cross" and "kill the infidel"?

It seems increasingly and painfully obvious that you are more influenced by your upbringing and questionable education than most suspected. If you consider yourself the president of a people who are "no longer Christian," who have "failed to live up to our ideals," who "have been arrogant," and might even be "considered Muslim" – you are president of a country most Americans don't recognize.

Could it be you are a president without a country?

Monday, March 28, 2011

Firsts and Lasts


When your daughter is a Senior in High School, let me tell you..... "The time flies by way tooo fast!" Experiencing so many things for the very last time can at times break this mommas heart.



Her last High School Spring Break
Her final football game as an Athletic Trainer
Shopping for her last ever Prom Dress
Her final Basketball game as an Athletic Trainer
Multiple Senior Nights recognizing them and all of their accomplishments
Her final Soccer game as an Athletic Trainer


Along with all of these Lasts in her life we are also experiencing Many "Firsts"

Applying to Colleges
Being accepted and deciding where to go
Attending College Open Houses
Filling out countless Financial Aid Forms
Going to the College Greek Discovery Days


I will be honest, whether we are experiencing a First or a Last Situation I am in need of some serious KLEENEX! This weekend alone, we found the most beautiful Prom Dress for Jenna's very last Prom EVER! The very next day we were up and on the road by 7am to drive down to the College she has chosen. We went down to "Greek Discovery Day" to see if joining a Sorority is something she might be interested in.

During the Parent session one of the college advisers told us our #1 assignment as parents is to stop being Helicopter Parents ~ definition ~ to stop hovering over our children.

All the Parents listened and laughed and if they were like me they had to look within and ask...."Am I a Helicopter Parent? Do I hover?"

The Lord has blessed me abundantly with my children. To love them, care for them, and lead them in the way they should go. Each day has been such a gift! I know I haven't always done things perfectly, and no doubt at times I have definitely hovered.
I know letting go is a process, so for now, I am CHERISHING every single day....whether it is something we are experiencing for the first time, or sadly.... the last time.

I am so excited to see all the Plans God has in store for my girl....her Hope, her Future

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Friday, March 25, 2011

TGIF ♥



Hip Hip Hooray It's F-R-I-D-A-Y

You know what that means :) It's time for some Friday Funnies! Kim over @ HomesteadersHeart hosts FF each week so if you want to enjoy more funnies head on over there or even better than that, join in with us, and share your own funny!! The More Funnies, the more Laughs for everyone!!

My Son found this funny and he said "Mom, you are going to love this and I bet you will want to use it for your Friday Funny" He was CORRECT!! This is soo cute! This sweet baby can't figure out if his Momma blowing her nose is scary or funny??


Happy Friday my Friends!

Thought for the Day:

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.
-- Mother Teresa

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Trusting in YOU Lord

I am so thankful that with so much going on that brings a heaviness and concern we have Hope in the ONE who cares for us and is with us no matter what. Thank you Lord for Spring and the signs of "all things new." Thank you for seasons in our spiritual walk as well.

I know many are hurting and in need of a touch from the Lord. Some need a breakthrough. Some just flat out need a miracle. I have received many emails for friends needing prayer. As I interceded on behalf of my friends, I felt the Lord showing me how my grand- children live daily knowing they will be loved and cared for,and having all their needs met, that He too would be there for all these needs I was laying at the foot of the Cross. In seeking what to blog I had this on my heart and thought of these pictures of my grandkids.... The Joy on their faces and the trust in their hearts....

Thank you Lord for meeting the needs of those who put their Trust in YOU




The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Ps 28:7

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Ps 9:10

Monday, March 21, 2011

DIGIORNO HOUSE PARTY




Blogging has given me and my family soo many blessings! One of those blessings is having the opportunity to review items and then share what we think! Receiving FREE items is AWESOME!! I recently was given the opportunity with Houseparty.com to host a DIGIORNO Pizza & Hoops Party. I got a PartyPac in the mail that was filled with awesome GOODIES!! Throwing a party for Friends and Family and sharing all these new items is sooo much fun!

Here are some pics from our party

We got FREE.....PIZZAS, BREADSTICKS, WYNGZ, AND COOKIES


Did Someone say FREE PIZZA???


My Sweet Grandson was sporting the Basketball attire but bless his heart he was soooo sleepy ;)


My Honey got busy makin all the DELICIOUS food


DiGiorno has some delicious Pizza!! They are introducing their WYNGZ and Cookies as a side to their pizzas! The Wyngz were gone in literally minutes! They were a SLAM DUNK!! The Cookies were Nestle Tollhouse soo you know they were fabulous!!!




Rylee & Jen helped too!



We shot some HOOPS


LOOK AT THAT AIR!!



Rylee LOVED Playing Basketball INSIDE


She Scores!




Some of the Party Favors we received were some REALLY LOUD noise makers



We shot some video of the crazy and OH SO LOUD noise makers....it was sooo loud but at the end of the video you will notice it never even phased my Grandson! HE SLEPT ALL THE WAY THROUGH IT!




THANKS DIGIORNO AND HOUSEPARTY!! THE PARTY WAS A HUGE HIT! WE HAD SO MUCH FUN PLAYING HOOPS AND LOVED EVERY SINGLE BITE!! IT WAS DEFINITELY NOT A DELIVERY NIGHT.....IT WAS ALL DIGIORNO!!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Spiritual Sundays ~ Blessed by Burdens




Today for my Spiritual Sunday post I am sharing from my Billy Graham Devotional ~ Unto the Hills. To join in and share your own post go here


Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as adversity has done. Out of pain and problems have come the sweetest songs, the most poignant poems, the most gripping stories. Out of suffering and tears have come the greatest spirits and the most blessed lives.

J.R. Miller wrote, "Many of us find life hard and full of pain. We cannot avoid these things; but we should not allow the harsh experiences to deaden our sensibilities, or make us stoical or sour. The true problem of living is to keep our hearts sweet and gentle in the hardest conditions and experiences."

Our oldest daughter married a Swiss. They had seven children and usually spent their summers in Switzerland and their winters in America. Sometimes when we visited them in Switzerland we took the children and went high up in the Alps on chair lifts. We crossed over miles of land, looking down below at some of the most beautiful flowers to be found anywhere in the world. Those flowers had survived the heavy snows of winter. The burdens of ice, snow and winter storms added to their luster, beauty, and growth. It was hard to believe that just a few weeks earlier these flowers were buried under many feet of snow. Our burdens can have the same effect on our lives.

As Christians face the winds of adversity and the storms of trouble, they rise like the skylark. They are like the trees that survive the storm because their roots are driven deep. They are like the trees that grow on our mountain ridges in North Carolina ~ trees battered by winds, yet, trees in which we find the stronger wood.

The skylark, the flowers, the trees -- all these illustrate Job's words: "When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (23:10NIV). The Christian who understands this aspect of God's nature can find comfort in his suffering and peace in his pain. "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal." (Job 5:17-18NIV)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our Father and Our God, thank YOU for the blessings and burdens of my life. Please help me to be gentle and sweet, in spite of hard expriences and difficult times. Teach me to be humble in good times. Let others see Your Strength and love shine through my life at all times. Because of Christ.
Amen.





May you all have a blessed weekend

Friday, March 18, 2011

TGIF ♥



This has been such a wonderful week! But Seriously, it has gone WAY TOOO FAST!! The Icing on the week is to end it laughing right ;)??? Of Course it is!! So join me over @ Kim's why don't you?


Not only is this just the cutest video but I think we can all learn alot from this little girl!! Let me know if you agree!! ENJOY!!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

A New Look ~ lovin it!!

I shared with you all I was getting in some new curtains this week. They arrived 2 days early!! WOOHOO! We have lived in our house for 5 years now. When we had our house built, we were one of the only houses back in our area so having curtains wasn't all that necessary. Plus we love our view! Deer walking through our backyard and trees ....glorious trees! Well, fast forward to today and there are no more empty lots. We have neighbors everywhere and have finally decided to cover the windows. I am not a decorator at all and have always looked to my Mom or friends for their expertise. Last week my Mom helped me look online for some curtains and we found some that we both loved! I ordered them last Friday and they were delivered Tuesday :)

Here is the before




And....the After



It is so cozy and we both love it! Thanks Mom!

Hope everyone is enjoying their week! Today is Angel @ All the Mus' birthday so everyone who knows her hop on over and give her some birthday love!! She will love it!

Monday, March 14, 2011

A little bit of this and a WHOLE lot of....

This week is SPRING BREAK!!! If you could see me now you would know I am doing the Happy Dance :)

What do you ask, are we going to do? Hmmmm, well let's see:

Stay Up Late. Sleep In

Take My Grandbabies to the Park and enjoy the warm & wonderful sunshiney weather that has been forecast

Hang my new curtains that should arrive on Thursday! (pics to come)

Shop with my daughter for Prom Dresses

Have a DiGiorno Pizza Party for HouseParty ~ shoot some hoops, take some pics and enjoy all my family & friends who come

Have a Slumber Party with the kids and grandkids

Go on a lunch date with my Mom ALONG with the kids!!

Read some awesome books to review.

Go visit my daughter at her NEW JOB!! So proud of her!

Cut my Sons Hair!! My oh My.... is it ever long!!

Cherish the days that my husband is able to take off towards the end of the week ♥ ♥ ♥

Spend time with the ONE who has blessed me with so much. Worship the ONE who is soo worthy of all my Praise. Seek the ONE who, in times of trouble, gives us Peace.



Have a blessed week my dear friends!
XOXO