Mad At God

Good Morning Beloved Reader

I'm just going to get down to business with you all here today, because let me forewarn you this is a 

VERY LONG POST ahead!

Seriously, don't sit down for this bad boy unless you have a good cup of joe and lots o time on yer hands!

First, let me start with saying,

There is so much that I share with you here on a regular basis, but there is so much more that I don't.

The reason for this is because of God's Holy Spirit who gives me discernment. 

For some of you that sounds like mumbo jumbo churchy crap 

and 

For others of you, you're tracking and we can move on.

If you are in Group A. check out my post below and Go rent What About Bob.

If you are in Group B. walk with me please here for a minute or two, or maybe 20 ; )

I need your hand... 

Ok let's go...

This topic I knew was going to be a tricky one to convey my heart, but I'm hoping by sharing it with you all it might help someone else get to the end of this process a lot quicker than the 5 years it took me. 

I'm going to try and unpack a process of healing that has been 5 years in the making so stick with me, because there will be song, and dance, and rejoicing at the end. 

I realized something at the beginning of this brand new year,  and I don't want to scare you with this statement, but I have been mad at God. Not just that, but for 5 WHOLE years!! Some of you are thinking you should be skipping onto the next blog quick like, and in a hurry so you don't get struck with lightening by my statement up there, but for those of you who aren't  scurred  (that's how we say scared ) Don't be Scurred. Let me explain. Around 2008 there was an onslaught of very difficult, traumatic things that happened to us and to those very near and dear around us.  There was a an infant death a cancer a divorce an attempted suicide a sleep deprived nervous breakdown and finally the beginnings of a  a foreclosure, our foreclosure, and well lots of other foreclosures (foreclosure is such an ugly word don't cha think?) all in the year  2008.  That was 5 years ago. And there have been  more deaths more cancer more divorces thankfully no more suicide attempts or sleep deprived nervous break downs, but plenty more  foreclosures in this past 5 years. How many of you know that a lot, I mean A lot can happen in 5 years? How many of you also know that 5 years can go by so very fast, and then again so very slow? Do you have a 5 year old right now? Think back on 5 years ago when that person wasn't here. Or maybe you were in High School and now you have graduated college and are fiercely trying to make it in the real world. 5 years can be brutal and seem like nothing all at the same time. Or to put it another way, like a lifetime ago and all at the same time like it was yesterday. Time is funny that way. Back to the beginning of 2013, during an intense bible study with the Sistas,  I realized something very profound. A very crucial part to my health and growth as a person, but mostly as a Christ follower was revealed to me as I was reading in the book of  Job. It hit me like a ton of bricks when I read this conversation that took place between God and Job after Job had gone through the most horrific series of events that I believe a person could ever go through.  Seriously, like E-V-E-R!!
Job said to God, "I know that you can do all things, and that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted. You said to me, Who is this that darkens and obscures counsel by words without knowledge? Therefore, [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."  Job 42:2-3

What I was coming to understand was that Job having everything, and I DO mean everything taken away from him had a day of reckoning. This was that day. Where he said to God, I did not know, or I had not seen, the magnitude of what was going on here. He was talking about the bigger picture here. But, Job was only able to say this to God after God had revealed his heart and HIS very soul to Job. Don't you want to hear from God's soul? If you do want to see, to hear, to know, just a teeny tiny glimpse into the Creator of The Universe's soul Please  Read Job 40 and 41.
The profound conclusion that I came to was I believe one of Gods Sovereignty. There have been, and I'm sure will continue to be, things in this life that I will never ever understand  the WHY behind. It doesn't make sense when, God can do all things,  that he allows for certain things to happen. Now I have read Job 38, 39, 40 and 41 before and I sort of just thought of those chapters as being a spanking from God to Job, but this time, Oh this time beloved I understood them to be so much more. God wasn't spanking Job with these words; "Have you commanded the morning since your days began and caused the dawn to know its place."
"Have you explored the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in the recesses of the deep?"
"Can you hunt prey for the lion? Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions." No. 
He was reminding Job of who HE was, is, and always will be. Hebrews 13:8 He was in a sense saying to Job, "I GOT THIS!" "Trust ME, I GOT THIS!"
He was reminding Job of his Sovereignty. Webster's defines Sovereignty as being  Supreme Excellence. There are not many things in this life that are excellent. In fact the only excellent things I can think of all come from God. The smell of a rose. The dimples in a babies hand. The sound of the rain. The waves in the Ocean. The sunrise. The sunset. The Supreme maker of Excellence. EXCELLENCE~ 1. The quality of being outstanding or extremely good. Oh beloved reader if you don't already know this, I mean really KNOW this, let me just say to you now  The One True Living  God of the universe is so very, very, outstandingly, extremely good. Every good and perfect gift comes from HIM and HIM alone. He has plans and purposes ONLY EVER for good. So although my infinite mind cannot wrap my brain around this kind of excellence it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. He never wanted death. He never planned for disease. He HATES divorce. (Just the action not the people) And I'm pretty sure he doesn't like the word foreclosure either.
But, I only know this and can see this now because, At the end of a very long and hard road I am finally seeing some of the bigger picture. And I have only seen the bigger picture in part. I don't fully see it. In fact what little has been revealed is miniscule at best. But, what I can see, what I can make sense of ... well it's good.  Because of these recent revelations, I feel like my trust in God has been restored.

Did you know beloved reader that you can be a Christ-follower AND be mad at God? Well, I'm here to tell you, you can but it doesn't really work out so well. Being mad at God is strange.  It's not like I was shaking my fist toward heaven and living a life of total drunken debauchery, although I have had my fair share of vino these past 5 years. It was more like I had God at arms length because, well when you are mad at someone who you know you shouldn't be mad at that's kinda just what you do.  You put a guard up. You lay a wall down, brick by brick, stone by stone this is what I was doing.  

 All the while I still loved Jesus.

I still sang worship songs. I still prayed.  I still went to church, although that was a challenge more than ever before.
I guess,  I just didn't realize until now what it was exactly that was holding me back and now that I know with a very heavy, repentant heart I have asked God to forgive me.  And you know what he said.
I already did. Moving on from this place seems strange.  A new found Trust in God has been given back to me, and I find myself weeping. Weeping at the years that have gone by when I wasn't fully trusting HIM. Weeping at the time spent being idle in my own fleshly desires. Weeping at the mess I have made. And do you know what He did about all of this. He cleaned it up. He reminded me that I'm only human. I'm Not an angel. I'm Not a demon. I'm Human. God made something very different from either devil or angel when he made us humans. I have human feelings. I have human actions. I have human skin. I have human eyes. I have human ears. I could only see and hear, and feel so much during this time of process and do you know what God says to all of that. 
 I KNOW who YOU are. 
That's so profound to think about. HE knows what it's like to be fully human and fully God. Jesus, the one true lover of my soul, knows me. As I see and recognize only a part that is in Him,  He sees and recognizes all that is in me. He says,  I've walked in your shoes.
Here's the happy ending folks. I'm no longer Mad at God. We are good. Fer realz. We are better than good, we are great, and  do want to know what I say to all of this...
well actually, I'm singing it;  Bless The Lord O My Soul

Flashback Friday

Hello There Beloved Bloggers and Readers This week for my Flashback Friday movie,  I decided to go with a classic from my generation;   WHAT ABOUT BOB

First if you haven't seen this movie yet, go out right now and get your pretty little hands(if you have ugly hands like I do you are included in this too) on a copy. 

And then make some popcorn, get some candy and snuggle with someone if you can.

Sit yourself down for a laugh fest like none other!

It's a about a psychiatrist named Dr. Leo Marvin and his patient Bob. Dr. Marvin gets Bob as a new patient right before leaving to go on vacation having no idea how truly crazy/stalker-ish Bob is he begins to treat him with his book, Baby Steps. 

"Baby steps in the office, Baby steps out of the office"

It then turns into a true series of fortunate events for Bob and not so fortunate events for Dr. Leo Marvin.

Some of my most favorite quotes from this movie are things I say almost everyday.

"Good Morning Gil, I said Good Morning Gil!!"

Apparently, my youngest doesn't really remember this movie which I find shocking. Not my point, but while we were watching it he said, "Oh mom, that's why you always say that in the morning?" 

And now onto our Flashback Posts in the Blogosphere.... If you are new here first off Welcome and let me give you the 411 about this little link up I run. It is for older blog posts. I used to ask that they be a year or older, but I don't have time to check all of that and besides I figure if you have taken the time to link up something you want others to read, who am I to tell you from what calendar year it has to be from? The point is ... link up, have some fun, read and please comment on at least one other link up and have fun! Oh I know I already said have fun, but I really want to emphasize HAVE FUN, it's FRIDAY after all *Oh, if you want a cute lil button to spread the word about this link up, they are over there on the right.

Random Thoughts Thursday

Hello There Beloved Reader and Happy Thursday~ I got some random thoughts for ya this Thursday. I think there are about 4 random thoughts here, but ya never know I do get easily distracted so go ahead and count them if you want. It will be like a fun little game, maybe even with a prize at the end. Ready, Seady, GO!!
The rains have returned, and therefore the temps are up a bit here which I will take any day of the week, over the freeze your nose hair temps we have been experiencing. For those of you who are still experiencing icicles on your nose hairs, I do apologize from the bottom of my heart I do. But ... I feel a song coming on here, "I'm only happy when it rains, I'm only happy when it's complicated"   That's what I'm singing today. However, even though I do love me some rain, I gotta say who knew that living around such moisture could be a very bad thing in the winter? Certainly not mu-wah!  I mean no one told me when I moved here that if it did get down to freezing temps your doors might freeze shut.  And they did. Not Good people.  Not Good at all.  ( So that" if " is in bold print because our freezing temps are still  an" if "in the minds of all Californians...and Ahem... maybe even a few Nevadians,  who live here in Washington. They are clearly still in denial that it does indeed get into freezing temps. They clearly have denial issues. Clearly.)


Thankfully, strange but true, those low temps get taken away by the rains and so did My Giant. Well, I mean he didn't like get washed away in a flood or anything, that was Noah silly, not My Moses. Ahem... but he left yesterday, and is gone off to NV to have a birthday bash vacation like none other. Why is he in Nevada you ask? Well he turned 40 yesterday, and can I get a witness from the wives out there that there is BIG pressure for just the right gift for our men on BIG days like when they turn 30,40, or 50. 
Why again, are the numbers with the zero or the five the bigguns? 

(This is a picture of My Giant when he was a small boy. He has one hand in his pocket and the other hand is holding a small blue flower. He is the cutest boy in the whole world.)
I thought long and hard about what to get my big man for his 40th birthday and in the end I knew deep down in my knower,  what he would want most is Time.   Time off from work and time with his beloved Pop, and some family and friends so thankfully for me his birthday month happens to fall in the slow season at his work so I shipped him off to his Old Man. I bought him a ticket, told him to schedule time off and away he went.
He said I get an A++ in the wifery department for this and much more ;) To which I said, Whew that extra + gives me some wiggle room.. Thrift Store here I come! Just kidding. No I'm not. Yes, yes I am. Right now at this very moment though, my kids are in school, and I am taking my lunch break, listening to the Dean Martin Pandora station and getting ready to clean my house,  But  I'm thinking about the wonderful night we had last night celebrating My Giant, with our Fab 4, the Village people, great conversations into the wee hours, and  Oh,  and This !

That cake was worthy of a name. Have you ever had food so good that it's worthy of a name? Well, this cake was THAT good.. so come on let's name it. Death By Chocolate ... no that's been done before. Chocolate Landslide... lame. HOLLA a whole lotta  CHOLLA!! By cholla I mean C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E. By chocolate I don't mean just any chocolate, I mean Devil's Food cake and Hershey's Frosting Chocolate. And yes, I did just make up my own word. I can do that. I'm an adult. Still, I'm not sure HOLLA CHOLLA is the right name for this guy. Oh wait, I know what it should be named.... drum roll please..... OH, and THIS!! that's it's name  Oh, and This(emphasis on the THIS) Needless to say, but I will say it anyway,  there goes 23 days of workouts, and being good, but it was worth every bite. 

Well, I will miss My Giant for the next few days, but I am so happy for him to have this much needed time off, and quality time with his peeps.   I'm thinking about all the crafting I'm going to get done while he's away this weekend,  and I'm also thinking I might to need to make another cake upon his return. Ya know, like a welcome home gift? What do you think?

Happy Birthday To My Giant

40 years. My Giant is 40 years old today. I have known him, really known him for 19 of those years, so almost half of his life. And then I knew of him a few years before that, but that's a different story for a different day. Of the 16 years I didn't really know him I have had to piece together some of his childhood. I get some of those pieces from his dad,  A lot from his mom, some from his Aunties and Uncles, I got quite an ear full from his sister before she went on to be with Jesus(what I would give to get more from her now, and to hear her razz him about being OLD) and then of course quite a bit from his cousin Derek.
Today I want to talk about what I KNOW about TheMoses.
He is funny. He is generous. He is forgiving.

He is sincere always. He is never dull. He is a deep, deep thinker. 

He is strong.  He is resourceful. He is patient.

He is steady. He is a Christ Follower. He is a really good dad.

He is shy. (hard to believe but it's really true) He is smart, not just smart, but wise. He is fully present, but only in the spot he dwells.

He doesn't like the gym. He doesn't work out, but gets a work out from his LIFE everyday. He is a good Uncle.

He is a firm believer in asking questions and therefore has a few conspiracies under his belt. He has an incredible work ethic. He can fix anything.

He is an artist. He is a random facts library. He is a trustworthy man.

He is a teacher. He doesn't like to read books. He likes to watch documentaries.

He likes a lot video games. He is a pessimist married to THE ETERNAL optimist(we kinda make a good team) He is a carpenter.
He is a fall asleep when his head hits the pillow kind of guy. He is a REALLY, REALLY good cook. Really. He a terrible baker. (Sorry babe it's true though)
He is just. He is fair. He is a good friend.
He is a man of few words. He always has a side project going on or building plans in progress. He has a really good B.S. detector.
HE IS A GOOD MAN.
It's hard to put into words the measure of a man that has had 40 years. I would have to agree completely with MLKjr. on the quote below though, The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
These are only some facts, likes, and dislikes but to really KNOW a person you have to go to the heart and soul of a man. What is his heart and soul? What does he live for? What would he die for? What consumes his every waking moment?
In regards to his heart I can honestly say, that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, Moses has a beautiful heart, one that is as big, as he is tall. He would like you to believe otherwise, but don't be fooled He is a gentle Giant. He would and has bent over backwards for family, friends, and even strangers. He gives even from a place of being in need, and as far as his soul look at his everyday life. He slaves away so that his family can live well. While he sacrifices we enjoy. While he labors we play.  I know what he lives for, I see this everyday at the butt-crack of dawn, o-dark-thirty he lives to provide. Not only is he living for us, but in some ways, no... in a lot of ways HE has had to die for us too. The dreams and aspirations that have long been in his mind have been pushed to the side under the weights of responsibility. 
He is a good man.
My Giant, You spent 20 years without me and   Now 20 years with me. Here's to another 20+20 maybe even + 20 more!! There is truly for you xo 

My New Year's Word

I know I'm a little late to the New Year's word/resolutions posts but I was having technical difficulties last week and then commitment issues the week before. Let me explain.

I'm not exactly sure when or why it happened that I decided I was no longer going to be of the cloth that makes resolutions, but I'm pretty sure it has been fairly recent. 
Looking back on my old posts that were of previous resolutions is  motivation enough for me to never make another resolution again. Seriously people! It's just embarrassing if not down right sad how many of them and ONE in particular I never can make happen(ahem... you know that whole health and fitness one?) That one right there just makes me wanna cuss. Cuss.  Cuss. Kirmudgeafudge!!
I feel better now.
Ok moving on.   With so many of them I had good intentions but in the end it just didn't happen. Well, so because of this, and in honor of one of my favorite sayings,
"Keep it simple stupid"    I decided I would like to pick a word, just ONE word, to remind me all year of what I would like to accomplish in a years time. Last year I picked one, but I didn't exactly label it my New Years word.  However, that is exactly what it became.  
Last year my word was DETERMINATION. I blogged about it and if you want you can read it here. But, if you don't want or you don't have time for that I will just paraphrase here why it is I chose that word last year.
There were quite a few things that I was determined or needed to be determined about last year and so that word brought me right back around to those things every time I thought of it. I would ask myself, am I being determined with my energy, money, time?  Am I speaking, praying, waiting, listening with determination?
This picking a word for the new year really worked well for me last year, because I didn't feel like a big fat failure when I wasn't determined I just remembered why it was that I picked that word in the first place, and it motivated me to move on out of the funk that I found myself in and be determined. 
I will admit it's hard to pick just one word that will make you take inventory of your life all year long. But, thankfully I'm not alone in this process called life or in the process of picking a New Years word. This year it has taken me a while to land on the right word because although I had the impression of the word just a few days into this new year, I couldn't quite commit.
Who knew I would have commitment issues ?   This year my word is FREEDOM!
There are so many areas I already feel so much freedom in, which is why I was like, "Are you sure that is the right word for you?" I was like the doubter kid on Polar Express. Second guessing my word until I heard...  "You're a Doubter!!" "Doubter!"
In the end I realized I may be free in a lot of areas, but still so many more corners of my heart need healing and freedom. I feel this is going to be a year of internal freedom for me.  God has already begun this process with healing me in some areas that I will share later this week, but I'm excited about my word.
Because  Who doesn't need healing or freedom? I KNOW I do.  Here are the scriptures that are going to help me remember why Freedom is so important;
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery." Galations 5:1 (I think standing firm in the freedoms I've already been given will be important, but then moving forward toward more freedom is where I feel God leading)
"Now the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17
(God's precious Spirit has been so tangible so strong in these 3 weeks of 2013, that I know with out a doubt I'm in a season of rain. My spiritual drought is over. It has been a long, dry season and I'm ready for the rain.)
"So if the Son sets you Free you are free indeed." John 8:36 (Thanking God for what He has begun and that HE and HE alone is faithful to complete the good work HE has begun)

Also, have I ever told you that the movie Braveheart is one of my all time favorite movies? Honest Abe, I'm not just saying that because it goes well with my New Years word. *I can't really explain why, because it is a terribly violent movie, and normally I don't care for violence in movies, but there is something about the legend of William Wallace and the lines about freedom in this movie that has always resonated with me. *(I think... I mean call me crazy... but I might have just explained why right there.)
"You have come to fight as free men. And free men you are. But what will you do without your freedom?"
WE live here in a country where we are free to speak about our beliefs, and for that I am extremely grateful. I often think that at times I take it for granted that I can get up on any given Sunday morning and go wherever my heart desires to praise the One True Living God. Last week at a worship night at church Em and I met a woman from China who looked at Emma with tears in her eyes and said, "I'm so jealous that you are HERE in this place with your mom, able to worship God freely." We talked about her statement on the car ride home and again, the word Freedom was brought to my attention.
"They may take our lives, But they will never take our freedom!!"
It has been a long, hard road to get to where I am 20+ years in my relationship with God, and the one thing I can honestly say is that I never knew I needed Him this much, but now I can't imagine what my life would look like without the countless years of healing and freedom to be the person He created ME to be. I want more freedom so that the next 20+ years by the grace of God are NOT so hard, NOT so long.  Do you know what I'm saying? Anyway, I might be talking a bit more about this word, my word for this year; FREEDOM and I would love to hear what your thoughts are on this word? Also, are you of the cloth that makes resolutions? What's your favorite movie? Oh and  Happy 2013! Can you believe January is almost over?

On Turning 38.

Last month, on December 17th I turned 38, and last week I got the invitation to my 20th High School Reunion. Not my 10 year y'all ...(please forgive the southern accent I have been reading Sweet Potato Queens book again and I just can't help myself) And To Clarify... I am not 38 going on 18, and 40's are not the new 20's. Sorry if I just bursted your little age defying bubble there. But These are all just things that we tell ourselves so that we don't have to hear or even think of THE word. You know the word I'm talking about... Don't act like you don't know THE word...

OLD!! I could say I feel 38 years young, but you know what? That simply isn't true. Now, that's not to say that I feel so Old all the time, and I have everything all figured out, oh no, no, no... I have A LOT of learning left to do! And I feel quite young and naive still to many ways of this world. But I will say, I'm grateful for the years I have underneath my lifetime belt. Each one has taught me something different. And as that number keeps going up one thing I have learned that I didn't know as well when I was only 18 is that LIFE is PRECIOUS. In fact IT IS A  GIFT. Now, granted I am not yet in the 40's club but believe you me, beloved when I get there in two years, Lord willing, I am going to shout it from the roof tops!! I'm 40 and I don't care who knows it!! (Picture Buddy the Elf coming into his dad's office at a very important meeting and shouting, "I'm in Love and I don't care who knows it!" Yep that will be me.)  This is what I would like to say; To the Whole Wide World or at least the World Wide Web Being or Getting Old is really OK. It's better than ok, it's a gift. And no I don't say that first thing in the morning when my body is achey and still tired after a full 8 hours of sleep, but once I have woken up and become aware of my surroundings that is exactly what I say. I thank God for each new day. Not to be cliche or a total cheese ball...  (okay well maybe a lil chedda is in this next statement) The present really is a gift. And for as long as I'm living I hope I will always have this heart of gratitude.
As I have gotten older I have realized the true gifts in this life are not ones that you can put a price tag on. They are not a certain brand name something or other. They are not a place you get to go. They are not a big fancy sparkling something.  They are YOU. They are ME. And they are This Moment.

 There were of course material gifts given for my birthday this year, but none, no not even one is more valuable to me than this. The realization that my life is but a breath, and my story thus far has been a good one, and as long as I have air left in my lungs I can make it a GREAT one!

Don't you know it's true beloved reader?

That as long as we have air left in our lungs we can make our story a GREAT one!

That would be my favorite gift this year, but don't cha know I am gonna share some of my other favorites with you because well... I'm a blogger. I blog. It's kinda what I like to do with my free time, have you noticed?

  Not only did I receive that dress up there from My Momma Nash, that dress that is so spectacular it needs it's own event to wear it IN  it's honor, but I was with some of the people I love and certainly with all of the people I love in Spirit or FB, or on Skype, maybe even by IG, or Twitter,  and certainly by phone. 

Thank God for technology. 

That is a Gift.

I received countless reminders of God's goodness and grace on my life by way of old friends notes and phone calls. I shared a glass of wine with My Mom, sister Gina, and brother Jeremy via Skype. I drank from the cup that is 

This Beautiful Life and I was filled to overflowing.

That is a Gift.

I had 4 healthy children in my house.

One of the things I miss most about having lils in my house, (by lils I mean ages 2-6) is the constant barrage of funny things that lils say, but every now and then one of my kids who are still young but on the tail end of childhood, they will say something really funny. 

So when

my boys set out to make a Gingerbread man they finished and Isaiah my youngest looked up at Solomon and said, "I'm going to eat this WHOLE thing so Don't Judge Me." 

Bah ha ha ... quotes from my 8 year old boy like 

THAT is a Gift.

Around my birthday I might not have had my own birthday party but in a sense this Elf party that we have been having the past two years has become my very own birthday party. Who else gets to have Olive Penguins at their birthday party I ask you? And not only that but my friend Tasha was here for a visit to help me make those cute little treats. And my friend Emily brought me salted caramel chocolate cookies that I'm telling you make my mouth water every time I think about them.

That is A Gift.

Oh and this. 

This is A Gift.

Oh my, my, my is this ever a gift. 

Wanna know why?

Well in the words of My Giants grandmother Louis, who used to call him a Shit Ass when he was naughty... this lil dog right here... she can be quite the little  Shit Ass sometimes. 

Sorry for the cuss but...

Truly, y'all  have no idea!

But when I bought this outfit I bought it for the express purpose of payback in good Doggy Owner fashion. Bella hates wearing clothes. Girlfriend,(there goes that accent again) just doesn't even know how cute she looks in clothes I guess?! So when she is put in any type of clothing she refuses to move. Seriously, she stands there frozen or will sit in any position I put her in. I can prop her up real nice for pictures and of course, this therefore frees me up from having to worry about if she is in the trash, toilet, kids backpacks, etc... 

Are you tracking what I'm laying down?

That picture and countless others are payback to me for all the things Bella girl puts me through all year long.

That is A Gift.

And then of course

Sushi

Comfy Slippers

Bowls that make my heart skip a beat

This and so much more evokes only one response

38 is Great and  This  Life Is  Beautiful. Thanks for sharing a part of it here with me.

Love/Hate # 1 for 2013

Good Day To You Beloved Reader- I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and that you were able to stay warm. We have had some frigid temps here in the PNW. Today I'm going to start my blog week off with an oldie but a goodie link up; LOVE/HATE. If you have some Love/Hates (or dislike strongly) then please feel free to link up below. And away we go...
I Love my new design pic for my Etsy Shop. I Hate that when I posted it to my shop it got kinda blurry. All that work for a blurry pic, seriously not ok! See, even now I am trying to make the pic below bigger and it's not working. Blurry pics are lame. Lame I tell you.

I Love that it is a start to a brand new year.

I Hate that over the holidays I had no time to blog so there are countless events that I need to go back over to share with you all. Like the fact that I turned 38 on December 17th.

38 is great, more about that later.

I Love the blogging community, and one of my newest friends from the blogsphere is Marci who blogs over at Stone Cottage Adventure. Marci was my blog angel over the holidays and you can read what she wrote about me here ;Stone Cottage Adventure. Even though she wrote this post about me over 10 days ago, I have just now had the chance to head over there and read it.
 I HATE that!! Seriously, can I get a witness for the fact that there are just not enough hours in the day to read your favorite blogs. I hate being out of the loop and not having time to say hello to my blogger buds out there. YOU all are some of my favorite peeps on planet earth and I  LOVE to read what you are thinking, but sometimes it comes down to ... feed the children... or .... read a blog! I know you are glad I go with feeding my Fab 4 ;) most of the time. 
I Love my sewing machine. I Hate that there are just not enough hours in the day to get all that I want accomplished on Mr. Kenny Kenmore.

He truly is my new best friend.
I Love my bible study with Beth Moore on the book of James right now. I Hate that it is kicking my boot -ay and making me wonder if I am even saved right now.
I Love getting back in shape...  No wait. I Hate getting back in shape.  No wait. I Love it I do, but seriously the older I get it is just that much harder to back up on that healthy, walking, running, jumping, moving wagon called HEALTH and FITNESS! Sometimes I wonder why our muscles being sore after a work out have to be the constant reminder to us that we are OLD!! You don't have this issue? Huh, well ok then Missy Healthy Pants, thanks for leaving me hanging here not only feeling OLD but FAT, and OLD!! 

I Love this Link UP I Hate that I haven't done it in so long. 

If you are new here and have never played along, grab a button on the side over there. It looks like the one right below. Oh and jump on board with some Love/Hates. They can be Love/ really DISLIKES if hate is too strong a word for ya! And really just chime in with whatever makes your heart content.

That's all I got for now hope everyone had a great weekend. Oh wait, I almost forgot to announce the winner of my giveaway is Marci.  Email to get your prize ;) linking up here Miscellany Monday Powered by Linky Tools
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Flashback Friday

Hello There Beloved Reader and Happy Friday! How was your week? Mine was busy and sore. Yep, that's right, I said sore. I started back at the gym on Monday and let me tell ya, my body does not like me right now. It will in about another week or so, but right now it's like what the hell are you doing woman? My muscles if they could talk are saying; We were comfortable. We were sleeping. We were happy, and now we are NOT happy! Ah well, let's hope they forgive me sometime soon.
In the meantime... let's Flashback shall we? My Flashback entertainment this week is one of my all time favorite old television shows.  Can you guess what it might be? Don't cheat by looking at the picture below. Nope, not 8 is enough. Not Laverne and Shirley. and it's not  Leave it To Beaver. Although I do love all of those listed above, I love this old show more than... well more than peanut butter and chocolate.

I LOVE LUCY- I mean who doesn't right? Enough said there... And now onto our Flashback Posts in the Blogosphere.... If you are new here first off Welcome and let me give you the 411 about this little link up I run. It is for older blog posts. I used to ask that they be a year or older, but I don't have time to check all of that and besides I figure if you have taken the time to link up something you want others to read, who am I to tell you from what calendar year it has to be from? The point is ... link up, have some fun, read and please comment on at least one other link up and have fun! Oh I know I already said have fun, but I really want to emphasize HAVE FUN, it's FRIDAY after all. Powered by Linky Tools
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Giveaway, OH how I love Giveaways...

"Dear Friend,  I like to start my notes to you as if we are already in a conversation"
A few days ago, wait, I mean a week ago, nope two weeks ago now,  wait WHAT THE...  last month my friend Tasha came to see me.

This sweet lady is so creative and I begged her to bring that creativity with her on this trip. She did. I'm guessing that it would have been hard for her to leave that behind because it's just kinda in her DNA. Tasha is amazing.  She constantly challenges the status quo with her yearly challenges that she gives herself and she is truly an inspiration to me in so many ways.  She kept asking me what I wanted her to bring so beyond just her and her beautiful self I asked, no ...  I begged her to teach me how to make these while she was here.

She did. This is a Recycled Men's Tie Flower. This is her baby. I will not, I repeat NOT give away her secrets, but I am so glad she shared them with lil Ole' Me. The greatest part about that flower was that it was made from an old tie that my dad gave me. He gave me a whole bag of ties actually when I was home in November because he is retired now and has no use for them, and guess what I intend to do with each and every one of them? You guessed it, make those beautiful one of kind(maybe two) upcycled flowers, and then of course wear them, and then of course sell some of them in my store. NoDotsShop On top of leaving behind some of her creative genius... and some great memories,  she also left behind some amazing goodies to sell in my store and today I want to share those goodies with YOU beloved reader.

Have you ever seen or have you ever heard of a silverware caddy? Well, that is what these are. The purpose for these beauties can be multi-used.

You can use them like Tasha hopes you will, to stop using plastic ware at parties and picnics because you can now bring your own set of silverware. Your friends and family will not only be impressed with your determination to "going green" but they will probably be envious of your coolness factor going up a notch or two.

OR  You can simply bring these everywhere you go because then you will KNOW that your eating utensils are without a shadow of a doubt clean. Ya know, like if you kinda have a Monk-ish, OCD-ish quality going on. OR  You can use them for storing your crocheting needles when they are not in use for the party or picnic where you won't be using plastic ware because you are Green now remember?

Either way you should check them out here; NodotsShop Oh right, I almost forgot the giveaway part. So here's the deal if you can tell me where the quote at the top of the page comes from in a comment that is your first entry for this giveaway. AND IF you leave a seperate comment to tell me what you would use those silver ware caddy's for then that would be your second entry. Then if you are not a GFC follower here yet become one, or  tweet about my shop for a total of 4 entries.  I'm sure you want to know what you will win right? How about this;

AND 

A 50% off discount on anything, that's right I said anything at

NoDotsShop

And a 10 gift card to Target.

YAY!!

I LOVE A GIVEAWAY...

And You 

Happy 2013 Beloved Readers ;)

Winner to be announced on Tuesday, January 15th

Visits From 2012

Hello There Beloved Reader, How was your weekend? Mine was practically, perfect in every way except one.  Bah... can't believe I'm gonna say this but the one reason was that one reason that we women face every month. There, I said it and now I'm gonna move on having lost the 2.5 male readers that I have. See you fella's on the flip side. It's a bit blustery here today. Branches are falling off of trees around my tree house, and I am "Home Alone" staying inside where it's warm by my cozy fire, drinking coffee and singing praise to the Lover of my Soul. When it's windy like this I always hear Winnie The Pooh's voice in my head saying, "Oh bother, it's a bit blustery outside." And then thinking of Winnie makes me think of his friends and what they would say and well I think I will pair these pics from last year with some favorite quotes from Winnie The Pooh. 

(Emma my oldest with niece Sophia, can you tell they are related, and don't you think that they have kind of a Macaulay Culkin, Home Alone look going on here? )

So it has been said of the Village(that's what we call this place where I live on 5 acres of property with 2 other families) , on more than just one occasion, that it can be like Grand Central Station sometimes. Personally, I wouldn't want it any other way. 

A full table for Easter. Full tables make me happy. Really, really, happy!

These are gonna be a collection of pictures from all  the visitors that came through here at the Village last year. These memories with each and everyone of these beloved friends and family memories will fill my days with sunshine as I face the very cold dark days of winter, and I hope that on this Monday morning they put a smile on your face as well.

Cousins. 

“Some people care too much. I think it's called love.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

My Brother Greg, my baby Isaiah and My Giant built me a beautiful log bench that now sits in front of my garden. A treasure to me for all of time.

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Gore Girls  and the Troll bridge, and More cousin time.

Please take note of the Troll and my son Solomon, the boy who doesn't like to be photographed. He found a clever spot to hide this time don't you think?

One of my best sister/friends daughter Samantha and my daughter Emma. The fact that these two girls are friends now, means that Andre and my friendship has out lasted us. Two generations of friends now, that's what I call Beautiful Life. 

“We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet.
Even longer,' Pooh answered.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Friend Trista and her handsome boys on a college scouting trip. We tried are darnedest to impress those dapper boys to come back to this city. Hope our plan worked.

My sister/friend Christine and me. Even though this picture is fuzzy it brings joy to my heart because it captures the laughter, the pee your pants funny laughter that is always around when Weeny is here. 

Christine and Me at the Chateau Ste. Michelle. So many great memories there. 

My Giant at the End(can you see why I call him a Giant?  He never quite seems to fit in pictures) Cousin Derek, Brother Greg and his girl Tanya. What a fun visit that was. 

We took them to a whiskey joint here, and then my favorite winery The Chateau, where there was yummy tasting going on all around, except of course by the DD. Oh yeah, that's right  I was the DD and of course the documenter/picture taker/camera is always in your face when I am around person.

(The whole Fan-Damily at a Mariners game and at the table)

What a treat it was to have Shawn, Marie, and Jordan come around the 4th of July. 

Have I mentioned that I love baseball?

Have I mentioned I love a full table? 

Have I mentioned that I love my friend Mrs. Marie and could spend buckets of time with her and never have enough?

Ok, well now I did.

 My Momma's visit this past summer. This was outside the zoo in the garden. So many wonderful memories from that trip. It was so great to have her all to myself. And the time went by so fast, when she left everyone here at the Village wanted the resident Gramma to come back. WE all loved having her here, but none more than me. My mom... well she is the bomb-diggity, the beez-neez, the cats meow and all those other fun old sayings that really just mean she is too Awesome, and I want to be just like her when I grow up!

“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

And finally my most recent visitor, My friend Tasha. I'm going to be posting a giveaway from yours truly tomorrow and I will be talking more about this here visit so stay tuned.

Thanks for looking back over this year in pictures with me, now it's time to look forward don't cha think?

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for an awesome Giveaway.