Friday, March 27, 2009

Friday Fill-In

  1. "In a hole in the ground there lived a yet to be discovered microscopic civilation, bursting with activity."

  2. "To YOU it may be just 'a lil blood' but that ain't no matter."

  3. "After dark the rain began to fall again, and I could sense the presence of something out there with every fiber of my being."

  4. "Sitting in port, as the slave master lifted the heavy seawater soaked trap door, you could hear the wails of the children coming from the hold of the Spanish galleon."

  5. "There was a hand in the darkness, and it was NOT one of mine."

  6. "Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, showing the element of surprise."

  7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to possibly having smores around a campfire, tomorrow my plans include some Bible teaching and LOTS of relaxin fun with friends and Sunday, I want to come home from retreat stress free!

You can get your 'Friday Fill-In' clicking on the title above or using the button in the left ♥FAVORITE SITES column. *or re-post in a comment below!*

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Brenda Photo Challenge!

Many thanks goes again to Cindra from doing the prior challenge. With the tips and tricks taught, I've been able to do some fun stuff! Below are my own eyes, played with in FotoFlexer.

Yes, these are my OLD glasses!
This one is showing who the "apple of my eye" really is!

... see my love, my man ...

Many thanks for stopping in and looking!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Friday Fill-In

  1. Why do we have to always close our eyes when we sneeze?
  2. Checking the locks behind the kids leaving are now habits.
  3. I have some of the BEST friends ever.
  4. I had never heard the phrase "sing before breakfast, cry before supper" and it has always made me wonder where my Mom heard it.
  5. When you finish brushing your teeth, please wipe the counter clean the way I always do.
  6. How was I to know you forgot to set YOUR alarm ...
  7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to grilled steaks, tomorrow my plans include reading and Sunday, I want to chillax!

You can get your 'Friday Fill-In' clicking on the title above or using the button in the left ♥FAVORITE SITES column. *or re-post in a comment below!*

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Monday, March 16, 2009

Unconscious Mutterings

"Rules are, there are no rules." There are no right or wrong answers. Don't limit yourself to one word responses; just say everything that pops into your head!

  1. Sunburn :: is what I get rather than tanned.

  2. Aquarium :: Monterey Bay ... hi Pen!

  3. Otter :: ... ya otter see them otters at Monterey Bay Aquarium.

  4. Awesome :: Something you can't help but say when impressed by something!

  5. LOL :: Looney Old Laura

  6. Accordion :: to the sher'iff, it twar a bigg bear dune chazzin 'em!

  7. Hot Pocket :: I'll have a lean Ham 'n Cheese, please.

  8. Grandstand :: home run! Yea Dodger baseball~

  9. Shaved :: Ice ... the blue kind ... yum!

  10. Upgrade :: when climbing from one level to the next.

Get your muttering at: Unconscious Mutterings, and have some fun!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

LisaBoo ~

She's in the hospital ~ her water broke just after midnight and she, her hubby Boo and her Mom, Renee are at the hospital ~ I'm so excited! Just wanted to share!!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Friday Fill-In

  1. When I look to the left, I see my little kitchen.

  2. The dining room is the room that has the best view in my home.

  3. Let it work pleeeeease, let it work.

  4. Landscaping done dirt cheap!

  5. SAFE driving practices is a responsibility that all qualified citizens must share.

  6. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

  7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to BUNCO at Paula's, tomorrow my plans include going to a surprise party and Sunday, I want to chillax!

You can get your 'Friday Fill-In' clicking on the title above or using the button in the left ♥FAVORITE SITES column. *or re-post in a comment below!*

Monday, March 9, 2009

Time To Pray - from Rachel Olsen

"Keep on praying." 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)

GUILT. Many Christians I've talked to equate this word with their prayer life, and I can relate.

I used to feel guilty because people would ask me to pray, or I would volunteer to when I heard they were going through something difficult. With a heart of compassion, I'd reply, "Oh, I'll pray for you!" And I fully intended to. But then I'd forget ... get busy ... say that to five other people in the meantime ... and often never get around to doing it despite my good intentions. I'd put off praying in the moment, in favor of waiting until I had a big chunk of time to spend in prayer. Then life would happen and that chunk of time wouldn't materialize. By the time I carved some out, I couldn't remember all I'd intended to pray about.

One of the perceptions I had about prayer was that I needed to spend a lot of time in prayer in order to do it "right." I thought short prayers wouldn't have much power or impact. Then I noticed something that shifted my thinking. In Matthew chapter six, Jesus is teaching about prayer. He says, "When you pray, don't talk on and on as people do who don't know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don't be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask" (Matthew 6:7-8, CEV). Wow, so I don't have to talk for hours, coming up with many ways to phrase my petitions? It was so freeing to see this coming from Jesus' lips.

That was followed by another ah-ha moment. In the next verse, Jesus said: "You should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, help us to honor your name. Come and set up your kingdom, so that everyone on earth will obey you, as you are obeyed in heaven. Give us our food for today. Forgive us for doing wrong, a s we forgive others. Keep us from being tempted and protect us from evil " (Matthew 6:9-13, CEV). This is often called "The Lord's Prayer."

Pause, look at the clock, and then say the Lord's Prayer aloud. Now check the clock again. How long did that take? This was Jesus' illustration of how to pray - so what does that tell us about feeling we need to pray l-o-n-g prayers to be effective? Hear me on this, I do believe there are needs that call for extended time in prayer (see Jesus' time in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:36-46 for instance). But many things can be prayed for in short prayers as we move through out our day.

Now, when a friend sends me an email with a troubled story, I rarely respond by saying, "I will pray for you." Instead, I pause and pray for her before hitting reply to say, "I have prayed for you." If someone calls me on the phone, or tells me in person about their prayer need, more often than not I'll offer to pray with them right then. If I encounter a reason to pray while reading the newspaper, or reading scripture, I do it in the moment. My aim is not to be lengthy and elaborate with these prayers, but rather to do it while my mind is on it.

If I feel the need to pray for someone repeatedly or over time, I follow through with my carefully considered plan because I've gotten more intentional about this prayer thing. But deciding several years ago to pray short, in the moment prayers was key for me. It is very doable way of "praying continually" and it helped relieve a lot of feelings of failure, pressure and guilt. Most importantly, this ensures that people's needs are in fact being prayed for - which is the ultimate goal, right?

I'm convinced the Enemy often keeps us from praying by getting us to procrastinate until later, making us think we need more time or more words to do this thing "right." As I read the Bible, I see instructions to pray frequently, to pray with faith and persistence, and to pray over all our cares and concerns. But I do not see that we must talk for hours over each request for God to hear them. I hope that does for you what it did for me – replaces feelings of guilt with a renewed passion to pray.

Dear Lord, help me to pray frequently and persistently with faith, in accordance with Your will. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Unconscious Mutterings

"Rules are, there are no rules." There are no right or wrong answers. Don't limit yourself to one word responses; just say everything that pops into your head!

  1. Mourning :: - at times for my Dad ... even still at almost 19 yrs.

  2. Approval :: Something we each seek at different levels.

  3. Lotion :: ahh, Sensual Amber by Bath & Body Works!

  4. Perspire :: I don't perspire, I 'glow'.

  5. Language :: You're in AMERICA, speak ENGLISH!!

  6. Defection :: ugh ... baby diapers.

  7. Play :: what I'm doing by filling this out!

  8. Graphic :: can be a thing of beauty or repulsive.

  9. Spicy :: How I love me Mexican food ~

  10. In love :: ... loved you then, love you still; always have, always will.

Get your muttering at: Unconscious Mutterings, and have some fun!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Photo Challenge!

I've been offline, out and about, running to and fro ... BUT ... had to not forget to post my picture. The new Brenda Photo Challenge theme was to "Flip That Photo" given by Cindra of Knits & Pics & Favorite Things. She and Donna both offered tutorials using various [one of my favorite words] FREE downloadable programs. I've given it a shot, and have to admit it was fun!

Here's my BEFORE:

I have had these feathers for almost 30 years!
And here is my AFTER:

... just one POP of color ...

I know it's pretty simple, but with the time constrants I've been under, I am pleased that I learned something new ... thank you Cindra and Donna!!