90 Bible Journey, Week 13

From Children’s Letters to God:

Dear God, who draws the lines around countries?  -Nan

Dear God, I bet it is hard for you to love all the people in the world.  There are only four people in my family, and I could never do it.  -James

Dear God, We read that Thomas Edison invented light.  But in Sunday School, we learned that you did it.  So I guess he stole the idea from you.         –Donna

Dear God, I didn’t think that orange went with purple until I saw the sunset on Thursday.  That was cool.  -Eugene

Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy.  Love, Joyce

Think about that last letter as we round the corner to what, for most of us, will be out last week of reading through The Bible in 90 Days:

Are you getting out of the reading what you expected?  If not, what was your puppy and what is your baby brother??

If you are current in your reading, how can you support  those who may be a bit behind?  If you are behind, do you have a plan for catching up? 

Here are the last few days of readings:

Monday:  Hebrews 1:1 through James 3:12

Tuesday:  James 3:13 through 3 John 14

Wednesday:  Jude 1 through Revelation 17:18

Thursday:  Revelation 18:1 through Revelation 22:21

Leave a comment and let me know how you are doing!!

Shimmy, Shake & Gyrate!

I joined a Zumba class and I can tell you that I have shimmied, shaken and gyrated parts unknown!  Check out our skinny wonderful fella that leads us….

Sorry that the pictures are a tad blurry, but I was shaking with pure joy panic because the class was getting ready to begin!

See, in my effort to get back my teenage youthful figure, I need a little bit more calorie burning activities besides walking and watching TV and was assured that Zumba was the way to go.

I can tell ya, I think I have burned more calories than I have ate in a year!  At this rate, I’ll be a size 3 by next Tuesday!  HA!

It’s RaNdOm DoZeN Time!!

1. Ever had any run-ins with the "library police?"

Uhh, well actually, yes! I can’t let on to much about the situation or my identity because they are still huntin’ me down! Needless to say, I have never darken their doorsteps again! HA!

2. Do you have a special organizational plan and place for wrapping paper, gift bags, etc., or do you just purchase whatever you need as you give gifts?

Me organized?? HA! I have to buy the paper as I need it.

3. Have you ever been in (first-hand witness) a natural disaster?

Does watching my youngest play his first basketball game count? I have not, but my husband was caught up in the tornado that went through downtown Nashville in 1998.

4. What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?

5. What's the best costume you've ever worn?

I grew up with a brother and a neighborhood full of boys. One Halloween I let them put lots of food coloring in my hair. It was terrible! It didn’t wash out the next day, or the next week and I think the next month! It was the costume that keep on celebrating!

6. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?

I like using a thesaurus better. We do have to pull out the trusty dictionary during Scrabble games though!

7. What's your favorite breakfast food?

Grits with runny eggs, bacon and toast with butter and jelly!! Yep, I am a southern girl through and through!

8. Have you ever purchased anything from an infomercial?

Nope, to this day I have stayed strong and not cracked under the pressure of “You can get this for $19.99. BUT, wait if you order in the next 10 minutes we’ll throw in 2!!”

9. Have you ever crawled through a window?

The question is, how many windows have I crawled through. Have I ever mentioned that I was a hellion during my teenage years?

10. Do you believe in love at first sight?

Sure do!

11. How man pairs of jeans do you own?

The ones that fit or don’t fit? Do I count in capri's that are jeans? How about jean skirts? What about jean shorts?? Cut-off’s…

12. If someone were going to bake a cake to honor/represent you, what would it be? (Think creatively, like Duff and Crew on "Ace of Cakes.")

Either a giant Chihuahua or a Big ‘ol fluffy cat, upside down pineapple cake!!

90 Bible Journey, Week 12

Day late, dollar short…sorry, putting this post up completely slipped my mind!

If you can’t believe in God, the chances are your God is too small. – J.B. Phillips

For a moment, try to imagine setting aside all of your doubts and limitations.  What would you do it you had perfect faith? 

Here are the verses for the week:

Monday:  Acts 6:8  through Acts 16:37

Tuesday:  Acts 16:38 through Acts 28:16

Wednesday: Acts 25:17 through Romans 14:23

Thursday: Romans 15:1  through 1 Corinthians 14:40

Friday:  1 Corinthians  through Galatians 3:25

Saturday:  Galatians 3:26 through  Colossians 4:18

Sunday:  1 Thessalonians 1:1 through Philemon 25

I am forgoing the Mister Linky, just because I am too lazy to go and get the code.  Leave a comment and have a great day!

Fad Diet

Okay, I need to lose weight.

What is so hard about losing weight?  It is not an easy task,  it involves planning, exercise and the most important thing, commitment.

So, as usual around my office we often talk about dieting and walking, but seldom do anything besides talk about it.  Last week, I did something about it and instead of going out to eat, I put on a pair of tennis shoes and walked instead.  I also packed my lunch!  Yay me!  So again we talked about how to lose weight and three of us in my office decided to do the Scared Heart Diet.  Y’all this is a big time fad diet, but our thinking was that we could get a big jump start on some weight loss and then start the following week doing something more realistic.

So this diet revolves around soup and lots of it.  Sunday night I chopped up what seemed to be an endless line of veggie.  Celery, carrots, onions, green beans, tomatoes, parsley…ugh!  Monday we were allowed to eat all the soup we wanted along with all the fruits we wanted, except bananas.  Tuesday, same with the soup, but only veggie were allowed to be consumed.  Wednesday, all soup, along with fruit and veggie.  Thursday, all the soup you can eat along with bananas and skim milk…..it keeps on going, but I think you get the just.

I did good…we all did good and as of Wednesday I have lost 4 pounds.  BUT…I can’t eat the soup anymore.  I gag at the thought of it.  It was not bad and I rather enjoyed it Monday, but y’all it’s rough eating it everyday!  although it’s a fad diet, it did show results, but I am back to eating a sensible diet…Yay me!

Also along with walking at least three times a week, I am starting Zumba next week!  I am so excited about it!!  I might make a fool of myself, but I wont be the only one, 2 other staffers are going to do it along with the music ministers wife and another lady in our church!!!  We made a pack, what happens in Zumba, stays in Zumba!  HA!  Something is going on in the halls of the Calvary Staff…we are trying to get healthy!

RD That I Dedicate To My BBFF, Greg

Here we go with this weeks Random Dozen…I totally dedicate this RD to Greg, because my allergies are killing me and for some odd reason when I see these sandals, I am reminded of him!!  HA!

This picture is a clarification for question 1:

1. How do you feel about "Gladiator" sandals, also called "Roman" or "Jesus" sandals? A fashion yea or nay?

I say nay, but what do I know?  Each time I say that no one will wear them, there will be people flocking in droves to buy them!! 

2. What is your favorite pizza?

I love Papa John’s Bacon &  Ham pizza…yummy!!

3. There are plans in the works to sell roughly 1,000 items from Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. This means you could buy Picard's chair for your family room. If not a Star Trek item, what prop, background, set, etc. from what TV or movie would you buy if you could?

I do not have a clue…there are thing I see when watching TV and I say, wow…I would love to have that, but right now could not tell you what those things were!!

4. Name a local food or restaurant that your area is famous for.

Joe’s Place, a Ma & Pa Greasy Spoon that has been know for their Bacon Cheese Burgers!!

5. What is your current favorite snack?

Well since I am on this crazy fad diet this week…yes, I said fad, (good story for another day), my favorite snack food is potato chips, but this week, I’ll go with the yummy orange!!  :o)

6. Hypothetical: You are required to be a reality show contestant. Which show would you choose based on your probability of success? (You cannot choose "none.")
A. Dancing with the Stars
B. Biggest Loser
C. Survivor

Well you said we could not choose “none”, so I will go with Biggest Loser & Survivor!  I am so ultra competitive that I would work hard to win the Biggest Loser and for Survivor, I think I would outwit for sure!!!

7. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being uninhabitable and 10 being cleanliness that meets the standards of OCD, how clean is your vehicle's interior?

Considering I spilled an entire glass of cranberry juice in my Jeep yesterday and just shrugged, I would go with 1.  If it were not for my Hubby occasionally cleaning it, my Jeep would of been condemned years ago!

8. It doesn't feel like Spring until _________.

…my BBFF Greg starts talking about his Market Adventures!!

9. Something that made you laugh really hard recently is ____.

I guess I am having blogger’s block, yes I do laugh all the time, but one thing that I really laughed hard about recently??  Not sure!

10. Tell me about a goal you're working toward.

I am working hard to get healthy and lose weight.  I’ve been struggling with a few heath things lately and it’s time to do something about it, so where better to start?  Exercise and eating right…well almost right, we are doing a seven crazy eating thing!!  I will post more on it later, promise!

11. Share a thought-provoking or inspiring quote this week.

"Keep your face in the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows." -Helen Keller

12. Name one thing that you do as a parent that you absolutely know will make your kids happy. If you're not a parent, feel free to substitute "friend" or nomenclature that works for you.

Going to the grocery store!!  3 boys, two of them teenagers…they love to eat.  Enough said!

On The Hunt!!!

Oh My, me oh my….look what has caught my eye…

We have been praying about moving to the big city and started looking to see if we could find something that we could agree on and a neighbor hood that we could agree on as well.  Well, we did and we have.  These are the three houses that are on the top of our list!  I am getting excited about the possibilities of this.  Nervous but very excited!

We went in 9 houses total on Sunday drove by several and stalked 2 houses by staring through windows and checking out the yards.  My feet are killing me!  HA!

We are at the beginning of this journey and have started the ball rolling, now the big task of getting our house ready to list is looming.  We have a house that is going to take the right buyer because of the location and the road, but there are lots of folks that want to live in the country, so you never know!! 

So why the big move??  We just feel it’s time.  We both work in the ‘boro (Murfreesboro), go to church in the ‘boro and basically do everything in  ‘boro, the drive and gas is killing us, so why not put our time, effort and gas money into a new house…It’s been a long and hard decision, but I think we have made it!  We are in no rush and know that these things take time.  Of course the three houses above more than likely will  not be available, but we are certain that when we are ready, we’ll find a perfect new home!!

Now the daunting task of doing a few things around our home getting it ready to sell.  We started a to-do list and it is actually very do-able…now I guess it’s time to get busy!!! 

90 Day Bible Journey, Week 11

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy, for what we leave behind is part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another.    -Anatole France

Last week we left behind the Old Testament and entered into the New.  Many of us were thrilled to be at this point—to get past the warnings and failings and harshness and promises—and arrive at the New Testament, where many of the promises and longings of the Old Testament are fulfilled.

If you have read the New Testament in the past without having read much of the Old Testament, you are likely to see the New Testament in a new light during your current reading.  You may find for instance, that some parts of the New Testament seem harsher than you recall, perhaps reflecting less grace even than some parts of the Old Testament.

So, after finishing the Old Testament and just beginning the New, what are some of the differences between the two that you’ve already noticed from your reading?

Here are the verses for the week:

Monday:  Matthew 26:57 through Mark 9:13

Tuesday:  Mark 9:14 through Luke 1:80

Wednesday: Luke 2:1 through Luke 9:62

Thursday: Luke 10:1  through Luke 20:19

Friday:  Luke 20:20 through John 5:47

Saturday:  John 6:1 through  John 15:17

Sunday:  John 15:18  through Acts 6:7

My First Of April RD!

1. Define a great relationship.

I think a great relationship is defined by being able to trust someone, without a doubt, without worry,  being able to be transparent all the time!

2. Why is it called a "drive-through" if you have to stop? (Real question: What was the last food/drink you purchased at a drive-through?)

I am trying to avoid drive through’s, but I think the last one I went to, was two weeks ago, was Wendy's and I got a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger! 

3. As I type this, the Butler Bulldogs are getting ready to play in the NCAA championship game. Every Hoosier is hysterical about this except me. So in honor of the Bulldogs ... what is your favorite breed of dog? (I tried.)

Without a doubt, Chihuahua, but only the really man-tastic kind (like Higgins), not the little shaky-scaredy-cat ones.

4. If you had to move to a state besides the one you currently live in, where would you move?

Hmmmm, that’s a hard one.  I guess I would move back to Florida, but this time I would move to a house on the beach.

5. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

I had a great life growing up, but if I could change one thing, I wish I would of had a sister to the addition of my brother.

6. Who's the funniest person you know?

I don’t know….I guess my teenagers.  They think they have life figured out!  HA!  Funny!

7. Did you get enough sleep last night?

Nope, and I have not had a good night sleep in a while.  I hate that!

8. What's the first thing you thought about this morning?

It can’t be morning already.

9. Grilled or Fried? –HONESTLY

FRIED!!   I love anything fried!  Yummy! 

10. Are you afraid of the dark?

Yes, I am terrified of the dark.  I sometimes still get freaked out thinking that someone under my bed is going to grab me.  And yes, I watched lot of horror movies when I was young!

11.When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A lawyer.  Not any kind of lawyer, but a high-fluten one with a corner office in a high rise.  You know the ones that are fear when they walked into a court room, that’s the kind!

12. If you had one word to describe yourself , what would you choose?

Exuberant.

90 Day Bible Journey, Week 10

This week we will finish the Old Testament and will be beginning the New Testament…can you believe it??  Keep up the good work!  Okay, I will cut right the point…here are the verses for the week!

Monday:  Daniel 9:1 through Hosea 13:6

Tuesday:  Hosea 13:7 through Amos 9:10

Wednesday: Amos 9:11  through Nahum 3:19

Thursday: Habakkuk 1:1  through Zechariah 10:12

Friday:  Zechariah 11:1 through Matthew 4:25

Saturday:  Matthew 5:1 through  Matthew 15:39

Sunday:  Matthew 16:1 through Matthew 26:56

 

Lost & found!

Funny story about my day, but to my faithful 90 day’ers, I forgot to put the post up!  Please forgive me…Let me explain…

When my alarm went off this morning, I decided to hit the snooze, but when it went off again, I did get up out of the bed.  I walked to the bathroom, turned around and crawled back into my bed.  So I slept later than usual.  Me posting the verses for the 90 day journey did not even enter my thought process.

Today I decided instead of going out to lunch, I would walk instead, so I walked through our churches “back 40” which is a field of about 40 acres into a neighborhood of nothing but cul-de-sacs.  To make a long story short, I got lost.  I never get lost, but this time I got lost, BIG TIME!  So I called home to have my husband Google map my location and get me out.  He wasn't home.

So I called my co-worker, Wes.  He mapped my location and because I was really far off from church he came and rescued me!!  My nice little leisure stroll was long and hot!  During my walk I realized that I did not do my post this morning of the verses which brings me here….I will post them tomorrow!!  If you have joined in on this journey, read what you feel is right today and hopefully you will not be that far behind!  

All I have to say about today, is thank goodness for modern technology, Google maps and of course Wes!  HA!  I was lost, but now I am found!!  Perfect ending for a perfect weekend!

Lovin’ Some Yard Work, Not Lovin’ The Weeds…

Today we went to the nursery and got us some shrubs!!  Last year our goats got out and demolished anything that was (1) a shrub (2) anything that resembled a rosebush and (3) anything that we liked or cared about.  We basically gave up once they destroyed everything.

Today was our day of replacing more of what they ate.  During the fall we planted some and today we tackled the front flower bed.  Before I show you some pictures, please ignore the weeds, grass and anything green….we are in the process of getting that taken care of, but wanted to get the plants in the ground first. 

First, check out my cutie patootie water pump!  We have had this for years, but finally got it up and running again.

Next, I am loving my patio peach tree!!  You can’t see me, but I am smiling!!  I can’t wait for it to start blooming!!

Here are three of 16 bushes that were planted.  I will post pictures of the whole thing, once we get the weeds & grass   outta there….

   

This picture and the next few are of a rock wall that I am building around a tree and up the drive….

Of course I had to throw in a couple of pictures of Higgins!!

He is so Beautiful!!!  Ahem, anyhoo….Do you have any great suggestion on weed control?   We have tried weed mats and everything in between.   This year we are pulling up as much as possible and them placing newspaper down, then either using pea gravel or mulch.  What works best for you??

Headache & Spring Fever

I have been so sick and finally feel almost human again.  I have been hosting a headache in my head for almost two weeks now, but finally drug myself to the doctor to end the party for some relief and now that I have a few days of antibiotics in my system, I am almost human again!

I hate doctors, their offices and the whole idea of going.  I was so sick Monday that I was ready to go.  So where do you think I ended up?  The only doctor I like….my eye doctor! HA!  The lady up at the front desk was so confused when I walked in without an appointment and wanted to see him.  I thought I had a sinus infection, and figured he could help me!  He did too!  She went back to talk with him and he told her to send me back!!  I just smirked as I went back!!

Not only did he see me, but he sent me to Publix to get my RX because they are free there!!  I really like him now!!  So if you need to have a sinus infection fixed in a flash, go to your eye doctor!!

Today I woke up, still with a headache, but was ready to enjoy some beautiful Tennessee Spring weather!  I am so glad that it’s Spring and am ready for some flowers!!  The family set out for town to buy some, but we were so frustrated with the traffic and that everyone else was doing the same thing we were, that we didn’t do much shopping.  I did however manage to score a pedicure and a manicure, 2 ferns to hang on the porch and a pressure washer, so it was not a total bust!

Oh well, that about covers my Good Friday…what did y’all do?