Tell a funny story or your favorite joke.
My daughter Emily has me laughing every day with the things she says, but the funniest thing I heard yesterday came from my Mom. I was talking to her on the phone and she said, "Your father cut his own hair today. He used the clippers to trim it and he ruined his head. He looks like a dork!" If you knew my parents, you'd realize just how funny that is - first that my Dad, for some unforeseen reason, took it upon himself to cut his own hair (which there isn't much of in the first place), but for my Mom to use the word DORK was the funniest thing I'd heard in a long time. It was just so out of character for her and I laughed out loud, right on the phone. She had to wait for me to quit laughing before she could go on. Obviously, it really frustrated her because SHE usually cuts his hair, but he got in a hurry and couldn't wait and decided just to do it himself. Sometimes they crack me up. It's good to laugh. A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17:22
Friday, April 27, 2007
What is Success?
What is your definition of 'success'? Do you know any 'successful' people who inspire you?
My definition of success has changed a lot in recent years. I used to think that being rich and famous - or just rich - meant success. When I looked at the big picture, though - where we're going in life and what our purpose is, that all changed. Wealth is no longer the goal (yeah, it would be nice to have a ton of money!) But after reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, I realized that we are here for a purpose and only as a stopping off place to eternity. Success (in my mind) is now measured by my relationship to our Creator. How much money I have now won't matter a hundred years from now. How I use the gifts He has given me is the most important thing. Everything we own belongs to God anyway - we are just stewards of it.
The most successful person I know would probably be my uncle. He is pretty "well off" in most people's opinion - he's wealthy, owns a prospering business, has a nice house, drives new cars, buys whatever he wants when he wants it, but the thing that strikes me the most is how giving he is. I've seen him hand money to a total stranger in need. He's almost like a predator on the prowl to find a needy person - always ready to share his wealth with others. And God blesses Him. God's been dealing with us lately about giving. It's easy to sit back with a tight fist and say, "But God, I NEED all my money!" What we didn't realize, though, is that we are required to tithe, but He blesses the gifts - what we give beyond our tithe.
My husband was laid off recently and we were struggling. We had bills due (big ones) and the unemployment check was still over a week away. I felt like we needed to give some money to some friends of ours. I didn't even know if they had a need. That Sunday in church, when my husband asked them how they were doing, the first thing he said was "we're having a hard time trying to make ends meet". We gave them the money and that week, the money we needed to pay our bills came in the mail from an unexpected source. We serve a BIG God and He cares about our needs. His eye is on the sparrow - and I know He watches me...
My definition of success has changed a lot in recent years. I used to think that being rich and famous - or just rich - meant success. When I looked at the big picture, though - where we're going in life and what our purpose is, that all changed. Wealth is no longer the goal (yeah, it would be nice to have a ton of money!) But after reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, I realized that we are here for a purpose and only as a stopping off place to eternity. Success (in my mind) is now measured by my relationship to our Creator. How much money I have now won't matter a hundred years from now. How I use the gifts He has given me is the most important thing. Everything we own belongs to God anyway - we are just stewards of it.
The most successful person I know would probably be my uncle. He is pretty "well off" in most people's opinion - he's wealthy, owns a prospering business, has a nice house, drives new cars, buys whatever he wants when he wants it, but the thing that strikes me the most is how giving he is. I've seen him hand money to a total stranger in need. He's almost like a predator on the prowl to find a needy person - always ready to share his wealth with others. And God blesses Him. God's been dealing with us lately about giving. It's easy to sit back with a tight fist and say, "But God, I NEED all my money!" What we didn't realize, though, is that we are required to tithe, but He blesses the gifts - what we give beyond our tithe.
My husband was laid off recently and we were struggling. We had bills due (big ones) and the unemployment check was still over a week away. I felt like we needed to give some money to some friends of ours. I didn't even know if they had a need. That Sunday in church, when my husband asked them how they were doing, the first thing he said was "we're having a hard time trying to make ends meet". We gave them the money and that week, the money we needed to pay our bills came in the mail from an unexpected source. We serve a BIG God and He cares about our needs. His eye is on the sparrow - and I know He watches me...
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Feelings...Whoa, whoooa feelings
Today I was feeling exceptionally creative and did a scrapbook page that is one of my favorites to date. I did it using Linda Rechtin's Parisienne Evening page kit. It matches our wedding colors perfectly! These are pictures from our wedding almost 16 years ago. Don't I wish I was that skinny and pretty now after seven kids? LOL! I started our Wedding Scrapbook last year using paper elements, but I think I'm going to finish it digitally. I just did our Honeymoon Scrapbook a few weeks ago and had fun remembering our trip to the Bahamas. Boy, don't I wish I were there now!! (It's 43 degrees and rainy. blah!)
Our blog prompt for today is to write a poem. Maybe I'll work on one to go with the page. : )
-------update-----------------------------------
OK, Karen encouraged me to work on a haiku. As a college English Lit major, I usually do more sing-songy, flowing poetry using iambic pentameter with clever little surprises thrown in, so this is a stretch for me.
Here it is:
Fifteen years of love
Waking next to you each day
Still makes me happy
Loving you is a habit
I can’t stop doing
Every day
In our children's eyes
I see your Love
It makes me smile
One soul
inhabiting
Two bodies
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
My Daily Blog Prompts from DSP
Glynis (Grace Like Rain) from Digital Scrapbook Place hosts a forum called Daily Blog Prompts where she asks a question and you journal about it on your blog. I'm coming in late, so I'm going to start with today's question and go back and do some of the ones I missed as well.
Today's blog prompt is:
What's your favorite cookie? Do you make it? Does someone else? Do you buy it?
For me, this is a multi-faceted question with answers in different categories. First off, if it's chocolate, I'll eat it. Secondly, my mom loves to bake and she makes a huge variety. If she is going to make my favorite cookie, it's definitely Walnut Delectables. My oldest DD loves to bake, too, and she makes great peanut blossoms and chocolate chip cookies. If I'm buying them, I like Girl Scout Samoas and Pecan Sandies - sometimes even chocolate covered graham crackers. Lately, I got my DD hooked on Nutter Butters. :-)
4/23 Is there a time of the day when you feel most creative?
Hmmm...probably mornings. My morning routine lately has been to get the kids on the bus and then sit down and do one scrapbook page a day. Usually when the first cup of coffee kicks in, the creative juices start flowing. Sometimes, though, I don't like a lay out and I'll take a break and do my housework while mulling it over in my mind and come back later and finish it. If I can't sleep, sometimes I'll get up and scrap. Some of my best LOs are the result of restless nights.
Today's blog prompt is:
What's your favorite cookie? Do you make it? Does someone else? Do you buy it?
For me, this is a multi-faceted question with answers in different categories. First off, if it's chocolate, I'll eat it. Secondly, my mom loves to bake and she makes a huge variety. If she is going to make my favorite cookie, it's definitely Walnut Delectables. My oldest DD loves to bake, too, and she makes great peanut blossoms and chocolate chip cookies. If I'm buying them, I like Girl Scout Samoas and Pecan Sandies - sometimes even chocolate covered graham crackers. Lately, I got my DD hooked on Nutter Butters. :-)
4/23 Is there a time of the day when you feel most creative?
Hmmm...probably mornings. My morning routine lately has been to get the kids on the bus and then sit down and do one scrapbook page a day. Usually when the first cup of coffee kicks in, the creative juices start flowing. Sometimes, though, I don't like a lay out and I'll take a break and do my housework while mulling it over in my mind and come back later and finish it. If I can't sleep, sometimes I'll get up and scrap. Some of my best LOs are the result of restless nights.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Yay for me! : )
Digital Scrapbooking is my passion. Beth Nixon, one of the designers at Digital Scrapbook Place, created a forum to give some blogging tips and with her help I was able to get this thing set up. (Thanks, Bethy!!) My header bar was created using her Nameless Beauty Kit. The children are my "Perfect 7". (haha - yeah, right!) No, really - they're perfect to me. We're perfect together. The animals are some of our farm animals.
Life was hectic last week as DH started his new job and had to fly out of state for the week. That left me as a single parent to care for all the things that need to get done around here. Breakfast, lunches, laundry, dishes and... farming! Once the oldest 4 were on the bus, I had to head out to the barn and care for the 4 legged children - cows, pigs, sheep - all vying for my attention.
Sunday morning our first two lambs were born. We're anxiously waiting for the rest of the flock to lamb. Last Spring we named the lambs "coffee" names. This year, we're going with herbs and spices. So here is a picture of Herb and Allspice with their mom, Shedder. : ) Aren't they the cutest little things!!! Herb has interesting markings. He's the first of the flock to be marked in this way. Stay tuned for more...
Life was hectic last week as DH started his new job and had to fly out of state for the week. That left me as a single parent to care for all the things that need to get done around here. Breakfast, lunches, laundry, dishes and... farming! Once the oldest 4 were on the bus, I had to head out to the barn and care for the 4 legged children - cows, pigs, sheep - all vying for my attention.
Sunday morning our first two lambs were born. We're anxiously waiting for the rest of the flock to lamb. Last Spring we named the lambs "coffee" names. This year, we're going with herbs and spices. So here is a picture of Herb and Allspice with their mom, Shedder. : ) Aren't they the cutest little things!!! Herb has interesting markings. He's the first of the flock to be marked in this way. Stay tuned for more...
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