Instant Yard

I want a beautiful yard so badly!! I want lush green grass to sink my toes into and beautiful plants & flowers to admire! I want a yard that looks like this....

This "yard" is at Callaway Gardens. It is in the center of what is called "Mr. Cason's Vegetable Garden". Just look at those beautiful flowers and trees!! And that beautiful green grass!! My yard is almost the exact opposite of this one, but I have a pool. The pool is a beautiful "blue" and is so pretty to look at, but my yard needs a major overhaul!!

I wish there were a such thing as an "Instant Yard". It would consist of something like...throwing some seeds out there, watering them, and POOF!!!! Instant Yard!! Complete with lush, green grass, plants & flowers. Oh... I would be GLAD to "maintain" it!! I just need to get it started!!! 

But, from everything I read online, it isn't so easy! "Instant Yards" don't exist. Well..... if I were Bill Gates or Oprah, then.... I guess they would! I could just hire someone to come in and.... "POOF!"... Give me an instant yard! But.... since I do not have the funds to even come close to Bill or Oprah, then.... I am stuck trying to figure out how to do it on my own. My funds are more equal to Jed Clampet BEFORE he struck oil!! (Well, maybe not quite that bad!)

And having "funds" is only half the problem!! My thumb is BLACK!! Not "green"! I have no idea as to how to even begin such a project as aquiring a beautiful yard! I need to find a guide called... "Beginner's Landscaping on a BIG TIME Budget!"

Hmmmmm..... maybe I'll check the library.

My Mouse is Broke

Not too long ago, if I had written that sentence... "My mouse is broke."... you would have thought that I had a pet mouse (you know... one of those tiny little creatures with the long tail, that eats cheese and goes.. "squeak!") .... that was "broke". Now, in 2010, when you hear that sentence, you automatically know that I am talking about the "mouse" that I use with my computer. Weird, huh?

Haahaaaa... I just "googled" ... (another word that didn't even exist not too long ago!) .... the word MOUSE in "Google Images", and guess what I got?? Photos of both computer "mouses" (or is it, "mice"?)... and "mice" (the tiny creatures that God made.) -- Funny!

Here's a photo that I found of both TOGETHER!!

Talk about killing 2 birds with one stone.... Oh wait.... Maybe it's 2 "mice" with one stone?? I don't know.
All I know is MY "mouse" is broke!!

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45, Going on 30!

It feels so wonderful when someone thinks that you are a LOT younger than you really are! That happened to me today at the preschool where I help teach. Today was "Muffins With Mom" day. All of the kids in my class had either their Mom or Grandma (or both!) come to eat muffins with them. I was sitting next to one of the Grandmas and this is how our conversation went....

GRANDMA: "So, how do you learn what to do with these kids? Are you 'self-taught' or do you go to school for it?"

ME: "Well, I've been working with kids on and off for over 25 years now. I was 16 when I got my first job in a Day Care."

GRANDMA: "25 years!!! How can that be? Aren't you, like.... 30?"

ME: "Haa haaa!! Nooo! I just had my 25th Wedding Anniversary!"

GRANDMA: "How old are you???"

ME: "I'm 45."

GRANDMA: "SH*T!!!!" -- (Then, she apologized and I just laughed! It was so funny!)

She continued to go on and on about how she couldn't believe that I was as old as I said I was. It made my day, that's for sure! Of course, this was the first time that I actually realized how long I have been working with kids!! 25 years is a LONG time!! And it's actually more like... 29 years! YIKES!! I'm getting OLD!! .... Wait! No, I'm not! .... I'm only 30!

Wonderful Anniversary Weekend

Hubby and I had a wonderful weekend celebrating our 25th at Stone Mountain Park. I have been trying to think of a way to blog about our trip without making it boring. I hope that I succeed in doing that! If not... forgive me, please.

FRIDAY -- Leave home at 9:00am.... Arrive in Stone Mountain at 11:00am....Drive past my high school...Stone Mountain High... See lots of trailers!... Drive past Hubby's old workplace.... Drive through apartments where we first met.... Notice name change.... Parking lot seems smaller.... Trees are gone.... Dumpster is gone.... Stopped at Post Office to get a stamp.... Drove thru little town of Stone Mountain... Empty..... Sad.... Improvements to be made sign.... Yay!.... Drove thru old neighborhood.... House looked good.... Yard didn't.... Drove by the neighborhood pool.... Noticed "cover" over it..... Wondered about it..... Stopped for lunch at "Joe's Crab Shack"..... Noticed bad smell..... Ate outside on the patio.... Had to wear a "bib".... Wasn't too happy about it.... Food was pretty good....Crab legs, shrimp, sausage, corn & beer.... Called hotel.... Room wasn't ready.... Drove to Park anyway.... Got in free!.... Looked forward to seeing the "Memorial Lawn" where we got married.... Was disappointed to see that they were "renovating" it..... Drove over "covered bridge" to the island.... Walked around the island.... Hubby proposed, again!... I said "Yes!".... Got a beautiful new ring!....I love it!!.... He was nervous..... So sweet!.... Called hotel again..... Room still isn't ready.... Drove around the Park some more.... Drove to hotel..... Finally checked in.

"Lake View" room with a balcony.... Comfy bed.... Big, flat-screen TV.... Time for my gift to Hubby.... A book about our 25 years together.... He cried and loved it.... Yay!.... Walked around hotel.... Found the Spa.... Found the indoor & outdoor pools & hot tubs....  Found the restaurant.... Decided to eat dinner there later.... "All-You-Can-Eat Seafood & Prime Rib Buffet"!.... Changed into swim suits.... Tried out the indoor hot tub.... Lounged by the outdoor pool.... In the sun.... Listened to some fun music.... Cooled off in the pool.... Back to room.... changed for dinner..... Ate dinner at 7:00pm.... With the "Tag People"..... Food was excellent..... Crab legs, shrimp, prime rib..... Dessert.... Ate too much!.... Wanted to sit by a firepit outside.... None were available.... Went back to room.... Called it a night.

SATURDAY -- Woke up early, of course.... Watched approaching nasty weather on weather channel.... Breakfast at 7:30am..... HUGE breakfast buffett!!!.... French Toast, eggs, sausage, yogurt & fruit.... YUM!!... Spa at 10:00.... Frustrated because Spa messed up our appointments.... It all worked out, tho.... Hubby got a "Therapeutic" massage.... I got a facial.... Hubby liked his.... I loved mine!!.... Weather was nasty..... Decided to go see a movie.... Drove to the Mall of Georgia.... Thought we were seeing Kenny Chesney in 3D at the IMAX theatre..... Turned out to be a regular theatre.... Kenny was AWESOME!!!!.... Felt like a real concert!!.... Hubby thought it was better than a real concert!!.... Drove to "The Corner Pub" in Decatur, GA.... Got to see Luke, our long-time friend.... Ate Gumbo at the "Gumbo Cook-off" that they were having.... Had a few beers.... Loved the cool bar!.... Great seeing Luke!.... Drove back to hotel..... Too rainy for the Laser Show.... Bummed.... Checked out the hotel "lounge".... Not so nice.... Called it a night.

SUNDAY -- Woke up early, again!.... Breakfast at 7:30.... Waffles, omelet, & yogurt parfait..... YUM!!..... Took a walk.... Spa at 10:00.... Couples massage...... GREAT! ..... Time to go home.... Bummed..... Had a wonderful time!

Offline for a few days

Hubby and I are celebrating our anniversary by taking a short trip this weekend. YAY!!
~ Blessings

I Still Remember...

On this day, 23 years ago, at almost this exact time (5:40pm)... I had just gone thru my first .. (yes. I said... "first", because there was a "second"!) ... C-section. I was scared to death, but felt at ease when the doctor made the long awaited announcement ..... "It's a GIRL!" Those words were music to my ears because I was so afraid that I would have all BOYS!! I could rest easy now, because I knew I had a least ONE girl!

But... the celebration came to a screaching halt when my new baby girl (Dtr. #1) was rushed out of the operating room because she wasn't breathing. I didn't even get to see her! Hubby didn't know what to do. He didn't want to leave me, but knew he needed to follow the nurses to find out what was going on. I was left in the operating room, wondering what was going on while the nurses drugged me up even more than I already was. I was a young 22 year old "new" mom and had no idea how hard the next 12 days would be.

Dtr. #1 had been born with fluid inside of her chest cavity and her lung had callapsed because of it. Tubes were inserted into her sides to drain the fluid. She was 8lbs/15oz and would be the biggest baby to occupy the NIC Unit for 12 long days!

Finally, she was able to come home and has been thankfully healthy over her 23 years of her young life. She is a gift and a blessing from God and we love her so VERY MUCH!!

A Quiet Place

Each morning, I start my day out by spending time with God. I call it my... "Coffee With God" time. I like to get up early --- I'm talking 5am! --- before the rest of my family awakes. I start the coffee pot, feed the dog, let the dog out ....(well, first I have to turn on the "bunny lights", so the bunnies will scatter before I let my bunny-killer-of-a-dog, loose!)... then, with coffee in hand, I come here, into my "office" ... (it's really a converted dining room that I made into my office / scrapbooking room, but I don't really scrapbook anymore, so now it's just my "office".)

I have a whole routine that I go through each morning. First, I write in my journal (the actual "book" kind. Not the computer kind.) Second, I light my "Jesus Candle" (it's just a regular candle, but that's what I call it.). The flame of the candle is a reminder to me that the Holy Spirit is here with me. Third, I open up my "prayer journal" and silently read and pray over all of the prayers that I have listed in my journal. When a prayer is answered, it gets checked off and dated in red so that I will know that it has been "answered". (There are MANY red checks and dates in my prayer journal. Thank you, Lord!) Fourth, I log into my email and check to see if there are any prayer requests that have been added to the church prayer chain. If so, then they get added into my prayer journal along with any other "new" concerns that I may have for the day.

After I am done praying, I take out my two devotional books that I read each morning. One is called... Babes with a Beatitude, Devotions for Smart, Savvy, Women of Faith. And the other one is called...Once a Day, Every Day For Women. This one is actually my favorite, but both are good. Before I read my devotionals, I pray to God and ask Him to help me hear His voice through what I am about to read. I also ask Him to help me understand what it is that He wants me to learn from each of these devotionals. I keep a notebook on my desk that I write down what I believe He wants me to hear and learn. Whenever I have the chance... I love to go back through it and read HIS messages.

I also have several devotions that come to my email each day. One is from the Upper Room and one is from Rev. Mark Brown, called Journey Into God's Word. It is actually his daily blog, but his writings are WONDERFUL!! (if you are on Facebook, you can follow him there or you can Google him.)

I started this post with the idea of sharing today's devotion from my "Once A Day" devotional book. The title of the devotion, is the title of this post --- "A Quiet Place". When I read it this morning, I knew immediately that this would be what I would write about today. I didn't realize, tho, that I would write so much about my quiet time with God! But, once you read this devotion, you will see why I did. Here it goes --- Enjoy!

A Quiet Place

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. -- Mark 1:35 NKJV

In the first chapter of Mark, we read that in the darkness of the early morning hours, Jesus went to a solitary place and prayed. So, too, should we. But, sometimes, finding quiet moments of solitude is difficult indeed.
We live in a noisy world, a world filled with distractions, frustrations, and complications. But if we allow the distractions of a clamorous world to separate us from God's peace, we do ourselves a profound disservice. Are you one of those busy women (or men) who rushes through the day with scarcely a single moment for quiet contemplation and prayer? If so, it's time to reorder your priorities. Nothing is more important than the time you spend with your Savior. So be still and claim the inner peace that is your spiritual birthright: the peace of Jesus Christ.

The more complicated life becomes, the more we need to quiet our souls before God. -- Elizabeth Elliot

In the center of a hurricane there is absolute quiet and peace. There is no safer place than in the center of the will of God. -- Corrie ten Boom

A TIMELY TIP
Be still and listen to God. He has something important to say to you.

Well, ... you can see why I really felt strongly that I needed to share this devotion and write about it. I have highlighted my favorite sentence. It is so true!! We tend to forget this because of our busy, busy lives. God just wants us to spend time with Him each day in quiet peace. If we are not still, we will never hear His beautiful voice! ~~ My prayer for those of you that read this, is that you will find the time each day to have your own quiet time with God. ~ God Bless!