Anthem of My Heart

AMH Cooks: Francesca's Pickled Eggplant

2012-01-04T14:39:00.002-05:00

Sooooooo here is another favorite recipe I want to share with you. I was trying to decide what to share when some friends of my husband specifically asked for this one so they coud share it within their online group. Sooooooo I thought, PERFECT! This is a favorite of mine that my 80+ year old Italian neighbor, Francesca taught me. It's a little time consuming (especially because it should marinate for a few days after you prep it....but it is soooooo worth it, especially if you love authentic Italian food, which I do.

       Francesca's Pickled Eggplant

Ingredients:
4 or 5 medium eggplant
Coarse Kosher Salt
1 cup white vinegar
2 cups water (if making more just always use a 2 to 1 ratio with vinegar)
6 medium garlic cloves
10 leaves fresh basil, minced
15 small leaves fresh oregano, minced
red pepper flakes to taste
Cold press extra virgin olive oil

Glass jar to store in (mason jar, re-purposed olive jar, etc)

Directions:
Trim ends from eggplant, and peel. Cut into quarters lengthwise then turn sideways and cut those 4 quarters into strips (picture making french fries....that's the general size you want)

Place your strips into a plastic colander (certain metals can react with the eggplant causing a nasty taste), then cover them with the Kosher salt, and mix well by hand to ensure all pieces are coated. Place colander in sink, covered with a paper towel, and let sweat for about half an hour to 45 minutes. Sweating the eggplant pulls most of the moisture out of the eggplant and if you are using big eggplant it also helps remove the bitter bite.

Rinse eggplant strips well with cold water, drain, and repeat 2 more times. After 3rd time rinse well with cold water then wring out any remaining water from the strips by hand. Finally, pat them dry with paper towels.

Combine vinegar and water in a non reactive saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add eggplant and pepper flakes, and boil until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Drain into plastic colander, and let cool for a few minutes. After draining, squeeze strips between paper towels to dry.

Pour a thin layer of olive oil into the bottom of your jar. Add some eggplant strips, a clove of garlic, some of your herb mix, and repeat until your jar is completely full. Make sure the eggplant is totally covered with oil, and nothing exposed at top of jar. You can use your finger or a fork to push down anything sticking above oil line. Seal your jar tightly, allow to cool then place in fridge*. For the absolute best flavor let it sit and marinate for a few days so they really soak in that flavor...but if you can't wait....I've had some the next day.

*Your oil may solidify as a result of refrigeration, don't worry, it's fine. Just set jar out on counter a few minutes before you want to serve and the room temp will loosen up the oil.

Now....this is good as part of an antipasta or by itself, in a salad or on a sandwich. My favorite way to eat it is on a warm ciabatta roll with sliced turkey, mozzarella cheese and olive oil. PHENOMINAL!!! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do and as always, let me know what you think.

AMH TV - Video Blog Debut: Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T17:38:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Sooooooooo after seeing how well received Lori's new video blog entries have been I have been considering doing the same. Not all the time...because I enjoy writing out my thoughts, but I think every once in a while it's nice to offer a more personal touch by having a face to face "chat" so to speak. So there will be a new feature called AMH TV that you will see every once in a while.
I was planing to have my first entry sitting in the living room in front of the Christmas tree with my hair and makeup done. However, that wasn't how it worked out. Instead you get to see my first entry standing in our front yard, no makeup and the hair....well,the hair isn't tooooo bad....lol.
Anyway....the video will say it all. I love you all and am thankful for you all.....now and always.

PS: Before you hit play, scroll down and pause the music player at the bottom of the page so that you can hear the video.

Ephesians 5:20 (AMP)

At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

AMH Cooks: Authentic Southern Greens

2011-11-19T10:52:00.000-05:00

Well now this time I wasn't feeling particularly homesick when I decided to post this recipe. Some friends and I were going to get together to finish up a small group we had been in together and as the conversation progressed we decided to have a traditional Southern meal. When I said that I would bring the greens and cornbread one of my friends jumped up and got so excited because she wanted the recipe. I've been asked for the recipe before and have given it out, but never thought to post it here. UNTIL nowwwwwwww that is. LOL. Now, I may be a white girl, but I make pretty bangin soul food, so I REALLY hope you enjoy it. Keep in mind....to get it right you need time...so allow yourself 3 to 4 hours to prep and cook the greens for your meal or they just won't taste as good....and if you prep them the day before...it's even better.

Authentic Southern Greens

(Kale, Turnip, Mustard or Collard)

Ingredients:

1 ½pounds smoked ham hocks or smoked meat (smoked pork and turkey are the best and with bone in adds better flavor)

1 largeonion, diced

3 ½cups chicken stock

2cloves garlic minced

¼ cupextra virgin olive oil

2 largebunches of greens* –washed (can use more since they really cook down)

½ tsp redpepper flakes (or more to taste)

¼ cupdistilled white vinegar

1 tspfreshly cracked black pepper

1 large cansmall white potatoes

*Please note that each green has a VERY distinct flavor difference ranging from strong to mild (collard and kale being the mildest) so if you try it with one green and don't like it, try it with another the next time.

Directions:

Cut off and discard the tough stems and discolored leaves from the greens. Can either hand tear apart leaves into small pieces or cut the leaves into 2-inch ribbons.
Place the olive oil, onions, garlic, and the ham hocks in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid. Sauté until onions are translucent and ham hocks are golden brown with mild brown “crust” forming in bottom of pot.
Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. (*note: if ham hocks aren’t fully covered in liquid then add enough water to cover them.) Lower the heat to low and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
Add the greens and the hot pepper flakes to the pot. Simmer covered for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add the potatoes, cracked pepper and vinegar and simmer covered for additional 30 minutes.
Pull all meat off of ham hocks and return to pot, discarding bones.
Serve with pot likker (liquid in pot)

Serve hotor cold and with or without hot sauce. Pair with dense corn bread to sop up potlikker.

Now us Southerners eat greens with all kinds of things, so don't think you can only eat it with certain meals. We pair it with all kinds of meats, poultry and fish and occasionally even lasagna. Now, my personal favorite meal to have with greens is Southern style catfish, homestyle mac and cheese, and my Southern cornbread. Now add in a sweet tea and I'm golden. LOL

Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I do.

Sifting Out The Impurities

2011-11-14T01:53:00.001-05:00

Luke 22:31-32 (AMP)

³¹Simon, Simon (Peter), listen! Satan has asked excessively that [all of] you be given up to him [out of the power and keeping of God], that he might sift [all of] you like grain,

³²But I have prayed especially for you [Peter], that your [own] faith may not fail; and when you yourself have turned again, strengthen and establish your brethren.

Nowadays with all the modern processing and regulations for food it really isn't necesary to sift flour or grain like it was in the past. It used to be sifted to take out clumps and impurities...like bugs. EWWWW.......
On October 5th I began an unexpected spiritual journey....a sifting period that I certainly didn't want....but that I decided the best way to walk through it would be to walk with hope and expectancy that God would show Himself faithful like I believed He would. Sooooo, I made a list of rules that I would not compromise on; No whining, no complaining, no fault-finding, no bitterness and no unforgiveness....just daily seeking the heart of Christ......no matter what. The second night God gave me a Bible verse that really spoke to my heart...I discussed it briefly in my entry titled Water In The Wilderness. Don't get me wrong....I've cried....and I've worried a bit...and I've had a few moments of feeling sorry for myself, but every time God has either used the Bible, my husband Ben, song lyrics or Christian friends to encourage me and speak the truth to me.
During it all there was a thread I kept seeing regarding God's faithfulness as it related to people's obedience and times before great victory.....the number 40.

It rained for 40 days and nights with Noah (Gen 7:12)
Moses spent 40 days on the mountain with God...then he spent ANOTHER 40 days on the mountain with God after he disciplined the people. (Deu 10:10)
The spies searched out the promised land for 40 days. (Num 13:25)
The Jews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of their complaining and disobedience. (Num 14:33-34)
Goliath tormented the Israelites for 40 days before David killed him. (1 Sam 17:16)
Elijah spent 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8)
Ninevah was given 40 days and in that time they repented and were saved (Jonah 3:4)
Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days (Matt 4:1,2)
Jesus appeared on earth for 40 days after the crucifixion and resurrection (Acts 1:3)

So whyyyyyyyy am I mentioning the references to the number 40? Well, last Friday morning as I was brushing my teeth I looked up at the bathroom mirror to where I have stuck a post it note with the Bible verse Isaiah 54:10 (MSG) written on it. As I read it I suddenly felt what us old dog Christians call "a prompting in my spirit" that said, "Your 40 days are almost over". My body shot up straight as an arrow and I ran into the kitchen to look at the calendar. With toothpaste dripping from the side of my mouth I counted the days since October 5th. Sure enough.......Monday, November 14th marks 40 days. Since it's after midnight now as I'm writing this.....that means TODAY is my day 40.
Does that mean that everything is suddenly going to be hearts and flowers.........I don't know......maybe, and maybe not.........I have no idea what the next 22 hours hold...or beyond that. I do know however that God has a plan and it is better than anything I could ever ask for or think. I also know that I've made it through the past 40 days with God's grace and total favor and I have seen Him work in ways that have deepened my passion for Him and for His never ending faithfulness. I also know that even if I continue to go through a season of being sifted like wheat....I will CONTINUE to JOYFULLY praise God even in the face of adversity because I know that the byproduct of sifting is that impurities are removed. If I only praise Him and thank Him in the good times then what kind of faith do I really have....and if I think I have no more impurities that need to be removed then who do I really think I am? Only God is pure....and I'm certainly not God.

I don't know what you are going through right now, I don't know how hard your battle is or how long you've been carrying it....but I do know that God is faithful...even when we don't see or feel it. So don't give up or lose hope....your victory is on it's way.

Psalm 34:1 (KJ21)

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

From Darkness To The Light

2011-11-03T19:55:00.000-04:00

So it’s now been 5 days of no power, no heat, no internet.The silence has been unbelievable. I must admit though….after the first twonights, it was kind of nice. It brought me, and Ben and friends back into aworld that has been mostly forgotten in our technologically obese society. Theworld of relationships with each other has long been ignored because nowadayswe are so busy texting, face-booking, and other such stuff. How many times havea friend and I laughed because we are sitting next to each other talking toeach other not in person, but via text or the internet. This week instead of disappearing into theinternet or other devices, I talked…in person, played games…..without the aidof a mouse touchpad, read books…..with paper pages, went to public places just to sit for a few hours and struckup conversations with complete strangers….just because I felt like it…..andmore importantly, I re-discovered gratefulness in things long taken forgranted.

As I was writing this the power came back on....ironic....but interesting. The lights are on again, although not as many as usual...the darkness doesn't really bother us this time. The house is now getting really warm again and the faucet is now sending out hot water again. All signs we're back to civilization....but I think I'm going to take a few things out of this. 1) I think I'm going to turn off the laptop a lot more often now. 2) I'm going to convince Ben to step away from the computer and play a game with me a lot more often. 3) I'm going to try and get together with friends just to play games a lot more often now 4) I'm going to go sit in public cafe's and other locations a lot more often now and socialize with complete strangers....just because. 5) I'm going to do my best to appreciate all the things I forget to be thankful for on a daily basis...like a warm house, a warm shower, fresh food and light....both physical light.....

Psalm 18:28 New Century Version (NCV)

²⁸ Lord, you give light to my lamp.
My God brightens the darkness around me.

...and spiritual light....

Job 33:28 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

²⁸ He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I shall live to enjoy the light.'

Ring a Ding Ding

2011-11-02T07:05:00.000-04:00

Well….it’s been 4 days now with no power, heat, or internet.We did finally get our phone back though after my brother suggested I goforaging in the basement. We get a lot of donations from people for our streetministry and so we never know what will be in a box or a bag. It can beanything from basic clothing, bedding or house wares all the way to kids toys,books and knick-knacks. So I decided to go to the basement and look through andsee if I could find an old school , plug in wall phone that we could use untilwe get power back. Sure enough, there was one down there. It wasn’t exactly thekind I was expecting to find though. Ithought maybe I would find a simple off-white or black plug in, or maybe even acool retro rotary phone. Ohhhhhhh no…..no, not this one. This is the Babij household after-all….and wethrive on the unique. So what does our temporary home phone look like? Well,let me describe it to you. It is a basic plug in hand held black phone…(so farso good right?)…that has been covered with fuzzy fake zebra fur….and then toadd a level of class and sophistication…..trimmed out with a band of palepowder blue marabou feathers. **Whatthe….??????** Yep….that’s what I said…..fake zebra fur and feathers. The firstthing out of Ben’s mouth when he saw it was, “Where ON EARTH did THAT comefrom???”

“I have no idea….I found it in the basement..”

“…in OUR basement???” (Who’s basement did he think I had rummaged through?)

“Yep, somebody donated it…”

“It’s HIDEOUS!!!”

“Yes it is….”

“Who would DONATE that??”

“I have no idea…hopefully somebody with little kids…”

“I don’t want that thing….”

“We aren’t keeping it dear….we’re only going to use it untilwe get power back…”

“Good, cuz that thing’s ugly!”

The really sad part is that the price tag is still stuck nthe bottom of the phone. Would you like to know how much the original owneractually PAID for this piece of hideous electronica? A shocking $39.99! That’sright; somebody felt that 40 bucks was not too high a price to pay for thistack-a-licious fashion statement!! I thought I had experienced buyers remorsebefore….but I can just picture the donor now…. “WHAT was I thinking…WHY did Ipay so much for THIS …THIS……THING ?!?!??!?! I know, I’ll donate it tocharity…that way nobody will ever have to know it came from me!!!” Sooooo…………..Inthe 21^st century, an era filled with amazing technology that allowspeople from one continent to communicate to people on another continent in realtime and actually see them talking, our verbal communication to the outsideworld has temporarily been reduced to the abilities of….not a HOME phone,but…..a “Ho Phone”.

Life is good!

Dogs Can't Spell

2011-11-01T13:15:00.000-04:00

Well.....it has been an interesting past few days and nights to say the least. Connecticut got slammed by storm Alfred this past Saturday and from the last report I heard over 750,000 state residents have no power. When we woke up Sunday morning and looked into our normally beautiful backyard with pine trees, fruit trees and a dogwood tree...it looked like a tornado had come through. Thank God though nothing hit our house and no power lines were ripped off of our house. The truly sad thing is that by comparison this was not a bad storm at all. We've had horrible storms before that dumped several feet of snow...and not had damage like this. The reason this has caused so much destruction is that most of our trees were still at peak color meaning they still had leaves...and lots of them. So instead of falling through bare branches to the cold ground below...the snow loaded up the leaves and just decimated the trees. We went for a drive yesterday afternoon to see the damage in our city and it is just unbelievable...power lines down everywhere, trees down everywhere, roads closed, businesses closed, 30 car, or more, lines at open gas stations...until they ran out of gas like a few have. Then people are just parking their cars in the gas stations and waiting for the next delivery truck to arrive so they don't lose their place in line. Without being facetious, I have a small inkling now of what a refugee must feel like. Wow...what an eye opener this has been....it reminded me of tornado damage growing up in Alabama.
Soooo.....the Pollyana moment perspective? Come on.....you long time readers know it's coming...here it is. We have been blessed by helping our neighbors to restore heat, and other necessities. Friends who needed help with generators, animal care etc....even car care....we've been able to help Then at night, when the darkness and silence are overwhelming....it's amazing how much better we can hear from God when we tune out the world....or when it's tuned out for us. For the moment we are at a friend's house and I am amazed at how thankful I am for God's provision. I'm sitting at a friend's computer overlooking a gorgeous lake with snow,sun and wind and blue sky...sure I'll be back in power loss in less than an hour or so, but you know what....praise God even in the midst of adversity!

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD, I will be joyful in God my savior.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Anyway, so we back to no power, no phones and no internet. Just me, Ben and the two dogs playing scrabble by candlelight. LOL....the dogs have really crummy grammar by the way! Everything is spelled T-R-E-A-T .

Joy all All Ways,
Fran

AMH Cooks: Alabama Fire Crackers

2011-10-21T01:14:00.002-04:00

Sooooooo being raised down South I tend to get homesick every once in a while...especially at this time of year because it's SEC time. Which, for those of you that don't know....that means college

football. That is a really big deal in Alabama and the other parts of the south too, but of course I'm biased to my home state and my home football team of Auburn. When I feel homesick I tend to think about anything that reminds me of back home. Of course some would say, "Well you aren't Southern anymore anyway...you've lived in Connecticut longer than you lived in Alabama." Well...it's true I have lived in Connecticut for 22 years now and only in Alabama for the first 14 years of my life...but what non-Southerners don't know and can't ever really understand is that being Southern isn't just an address....it's part of our DNA. It never leaves us....we are a part of that land as much as the red clay that forms it. Of course I love my New England home too (minus the politics) and all of my friends and family here, but my antebellum roots are always there and I want to share as much of them with you as I can.

Now I have all kinds of Southern recipes from my family and from my time down there,.....but this is not one of them....LOL. This recipe I actually found a little over a year ago and was initially drawn to it because it's named after Alabama. HOWEVER, once you try these simple little crackers you may never want to go without them again. They are AMAZING! So, enjoy and let me know what you think. They are a great game time snack that is super easy and super inexpensive to make. I also included some alternative uses for them at the bottom.

Alabama Fire Crackers

Ingredients:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 (1 ounce) envelopes ranch dressing mix

1 (1 ounce) envelopes Italian dressing mix

3 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes

1 (16.5 ounce) box Nabisco unsalted saltine crackers

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients (EXCEPT THE CRACKERS) together until thoroughly mixed then pour into a 2-gallon plastic zipper bag. Place the crackers into the bag, seal, and gently turn the bag over to cover allthe crackers with the spice mix. Let the bag sit for about 1 hour, then gentlyturn again. Repeat several more times until the crackers are well-coated with spice mix, then allow the bag to sit overnight. In the morning, remove crackers and serve. *Note: If you feel they are a bit too oily for your taste then you can spread them onto a cookie sheet and let them dry in a 200 degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes.

They are great for snacking on by themselves or along with soups, chili, salad, even tuna and chicken salad. If you can't or don't want to use them all as crackers to munch on you can also crush them and use them for breading on pork chops, chicken or fish.You can use them like you would regular crackers in meatloaf or meatballs. You can also use them to make a crust for a meat pie or for add ins to casseroles like broccoli casserole. The possibilities are endless really because you can also use different kinds of crackers. Try it with Wheat Thins, Triscuits, Goldfish, Oyster crackers....Club crackers or Ritz...get creative!

Living A Flavorful Life

2011-10-18T13:48:00.001-04:00

I want to talk to you about budgeting....relax though, I'm not talking about money. Nope, I'm talking about our lives. Do you feel over stressed and exhausted? Have you ever said or thought, there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything I need to get done...DONE!" I have....many times. Have you resorted to naming your dust bunnies and calling them pets because you barely have time to clean or purchasing new underwear because you haven't done laundry yet and that's easier than feeling like a domestic failure? I have. Have you ever felt guilty because it feels like the only time you go to God is when you need something or you're in trouble? I have.
How would you like to never feel like that again? How would you like to have time to get everything done that needs to get done including housework and STILL have a relationship with God and those you love? I would....and I think you would too. So here is what I believe God has been showing me so that I can get to that point.

We need to create a Life Budget. Afterall, if we want to get out of financial debt we create a spending budget right? So if we want to get out of life debt then we need to create a life budget.
Every person around the globe is given the same amount of time in every day and every week,168 hours. It's how we allot those hours that make or break us. So here is a basic beginning budget.

-16.8 for God

(That's 2 hours and 24 minutes a day to: daily bible reading and prayer, church, home groups, charity work, reaching out to others with a purpose, i.e. relationship building, mentoring)

If you are Christian, then you're familiar with the 10% tithe we give back to the church financially. So this should make perfect sense to you. If we expect God to work in our lives, then we need to make giving back to Him a priority and give him a 10% "Life Tithe". This is your one principal that will not change because the rest of your week will be built around this foundation. Will every day have 2 hours and 24 minutes set aside for this? No....some may be more, some may be less. Sundays may use up 4 of those hours if you're involved in a helping ministry like, childcare, greeting or cleanup. If you do other charity work that may take a significant amount of time also...it doesn't really matter how you allot that time...as long as you do allot it every week. I do however suggest that you allot AT LEAST 1 hour a day to Bible reading and personal prayer time. It may sound like a lot....but it will set the pace for your entire day and prepare you for how to handle all those curve balls we are hit with in life.

-40 work

(travel time can be used for something else, like prayer, or mentoring via phone, or quality family time talking with your kids or spouse.)

-56 sleep

(based on an 8 hour night. Try it...your body and those around you will thank you.)

-7 hours

(1 hour day house maintenance)

At this point you still have 48.2 hours to work with! That's still 6.8 hours a day!

-14 meal prep and consumption

(2 hours a day, 7 days a week to fit in all home meals. It may not sound like much, but if you are the average working family these days....you will probably be surprised that you suddenly have time to sit down and have a meal as a family.)

If you are involved in any activity that takes multiple hours from one day....you haven't lost that time...it's just been re-allotted to another day now and you can make it work for you, your schedule and your life! For example; you had to work late, you got stuck in traffic, one kid has a soccer game and the other a flute lesson and all you have time for is a bag of something thrown through a drive thru window at you. Ok, life happens....embrace it. NOWWWW you can take that time and allot it to another day. It's ok....

This now leaves us with 34.2 hours......4.8 hours a day. How will you fill those last 4 hours and 48 minutes of your day?

-spouse or significant other

-children and/or pets

-you

-flex time

My readers from other countries may look at this and think, That's crazy! Why do they have to schedule these things? For us American's however, we know how much we have allowed other things to cause us to live within the red of our life budget. We're tired, cranky, stressed and empty. If we want to live the life that God has given us and live it to the best and really learn to radiate all the things we have in our heart. Then we need to start by giving the first portion of our week and our days to God so that He can fill us up and prepare us for what is ahead.

Matthew 5:13,14 (AMP)

¹³You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.

I don't know about you, but I don't want my "busyness" to cause me to lose my steength or quality as a Christian. I need this life budget.....how about you?

So, now that you've read this....don't just read and run....leave a comment, let me know what you think. Have ideas for or other readers to make this work even better? Leave a comment.

Song of the Season

2011-10-11T13:14:00.000-04:00

As I write this I'm sitting near an open window and can hear the beautiful sound of a mockingbird singing from the top of a giant fir tree across the street. He's soooo excited and vibrant as he announces to the entire neighborhood that he's there. I love the sounds of birds singing, especially mocking birds. Suddenly a wealth of memories flood my heart and mind. Chilly Sunday mornings at my grandmother's house eating cheese toast and getting ready for church. Crisp Saturday mornings driving along with my mom and patrolling tag sales. School mornings standing in front of our kitchen window with the sun streaming in through the branches of a neighbors tree and closing my eyes in the warmth. All of those memories have one thing in common for me....the ever present sound of bird songs. To me they represent morning and life for a new day.

I'm especially focused on savoring every single note today because it will only be a few more weeks and then that sound will be gone for months. Winters in Connecticut can certainly be beautiful to look at when the snow and ice come...but the only nature sound that will fill the air will be the stark and lonely sounds of crows and seagulls and I will dearly miss the happy little songs of the warmer weather. Unfortunately it's just a simple side affect of the changing seasons. I realize however, that if it weren't for that gaping span of time without it..I wouldn't properly appreciate when they return.

Just like anything else in life really. I used to love Chinese food....until I worked across the street from a restaurant and ate it every day for almost a year. Suddenly I didn't feel the same about it...the appreciation was gone. Last Winter I couldn't wait for the warm weather of Summer....until the sweltering heat and humidity hit me and made me long for cooler days. Whether it's a season of weather or a season of life....change is good and variety is essential...for many reasons. It makes us appreciate things more and realize the value each brings. So today Ime going to appreciate the birds singing....and tomorrow I will do my best to appreciate something else current to the day.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 & 11 (NLT)

¹ For everything there is a season,
      a time for every activity under heaven.
² A time to be born and a time to die.
      A time to plant and a time to harvest.
³ A time to kill and a time to heal.
      A time to tear down and a time to build up.
⁴ A time to cry and a time to laugh.
      A time to grieve and a time to dance.
⁵ A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
      A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
⁶ A time to search and a time to quit searching.
      A time to keep and a time to throw away.
⁷ A time to tear and a time to mend.
      A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
⁸ A time to love and a time to hate.
      A time for war and a time for peace.

¹¹ Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

What are you appreciating today?

AMH Cooks: Sofrito & Recaito

2011-10-11T02:00:00.000-04:00

I wanted to get back to the recipes portion of this blog for a moment. by sharing two recipes that I love and use often.

Connecticut has a huge Puerto Rican population and I have come to love a lot of the foods that they make. I've also come to appreciate a lot of the seasonings that they use and have come to use a lot of them in my own cooking. These are two staple items that are used in Puerto Rican cooking and if you don't live in an area that offers large ethnic grocery sections like I do then you can make them yourself. Also, if you just prefer fresh then you can make them yourself. So far these are the best recipes I have found for them and they both come from Daisy Martinez, the host of tv's Daisy Cooks. If you've never tried Spanish food...please give it a try, you won't regret it. If you've never seen Daisy's show..please check it out...she's AMAZING!!! So, on that note, here are her recipes that I use all the time and highly recommend!

Sofrito - Can be used in almost every dish. Similar to how a lot of people use season salt in almost everything....this has the same amount of flexibility. From rice and vegetable dishes to soups and sauces, to meats and seafood, etc. I cannot recommend this one highly enough. Once you try it, you will look for ways to use it. It can also be frozen and used as needed.

2 medium Spanish onions, cut into large chunks
3 to 4 Italian frying peppers or cubanelle peppers
16 to 20 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large bunch cilantro, washed
7 to 10 ajices dulces (see note below), optional
4 leaves of culantro (see note below), or another handful cilantro
3 to 4 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into large chunks
Makes about 4 cups
Chop the onion and cubanelle or Italian peppers in the work bowl of a food processor until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, add the remaining ingredients one at a time and process until smooth. The sofrito will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
If you can’t find ajices dulces or culantro, simply up the amount of cilantro to 1 ½ bunches

Recaito - I love this in all kinds of things just like sofrito. Both are excellent, but this has a distinctly fresher taste to me which I think lends itself better to things like bean soups and meat dishes. It's AMAZING on a pork roast! Although I will also mix it with mayonnaise and make a very nice spread for sandwiches. Just like sofrito, it can get you out of almost any kitchen emergency. It also freezes very well so make extra and keep it on hand..
Makes about 1 ½ cups

1 medium Spanish onion, cut into big chunks
8 cloves garlic, peeled
6 ajicitos dulces (see recipe for Sofrito) or 1 cubanelle peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into chunks
4 leaves culantro (if you can't find culantro, increase the amount of Iajicitos or cilantro by half)
6 big sprig cilantro, stems and all, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup packed)

Place the onion and garlic in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. With the motor running, add the remaining ingredients, one at a time and process, until the mixture is smooth.

Please make sure when you are purchasing your ajices dulces that you in fact do have that pepper, not just aji pepper or habanero. Ajices dulces are sweet with no heat at all.
Whatever extra amounts you have can be poured into ice trays, frozen and then bagged for later use.
Hope you enjoy and let me know how you have used these recipes!

There's A Fly In My Life

2011-10-09T15:32:00.000-04:00

*Side note: Before I go any further I need to apologize to Lori from Beyond The Bass Clef because she HATES flies and I know when she sees this picture she's going to freak out.

Sorry Lori...nothing personal. ;)

Ecclesiastes 10:1 (NLT)

As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink,

so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.

I'm amazed sometimes the Bible verses that I forget about until God reminds me about them. This is one of those. Sometimes in life we get comfortable....not a bad thing in many ways, but it becomes problematic when it causes us to become sloppy. We let our guard down and that's when we become vulnerable...vulnerable to get hurt and vulnerable to hurt others. Neither is a good thing. A sloppy Christian is a dangerous Christian, because when we're sloppy we aren't operating at our proper capacity. I saw a bumper sticker recently that said it perfectly, " You never know when you're making a memory." . Sooooooo true! We never know who is watching us or when, so it is all the more important that we NEVER let our guard down and get sloppy. Clarke's Commentary on the Bible says it best when it discusses the Bible verse I posted above.

" Dead flies - Any putrefaction spoils perfume; and so a foolish act ruins the character of him who has the reputation of being wise and good. Alas! alas! in an unguarded moment how many have tarnished the reputation which they were many years in acquiring! Hence, no man can be said to be safe, till he is taken to the paradise of God."

Unfortunately none of us is immune because the enemy is always looking for us to slip up so he can sneak in and if possible destroy our character and reputation that we have spent so many long hard years to build up. We must be constantly vigilant to live our faith in everything we do and never let our guard down. Does it mean we have to be stiff and not enjoy life? Absolutely not! It simply means when we do relax to chat or play with friends, we should never allow our familiarity to be a reason to ignore the sanctions set forth by our faith.

1 Peter 5:8 (AMP)

Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.

Why Were We Saved?

2011-10-07T13:28:00.001-04:00

Why were we saved?

Were we saved for times of ease and privilege?

Were we saved for the sake of our miserable selves?

The answer to both...is no...neither of those is why we were saved. Will ease and privilege come? Possibly....after all, we are God's children and He LOVES to lavish us with blessings large and small just like any healthy parent wants to do for their child. Were we lost and languishing in a pig stye of emotional, mental,physical and spiritual garbage before we were saved? Yes....the very turning point of giving our lives to God is realizing that we are in a place that we shouldn't be and we need a savior to rescue us.

Are those THE reasons we were saved though? Not even close. We were saved so that we can then be a link in the chain to help save others. Look, I'm going to break it down pretty simply. If we only gave our heart to God so He could make our lives easy and clean up the garbage in our lives....then that's kind of like trying to watch a 3d movie without the glasses...it's blurry and out of focus.

So what does scripture have to say about this question?Well...in 1 Peter 2:9 it says,
To "proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

How do we proclaim His excellencies? Well.....first we have to start by defining what darkness is. Websters defines it as follows.

¹dark adj \ˈdärk\

1: devoid or partially devoid of light : not receiving, reflecting, transmitting, or radiating light

3a : arising from or showing evil traits or desires : b : dismal, gloomy c : lacking knowledge or culture d : relating to grim or depressing circumstances

I think it's safe to say after reading that, that we have all known darkness....and if we have given our lives to God then that darkness is a very stark contrast to the light now in our hearts and lives.

It is that contrast, that difference, that before and after that we are supposed to proclaim. Never to brag or make others still struggling feel like failures....if you remember when you were in that place, feeling like a failure was never a problem. The reason we were saved was so that we can reach out to others who are still enveloped in the darkness of hopelessness and let them know that they are loved, they have a purpose and they don't have to remain in that place. So when ease and privilege are taken away or seem out of reach. When hard times hit and you quite simply don't know what to do...don't complain or get angry...don't drink bitterness because this hasn't gone the way you hoped or expected. Grab onto your faith, get into the word and remember.....those things were never promised to you. Instead look for how God is showing Himself to you every moment of every day because once you get to the other side....you will be proclaiming His excellencies of how He brought you out of darkness and into the light to countless others who need the insight you will have to offer.

2 Corinthians 4:8,9,15,16 (AMP)

⁸We are hedged in (pressed) on every side [troubled and oppressed in every way], but not cramped or crushed; we suffer embarrassments and are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair; ⁹We are pursued (persecuted and hard driven), but not deserted [to stand alone]; we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed ¹⁵For all [these] things are [taking place] for your sake, so that the more grace (divine favor and spiritual blessing) extends to more and more people and multiplies through the many, the more thanksgiving may increase [and rebound] to the glory of God. ¹⁶Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day.

There is Water In The Wilderness

2011-10-07T11:07:00.001-04:00

Have you ever felt exiled? Felt like you are walking in the wilderness?

I'm sure you have....we all have at times. It's a normal part of our life here on earth and as a Christian it's a normal part of our walk and growth. I'm in a season of that right now. Does it mean God isn't there? Not at all. These are the times when He is closer than ever. These are the times when we will look back and say.."....as hard and painful as it was....I would go through it all over again to get to where I am now." For every thorn there is a rose. For every curse there is a bigger blessing. When your times and seasons of wilderness come, and they will...don't turn your back to God and don't shut down and crumble. Instead latch on to Him stronger than you ever have. Here is a verse He gave me last night and it is giving me great encouragement. I pray it does for you as well when you are in a wilderness season. Always remember, it's not the event(s) that determine our time in the wilderness....it's how we handle it that matters. I pray that you and I handle our times of wilderness with grace, honor and faith.

Isaiah 54:10

The Message (MSG)

^9-10"This exile is just like the days of Noah for me:
   I promised then that the waters of Noah
   would never again flood the earth.
I'm promising now no more anger,
   no more dressing you down.
For even if the mountains walk away
   and the hills fall to pieces,
My love won't walk away from you,
   my covenant commitment of peace won't fall apart."
   The God who has compassion on you says so.

AMH Cooks 2

2011-04-11T01:29:00.001-04:00

So this week I decided to post one of my all time favorite recipes, Jambalaya. I don't make it often, but when I do it's always a HUGE hit. The original recipe came from a cookbook I received as a bridal shower gift years ago and over time I've tweaked and adjusted it to make it my own. Hopefully you'll like it too.

Jambalaya

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Cups sliced onions

2 Cups diced red and yellow bell pepper

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

4 Cups stock (chicken, beef, vegetable or shrimp)

2 Tbsp minced fresh garlic

1/2 Tsp cajun seasoning (or to taste) - There are a lot of great ones out there, however I personally use a combination of my two favorites, Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic and Old Bay .

2 Tsp fresh thyme sprigs (or 1 tsp dried)

2 Cups peeled, seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes (you can substitute canned {drained}but the flavor from fresh is noticeable)

2 Cups long grain rice (I use Jasmin because of the distinct flavor difference)

1 pound peeled cooked shrimp (I tend to use more because people usually prefer a lot of shrimp in it)

1 pound smoked kielbasa

Minced parsley or cilantro for garnish

Directions:

*Note: I use a 7 quart non stick stock pot for mine.

Place the olive oil, onions, peppers, salt and pepper in pan and cook on med heat until onion softens and is slightly brown.

Stir in garlic, cajun seasoning and thyme and mix in completely. Add tomatoes and increase heat to med-high.Cook for 5 minutes (or until the tomatoes begin to break up), stirring constantly.

Stir in rice and stock. Bring to a boil the turn heat to medium. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and the liquid just about absorbed. Approx 20 to 30 minutes.

Add shrimp and kielbasa and stir. Cook until shrimp and kielbasa are warmed through, about 3 minutes.

Garnish and serve.
Enjoy! :)

AMH Endorsed 5

2011-04-09T22:57:00.000-04:00

Well this week I am going to do a little pre-emptive endorsement....LOL. My sweet husband, Ben, has just started a blog of his own today. He posted his first entry as I was starting this one and he already has thoughts for his next entry so please stop by often and give him feedback.
He will be sharing his passionate thoughts, insights, stories and photos from his time working with the homeless. He has a real heart for God, evangelism and those in need so it should be interesting. I'm excited for him!

So please visit

Face To Pavement

and say hello and consider clicking to follow his blog.

Dawning of A New Day

2011-04-04T01:13:00.000-04:00

LOL...that used to be me. I HATED Mondays. I hated giving up my few precious hours of personal free time just so I could go back to the hamster wheel. Of course, the company I worked for certainly didn't help things any either. It was such a toxic environment that even 5 minute bathroom breaks became precious mental vacations.When the time came and the door opened, the choice to leave that job was not a hard one. I practically skipped out to the car that last day. LOL.

I still get tired, I still get frazzled and I still think weekends go by WAYYYYY too fast, however, now I LOVE Mondays!! They have truly become my favorite day of the week. No really...they REALLY are. There is just something about a fresh slate that has become more intoxicating to me than ever before. Somehow the sun feels warmer, the air fresher and the sky bluer (watch, tomorrow will be cloudy..LOL) on a Monday. It's the start of a whole new week and anything can happen. Yeah I have to go to work and yeah I'm going to be up early and to bed late...but there is still a freshness that I relish! The excitement of the unknown...what will the morning, the day or the week hold? It's the start of another seven day adventure!

I think when we start to shift our thinking and instead of expecting the worst, we hope for the best...we will be amazed at what God brings our way. We must stop letting the tiny irritants define our course and instead appreciate every tiny blessing that crosses our path and let it be the wind in our sails! I love this quote,

"I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it. "
~ Groucho Marx

I pray you have a WONDERFUL week filled with so many little blessings that you lose count! Happy Monday morning my friends....it's going to be a great day and a wonderful week!

Psalm 118:24 (New Living Translation)

²⁴ This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Introducing: AMH Cooks !

2011-04-02T13:40:00.000-04:00

I'm excited! The votes are in from the poll last month and the winner for the new regular feature here at AMH is for me to share a favorite weekly recipe! YEAH!! I think the hardest part is going to be deciding which one to share each week. LOL. For your convenience, I created another page tab that you can see below the blog title up above, called "AMH Cooks" and on that page I will keep a list of all the recipes shared here. Sort of a virtual cookbook.
I had a hard time deciding what recipe to share first and my OCD wanted to share an appetizer first so that my entries were in order. However, I finally decided on a cream sauce recipe for my brother in law Stephen who specifically requested it last weekend. It is very similar to the Ruth Chris Steakhouse recipe, or so I've been told. I've never personally tried their version so you will have to let me know.
Since Spring is finally here...or at least making an attempted appearance, this is really good to create a warm weather dessert.

(* Please note: I'm licensed in food prep safety so you'll occasionally see me take some steps that you may feel are not necessary for your home or personal use and that's totally ok. I'll make the text color for those steps red so you can feel free to skip them. If you are going to make something for a large group of people though, it might be wise to follow them to prevent the possibility of illness.)

Cream Sauce for Fruit

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar (divided)
10 egg yolks
1/3 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Place cream and 1/2 cup of sugar in a saucepan on the stove. Mix well and heat until it starts to boil. (Be careful not to boil over.)
In a stainless steel bowl, mix egg yolks (You will not need the egg whites for this recipe.), 1/2 cup of sugar and vanilla until well blended and sugar is completely dissolved. Whisk simmering cream into egg mixture.
Transfer mixture to top half of stainless steel double boiler. Cook for 8 - 12 minutes on low to medium heat, (Temperature should reach between 165 -175 degrees F, use a candy thermometer to check. ) until sauce thickens and coats the back of the spatula, stir constantly.
Use the spatula to pull the sauce away from the sides and fold it back into the center of the pan. Remove from heat. Filter through a chinoise ( to remove any small lumps) and into a Tupperware container. Place a Ziploc bag filled with ice cubes into the sauce, and put the container into an ice bath to quickly cool it. When completely cool, remove the container from the ice bath, remove the bag of ice from the container and place the covered container in the refrigerator until time to serve.

To Serve: Pour over a dish of fresh fruit. (Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries or even Peaches are EXCELLENT with this!) Add garnish (mint leaves are nice).

Variation: After the sauce has cooled, you can whip in (Be careful not to exceed ¼ cup) whiskey, brandy or rum to make a more interesting flavor.

Thanks for voting and let me know what you think! :)

AMH Endorsed 4

2011-03-31T00:37:00.001-04:00

Well, I purposefully wanted to wait a while before posting a new AMH Endorsed because I wanted as many people as possible to see the last one for Wayne's charity. I think it's been long enough though and we can safely move on to our next endorsee. :)

I met my friend Reyna about 3 years ago at a women's retreat. She was the keynote speaker and the good friend of another friend so we all rode up to our weekend destination together. During that ride I was able to really get to know her and as I listened to her teach over the next two days I saw how much knowledge she had to offer. She has since become a major source of wisdom for me and my life and I value her insight GREATLY. She has a blog where she offers timely insights and deep truths in a short, concise and reader friendly format. She's transparent and to me that is priceless in a person, especially one gifted in pouring into the lives of others. It's impossible to teach with any degree of success if you aren't willing to draw from your own learning experiences.
She doesn't currently have very many readers for her blog and personally I think that should change. Her insights are worth reading, considering and absorbing, believe me.

Please stop by and visit her blog, simply titled

Christian Blog

and tell her "oink" for me! :)

De-coding

2011-03-27T04:22:00.005-04:00

**WARNING: Don't get thrown off by the hefty start to this entry...there are some good points further down if you can hang in with me.**

Deoxyribonucleic acid..........say that three times fast.....no? Yeah, I don't blame you, even correctly pronouncing it once is enough to tie a cherry stem in a knot on your tongue. Sooooooo, for the purpose of this blog entry and our own sanity, we'll use it's more common name...DNA. Don't worry though, I have no intention of discussing grooves, base pairing or supercoiling here. Fascinating as it may be, genetics is not my field of expertise so any attempt on my part to try and explain molecular studies would be like asking Fozzy Bear to explain the stock market.
So then why did I bring up the subject of DNA if I don't plan to discuss it? Well....I do plan to discuss it, but in a way that perhaps you haven't thought of before.

For weeks.... well, I suppose it's really been months...I've been trying to create a blog button and pull box to use here at AMH. You might think that would be a simple task....but html code and I don't mix well...so it's been an absolute nightmare logistically. Every time I thought I had it, I would test the code and "DENIED"
.....*sigh*....exasperating to say the least. Some nights I would just break into tears from sheer frustration and exhaustion. See, the funny thing about html is that one simple keystroke can mean the difference between success or failure....a space where it doesn't belong or an extra bracket can corrupt the entire code....similar to our own DNA. A seemingly simple molecular change can change EVERYTHING.

(On a sidenote though, I did finally get that html code to work as you may have already noticed if you already saw the grab button and pull box over on the side column here. Special thanks to Beth at Uppercase Living for the BEAUTIFUL design! xoxo )

When talking genetics, these errors in coding are called mutations. For my purposes here today I'm not going to go into detail about all the many kinds of mutations, although it really is FASCINATING stuff. I'm specifically going to refer to something called a frame-shift mutation, because they disrupt the entire gene code. If you want to read more about genetics though in a very reader friendly format, please feel free to check out my source for the following definition found at Genetic Health.
In a frame shift mutation, one or more bases are inserted or deleted, the equivalent of adding or removing letters in a sentence. But because our cells read DNA in three letter "words", adding or removing one letter changes each subsequent word. This type of mutation can make the DNA meaningless and often results in a shortened protein. An example of a frame-shift mutation using our sample sentence is when the 't' from cat is removed, but we keep the original letter spacing:

Original	The fat cat ate the wee rat.
Frame Shift	The fat caa tet hew eer at.

So where am I going with this? Well, last week I was talking to a friend of mine about the thought patterns in our lives. She was telling me how when she was in her first marriage she had become so accustomed to having to take on the responsibilities of her, less than enthusiastic husband that even after her divorce years later and remarriage she was still programed to think she had to carry that role. Now, her current husband is a wonderful man who is strong in his faith and an excellent worker, provider and her biggest fan so she should be able to rest easy right? Well, yes.....but there is the small issue of coding. Mental, emotional and spiritual coding...like html code or DNA code...if one simple line of bad coding gets in there it completely shuts things down or causes them to function in a manner they were never intended to. Her mind had been coded for so many years to think she was responsible to carry certain roles in the family. So much so in fact, that when her job came to a crossroads she was feeling stressed wondering how they were going to make it.

It took another friend of ours to remind this woman of the blessing she has in her current husband. Her fears of not being able to make it were no longer founded because she has been blessed with a Godly husband who is more than willing and able to carry the load for their household should she suddenly find herself out of work. That realization was earth shattering for her....her previously imbalanced world had suddenly become balanced! As she processed the thought and let it really take hold she began to see and feel shackles fall off of her mind and her spirit. Her coding had a bad line thrown in the mix years ago and she had become so accustomed to the malfunction that it became normal. Armed with her new found freedom however, a weight has been lifted off of her life. Her coding has been corrected and she can now function in a healthy way again.
You and I are like that...we all have within us, bad lines of coding that need to be removed so that we can function properly. The secret is to stop pretending those lines don't exist, but to recognize it and where it came from so that we can address the REAL problem. Maybe your bad coding came from an abusive or non-existent parent, or a trauma early in life. Perhaps you had a cheating spouse or were part of a toxic church. Wherever those funky lines of bad code came from...they can be corrected. Sometimes with a little simple thing like the realization my friend had....sometimes it may take deeper rewriting...but nonetheless, there is hope.

So what is the next step? Well...you can't move forward until you first realize you're being held back. So, as always the number one thing to do and the best place to ALWAYS start any journey, is to pray. Prayer is a tool, a sort of red phone to God...so use it! You don't pray? Well...start! If you want to get someplace you've never been it requires you do something you've never done.
I'm not talking some mamby pamby prayer either, I mean, dig out your garbage, expose the skeletons, 9-1-1 PRAY. Listen to me, God knows it all ANYWAY...all of it...so it's not like you're really pulling the wool over His eyes and hiding it from Him. So between you and Him alone, air out the laundry and ask Him to show you the areas of your life that have bad coding. (Tip: if you have situations, arguments, problems etc that always seem to come back up in your life, that probably means that you have a line of bad coding in there regarding that.) Next ask God to show you how to reprogram your heart, mind and soul so you can be a healthier person. Sound too easy? HAH....it only sounds that way...trust me...this will be the hardest battle you have fought in your life....but once all is said and done, it will be the most victorious freedom you have ever experienced. I can promise you that! I will be praying for you though, as I always do, and please if you are new here at AMH and you want to send me a specific prayer request, you can either post it in the comment thread or send me a message through Facebook.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (New Living Translation)

¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

AMH Endorsed 3

2011-03-15T02:53:00.001-04:00

This week I am highlighting the website/blogs and charity of a cause I have mentioned here at AMH before and STRONGLY support.
In light of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan many people will be looking for valid charities to help those in need so far away. There are many reputable ones that almost everyone knows about, (i.e. The Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Mercy Corps, Unicef USA, etc ) but there is one that a lot of people haven't heard about as much and I want to change that. Soles 4 Souls is a MASSIVE charitable organization that rushes much needed shoes to disaster stricken areas of the globe. It may not seem like much, but what people don't realize is that in the wake of a natural disaster the ground normally walked on is suddenly a treacherous place to step for many reasons. Glass, metal, wood, even diseased corpses waiting to be buried. People need their feet covered to prevent further devastation from injuries and while they need clean water, fresh food and clothing as well as shelter etc...they also need shoes! PLEASE consider finding a donation sight near you or sending a monetary donation to this much needed disaster relief charity to help those devastated in Japan.

Visit

Soles 4 Souls

here and please let them know you heard about them here at AMH.

CPR: Critical Prayer Required

2011-03-15T02:01:00.000-04:00

So last week, just hours before the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan, I was praying about what topic to discuss here and one word came to mind. Flood. Now I was thinking of the floods we have been having here in Connecticut due to the record snowfall this Winter. As warmer weather has begun to move in there are floods everywhere here. One morning I was on my way to work and had to turn back because the road I usually take was completely under water. As I blindly followed the leading of my GPS down roads I had never been down before and didn't even know existed I encountered more and more flooding. Some of the roads were so badly flooded that I had to back up and then gun my engine to plow through the rushing waters fast enough to not lose traction. I'm pretty fearless about a lot of things...but to say I wasn't more than a little concerned as I traveled through unknown territory would be a lie, especially since the youngest of my godchildren was in the car with me. I believe in preparedness, which is probably why I'm not easily shaken about much...but my mind played out every scenario possible that day and the necessary steps I would need to take to ensure not only the safety of my goddaughter, but for myself also should the car get swept off the road. Thankfully, with much prayer, we made it to the next town and were then able to backtrack down safer roads to our destination.

Of course who would think the impact that five letter word, flood, would have before the break of dawn the next day. I don't think anyone could have even dreamt of what was about to happen.
Now, it's here that I was so tempted to go into a long dissection of physical disaster versus spiritual disaster in this entry given the unforeseen and rapid turn of events that the earthquake and tsunami in Japan created. I still think there is much validity to my thoughts, but the reason why I haven't posted sooner is that I just don't feel it is the appropriate time for that. Any armchair quarterback can throw comments out there in response to the minute by minute day by day influx of information. I think for me though, right now is a time for prayer, for mercy and for aid.

Soooo.......please pray for the survivors in Japan that they will be adequately cared for and comforted. Pray for the workers from within Japan's borders as well as around the globe that they will not only be able to do their jobs to the best of their ability, but that they will also be protected and provided for. Most importantly though......pray for the salvation of those who have been affected by this disaster in one way or another and have no hope because they don't know the Father of Hope. If we cannot be there physically to help those in need, then may we at least be there spiritually!

Jeremiah 17:14 (New International Version, ©2011)

¹⁴ Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.

JEREMIAH 17:14 (THE MESSAGE)

¹⁴God, pick up the pieces.Put me back together again.You are my praise!

Jeremiah 29:11 (Amplified Bible)

¹¹For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

AMH Endorsed 2

2011-03-08T02:21:00.000-05:00

Hello again!

This week I'm highlighting one of the blogs belonging to my best friend from childhood, Beth. She writes several blogs, but this particular one was actually consulted for last month's issue of Real Simple Magazine! GO BETH!!
She has always had a penchant for organizing, ever since we were kids. Now she has found a great outlet to share her ideas and insights with others so they too can get organized and enjoy a better quality of life.

Please visit her at

The Neat Get Neater

and tell her Frances said hi.

New Weekly Feature - AMH Endorsed

2011-02-28T01:10:00.001-05:00

I know, don't faint....it's been a long time since I've had time to post more than once in one day!

I decided I want to start a new weekly post. So many of you have great blogs or websites and I want to start giving back by choosing one a week and giving a shout out here at AMH. The Feature will be called

AMH Endorsed and will be tagged as such so you can always easily find past endorsees as well.

AMH Endorsed

This week I want to highlight the blog of my good friend, Lori. She could really use some more traffic at her site and trust me, it won't be a wasted trip. She has a lot of wisdom and relates it in an easy to read, laid back style.

Please take the time to visit her at

Beyond The Bass Clef

and leave her a comment or two, she will truly appreciate it!

Tell her Bubba sent you! LOL!

+-_-+SpaRklE+-_-+

2011-02-27T22:59:00.000-05:00

I was blessed today by a really sweet compliment from a friend who I haven't had a chance to spend time with in a while. It made me think of all the many people God has placed in my life to add....Sparkle...to my days. Sometimes in small ways with an infectious laugh or a smile or a simple vote of confidence. Other times with wise advice, a prayer or just a listening ear. Each one however adds their own very specific blend of brilliance and I am amazed at how much my life would miss them if they were not there. True friendships are like that though...they add value. Kind of like adding on to a house...there are small and seemingly insignificant improvements like a new faucet or a modern light fixture and then there are the more noticeable ones like a new garage door or modern windows. Then of course there are the impossible to miss ones like entire new additions. Each one is different in many ways, but they each add value to the house. Well.....each genuine friend is like that...they may be part of a small or large inner construction project, but no matter how large or small the contribution, they add value to the house that is our life.

My prayer is that for all those that help renovate this house of mine, that I may give back by helping to add value to theirs.

To all of my friends...casual and intimate, new and long term, thank you for adding SPARKLE to my life and helping add value to my life!

1 John 3:18 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁸Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).

Showing Your Cards

2011-02-12T15:51:00.001-05:00

I'm going to keep this short and sweet today.
Growing up down South I was surrounded by a lot of country music.....a LOT of country music! Most of those artists and even the new ones today I now can't stand due to overdose by immersion, but a select few artists I still enjoy....most of them being from the OLD country versus the new country venue. I can still randomly belt out a Patsy Cline verse or two when the mood strikes and hit it pretty accurately too. Johnny Cash of course is always on my ipod or laptop or somewhere easily accessible in case I need a gritty soul fix...although he's more rockabilly than country....but I digress. Unlike Patsy and Johnny though most of the ones I enjoyed as a kid I now don't really care for.

Kenny Rogers is one of those. As a kid I loved him, of course that was before all of his plastic surgery when he still looked human and not like a cat-man...(STRASHNA!!!) anyway........one of my favorite songs by him was The Gambler. Of course back then there was the entire line of Gambler movies to help propel the song...but even without those, I just LOVED that song! As I got older I forgot about it for many years, then one day I was thinking about how we need to constantly live life with a strategy, a plan, and that song came back to mind. Specifically a few lines of the song. Now if you know Kenny Rogers, then you probably know the most famous of the lines from the song which are.....

"........If you're gonna play the game, boy
You gotta learn to play it right
You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run......."

HOWEVER......many people don't know the words that follow shortly after and those are the ones that came to my mind the other day. Here they are,

".....Every gambler knows

That the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away
And knowin' what to keep..."

Now, before we go any further let me do my obligatory disclaimer for those reading this that will go on an accusatory tirade. PLEASE don't misunderstand or misquote me...I am NOT implying or eluding to any kind of support statement on gambling. I am simply using the lyrics to a song to make a scriptural point...that's all, so please don't go HRH (Holy Roller Hypocrite) on me. **Now, back to my point.**
As I thought about the lyrics and about my previous thoughts on life...I couldn't help but notice the wisdom in those simple song lyrics. The secret to survive in this life is knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep. HOW TRUE!!! How many times have I and I'm sure you, latched onto things that quite simply were killing us. Oh, maybe not actually physically taking our life, although that is a possibility too, but perhaps killing us inside. Think about it, have you ever struggled with any of these...an addiction, being trapped in a toxic relationship, holding onto past wrongs done to us by regularly (or semi-regularly) reliving the memory, or following a doctrine simply because somebody who went to school and supposedly knows what they are talking about tells us it's true. Every day in many ways we are bombarded by things that we should be weighing in a scale of wisdom. Asking ourselves, "Does this have positive or negative value when I have reached completion of this thing? Does this action or thought pattern reflect BIBLICAL TRUTH, not hearsay? Does this breathe and or encourage a trend of life or death into me or others? Does this action or thinking glorify God?"
Once you answer those questions and come to an honest answer...then you are saddled with the responsibility of weeding. You must decide that even though you may be accustomed to living within certain parameters and patterns, if it isn't bringing LIFE into your life..then it needs to be removed.
HOWWWW do we do this? Well, here are my thoughts on the matter. Things I HAVE done and am STILL doing.
1) Be transparent and take responsibility for your actions. If you are doing something you shouldn't be doing...don't pretend like you aren't and certainly don't pretend like God doesn't know. You know and He knows so instead of trying to bury it let Him help you clean it up and out so you can move on unfettered!

Psalm 139:10-12 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁰Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

¹¹If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me and the night shall be [the only] light about me,

¹²Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.^(A)

^{2) Read and memorize the Bible. You can't live what you don't know!}

Psalm 119:11 (New Living Translation)

¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

3) STOP PLAYING OLD TAPES. If you are reliving old hurts or offenses often enough that you have no trouble at all remembering every little detail...then you are thinking about them too much! Turn off the tape layer in your head and heart and BURN the evidence!

Isaiah 43:18 (New Living Translation)

¹⁸ But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.

^{4) Remove the toxic people from your life. If you are surrounded by people that are doing some or all of the toxic things you need to stop doing, and they are doing them to such a degree that you find their own sewage is draining off into your life...END IT! Regardless of how much you may love them and WANT them in your life, until they get healthy themselves, all they are going to do is bring you down....so walk away...no, better yet...RUN from them and don't look back!}

1 Corinthians 15:33 (Amplified Bible)

³³Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character.

5) Once you decide to change and move forward with life....drop anchor and do not MOVE. NO matter what happens, and trust me, all kinds of things will happen to try and bring you back, but don't let go. You keep your eyes faced forward no matter what and you walk. You WILL get breakthrough. I promise you that. I can't promise you how long it will take, but as somebody who has done and continues to strive for these things...it works if you commit to it...TRULY 100 percent, life or death commit to it. God is always faithful.

Galatians 6:9 (New Living Translation)

⁹ So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Let me know how you are doing and I will keep interceding for you. Change is never easy and I won't pretend it is, but life on the other side of it is always worth the scars you receive in battle!

Psalm 34:5 (Amplified Bible)

⁵They looked to Him and were radiant; their faces shall never blush for shame or be confused.

A Date With Destiny

2011-01-25T00:21:00.000-05:00

Well.......this has taken far longer than I expected to get back here, but unfortunately there just aren't enough waking hours in the day. Due to an unexpected post however, I realized since it has been two months since I've been able to write...all of you that I don't get to talk to on a regular basis may be wondering what the latest news is. Sooooooo I thought I really do need to catch everyone up to speed as to the reasons WHY I have been away.

As many of you know Ben and I are actively working on getting our homeless shelter started. We have had many open doors....some completely unexpected and from completely diverse places! WOO-HOO!!!! Considering that we had somewhat tabled this desire for several years, it has been a breath of fresh air to suddenly have people pursuing US to get this done! WOW!!
Now....here comes the grain of sand in this budding pearl! In stark contrast to all the wonderful support we have gotten, the votes in our favor, and the bills we have had passed on our behalf etc, etc.....we are now having to use our previously gained momentum to fight a battle with a few strategically placed bureaucrats and their red tape. The amazing thing is that while this may take a while to accomplish the end goal....having an army of laypeople and politicians on our side fighting with us has made all the difference. Not just for morale...but in doing so much footwork and research etc that we would normally just not have time to do with our already busy schedules. Thank You LORD!!! However, all of that said.....it still manages to fill the empty gaps of our already jam packed schedules.

Since Ben and I tend to overbook ourselves with activities of every kind...(shocking, I know..lol) we decided a few months ago that we both need to FORCE ourselves to have downtime. To many of you that may seem like an odd thing to have to do, but for two highly driven people, it's a lot easier than it sounds, trust me. Soooooo Ben joined a local APA League team with one of his brothers who had already been a longtime member. It's been GREAT!!!! It's created a great way not only for BEn and Steve to bond, but their other brother, Mike, and our friend Lori have also been coming to most of the game nights. It's been great to build closer family relationships on a weekly basis, but also to deepen friendships and create new ones with the fellow team members. The really cool thing is that I have seen Ben just begin to relax and have fun on a daily basis too because he finally has a fun hobby/activity that he just excels at! YEAH GOD!!! Not to mention he's a pretty dang good player and is wiping out a lot of the people he is playing against as well as working his way up through the ranks.

Now.....for the big news. Another thing keeping me away from AMH has been directly connected to AMH. As a few of you are aware I've been working on a Bible study that I intended to share strictly for all of you AMH readers as a year long Bible study to spread over the course of 2011. HOWEVER...as my research and study progressed on the topic and expanded over and over it has also taken a different turn that I hadn't expected. What started as a simple study has turned into an in depth theological expository essay. A great study for my personal self, but given that it's main purpose was to bless all of you I began praying about how to proceed (which is why it's intended release date here on AMH of January 1st came and went with no posting.) Sooooooo..........for those of you that DON'T know yet, after much prayer and many, many confirmations from various sources....I will be pursuing publishing this study into book form with an accompanying study guide for use in small groups and other venues. I already have the outline in rough draft form....ready to be amended with whatever else God has me add in. I haven't given the title any thought yet, but when the time comes I plan to keep everyone here at AMH involved by putting out a vote. Right now I'm just focusing on the meat on the book. I considered keeping the subject matter private for now, but I don't think it will adversely affect anything by sharing the general direction of the book. I'll be focusing on the role of integrity in the lives of today's Christians. Something I think we can all benefit from.

Meanwhile, our oldest God-daughter is getting married in just a few days so we're very excited about that! We are so proud of Amber and Austin and can't wait to see what God has for them as they progress together in life and in ministry. They have grown so much in their faith and in their personal lives in the past two years that my heart leaps with joy for them! Not to mention....it is very humbling when a young couple says they "..want a marriage like you have.." To still hear that after almost 10 years of marriage and to have young people asking for advice on how to keep the love alive and honor God with their marriage and to stay happily married even in the face of imperfection and trials is an answer to prayer for me! I always promised God I would be completely transparent about what He has me go through as long as He uses it to benefit others, and thankfully He has always followed through on that. I'm amazed at how many circumstances I can now encourage others with or give counsel through. Only God can do that!

Romans 8:28 (New Living Translation)

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

The Deflated Pollyanna

2010-11-23T02:50:00.000-05:00

Sooooo this perpetual Pollyanna hasn't felt very Pollyanna-ish lately. Oh the positive effervescence is still inside of me, but it's been more than a bit flat in my attempts at executing it. Do I still believe that EVERYTHING, without exception works to good? Without question. I just can't help but feel a bit fidgety lately. I don't mind waiting on God, in fact most of the time I actually ENJOY the downtime of the wait, it gives me a chance to focus on what I'm doing now that may become an asset for me in the future. Valuable prep time as it were. So why am I feeling fidgety this time? I guess I'm still trying to figure that out. That's probably why I'm still awake at 2am when I should be sleeping so I can get up in 3 hours and go deal with a herd of germ carrying munchkins. Although at this point since I'm wide awake it may be a viable option to pull an all nighter...lol.
Ironically the crux of my frustration right now stems from my job. Now don't get me wrong, I actually love my job, my employer and my boss. That isn't the problem. The problem is that I feel a bit....well....overlooked. I know the value of what my gifts and talents are, the years of experiences I have and what I can bring to the table if given the opportunity. When I was 20 I started my own business and quickly became quite successful at it, but due to a glaring lack of capital as well as a barely minimum wage job I had to put an end to it. After that I had a healthy string of successful positions over the years that all included my working my way up from the bottom and into a management position. They went from managing as few as 5 employees to being solely responsible for over 8,000 corporate accounts. My frustration is that I feel like the assets I have are not being tapped into for the greater good. My battle is to appreciate the place I'm in for the downtime it affords me as well as thoughtfully considering the points that perhaps I'm having this extended downtime because I quite simply need to continue to grow to a point of maturity that I will be READY for the next level. Something I am always willing to see as a credible possibility because quite frankly even though I know how far I've come, I also know I have a long way to go.
I could easily sit and go through a list of whining points to validate my frustrations....but realistically, what does that solve? Whining never solves anything and all it accomplishes is irritating it's listeners, trust me, I know....I DESPISE whining! What I can do however, in true Pollyanna form, is make a list of the reasons why I should be glad that things are the way they are right now. So for much more my benefit than yours, here I go.
1) I'm glad that I don't have to take work home.
2) I'm glad that I can let the weight of difficult decisions fall on someone else's shoulders.
3) I'm glad that I don't have more things to try and focus on during 8 short hours than just making sure my students know their colors, shapes, numbers and manners.
4) I'm glad that I have a boss that prays for her workers.
5) I'm glad that I work with Christians, something I longed for, for years.
6) I'm glad that I don't have the daily battle of re-establishing co-worker relationship vs supervisor relationship
7) I'm glad that I no longer have to carry the burden of hiring and firing people...something I never really relished in the first place.
8) I'm glad I can support the boss I do have to help her get to a higher place in her career because I wish I had people who would have done that for me.
I guess in reality I'm glad that things are the way they are for now....I suppose I really do know that God hasn't overlooked me and I know He is aware of what I can and cannot do as well as what my true heart desires are for my present and my future. So the real question is can I continue to wait patiently and trust Him even when it feels like things aren't moving. Yeah.......I can. **sigh** and maybe I need to remember all of these things when I want to rush the process along.

Jeremiah 29:11 (New Living Translation)

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

The Power of a Vote

2010-11-07T18:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, I've let enough days pass that I can now write this entry without seething agitation. I even considered not touching on this topic at all, but finally decided that would be foolish. I need to say something...for whatever it's worth. I'm not going to shred anybody or any political party, but I am going to make a bi-partisan statement...or a few really.

There are certain things that still elude my understanding since I have lived in New England. One of them involves politics. Relax, even though I have VERY strong opinions regarding politics I will not be going on any tirade here...even though I may want to. However there is something that I have noticed on both sides of the political fence that I find morbidly interesting, and infuriating. Where I grew up if we don't like a politician who's in office, even if they are a member of our registered party and even if we helped elect them.....we vote them out. If they don't listen to us anymore and have proven that they have developed their own agenda and don't care what the constituents want, then we simply get them out of office. Here in New England though, I have seen another phenomena. The people here complain about how ridiculously high the taxes are (which they are)and about how they disagree with this and with that and they develop a fury about them to "vote them out next time" and it looks like we will finally be free of this hamster wheel that is the incumbent political prison....but then........as voting day gets closer something happens. They cave...they recant the vow to do away with the problematic politicians, be it from fear, from a misguided sense of loyalty or a sudden belief about an accusation (whether true or not) regarding the opponent!

I cannot even tell you how many times I hear the statement, "..well...I don't like either one, but this one has already been in office and they at least know what they're doing." WHAT???? Of course they know what they're doing..that's part of the problem, they know how to work the system AND the people for their own benefit! These voters decide to stick with the people that have been ignoring their opinions and desires for years...sometimes for DECADES! Many of them have told me, "well...I've always voted for this party, my parents are/were this party and so were my grandparents, blah, blah, blah..." ORRRR....."..well, THIS party is for the people...." ROFL!! Since when?!?!? or...."well this group that I'm a member of supports this party so I have to vote those lines" Says WHO??? Then the WORST one EVER, " well, my votes never seem to matter anyway, so I just don't bother.." OMG!!!!! REALLY?!?!?!? May I direct you to a partial list of historic close elections decided by just 1 vote or only a few? Please click here to read more on that.

When did the RIGHT to vote become so taken for granted? If you aren't a white male then you need to VALUE your right to vote for no other reason than that less than 100 years ago you HAD NO RIGHT to vote!! (women, Aug 26th,1920/ black men battled for their constitutional right to vote since the 1830's and finally got wide breakthrough in the 1960's) People who have immigrated to our country from countries ruled by communism understand the value of voting and they exercise that right every chance they get. My in-laws were a PERFECT example of this having lived in communist Russia, and WWII Germany.

The other thing that bothers me aside from the lack of voting is the mindless lemming mentality when it comes to choosing a candidate. When did people stop caring who represents them? I love my family, my friends and my church, and I value their opinions, but if I do the research and believe that any given candidate does not support the issues that I believe in...then guess what, I won't support them no matter who else does! If we are disgusted to see individuals ride the coattails of others to a successful career then why is it any less disgusting to ride the political coattails of our friends and relatives? Make your own informed researched choices, stop basing your opinions and beliefs solely on what you have received as second, third , fourth or more hand knowledge! Don't just rely on the popular media of the day either....that's how Hitler was able to accomplish as much as he did....it's called propaganda. Dig for the facts, dig for the truth. An ignorant vote is a deadly vote.

If you and I were members of the same book club and we are having a conversation where we hit a topic that we PASSIONATELY disagree on....(lets pick a real fiery one like abortion) if you believe strongly one way and I the other and we cannot come to agree......but I was up for election to a committee to change legislation on it and I tell you that I am going to do my best to turn things MY way ......seeing as I disagree with you so strongly, could you trust me to stand up for your cause? You probably wouldn't. What if the topic were the death penalty, or immigration laws, gay marriage or any other hot button topic in the world today? What if the topics are less volatile...like the environment, drug laws and the national deficit? Would you vote me into a position where I could change things to go drastically against what you believe in JUST BECAUSE we're in the same book club? Of course you wouldn't. Then, why would a person vote a politician into office just because they are in the same political party? It is the SAME concept. We must use wisdom when we vote...we MUST research what they stand for and believe in and not just by what they say, they can SAY anything, but by what they DO. Look up their voting records and see what they say versus what they DO.

Finally, fight for the good candidates to get on the ballots! Many times we don't speak up in the primaries and therefore the candidates with the least money or media backing get ignored and sadly, sometimes they would have been the better choice. You can't complain about not liking either of the candidates we end up having to choose between if you didn't do all you could in the primaries to try and get the good ones on the ballot!

Judges 9 (New Living Translation)

Judges 9:7-20

Jotham’s Parable

⁷ When Jotham heard about this, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted,   “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem!
      Listen to me if you want God to listen to you!
⁸ Once upon a time the trees decided to elect a king.
      First they said to the olive tree,
      ‘Be our king!’
⁹ But the olive tree refused, saying,
   ‘Should I quit producing the olive oil
      that blesses both God and people,
      just to wave back and forth over the trees?’
¹⁰ “Then they said to the fig tree,
      ‘You be our king!’
¹¹ But the fig tree also refused, saying,
   ‘Should I quit producing my sweet fruit
      just to wave back and forth over the trees?’
¹² “Then they said to the grapevine,
      ‘You be our king!’
¹³ But the grapevine also refused, saying,
   ‘Should I quit producing the wine
      that cheers both God and people,
      just to wave back and forth over the trees?’
¹⁴ “Then all the trees finally turned to the thornbush and said,
      ‘Come, you be our king!’
¹⁵ And the thornbush replied to the trees,
   ‘If you truly want to make me your king,
      come and take shelter in my shade.
   If not, let fire come out from me
      and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’”
¹⁶ Jotham continued, “Now make sure you have acted honorably and in good faith by making Abimelech your king, and that you have done right by Gideon and all of his descendants. Have you treated him with the honor he deserves for all he accomplished? ¹⁷ For he fought for you and risked his life when he rescued you from the Midianites. ¹⁸ But today you have revolted against my father and his descendants, killing his seventy sons on one stone. And you have chosen his slave woman’s son, Abimelech, to be your king just because he is your relative.
¹⁹ “If you have acted honorably and in good faith toward Gideon and his descendants today, then may you find joy in Abimelech, and may he find joy in you. ²⁰ But if you have not acted in good faith, then may fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leading citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo; and may fire come out from the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo and devour Abimelech!”

Stars on My Eyelashes

2010-10-31T16:49:00.000-04:00

So every year we have a harvest party for the kids at sprout central where they can dress up and so can we (as long as there are no scary costumes) and we have a fun, lesson free day. Usually I just throw on a football jersey and bring my football and go as a fan or a player. Well, this year I decided to really go all out. The kids told me I should dress up as a princess, which I considered, but I finally decided that my evening gown that I had planned to wear was too nice to risk taking it into the DMZ (Defecation Madness Zone). Soooooooo I opted to go as a fairy Godmother instead, that dress would be much less of a blow to replace if it became soiled with....shall we say, a toddler's "homemade goodness". ICK!! Anyway, so I was able to get my hands on some giant fairy wings, a wand, a wig, purple glitter eyeshadow and some false eyelashes with stars on them, pictured to the right. I had a blast and the kids liked it and so did the parents....(no there will be no photographic evidence forthcoming..lol)
As the day progressed, and the children became even more insane and we became physically drained, my wings, silver butterfly shoes and wand all came off.......but the false eyelashes stayed on until late that night. Everywhere I went I kept seeing the little stars glitter out of the corner of my eyes. If you've ever had a rogue fuzzball attach to an eyelash you know what I mean. It can be very distracting as it is constantly interrupting your line of vision. Well, if you have been a long time reader of my blog you know by now that I am ALWAYS looking for little teachable moments....ways that God can speak to me about something or perhaps encourage others. This one was a teachable moment for me.
Soooooooo late Friday night I was asking God what I should share here at AMH next and then I looked up and there again were those little stars. I thought about it and asked Him if that was it and felt the familiar nudge to move forward. So as my heart listened to Him I was reminded of how earlier in the day I was exhausted and drained with the children. I felt so frustrated...these little blessings from God that I enjoy playing with and teaching and listening to when they play....these same little people had made me feel like......well.....if you saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ...that scene where Davey Jones calls for the kraken....and the pirates all scream, "..NOOOOOO!!!!!" and run terrified to escape it....yeah..THAT is how they made me feel Friday...lol.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job, I love working with the sprouts and I love working with Christians...such a VAST difference from working out in the secular world. I really have no room to complain..but I'm going to be honest, I just wanted to get away from them....I didn't want to hear another cry, another whine, another little voice calling my name, "Miss Fwan.....Miss Fwaaannnnnn..." I didn't want to clean another juice spill or another muck butt, I didn't want to be kind or loving or gentile...I didn't want to be surrounded by children. **sigh** I wanted a Calgon moment!
So I was less than Mary Poppins as I counted down the hours to go home and THAT is what God reminded me of. Ohhhhhhhh how I hate when I realize I missed it...which happens far more often than I would like to admit.
So what is the connection? Well, seeing those stars in the line of my vision reminded me that is how I am SUPPOSED to see God. He should be so present with me that He is constantly in my line of vision....wherever I go, wherever I look..I should see Him just like I kept seeing those little stars on my eyelashes. It's in seeing Him that I will then be moved to act like Him. I forgot that Friday...and plenty of days really...but I want to get better at that. I'm better than I used to be, but I have a long way to go. Thankfully God has more patience with me than I do with a herd of stampeding children.
So, do you feel like you need to have those Godly stars on your eyelashes too sometimes? Well, be encouraged.....there's hope for us. We just need to meditate on keeping our mind on Christ...easier said then done sometimes in this frenzied world...but we must keep our lines of communication open with our heavenly Dad. We must go to Him as soon as we feel that frustration and give Him praise and ask Him for grace and to see through His eyes. He will be faithful to do it if we just ask Him to.

Philippians 2:5 (Amplified Bible)

⁵Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]

The A, B, C, and D's of Fatherhood

2010-10-27T01:23:00.007-04:00

*I want to add a very quick addendum before you start reading this entry. A friend of mine said that as she read this the music play list below automatically chose the song Finally, by Fergie. She said that as she listened to it the thoughts I shared coincided with the words of the song. I decided to pull up that song myself and re-read the entry and I must say....if I were to choose a theme song for this entry...that would be it....and I even found it very powerful. So you may want to consider scrolling down the page to my play list below, scroll through the songs to number 38 (currently) and click on the song Finally by Fergie and let it be the background music as you read this entry.
Well.........here we are again, you, me and this funny thing we call a blog. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss being here, I very much did miss this quirky little internet cavern. There have been quite a few times that I sat here staring at the screen with my fingertips resting on my leopard print keyboard and waiting for the words to come......LONGING for the words to come. However, they just wouldn't. No matter how much I tried to will them out and no matter how much I attempted...the words were silent. I've been creatively writing since I was 5 and in the first grade....that's 30 years that words have been flowing out of my heart and fingers....and only twice in that time have I suffered from what I can genuinely call, "writer's block". The first was a few years after I moved to Connecticut and it lasted for YEARS. The second began just hours after my last post here...and if I succeed in completing this entry, it will have ended today. Sooooooo..........remember how I mentioned that I had a BIG pearl in my life that God was working on? Well....it was during my writer's block that God began to really work on that little treasure, so I suppose I should start now.

Now in case you wonder...I am purposefully skipping the letter A for now and you'll understand why shortly.

B is for my father in law, my Tatu, Michael Babij. Within hours of my last posting he was rushed to ICU and five days later he was gone.
He had been in a convalescent home recovering from a broken hip for several months. We just knew he would be coming home, he was sharp and tough and a survivor. He had lost his father when he was a young child to an absolutely horrific farming accident and as the oldest child of nine, he was suddenly thrust into the role of "man of the house" too. Then, before the family had time to finish mourning the loss, their country was thrust into the throes of Holodomor, a Ukrainian holocaust by all accounts. Survival amidst the dying became paramount and the scared young boy went into hiding as a hard working, bread winning young patriarch was born. Of course he forgot what it was like to have affection from a dad or see affection between his parents because his dad was taken too early. It wasn't a problem really until it came time for him to be a husband and father and then the abundance of lack became painfully clear. Quite simply, you cannot give what you don't have....and when you don't know where to draw your knowledge from...the chances of those areas being filled with the wrong things are exceedingly high. For many years Tatu drew his knowledge from the wrong places.
Of course by the time I came into the picture Tatu had changed significantly from the man he had been and he was a much mellower and engaging person. He wasn't perfect by any stretch, but for nearly ten years he became more of a father to me than my birth father. He would call to talk to me just because he wanted to talk, or he wanted to ask my opinion on something. We shared a common love of old movies and so the three of us (Ben, Tatu and I) would sit for hours discussing them or watching them together. He also had an amazing green thumb and would save me plant cuttings he had started or give me whole plants that he knew I loved and would appreciate since I had a significantly less green thumb. I can't tell you how hard it was for me to give a friend of mine one of his cherished Christmas Cactus plants after he died....I felt like I was betraying him somehow...and it felt like I was giving away a last living part of him that I really didn't want to give away, odd I know, but true. All these things don't seem like much......but when the little girl inside is desperately longing to have a dad love, cherish and dote on her...to listen, actually LISTEN uninterrupted when she speaks and treat her like she has value......it's priceless. That's why, even though I wasn't as outwardly crushed and overwhelmed like I was when Momchu passed, Tatu's passing affected me far deeper than anything I imagined because quite frankly I didn't realize how much I had looked up to him. My adopted (by marriage) dad, the only dad I had really had a real relationship with for ten years of my adult life, was suddenly gone....and with it went my words to write. There just were no words that I wanted to say.

C is for Howard Cunningham, played by Tom Bosley on the popular TV sitcom, Happy Days. He passed away last week and I was so sorry to hear that. Although Mr "C"was a fictionalized comedy sitcom character, he was such a warm representation of paternal guidance and affection to me when I was young. I used to love watching him relate to his wife, children and their friends as they encountered different issues of life and I remember listening to his advice as if it were coming from my own dad. I couldn't help but wonder if dad's like that really existed out there.....and if they did....what was I doing wrong as a kid to warrant NOT being treated like that by my own dad. Surely it was my fault, my fault for being a daughter instead of a son, my fault for not being smarter or prettier or blah, blah, blah. All those lies that rejected people both young and old hear whispered in their ears and then believe because they've never been told otherwise. If only there were more real life dads like Mr Cunningham.

D is for my own dad.
Can a daughter feel truly loved by her father if the only time she sees him is when he goes off to work or comes home to eat, watch tv and sleep? Does she recognize him as a good provider? Yes. Does she learn to probably adopt the same work ethic, potentially becoming a workaholic herself? Probably. Does she struggle with massive and overwhelming feelings of abandonment and rejection at having an absentee father? ....sadly....very possibly. Finally, does she forget the happy memories that must have been because all she can remember is the times she felt rejected. **sigh** ...usually.
Please don't misunderstand me, I love my dad....I mean I really love him..and long to have a relationship with him.Unfortunately, just like Tatu, he also couldn't give me what he didn't have....if only I could accept that as easily as I did with Tatu.
So here is the big pearl in my life that I referred to in previous posts. My dad.
Do I believe my dad loves me? Yes...even though I sometimes forget that and even though it rarely feels like it. Do I wish he was more like Howard Cunningham...lol, heck yeah. Do I wish he was more like the Tatu I knew....yes, painfully so. My dad's birthday is coming up in just a few days...I haven't sent him a card in years, but this year I decided I'm going to. It's ok if I get no response, and it's ok if our relationship remains stagnant, because this year I won't be doing it in a desperate hope to find my dad's love.....THIS time I'll be doing it because I love my OTHER DADDY....and He wants me to take a step of faith and show the love my heart may not yet feel.

A is for my other daddy, my Abba. For years I had a really hard time calling God, Daddy. I never called my own dad daddy....it just sounded too babyish to me, and far too affectionate for anything I ever felt in my heart. So the thought of calling God that always sounded immature to me and ridiculous. Although ever since I was a little girl I have felt such a reverence, love and affection for God that far surpassed simply calling Him, GOD....that you would think the term would roll off my tongue quite easily. Well, it didn't....not that I didn't WANT it too...it just wouldn't come off my lips.
Then came time for God to do some intensive work on my "Dad pearl". When we lost Tatu I felt somewhat like an orphan because my emotional dad file was suddenly empty again. Then one by one God began to remind me of the many "dads" He had put in my life to show me the love and affection that my birth dad would have shown me if he were able to. (Now before I go any further, let me say something. I know full well that my birth dad has the physical ABILITY to be a dad for me, but I'm talking about emotional ability here.) Suddenly, over these past several months I have realized that for YEARS I have been overwhelmed with wonderful, Godly men who have loved me unconditionally and poured into my heart and spirit as if they were a dad to me, some of them even though they weren't old enough to even be a dad to me. Men that gave me loving advice and wise council when I needed it, men who just gave me a hug when I needed a "dad" hug. Men like Frank M., Terry B, Sean Q, Ray L, Will M, John R, Bill M and Rich B.....and the list goes on and on.... As I realized that my dad file really WASN'T empty....my heart began to heal and the rejection began to fade. I was finally letting God cover that grain of sand and turn it into a pearl.
Then I began to really open up my heart EVEN MORE to my heavenly dad....areas of my heart that I didn't realize were hurt, were suddenly not hurting anymore and for the first time, quite by accident, that name, Daddy rolled off my tongue one day as I prayed. It shocked me at first and I sat there thinking how much even the thought of using that term made me feel awkward. Then as I sat there processing it I realized there was nothing awkward about it. God really is my daddy. He saved me from an abortion when my mother was pregnant with me, He looked out for me my entire life and continues to do so and He loves me unconditionally. Now it rolls off my tongue without a second thought as I talk to Him in prayer, in fact now it feels odd NOT to call Him Daddy. Interesting how that worked.
**sigh**.........soooooooo all of that to say, I am really back now...back to my blog (although I cannot promise how often my schedule will let me post) and back to life with a new pearl to add to my life strand. Thanks Daddy!!! xoxoxo
So please be encouraged by all of this, because I don't share it to brag to you, I share it to give you hope. If you have a pearl you are struggling with, maybe for years like I have...don't give up hope. Your heavenly daddy is looking out for you, even if it doesn't feel like it and He is going to bring you through to the other side, I can promise you that!

Romans 8:15 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁵For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father!

Still Waters Run Deep

2010-03-01T22:07:00.001-05:00

Well, this post will be brief. As you noticed, I'm sure...I took the month of February off. I needed silence.....you see even though I have extroverted tendencies, I'm actually an introvert. Which means I draw almost all of my strength from times of quiet solitude....I need that, and love it. Sometimes being around people for me is quite draining and the thought of being alone to just hear the silence....is rejuvenating.
We had some snow this past month, not nearly enough for my taste, at least not where we live. One of the days though we had to go to work and then halfway through the day we closed the daycare early due to bad weather. Before we did that however, I had a few moments to myself as the children slept. I walked over to the window and opened it up to just listen to the snow induced silence.......it was GLORIOUS!! Not a sound anywhere....the entire downtown area was as quiet as if the world were asleep. I stood there looking at the snow fall and breathing in the fresh air and wished I were in that snowy forest at the beginning of The Chronicles of Narnia. **sigh** perfection
SO.......I have been working on a little pearl in my life.....not one that I'm ready to talk about yet, but in time I will. For now I've been doing my best to just let the process move along and not buck it. My experience has been that when I buck it just delays things and Lord knows I don't want that. LOL.
Anyway, on the 1st of February my little brother turned 20.......shocking.......I simply can't believe it's been so long since I held him in my arms and rocked him to sleep. I have so many fond memories of climbing with him through ball pits at indoor playscapes (an entertaining thought if you realize I was 15 years older than him as I did this) and then the endless hours I spent making up bedtime stories, naptime stories and then ANYtime stories of the adventures of Sammy Superdog and his canine friends. LOL So many things I remember that just don't seem to have been so long ago.....they were just yesterday weren't they? Hmmmmm.....I suppose not.
Then yesterday, the 28th and final day of February was Ben's birthday. My sweet Bear.........I cannot even voice how thankful I am for the day his mom gave birth to him. It's hard to believe he's been in my life for almost twelve years. He's such a part of me.....I can barely recall my life before him.
Sigh, a good start, and finish to a month marked by love...February.
Anyway, that's all for now....I just wanted to let everyone know I'm still alive and well and so is the blog. We both just needed a breath of silence.

The Sugar Bowl

2010-02-01T00:13:00.003-05:00

I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit warm and fuzzy. I got my first blog award this week. Now to all you seasoned award getting bloggers this is no big deal. However for me, even though I've technically been blogging off and on since 2005 this is a first. So thank you PJ for giving this to me. I appreciate it! :)

Now, the way this one works is I need to find 10 things to say about myself.

1. I'm a born and bred Southern Belle and proud of my antebellum roots.
2. I'm extremely ticklish
3. I'm a passionate Christian and don't know how people survive without the hope of faith.
4. I am married to a man who still makes me sigh uncontrollably and my heart flutter.
5. I love and get my strength from quiet solitude.
6. My favorite color is candy apple red.
7. I love going to carnivals and fairs, especially at night.
8. I've never been a worrier and have a hard time relating to people that are.
9. I hate talking on the phone.
10. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, L-O-V-E antiques!!! Especially small and unique items.

Then choose ten blogs I would like to send this award to: (Some are getting this because of the depth of the blog and others because of the depth of love I have for them and I know they need a smile.) Please visit their blogs when you have a chance and if you like what you see then please consider following them along with me.

Beth
Erika
Ginger
Rhonda
Marty
Savannah
Happy Gal
Annie
Katylin
Kim

Harvesting Pearls

2010-01-26T02:54:00.007-05:00

Question: What do you and I, Wayne Elsey and recording artist Melody Gardot have in common?

Answer: Read on and see.

So last Thursday I was standing at my bedside removing my watch and praying about what my next entry here should be. As I got ready to settle in for a night of writing my eyes casually glanced over to a beautiful three strand pearl necklace Ben gave me for Christmas. I stared at them for a moment, thinking ....there was something about those pearls. I picked them up and began sliding my fingers up and down the smooth strands. "What is it about pearls....?" Now, I know how and where pearls come from and how they are made and where they are mentioned in the Bible but I knew there was something deeper, somewhere deeper I was supposed to go with this...so I kept praying.

One of my habits when writing is to collect my thoughts, ideas, photos and tasty tidbits first by throwing them into one massive pile on the page. Then I sort through the page as I sort through my thoughts. It tends to be a bit eclectic like I am....lol. So that night I looked for the perfect picture of a pearl or pearls, next I dug up some facts about how pearls are created. As I read through what I already knew about the process it hit me very distinctly what it was about that pearl necklace that I was supposed to share here at Anthem. By this time however it was pretty late at night and I was tired so I opted to finish the next day.
Interesting how things so simple develop...
The next night, however, I was in the ER. Don't worry, I'll spare you the gross details. Needless to say however, what we thought was food poisoning turned out to be some sort of violent stomach flu (probably caught from one of the beloved sprouts at sprout central) which forced me into 72 hours of bed rest...and shall we say......purging......at home. Something I didn't feel like my busy life could afford, but I am certainly thankful for now....if for no other reason than it opened the door for me to expand what I wanted to share with you about those pearls. Come on...did you really expect me to NOT find the good in it? PFFFTTTT....oh how little you know me. LOL.

So......back to my question.... What do you and I, Wayne Elsey and Melody Gardot have in common?
Well, let's start out by answering who Melody Gardot is. She is a chart topping artist who sings as if her vocal chords are made of velvet. I love jazz and blues and so when I listen to her she makes my eyes close and I wander to a most relaxing place. She also brings out my French heritage...she is American, but her music is reminiscent of everything my Parisian French roots call out for. If you haven't guessed it, I am a fan.
Since I was forced to be home in bed Sunday instead of at church as I usually am I happened to have the television on to keep me and the fuzzboy company as I lay convalescing and I saw CBS' Sunday Morning. A program I have liked since I was a little kid, but rarely ever get to see. Sooo....I'm going to let you read the brief transcript of Anthony Mason's piece with Miss Gardot because it will fill you in far better than I on who this woman is and how she came to be the artist she is today. How Melody Gardot Found Her Voice

Now I don't know anything about Miss Gardot's personal life other than what I have seen on tv and read, and I don't know what her faith is if she even has any. She may or may not agree with my beliefs...although I would like to think she would, only because it is extremely evident to me that she is a woman who has MUCH to be thankful for. She took a life altering event, something that could have destroyed her...literally, and with much work made it into something beautiful for all to see and share. In short, she overcame.

Now, on to Wayne Elsey whom I also mentioned. Who is he? He's an inspiration...a doer and not just a talker. A man of vision and heart, in my opinion, he's a hero. Not just for deeds he's done, anyone can do a good deed...and any rich man can do MANY good deeds. A hero is defined by the heart of service behind the deed...Mr Elsey knows he has been given much so that he can give much. A servants heart is always heroic, especially when it seeks to always remain humble in it's service. He inspires me beyond words...and he should do the same for you. He is the founder of the massive international charity that is Soles 4 Souls. Someone else my illness this weekend helped me slow down long enough to be reminded of. You may read the brief history of how he started his charity here Soles 4 Souls. As you can see, the life altering events that could have destroyed his own life only propelled him to be the catalyst to take other life altering events that destroyed so many and so much and make something beautiful and life altering for many to share. Another over-comer.
Now by the natural progression of my blog so far you would think my next step is to go to you and I, well...here is where I deviate. Now it's time to jump to that oh so eye opening info I pulled up about pearl farming. Remember what started all of this? That strand of pearls in my hand....I knew there was SOMETHING I was supposed to share about those pearls...and here it is. Yeah yeah, you know, pearls are made when a grain of sand gets into an oyster and blah, blah, blah....second grade science.
Yeah, you're right, but indulge me for a moment. Read this brief little snippet I pasted below from Pearl-Guide.com

The Process Of Nucleation In Pearl Farming

The process of nucleation is a surgical procedure, whereby a foreign object is implanted into the oyster. This object causes irritation, which the oyster counteracts by secreting nacre to surround the object; this produces the pearl.

The Pearl Is Now Allowed To Grow

After nucleating, the oysters are given a few weeks to recover from the surgery. During this time, some of the oysters may reject and expel the implanted nuclei; others may become sick or even die. Most, however, will fully recover. The oysters are then placed in cages or nets and moved into the oyster bed, where they will be tended as the pearls develop. Depending on the type of oyster, this process can require anywhere from a few additional months to several more years!

Finally, The Pearls Are Harvested

Wow....ok, NOW I can move on to the you and I part of this entry.
Everyday, you and I have foreign objects implanted into us for the purpose of causing irritation. Not to make us miserable, but to give us the opportunity to counteract it and create a pearl! We can reject and expel that irritant or become broken, sick and dead in spirit because of it or we can choose the third option and fully recover and create something beautiful out of what once hurt us. It may take weeks, months or years, but if we accept it and let the process take it's course it will develop a pearl.
I have many pearls in my life that I didn't realize were pearls until this week. I just never thought of them that way, and to be honest sometimes it can be frustrating to try and explain why you're a Pollyanna to someone that only understands Scrooge. I've had people become angry at me and call me names and tell me I live in a fairytale because I am so happy all the time. I've been told I'm not connected to reality because I don't embrace pain and hurt like the psalmists in the Bible did. PFFTT...whatever! I just shake my head because they really don't get it. I'm happy because I CHOOSE to wrap that pain and irritant in the nacre that is my deep seeded faith and let it surround that object to create a pearl. Then when the time is right, I let my God harvest that pearl out of my life. As far as embracing pain and hurt, hmmm...I do embrace it, but in a way that those blinded to it will never be able to understand. Those oysters don't stay spread open for weather and element to disrupt the process and to brag to all the other oysters about "woe is me" how big and horrible their irritant is. Instead they stay closed around that irritant to ensure that the work is completed. I embrace my irritants alright, but not to wallow in the glory of the irritant, but instead to try and keep my focus on the glory of the pearl to be .
It's not just me either, so many others have done and are doing the same. My best friend Beth has had many a foreign object implanted in her life to cause irritants and she has let God harvest a beautiful strand of pearls out of each one. The same goes for my friends Lori, Rae, Erika, Melissa L and my sweet Ben as well as Melody Gardot and Wayne Elsey and most recently the people in Haiti that we are seeing suddenly worshiping and praising God on the beaches and out in the open air among others. We've all had foreign objects implanted into us by the master of all pearl farmers....our choice is are we going to reject them, let them kill us or truly embrace them and let them be harvested into the glorious pearls they were intended to become all along?
Sadly I know many people who have led lives FILLED with objects of irritation and pain and instead of embracing the potential pearl they just lay flopped open like an open oyster whining and complaining about how bad it is or trying to gain bragging rights about how big and horrible THEIR piece of sand is. They have rejected the pearls that could have been because their too busy with the irritant.

I don't know about you, but I would rather die than miss out on any potential pearls because I rejected the irritant. Not that I have it perfected either, I don't, by any stretch of the imagination. There are many irritants that I have to constantly remind myself are just pearls in the making. Those harder ones are just having to take a little longer, but I know that when they are ready they WILL be harvested too. Besides, it's easier to keep that joy when you know that beauty will eventually come of it.
So start harvesting your pearls! Who knows what beautiful creations may be made out of them when all is said and done!

Philippians 1:6 (New Living Translation)

⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

STREEEEEETCH!!!!

2010-01-20T19:18:00.001-05:00

Sooooooooo.........I haven't been on in a few days and there's a very good reason. My pitiful little laptop is sick. Yes, Lulabelle somehow got infected with either spyware, malwear or an actual virus. I'm not sure which it is at this point, but she has been sent to the laptop ER and will hopefully be home soon after a brief recovery....sigh. Until then however I'm relagated to sharing Ben's computer when he isn't online or checking my email from work when I'm off the clock. Of course that's fine, but you don't realize how your own computer has been personalized to your own tastes, needs and conveniences until you don't have it. Oh well.....the silver linign is it's giving me more time to catch up on the things I need to do around the house that are so easily set aside when I'm online. So I guess even having my computer become infested with internet critters is a good thing since it helps me get back on track in my non cyber life.

Meanwhile....it appears that Ben and I have entered a season of being stretched in our faith and in our daily walk. I'm not really looking forward to the process, I mean who enjoys having their lives stretched and pulled like Stretch Armstrong. (For those of you born before 1978 you know who I'm talking about) HOWEVER, I am very much looking forward to the outcome when all is said and done, because I know it will be good. So how do I know this is coming? Well, let me fill you in.

In 2000 I changed careers and went to work for a corporate office. At the time it was the best job I had ever had and honestly hoped to retire there. Six months later Ben got hired at the same company and for just under nine years (I say nine years since it was so close) he and I worked together (something I sincerely miss. Who wouldn't want to work with their best friend?). He also loved his job and hoped to retire there. It was a locally owned international company and we worked in the home office. The owners were extremely employee and family oriented and took care of their employees very well. As the company grew and so did the pocketbooks of the owners, a shift began to take place. Suddenly the once worker friendly environment began to become hostile....and we were no longer partnerring toward success as much as we were the means to their next golf course mansion or yacht. It was a hard pill to swallow in an environment where the owners used to come sit and chat with you about your family and life outside of work, to an environment where they didn't have time for you and you were suddenly beneath them. However, because of the way it used to be most of us hung in there hoping things might return to their previous state of being. Unfortunately, that would not be the case.
In January of 2008 we were all pulled into an office wide meeting and gently told that the company had been sold. The vast majority of us sat or stood in silent shock. We knew something had been amiss due to the influx of visiting executives, but none of us had suspected that. So after a moment, albeit a very brief moment, we were then promised everything under the moon to try and calm the growing fears of sudden job loss. Golden promises of never closing our office and people all being totally secure filled the room, but underneath there was a very present sense of foreboding. So in short time, as feared, the axes began to fall. By November I had given my notice to go and start my career at Sprout Cwntral, because I knew my division of the company would be the first to be completely obliterated. This past Summer what had been my division was in fact wiped out leaving several friends suddenly all out of work. With each passing month it seamed the end of the entire company was imminent, no matter what the new corporate execs promised.
Well, Monday they pulled Ben and the entire remaining company employees, ( a meager 30 or so, down from the 60+ at the time of the buyout) into another meeting. Yep, you guessed it....they were all systematically informed that as of March 31st of this year the office will be shut down and moved to Oklahoma. All those choosing not to chance a POTENTIAL job in Oklahoma or North Carolina will be out of a job.
**sigh** Well, thankfully Ben and I both have a peace about it. We knew it was coming, we just didn't know when. So now we know the when. We know God is going to do something amazing...we don't know what or how, but we know He will come through, He always does. We have been praying for a better job for Ben for YEARS but it just wasn't the time for anything to open up yet. It looks like it finally is now though. Oddly, we're both kind of excited to see what is on the horizon. Of course, being the provider and protector that he is, Ben is doing his best to not be overly concerned, but behind it all, we know God has it covered. Besides, remember that fleece I put out for God? Well, in the conversation I had with Ben that night Ben had reminded me to just trust God and He will cover every need we have. Interesting timing on that don't ya think? Ironically, remember how I said I had another 2 fleece to put out for God before I would KNOW the answer to that prayer I had been bringing to God? Well, lets just say this sudden change of events appears to be the POTENTIAL answer to that second fleece. HMMM........

So that was the first way I know we are about to be stretched in our faith. The second is more personal to myself. At our church I am leader of the hospitality ministry, it doesn't sound like much, but believe me...it entails a lot for a church that has three services on the weekend. I've finally gotten some good volunteers though and have hit a nice comfortable pace which has removed most of the drain on me. Now our church is growing again and we will be adding a fourth service on Sunday, a very good thing, but the thought of one more service to cover is a bit daunting to say the least. So I've given the Lord my word that I wouldn't complain about it, I saw how He provided for me when I needed it before so I know He will do it again, I just have to trust Him. I think I can do that........no, I KNOW I can do that. He's never let me down before, so I have no reason to think He will now. His answer may be different than what I expect, but it will always be the BEST answer if I'm willing to have an open mind.

Soooooo......it will be an interesting journey going forward, but I'm glad I can share it with all of you so we can grow through this together. It should be an interesting ride, and I hope I do my God and my faith justice as I find joy in the ups, downs and middles of this next adventure. No matter what, I will always praise Him even in the face of adversity...He is my joy and nothing will steal that away.

Psalm 34:1 (New Living Translation)

1 I will praise the Lord at all times.

I will constantly speak his praises.

Psalm 34:1 (The Message)
1 I bless God every chance I get;
my lungs expand with his praise.

Shards of Glass

2010-01-15T02:32:00.001-05:00

So last night I was over at Batman and Rapunzel's house helping her out with her dissertation and having a great time. We always have a good time when we get together and last night was no different.....well, no different until the end of the night that is. So as I was getting ready to leave Ranger needed to go potty, so Rae decided to walk me to the car so he could pee. As we stepped to the end of the sidewalk all of a sudden she gasped and let out a few choice words of frustration, we'll pretend it was "Jesus is Awesome" like I should have been thinking Tuesday when I was feeling that frustration. LOL.
SO after a quick second and making sure she wasn't in labor I turned to see what she was looking at. The entire back window of her brand new SUV was busted out and laying shattered on the ground. A million pieces of tinted glass everywhere. We both shifted gears and she went to get Al and I took care of Ranger. After a few moments we realized that their car wasn't the only car vandalized. There were four cars in their parking lot alone and at least another four or five in the lot behind them. Sadly, one of the other cars in their lot to get hit was also Al's car. Apparently this is a trend that the tenants are getting fed up with, UNDERSTANDABLY. Some punk kids going on destruction sprees just for the fun of it....not cool.
So I hung out to wait till the cops came and I'm so glad I did. I witnessed something that made me so proud of both Rae and Al. This was a prime opportunity to go off on a justified rant and be totally po'd and turn into a beast and yadda yadda yadda.......but instead I saw both of them choose to stay calm in the midst of it, yeah they were ticked, but NEITHER of them fed into the raw emotions and let it control them. Instead they both focused in on God and kept their cool and CHOSE to NOT ALLOW this to get to them. I hope I would have handled it the same way, but I don't know for sure how I would have responded.
So anyway........as I drove home I was talking to God about this blog entry. No, I'm not crazy or being overly religious, but part of why I'm blogging and part of why I am the Pollyanna that I am is because I believe EVERYTHING, even something like this has a purpose and has good come of it. So if I'm not passing along what I believe that purpose or message to be in this blog then what's the point? I knew this event was going to be the centerpiece of the blog today but I wanted to make sure I wasn't just retelling a story, but really learning a lesson from it.
So as I drove along and processed the events of the previous hour I kept seeing the picture of Rachel's glass window shattered on the ground, all those shards of glass. I also kept hearing those words over and over, shards of glass, shards of glass, shards of glass. Those shards of glass must somehow represent us...or something we humans do. HMMMMMM.....
So when I got home I decided to look up the definition of a shard, now I know what it means, but sometimes you get clearer insight when you actually pull up the complete definition of a word.
So here we go, ready? Good.
Websters defines a SHARD as a piece or fragment of a brittle substance.

Interesting, but I'm not really feeling a great insight yet, YOU? Yeah I didn't think so.... lets go a bit deeper, shall we?

The definition of the word BRITTLE according to Websters is something easily broken, cracked, or snapped. Easily disrupted, overthrown, or damaged. Frail, perishable, mortal, transitory, and evanescent. Easily hurt or offended, sensitive, and sharp. Lacking warmth, depth, or generosity of spirit, cold.

WHEW!!!!! That is a whole lot of adjectives for such a small word! However, it sure as heck gets the point across doesn't it? Being brittle is just fine when we're talking about a sheet of glass, a butterfly wing or even peanut brittle, but it's NOT fine when we're talking about a person. Have you ever felt broken, cracked or damaged by a person or circumstance? Have you felt the rug pulled out from under you as things disrupt, overthrow or damage YOUR plans? Do you ever get hurt, offended or over sensitive when things don't go the way you wanted or expected? Worse yet, have others accused you of lacking warmth, depth or being cold?
HMMMM.....that requires some painfully deep soul searching doesn't it.....I don't know about you, but in the interest of keeping it real here, I've fallen into each of these categories at different times in my life. In fact some of these I'm still working on, especially when thinking of certain family members of mine. Sorry, but it's true.....blood may be thicker than water, but thickness doesn't always equate quality. I think it's safe to say then that all of the things associated with being brittle are NOT the kind of traits we want to have associated with our own selves.

Now, let's go a bit deeper still.
What would be the opposite, the antonym of Brittle? That would be, robust, healthy, strong. When I saw those words I wondered if there is a translation of the Bible that uses the word robust. Well, there is....and ironically...or maybe not so ironically, there is one verse that in multiple translations interchanges each of those three words to convey the same thought. What does the thought refer to? Ready for this? bitterness, envy, jealousy and runaway emotions. HMMMM.....all things that come out of the emotions associated with being brittle. I think that broken glass definitely conveyed a message, not just to myself but to all of us.
We need to have our focus on God....in fact, we need to be so focused on Him, so robust,healthy and strong in Him and His word, the Bible, that when things hit us like that weapon hit the glass on those cars, we don't shatter because we are brittle.

Proverbs 14:30 (The Message)

³⁰ A sound mind makes for a robust body,
but runaway emotions corrode the bones.

Ok, soooooooooo if we are going to have a robust body we need a sound mind. How do we get that? Well, let's go back to the source.

2 Timothy 1:7 (New King James Version)

⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Ok, so the sound mind isn't something we acquire, it was already given to us. (Yeah I know, I don't always feel like it either....but tell your fickle feelings to kiss off.) Now, WHYYYYYYYY would we be told in the same verse that we have been given a sound mind, that we also HAVEN'T been given a spirit of fear? Well, for that answer let's go back to the definition of the word brittle.
something easily broken, cracked, or snapped. Easily disrupted, overthrown, or damaged. Frail, perishable, mortal, transitory, and evanescent. Easily hurt or offended, sensitive, and sharp. Lacking warmth, depth, or generosity of spirit, cold.

I don't know about you, but when I feel those emotions, especially towards my biological father and his less than loving family....they are definitely rooted in fear. Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of betrayal, fear of never being GOOD enough....and lots of others. Well if those feelings are not God given, then I don't want them! Who DOES?!?!?!? So the antidote? The anti-fear, anti-brittle solution? The only way to get and maintain a sound mind is to debunk fear in all it's faces by dissecting each one and applying the truth in it's place. So here is what the Bible has to say about who I, who YOU REALLY are and the value we REALLY have.
In an effort to save space I will not include the full verses, but here is a link to Bible Gateway where you can pull up the complete verse in any translation and language you prefer.
Bible Gateway Passage Lookup
I'm going to close with this list, I don't really think there is much else to say after that. Don't feel bad about being brittle, we all have in the past...and we all have areas where we still are. Instead, focus on reinforcing those brittle areas with TRUTH.....the Bible IS TRUTH. That way when things come at you to destroy you and turn your brittleness into shards, you will be stronger and less likely to shatter.

Who I Am In Christ

		I am accepted...
	John 1:12	I am God's child.
	John 15:15	As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.
	Romans 5:1	I have been justified.
	1 Corinthians 6:17	I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.
	1 Corinthians 6:19-20	I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.
	1 Corinthians 12:27	I am a member of Christ's body.
	Ephesians 1:3-8	I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.
	Colossians 1:13-14	I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
	Colossians 2:9-10	I am complete in Christ.
	Hebrews 4:14-16	I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

		I am secure...
	Romans 8:1-2	I am free from condemnation.
	Romans 8:28	I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
	Romans 8:31-39	I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.
	2 Corinthians 1:21-22	I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
	Colossians 3:1-4	I am hidden with Christ in God.
	Philippians 1:6	I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.
	Philippians 3:20	I am a citizen of heaven.
	2 Timothy 1:7	I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
	1 John 5:18	I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

		I am significant...
	John 15:5	I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.
	John 15:16	I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
	1 Corinthians 3:16	I am God's temple.
	2 Corinthians 5:17-21	I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
	Ephesians 2:6	I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
	Ephesians 2:10	I am God's workmanship.
	Ephesians 3:12	I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
	Philippians 4:13	I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

1...2...3...4...Breathe...5...6...

2010-01-13T01:29:00.002-05:00

So Monday was pretty non climactic, not a bad thing really...lol. ALthough, maybe I shouldn't say that. It ended on a highly positive note. For about 2 months now I've been praying about something. I believe God has been showing me some things, confirming some things and sending LOTS of encouragement. I'm not prepared to share about it yet, but in time I will. So anyway, I have been keeping it to myself all this time and meditating and praying about it, put out a Gideon's fleece or two. No that does not mean a person is weak spiritually...yes we are to trust God and the very essence of faith is to believe in things not seen....however, sometimes in our sinful human nature a seed of doubt or fear gets in there and we need God to just meet us where we're at. In almost 30 years of being a Christian I haven't had a whole lot of those moments, I usually tend to jump in with both feet and trust for God to catch me, but this is one of those fleece things for me. Not that I don't believe He can do what I'm praying about, but I guess on this one I want to play it safe and make sure I KNOW, that I KNOW, that I KNOW..it's God.
So anyway, last night as I was reading the days scripture for the Bible in a year one of the verses leapt off the page at me and it spoke to the EXACT thing I've been praying about. I felt like it was time I finally shared with Ben what has been on my heart. I was a little apprehensive,......ok....a lot apprehensive. Not that he wouldn't support me, but sometimes the things that are important to the female mind and heart aren't on the same radar screen as the things that are important to the male mind and heart. So I prayed and happened to be IM-ing somebody and had them pray too for the best way to broach the topic and that it would be well received.

Well, God met me where I was at and not only was Ben TOTALLY supportive (Lord I love that man!!) and completely encouraging, but he threw me a curve ball I NEVER really expected by saying, "Fran...what makes you think I haven't already been interceding about that for you?" I think this was the exact moment I experienced my first deer in headlights look for the night. "HUH?!?!!?" He gave me a look like, DUH!!! It took a moment for that to sink in.....hmmm...I don't know....he has so many other things on his plate in providing for our home and other things that no, I honestly DIDN'T think he would be interceding for me on this. HUH....cool God, didn't see that one coming!!!! So because he was soooooooo supportive and encouraging it actually gave me the room I needed to REALLY open up about my concerns, fears and other feelings regarding this prayer request. Ben sat there and listened and reminded me of scripture I needed to be reminded of and offered up ideas and solutions to make this thing work,(I guess he really HAS been praying about this...WOWWW!!!). So by the end of our conversation I had a whole new level of peace about this that I have never had before. Unbelievable...God never ceases to amaze me.
SOoooooo...today I woke up and yep, that peace was still there....sigh....Gideon fleece number 1, wow.....cool.

SO I went bopping along to work, feeling pretty dang amazing.....and as I stood there chatting with the girls and helped welcome the sprouts in for the day, it happened. One of them had wiggled up behind me on the floor just as the doorbell rang, I went to get it and WHOOP, BANG! My feet did some sort of ankle height triple lutz as I spun around, knocked the child down onto his bottom, and crashed down onto one knee directly on the wood covered concrete floor somehow catching myself on the cabinet behind me with both hands and miraculously never spilling a drop of the almost full iced coffee which I was holding! AND FOR MY NEXT TRICK!!!!! So I turn around to make sure he's ok, he is, but he's now crying because he has no idea what he just witnessed or caused, but Miss Fran suddenly looks like a cross between a cherry red tomato as she bites her lip and a fish out of water as she writhes on the floor in pain. Thankfully the girls jumped right in. Amber ran to get the door, I think Jess grabbed Dylan and got him out of the way and Allie got out of MY way...lol. I got up painfully and slowly and limped across the room to focus on keeping my mouth shut....OHHHHHHHHH that was a wise choice because I really don't think ANYBODY wanted to hear the colorful things running through my mind at that moment. Let's just say I was feeling significantly less than Christian at that moment and the phrase, "Jesus is AWESOME" was NOT what wanted to come out of my mouth. So I waited for the incoming parents to disperse, Allie asked if I was ok and I still couldn't open my mouth so I just waived my hand and nodded.

She knows me well enough she just said ok and backed away, wise girl. I stood up as straight as I could and limped to the kitchen to get an ice pack. Oh wait, wonder jaws bit into our last ice pack last week so no ice pack in the freezer...AHHH but we had a bag of frozen corn. THAT works! I gingerly applied it and felt my ability to speak slowly return. Meanwhile Amber came to get an icepack for Dylan's leg, oh yeah..wonder jaws....ok so he ended up having a tube of frozen Pillsbury sugar cookie dough applied to his leg instead of ice. Yeah...WE'RE professional! LOL.

SIGH...........when I was finally able to function again I emerged from the kitchen and sat at the kids lunch table holding my corn to my knee. Amber shifted to nurse mode and thankfully after about an hour the massive swelling and bruising on my knee had gone down signifcantly and I was able to walk with little pain or stiffness. THANK YOU LORD.
I love my life...lol. Honestly....there is never a dull moment....and even though I got hurt....it could have been worse. I could have hurt Dylan, I could have hit my HEAD..I could have broken something....worse yet, I could have spilled my iced coffee......but I didn't. I also could have vocalized the expletives that were in my mind, but thank God I didn't. Yeah I have a sore knee, but thank God we had corn and sugar cookies in the freezer! LOL. Overall...that peace and joy I started out with in the morning....still in tact! God Rocks!
Ok, that's enough for one night. I'll catch you guys later and if you haven't checked out the list of blogs on the left that I follow, please do. There are some really great bloggers over there that would love to have you come visit them.

Is the Son in Your Eyes?

2010-01-11T01:46:00.004-05:00

Boy, ....for a woman who decided to take the weekends off from blogging I had another moment this weekend that I just had to share.

So one of the things about living in New England is that Winters here are not only cold, but drab. Thickly overcast skies and bland colors in shades of brown, white and gray really don't make for a very cheerful atmosphere. However, they do make you appreciate the sunlight, ANY sunlight, more. After a long succession of drab dark days where barely a hint of blue sky is visible the normal sunny days seem almost glaringly tropical. This weekend we had two of those days. It was still cold out there, but soooooooo bright and sunny, it was WONDERFUL! Driving out in it though, well....when your eyes are acclimated to the dark gloomy palette, AND both pairs of your dark sunglasses are at home because you have to replace screws that fell out...you may feel a little less than thankful for the extremely bright sunlight that's blinding you.

So that was kind of my dilemma this weekend, especially yesterday when I was fighting a migraine. So many times I have been irritable when trying to drive or even when riding as a passenger and it seems that every couple of moments the road curves in such a way that another blinding shot of light finds a space to shoot through causing me to squint and bob my head like some parrot doing the boogie to Rockin' Robin. LOL
In those moments I crave the overcast days because it's convenient and less interfering with MY plans.
Enter my God moment, stage left.
So as we were driving along and I was silently complaining and whining to myself for one stray cloud somewhere over the entire state of Connecticut to get the blasted sun out of my eyes, I had an epiphany. Sometimes those of us accustomed to living in the light are so blinded by the inconvenience of the brightness that we forget what it's like to appreciate the presence of the light at all.
A few years ago during the bleak Winter here we had several weeks of nothing but gray, overcast, dark days.....so many in a row that I remember being in tears because I just wanted some sunlight......ANY sunlight. ( I would NEVER be able to live in Alaska! Three months of darkness....oh no...no, no, no...not for me.) Then late one day we had a break in the skies and the tiniest patch of bright baby blue streaked with the most amazing shades of orange, pink, yellow and red appeared just as the sun was setting. It was the only beautiful color within eyesight and even though it was small and seemingly insignificant in the vast expanse of gray sky, it was GLORIOUS! On that day I would have PAID to have sunlight blinding me!
HMMMMMMMM........So I was thinking.........I was frustrated by the sunlight streaming from seemingly every angle and filling my eyes, but do I shine enough of the light from THE Son that it dispels the bleak darkness for those I come in contact with who are CRAVING light?

Ephesians 5:8 (New Living Translation)

For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

Yeah sure I give off some light, maybe even more than some others, MAYBE, but I would be a fool to ever think it's enough. ANY Christian who isn't constantly growing to be a better example of our faith by truly reflecting the heart of Christ to those around us needs to remember what it was like to be in the darkness and crying out, craving the light. Instead many of us, and I'm including myself because I'm just as guilty of this, get irritated by the inconvenience of our faith. How often do we say things like, "Well I didn't invite them to church because they probably wouldn't come anyway..." or "Well I didn't want to tell them about my faith because I didn't want to offend them..." or maybe some harder to identify ones like "I would have gone to church today, but I'm just so tired..." or "Well I would have volunteered, but they looked like they had enough help..." Then there are the REALLY hard to spot ones like "I'll pray for you..."...and then promptly forget about that when we are out of sight. OUCH....how many of us have done that one?

That verse in Ephesians I posted above says we are to LIVE as people of the light, not just hop in and out of our persona as it's convenient. We need to keep the memory of what it was like to have no hope, have no joy, have no peace burned on the frontal lobes of our brains so we NEVER forget it. That way we will always remember to shine the light of our faith by actually living it, even when the brightness seems inconvenient to us. I need to remember that too......random people, and some not so random are put in our lives and across our paths on a daily basis for us to shine light to....I pray that you and I both reflect a light so bright that they need sunglasses.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2010-01-09T14:34:00.002-05:00

So I know I said I wasn't going to blog on the weekends, but I had to share this because it made me smile and made me think deeper too. Saturdays are one of the busiest days of the week for us because we go out with a team of others and feed the homeless and low income in our city. Well, that may sound simple, but it takes a lot of prep work starting very early in the morning. Since Ben has been feeling ill he actually opted to stay home today, THANK YOU LORD! He usually pushes himself, but today he realized it wouldn't be wise to go out in the cold.

Well, usually we bag up bread that has been donated to pass out, but because we won't be going out ( I have a migraine that keeps subsiding and then returning...ugh) we went to the home base to drop everything off so they can bag it for us. While we were there I saw one of my girlfriends that I don't see very often, mainly because we just live so far away from each other. Well as we caught up on things her daughter was running around talking and playing. (Here's an old picture I took of her almost 2 years ago...Lord has it been that LONG???) Meanwhile Ben had gone out to the car to wait for me and since I didn't realize how long I had kept him waiting, (you know how it is when you get talking to someone you haven't seen in a while) he came back in to see where I was. Well, little Heather came running in to tell me he had come back in and I told her something to the effect of thank you, I'll have to hurry. Well she toddled off and a minute or so later after Ben had gone back out to the car she came back in and with a big grin and wrinkled nose, told me, "Your prince went outside again".
Now, you know by now that one of my nicknames for Ben is my Prince Charming so I was thinking she must have heard me call him that, plus her mother calls her dad that nickname too. Well, after my heart finished it's "awwwwwwww.........so sweet!!" moment, Sarah proceeds to tell me that Heather calls ALL husbands princes. I've got to tell you, I LOVE that!!! What a great mental picture for her to have of a dad and a husband! The full gravity of that didn't hit me though until after we had left. How many crotchety and biting women do I know that practically demand that their men treat them like queens and then make the men feel like sleazebags if they don't meet their expectations. I can name quite a few unfortunately, but on the flip side how many of those women start off treating the men like their own personal prince charming? Men WANT to be their woman's hero, true, a lot of men have a hard time showing it because they were never shown by their fathers how to express those things, but most women are so busy trying to prove they are self sufficient that they never give their man a chance to be their prince charming. Then they wonder why things go sour in the relationship. How sad.....
Now for those women reading this who are going to be mad at me because you think I'm coming from some naive point of view that has never seen bad relationships etc, you're wrong. I've seen more bad relationships than good healthy ones unfortunately so get your panties out of a bind, but I know that truly happy relationships are possible and a lot of times our own actions or lack thereof dictate the course of things.
So cheers to all you women who willingly and JOYFULLY see and treat your men as the hero he wants to be and to all the men who are their prince charmings! Also, for those of you women out there who treat him that way and haven't seen him turn his heart yet, don't get discouraged....you keep doing what you are supposed to do and eventually your unfailing love and respect for him, even when you feel he doesn't deserve it, WILL turn things....I've seen it happen too many times to think it isn't true. Same goes for you men that have a witchy woman.

1 Corinthians 7:16 (New Living Translation)

¹⁶ Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?

Rapunzel, Rumplestiltskin and Romeo

2010-01-09T01:28:00.001-05:00

Sigh.....sorry folks, it's been a couple of days I know since you heard from me. I think I must be catching what the bear has or some energy sucking germ, because I have been absolutely EXHAUSTED the past couple of days...today as well actually. Without further ado, let me catch you up on the latest.

Wednesday I worked the early shift which is always a blessing since it means I get out of work at 2:15. Still a full days work, but doesn't feel like it. So after work I went to visit Rachel, aka Rapunzel for the next few weeks. She and Allan have become so close to us that they have also been relegated to that status of family. Only a few more weeks till their little sprout is welcomed into the world and I can't wait. Their close proximity to us will enable me to lavish on the little one all the extra hugs and kisses I have stored up for Beth and Sean's new little sprout since they are so far away, can't let them got to waist. LOL I am absolutely ecstatic about being asked to be in charge of her baby shower too so Wednesday was our first planning session. We got a lot accomplished, I was concerned she would feel like we hadn't done enough, but to my surprise she said it was more than she had expected, so that was good. Afterwards I was so tired when I got home that writing a blog entry that night was simply out of the question.

So Thursday was a nice quiet day for the most part. Ben stayed home sick that day, which for him, means he's REALLY sick, which he was, he has been fighting it all week actually. Poor thing was just feeling horrible, to the point that I considered staying home to take care of him, but opted to go in and just let him sleep all day. It was Devon's last day at work. She is going to pursue college and eventually wants to go into a career with helping children. I think she'll be perfect for it. I was able to get out of work a little early and as I drove home I was suddenly overcome with exhaustion, so I had the plan to get home, check on Ben then lay down for a nap till it was time to make dinner. Well, those plans got altered a bit because after I got home I needed to go pick up a prescription for the bear and get a new humidifier since our old one decided to finally give up the ghost. I'll be honest, I was exhausted...I really didn't want to go back out. I quickly reminded myself though of how much Ben does for me when I'm sick and never complains. Well, I ran those errands and grabbed a Chinese soup for myself then came home. After I knew Ben had everything he needed to rest comfortably and the fuzzboy was fed and watered, I ate my soup started to write my blog entry for the night. I still felt a little tired though and it was still early, only 7 or so, so I decided to lay down for a little while and take a quick cat nap. Well, when I was finally woken up from my nap, it was over 4 hours later...it was after 11! I couldn't believe I had slept that long...and I couldn't believe Ben hadn't woken me up. He said he knew I was tired though and needed it so he let me sleep. I considered sitting up and writing my blog entry then, but I was still feeling pretty zonked, so I decided to just go to bed for the night. Sorry all you daily readers.....sleep trumped typing.

Which brings us to Friday, not just any Friday mind you, no I'm happily bringing back MHR Fridays!
(for those of you still unfamiliar with the MHR circle of bloggers please click the title of today's blog entry to be taken to Katy Lin's blog explaining it and feel free to join in the fun.) So this morning Ben woke me up with a kiss on the cheek and whispered in my ear that he had breakfast ready for me. My first response was, "Why are you up? Why aren't you in bed?" Apparently that one prescription and the humidifier were what he needed to get him back on his feet. Thank you God!! I was very thankful to hear that because honestly I worry about him when he's sick. Anyway, a little while later when I finally emerged from the bedroom to come into the kitchen where I heard him rattling around he proudly walked over to me and hugged me. "Look, I made you breakfast! I wanted to take care of you since you took care of me so much this week." (Insert warm fuzzy encrusted AWWWWWWW here) Suddenly I flashed back to yesterday when I was internally grumping about having to go back out because I was so tired and thinking how glad I was that I had kept my mouth shut. He does so much for me all the time in big and small ways, from the basics of working hard to make sure we always have a roof over our heads and food on our table, to doing things like making me a thank you breakfast, it's really a small thing to be able to give back to him when he needs it. So my husband rocks because he never fails to make me feel cherished.
I love you bear, XOXOXOXO
Night all,

The Ikea Virgin

2010-01-06T14:27:00.001-05:00

Well....I considered doing my usual (as of late anyway) burning of the midnight oil and writing my daily adventures, but I was tired last night. Actually, I wasn't tired....I was flat out, tail dragging, eyes propped open, barely able to function, EXHAUSTED. So at 11:28 I curled up into bed next to the bear and the boy and went to sleep knowing I would just write Tuesday's entry on Wednesday morning.
So happy repeat Tuesday..LOL.
So Amber and I decided that we needed to get some supplies for the daycare. The main item being pillows for nap time, no not our nap time although we would LOVE to do that...lol. No, this was a mission with real purpose. As of late we have had an influx of loving parents who have been bringing in pillows for their children to use on their cots during nap time. Very nice gesture and we wish ALL the parents would bring in pillows for their kids to sleep on. The problem however is that some parents are bringing in pillows that are full bed sized pillows. Again, a very nice gesture, HOWEVER....we are working with children under 5, most of which are smaller than the pillows themselves....lol. Not to mention the lack of storage space we have. We have ample storage for their things if they only have what they actually need, but we have no room for giant items and the other parents hate having to cram their child's items into a cubby that is bursting at the seams with another child's bed pillow. So after letters home to the parents and no co-operation we decided we needed to enforce marshal law. We will be sending all over sized pillows home and sending out another note to inform the parents they can either send in a travel size pillow for their child or for a few dollars purchase one from the daycare. Hopefully that will get the point across politely.

Soooooooo we decided to go to Ikea to pick up some inexpensive yet nice travel size pillows. Well I have never been to Ikea before. I've seen the catalogs obviously and I have seen lots of things other people have purchased from there, but I've never been to the store. Partly because they are almost an hour from our house and really.....there just aren't that many stores I'm willing to go out of my way for. Christmas Tree Shops...well, that's another story. LOL So after driving a half hour and getting lost in downtown New Haven we finally found the store. I have to say, I saw a lot of stuff I really liked.....the furniture however, not so much. I would rather save up and spend a lot of money on a quality piece of furniture I can pass down to my children, than spend a little on a crappy version of the same piece of furniture that will fall apart and I have to replace every two to three years. So the furniture I wouldn't waste my time or money on, plus it just isn't really that attractive unless you're into the ultra modern Euro look.....which I'm not. They do however have a lot of nice accent pieces and home accessories that aren't that bad and a pretty good price. I saw a few decorative items I would consider.
It was fun though and I'll probably go back at some point for some small accent pieces, but I definitely don't feel as excited about it like other people I know.
Anyway, talk to you in a few hours when I blog about today's activities. :)

A weekend in the Life

2010-01-05T01:28:00.000-05:00

Well I decided that for the sake of my own sanity and to prevent burnout, I will take the weekends off from blogging. My original intention had been to blog every day, but I think wisdom is to refrain from it.
So, a quick weekend in review...

You may have noticed a new link in the left column of this blog titled "One Year Bible Online". I put it there in case any of you are interested in joining me and my entire church in reading through the Bible in a year. It's broken down into very user friendly 15 minute daily readings and if you follow the link you will also see it's from the New Living Translation which is in the language of today. Much more user friendly for those of you that aren't frequent Bible readers or for those of you that may have tried reading it years ago, but got a bit frustrated with the old English. So if you've ever wanted to do this and just haven't gotten around to it, or felt a bit overwhelmed then join me and we can do this together. Feel free to contact me with questions or if you want support.
So Saturday I joined Ann and a few other ladies from church in taking all of the Christmas decorations down at both campuses. I thought it was going to take much longer than it did, but we were done in record time. Afterward I came home and still had the energy to take down and put away all of our own Christmas decorations. Now we have a tiny house, more of a bungalow really...so even though I love Christmas and love decorating for it, I'm pretty frugal with my decor otherwise it would be far too cramped. So we have FAR less than the church does, you would think it would take me not time at all to pack it all away. LOL....NOT! Since I've been in my de-cluttering and cleaning mode lately, there was no reason why it shouldn't extend to the extra Christmas decor before I have to drag it back to the attic. I began my decor D-day at 4 in the afternoon.......I finished at around 1 am. After giving away 6 large bags and boxes of excess decor and then condensing about 8 remaining tubs, bins, baskets, bags and boxes of various sizes I got it down to only 2 large tubs, 1 small tub and 2 boxes.....along with the giant storage bag the tree and wreaths go in. Not bad....thank God it's a year before I need to drag them back out. LOL

Sunday was nice, Lori has been in town visiting and we got to spend a few precious hours with her last night before she had to leave for SC this morning. She moved down there a few months ago and quite honestly I'm praying she comes back soon. ;) There are precious few people in my innermost circle of what I consider to be the true definition of an intimate friend, those that are considered close enough to be family, she is one of them. Having her move so far away and then come to visit I realize just how much I am thankful for her. She's crazy (in a good way) and irreverent, but also honest and transparent and would give you her last dollar if she felt you needed it more than her. She is the kind of friend I hope and try to be. She doesn't care if you're rich or poor, have a little or a lot, are refined or not...you're God's child and that's good enough for her. She's sort of a modern day Melanie Wilkes from Gone With the Wind. Being judgmental isn't in her blood. She accepts people the way they are and offers loving friendship that is completely unconditional...in short, she reflects the same love and kindness that Christ does. That sets the bar pretty high....and I'm glad for it, I need that kind of standard to reach for. Love ya and miss ya Lor....come home soon!

Today was the first day back at sprout central after Christmas vacation. Amazing how 8 days away from total toddler anarchy can make you miss the little rugrats. Yeah there were some I didn't miss....mmmm.......well, truthfully just one I didn't miss....but I'll be good and not go there. LOL
The rest however I missed greatly. It was nice to be back with them and with the girls I work with. Nothing really tremendously eventful happened with them today...honestly they were all very quiet. It was kind of amusing because they had been away from us for a little over a week they had to readjust to being back with us. So it was a nice, quiet day...nobody got duct taped to the wall...lol.
Well, that's enough for today........hope all of you had a great weekend and a pleasant Monday.

I Say, It Was A Good Day

2010-01-02T03:05:00.001-05:00

Well this day started out very interestingly. I awakened myself with a severe and completely uncontrollable case of the giggles. I couldn't stop laughing....it woke me up out of my dead sleep and then woke Ben up out of his own deep sleep. Even after I was awake for a few minutes I couldn't stop laughing. I remember the dream very clearly, but you won't find it funny...trust me....it was one of those things that is only hilarious when you're half asleep. Lets just say, picture me as the 70's cartoon drawings of Holly Hobbie..... See, I told you, not funny at all..........but in the stupor of sleep...it was hilarious. So I thought that was a good way to start off the new year......waking up in a fit of laughter. LOL

Next we kind of slothed around the house for a while, sucking up the last few hours of vacation weekday that we had. Finally when we were both withering away from mid morning hunger we decided to go grab some breakfast. It took us a bit longer to get out of the house than we had planned...too much time trying to find ticket info for a movie we wanted to see. So by the time we were on our way it was more of a lunch than breakfast. No problem, we'll go to the one place that ALWAYS serves breakfast. Well, what we had failed to take into consideration was that it was New Years Day......EVERYBODY and their brother sleeps late on New Years Day and they ALL want breakfast when they wake up. If everybody wants breakfast at 1 in the afternoon, who serves it that late in the day? You guessed it, IHOP.

Sooooo here's a math problem for you, if everybody in the tri-county area goes to IHOP to get breakfast at 1 in the afternoon, what time will Benny and Frannie eat breakfast? That's right, good answer you there in the back! Benny and Frannie will eat breakfast at 2 in the afternoon! LOL

But wait, there's more! Soooooooo in an affort to save time and avoid the 30+ minute wait, what do Benny and Frannie do? They hop in their car, drive 20 minutes to the OTHER IHOP thinking THOSE people surely didn't stay up until midnight the night before......only to be greeted with a 20 minute wait. So we saved 10 minutes of wait time.......oh wait...nooooooo.........take the original 30 minute wait, subtract 20 minute drive time and a 20 minute wait and you get, -10. LOL.......YEAH!!! We're so smart! ROFL.......not. So NOW what time do Benny and Frannie eat breakfast? Yep, 3 in the afternoon.....it probably would have been sooner on a normal day but amid everything else the entire wait staff looked like they were fighting hangovers so they couldn't have gone any slower if they had glue stuck to the bottoms of their shoes. LOL.

Sigh..........it was funny.....it really was, the misadventures of Ben and Fran. This is why I can't complain about life with Ben......it's like living in a reality show. It's hilarious to me.

Oh well, so after our breakfast/lunch/early dinner...lol we went to go see the movie Sherlock Holmes. Now, I have been anxiously awaiting this movie for MONTHS...... I have been an avid fan of Sherlock Holmes ever since I was a little girl. I remember absorbing Conan Doyle's stories about him from a very young age and the first time I ever went to an antique auction with my parents I was elated when they brought out a book that turned out to be a complete collection of Holmes. To this day it's one of my most prized books, second only to my complete works of Shakespeare. I think I have seen just about every big and small screen portrayal of Holmes that has been created and watch them over and over with new found affection each time. Holmes was the reason why I first wanted to be a detective as a child.....then other favorites came along and fed the dreams of being a detective, or a spy! LOL.

So when I saw that they were making another big screen version I was thrilled. I was a little concerned that too much Hollywood affect might destroy it, but my hopes were high, especially when I found out Robert Downey Jr would be portraying Holmes. A perfect selection I think......I never would have considered him for the role, but when I saw the previews, ahhhhhh perfect.

So what did I think of the actual movie? I liked it. Obviously as a long time Holmes buff and truist there were details I didn't care for and little mistakes that I caught. Like the fact that the movie portrays Watson's fiancee is a woman Holmes has never met, when in the stories she was actually a woman they had helped which is how Watson met and fell in love with her. Also the fact that they implied there was an intimate sexual history between Holmes and Adler when that was never implied in the stories. Only that Holmes had an affection for her and esteemed her higher than all other women. Plus, to be honest, I really didn't care for the whole Irene Adler aspect of this movie at all....I mean, don't get me wrong, she did an excellent job acting the part and it was very well written...I just found it too much of a deviation from the original texts. Like I said, I'm a truist so while I don't mind some creative liscense, I just thought her character was a bit much.

The other thing I didn't particularly care for was the extreme focus on, "the dark arts". Now by it's very nature Holmes stories were edgy for their time and pretty macabre, but the EXTREME deviance into the occultic subject matter here was a bit much for me. I'm sorry, I've had my fill of that kind of thing with years of Harry Potter garbage in the media and now the whole Twilight saga garbage in the media.....I'm really tired of it. I want a good mystery, a macabre mystery....like the original works......NOT yet another occultic study.

SIGH............so, I'm not implying I didn't like the movie, I did actually, very much. It was EXTREMELY well done, Guy Ritchie did a phenominal job with it, he really did. I sincerely hope they make a sequal, a little closer to the original stories though. The actors were all very well chosen and all did a superb job with their characters. The effects were spectacular, the picture was literally a visual work of art to watch as far as the creative cinematography, and the soundtrack!!! Ohhhhhhhh the soundtrack! IT was honestly my favorite part of the entire movie! As soon as I can work that into our budget I'll be making a purchase of the soundtrack cd.

I appreciated the fact that there weren't hoards of foul language, there were no gratuitous sex scenes or nude romps. Not that I'm a prude, I'm really not.....I'm a writer, I have no problem with those things if they TRULY further the story.....but honestly, how often is that the case? So I really appreciate any screenwriter who is sufficiently talented to completely carry a story that isn't lacking in any way and not use a single one of those things. So I don't know what other reviewers think of the movie....I don't really care actually...I rarely listen to them, but overall I liked it, maybe you will too.

So all in all it was a really good day, and a good cap for the week.

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-01T02:01:00.003-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!

2010

I had honestly planned on staying home tonight even though our church was having a coffee house. Not that I didn't want to go, I did, but honestly....it's a half hour drive, in the snow and I just wanted to stay home and chill. HOWEVER, Ben was all excited to go and made a big batch of his famous salsa and I don't ever want to be responsible for stealing a moment of joy from him, so we went. Now I'm glad that we did. It was a lot of fun and it's always nice to hang out with our extended family. Lots of good food, good music, good friends and good fun.

Here are a few pics from the night. I didn't get to take as many as I had planned, but that's ok.

The first one is Jess, she'll kill me if she sees the pic, but she doesn't read this blog so I'm safe...LOL. She was surprised by some of the girls on the worship team to do a karioke of the Grease song, Beauty School Drop Out. LOL......the girls put silver Christmas trees on their heads to re-create the scene from the movie. Oy-vey too much craziness for a non-alchoholic party.

Then after the ball dropped in Times Square there was an impromptu kick line to Auld Lang Syne.

Normally we stay and help clean up after this kind of thing, but honestly, neither of us felt like it tonight and there were enough people helping, so we made a run for it.

Anyway, it's super late, I'm tired, the bear is already sleeping and so is the boy...so it's short and sweet tonight.

May all of you have a year filled with blessings, joy overflowing and more peace, health and happiness than your lives can contain in 2010. May abundance cross your doorstep everyday and may hope fill every place in your heart that used to be filled with despair. Moreover, may the love and mercy of God flood over you and yours from the tops of your heads to the soles of your feet.

Good night all, and God bless!

A Bear, A Boy and A Possum?

2009-12-31T01:25:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe our week of vacation is almost over. We've been thoroughly enjoying an immense amount of rest which we have sooooooooo needed, but because today was such a beautiful day we decided to go for a road trip. We generally don't plan them...we just hop in the car and drive wherever the mood takes us.

Our recipe for a good time out on the road?

One cute bear acting like a goofball

One vente cup of Starbucks each

and one cute fuzzboy laughing at our antics from the backseat.

We revisited some places we haven't been to since we were dating and some other places we have visited over the years, many I had taken pictures of before so I didn't duplicate them today. It was really sweet and romantic to just share memories of things we've done together and places we've gone. I love seeing things and remembering what we were doing when we were there last, or how things have changed since our last visit. We saw some new things though, like this train at a machinery museum we passed. I love trains so I had to stop and take some pics.

And meanwhile as I took pics the fuzzboy was back at the car with Ben, hanging out of the back seat window, whining and crying because I had the audacity to get out of the car and not take him with me.

How DARE I ?!?!? LOL

Not that he has separation anxiety issues or anything...lol.

Once I was back in the car he was fine, but heaven forbid mommy leave to go somewhere without him. He was also a bit out of sorts because when we go for a ride in my car he has to ride in the backseat, unlike when we ride in Ben's car and he can ride in my lap in the front seat. So he was already feeling a bit rejected...oy vey. He got over it...lol.

So anyway, the prize photo of the day...the piece de resistance...was this tasty tidbit we saw at dusk on the way home......in one of the richest towns in the state......and uhhhhhhhh...yes we are still in New England....

That's right.....in case you are having trouble reading that it says, Possum Queen Contest and Auction... LOL....okie dokie then........I have to say, I never saw anything like that when I lived down south.

So it was a fun and interesting day. We finished it off with another stop at Starbucks and some Chinese soup and an eggroll for me.......definitely a good day.

The Dreaded C word!

2009-12-30T02:26:00.001-05:00

So it's that time again...the time when we go through the past year and assess all the things that we need to work on improving in the year to come. Commonly called, making new year resolutions. A few years ago I decided to stop calling them resolutions, instead I commit to making better choices and I don't announce to anyone what those choices were unless I manage to accomplish it by the end of the year. Why do I do it that way? EASY
Have you ever noticed that when you publicly air a goal or resolution a long series of events begin to present themselves that are aimed solely at tanking said goal or resolution? If that weren't the case why do people EVERY single year re-resolve to lose weight and eat healthy, stop smoking, meet their soulmate, do less work and more traveling and on and on. It's as if all the disgruntled resolutions and their resolution makers have a vendetta against the NEW resolutions and their makers and so they go on a mission to find them out and devise ways to cause them to fail. I'm tired of making resolutions that I don't keep...it's not as if it bolsters me towards success in the year to come, instead it's like taking a dive into a swimming pool with a lead weight attached to your ankle. Some of you can relate, I'm sure. Doesn't exactly inspire victory or success does it? Not even close.

Sooooooooo.......this past year I made a choice to start getting more organized and de-cluttering. One I have made in years past and never seemed to be able to completely accomplish. Now for all of you neat-nicks out there this is a goal that comes as easy as breathing, for those of us who are, shall we say, organizationally challenged however, it's a depressing death sentance. Now, the complete irony in this for myself is that I am actually pretty OCD about certain things. I love oranization and I love to have a place for everything and everything in it's place. My achiles heal however is that while I'm great at tactical organization projects and LOVE a challenge....the art of maintaining that organization has always elluded me....until this year however.
The year started out pretty much the same regarding my oh so familiar goal, but somewhere around July I had an epiphany.
At that point I had already been working at sprout central for several months where every Friday we have to do a major cleaning of the entire facility. When I first started working there even the thought of having to do a deep cleaning in ONE DAY of an entire building that had been attacked by drooling, puking, pooping, dirt wallowing, snot wielding children all week was impossible to comprehend. However with teamwork we were all able to take on certain duties and even amidst caring for the children, by the end of the day the work was done. Pretty soon I had been able to get into the routine with the rest of the girls and some days we were even done by the end of naptime. The reason it worked however wasn't just people randomly doing things, it was because we had a plan, a list. So finally I got the idea to bring that list home and try implementing it. Well, it took alittle tweaking since we don't have kids..just a dog. Also I had to give myself some room and instead of expecting it to be done in a day I gave myself a week. With our crazy schedule that would be the only way I could be successful at it and not lose heart. The result? It worked!!
Sooooooo....in an effort to reach out to all those others who are struggling to scratch this goal off their resolution list, here is the basic checklist I used. As you complete a task, check it off and remember in most cases each thing only needs to be done once a week. You may have to tweak it to suit the rooms of your own house, but the basics of each room are the same. Also, for clarity sake, the term "de-clutter" simply means those shoes thrown all over the living room floor should be put away and the purse and stack of bills tossed on the kitchen table should also be put away where they belong. If they don't have a place don't get distracted by trying to do it now. Make a list of things you need to create a home for or throw away and come back to them later.
Now...here are the basic items that every room will require. Make a list of every room in your home and put these items in the section for each room.

sweep/mop/vacuum
wipe down windowsills
de-clutter
empty trash bins
wipe down tabletops and surfaces*
dust

Specialized items, these are the things that are only in certain rooms....add those that apply to every room where they are needed.

wash throw rugs
change bed linens
change hand towels
clean pet feeding areas
water plants

Now....if you notice I put an asterisk next to the line that said "wipe down tabletops and surfaces". That's because there are a lot of things that fall under that catergory. You may only need that general item or if you're like me you may need a more detailed breakdown of the term "surfaces" to ensure you don't forget something. So for those of you, here you go.

mirrors
counters
toilet bowls and tanks
sink
tub
refrigerator (inside and out)
microwave (inside and out)
stovetop and oven door
photos and picture frames
televisions
computers
stereo systems
large and small appliances
wall clocks and wall hangings

So that's it, pretty basic really. By breaking down the rooms in this manner it's amazing how much easier it is to accomplish the seemingly impossible. Kind of like that old adage about how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Now, the REALLY good news? The more weeks you go through your list the faster it will go each week and the easier it will get. So don't get disheartened the first few weeks. Give it about 6 weeks to really hit yor groove and see how long it will take you to complete each item on your list in a week.
Hope it works for you as well as it did for me and hope you can forever check off this item from your resolution list!
Happy Cleaning! :)

Anthem of My Heart

AMH Cooks: Francesca's Pickled Eggplant

AMH TV - Video Blog Debut: Happy Thanksgiving 2011

Ephesians 5:20 (AMP)

AMH Cooks: Authentic Southern Greens

Sifting Out The Impurities

Luke 22:31-32 (AMP)

Psalm 34:1 (KJ21)

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

From Darkness To The Light

Psalm 18:28 New Century Version (NCV)

Job 33:28 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Ring a Ding Ding

Dogs Can't Spell

AMH Cooks: Alabama Fire Crackers

Living A Flavorful Life

Matthew 5:13,14 (AMP)

Song of the Season

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 & 11 (NLT)

AMH Cooks: Sofrito & Recaito

There's A Fly In My Life

*Side note: Before I go any further I need to apologize to Lori from Beyond The Bass Clef because she HATES flies and I know when she sees this picture she's going to freak out.

Sorry Lori...nothing personal. ;)

Ecclesiastes 10:1 (NLT)

As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink,

so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.

1 Peter 5:8 (AMP)

Why Were We Saved?

Why were we saved?

Were we saved for times of ease and privilege?

1dark adj \ˈdärk\

2 Corinthians 4:8,9,15,16 (AMP)

There is Water In The Wilderness

Have you ever felt exiled? Felt like you are walking in the wilderness?

Isaiah 54:10

AMH Cooks 2

AMH Endorsed 5

Dawning of A New Day

Psalm 118:24 (New Living Translation)

Introducing: AMH Cooks !

AMH Endorsed 4

De-coding

2 Corinthians 5:17 (New Living Translation)

AMH Endorsed 3

CPR: Critical Prayer Required

Jeremiah 17:14 (New International Version, ©2011)

14 Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.

Jeremiah 29:11 (Amplified Bible)

AMH Endorsed 2

** New Weekly Feature ** - AMH Endorsed

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1 John 3:18 (Amplified Bible)

Showing Your Cards

Psalm 139:10-12 (Amplified Bible)

Psalm 119:11 (New Living Translation)

Isaiah 43:18 (New Living Translation)

1 Corinthians 15:33 (Amplified Bible)

Galatians 6:9 (New Living Translation)

Psalm 34:5 (Amplified Bible)

A Date With Destiny

Romans 8:28 (New Living Translation)

The Deflated Pollyanna

Jeremiah 29:11 (New Living Translation)

The Power of a Vote

Judges 9 (New Living Translation)

Judges 9:7-20

Jotham’s Parable

Stars on My Eyelashes

Philippians 2:5 (Amplified Bible)

The A, B, C, and D's of Fatherhood

Romans 8:15 (Amplified Bible)

Still Waters Run Deep

The Sugar Bowl

Harvesting Pearls

Philippians 1:6 (New Living Translation)

STREEEEEETCH!!!!

Shards of Glass

Proverbs 14:30 (The Message)

2 Timothy 1:7 (New King James Version)

Who I Am In Christ

¹dark adj \ˈdärk\

¹⁴ Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.

New Weekly Feature - AMH Endorsed

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