The day after

It's the day after my 43rd birthday. I was trying to explain to hubby last night that birthdays just kind of make me feel strange....I dunno, not a bad thing, necessarily, but just different. The kids get so excited that it's my birthday, but really, it's just not that big a deal. Again this year, I was SO blessed by friends on facebook....people can say what they want about online social stuff like that, but it is AWESOME to be wished happy birthday by friends from long ago, close friends, distant friends.....reminds me that I really do matter, that I do leave an impression wherever I go. Pretty cool! For gifts, hubby got me a Cuisinart Food Processor and 2 wooden pizza peels (if you don't know what that is, google it). Little D, who I lovingly call Turtle, got me a box of Turtles (well, Daddy got them and let Turtle give them to me), Pink got me a bag of chocolates too, and Big D gave me coupons for housework (yeehaw!!) All in all, it was a blessed day....I was very much reminded that I am loved, I am somebody....and though that may seem trivial or something I should just know, it's nice to be reminded! :)

redirecting

I was going to title this post "response to struggling" or something like that, but when I clicked on the blog button, it said, "redirecting" and I realized that's what this is! God is redirecting me (again!). :)

from my quiet time journal:
Hebrews 2:13a "And again He says, My trust and assured reliance and confident hope shall be fixed in Him..."
I need to keep my eyes fixed on Him. I am not "stuck in a rut", I am exactly where God needs me to be. My choice is whether or not to glorify Gor right from where I'm standing!! I am not lost, I am right here!! I need not be floundering, but rather flourishing!!

Thank You, Abba, for meeting me here! Thank You for reminding me of who I am IN YOU!! Abba, thank You that I am not lost, but I am saved by Your grace....which is more than enough to bring me great joy in all that I do each and every day. Thank You that in You alone is true life, abundant life! Help me to walk each moment of every day in honor and glory to You alone!!!

struggling

I realize I haven't posted here in a bit. A lot has happened this summer and I am dealing with a seed of bitterness that has been planted in me. I feel as if I have been left out in the cold with nowhere to turn and at the same time I am afraid to turn anywhere and deal with stuff like this all over again. I thought I could easily forgive and forget, I really think I've forgiven, but at the same time, I'm angry for being abandoned. I trust God, but it's just some of His people that I don't trust, and that's where the seed got planted. I'm feeling ineffective in my ministry here because I am not fellowshipping with other believers, and I'm hiding my heart so I don't get hurt again like this. BUT I'm the person people look up to when they're struggling and so I still try to keep a smile on my face and a positive attitude, but inside I sometimes think I'm starving to death. And I know the bitterness is at the root of this lost feeling, but ...... I dunno, so there you have it, why I've been rather quiet lately.

recipe websites

A Cajun Family's Recipe Collection
A Year of CrockPotting
Back of the Box Brand Name Recipes
Baked Doughnuts Recipe - 101 Cookbooks
Bob's Red Mill - Whole Grain and Gluten Free Products and RecipesBrowse Recipezaar Recipe Categories
Chef Doughty
The Chef Within
Cooking Cache Member's Area
Cooks Recipes _
Recipe Site Links
Cooks.com - Recipe Search and More
copykat.com
Free Money Saving Recipes - Home Cooking
George Foreman Grill Recipes � Meat Grilling Chart
Open Directory - Home_ Cooking
Pastry Chef Central - Bakery Formulas
pecanspringsjournal
CookeryRecipes
Archive - New York Magazine
Recipes for Good Health
Recipes with Popcorn
Table of Contents for The Crinella-Zurlo Sonoma County Cookbook
The Pioneer Woman Cooks
!the Recipe Portal.com - The Best Recipe Sites
Ashley's CafeHappy Tummy

CARB-LITE Low carb Recipes and AdviceGF Recipe Exchangehealthy_baking_101Wheat free recipes from wheat-free.org

My praise list

I love my DH because
· He is very strong
· He is very smart
· He is creative
· He is always seeking to do what’s best for our family
· He is a strong Christian
· He is playful
· We laugh together
· He is my best friend
· He loves my heart
· He is a man of integrity
· He is growing more and more to be the best Dad and husband a man can be
I love my children because
· They love life
· They play well together most of the time
· They care for others
· They laugh a lot
· They love to make up stories
· They love to put on shows for me
· They think their Dad and I are the best
· They are CERTAIN they’re Daddy is a superhero (I am certain of that too!)
· They love God and He is an integral part of their lives
· They love to snuggle with me
· They’re beautiful
· They’re imaginative
I love to be a mom because:
· I can watch my kids grow up
· I can teach my kids new things
· I can tell my kids stories of when I was growing up
· I appreciate how much my Mom and Dad cared for me
I love my parents because:
· They shaped who I am today
· They still think of me as their little girl
· They are proud of who I am today
· They listen to whatever I have to say
· My Mom says, “I’m sorry you don’t feel to big.” When I am sick (don’t ask why, it just makes me feel good!)
· They put up with a lot from me (and my siblings) and still stuck by us
· They love to laugh
· They taught me to garden
· They taught me to appreciate the simple life
· They taught me to be independent
· They taught me to be flexible
· They taught me to be creative

I love my friends because:
· They are the spices in my life, and together we make something wonderful
· God knows exactly the kind of friends that I need and why, and places them in my life
· I carry a part of each and every friend within me and that shapes me
· They fill in some of the details of life I might otherwise never know about
· They challenge and encourage me
· They put up with me
· They understand me and my quirkiness
I love my home because:
· It has storage
· It is twice the size of my last house
· It has an upstairs and downstairs
· Glenn fixes it to meet our family’s needs
· It is in a fairly nice area (well, I think so anyway, I don’t mind being on a one-way street)
· We have nice neighbors
· It is a sturdy, well built house
I love the person that God made me to be because:
· I am a generally happy person
· I love having curly hair
· I have a sense of humor
· I am creative
· I enjoy being with my children

I absolutely, totally love God because He is I AM which is all that I need!!

Welcome to our Garden

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My new little buddy

World, meet Miss Sylvia White (fitting name and great memories....see this post) She is my pet hamster....so sweet!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook