Sunday, November 28, 2010

I am going to bloom where I am planted.

For those of you that know me, you know I went through a dramatic change about probably 8 years ago then again about 4 years ago. I used to be very abrasive, would fight with the wall, spoke my mind and was very angry. I used to let people get me so upset that I literally couldn't sleep they made me so mad. The first revelation for me was when I finally decided to let this one particular person just hate me and I would just smile and take the high road, it worked! Eventually I decided to be the bigger person all the time. Sometimes people think the High road is the cowards way out, they wish I would stand up for myself.

Around 3 1/2 years ago I had another challenge this would be the challenge that would change the way I viewed life and the way I lived forever. I prayed hard about it, I finally found myself on my knees screaming to God, It is in your hands, what ever your will I will accept it. The outcome was not the one I wanted nor the one any of us expected but when I got on my knees and released all of it to God I MEANT it (I mean TRULY MEANT it) and I have chosen to accept it. I never really questioned why things happened the way they did, I just accepted that they happened and went on with life, was it hard abso-freaking-lutley, is it still hard, yep everyday. I think (I say think because I won't know until I can stand before him and ask) that God challenged me that day I dropped to my knees, I think he wanted to see if I really was at that place in my faith that I was. I passed that challenge, which has brought on numerous new challenges in my opinion.

I watched a sermon this morning on TV, he talked about blooming where you are planted how even though we may hate our life, house, job, spouse whatever the case is, that is where God put us and until we grin and go through life "blooming" we can't move on to the next challenge. No matter what you go through, no matter why you are where you are there is a divine reason for it and until you finish that course you cannot move on to the next. It made a lot more sense when he preached the sermon, I am far from a preacher.


so here is a small clip from his sermon this morning

So many people live life waiting for something to change before they will be happy and satisfied. They think, "If I could just get out of this small house…" "If I could just get a better job…" "If I could just find new friends…" Did you know that where you are in life is no accident to God? Psalm 37 says, "The steps of a good person are ordered by the Lord." We all have times and situations where we're not ideally where we would like to be, but take heart; God is ordering your steps for good. If you will trust God with all aspects of your life, stay in faith, and be all that God has created you to be right now, He will get you w"here you need to be. You'll not only live your life happy and enjoy your life more, but you'll be sowing a seed for God to take you where He wants you to go.


Sometimes you listen to a sermon and take absolutely nothing from it, then there are those sermons that really speak to you, that you can relate to. This was one of those for me. It kinda validated that I was doing the right thing by not running that lady over in Walmart that almost knocked me down trying to get the last bag of flour, or the smile I gave to the woman that just butted in front of me in line, I am not a push over, I am just blooming.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Be Thankful.

No matter how rough this year has been we should all be thankful. We get busy cooking and preparing to put on the perfect "show" for the holidays and we tend to forget the simple things. We go through everyday life at such a speed we don't slow down and enjoy the little things, savor the smells, enjoy the moment.
I have learned a lot in the past few years the biggest lesson of all is be thankful. Life is so precious. Sometimes I find myself upset with one of the kids because they have written on something, broke something or just plain out don't listen. Then I realize I am thankful for those moments because in 9-18ish short years I will look back upon the days it took me 10 hours and a lot of elbow grease to get crayon off the walls. Or, the 5000 times a day I have to pull someone off the top of a table or something. I could go on and on with examples but you get what I am saying.

I so often hear people say life sucks, I hate my life etc... I too am guilty of these things. Sometimes we should stop, think, look around and count the things we have to be thankful for.

I lost my Grandfather in October, It has been such an emotional roller coaster. I know that he is so happy, he has achieved his life goal, to be with Jesus. The holidays are going to be so strange to me for a while, with out his crooked grin and soft voice. That blue chair in the sun room, empty, but through all of those emotions, I am thankful. Thankful that I had a Grandaddy like him, I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

So while you are surrounded by whomever you are with this Thanksgiving, eating whatever it is you have to eat, be thankful.

Friday, November 19, 2010

LOVE IS GIVING!

As I watched the news this morning I was overwhelmed by the statistics of families that will go without this holiday season. I wish I could help them all, but I can't, or can I?

On a whim I started a FaceBook page, all I need to do is get as many people to like it as I can. I want to be able to pair needy families with donating families in their area! I think it could work but I need every Facebook-ers help!!!!

Like the page, then send it to all of your friends, the more people in different cities, the more people we can help! Even if you know of a shelter that doesn't have enough blankets or food, let us know!!! We will do our best to find donations in that city. It can all be confidential, or you can post on the wall...



Facebook page

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Wow It's been awhile.

I haven't done such a great job of keeping up with this "blogging" thing have I?

I have a few random things floating around in my head, I think to myself, I should blog that. Then someone cries MOMMA and I completely lose my train of thought. Maybe I should carry a pen and paper, like a comedian (remember that Seinfeld episode?)

Anyway, For those of you that are not on Facebook, I had a brawl with some Tortellini dough, I say hats off to the sweet Italian ladies that have the strength to fight that dough by hand until its perfect... Here is my rambling about that.

"I set off this week with ideas of a whole new menu, did my grocery shopping but couldn't find one KEY ingredient, Tortellini. I thought well I could run across town, but nonsense, I can make pasta, I do it all the time! I woke this morning to conquer the quest, scoured the internet for Ideas and techniques and decided HEY! I can do this!.



I decided to use 3 1/2 cups flour and 5 large eggs everything I read said to do this right on top of your workspace make a well in the flour so your eggs don't end up on your floor. Yeah, that didn't work right, so maybe it was really 3 1/2 cups flour and 4 large eggs plus an egg wash for my left foot.I was positive I could knead this dough until it was ready but after 15 minutes I decided that it would be best to use my food processor. 5 minutes in smoke plumed from the back of my poor appliance and I decided I should finish by hand. TWENTY FIVE minutes later I had the PERFECT dough, Thank you sweet baby Jesus. Now to let it rest, 30 minutes good I can keep my Facebook world up-to-date, and a beer, well deserved I believe.

Time to roll the dough, now pasta should be thin, very very thin, and I don't own a rolling pin ( a rum bottle does the trick) so off to the table rolling dough, I started to sing "just keep rolling, just keep rolling" FINALLY THIN DOUGH. I filled my pretty little pastas and posted them for the world to see.



I think I would do it again, I really do. But just a word from the wise (lol)when preparing tortellini pasta do the following

Drape your ENTIRE house in plastic, it makes clean up a breeze.

USE A BOWL! No matter what that little old lady told you, put your flour and eggs IN A BOWL.

Do NOT use a 15 year old food processor, buy a mixer for goodness sake.

Have LOTS of Alcoholic beverages on hand.

Then while your family scarfs down in minutes what took you hours ( a little sanity, an appliance and a foot with salmonella) Smile and realize, you just accomplished something."


It turned out really yummy, I don't think I could have purchased anything that tasted that great!

Then of course the weird way my mind works I started to think about all the fuss about the McDonald's happy meal toys and fighting obesity today. I thought about a story my dad would tell, either my Great-Grandmother or Great-Great, I cannot recall, she used to ring chickens (sorry animal lovers, the woman had to eat) BY HAND, as many of our ancestors did. Do you realize the strength it takes to do that? I bet she got that strong cleaning and kneading dough not to mention ringing her clothes dry. I mean it's not like they had Mr. Clean Erasers or HE washers and dryers. So basically THAT is why we are fat, technology. We have become so lazy, so reliant on technology that we are out of shape. If any of us had to live a day in the life of one of our ancestors I seriously think we would croak! (I however would have loved it, or at least that is what I tell myself).

I hate that "we" are blaming the world of fast food for our obese children. Is it Healthy, most likely not, but nor was 2 lbs of butter in Great Grandmas pound cake, but they weren't "obese". Our children are un-healthy because "we", as parents, are LAZY! What ever happened to the word "NO"? I never owned a power-wheel, I had a bike *gasp* one you had to PEDAL! I went outside first thing in the morning and you had to BEG me to come in to eat. Our kids sit in front of the TV or Video games or Computers all day long and eat junk, not because that is all that's available, because it is easy.

Which brings me to my next rant...

I realize that boxed Mac and cheese and Canned Ravioli and McDs Dollar menu are quite inexpensive and simple for the busy mom, I too am guilty of looking at the time hearing My kids beg for pizza or a happy meal and give in, its a convenience! But why IS it so much cheaper, the government is saying we need to eat healthier so make it CHEAPER! I have the luxury of a garden, well not really luxury it is a lot of work! Not everyone has the time or space for it. I certainly cannot feed us for more than a few months from our harvests. I can buy the store brand Mac-n-cheese in a box for around .79 cent, to make homemade I have to buy noodles usually somewhere around $1, canned milk also around $1 and cheese which even store brand costs you around $3 and that is if you only put ONE cheese in your mac, not to mention the electricity to bake it and the time to shred the cheese cook the noodles etc! So I say if the Government is going to make Mcdonald's take their happy meal toys away then they should make Kraft stop making sponge bob shaped noodles in the mac, make Campbell stop making Dora soup, no more fun cereal or gummy snacks, or ice cream shaped as a super hero. I get that times have changed, there are more working moms lots of after school activities that make people have busy lives, I understand that, believe me I have three kids! I just wish everyone could see it is OUR fault, not the companies.

anyway end rant.

Much love, I promise it will be sooner than MONTHS before I post again.