Potpourri Friday on Tuesday?

Well, allrighty then. I figure if Barb can post her Sunday Meanderings on Monday, why can't I post Potpourri Friday on Tuesday? And speaking of Barb, check out the button on my sidebar. You can just click on it and it will take you right to her little shoppe. It's full of sweet things and she has been working hard to start up her little business. I think she is doing a phenomenal job of it too.

I'm not nearly as busy as Barb is. I'm not taking care of a newborn baby and starting up a home based craft business out of thin air. But I have been busy. Very, very busy.

Like having a graduation party at my house for my daughter Andrea who graduated this past weekend from college with an elementary education degree. What a beautiful day. What a beautiful girl.

This is Andrea and her husband Jayson, who has been so supportive and helpful to her while she made it through college and student teaching. Now he will go back to school full-time to work on his degree while she does the same for him. Isn't that how marriage is supposed to work? I can't tell you how proud we are of these kids.

Mom and dad are so very proud of her! That diploma in her hand represents so much hard work and determination. I work full-time at the university to make it financially possible for our kids to go to college, so I stake a small measure of satisfaction in the process as well. I always laugh that in our home it takes the one person without a college education to make sure everyone else in the house gets one.

We had a family bar-b-que at our house to celebrate following the commencement service. Is there any better way to say congratulations than with a Dairy Queen ice cream cake. I think not. And neither did anyone else since there was not even a crumb left over!

Our two sons-in-law - chef's extraordinaire!

Here are come of the family members who we hosted.


And this was my very favorite picture of the day.
Aren't they just beautiful? Poor Michelle, she is very uncomfortable and definitely ready to birth that baby! The last month is always the hardest. But I think she is so beautiful pregnant. And now Andrea is starting to show too - it's just too much fun. Sisters pregnant together - what a blessing.

So our year of celebrations is off to a great start.

Jessica's 18th birthday - check.
20th year anniversary pastoring our church - check.
Andrea's college graduation - check.

Still to come:

Jessica's high school graduation
Our 30th wedding anniversary
Grandchild #1 is born
Grandchild #2 is born
My 50th birthday

Blessings. Every single day.

American Idol - A Soon to be Grandma's Guide to the Top 5

Oh dear. Where are my priorities? I totally forgot to blog about American Idol last night! Thanks Becky for the reminder! My life has just been a little left of crazy right now - at least that's what I'll blame it on.

Okay, let's see. It was Neil Diamond night. I love me some Neil Diamond. My husband and I went to one of his concerts once. After I got acclimated to the height and stopped my nose from bleeding(we were in the very top row of the arena),I loved it! He is quite a performer. I wonder if these kids know how great it is they are getting the opportunities they are getting to work with such talented people. My kids asked us "Who's Neil Diamond?"
I know.
It's just so sad.

This week the performers sang two songs each. It seemed to have a very hectic pace. I can't remember what order they sang in so I'll just work down my list.

David A. sang Coming to America and Sweet Caroline. I thought he did okay. Not great really. I was surprised at the raves he got from the judges on his last song - Coming to America. I thought it was kind of simple.

David C. sang two songs I've never heard before and I don't remember the names right now - sorry. He sounded good - probably the best of the evening. I truly think he is going to win this contest. I won't be buying his CD's - he's just not my style - but he is talented.

Jason sang Forever in Blue Jeans and September Morn. Two really great songs. But he didn't do anything special or memorable with them. I think he will definitely be in the bottom three.

Sayesha - My goodness this girl has really exploded the last couple of weeks. I thought she was phenomenal. She sang Hello Again and Thank the Lord for the Nightime. She knocked both of them out of the park. Good job Sayesha - and I loved the hair. I've also noticed that she sings the best when she is barefoot. Interesting.

Brooke sang I Am I Said and I'm a Believer - two popular Neil Diamond songs. I thought she did much better on the second one I Am I Said. I love her at the piano. The first song - not so much.

Okay, that makes five. Five performers. Three judges. One of the judges is incredibly ditsy. Can you guess which one? Here's a hint - her name starts with a P and ends with an aula. She embarrassed herself totally last night by critiquing a performance that hadn't even happened yet. Oh dear.

Bottom three - Jason, Brooke, Sayesha (not because she should be. If it were people that should be I think Paula should be there!).

Going home - Jason.

See what others are saying over at Boomama's.

Can Anybody Tell Me?

Can anybody tell me what happened to this sweet little baby girl? Because I haven't seen her for a while. I really miss having her around. I miss trying to get that curly, unruly hair to look half way presentable. I miss aligning up the seams in her little socks so her little toes would be "comferbul". I miss singing the Barney song with her, you know, "I love you, you love me, we're a happy family...." I miss having to tell her a thousand times a day "Let's use our quiet voice". I miss those sweet chubby and sometimes sticky little arms around my neck. I miss burying my face into her warm hair and smelling the scent of purity and sweetness mixed with a little bit of sweat and whatever we ate for dinner. I miss the days of finding the sippy cup lids she hid in her room so she could sneak her sippy cup to bed with her - when she wasn't supposed to. I miss asking her if she is a mommy's girl or a daddy's girl and watching the incredible indecision spread across her face as she tried to come up with a diplomatic answer at just two years of age. I miss my baby.

And suddenly there is this beautiful, intelligent, and loads of fun young miss hanging around our house who is telling me I need to be planning her graduation party in just a few weeks.


What's up with that?
Geesh, next thing you know she's going to be telling me something like "Mom, I met this guy...."

Too Good to Be True

Too good to be true. Miley Cyrus's wholesome career that is. I'm sure you have all heard in the news about Miley's photo shoot. The one that she apparently didn't know was going to turn out the way it did because according to a magazine source, “Cyrus felt that she was in eminently good hands.” I'm sorry - I don't buy it. I don't buy it for a minute. Poor Miley and her parents have succumbed to success and fame and what it takes to "make it" in Hollywood. Don't tell me that as she was being photographed with nothing on but a bedsheet, she didn't know what those pictures would look like. And even if she didn't, because she is only 15, her parents did. Supposedly, they were with her on the set. What were they thinking? Isn't it their highest priority to protect their daughter; to keep her from making foolish decisions. There is no money or fame or success this side of heaven that would convince me that it would be okay to compromise my underage daughter. I have raised 4 daughters. And we had some hard financial times. And I repeat there is no money anywhere that I ever would have taken to ruin my daughters life. I would rather eat beans forever and shop at thrift stores the rest of my life. I would do without anything I had to in order to raise my daughter to be a woman of integrity. I think most of us would.

It's all just so sad. I remember when Brittney started out so innocent too. I remember when she was young and told the world how important it was for her to save herself for marraige. Money and success hasn't led her down a very happy path.

The whole thing just breaks my heart. For her, for her parents, for her fans. I feel so sad for my little nieces who have just loved her. A reporter on the news show I was watching said he suspected this was a carefully crafted event because the truth is that she cannot stay sweet and young forever if she wants to continue making money and being famous.

So that is the cost.

Fame and fortune will buy you every material thing you could ever desire but it will steal from you everything good and virtuous you could be.

Is it worth it?

Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox now. There are just some things that set me off - and exploiting little girls is one of them. Back to regular scheduled programming now.

Weekend Snapshots

On Friday evening we were both so tired so we decided to lounge in front of the tv since we had just received some new movies in the mail. My husband is a major Lonesome Dove fan. He had never seen the prequel even though he has watched the original Lonesome Dove oh about forty eleven times. Now we know how it all began. I can tell you anything you want to know about Gus and Captain Call. I know, I know, the questions will just be flooding in LOL! Of course, I don't like to just sit and watch movies without getting anything done, so that's why you see the yarn and needles. It's surprising how much handwork I get done while watching my husband's beloved westerns. And I learn all about the wild, wild west. Lucky me. Unfortunately I can't show you what I'm knitting because then you would know what the baby will be and I am still sworn to secrecy. Six more weeks. Just six more weeks and I can share this most precious information.

I did catch a few stolen moments to read. I am currently reading Vonette Bright and Nancy Moser's Sister Circle series. They are wonderful. And such good writing.



My sister-in-law gave me these facinating seed balls. All you do is lay them on top of the soil and water them. The directions say not to bury them. Fascinating. I can't wait to see what grows.

I also got a little time to scatter some flower seeds. Our spring has been so cold that this was the first really nice weekend to spend outside. I have some major yardwork to do before Jess's graduation party.


I also found a bit of time to try out the quilting feature on my sewing machine. I discovered I have quite a learning curve on this. Please don't enlarge the picture - trust me, you don't really need to see a close up of this. The blue ink looking stuff is the line I am supposed to be sewing on. You can see I have much practicing to do. I took this stitching out and redid it and it looks much better now. But it is harder to do than it looks. The quilting feature is really awesome. You don't use the foot pedal. If the fabric moves the machine sews. When you stop moving the fabric the machine stops. It's like the machine is alive and thinking. I'm not used to that and it took me a while to adjust.
I am working on two quilts right now. One of them I am hand quilting - easier but much more time intensive. I don't have time to hand quilt both of them before the baby comes so I am going to machine quilt one. Again, I can't show you the project because then the secret would be out. But I'm really pleased with this project.

Of course we also went to church this weekend. That works out pretty well since my husband is the pastor and all. My husband preached a great sermon on holiness. One of my favorite lines was "When we seek God's holiness, we don't get more of God - He gets more of us".
I didn't think to take my camera to church - I wish I had though - that might be kind of fun. I might have to try that next time.

Now it's Monday. Weekend is over. I'm back to work. Bummer.

Potpourri Friday

Are you ready for a weekend? I am. Except I have to work tomorrow - it's a national test day for a particular test our university uses - so I have to be there to proctor it. The only good thing about it is that I get paid for it. And that is the money we use to help pay Jessica's high school tuition. Thank goodness - one more month and that will be all paid for. After that I intend to put the test proctoring money I earn into our travel fund. So we can, well, you know, travel. To lots of different places. Someday.

Speaking of traveling, I have been very homesick for Hawaii lately. Not that it was ever my home - I went there once five years ago for our 25th wedding anniversary. It was definitely one of the happiest times with my husband and I am longing to go back again. We went in May of 2003 and I always get a bit wistful this time of year. I have lots of happy memories preparing for that trip. And being in that beautiful place. I am not a photogenic person at all - and I'm not just saying that! But every picture taken of me in Hawaii turned out really well. I always say it was because I was just so happy. Interestingly enough, when we got home from that vacation some of the hardest things we have ever gone through in our professional and personal lives happened. I think God was very kind to give us that wonderful time to be refreshed and restored - because of course, He knew all along what we were coming home to.

Are you following the little baby tickers on my blog page? Have you noticed how close that little egg is getting to the nest? Oh. My. Goodness. It won't be any time at all before I am holding that sweet little bundle of love, learning all about being a grandmother. And then to think another one will be arriving in the fall. God is just too good to me.

My sweet friend Angie gave me a sweet award this week. She is such a sweetheart and has suffered such a great loss with her sister going to Heaven. Angie is one of the most thankful people I know and her love for Jesus shines through every single circumstance she is going through - good or bad. She has lifted me and my family up in prayer often - and to think we have never officially met! But it doesn't matter because we are what the award says - Sisters of the Faith.

My friend Kelsey started a blog and I encourage all of you to go over and visit her and meet her sweet little family. They live on a ranch and her husband trains horses. And they have two of the sweetest little girls. Go pay them a visit - tell them I sent you. She calls it A Sweetness to the Soul - and it is exactly that.

Last week we saw the movie - Expelled and I highly recommend it to everyone. It is a documentary that discusses academic freedom - or more precisely - the lack of academic freedom in our country. It is very interesting and the first time I have ever gone to theatre where everyone clapped at the end of the movie. It is the most well done documentary I have ever seen. Go see it. Really.

And I was so surprised Carly went home this week. I really thought it would be Brooke or Jason. We are down to the final 5. I still think David C will win it.

Happy Weekend!

American Idol - A Soon to be Grandma's Guide to the Final 6

Lord Andrew Lloyd Weber Night!!!!! I was SOOOOOOO excited!!! Lord Andrew is phenomenal and what an honor for these 6 performers to learn from such a talented and gifted artist. His music is unrivaled in my opinion. So what a fun night to grab a bowl of popcorn and curl up in the recliner and listen to music that has stories in it. I just love music with stories in it.

Seyesha opened the night singing One Rock and Roll Too Many. Wow! Seyesha you found your place! What a fun song for you. She had awesome facial expression, body expression, and vocal expression. She is a Broadway girl - no doubt about it.

Jason Castro sang Memory - but it wasn't very memorable. I said it last week - I think Jason has shown us all he has.

Brooke sang You Must Love Me - well, yes I guess we must Brooke. But I didn't love your performance so much tonight. I felt so bad for her for forgetting the words at the beginning - it threw her for the rest of the night. But like Jason - I think you have plateaued.

David A sang Think of Me. I was really waiting for David because I knew this music would be perfect for him. He did a fun original arrangement and it was lighthearted but yet, soulful. I loved it.

Carly sang Superstar. I kept losing her voice in the chorus. Randy liked her arrangement but I wasn't too impressed.

David C knocked it out of the park with Music of the Night. I closed my eyes and the phantom appeared. This young man is extremely talented. And I have to say that even though I don't always enjoy his style of music, I cannot and will not deny his talent. I think he is the one to beat.

I predict the bottom three will be:
Jason, Brooke, and Carly

I think Brooke will go home.

Check out Boomama for more reviews.

Baby of Mine

Baby mine, don't you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine

Little one when you play
Don't you mind what they say
Let those eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear, baby of mine


If they knew sweet little you
They'd end up loving you too
All those same people who scold you
What they'd give just for
The right to hold you

From your head to your toes
You're not much, goodness knows
But you're so precious to me
Cute as can be, baby of mine

It's time to brush up on the tune to this sweet little lullabye. After all, I'm going to be singing it very soon to my sweet little grandbaby!
What is your favorite lullabye?

Potpourri Friday

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. Zechariah 4:10

I found this verse last week and decided to claim it as my own. It fits my life right now on so many levels. And I love when I find scripture that I have never noticed before. God's Word is alive and works in our lives in amazing ways. It is uncomprehendable that God - the Creator of the Universe - takes note of the small things that are happening in our lives. And reaches down to give encouragement, love, and support along the way. I love Him so much.

As you know, if you read my blog regularly that is, I have started writing my book. And there is nothing like starting a book to make you realize how very far you have to go. But the verse above gives me so much encouragement as I realize that God Himself is rejoicing in my very small beginning. That is something I feel very strongly about this whole endeavor. I have God's approval. This is part of the plans that He has for me. God is so good. I hope to spend some time this weekend working on it more. My goal is to have the first chapter finished by the beginning of May. A chapter a month is what I want to accomplish at this point.

One other thing that keeps happening regarding my book is also worthy of mention. The topic that my book is about is something that I don't know a lot about. So I have been having to research it. Let me just say that blogs are an incredible source of information! But also, lately I have been receiving information that I haven't even requested. I have picked up magazines and while browsing through them, suddenly there is an article pertaining to my topic. Or in casual conversation, people I have know for years suddenly disclose that they have dealt with the topic personally. It's been amazing to me.

Our youngest daughter Jess left this week to spend some time in Boston with her sister. So our nest is very quiet and empty and it is giving us a taste of what is to come. A small beginning in the journey that is ahead. Last evening as Chuck and I were sitting together just talking, alone, in our very quiet house, our very pregnant daughter called to tell us that she and her husband had just attended their first birthing class. They were so excited. And it occurred to us that as they were just beginning their family journey, ours was coming to an end.

Bittersweet.

But I have to say that we are not sad in any way about this change. We are joyful as we watch our kids be who God intended them to be. And we remember how exciting it was for us as we began our adult journey. We are happy for them. And we look forward in anticipation to what this new chapter of life has for us.

Spring is making a very small beginning in our neck of the woods. Very small. It gets a little warm and gives us a taste of what is ahead, and then the wind comes and the temperature drops and suddenly spring seems far away. I am determined to save my lilacs this year - last year they froze before they could bloom. So every night I cover them all up with my quilts and flannel sheets. I want to enjoy them this year!

Do you realize that our first grandbaby will be here in about 8 weeks. My, that takes my breath away. A little baby to snuggle and hold, and kiss and love on. I can hardly wait. I am finishing my baby projects. The problem is that I just keep finding more. I can't wait until I can share them with you after the baby is here. And I'm so glad that Andrea and Jayson are going to find out who their little one is and not keep it a secret! Oh my, I can hardly wait!

I wanted to save the best news for last. This week we received some stunningly (is that a word?) hard news regarding a family member. Cancer. Stage 4. Dismal prognosis. I felt as though I had been kicked hard in the stomach. Tears flowed. Disbelief set in. She was too young. She has kids. She has a family. This just couldn't be happening. Please God not yet. Not now. We prayed so hard. We prayed and prayed. Today the results came back and Praise God - the cancer, although it is bad, is contained. Surgery is required but no chemo, no radiation. My goodness - such a relief - it's hard to put it into words. Thank you God that her time to leave was not now. Thank you God for a new beginning. Thank you God. Thank you You are so good and today we praise You that one of your Your mighty names is Jehovah Rophi - Healer.

Tonight my husband and I are kicking off the weekend right. We are going to see this movie and have some dinner at this restaurant. Then tomorrow we are going to sleep in until 7:00 and then get up and enjoy some coffee together. Then I hope to get a small amount of housework done, spend some time on my writing, and then some time in my sewing room working on - you guessed it - baby things! Oh life is good. Life is very good indeed.

Happy Weekend!

American Idol - A Soon to be Grandma's Guide to the Top 7

Tonight was Mariah Carey night. One question.
How is it that God would give one person the talent to use her voice over 5 octaves and another person no ability to even achieve one octave? Just wondering.

The group was really good tonight. All of them. We started off the eveing with

David A. singing When You Believe. He sang through lots of scales and did a tremendous job. He always seems so nervous before and after he sings but while he is singing he is confident and definitely in his element. He has amazing talent.

Carly sang Without You. I really liked it but Carly did seem like she was just being a little too careful with herself tonight. I thought she could have opened up just a little more.

Sayesha sang Vanishing. I never thought Sayesha would make it quite this far but I'm glad she has because I think she has really come into her own these last couple of weeks. She wins the award for most improved.

Brooke sang Hero. She seemed shaky and like she tried too hard. I think she will be in the bottom three.

Kristy Lee sang Forever. She looked beautiful and she sang beautiful. This was my favorite performance of hers. I totally disagreed with Randy and Simon - what were they thinking?

David Cook sang Always Be My Baby. Absolutely stunning performance. Best performance of the evening for sure. I think he might win this whole thing.

Jason C sang I Don't Want to Cry. I love Jason. I want to adopt him. But sadly, I think we have heard the best of him. He never changes his style or approach to his music. It was good but his performances just are not moving up - they are staying the same.

I predict that Jason, Carly, and Brooke will be in the bottom three.

I think Carly may be the one to go home this week.

And Paula was having a good night tonight. Thank goodness.

Pond Pitty Party

When we moved into our newly built house almost 9 years ago, one of the things I wanted more than anything was a pond. And right below our front window there was a little alcove area that was the perfect size and place to put one. So we did. At the time I had absolutely no idea how much work ponds were. Now I do. Let me just tell you, they are a lot of work. A lot.

This weekend was the first really nice weekend we have had this year. And so Saturday was deemed "Pond Cleaning and Upkeep Day". Ugh. First of all, we (my best husband in all the world helped) had to empty all the yucky, scummy water that had sat all winter. We used a bucket until we got to the bottom and then we pulled out the trusty Rainbow vacumn cleaner to pump out the rest. Then we had to scrub the sides of the liner, rinse it, and empty out that water. We cleaned the filter. Last fall we had discovered the pump had decided to pump its last bit of water ever. We needed to shop for a new pump. No problem. We jumped in the car and ran to town. We went to store #1. No pumps that would fit our system. We went to store #2. Same problem. We went to store #3. Apparently all the folks at the pond pump factory have joined in on a conspiracy. They realized if they changed the design of their pumps every so often, then when folks had to replace them they would also have to purchase new filters, hoses, and all the other pond paraphenelia. Ah, but they hadn't considered my husband. He finally chose a pump and converted it to fit the materials we had at home. Of course, to install the new pump we had to remove lots of heavy rocks to hide the hoses so that the pond looks like God planted it there. When we remove the rocks lots of debris fall into the pond. So back into the pond I go to clean it out. Again. Finally the moment arrives. We fill it with water. We plug in the pump. Voila'! The waterfall is running, the pond looks serene, we are finished. We sit on the porch swing and admire our work. We discuss how maybe it is worth it after all, to go through all this work so we can sit on the swing and enjoy it the rest of the summer. Our one day project had turned into a two day project - but just look at it - it is beautiful!

This morning before I left for work I opened the blinds in the living room so I could get a glimpse of our newly restored pond. Perhaps I would even take a picture to share on my blog today.

The pond is empty.

We had a lot of wind last night and it seems the wind blew the water coming off the waterfall to the side instead of letting the water go back into the pond. Today as I am stiff and sore and can hardly move, due to lifting heavy rocks and climbing in and out of my pond, I am really, seriously wondering if this is all worth it.

At the moment - I'm voting - not.

Thank You Mrs. Evans

A few posts back I found the courage to make public the dream in my heart. I'm really glad I did - although I now feel strangely exposed. The secret is out and now I am accountable. But that is probably just what I needed to give me that last push. Because I have started. I have started writing my book. Wow - that feels really weird to say! It also feels scary, intimidating, doubtful, but most of all it feels joyful. Joyful, I think, because I have a plan for my future. Joyful because I am reaching for a dream I have had for most of my life. Joyful because I just love the challenge of putting words together that tell a story. Joyful because I think I am making God smile.

I first knew I wanted to write in the 4th grade. I was never a confident, secure child - even into my teen years. I was shy, quiet, and much more comfortable unnoticed. That's just my personality. In a lot of ways I am still that way today although being married to a pastor has forced me out of my comfort zone in more ways than I can count. In the 4th grade my teacher was a beautiful, young, black woman named Mrs. Evans. She only taught in our school for a year or two and I don't know anything about her other than she was very kind and gentle. I bonded to her immediately. During the year one of our assignments was to write a story. Mrs. Evans gave us the first paragraph and we were to go from there. Today I don't remember what the story was about. I don't remember any of the details at all. But I do remember how I felt when my teacher approached me and carefully asked me if I had really been the person who had written that story. She wanted to know if anyone had helped me. I didn't really know why she was asking me those questions. I told her I had written the story myself. At the end of the week she selected the three best stories and asked the writers to stand in front of the class and read their story outloud to everyone. Mine was one selected.

That was 40 years ago. There are many, many things I cannot remember from 40 years ago. But I clearly remember how I felt that day. I felt special, capable, and talented. I felt secure. And I felt joyful. And when I write today, I feel those things all over again. That is when my love for writing began.

There were other times in grade school and high school when writing made me feel worthwhile and important. Like I could really do something. I learned that even though I was quiet and not good at expressing myself with speaking, I could say exactly what I wanted through writing. There have been other times that my desire to write has been confirmed through people and occurances. But that first time, in the 4th grade, is one that will always be dearest to my heart.

I know the writing journey is not going to always be joyful. I know there are going to many frustrations and hard places. I know there are many rejection letters looming on the horizon. But right now, today, I am going to focus on the joyful aspect of it. And I am going to say a prayer of thanks for a woman who never knew the impact she had on a young girls life. Thank you Mrs. Evans. Wherever you are. Thank you.

American Idol - A Soon to be Grandma's Guide to the Top 8

This week was Inspiration Week - the singers were asked to pick an inspiring song. That sounded kind of fun - but really, I have to say (in my best Randy impersonation) "Check it out dawg - check it out. This was really jusy okay for me. Just okay."

I kind of think that most of these kids are now on the same level - they are all good - or they wouldn't be where they are. But I have to say - nobody really stood out in the crowd.

Here's my review:

Michael Johns - “Dream On” - It was okay. I didn't love it. I think he has a great voice - and maybe going first made it less memorable - but I think he could have picked a better song.

Syesha Mercado - “I Believe” - I liked it. That's all.

Jason Castro - “Over the Rainbow” - I love this particular version of this song and I was really enjoying it until.....my daughter Michelle called to tell me how excited she was about it and then added "I want this song to be in my funeral". Um. That threw me a bit - I didn't enjoy the rest of it so much. I told her I don't intend to be at her funeral. She said she knew that - her best friend would be in charge. Does anyone else find that whole conversation a little weird?

Kristy Leigh Cook - “Anyway” -I have not been a big fan of Kristy's - but I love Martina McBride - and I have to say Kristy knocked this one out of the park. Good job Kristy!

David Cook - “Innocent” - I didn't care for his white coat. Reminded me of Ringo Starr. And I also didn't care for his song. He is talented - but I would never by his cd.

Carly Smithson - “The Show Must Go On” - Carly has run out of songs to sing. At least the ones she sings really well.

David Archuleta - “Angels” - This sweet child is sooooooo talented. He did an amazing job.

Brooke White - “You’ve Got A Friend” - I didn't like it so much. It didn't sound special at all. And I love Brooke - I would love for her to win. But this didn't do it for her.

I predict the bottom three to be:
Carly
Michael
Seyesha

I predict Seyesha will leave.

And would someone please dress Paula. She needs some fashion advice. I'm just saying.

Free Music

Hey- run - don't walk to this website http://mattmahermusic.com/blogformusic/.
If you are one of the first 100 bloggers - you may get a free CD. By Matt Maher.
Hurry - run!
I'm excited - I love music - and I love free!
Happy Day!

p.s.
Also, for a limited time, MusiChristian.com is selling the CD online for only $8.97 – http://www.musichristian.com/sys/product.php?PRODUCT=551619

Who Do You Want to Answer the 3 AM Phone Call?

Why my husband of course. Just like he did Sunday morning, when the phone rang. We all hate those calls in the middle of the night because we know it's not somebody calling just to say "Hi, how 'ya doin'?" We all get the slightly panicky sick sensation in our stomachs as we brace ourselves for what we might have to hear. We all expect bad news.

So when our phone rang we both jumped from bed. Our bedroom phone wasn't in the holder. Does anyone ever put the phone back where it belongs? We stumble through the house to the kitchen to find the next closest phone. We finally locate it. My husband picks it up just in time for the line to click dead. We look at each other in a sleep induced stupor. "Check the caller ID" I said. He recites the number and we look at each other again. It's our daughter. One of our pregnant daughters. Now the panic sets in for real. He quickly hits redial and in a moment I hear him say, "You want me to come?" I grab for the closest chair as my knees suddenly feel weak. Then he says, "Oh, you want to talk to mom." And he hands me the phone. Somehow in that split second of time I realize if it were really bad news, she would have told her dad. But she wanted me. So that meant she must have a problem that needs a mama. I relax -slightly. And I take the phone. She is having pain in her lower right side. Pain that won't go away. "I just don't want anything to be wrong with the baby" she says. I can hear the tears in her voice. So I tell her what every mom would say. Go to the ER. And they did. Five hours later they go back home. She is okay. Baby is okay. They aren't really sure what is causing the pain but appendicitis is ruled out. Thank goodness. An ultrasound showed the baby moving and playing, oblivious to the chaos surrounding it's little secure world. Prescriptions are given for pain and a slightly elevated white blood cell count. They come to our house to spend the day, to have a good hot meal and a little TLC. We all are glad to be together and breathe prayers of gratitude that everything was normal again.

But the words keep replaying in my mind - "I just don't want anything to be wrong with the baby".

Honey, those words are going to be your mantra for the rest of your life.

Potpourri Friday

Even though our weather has been so cold and dreary, I decided to fill my birdfeeders about a week ago. These poor little birdies must have been so hungry! They have been so happy to get their breakfast, lunch, and dinner and I have dozens of these sweet little American Goldfinches that come to dine all day long. Of course nothing delights Josey and Pebbles more than to have someone open the patio door so they can bark at them and chase them all away. I think it's a sure sign that spring is here. And I couldn't be more glad about that.

I can hardly believe that I am going to type these next words. I don't have anything on my calendar for the weekend. Well, out of the ordinary weekend things like church, housecleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, you know - regular stuff. But I don't have any events or meetings that I have to be at. And that makes me happy. Very happy.

Except I do have to set aside some time to finish our taxes. That doesn't make me very happy. But it will be a good thing to get it done and behind me for another year.

Tonight we are going to celebrate my baby's birthday. She is 18 years old today. My husband and I are walking around in disbelief. I wrote this post for her last year. This fall she will move into her dorm room and we will go back home and cry a bit and look at each other for a while and try to figure out how to live together - just the two of us again. I'm hoping that having grandbabies by then will help us out.

Speaking of grandbabies, this week I took a day off of work to help my daughter Michelle paint her baby nursery. And if you know how much I hate to paint - that would impress you. We called my mom to come and join us because apparently we don't share the same genetic code, as she loves to paint. So the four of us, me, my mom, my daughter, and my grandbaby painted the room a beautiful soft, creamy, buttery yellow. And then we striped it with a shade darker yellow. And it is beautiful. This weekend the carpet is being installed. And then the crib will go in. And then we will decorate with all the pretty layette items I have been sewing. And then all we will need is the baby to go in the nursery. We can hardly wait.

And Andrea had an ultrasound she wasn't expecting. She went to a regular appointment and she was not able to hear the heartbeat. And the doctor, who could hear the heartbeat, said she would never let a mother leave without hearing the heartbeat. I love that about her doctor. So she took her to the ultrasound room. Now Andrea's husband had not gone with her to her appointment, but her dad had taken her and was waiting out in the car. So Andrea ran out and got him and he got to see the baby. I told him that was not fair. But we were so happy to see such a pretty, healthy little baby in the pictures. They couldn't tell what it was - it didn't cooperate with that. But I think its little face looks like a girl. Andrea and Jayson want to know what it is so maybe next month they will try again to see what the baby is.

I'm still the only one who knows what Michelle and Brad are having. It has been fun to know and I swear I can't go by a baby department in the store without buying something.

Well, after the birthday party tonight, I'm going to kick back and enjoy the weekend. Except for the taxes part of it. But I'm looking forward to all the rest. Have a great weekend y'all!

The Heart of the Matter

Our ladies Bible study has been using the book Conversation Peace by Mary Kassian. What a powerful study this had turned out to be. It's all about transforming your speech. When I began this class, I assumed we would study the 4th chapter of James like all Bible studies about the tongue do. But my goodness - I had absolutely no idea that there was so much in scripture that talks to us about our speech. No idea at all.

Last night we discussed in depth how our difficulties with our conversations, words, and speech don't have anything at all to do with the words themselves that we choose. It's all about our heart gals - it's all about our heart. What is in our hearts comes out in our speech - whether we plan for it to our not - because it is just a natural overflow of who we are. We all thought about our hearts and divided them up into sections called hard, rocky, thorny, and good. We gave percentages to each of those areas. This became very eye opening to me and I'm sure to many others in the class. We suddenly could see the areas that need the most cultivating.

We read scripture in Mark chapter 7 when Jesus was sharing with talking with chastising the religious/political leaders of the day for focusing on their outward actions instead of the condition of their hearts. He asked them - are you dull? I love it - Jesus asked them that! Can you imagine how it felt to be asked that by Jesus? So often we think of Jesus as only a meek and gentle person - as though He didn't have the fire of God in His belly! And He told them that they needed to quit focusing on their outward behaviour because it wasn't changing them. They could only be changed from the inside out - not the other way around. When we are changed on the inside - our outward behavior can't help but change - it's just the way it is.

So if we ask Jesus to help us clean up our hearts, fill it up with good soil that will produce good things, not only will our hearts be transformed, but our speech will too. And then Jesus won't have to be asking us if we are dull. Because I really don't want Him to have to be asking me that - do you?

American Idol - A Soon to be Grandma's Guide to the Final 9

Tonight was Dolly Parton night - and who doesn't love Dolly! I think she is just the cutest thing. Except I noticed her face is looking a bit like Priscilla Presley's does these days. A few too many appointments with the Boto*x doctor I'm thinking. I wish these gorgeous women would just age the way they are meant to - there is just something very beautiful to me about aging gracefully. Ah, but let's get back to the youngsters - the stars of the evening.

Brooke White sang Jolene. I thought this was a good song choice for her - she lends herself to country very well. She had her guitar and seemed right at home. She did great.

David Cook sang Sparrow. The best thing was his new hair style - finally! He looked great! I think the contest is his to lose - he did a fantastic job arranging the song to fit his style and succeeding.

Ramiele sang Do I Ever Cross Your Mind. Ummmm....no, Ramiele, actually you don't. You seemed rather lifeless tonight. She knows she is going down soon - it's in her attitude.

Jason sang Traveling Through. I loved it. It seems Jason always does his best when he sings songs that reflect spiritual matters. I'm wondering if this boy knows Jesus. Dolly seemed to like him too.

Carly sang Here You Come Again. She has an incredible voice and whether she wins this show or not - she had made a career for herself. But tonight I thought she seemed to drag on this song.

David sang Smoky Mountain Memories. I could listen to this guy sing all night. He is just good. He did an incredible job tonight.

Kristy Lee sang Coat of Many Colors. Like Ramiele, she just didn't have any spark to her performance. I want to like this girl but there is something in her attitude that rubs me wrong.

Sayesha made a VERY bold choice and sang I Will Always Love You. It bothers me that the judges don't like the contestants to sing songs that have been mastered by professionals. No body thinks they will do better, but I applaud their courage to try. And Sayesha did a good job on a very difficult song choice. I thought she should have gotten more credit from the judges.

Michael sang It's All Wrong But It's Alright in a very blue-sy style. It was good, and a nice change from his previous performances. But something just didn't fit. I think he was just a bit out of his element tonight.

Have you noticed we are all on a first name basis now?

I predict the bottom three will be:
Ramiele
Kristy
Jason

I predict the one to leave will be:
Ramiele

But don't lost sleep Ramiele over my predictions - I haven't gotten one right yet so you are probably safe.

And it just didn't seem right without Chickezie tonight. I wonder what song he would have picked?

Check out some more reviews over at Boomama's!

I'm Done With Blogging

Yes, it's true. I have made the decision not to blog anymore. It takes entirely too much time out of my day. And I have other important things to do. So I just wanted to write this post to tell you




























APRIL FOOL's!
Got cha' didn't I!!!

Potpourri Friday

Spring is supposedly here. Whatever. It is so cold and windy here today I can barely stand to walk from my office to the car. We don't have tumbeling tumbleweeds here - we have flying tumbleweeds that come at you going about 50 mph. It is coooooollllldddd. Way too cold for spring.

I want to thank those who left such kind and supportive comments on this post. Your words were so encouraging to me - I appreciate them all so much. I intend to read them over and over again in the coming months as I continue toward my goal. I have a feeling that during the difficult aspects of this journey, I am going to need your smiles and prayers to keep me going. I am going to be posting in the future of the recent events God has used to fan the flame of this dream. He is just so amazing. So amazing.

Meanwhile, back in my regular life . . . this has been a fun couple of weeks. Fun because last week Michelle and Brad lived with us while they were getting their hardwood floors refinished. What a process that is! And the chemicals they use are way too harsh to live in the house for 72 hours after they are done. But my, the floors are beautiful. And clean. All ready for the little baby that will be joining them in oh, about 10 weeks (be still my heart)! So they moved back in. They left on Saturday, just in time for Jayson and Andrea to move back in with us. They sold their itty bitty house (700 sq. ft.) and purchased a bigger, newer one. I know we are supposed to be in a housing crunch, but they sold their house and bought a new one in ONE WEEK! No kidding. They more than doubled their space which is going to come in very handy when the baby arrives. The baby and all the baby paraphernalia. So we have enjoyed having the kids back home and as of today they are all back in their own homes. Which is just how it should be.

And that has all happened just in time for 4 little people to move in with us for the weekend! You have heard me talk about my "adopted" grandchildren before - the ones that needed grandparents in their lives so we applied for the job - and got it. Well, their mom and dad are going away for the weekend for some much needed rest and time to be with just each other. And celebrate their wedding anniversary. Personally, I think they will be sleeping a lot. Because an 8 year old and a 6 year old and two 3 year olds can make a person pretty worn out. As I'm about to discover on a very personal level. So I have hamburgers and french fries on the menu, lots of little craft kits ready, and lots of Disney videos ready to be watched. And popcorn - boy do we need popcorn with this crew. I bought a 12 pound bag of popcorn - I think that should keep us!

And what did you think about Chickezie going home on American Idol? I was sad for him. I think I am really going to miss watching his mama in the audience every week. And I haven't guessed one of these right yet. Rats. I guess I'm just along for the ride. I guess I'm never going to make it as a record producer. Oh well, I could never wear those gloves like Paula does anyway. Wouldn't even want to try.

So I hope you all have wonderful weekends full of rest and refreshment - get some for me too will you?

Reaching for a Dream

In the heart of every boy and girl, God plants dreams. Dreams of what they can be, dreams of what they can do. Dreams that can come true when we follow His plan for our life. Dreams that can break when we don't. Dreams we recognize and set goals for right away and other dreams that we keep hidden deep inside because, well, because they are too scary to think about. They are just too big.

Sometimes dreams come true with very little effort. Other times we have to fight and work and sweat to make our dreams happen. I don't always understand why this is the way of it. But I do understand that God understands it. His ways are not my ways. His ways are sovereign. I think that sometimes God just loves us so much He delights in our delight. Much like a mama buying her child an ice cream cone "just because", He hands us some of our dreams "just because". And we eagerly take them. We have no problem accepting them. During the times that we have to fight for our dreams to come true, we can become frustrated with God, feeling like He is not on our side, or even worse, that He is against us and our dream. We don't perceive the struggle as part of the fulfillment of the dream. That is just the way of us humans I guess. We like instant gratification. We think all of life should be able to be wrapped up in a thirty minute sitcom experience, complete with a happily ever after ending.

I am at a change-point in my life. I have had wonderful dreams fulfilled in my life. I married a wonderful man and we have served together in ministry for many years. I have raised 4 beautiful, wildly successful daughters who give me pleasure every single day. I have spent every day of the last 28 years of my life helping them make their dreams come true. They are all off to a good start and I couldn't be more proud of them. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Every moment. Although there were many years when it seemed too far away to ever imagine, our last little chick is getting ready to leave us and the proverbial nest is going to find itself empty. And that leaves me with something I am not familiar with. Something I haven't had in a long, long time.

I have options.

Options people! I hardly know how to behave.

Here's the deal. I have almost always had to work outside the home. And I am currently working at a university that provides an excellent tuition remission program for my daughters. The third daughter is graduating from here in May - she will have a degree in elementary education. My fourth daughter will begin her first semester this fall. That means that in four years I will be able to leave this employment, that I have never really enjoyed been grateful for, and make some new choices. The wonderful thing is that these choices can be made on the basis of what I want, of what is best for me, to make my dreams come true. I am always going to have to help bring in an income in our home. And that doesn't bother me. This is where all the stuff about dreams come in.

Ever since I was in the 4th grade, I have had a dream to be an author. I want to write Christian fiction.

There. I said it. Whew!

I believe with all my heart that the time has come to begin to pursue this God-given dream. He is telling me so. His voice, that has always been a quiet whisper deep inside the private places of my heart regarding the matter of writing, has begun to reverberate to a building crescendo, telling me the time has come to begin chasing this incredible idea. So I am taking steps. Just small steps right now. But steps that are none the less leading me in the direction of fulfilling what I believe is a calling. Writing this post is a step. You have no idea how big it is to me to "voice" my dream. It somehow makes it all more real, more definite. It's more of a commitment to continue.

It also makes it more visible if I fail.

I know that pursuing this dream is going to be a journey unlike any other I have been on. There will be much work and sweat and tears to make this one come true. But I'm up for it.

At least today I am.

American Idol - A Soon to be Grandma's Guide to the Top 10

Tonight the singers had to choose a song from the year they were born. This sounded like fun at first. But I have to say, as the night progressed, it got a teensy bit boring for me. Most of this group is starting to sound like they are stuck in a rut.

Ramiele - sang Alone. She has a really big voice and uses lots of emotion when she sings. She apparently wasn't feeling well - but I couldn't tell by her performance. She did a good job - but the song wasn't familiar to me and the whole thing was not memorable.

Jason C - sang Fragile. And it was. I love Jason and I wouldn't even mind him winning the whole thing. But he has got to try something more daring and less safe. I'm afraid if he doesn't venture out of his comfort zone - he will be venturing into a danger zone.

Seyesha sang If I Were Your Woman. She was very classy. Beautiful performance.

Chikizie sang If Only For One Night. This performance made me think of a night club. And I have never been to a night club so I'm not sure why it made me think of one. This guy has talent - but I think he is still trying to figure out what he does best.

Brooke White sang Every Breath You Take. She is just so sweet. She started out wrong on the piano and she quickly started over. That takes a tremendous amount of self-control to do. She impressed me. I think she shines.

Michael Johns sang We Are The Champions and he did a good job. I think he is a great singer and he may be just the one to stay under the radar and come out on top in the end.

Carly sang Turn Around. I thought she did okay. But like Amanda from before, she seems stuck in a rock-y sounding genre that just might come back to get her.

David A. sang Your'e The Voice. Simon said he sounded like a singer in a theme park production. I must admit, it did have a Disney sound to it. But this young man has such talent. Any my heart just melted with the video of him dancing with his little sister.

Kristy Lee picked God Bless the USA. I was totally surprised at the positive reaction from the judges. I was quite sure they would tear her song choice to pieces. But they loved it. I thought she did okay although she hit some flat notes along the way. She had a great ending. Simon thought it was good enough to pull her through another week.

David Cook sang Billie Jean. I have to say, that although I'm not a fan of his, he did a brilliant job. He changed the song so much it was nearly unrecognizable, yet it worked really well. He seems to be a natural. I think he had the best performance of the evening.

This week I predict the bottom three to be:
Ramiele
Jason C (although it pains me to say it)
Carly (I was shocked last week when she was in the bottom 3, but I won't be this week.)

I predict the one to leave will be:
Ramiele

And I should just say that so far I have not guessed it right a single time. I have been pretty much correct in the bottom three picks but I have always guessed Kristy would be the one to go. Oh, one more thing. I really hated Paula's gloves.

And as soon as BooMama gets her bloggy troubles cleared up you can go there and check out some other American Idol opinions.

Potpourri Friday

One lonely bunny. That's all that is left these days. There used to be a whole litter of these Easter bunny baskets at our house. But one by one they have left with their girl - to houses of their own. I miss them. And the girls too! Sigh. I miss buying little lip glosses, and colorbooks and story books and cross necklaces, and the chocolate bunnies to fill the baskets with. I miss getting up early on Easter and watching the girls dig into their baskets. But there are new grandbabies on the horizon and so there will be new bunnies too. Life does go on. I'm so happy about that!

Oh, I have some winners from my drawing from the Ultimate Blogging Party week. I didn't get to participate as much as I'd hoped too - it was such a busy week for me. But I had three prizes to give away and here they are:

The little stack of fat quarters go to Paula H. She doesn't have a blog. The little Mary Engelbreit photo album goes to Teri. And the stocking ornament pattern goes to Blessed at A Blessed Crazy Life. Isn't that a great name for a blog? So true.
Thanks girls for visiting me during the party. I hope you enjoy your prizes - they will be going out in the mail next week - after Easter. Because I have a ton of things to do before then!

Like attend an Easter sunrise service that my husband is speaking at, attend church, and then feed 35 people at my house afterwards. I know - I'm crazy. I don't really plan these things - they just happen to me! I always tell my husband, I don't run my life - my life runs me. I guess I need to work on that.

I'm still so thrilled that I am attending the She Speaks conference this summer. I go to sleep thinking about it. I wake up thinking about it. I eat my lunch and dinner thinking about it. I know there will be many bloggers there. If you are going, let me know. I would love to meet you in person! That would be the icing on the cake!

Oh, and I hope you like the new look of my blog. I have tried for months to change my header. I never could make it work. I can set blocks on point in quilting, I can hem a pair of jeans so they look professional, I can make a great Italian Cream Cake. But put the letters h-t-m-l in front of me and I freeze. But I kept trying. And I don't really know what I did different - but it worked this time! I hope I can do it again - later.


Happy Resurrection Day!
I wanted to close this post today by focusing on the truth of Easter. The absolute truth. In the busyness of the holiday, I pray you find the time to focus on what it means to you and me. Because without it Christmas would have no meaning at all. It is everything to the Believer.

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. Luke 23:45

The sun stopped shining. The Son stopped shining. I'm so glad I wasn't there to witness the absolute and complete desolation and depression that must have filled the air. I'm so glad I wasn't there to see a mother broken in grief as she witnessed the beaten, broken, crucified body of her son. I'm so glad I wasn't there to see my Savior bleeding in agony on a crude instrument of torture and death.

"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary." John 20: 15-16

One simple word was all He said. Her name. Mary. Can you just imagine the look on her face? How I wish I had been there to see that joyful reunion! How I wish I had been there to see the look of confusion change to recognition and finally to understanding and acceptance. The Son was shining again.

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will regin forever and ever. Revelation 22:3-5

The Son will shine forever. I WILL be there! Will you?

Last Sunday in church we had a "Meaning of the Passover" service. A Christian Jewish man held a Seder for us and explained one by one the Jewish traditions that take place during this meal. I've seen this done before but it always brings me to tears as the traditions become alive with meaning as the identity of the Messiah becomes so obvious and apparent. Only a God could come up with such a perfect plan of redemption.

I pray that the truth of Easter will imprint itself upon your heart this weekend.

I'm Going!

God is so good! I am going to the She Speaks conference the end of June in North Carolina.

Several years ago I attended a Women's Ministry Leadership Conference at Focus on the Family. It changed my life - truly and forever. I always wanted to go back again and had even signed up my entire women's council to go to the next one, when Focus had to make some budget cuts and cancelled the conference. I was so disappointed. Recently, I heard about the She Speaks conference hosted by the Proverbs 31 Ministries. Imagine my total surprise when I discovered the women in charge of this ministry were the same ones that used to be at Focus! I began to pray about it. And through several confirmations to my heart and spirit (miracles really), I have signed up and bought my plane ticket today! Now, most of you know how I am about flying. But I am praying about it already. I'm going to do it. I am going alone. That's a scary thing to do. But I am trusting God that He is going to go with me - He will be there - and He will speak to me. I am going to be so blessed. There are some things about this conference that have to do with fulfilling a dream God planted in my heart. A dream I have had for many, many years. I am sensing the time has come to do something about it. God wants me to begin exploring this dream - to make it a reality in my life. And it will be life-changing. I don't even dare put my dream into words. Yet. But I am ready to start moving on it. I am ready to start trusting Him on a deeper more intimate level than I ever have before. I am ready to do whatever it is I need to do to make this dream come true. Even if it means getting on an airplane. Alone. And even if it means going to a conference with hundreds and hundreds of women. Alone. And even if it means it is time to expose my vulnerable and fragile dream for the world to evaluate. I am not really alone. I have the dream-Giver going with me every step of the way.

American Idol - A Soon to be Grandma's Guide to the Top 11

Another week of Beatle's songs. I think that was stretching it. Just a bit. But oh well. Here is my overview of the evening.


Amanda Overmeyer - Back in the USSR - Oh Amanda, honey. You just have to do something different. Stop with the Janis impersonation. But you know what? It was pretty apparent in her comments, she is not changing anything. She is looking for her opportunity to "sell tickets". I don't think she plans on winning this competition - she is just using it to her advantage. No a bad game plan if you are that set on what you want to do.

Kristy Lee Cook - You've Got to Hide Your Love Away - She did better than last week. But she sounded like she was singing way too low for her voice. I don't know - I don't think she can hang on another week. But - love the hair!

David A. - Long and Winding Road - Okay, for weeks now this kid has been reminding me of somebody. It's just been nagging at me. And I figured it out. Actually my sister-in-law figured it out for me. David A. looks just like my nephew Grayson! Check it out!



Isn't that weird! And they are not too far apart in age either LOL. All Grayson has to do is spike his hair a little bit and he can be David A. for Halloween this year!
David did a great job on his song by the way. Loved it.

Michael Johns - A Day in the Life Simon said it best when he said it was "complicated". It didn't work well IMO.

Brooke White - Here Comes the Sun What a silly little song. I used the word awkward before Simon did - poor girl just didn't know what to do with herself. But really, there was no where for her to go but down after last week.

David Cook - Daytripper Just don't care for this guy's music. It reminds me of Amanda - the same every week. And somebody please - help his hair!

Carly Smithson - BlackbirdBeautiful. This girl has an amazing range. I loved her rich, sultry, deep notes. Simon and Paula acted really weird about this song - I don't know what was going on with them. I thought she did great.

David Castro - Michelle Simon said it best when he said "Your face sold that." He is such a cutie. David - not Simon. He didn't do the best job - but it was okay.

Sayesha - Yesterday Finally! Sayesha did a great job on this song and really showed off her vocal skills. I was getting a little worried for her. But this should keep her on another week anyway.

Chikezie - “I’ve Just Seen A Face” The judges didn't like it - but I did. I thought it was great - and his mama loved it too! I just love his mama!

Ramiele Malubay - “I Should’ve Known Better - Big voice in a little body. I thought Ramiele did good tonight. Not great. But good. Her pants bothered me. They were all bunched up around her thighs. Then I realized - she has such short little legs, her pants were too long and maybe she didn't have time to hem them - LOL.

I predict the Bottom 3 will be:

Amanda
Kristy
Ramiele

I predict Kristy will leave.

And I hope, hope, hope, hope we are done with the Beatles music. Let's get on with it!

Circus Circus and the Crucifixion

I'm running this post again this year - because it is Holy Week and this is one of my sweetest memories.

When my two older girls were five and six, we embarked on a family vacation to Disneyland. The distance we had to drive was far and the route indicated that Las Vegas would be a natural stopping place for the night. Having two little girls with us, we made the decision to stop at Circus Circus hoping that little eyes wouldn't be exposed to too many forms of "adult" entertainment. We pulled into the parking lot when suddenly I heard my five year old, Tara, break into sobs in the back seat. "I don't want to go here, I don't want to go here" she emphatically cried. After several minutes of trying to discover what the problem was, Tara told us that she didn't want to go here because as she said, "This is where they hung Jesus on the cross!" My husband and I looked at each other bewildered as to why in the world she would think this. Finally we were able to calm her down and discover the reason for her alarm. We assured her that Jesus was not hung on the cross here, that had happened long ago in a faraway place.
"Tara, honey, why do you think Jesus was killed here?"
"Because, mommy, you said they gambled for his clothes".

Ah...the innocence of a child.

Ultimate Blog Party

This is a sticky post that will remain at the top of my blog until The Ultimate Blog Party ends on March 14. Scroll down for newer posts!
It's time to party! Welcome to all of you who have never been to the "nest" before! This is just my little place where I write about the things I love the most. Things like my family, my church, my God, my hobbies, my books, and my sweet dog Josey. I joined the blogging world a little over a year ago - my I just never knew! I have had the best time meeting great people, learning new recipes and ideas, sharing prayer requests, and just having fun. Here are some things to know about me:

I love God with my whole heart.

I am married to the best guy in the world - and he happens to be a preacher. That makes me a preachers wife - and it's been a good life. God has blessed us greatly.


I have 4 amazing daughters. And two amazing sons-in-law.

I am going to be a grandmother TWICE this year. I can hardly believe it - my heart is just so full sometimes! I sense that my life is going to change for the better Big Time!

I love to read. I love to sew. I love to quilt. I love to garden. I love my kitchen. In fact I'm not sure who my BFF is - my Bernina or my KitchenAid.

I work outside the home. I don't love it so much.

I love my sweet dog Josey. She is a little Yorkshire Terrier and has the sweetest little personality. And she doesn't think I do anything wrong. Ever.

I'm so glad you stopped by. To celebrate I am going to have 3 give-aways. The first prize is a little Mary Engelbreit photo album. Second, a stack of fun fat-quarters (fabric), and third a pattern for felt Christmas stocking ornaments. Because it is never too early to start making Christmas ornaments!


I will use the random number generator to choose my winners. Three winners. Three prizes. Just leave a comment telling me which prize you would like the most! And you MUST leave an email address or a blog address so I can notify you.
Feel free to browse through my blog and get to know me better - I look forward to visiting you too.

Party on!

American Idol - A Soon to be Grandma's Guide to the Top 12

Well, okay then. Due to the dryness of my brain in regards to finding material to blog about, I am about to enter a realm that is completely out of my comfort zone. But first I have to make a confession. I love American Idol. I was going to say that I watch American Idol with my teenage daughter - you know, being interested in what she is interested in and that kind of thing. But the honest truth is, I love watching talented young people grow and stretch and become better than they were before. I find it fascinating. It is an amazing process. To see these people work so hard to refine their God given gift is encouraging and humbling all at the same time. The brutal, yet constructively honest critiques they face each week would be enough to make me hide my face never to be seen again. But not these folks. They listen to it, think about it, and most often use it to their advantage. I really admire them. Well, most of them.

Now, I realize I am hovering dangerously close to the half century mark and my musical taste and knowledge may be out of touch in regards to the younger set. So my evaluations are for those of us who, well, let's just say we have had more years to listen to music and develop some taste expertise. Kind of a fun twist - don't you think? So here we go - my evaluations of last nights top 12.

It was Beatles night. Let's just say I'm not a big fan of the Beatles. Never was. But never mind that. At least I was able to recognize the songs.

Syesha Mercado - sang 'Got to Get You Into My Life'. This little gal is sweet and has an infectious smile. I don't know if it's just me but I always think she starts a bit off key. I thought so with this song too. She got going with it in the middle - but I don't think she is going to get far if she doesn't step it up a notch.

Chikezie - sang "She's A Woman'. My goodness. This guy is fun. And he has one name. Aren't you practically guaranteed to be a star if you only have one name? I love Chikezie and even more I love his mother. Do you watch her in the audience? This lady is awesome. She can sing and dance and she has RHYTHM with a capital R. She loves her boy. I vote for Chikezie because he has a good mom. He did an awesome job too - he was just pure fun to watch.

Ramiele Malubay - sang 'In My Life'. This girl has the most beautiful lips and I love her lip gloss. She has a lovely voice - but her song just didn't imprint itself into my brain. She needs to expand into something a bit more exciting.

Jason Castro - 'If I Fell'. What a cutie pie. Now it must be said that I am no fan of dredlocks. But this boy, this boy just makes me want to adopt him. I think he just has the sweetest soul. He looks kind and he is not stuck on himself. He is not comfortable with all the attention and that alone makes me love him. And his voice just melts my heart. I would love to see him in the final two. He is the real deal.

Carly Smithson - 'Come Together'. No doubt about it. This girl can sing. She did a great job with her song and wowed the judges and the audience. She has a lovely Irish accent. I like her but she is a bit to "rock-y" for my taste.

David Cook ' 'Eleanor Rigby'. I don't really get his music. But I'm sure it's an age thing. I just don't connect with him or any of the songs he has sung. And I get distracted my his hair. I'm sorry. He just isn't my choice.

Brooke White - 'Let It Be'. This sweet girl is awesome and pure music. I love her voice and her attitude. She is so sweet she can probably cause cavities. She doesn't have to depend on anything but her voice. I think she and Jason Castro are much alike and she is the other one I would like to see in the final two.

David Hernandez -'I Saw Her Standing There'. Hmmm. I find myself trying to remember his performance. I guess that's all I need to say.

Amanda Overmyer 'You Can't Do That'. My problem with Amanda is that all her songs sound exactly the same. I think it's her very distinct voice. She is a very interesting person and she seems to be strong in who she is. But I think one song is enough - then I have heard them all. Sorry Amanda.

Michael John - 'Across the Universe' Not too much impression with Michael. I don't think he is going to go very much further in the contest.

Kristi Lee Cook- 'Eight Days a Week'. Oh. My. Goodness. That was just agonizing to listen too. She tried to put a country spin on this song and it was a mess. I just felt so bad for her. Poor Kristi - that was just a very bad choice. But you have really pretty hair Kristi - really pretty.

David Archuleta - 'We Can Work It Out'. What a sweetie pie. I felt so bad for him when he forgot some words although he covered it up well. He told everyone he was not comfortable with his song choice and then he proved to us he wasn't. But this boy will go far.

Predictions:

I think Kristi Lee Cook is going to be the one to go home this week. There is just nothing that is going to rescue her from that really sad performance.

Favorites: Brooke and Jason.

Head over to BooMama's and read up on some more reviews.

Josey's eyes

This is how dry my brain is - I am going to blog about my sweet dog Josey's eyes. Sorry.

But Becky saw this picture of Josey in a previous post.



And she asked if her eyes are really that green. And I would have to say no - it's her tinted contact lenses that make her eyes look like that.

But I would be totally lying. Which I don't do.

So the truth is this. It seems that Yorkie dogs with silky coats when photographed have green eyes. If they had course hair their eyes would look gold in pictures. This really seems to hold true. I know. The tinted contact lenses make more sense. However, if you ask any Yorkie breeder - that is what they will tell you. And I don't know if it holds true for all dogs or just Yorkies. Josey does have nice silky hair and big brown eyes that only look possessed in pictures. She doesn't really look evil in person. That would be scary.

So there you go. Some totally useless information you can impress your guests with at your next dinner party.

A Dry Spell

Well, it seems that I have taken a bit of a bloggy break - I didn't intend to - but it just happened. To be honest, my brain just doesn't contain anything to blog about at the moment. A dry spell. Yes, that's what it is - a dry spell. So, be patient with me. I'll be back. Oh yes, I'll be back. Hopefully with something good to talk about. Because a brain can't stay dry forever. Right?

Fabulous!

Whew! It's taken me a few days to recover from our awesome Women's Retreat this last weekend. But it was such a wonderful success and as often is the case, I have been on a mountaintop (literally as well as figuratively!) and I am slowly descending back into reality. We had an inspiring speaker, an incredible hotel to stay at, and wonderful fellowship with each other. Two words I keep hearing over and over again to describe the retreat are "restful" and "peaceful". Our speaker has been a spiritual mentor to me for many years. I always hang on her every word. She always inspires me to be a stronger Christian. She talked to us this year about a word called "truthiness". Pronounced truth-I-ness. The definitition of this word is: things that a person claims to know intuitively or "from the gut" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts. In other words, it is what we "feel" is truth, regardless of fact. She taught us about what a dangerous state of mind this is and how by making up our own truth without checking it against scripture, we are creating a world of chaos. There is only one truth. His name is Jesus. I don't think we can know this enough.

One fun thing I did at retreat this year was open each session by reading a post from different blogs. I chose some serious ones and some funny ones. I have enjoyed blogging so much and I wanted to expose my ladies to the wonderful world of blogging. It went over really well - and many ladies asked to have copies of what I read and wanted to know more about blogging in general. So I hope to see many of the women that I appreciate begin their own blogs soon!

And my sweet ladies gave me such a wonderful gift. They gave me fabric to make a prayer quilt. I will blog more about that in another post - but I can't tell you how thrilled and touched I was. We serve the most awesome people in our church - we are so very blessed. As I like to say, life in the ministry is a life of privilege.