Looking Back at 2010

 Pick three words to describe 2010.

For a list of 20 great questions for reflection on the past year, go here. 

Cutest Video EVER of the Christmas Story

I Need a Silent Night

A Christmas Prayer

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Loving Father, 

Help us remember the birth of Jesus,

that we may share in the song of the angels,

the gladness of the shepherds,

and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate

and open the door of love all over the world. 

Let kindness come with every gift

and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing 

which Christ brings,

and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. 

May the Christmas morning 

make us happy to be thy children,

and Christmas evening bring us to our beds

with grateful thoughts,

forgiving and forgiven, 

for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Peanut Butter Bars {just like Reese's PB cups}

• These are super yummy, super easy, and truly taste just like a Reese's Peanut Butter cup! {Seriously they do!}
• 
  
• 
  
• 1 cup butter or margarine, melted (I used 1 1/2 cup the second time I made these and it was just fine!)
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter
• 
  
• In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan and refrigerate for 2 hours.  In the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Week 50- Hiding God's Word in Your Heart

Monday Morning Question of the Day

I'm gearing up to do a bunch of Christmas baking in the next week. 

I love all the treats and goodies we make only during Christmas time. 

So today I want to know, what is your favorite Christmas treat?

The food that it just would not seem like Christmas without? 

Week 49- Hiding God's Word in Your Heart

My Favorite Christmas Tradition

I am a girl who LOVES traditions.  

And in our family we have many- especially at Christmas time. 

One of my favorite involves our nativity scene. 

As we decorate for Christmas I put out the entire nativity scene-

 except for baby Jesus. 

We leave His manger empty- until Christmas morning. 

Until that time we work to create a soft bed for him. 

To do so, each day we try to do kind deeds for others- 

above and beyond the normal. 

For each of those kind deeds we do, 

we get to place one piece of straw in the manger for baby Jesus.  

This tradition is a great way to remind us to think of others 

as better than ourselves during this super busy 

and sometimes hectic holiday season.   

Monday Morning Question of the Day

I am a girl that loves Christmas traditions. 

LOVES them. 

I'll share my favorite tradition tomorrow but today I want to know yours.

So, what is your favorite Christmas tradition? 

Things I Love Today

• This post by Jon Acuff about how big our God is. LOVE it.
  
• This Swan Lake video.........it is AMAZING!!

• This sweet video of a soldier coming home from Afghanistan and meeting his baby daughter for the first time. Precious! (Be sure you have some Kleenex!)
  
• This book is one of the best I've read in a very long time. If you are a reader, you simply must read it! 

• These super cute plates! Adorable!!

So tell me, what's one thing you love today?

Week 48- Hiding God's Word in Your Heart

Monday Morning Question of the Day

Do you like Christmas music or does it irritate you after awhile?

What's your favorite Christmas song or CD?

What are YOU Thankful For?

In today's world it's hard not to be overwhelmed by all the talk of

 the worsening economy, war, the environment, politics, and crime.  

Watching the news can bring you quickly to feel depressed

 and like the world just plain sucks.  

But truthfully?

 We are blessed. 

Truly blessed. 

So let's make a list. 

Leave a comment to tell me one thing at a time that you are thankful for.  

Leave as many as you'd like, but make each one a separate comment,

 and don't repeat any. 

Think we can get 100?

I think we can.  

I'll start.....

I'm thankful for................

Monday Morning Question of the Day

So I'm having surgery today which is something I've never done before. 

What about you?

Have you ever had surgery?

How many times?

What for?

Happy Veteran's Day

"This nation will remain the land of the free only

so long as it is the home of the brave."

~ Elmer Davis~

The above picture is of my sweet daddy who served in Vietnam. 

Happy Veteran's Day to all those who have served in the armed forces.  

Thank you for your courage and dedication and 

 for selflessly serving in the United States armed forces.

You are our heroes. 

Week 45- Hiding God's Word in Your Heart

Monday Morning Question of the Day

Today's question is brought to you by my sweet daughter Madison: 

If you could have an extra arm where 

would you put it on your body?

(she's sweet but she is definitely r.a.n.d.o.m.) 

Week 44- Hiding God's Word in Your Heart

Monday Morning Question of the Day

What's one thing you are thankful for this Monday morning?

Flashback Friday

I love this sweet picture of my grandmother, aunt, and my mother (the baby). 

My grandmother was a beautiful lady- inside and out

 and I love seeing pics of her as a striking young mother. 

It looks like they are sitting on newspaper? 

I miss these three ladies so!  

Week 43- Hiding God's Word in Your Heart

Monday Morning Question of the Day

Since it's Halloween week, 

what is your favorite kind of Halloween candy?

Flashback Friday

This is my favorite Flashback Friday picture of all times. 

This picture is of my grandmother and grandfather Kope

 at our house on Christmas morning. 

When I found this picture this summer I laughed so hard! 

Here's what cracks me up:

1. The look on my grandfather's face. 

He looks like.....UM, what the heck?

2. The fact that my grandmother is helping him open it. 

Hysterical. 

3. The fact that someone obviously bought them 

a GREEN toilet seat with a FROG on it. 

Who does that? Why? 

Where do you even get something like that?

4. The fact that we took a picture of such a fabulous gift. 

I LOVE this picture! 

Shine

This is amazing and beautiful! 

And here is where David Crowder talks about the process of making this video!

Disconnect to Connect

This video from Thailand is beautiful.  

Disconnecting is something I definitely need to do more often!

Week 42- Hiding God's Word in Your Heart

Randomness on a Tuesday Morning

1. What great guesses you guys had about what angers me each Sunday morning!

 Erin was the first to get it right- it's people who leave

 during the invitation and offering at the end of the service. 

(And there are LOTS who do it every single week!)

It absolutely makes me want to scream. 

To me what it's saying is....

I am more important than anyone else here

and waiting in line to get out of the parking lot is 

simply not something I am going to do. 

Unless someone is old and using a walker, 

there truly is no reason I can see for leaving early- 

other than being selfish and it makes me mad. 

And sad. 

2. Last night I was helping Madison study for a vocabulary test and we had the best time. 

It was late and I was tired and silly and we started coming up with ridiculous ways for her to remember the definitions.  I laughed so hard I cried and may have even tee-teed in my panties I laughed so hard. 

I will laugh all day long thinking of her sitting in the quiet classroom laughing while imagining her mother standing there making funny motions and sounds to help her remember the words. I love that silly girl!

(A few of the words were: taciturn, indigenous, assuage, garish)

3. This Friday night at the football game the dad's are dancing with the drill team.  

It should be absolutely hysterical and I can't wait!  

Madison has asked her dad to dance with her and

 so this afternoon he's driving in for practice at 6pm. 

 He has his two boys (aged 7 and 8) tonight and will have to bring them-

 because his other exwife is getting married this weekend 

and has last minute wedding plans to attend to.

So guess who's going to babysit them? 

ME! 

How random/ironic/a little weird is that?

Taking care of  your ex-husband's

  (whohadanaffair-marriedthegirlhehadtheaffairwith-had2kidswithher-andthentheygotadivorcebecauseshecheatedonhim)

kids. 

Not awkward one little bit. :) 

(I actually offered because I know how much Madison wanted him to dance with her.)

4. I'm having surgery next month and feel like I need 

to get WAY ahead during the next few weeks. 

Is it unreasonable to think that I can get

 four weeks ahead in everything in my life? 

Both at home and at work? 

Surely I can do it, right?

5. Any suggestions for good books you've read lately? 

I'm stockpiling books for after my surgery 

and would love any suggestions you might have. 

6. This is a fabulous article for dad's. 

This is a beautifully written, precious letter from a mom to her daughter. 

7. We went to see my new nephew Cash this past weekend 

and he is so stinkin' adorable. 

Seriously precious.

8. Can't stop on 7 because it's not an even number so here's one of my new favorite quotes:

‎"We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, 

who regards not the greatness of the work,

 but the love with which it is performed." 

~ Brother Lawrence~

Happy Tuesday everyone! 

Monday Morning Question of the Day

We go to a large church where the average attendance is

 probably around 3,500 people in our Sunday morning service. 

And every Sunday morning,

 every SINGLE Sunday morning

something occurs at church that makes me absolutely ANGRY. 

It makes me so crazy that I want to stand up and yell at people-

and if you know me, it takes lots to make me angry. 

Can you guess what it is? 

Flashback Friday

This picture of me and my sister makes me laugh. 

From the lovely hairdo and goofy look I am sporting 

(so needs a barrette or a bow), 

to the cute matching outfits that we are wearing 

(that my mom MADE for us), 

to the fact that there appears to be a Santa Claus stuffed animal sitting 

between us when it is obviously summer time 

(what is up with that?),

it cracks me up! 

Week 41- Hiding God's Word in Your Heart

Pics from my iPhone this past 2 weeks

1. The makings of a mum 

(I'll blog about that later this week because I recently found out that

 homecoming mums are a Texas thing and Mum asked me to!)

2. A cute alligator that I found in the hospital gift shop 

and sent to a friend who collects them to see if she wanted him. 

 (she did :)

3. The parking lot I was looking at while waiting for Madison 

when sweet Dory sent me a pic of the sunset at the beach. 

(there was no comparison)

4. A cute little Charlie Brown onesie that 

I bought for my new little nephew Cash! 

5. My adorable new little nephew Cash!

Isn't he precious?

6. Some cute leopard print clogs that one of my nurses was wearing. 

I took the pic to send to Dory to show her. 

7. A picture I took the night I spent in the ICU 

waiting room while my dad was there. 

My sweet friend Sherri brought me dinner that night- 

with NO pickles!

8. A pic of her son my sweet friend Sherri sent me 

when they were at the Arkansas vs. Texas A&M game this past weekend.  

Obviously they are die hard Arkansas fans! 

Isn't it a hoot?

Monday Morning Question of the Day

What's one TV show currently on that 
you think everyone should watch?

Flashback Friday

This is one of the only pictures my dad has with his father, who died when he was young. 

I love this picture for that reason. 

If I didn't know better, I would have thought that this was MY daddy-

 they looked so much alike. 

I love the guy standing to the side- I wish I knew who he was. 

You can tell this picture was taken in the 40's

 because the phone number on the wrecker has only 3 digits. 

Can you imagine? 

You Are.....

You are not your past

You are not your failures

You are not your parents

You are not your sister

You are not your regrets

You are not your sin

You are not your weight

You are not your divorce

You are not your unemployment

You are not the choices someone else made for you

You are not your brokenness

You are not your bitterness

You are not your abuse

You are not your loneliness

You are not your marital status

You are not your tax bracket

You are not your crisis

This is who YOU are:

You are loved

You are forgiven

You are redeemed

You are destined

You are set apart

You are a new creation

You are valued

You are gifted

You are chosen

You are prized

You are reconciled

You are called

You are noticed

You are pursued

You are a child of The King

You are a co-heir with Christ

You are a royal priesthood

You are adored, cherished and treasured by the God of this universe.

When you choose to stop living out who you are not

 and you start to live in who you are.....

It changes everything.

Week 40- Hiding God's Word in Your Heart

Thoughts from the CCU at 4:49am

I've been at the hospital for almost 24 with my dad who had surgery to remove blockage in the carotid artery in the right side of his neck.  He's doing fairly well but has been in CCU since about noon yesterday.  We are hoping that after they get him up and walking this morning he will be released.  As I've sat in this waiting room for the last many, many hours (I can only see him at 5:30am, 9:30am, 1pm, 5:30pm, and  8pm) I've thought of many things.  


Here are just a few:

• It is painful to watch people find out their loved one is going to die.  Truly heartbreaking. And I've seen it 4 times in the last day. Heartbreaking.
• I am blessed to have such sweet friends.  Truly blessed.
• God works in mysterious and amazing ways.  He is truly awesome.
• Hospital waiting rooms become like families after dark.  You share snacks, books, blankets- everything- with people you just met. 
• The chairs in CCU are NOT meant for sleeping. AT ALL. Especially if you have a herniated disc.  
• You have no secrets in the waiting room.  You can hear every phone conversation and conversation with a doctor that goes on.
• People handle grief and pain differently. Some laugh, some cry, some are silent, some are LOUD, some yell, some curse.  There is no right way. 
• As much as I hate that I am here, I am thankful that I've been here to pray for so many hurting, devastated families. 

Monday Morning Question of the Day

I have no control when it comes to those little candy pumpkins. 

Seriously.Zero.Zilch.Nada.

What about you? 

What's something you have no control with?

Week 39- Hiding God's Word in Your Heart

Monday Morning Question of the Day

After months and months and months of hot temperatures 

with highs in the 90's and 100's and lows 75 and higher,

 this morning was such a welcome change.  

It was only 59 degrees as I drove to work and 

boy did it feel like the beginning of fall- which I absolutely love. 

It makes me think of pumpkins and hot apple cider

and cool football games and fall colored leaves- 

which are some of my favorite fall things. 

What do you love about fall?