The Value of You

Come have your morning tea or coffee with me.

Come sit round my table and chat with me.

Come join in a circle of friendship with me.

Come spend the day with me.

You are always welcome here!

I value your friendship, kind words, and your company.

~~~~~~~

Sharing a Word with you today….

What is it that makes you valuable?

What makes you feel important?

Wealth, education, popularity or leadership at work?

We must not let those things define our worth and value,

because things will most likely fail us.

Cars break down; houses burn down; profits sink down;

and with them, our self-worth falls down.

It’s sad but true, these things happen to the best of us.

But God declares that we're worth everything to Him.

We are not our own; we were bought at a price.

That price is the life of Jesus.

~1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

We are precious in God's sight -- we're His children ~Ephesians 1:5.

Almost every parent would agree that his or her child is

the most precious thing in the world;

and that's the way God feels about us!

It's no wonder God labels his people as his treasured possession.

~Deuteronomy 14:2.

We should not let our wealth, education, popularity, status,

or anything else define our value.

We must remember that we are worth

everything to God, because we're His.

He values us more than anything.

Notes gathered from  Weekly Wisdom

************ 

Thank you my dear sistas for being here for me!

You are valued here more than you know!

~~~~~~~~~~

We’ve been in the garden…..the last of our collards were gathered last Thursday…so fresh and tender…yum. After cleaning up the planting beds we re-fertilized with that yummy smelling stuff that comes from horses….you know organic fertilizer! It’s the best kind! We then planted onions and broccoli from plants we bought. Then we sowed seed of green onions and sweet little English peas. I can’t wait to see them grow.

We got plenty of rain on them from the storm the other night which also put

some folks out of electrical power. Therefore Jackie had to work and to

top it off someone crashed their car into one of the electrical poles

which had him working all night long in the pouring rain storm.

Oh well...someone had to do it.

Bless his heart.

***

Enjoy your day, keep it simple, real, and uncomplicated!

Put another pot of coffee on!

God’s Belssings,

My word for 2010-ExperienceI experienced horse poo.

Love Connection

We are, each of us angels with only one wing;

and we can only fly by embracing one another.

I believe that is what we have done…along with Christina
 and joining together expressing the simplest of things in our lives.

Christina…."Thank You" from the depths of my heart;

and to all the ones who posted their simple things
allowing her to meet a challenge.

A challenge set forth out of love for unknown, faceless people

in another country who are suffering and have lost much.

Haiti we hear you, we see you, we feel you.

185 Ladlefuls of Love = $185.00 donated out of sheer love from Christina. 

~THANK YOU DEAR~

I love the connection between all of us in this venture;
the link that bonded us together as we appreciated our simple moments,
 our loves, and the things that make us giddy.
Hearts were touched, friends were made,

and we all felt the same connection…

a love connection!

It brought about love and kindness from simple words and phrases.

I read with passion the most intriguing phrases of simple things.

Some of my favorites were:

*to make someone feel special (cinner)

* blue canning jars filled with purple mums and yellow lilies (char)

*Milk waiting at your door (country girl)

* Children praying in unison at school (kamana)

*Clean cotton (my farmhouse kitchen)

* Sunday drives down old country roads (christina)

*Jack Frost patterns on the windows (sherry)

*elastic waistbands :) (Sandra)

…and these are only a few……they were all so

heartfelt and warming to the soul.

 Much has been done here and it’s simply wonderful!

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in."

~Matthew 25:35

Lives here... 

Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

~ Romans 12:13

Simply Showing January Who's Boss~

Joining Christina for

Simply Heartfelt~Simple love from my heart

 a butter cream sun unfolding my day

:

feeling the wind beneath my wings

:

open windows with spring floating in

:

rain songs

~

sacrifices made

:

warm beach sand reflecting on my face

:

closing my eyes, letting the silence take over

i hear love

experiencing life

while living loud

~

staying up all night just because they came home

laughing till I can’t breathe

because laughter is like sunshine to my ears

^..^ kitty kisses ^..^

~

rainbow colored soap bubbles

:

doodles in the dirt

~@~

love notes

~

soft rain drops on the water

spring painting its new canvas on the earth

:

sweet red and pink vintage valentines

paper cut hearts with pink glitter

~creating art~

the hum of my sewing machine piecing together some love

=========
polka dotted ribbons

-----------
a beautiful scarf hand knitted by her

~

evoo

licking the beaters

homemade pancakes with warm syrup

:

singing praises

pj’s on a cool Sunday afternoon after the heels come off from church

~

completion with a smile

:)

~cute rubber boots in puddles~

threads on wooden spools

+

balls of yarn

~

answers to those questions

?

written words on a page

:

a strong heart

~listening to my heart~

::swoon::

It honestly does not take much to make me happy.

Simple pleasures are all around us; we just have to stop

and “see” them for the first time and then appreciate them.

Keeping it real….and uncomplicated

A cup of love

A young girl of color walked into our church Sunday morning;

what I really saw was another child of God entering into His house.

Some do not see with my eyes.

God warns us about hating others in Leviticus 19:17, "Do not hate your brother in your heart." Hate isn't just an action; it is also an attitude of the heart. Many times we hate someone in our heart; however...hating someone in your heart is nonetheless hate.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
~1 John 4:11

If we hate someone, we'll be thinking negatively about them,

verbally attacking them, and filling our own heart with evil.

 Life is too short to spend it hating.

Let us love one another as love puts a smile in our heart.

Source: Weekly Wisdom at Christ Notes  
***
Replacing hate with love. How much love can your heart hold?

I believe the heart is an open vessel. It can never be completely full of love,
however it can be empty if we choose to hate.

Love can flow through our veins and the very depths of our souls.

It should burst out through our smiles, thoughtful words,

gentle touches, and acts of kindness.

Our cup of love should be overflowing…..

LOVE QUOTES

Here are some of my favorite love quotes with regards to Valentines Day being just around the corner. Add one of these to the inside of your homemade cards….

"Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart."
~Author Unknown

"For you see, each day I love you more, Today more than yesterday
and Today less than tomorrow."
~Rosemonde Gerard

A bell is no bell 'til you ring it,

A song is no song 'til you sing it,

And love in your heart

Wasn’t put there to stay -

Love isn’t love

'Til you give it away.

~Oscar Hammerstein, Sound of Music

"We loved with a love that was more than love."
~Edgar Allan Poe

"Love is being stupid together."
~Paul Valery

insert smile here

…and my fave of all favorites:

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind (and heart)."
~William Shakespeare

High In The Sky

Holly and Richard are on their way home after a week long visit with friends in West Palm Beach, FL…

Their flight from Miami left at 6:25 Eastern time putting them in Memphis, Tennessee at 7:36 Central time. YaY!

They made it……Holly called me and said “Guess where we are eating?” “Where?”

“Neely’s BBQ in the airport!”

Now it’s about 8:00 in the morning, but you have to understand

how much my daughter loves the Neely’s.  

Even though they could have eaten breakfast there….they chose the famous BBQ!

They got to eat Down Home With the Neely’s Memphis Style!!

They were HAPPY!

Next flight to New Orleans 9:20…ready to go with BBQ in a box in tow!

:
:
:

10:36...They have arrived!

Thank you Lord for getting them safely home to me.

~smiling~

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

~Psalm 100:5 NIV

Love Lives There

I will be packing up soon to return to Alabama. I have been in Louisiana since January 11.

I’m ready to be home…home is where I need to be….I hope I am missed.

Home is where the heart is?

Home is where I plant my feet on good solid ground.

It’s where I blossom.

:

Love lives there.

:

It’s where I’ve sprinkled my special touch,

My unique aroma.

:

Home is where I hang my soul,

And where my shoes can be found next to the door.

:

Home is where mistakes turn into lessons.

And where God is ever present.

It’s a place where I cultivate memories.

:

My home is my safe haven.

It’s where I breathe.

And where I get on my knees and rest my soul.

:

I nourish my family and friends there.

:

My home has seen the worst of me and yet still welcomes.

A home is built not of material things, but of things from the heart.

 Yes home is definitely where my heart...and soul is.

:

It’s heartfelt.

It is me.

~Love lives there.~

:

:

:

 

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect.

My flaws are far too visible, but Jesus believes I am worth it.

Therefore He died on the cross for me so that I could be saved from those flaws.

Pet-Sitting 101

Pet Sitting .....It’s hard work…I’m telling you. I run around after these 5 animals all day long ….

They are a hand full...

They are always into something, making a mess, not listening to anything I say! Purring too loud…no discipline at all!

And they never ever want to take a nap!!!

Seriously….if you ever find yourself pet-sitting at the pet’s house…bring something to do! A project you are working on, knitting, sewing; bring a good book and some movies….it’s quite boring if you don’t have something to do!

I just finished watching Mad Money!  *because its raining outside…again!*

 Now if you haven’t seen this hilarious movie…go rent it! And who would have thought up such a crime…its full of funny! "Money can’t buy you happiness but it sure can buy everything else!"  Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes…all goofy and clever in their quest to become criminals LOL.
A movie only lasts approximately 2 hours…so on to the next project. Sewing again. After completing the camera strap cover, I had extra material so I made a rice bag…What’s a rice bag good for? An achy back, crick-in-the-neck-pain, and cramps, just naming a few. Oh, and cold feet come to mind right now! These bags are heated up in the microwave for 3 minutes and man oh man…they are wonderful.

They really hold the heat for a long time and certainly more economical than an electric heating pad.
They are easy to make. Go see Darby at Fly Through Our Window for her easy tutorial and instructions.

Still having some fabric left….I made this:

A pot holder! Doing some more of my swirly work!

Plus I hate paying $5.00 for a pretty pot holder! Cute huh?

What next? Who knows……I can’t wait until Holly and Richard return from Miami….3 more days…..

and we are going out for some good seafood! YaY!

I forgot to tell them I get paid by the hour….

Let’s see that’s 10 days…24/7+3=a whole heck of a lot of Mad Money for me!

Cha-ching!

Take care and Happy Sunday tomorrow…until we visit again my friends

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ

that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."

~unknown~

~Sweet~

Dress your strap

I mentioned in a previous post that I would be making a camera strap cover for my camera….
well it’s all done and I love it! See:

You can make you one too, it’s so easy. Go visit Allison at Cluck Cluck Sew for the step by step tutorial with photos.
Thanks Allison for these wonderful instructions.

 I got my material at Hobby Lobby, my favorite place right now!
And you know it had to be pink, brown and green!
It does not take much at all, so you can pull some left over fabric from

the scrap box or you can even piece small pieces for fabric together and get really crafty.

I chose two different fabrics so that mine is two-sided.

I added a little something different to mine after adding the padding.
As you can see here in this photo,
I did some fancy *for me* swirl quilting with the sewing machine.
Now Holly’s machine is nothing fancy at all,
a gift from her husband’s Grannie, and does not do any fancy stitching, so anyone can do this.
Just start sewing swirls, etc. It adds a nice and personal touch.
It doesn’t have to be all perfect or anything, just let it be you!

It hardest part was turning it right-side out after you are finished sewing.
The next hard part is slipping it over the camera strap…well mine was tricky
because it fit rather tight just like I wanted it to. No slipping here!

Don’t you just love it? Now go make you one or two or three..

and please share them with me so I can see too!  Then enjoy your new dressed up baby!

I’m going to be making some rice bags out of the remaining fabric. You’ll see!!

A word for you today…..
Are you seeking the gifts or the Giver?

Sometimes we get so caught up in seeking God's presents that we forget all about His presence!
God wants every believer to remain in His presence and have a
personal relationship with Him just like you would with any other friend.

The rewards of seeking God are awesome; not only will you develop a closer relationship with God, but you will also find true joy and contentment. ~Psalm 16:11 says, "You will fill me with joy in your presence."
In other words, joy is found in God's presence--not His presents!
Evaluate your life to make sure that you're seeking God, not just His gifts.

 These inspirational words and more can be found at Christ’s Notes.

Have a blessed weekend filled with joy!

Kreativ Perspective

Kreativ Blogger Award

~because there are so many wonderful and talented bloggers…..

you know who you are!

*winking*

I grabbed this award from Dani, a wonderful and talented writer.

And I'm tagging everyone on this one. Tag you’re it…take it and run,

answering these seven questions about yourself.

Be sure to let me know that you've played along so that I can read your responses when you post them. Have fun!

Here are my Q & A:

1 ) Who was your favorite teacher in school?

Mrs. Dansby, my second grade teacher. She was very smart and thorough.
I still know her today and see her every Sunday at church.

2) Do you have any hidden talents?

Well now if I told you they wouldn’t be hidden any more…

3) What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Raising Holly, my daughter, to be the woman she is today.

4) Do you believe that there are aliens or life on other planets?

I have no idea, but I figure if there are any, God made them too,

just like He made us, because He made the whole universe.

5) If you could go on a road trip with anyone who would it be and where would you go?

Well that would have to be Holly…we have the most fun at anything we do.

We, of course would go yard-sale-ing, our favorite trip to take is the World’s Longest Yard Sale.

6) When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An artist of course….

7) Do you have any phobias?

Heights…and falling from high places.

Also throwing-up…it makes me sick to throw-up!

It's your turn now...

The perspective of seeing with imaginative eyes.

Being different.

The perception not of the crowd.

Breaking the mold of want-a-bees,

Following the viewpoint in your heart...

With a stance of attitude for the unseen.

Perspective is a judgment used to

Play the games of scrutiny with fresh eyes.

To capture and freeze a moment of mental vision.

It’s all in the perspective.

Lens.Us.Together.
Theme~ A New Perspective

If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,
we'd grab ours back.

Simply Fabulous My Dear

A little southern girl friend of mine gave me something fabulous...

The "Simply Fabulous" Award! It's from Lindsay over at Southern Cinderella. Thank you Linds :)

These are the prerequisites for the award:

~Post this award on your blog.

~Blog about a woman  that you think is *fabulous* and explain why you think she rocks.

[She may be real life, celebrity or fictional]

~Pass the award on to 5 other bloggers that you think are deserving.

My fabulous woman is any woman who is whole.

A whole woman in every aspect of the word.

She is complete, unbroken, undivided, and full.

Her mind is heavy with her dreams and hopes, and is on track and willing to learn.

Her heart holds love and desires; and she is ready to share room in it for
her family and all that breaths life.

Her smile is beaming with kindness and is given away in a split second.

Her eyes are set so that we can see deep down into her very soul.

Her ears are ready to listen and keep many secrets.

Her hands are talented and prepared for work; helping, creating, making, and holding.

Her arms are far-reaching and willing to embrace the moment.

Her shoulders are strong enough to bare the burdens of the whole world.

 Her legs are equipped for running and walking beside her loved ones;

they are prepared to travel the distance; and even for kneeling.

Her body is predestined for the Lord’s labor of love here on this earth.

Although she may not be physically whole...
she can still do all these things and so much more.
Her capability is unlimited.

She is absolute and total.

She is without a doubt FABULOUS.

The FABULOUS bloggers *I couldn't just pick five* that I am giving this award to are:

Angie who is Grateful at Rambling from a Grateful Heart 

Gwendolyn who loves Shabby Chic at A Charming Home

Sares who adores everything PINK at Loveleigh Treasures

Amy who is working on Discipline at Daily Pleasures

Caroline who is Blooming at Constantly Evolving

Char who is on a Journey at ramblins

Laura who is a Southern charmer from Texas at Cowboy Boots and Baby Booties

Jacqueline who is seeking beauty in everything at My Daily Discovery

Cindy who is embracing life at THINGS ABOUT WHO,WHAT,WHEN, WHERE AND WHY

Dani who is doing all things Together at Dani Tietz Blog

Kamana who is Believing and Balancing at Journaling Through Photos

Christina who is Sparkling at Soul Aperture

Please do not feel left out~I have more awards to share!
All of you and so many more are not just Fabulous but beautiful in so many ways.

I love being a part of bloggerville with all of you.

A KEPT WOMAN

I am a kept woman

You see, there were a few times when I thought I

Would lose my mind,

But GOD kept me sane. ~Isaiah 26:3

There were times when I thought I could not go on,

But the LORD kept me moving. ~Genesis 28:15

At times, I've wanted to lash out at those whom I

Felt had done me wrong,

But the LORD kept my mouth shut.. ~Psalm 13

Sometimes, I think the money just isn't enough,

But GOD has helped me to keep

The lights on, the water on,

The car paid, the house paid, etc.. ~Matthew 6:25 -34

When I thought I would fall, HE kept me up.

When I thought I was weak, HE kept me strong! ~I Peter 5:7 and Matthew11:28-30

I’m am kept in so many ways…

I'm blessed to be kept.

 

Be the kind of woman that every morning when your feet hit the floor the devil says

"Oh crap, she’s up!"

Hoping you are having a Simply Fabulous day!

Some of this and some of that with a pile of poo

It was sixteen mean degrees when I loaded my car headed for Louisiana Monday morning from south Alabama. It was cold…..the frost was so heavy and looked like a cotton blanket of snow. The sun was peeking around the corner of the morning in search for the day. Now I know all you snow bounders are laughing and saying ha! But I’m talking about south Alabama where we sometimes wear shorts in the winter..! Smiling....


So off down the road I make my way with approximately an hour and a half of back country road driving before I hit Interstate 65 South at Evergreen. Prayers said, it was a beautiful clean morning…everything seemed so fresh. And everything was fresh right down to the fresh smell of chicken litter. What is chicken litter you ask?  Poop!...... from a chicken. In the country there are many chicken houses where they raise chickens, for the ones we eat and for the eggs too. So, with all those chickens come the poop and it smells really….well its hard to describe…I’ll just say it was fresh and bad :)  Even so, driving through the country is fantastic. Then you hit the maniac interstate where its every man for himself. You have two options; Go at least the speed limit or you’ll get ran over, or fly with the best of them...so fly is what I did. I made good time…landing in Slidell Louisiana in less than 5 hours. My flight had a lay-over there at the Hobby Lobby….swooning…oh yes….found some left over Christmas items marked to 90% off…..heck they should have just given it away…but I was proud of the fun things I found and only had to pay 10% of the price!!! Look------

...yes there was a little minor easily repairable damage.....

a couple of missing stars, no problem.

The large wooden tree trio was $17.99, I paid $1.80 and will gladly replace the stars or not.

The leaning tower of jingle bells tree was $7.99, I only paid 80 cents...it just needs a little TLC glue!

The other two trees were .40 cents and $1.30.

I can definitely see the forest through the trees here!

...and look at these goodies. The glass miniture tree topper was $2.99. I paid a mere 3o cents for it!

And it's PINK!

The rustic mini star topper was $1.99, I paid 20 cents...with pleasure :)

 

My total cost for all these crafty goodies was only $4.80!

Original price $47.94.

Can you say Happy with me?

I also got some beautiful material which I am going to be making a camera strap cover out of….will share that later. After boarding again with my goodies I made my way on through New Orleans….ugg! Now please tell me how you pay your respects for a funeral possession on a 4 lane interstate going through NO. Down south in Alabama we pull off on the side of the road until it passes. That was totally out of the question…don’t laugh but I almost ran over the policeman on his motorcycle when he quickly pulled over in front to of me and stopped….yes I said stopped, on the interstate, *the possession line had to change lanes*. Oh my….Thank you Lord for not letting me hit him.

After spending the afternoon with Richard and Holly *nice* my official pet-sitting duties have began this morning. Many prayers said, their flight left the New Orleans airport this morning at 6…headed for Miami, Florida. After they left home at 4:15 a.m., I got my first text message from Holly at 5:11.
It said:  Here @ airport! Loves u!
Next message 5:40 saying:  On plane! C ya! Loves!
Next message at 7:28:  Just hit the wheels on the ground! It was amazing! I got some pics! We went over Lake Eufaula! Loves!...
*Lake Eufaula is very near our home in Alabama and this was Holly’s first flight…not Richard’s, he has his pilot’s license.*  They had an hour and a half layover in Atlanta before boarding again for Miami. Freckles…the dog, woke up at 10:15...I let her outside to do her business and let her back in for a treat. By 10:25 she is looking for H&R, her mommy and daddy….she begins to whine and gets that sad look on her face…………pitiful I tell you! At 11:05 I got the final call….

"We have landed again safe and sound in Miami!"  YaY!

 Thank you dear Lord for hearing my prayers!

Speaking of prayers…I have a prayer request for a family in our church. Mr. Harold lost his life to cancer Sunday night, but he has not lost it away from God. He was welcomed into the kingdom with wide open arms and songs of praise, where he will live eternally in heavenly bliss. His family is left here with our comforting words and prayers of encouragement. He will be missed by many including his two daughters and their families; and a lovely wife. *Mr. Harold’s wife retired from the same place my husband works. A sweet, sweet woman of faith*

Duty calls...back to the pet sitting…..I’m accustomed to the poo one cat makes…..Holly and Richard have 4…need I say more? Other than that and the sound-barrier-breaking-zoom of jets taking off at this Air station military base….All is pretty quiet and uneventful.

For those who asked and those who would have:

Speedy Southwest Spaghetti Pie
8 ounces of spaghetti…I use angel hair
½ cup milk
1 egg
one pound ground pork, I use Italian Sausages
1 med. Onion chopped
1 med. Bell pepper, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 TBS chili powder
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 15-16 oz. can tomato sauce
4 oz. grated Monterey Jack Cheese, with jalapeño peppers, about 1 cup
4 oz. grated cheddar cheese, about 1 cup

Bring large pot of water to boil for pasta. Add some salt to taste. Cook according to pkg. directions or until al dente. Drain. Preheat oven to 425* Whisk together milk and egg and mix with hot pasta. Spread mixture in buttered/sprayed 9x13 baking dish. While pasta is boiling, cook pork, onion, bell pepper and garlic together in large skillet for about 6 minutes on medium. Heat until pork is cooked through. Drain off excess fat or rinse. Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and black pepper and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce and cook about 2 more minutes. Spread meat sauce over pasta in baking dish. Sprinkle both cheeses evenly over the top. Bake for about 10 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole gets all bubbly . Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve with a salad and some homemade bread. 4-6 servings
1/6 of recipe contains:
454 calories
29 grams protein
20 grams fat
39 grams carbohydrate
850 mg sodium
111 mg cholesterol
Now didn’t you just want to know that to spoil your appetite for this. And these figures do not include the homemade bread….. Man I’m doomed.




PS...Freckles in outside laying in the warm sunshine sulking.