Due to mass demand (okay, only a few people asked,) I did some research.
If you look to the right hand side of this page, just under the light green box, you will see a new tool. You can now get an email update letting you know when the blog is updated.
For those of you that do not have feed burner, hopefully this will help you keep up.
Let me know how it works, I appreciate any feedback.
Hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving!
Update coming soon, with pictures!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Foiled again!!
This is one of those posts where I explore my shortcomings and point fingers at myself. Please enjoy. :-)
For any of you that attend church, have you ever had one of those times where you felt like the sermon was directed at you? Or was written because of you? Don't you love those? (My oldest daughter had this same situation a few weeks ago, it was much more enjoyable when the spiritual finger was pointing at her. For me, anyway.)
Anyway, our minister,Jody, has a wonderful way of bringing up issues that we all struggle with. He is able to hook us in with real life situations. Then, after we are all drawn in, he then is able to turn it around as if it were a mirror and force us all to look honestly at ourselves.
This week, his sermon was "Everyone has a gift." Well, those of you that know me and my husband know that we have always said that we didn't have any gifts. Our families are all very gifted in one way or the other. We laughed and said that the gifts must skip generations because in our opinion, our girls are very gifted. We decided that our gift is that we made good kids. Our church even had an online "test"once that was designed to help you discover your spiritual gifts. My hubby and I both took the test. Both of our results told us that we were "side-kicks" instead of "super-heroes." We were to find others with strong gifts and help them. We, of course, laughed hysterically and used it to prove our point.
Well, this week, our minister kind of shot our theory in the foot. (Thanks, Jody!) He made 3 points:
1) Everybody has a gift given to them specifically by God.
2) All gifts come from God.
3) Our gifts are supposed to be used for the good of others.
He used 6 scriptures to illustrate his point: 1 Corinthians 7:7 (But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that;) 1 Peter 4:10 (Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others;) Romans 12:6 (We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us;) 1 Corinthians 12:7 (Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good;) 1 Corinthians 12:11 (All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines;) and Ephesians 4:7 (But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.)
It was then pointed out that there is a distinct difference between being good at something and being gifted. This is the part that makes it impossible for my hubby and I to continue to use our argument that we have no gifts. We now have to amend it. I guess we now have to say that we have yet to discover our true gifts. I guess we better get to work.
The most difficult part was another thing that Jody pointed out. That by denying or questioning that we have been given gifts is basically questioning God's generosity. Oops. Never realized that. However, when we take credit ourselves for our gifts, we are robbing God of the glory. What a balancing act!
It all almost seems like an oxymoron - you must accept greatness, but accept it humbly. Wow. That really makes my head spin. On one hand, it seems impossible. On the other hand, it seems so simple. I guess that is how the Christian life is. "On paper," it sounds like it is easy, but once you start actually trying to "do" it, that's when it gets difficult. That is where grace comes in. A friend of mine once said it this way after her daughter pointed out something she was doing wrong. She said, "Well, you know, I'm not perfect. I strive to be like Jesus, but I can't. Grace fills in my shortcomings. Thank goodness." I like that. I envision it like we are a colander. Formed perfectly, but full of holes. Usually the holes let the bad stuff drain out and the stuff you want to keep stays in. However, there are a lot of times that some of the good stuff slips out and gets lost. God's grace helps "fill in the holes" so that the good stuff stays in better. Clear as mud??
Now, my husband and I must realize that God distributed gifts to each and every one of us lovingly and intentionally and specifically. Then, we need to do some serious self-examination and see what we can find.
Thank you for reading.
Leave me a note and let me know you were here. Also, let me know how you have discovered your God-given gifts.
For any of you that attend church, have you ever had one of those times where you felt like the sermon was directed at you? Or was written because of you? Don't you love those? (My oldest daughter had this same situation a few weeks ago, it was much more enjoyable when the spiritual finger was pointing at her. For me, anyway.)
Anyway, our minister,Jody, has a wonderful way of bringing up issues that we all struggle with. He is able to hook us in with real life situations. Then, after we are all drawn in, he then is able to turn it around as if it were a mirror and force us all to look honestly at ourselves.
This week, his sermon was "Everyone has a gift." Well, those of you that know me and my husband know that we have always said that we didn't have any gifts. Our families are all very gifted in one way or the other. We laughed and said that the gifts must skip generations because in our opinion, our girls are very gifted. We decided that our gift is that we made good kids. Our church even had an online "test"once that was designed to help you discover your spiritual gifts. My hubby and I both took the test. Both of our results told us that we were "side-kicks" instead of "super-heroes." We were to find others with strong gifts and help them. We, of course, laughed hysterically and used it to prove our point.
Well, this week, our minister kind of shot our theory in the foot. (Thanks, Jody!) He made 3 points:
1) Everybody has a gift given to them specifically by God.
2) All gifts come from God.
3) Our gifts are supposed to be used for the good of others.
He used 6 scriptures to illustrate his point: 1 Corinthians 7:7 (But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that;) 1 Peter 4:10 (Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others;) Romans 12:6 (We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us;) 1 Corinthians 12:7 (Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good;) 1 Corinthians 12:11 (All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines;) and Ephesians 4:7 (But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.)
It was then pointed out that there is a distinct difference between being good at something and being gifted. This is the part that makes it impossible for my hubby and I to continue to use our argument that we have no gifts. We now have to amend it. I guess we now have to say that we have yet to discover our true gifts. I guess we better get to work.
The most difficult part was another thing that Jody pointed out. That by denying or questioning that we have been given gifts is basically questioning God's generosity. Oops. Never realized that. However, when we take credit ourselves for our gifts, we are robbing God of the glory. What a balancing act!
It all almost seems like an oxymoron - you must accept greatness, but accept it humbly. Wow. That really makes my head spin. On one hand, it seems impossible. On the other hand, it seems so simple. I guess that is how the Christian life is. "On paper," it sounds like it is easy, but once you start actually trying to "do" it, that's when it gets difficult. That is where grace comes in. A friend of mine once said it this way after her daughter pointed out something she was doing wrong. She said, "Well, you know, I'm not perfect. I strive to be like Jesus, but I can't. Grace fills in my shortcomings. Thank goodness." I like that. I envision it like we are a colander. Formed perfectly, but full of holes. Usually the holes let the bad stuff drain out and the stuff you want to keep stays in. However, there are a lot of times that some of the good stuff slips out and gets lost. God's grace helps "fill in the holes" so that the good stuff stays in better. Clear as mud??
Now, my husband and I must realize that God distributed gifts to each and every one of us lovingly and intentionally and specifically. Then, we need to do some serious self-examination and see what we can find.
Thank you for reading.
Leave me a note and let me know you were here. Also, let me know how you have discovered your God-given gifts.
Friday, November 14, 2008
A few pictures
A few weeks ago, our church had Trunk 'n Treat. Here is a picture of us. C. and I are pumpkin pi(e) and apple pi(e,) and M. and BB (my "little sister" that lives in our basement) are Olympic gymnasts.
Did you notice who is missing from this pic? J. :-(. Sniff Sniff. She was on a school field trip. To Orlando. Florida. She had a great time, but I don't like her being that far away from me. I missed her terribly.
Also this month, our school had a fall festival. The girls have almost out grown it, but they still managed to have some fun.
Here is J. with her "peeps."
Here is M. and friends riding a really cool ride. I like these pictures because M.'s hair looks cool in them. :-)
As I mentioned earlier, we had some family come up in October. Hubby's dad (B.) and his wife (D.) came and brought B.'s brother and his wife. For those of you that know my husband and his unique sense of humor, let me just tell you that all of this family seems to carry the same "humor gene." It was entertaining just to say the least. Here are a few pics from that visit.
There were obviously two camera in operation at the time because no one knew which camera to look at.
It took a while, but we finally got everyone looking at the same camera and smiling like normal people.
G-pa B. and Gramma D. with the girls. G-pa looks like he cannot believe what he has gotten himself into by sitting with these ladies.
As I mentioned earlier, we had some family come up in October. Hubby's dad (B.) and his wife (D.) came and brought B.'s brother and his wife. For those of you that know my husband and his unique sense of humor, let me just tell you that all of this family seems to carry the same "humor gene." It was entertaining just to say the least. Here are a few pics from that visit.
There were obviously two camera in operation at the time because no one knew which camera to look at.
It took a while, but we finally got everyone looking at the same camera and smiling like normal people.
Uncle C. and the girls being silly:
G-pa B. and Gramma D. with the girls. G-pa looks like he cannot believe what he has gotten himself into by sitting with these ladies.
Okay, that's it for now. I have another post or two with pictures in the works. I'll then try to post one with more "meat" in it, I seem to get more comments on the posts that talk about the sad state of my mental health and/or capacity. :-)
While you're here, sign the guestbook. Then look on the right hand side and become a follower of my blog. Also, look at the top and sign up to be notified when I update. Anything to let me know I'm not alone. ;-)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Another example of life not being fair . . .
As some of you know, I am an avid follower of several Caringbridge sites. Caringbridge is a free blog service provided to families in crisis.
One of the families that I have been following is the Morgans. They started their site for their son, Ryan. Here is a synopsis of Ryan's journey, taken from their website:
Ryan is ten years old. Diagnosed in '04 with Stage IV Neuroblastoma, one month before his 6th birthday. Ryan had been placed on a treatment protocol (COG ANBL00P1). Ryan has completed: a 6" tummy incision to biopsy the tumor and lymph nodes , 5 rounds of high dose chemo, a 14" incision to surgically remove the tumor, 2 rounds of mega chemo to destroy all blood cells with 2 stem cell transplants, 4 weeks of radiation and six months of Isotretinoin (accutane) oral therapy, more than 100 nights spent at the hospital and many more days. Ryan officially ended that treatment in September 2005. In April 2007, Ryan relapsed. He has since completed 11 rounds of Cytoxan/Topetecan then 3 rounds of VP-16. In April 08 a brain tumor was discovered and Ryan under went a successful Gamma Knife surgery. We then started a combination of temozolomide and irinotecan. In July, Ryan under went surgery to remove what was left of the tumor in preparation for brain and spine radiation. Ryan is presently taking part in a Phase II, 3F8 antibody treatment, interthecally at Sloan in NY.
Shortly after Ryan's relapse, his mom, Missy, was diagnosed with breast cancer. All was going well until recently. Missy's cancer has spread and she is now home on hospice. Here is an entry on Ryan's site regarding Missy's current situation:
There are a lot of things that are wrong in this world. Tonight, Missy and I had to tell our three beautiful children that their mommy is dying. The only thing possibly worse than that, is losing a child. We have appreciated the support from all of our family and friends so much over the years since we started SuperRyan. I never, in a million years thought that I would have to type this on his page. Missy has been every bit as amazing as Ryan while fighting this hideous disease. She was full bore right up until last week, never a complaint about her condition, just constant worry about Ryan and the rest of us. It is still her main concern. I am not sure how and when Missy will be able to handle visitors, it may be just hit or miss depending on how she is feeling. She is on a number of medications for pain, cough and sleep. Our hospital appointments have been changed to Hospice care, our nurse will be here on Saturday. I will plan on having a book by the back door that you can sign if you stop by and she is not able to visit. I am asking for no food...it is a stressor just getting it together, getting everyone sat down and cleaning it all up, also, finicky kids don't help. Thank you for being there for us, praying for us and letting Missy know how much she is loved.Sincerely, Les
I would like to ask that you stop by either Ryan's site or Missy's newly created site to let them know that you are praying for them.
http://www.superryan.blogspot.com/
www.caringbridge.org/visit/missymorgan
Thanks in advance,
Mamasita
One of the families that I have been following is the Morgans. They started their site for their son, Ryan. Here is a synopsis of Ryan's journey, taken from their website:
Ryan is ten years old. Diagnosed in '04 with Stage IV Neuroblastoma, one month before his 6th birthday. Ryan had been placed on a treatment protocol (COG ANBL00P1). Ryan has completed: a 6" tummy incision to biopsy the tumor and lymph nodes , 5 rounds of high dose chemo, a 14" incision to surgically remove the tumor, 2 rounds of mega chemo to destroy all blood cells with 2 stem cell transplants, 4 weeks of radiation and six months of Isotretinoin (accutane) oral therapy, more than 100 nights spent at the hospital and many more days. Ryan officially ended that treatment in September 2005. In April 2007, Ryan relapsed. He has since completed 11 rounds of Cytoxan/Topetecan then 3 rounds of VP-16. In April 08 a brain tumor was discovered and Ryan under went a successful Gamma Knife surgery. We then started a combination of temozolomide and irinotecan. In July, Ryan under went surgery to remove what was left of the tumor in preparation for brain and spine radiation. Ryan is presently taking part in a Phase II, 3F8 antibody treatment, interthecally at Sloan in NY.
Shortly after Ryan's relapse, his mom, Missy, was diagnosed with breast cancer. All was going well until recently. Missy's cancer has spread and she is now home on hospice. Here is an entry on Ryan's site regarding Missy's current situation:
There are a lot of things that are wrong in this world. Tonight, Missy and I had to tell our three beautiful children that their mommy is dying. The only thing possibly worse than that, is losing a child. We have appreciated the support from all of our family and friends so much over the years since we started SuperRyan. I never, in a million years thought that I would have to type this on his page. Missy has been every bit as amazing as Ryan while fighting this hideous disease. She was full bore right up until last week, never a complaint about her condition, just constant worry about Ryan and the rest of us. It is still her main concern. I am not sure how and when Missy will be able to handle visitors, it may be just hit or miss depending on how she is feeling. She is on a number of medications for pain, cough and sleep. Our hospital appointments have been changed to Hospice care, our nurse will be here on Saturday. I will plan on having a book by the back door that you can sign if you stop by and she is not able to visit. I am asking for no food...it is a stressor just getting it together, getting everyone sat down and cleaning it all up, also, finicky kids don't help. Thank you for being there for us, praying for us and letting Missy know how much she is loved.Sincerely, Les
I would like to ask that you stop by either Ryan's site or Missy's newly created site to let them know that you are praying for them.
http://www.superryan.blogspot.com/
www.caringbridge.org/visit/missymorgan
Thanks in advance,
Mamasita
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Contest!!
***** YAY Debbie!! You were my 1000th visitor! Congrats. I will email you separately to get your mailing info *********
I am almost to my 1000 visitor!!
If you are my 1000th visitor, please sign the guestbook and let me know. (There just might be something in it for ya! Possibly a gift card???)
You can tell what visitor you are by looking at the hit counter along the right hand side.
While waiting to find out the winner, I will leave you with a few unusual pictures that I found while cleaning out my memory card from my camera. These will are from several different settings. There will be a more complete update from each setting coming soon.
Here is a close up a cow's nose. We met this cow while on a camping trip last weekend. I also got a picture of him snarfing the camera, but I won't share that one.
Here is a view from our campsite. Isn't it beautiful???
Chocolate Skittles!!!!!
While camping, we went hiking. At one point, the wind blew and the leaves started raining down on us:
I am almost to my 1000 visitor!!
If you are my 1000th visitor, please sign the guestbook and let me know. (There just might be something in it for ya! Possibly a gift card???)
You can tell what visitor you are by looking at the hit counter along the right hand side.
While waiting to find out the winner, I will leave you with a few unusual pictures that I found while cleaning out my memory card from my camera. These will are from several different settings. There will be a more complete update from each setting coming soon.
Here is a close up a cow's nose. We met this cow while on a camping trip last weekend. I also got a picture of him snarfing the camera, but I won't share that one.
Here is a view from our campsite. Isn't it beautiful???
Chocolate Skittles!!!!!
While camping, we went hiking. At one point, the wind blew and the leaves started raining down on us:
Hubby and I at trunk-n-treat. Can you tell what we are??
M. showing her muscles after uprooting a tree at my mom's. (Actually, the wind blew it down, but it makes a cool picture.)
M. showing her muscles after uprooting a tree at my mom's. (Actually, the wind blew it down, but it makes a cool picture.)
Can anyone tell me how I got old enough to be taking pictures of my kid while she is driving???
At the gym, there is a tradition of dunking the kids head in the chalk bucket and throwing them in the foam pit for their birthday. This is M's scalp after her dunking.
Here is my teenage daughter's hands after gymnastics practice. Don't you wish your hands were this silky smooth?
Okay, that's all for now.
At the gym, there is a tradition of dunking the kids head in the chalk bucket and throwing them in the foam pit for their birthday. This is M's scalp after her dunking.
Here is my teenage daughter's hands after gymnastics practice. Don't you wish your hands were this silky smooth?
Okay, that's all for now.
Don't forget to sign the guestbook!
OH - one more thing. I added a new thing to my blog called "Follow this blog." Please sign up as a follower so that I will feel like I have some friends. :-)
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