I have to share this little story. I knew last week that our church was having a potluck on Sunday (yesterday) and I am all over the potlucks after church because you have to eat, right, so why not just eat at church and a) you get a bigger variety b) you don't have to clean up all by yourself, and c) there's good socialization, which I'm all over.
So I had decided that I was going to make some enchiladas to take, and I had a hankering for some chicken salad so I figured I'd go to the local IGA and buy some of their chicken salad because it is soooo good, grab some bread or buns and make some sandwiches. Lane & I had been to Sam's on Saturday morning and as I was grabbing a bag of flat buns, I saw the mini flat buns and decided, ah, yes, that's what I'll use for the chicken salad sandwiches. Good idea...I love those flat buns anyway!
Later that evening, Jay and I had a little date night and actually went to see a real movie at the movie theater. On our way home, I had him stop at the IGA and I ran in and grabbed some chicken salad and some "meat" a/k/a ham salad. Now, let me tell you, I don't know how much gold is running right now, but chicken salad is around $6 a pound and the "meat" salad was about that as well. I love the stuff though and have tried buying it other places and even tried making it myself...it's worth the $6 a pound. So I paid for the goods and we headed home to get our kiddos.
We stopped to pick up the kids from my parent's house, I was in a hurry because I wanted to get home and make those enchiladas so I wouldn't have to in the morning (since we lose an hour with the time change). The meat was in the crockpot and all I had to do was shred it, add a few things and wrap them up. We get home, I rush inside and begin the enchilada assembly line. I cover them up, throw them in the fridge and go to bed.
I slept like a baby, which kinda surprised me because I had been drinking pop at the movie, and just because I don't always sleep very good. When I wake up, I'm thrown at the time change and realize I have got to hurry to get to church. I go out into the kitchen and immediately see a plastic shopping bag on the table. What is that, I wonder? And then I realize, it is that high-priced chicken salad and meat salad! I had left it out on the table all night long. Ugh, I was sick. I had to throw it straight away. Bummer.
We get ready for church, I get the enchiladas and decide to take my mini buns anyway...just in case. I lead the beginning of church so I was telling them about leaving the almost-as-high-as-gold chicken salad out all night and pitching it because I love them enough to not give them food poisoning. After church, we head downstairs and eat. Several people are teasing me about how everything is good, but they really wish they had some chicken salad, and oh, it was nice of me to bring a bag of buns with nothing to go with it, etc.
I went over to peruse the dessert table and saw this unopened container with our preacher's last name on it. Ah-ha. I had noticed our preacher's son, David, bring a Tupperware container in and lay it down on the counter earlier. You must know that our preacher's wife is one of the best cooks ever. If she made it, it's good. And since it was on the dessert table, I was hoping it was her blonde chocolate chip cookie bars. I picked up the container and took the lid off.
Would you believe that inside that Tupperware container were stacks of mini flat buns (just like the ones I had bought) filled with chicken salad?! WHAT ARE THE ODDS of that happening? You know how there are always certain items at your church dinners...honestly, I have never seen chicken salad and flat buns there, ever...not only was it chicken salad, it was on the exact same mini flat buns that I had bought?! I took the container and started passing out the chicken salad sandwiches to everyone who had been teasing me....and grabbed one for myself, of course.
Divine intervention is what I'm talking about. Maybe the chicken salad I bought was contaminated or something. Maybe God just knew I had to have chicken salad one way or the other yesterday and he was tired of my whining, I don't know. But how cool is that?
Monday, March 12, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:3-4 (NIV)
Last night I was near a couple of teenagers who were discussing some current high school drama. I heard one of them say, "She told me it was none of my business!" To which another girl responded, "If it's on Facebook, it is everyone's business." Amen to that.
I have thought this countless times, thank God that Facebook didn't exist when I was in high school. Holy cow, there is no telling what kind of stupid stuff I would've put out there. That is not to say I don't put stupid out there every now and then, but wowza, I can only imagine what kind of rants I would've shared with everyone.
I love Facebook. I'm not addicted to it or obsessed with it. I do have the opportunity throughout the day to peruse it, but I don't have to scour it over hourly to get through my day. Living in such a small town, I find it a valuable tool for disseminating information to others in our community, and even to others who have moved on. It can be used for good just as easily as it can be for the bad. It's great for community announcements, shout-out's to someone deserving props, prayer requests, funnies (as long as they're appropriate for all ages), etc. I have been able to re-establish contact with friends from church camp or high school, and I love seeing pictures of people and their children.
I have tried very hard over the years to think about what I post and whether it could be hurtful to another, about whether the information should be "public," and what my intentions are for the post. There have even been times when I've been mad about something and wrote a vicious status and decided to erase it. Unfortunately, there has been a time or two when I made a comment or a post that I did intend for someone to see and hopefully take offense to. Shame on me.
As my daughter is approaching that super-dramatic age (right now we're just in the semi-dramatic age...as just a few years ago we graduated from the pre-dramatic age) I think often about how she will goof up a time ortwo 200 with her very own words, whether it will be from Facebook, texts or emails. It is kinda scary as a parent with all those different information sources out there (and being the control freak that I am) not being able to control it. It is so easy to say not-so-nice things when that person you're mad at is no where near you, and how the secrets that you shared with your BFF become public when your BFF isn't your BFF anymore.
Sometimes as I read a teenager's post, I just laugh and think, oh my gosh, I am soooo glad this wasn't available when I was younger because this is really stupid or silly or totally inappropriate. And oh, the bad stuff I probably would've said about my parents and teachers out of spite back then, I don't even want to think about. And what about all the love-life drama I could have posted about, yikes...again, I am so thankful.
These days you have to be careful about the information you put out there. As a young (or old) person seeking a job, it is very possible and very likely your potential employer will check and see if you have a Facebook account and just what kinds of things are posted on it. I suppose that a college or someone looking over scholarship essays and applications could use it too.
I know that Facebook, for me, is sorta like my accountability partner. I am Facebook friends with a lot of church family, youth from our youth group, church camp kids, my own family members, friends, coworkers, my kids' teachers and even some of my daughter's friends. It is no secret that I am a Christian, so I have to remember that my comments, posts, likes, shares, etc, are tasteful and appropriate for all of my 'friends' listed above. It's kind of like WWJD, but my version is WWST - Who Will See This?...not that I'm all about image and what others think of me, but when I write something on FB, I cannot be worried about who will be reading it...because as my young friend above said, "If it is on Facebook, it is everyone's business," so I better not be ashamed or embarrassed of it (in case my preacher asks me about it;).
As I said, I think Facebook is and can be a valuable tool, and I think it can also be misused. Sometimes we all just need to take a few moments and think about what we type before we type it...just like we're supposed to think before we speak. I have to constantly remind myself of this...
Last night I was near a couple of teenagers who were discussing some current high school drama. I heard one of them say, "She told me it was none of my business!" To which another girl responded, "If it's on Facebook, it is everyone's business." Amen to that.
I have thought this countless times, thank God that Facebook didn't exist when I was in high school. Holy cow, there is no telling what kind of stupid stuff I would've put out there. That is not to say I don't put stupid out there every now and then, but wowza, I can only imagine what kind of rants I would've shared with everyone.
I love Facebook. I'm not addicted to it or obsessed with it. I do have the opportunity throughout the day to peruse it, but I don't have to scour it over hourly to get through my day. Living in such a small town, I find it a valuable tool for disseminating information to others in our community, and even to others who have moved on. It can be used for good just as easily as it can be for the bad. It's great for community announcements, shout-out's to someone deserving props, prayer requests, funnies (as long as they're appropriate for all ages), etc. I have been able to re-establish contact with friends from church camp or high school, and I love seeing pictures of people and their children.
I have tried very hard over the years to think about what I post and whether it could be hurtful to another, about whether the information should be "public," and what my intentions are for the post. There have even been times when I've been mad about something and wrote a vicious status and decided to erase it. Unfortunately, there has been a time or two when I made a comment or a post that I did intend for someone to see and hopefully take offense to. Shame on me.
As my daughter is approaching that super-dramatic age (right now we're just in the semi-dramatic age...as just a few years ago we graduated from the pre-dramatic age) I think often about how she will goof up a time or
Sometimes as I read a teenager's post, I just laugh and think, oh my gosh, I am soooo glad this wasn't available when I was younger because this is really stupid or silly or totally inappropriate. And oh, the bad stuff I probably would've said about my parents and teachers out of spite back then, I don't even want to think about. And what about all the love-life drama I could have posted about, yikes...again, I am so thankful.
These days you have to be careful about the information you put out there. As a young (or old) person seeking a job, it is very possible and very likely your potential employer will check and see if you have a Facebook account and just what kinds of things are posted on it. I suppose that a college or someone looking over scholarship essays and applications could use it too.
I know that Facebook, for me, is sorta like my accountability partner. I am Facebook friends with a lot of church family, youth from our youth group, church camp kids, my own family members, friends, coworkers, my kids' teachers and even some of my daughter's friends. It is no secret that I am a Christian, so I have to remember that my comments, posts, likes, shares, etc, are tasteful and appropriate for all of my 'friends' listed above. It's kind of like WWJD, but my version is WWST - Who Will See This?...not that I'm all about image and what others think of me, but when I write something on FB, I cannot be worried about who will be reading it...because as my young friend above said, "If it is on Facebook, it is everyone's business," so I better not be ashamed or embarrassed of it (in case my preacher asks me about it;).
As I said, I think Facebook is and can be a valuable tool, and I think it can also be misused. Sometimes we all just need to take a few moments and think about what we type before we type it...just like we're supposed to think before we speak. I have to constantly remind myself of this...
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Dirty rat
Last week, after a few days of Spring-like temperatures, I decided to break out my Spring jacket. I love this light khaki jacket and found it a few years ago on a clearance rack for next to nothing. It has a hood, which is a requirement for me, and is very casual but also decent enough to wear to work.
I wore my Spring jacket on Friday to work. I came home, and in a flash, of course, I had to change my clothes and be on my way to the first activity of the evening. (You know my day starts at around 4:00 p.m. when I got off of work!) I didn't think twice about flinging my jacket over the back of one of the chairs at our counter/bar. We always drape our stuff over the chairs.
The evening ends and the sun rises on Saturday morning. I'm getting ready to head out for the weekend and I'm packing. I decide to grab both my jacket and a heavy coat (because I was heading to Springfield later on and would be outdoors). I walk over to the chair and grab my jacket. It won't budge. Odd. I pull again and I hear the hamster cage banging against the back of the chair. (I should back up here a minute, we have Frankie the hamster's cage sitting on one of the chairs that goes up to our counter/bar area in the living room because I hated the thought of him being in Lane's dark room all day:) And that was the chair my jacket was draped over.
New fun fact: Hamsters will eat material, such as the hood of a Spring-like khaki jacket. I yanked and pulled on that jacket and it finally came loose. The hood of that jacket was almost entirely inside the cage. Dirty rat. I stretched it out to survey the damage...yep, holes all over. It looked like a mouse (yes, this is why Jay calls her a rodent all the time) had a field day with my hood. I could not believe all the pieces of material that were gone. Honestly, I kinda worried that the hamster would die because she wouldn't be able to digest the material, but so far so good (I guess). I'm going to attempt salvaging the jacket by removing the hood. We will see what it looks like. Thankfully, I found it on clearance!
I called Jay and told him about it. He laughed and said, "Ha, even the hamster has turned against you. Isn't she precious?" Yeah, she's precious all right...that dirty rat.
I wore my Spring jacket on Friday to work. I came home, and in a flash, of course, I had to change my clothes and be on my way to the first activity of the evening. (You know my day starts at around 4:00 p.m. when I got off of work!) I didn't think twice about flinging my jacket over the back of one of the chairs at our counter/bar. We always drape our stuff over the chairs.
The evening ends and the sun rises on Saturday morning. I'm getting ready to head out for the weekend and I'm packing. I decide to grab both my jacket and a heavy coat (because I was heading to Springfield later on and would be outdoors). I walk over to the chair and grab my jacket. It won't budge. Odd. I pull again and I hear the hamster cage banging against the back of the chair. (I should back up here a minute, we have Frankie the hamster's cage sitting on one of the chairs that goes up to our counter/bar area in the living room because I hated the thought of him being in Lane's dark room all day:) And that was the chair my jacket was draped over.
New fun fact: Hamsters will eat material, such as the hood of a Spring-like khaki jacket. I yanked and pulled on that jacket and it finally came loose. The hood of that jacket was almost entirely inside the cage. Dirty rat. I stretched it out to survey the damage...yep, holes all over. It looked like a mouse (yes, this is why Jay calls her a rodent all the time) had a field day with my hood. I could not believe all the pieces of material that were gone. Honestly, I kinda worried that the hamster would die because she wouldn't be able to digest the material, but so far so good (I guess). I'm going to attempt salvaging the jacket by removing the hood. We will see what it looks like. Thankfully, I found it on clearance!
I called Jay and told him about it. He laughed and said, "Ha, even the hamster has turned against you. Isn't she precious?" Yeah, she's precious all right...that dirty rat.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Grace and Mercy
Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:3-10 (NIV)
Meet my two friends, Grace and Mercy. Seems like lately there has been talk about these two gals everywhere I go. And for some reason, no matter how many times my friend "Beth" explains to me the difference, I get them confused. I think grace and mercy are things I'll need in my parenting bag of tricks. So after reading yet another devotional on the subject matter, I decided that maybe if I wrote about them, it would stick in my head (yeah, probably not, but we'll see).
So I looked up the definitions for grace and mercy online at Merriam-Webster. Here's what they had to say: grace (noun) a: unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification b: a virtue coming from God c: a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace. 2 a: approval, favor b archaic: mercy, pardon c: a special favor, privilege d: disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency e: a temporary exemption, reprieve.
Then I noticed that M-W had a kids' dictionary so I thought I would see what they had to tell me about grace. 1 a: help given to people by God in overcoming temptation b: a state of freedom from sin enjoyed through divine grace 2: a short prayer at a meal 3 a: approval, favor b: a special favor : privilege c: a temporary delay granted from the performance of an obligation.
(Now I was a little thrown when the definition of grace showed the word mercy...because, that is my problem - I tend to think they're the same thing and there they go including mercy in grace's definition!)
This was also from the kids' dictionary: Mercy (noun) 1 a: kind and gentle treatment of someone (as a wrongdoer or opponent) having no right to it b: a disposition to show mercy 2 a: a blessing as an act of divine love b: a fortunate happening 3: kindness shown to victims of misfortune.
So there you go, the official definition of grace and mercy...although again, I really need it put in simpler terms. I cannot go around carrying a dictionary everywhere I go. So I searched for the difference online and came up with the following: "Mercy and grace are often confused. While the terms have similar meanings, grace and mercy are not the same. To summarize the difference: mercy is God not punishing us as our sins deserve, and grace is God blessing us despite the fact that we do not deserve it. Mercy is deliverance from judgment. Grace is extending kindness to the unworthy." (gotquestions.org)
As a parent, I often pray that God will give me the knowledge to know when to offer my kids grace and mercy. I envision a scenario like this: Child goes some where they're not supposed to, realizes it, decides they have to get out of there, and call to get a ride home or comes home. Parents discover child lied or was deceptive about going where they knew they were not supposed to be. But parents are thankful that child removed him or herself from the situation before something bad happened and more importantly because they knew in their gut they shouldn't have been there. I think this is a classic example to offer mercy, right? The parent in me will want to punish the child because of their deception or misbehavior so that it never (hopefully) occurs again. But will God speak to me and say, Sarah, this is when you offer mercy. Your child knows what he/she did was wrong, they are sick with guilt about it, and in the end, he/she made the right choice.
I sure hope that God will make it crystal clear to me. I have a tendency to be rather hard on my kids which my daughter interpets to mean I want her to be perfect. I don't want my kids to be perfect, I want them to live up to their potential and be good, kind, productive Christian citizens. It is scary, as a parent, to wonder if you're doing the right thing. I'm glad that the topic of grace and mercy keeps popping up. Maybe, just maybe, I'll understand it in time.
Meet my two friends, Grace and Mercy. Seems like lately there has been talk about these two gals everywhere I go. And for some reason, no matter how many times my friend "Beth" explains to me the difference, I get them confused. I think grace and mercy are things I'll need in my parenting bag of tricks. So after reading yet another devotional on the subject matter, I decided that maybe if I wrote about them, it would stick in my head (yeah, probably not, but we'll see).
So I looked up the definitions for grace and mercy online at Merriam-Webster. Here's what they had to say: grace (noun) a: unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification b: a virtue coming from God c: a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace. 2 a: approval, favor b archaic: mercy, pardon c: a special favor, privilege d: disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency e: a temporary exemption, reprieve.
Then I noticed that M-W had a kids' dictionary so I thought I would see what they had to tell me about grace. 1 a: help given to people by God in overcoming temptation b: a state of freedom from sin enjoyed through divine grace 2: a short prayer at a meal 3 a: approval, favor b: a special favor : privilege c: a temporary delay granted from the performance of an obligation.
(Now I was a little thrown when the definition of grace showed the word mercy...because, that is my problem - I tend to think they're the same thing and there they go including mercy in grace's definition!)
This was also from the kids' dictionary: Mercy (noun) 1 a: kind and gentle treatment of someone (as a wrongdoer or opponent) having no right to it b: a disposition to show mercy 2 a: a blessing as an act of divine love b: a fortunate happening 3: kindness shown to victims of misfortune.
So there you go, the official definition of grace and mercy...although again, I really need it put in simpler terms. I cannot go around carrying a dictionary everywhere I go. So I searched for the difference online and came up with the following: "Mercy and grace are often confused. While the terms have similar meanings, grace and mercy are not the same. To summarize the difference: mercy is God not punishing us as our sins deserve, and grace is God blessing us despite the fact that we do not deserve it. Mercy is deliverance from judgment. Grace is extending kindness to the unworthy." (gotquestions.org)
As a parent, I often pray that God will give me the knowledge to know when to offer my kids grace and mercy. I envision a scenario like this: Child goes some where they're not supposed to, realizes it, decides they have to get out of there, and call to get a ride home or comes home. Parents discover child lied or was deceptive about going where they knew they were not supposed to be. But parents are thankful that child removed him or herself from the situation before something bad happened and more importantly because they knew in their gut they shouldn't have been there. I think this is a classic example to offer mercy, right? The parent in me will want to punish the child because of their deception or misbehavior so that it never (hopefully) occurs again. But will God speak to me and say, Sarah, this is when you offer mercy. Your child knows what he/she did was wrong, they are sick with guilt about it, and in the end, he/she made the right choice.
I sure hope that God will make it crystal clear to me. I have a tendency to be rather hard on my kids which my daughter interpets to mean I want her to be perfect. I don't want my kids to be perfect, I want them to live up to their potential and be good, kind, productive Christian citizens. It is scary, as a parent, to wonder if you're doing the right thing. I'm glad that the topic of grace and mercy keeps popping up. Maybe, just maybe, I'll understand it in time.
Monday, March 5, 2012
I just want to be a cowgirl?
This past weekend was the annual Illinois Horse Fair at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, and the kids and I went for the first time. It starts on Friday and runs through Sunday. Because we had a volleyball game on Saturday morning in southern Illinois, we didn't get up there until about 3:30 or so on Saturday afternoon. It was a long lovely drive!
I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised at all of the goings on. There were shows and sessions occurring simultaneously in different buildings and arenas. There were vendors set up everywhere with clothes, tack, horse feed, boots, trailers, jewelry, colleges, just about anything you can think of related to horses. There were even horses there for sale.
We saw a horse trainer from Australia who is amazing. Of course, I thought he was amazing...he's probably just like all the others, except for the nice accent, but the kids and I loved him. At one point, he had one of his four horses lie down and then had the other three stand over the horse that was lying down! He was on one of the horses that was standing. And none of them batted on eye...of course, because why on earth would you do it otherwise?! But still it was crazy. Another trick was having a horse lie down and covering it with one of those big blue tarps like it was dead...again, he didn't move a muscle. Those horses of his were very well trained.
And my kids' favorite act...these two men, one of whom was dressed like a woman wearing a "fat" suit and skimpy outfit trying to do tricks on a horse with "her" butt in the air and falling off and doing this and that to accent the large behind. I told the people sitting next to me, watch, this will be what my kids remember...and sure enough, Lane can't wait to tell people and laughs when he talks about it.
I took in a lot of information on how to handle a horse...and I lost most of it. Fortunately, someone in our group bought the videos for us to pass around. I need some serious one-on-one with a horse if I am ever going to get the hang of things. I'm not sure you'll ever see me on a horse standing over another one who is lying down, but I am committed to at least learning as much as I can so that I will feel more comfortable around them. I must say that I am 100% more comfortable around them now than I was two years ago...so there is always room for improvement...I just need to get another 100% under my belt.
At Christmas, my main wish was for a pair of real cowboy boots. I took a magazine and circled various styles and told Jay to get me a size 8 in any of the ones I had picked, he could choose. And he did exactly that. The boots were very nice and I liked them, but they were way too big. I wasn't sure what size to get and I should have went somewhere and tried on some before just throwing a size out there. Sometimes I act without thinking...I know, I know.
So we sent them back and I had planned to get the same boots in a smaller size, but just never did. Well, lo and behold, wasn't I surprised to see all the vendors set up at the horse fair? And oh, how delighted I was when I saw several that had boots! I quickly honed in on a pair that caught my eye and I was in love. I tried them on in sizes 7 and 7.5 and settled on the 7. I texted Jay to ask if he thought it was okay, he said to go for it. So I did and I love them. They are the coolest boots ever!
I wore them all evening around the house and will need to wear them several evenings to get them broke in. (Apparently that is a drawback to cowboy boots!) I also need to purchase some very tall socks instead of borrowing Madolyn's very loud, tall boot socks.
I'm all psyched up again about horses after this weekend. I just need to find a horse that fits my abilities (one that is alive and under 25 yrs of age hopefully) and learn alittle lot more about what I'm doing and then I'll be ready to blaze another trail. I don't own a cowboy hat yet, and I'm not so sure I'll ever get that far, but you just never know...
I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised at all of the goings on. There were shows and sessions occurring simultaneously in different buildings and arenas. There were vendors set up everywhere with clothes, tack, horse feed, boots, trailers, jewelry, colleges, just about anything you can think of related to horses. There were even horses there for sale.
We saw a horse trainer from Australia who is amazing. Of course, I thought he was amazing...he's probably just like all the others, except for the nice accent, but the kids and I loved him. At one point, he had one of his four horses lie down and then had the other three stand over the horse that was lying down! He was on one of the horses that was standing. And none of them batted on eye...of course, because why on earth would you do it otherwise?! But still it was crazy. Another trick was having a horse lie down and covering it with one of those big blue tarps like it was dead...again, he didn't move a muscle. Those horses of his were very well trained.
And my kids' favorite act...these two men, one of whom was dressed like a woman wearing a "fat" suit and skimpy outfit trying to do tricks on a horse with "her" butt in the air and falling off and doing this and that to accent the large behind. I told the people sitting next to me, watch, this will be what my kids remember...and sure enough, Lane can't wait to tell people and laughs when he talks about it.
I took in a lot of information on how to handle a horse...and I lost most of it. Fortunately, someone in our group bought the videos for us to pass around. I need some serious one-on-one with a horse if I am ever going to get the hang of things. I'm not sure you'll ever see me on a horse standing over another one who is lying down, but I am committed to at least learning as much as I can so that I will feel more comfortable around them. I must say that I am 100% more comfortable around them now than I was two years ago...so there is always room for improvement...I just need to get another 100% under my belt.
At Christmas, my main wish was for a pair of real cowboy boots. I took a magazine and circled various styles and told Jay to get me a size 8 in any of the ones I had picked, he could choose. And he did exactly that. The boots were very nice and I liked them, but they were way too big. I wasn't sure what size to get and I should have went somewhere and tried on some before just throwing a size out there. Sometimes I act without thinking...I know, I know.
So we sent them back and I had planned to get the same boots in a smaller size, but just never did. Well, lo and behold, wasn't I surprised to see all the vendors set up at the horse fair? And oh, how delighted I was when I saw several that had boots! I quickly honed in on a pair that caught my eye and I was in love. I tried them on in sizes 7 and 7.5 and settled on the 7. I texted Jay to ask if he thought it was okay, he said to go for it. So I did and I love them. They are the coolest boots ever!
I wore them all evening around the house and will need to wear them several evenings to get them broke in. (Apparently that is a drawback to cowboy boots!) I also need to purchase some very tall socks instead of borrowing Madolyn's very loud, tall boot socks.
I'm all psyched up again about horses after this weekend. I just need to find a horse that fits my abilities (one that is alive and under 25 yrs of age hopefully) and learn a
Friday, March 2, 2012
The treasured towels
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV)
I don't know why, but this morning as I was showering, I thought about a set of bath towels Jay and I received as a wedding gift when we got married back in 1995. They were so nice and thick, tan and beige checkered. I can still remember who got them for us. They were from the parents of three local boys Jay and I have been friends with since forever.
At the time Jay and I lived in a trailer and it had color schemes. Of course, mauve or rose and country blue dominated the trailer's prefab interior, but hunter green, burgundy and navy blue (remember the jewel tones) was the popular trend at that time and that is what I went with. I decided to paint the big bathroom burgundy, which actually turned out to be Barney Purple (you know what I'm talking about) and it was hideous. But on our registry, I put down that our bathroom color scheme was burgundy and hunter green.
And we did get a bunch of burgundy and hunter green towels, and also some turquoise-colored towels (someone's color wheel was a little off but they worked), and the above-mentioned very nice, thick set of tan/beige towels. I proudly displayed the burgundy and hunter green towels and put away the tan/beige checked towels because I had decided they were way too nice to be using. I packed them away and thought we would use them later, for good. Yes, that makes sense.
Jay and I lived in that trailer from 1995 until 1997, then moved to Lawrenceville and rented a house until 1998, then bought our first house and stayed there until we moved home in December of 2000. When we moved home, we lived temporarily in a house until our house was built and we moved in there around September of 2001. We carried those checked tan/beige towels along with us each move...but never used them because they were too good. I was saving them for later...for like the president or something.
We finally broke those towels out of their storage box in, I think, 2002 and put them to use in our bathroom. As in, we are actually using them, they're not just sitting out as pretties. In fact, as I dried off with one of them this morning, I noticed that it is falling apart. (Maybe the moths and vermin finally got to them?) I suppose they've held up pretty well considering they were purchased in the summer of 1995. We actually still own quite a few of the burgundy, hunter green and turquoise towels. They are now our "dog" towels, but we've used them on various animals, cows, goats, cats, etc.
I do this from time to time, I save stuff that people give to me because I think it is just too nice to waste or too nice to use up too quickly. I have saved bath/shower gel before because it was from Bath & Body and thought it was just too expensive to waste on everyday use. Ha. I hit a clearance sale after Christmas and bought some for $2.75 a bottle. Apparently, it's not that precious.
I suppose we're all guilty of storing up treasures here on earth every now and then...or at least I am. But honestly, it is just stuff. Those checkered tan/beige towels were nice, but the cheap bright turquoise ones did the trick too. We carried around those silly "good" towels for seven years before using them. Why? What was I waiting for? I just had to laugh when I thought about that this morning. In heaven, we won't even need towels...did I think Jesus might need a soft, plush tan/beige checkered towel up there or what?
So go on, get out your good towels and use that bath gel. Jesus won't need it later and neither will you.
I don't know why, but this morning as I was showering, I thought about a set of bath towels Jay and I received as a wedding gift when we got married back in 1995. They were so nice and thick, tan and beige checkered. I can still remember who got them for us. They were from the parents of three local boys Jay and I have been friends with since forever.
At the time Jay and I lived in a trailer and it had color schemes. Of course, mauve or rose and country blue dominated the trailer's prefab interior, but hunter green, burgundy and navy blue (remember the jewel tones) was the popular trend at that time and that is what I went with. I decided to paint the big bathroom burgundy, which actually turned out to be Barney Purple (you know what I'm talking about) and it was hideous. But on our registry, I put down that our bathroom color scheme was burgundy and hunter green.
And we did get a bunch of burgundy and hunter green towels, and also some turquoise-colored towels (someone's color wheel was a little off but they worked), and the above-mentioned very nice, thick set of tan/beige towels. I proudly displayed the burgundy and hunter green towels and put away the tan/beige checked towels because I had decided they were way too nice to be using. I packed them away and thought we would use them later, for good. Yes, that makes sense.
Jay and I lived in that trailer from 1995 until 1997, then moved to Lawrenceville and rented a house until 1998, then bought our first house and stayed there until we moved home in December of 2000. When we moved home, we lived temporarily in a house until our house was built and we moved in there around September of 2001. We carried those checked tan/beige towels along with us each move...but never used them because they were too good. I was saving them for later...for like the president or something.
We finally broke those towels out of their storage box in, I think, 2002 and put them to use in our bathroom. As in, we are actually using them, they're not just sitting out as pretties. In fact, as I dried off with one of them this morning, I noticed that it is falling apart. (Maybe the moths and vermin finally got to them?) I suppose they've held up pretty well considering they were purchased in the summer of 1995. We actually still own quite a few of the burgundy, hunter green and turquoise towels. They are now our "dog" towels, but we've used them on various animals, cows, goats, cats, etc.
I do this from time to time, I save stuff that people give to me because I think it is just too nice to waste or too nice to use up too quickly. I have saved bath/shower gel before because it was from Bath & Body and thought it was just too expensive to waste on everyday use. Ha. I hit a clearance sale after Christmas and bought some for $2.75 a bottle. Apparently, it's not that precious.
I suppose we're all guilty of storing up treasures here on earth every now and then...or at least I am. But honestly, it is just stuff. Those checkered tan/beige towels were nice, but the cheap bright turquoise ones did the trick too. We carried around those silly "good" towels for seven years before using them. Why? What was I waiting for? I just had to laugh when I thought about that this morning. In heaven, we won't even need towels...did I think Jesus might need a soft, plush tan/beige checkered towel up there or what?
So go on, get out your good towels and use that bath gel. Jesus won't need it later and neither will you.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Good book
I just finished reading a book on my Nook called The Emancipation of Robert Sadler. It was about him growing up in the early 1900s as a slave. He and his sisters were sold by their father when he was only five years old. It was very good, I could hardly put it down. In fact, I think I read it in less than 30 hours. It was heartbreaking, yet also inspiring. Because I cannot imagine that era and how things really were, it seemed unbelievable at times, yet I know it was true.
I think the thing that struck me the most was how I take for granted little things like speaking, writing, reading, picking up a bible if I want to, and just knowledge in general. There was a point in the book where he saw a child's toy for the first time. He had never seen a toy and he was less than ten years old. How simple. When told that only white people went to heaven, Robert believed it because he didn't know any better. His mother's dying wish was that he would learn to read so that he could read a bible. They didn't have one though, and Robert had no clue what a bible was.
I know that there are places in our world today where situations are not a whole lot different than they were nearly 100 years ago as described in this book. Again, it is unbelievable to me, yet I know it is true. How sad that people still live in conditions similar to this. I don't have a clue what it is really like, and neither do my kids...thankfully, I suppose.
I thought this story was an amazing example of perseverance, determination, hope and faith. If you're looking for something read, check it out.
I think the thing that struck me the most was how I take for granted little things like speaking, writing, reading, picking up a bible if I want to, and just knowledge in general. There was a point in the book where he saw a child's toy for the first time. He had never seen a toy and he was less than ten years old. How simple. When told that only white people went to heaven, Robert believed it because he didn't know any better. His mother's dying wish was that he would learn to read so that he could read a bible. They didn't have one though, and Robert had no clue what a bible was.
I know that there are places in our world today where situations are not a whole lot different than they were nearly 100 years ago as described in this book. Again, it is unbelievable to me, yet I know it is true. How sad that people still live in conditions similar to this. I don't have a clue what it is really like, and neither do my kids...thankfully, I suppose.
I thought this story was an amazing example of perseverance, determination, hope and faith. If you're looking for something read, check it out.
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