What a Sermon

Well, I really wanted to post a picture today, but my husband has put a new child-proof security on our computer and it has blocked me from up loading photos. UGH! So....being the spiritual person I am, I thought I would tell you about an amazing sermon. Those of you that are bugged by my retoric or annoyed that I mention my beliefs too much (and you know who you are), you can feel free to exit at this time! HA!

Anyways, I sat in church on Sunday and listened to a GREAT sermon. I love those Sundays. The kind of Sundays where you leave church revitalized because you have gotten something from every bit of the service....the music, the scripture readings and the sermon. We have a substitute pastor who has been working at our church until our new pastor begins. He is a wonderful, young father. He is enlisted in the service. He works for hospice. And the list goes on and on and on. He wears many hats, and appears to use them all very well.

The sermon this Sunday was about prayer. Pastor expressed his concern about people simply not praying enough or praying as much as they used to pray. He went over parts of the Lord's Prayer and how it was written. His basic point was....Just Pray! God doesn't care how eloquent you are when speaking. Do you care how many big words your kids use? He also said that it is good to call the Lord "Father." It creates a father/child relationship and encourages us to open up as we should to a parent. Also, he said that we should not only think of ourselves (which it IS okay to pray for yourself and your desires) but to think of GOD. In the Lord's Prayer we say "Your will be done" and "Thy Kingdom come." Interesting.................

The part of the sermon I loved the most was when the pastor talked about being a hospice worker. He told of all the people he has met and worked with who were terminally ill. He said that most of his "patients" were suffering with Alzheimers. He talked of how alzheimers robs people of all their memories. It even takes away the memories of those they love the most. BUT...that for some reason most of the people in late stages that he works with seem to STILL remember the Lord's Prayer. I think his exact words were "....there is something about that prayer." YES! There is something about that prayer! It was given to us by God. He asked us to pray that prayer. It was simple but encompassed all our needs. IT IS A GIFT!

So....PLEASE take the opportunity to accept your gift daily. Talk to your Father. Thank him for all he has given you, tell him about your day, mention the needs of some friends and even discuss a few problems of your own with him. It can change you!

I'm Blue Too...

So Trish had her last blog entry entitle "I'm Blue." Well, I'm blue too. A family friend was killed this past weekend. He was hit by a semi while bike riding. He was around my husband's age. It's kind of hard to wrap your brain around this kind of thing. I'm trying not to dwell on it, but to dig in and start helping. So.....I'm cooking and baking today for the funeral. It seems like such a stupid thing to do....so unimportant. But, I was told that is what the family needs.

**sigh**.....so sad

LOVING HENKEL, LOVING TRISH!

Okay, so the other day Trish invited myself and a few others to go to Henkel to test some of their scrapbooking products. It was a fun experience. The best part? We left with many Henkel products. BUT...

Today a box arrives at my house and.........MORE HENKEL PRODUCTS! According to Paige, enough scrapbooking adhesive to last me a lifetime. So, so generous. It felt like Christmas!

Thank you Henkel and thank you Trish for thinking to invite me!

Hugs!

Three Raving Beauties...

So, my friend Trish discovered a "box of treasures" the other day. She was so excited. I talked to her on the phone and she shared some really cool memories. I had to chuckle at some of the names, words and phrases used that I hadn't heard in years. Do you remember Holly Hobbies? My sister embroidered a picture of one. I remember drooling over it. I NEVER was good at embroidery.

Trish also mentioned Shawn Cassidy. Remember Shaun? The brother of the one and only David Cassidy? My sister had a poster of him hanging in her bedroom. Now, here is the kicker. My dad cannot resist teasing. Everyone. He doesn't descriminate. If you are in his path, you may be exposed to his taunting. Now, living in a house full of girls was a bit too much for him at times. So, he felt compelled to pull little pranks....like drawing a booger coming out of David Cassidy's nose on the poster in my sister's room. And....there were tears. Big ones. The crocodile style tears. And then.....she tried to erase the boogers and a hole was torn in the poster. And from then on, David hung in her room with an extra nostril. The poster did not come down, people!

Lastly, Trish mentioned the cover of 45 records. How cool that she kept those record covers! Wouldn't that be cool on a scrapbook page...hhmmmm. I can remember my sisters and I playing 45 records over and over. Oh yeah. We even had the Brady Bunch on a 45. Wheeeee! Good fun and good memories.

It's funny to look back on your childhood when you are older. I know that financially it wasn't easy for my parents. But as kids, we NEVER thought we did without. I guess thats because you are given everything you NEED and the rest is icing. But as I reflected after talking to Trish, I realized there was one common denominator in all of these memories....my sisters.


Weren't we three raving beauties?

Soccer and A New Do....

Well, Austin has gone completely crazy for soccer. He really seems to be happy playing outdoor soccer for LW. He had a tournament two weeks ago and another this coming weekend. But this kid cracks me up. He went to get his physical and the doctor told him he is in the 40% for his age in height. Thank goodness he loves himself enough. He DEFINATELY feels his "sexy looks" (and I DO quote) make up for his height. HA!





Trent received a new hair cut. Remember the last pictures? Well, when we walked in the door he reminded me that it had better not be short. If you know anything about Bay Barber's you kind of get what you get. You can't really give them too much direction. Basically, you usually leave with the same haircut every time regardless of any instructions you give them. Well Trent sat down and there was one swipe of the clippers and my jaw dropped. They almost shaved the sides. Paige and I locked eyes and I muttered "oops."


We managed to convince Trent that it only looked short because his hair was so long when we walked in. But, once I saw the cut all finished...I LOVED IT. You can see his handsome face. And.....he totally resembles one Bill Bursley at the same age. I wish I could find the picture of my dad that I have at this age. I am going to look.......because they look so much alike. Right down to the split between his front teeth!

Lets Start the Week Off Right....

So, today is Monday and I haven't blogged in awhile. I can't get the darn pictures to upload for some reason. So, in my typical fashion, I gave up for a few days. Anyhow....back to blogging. In order to start the week off right I will count my blessings and give thanks.

If you look back at my older posts, it isn't that difficult to tell the things I am most thankful for on a daily basis (i.e. kids, husband, close friends, extended family). TODAY I want to list a few things I don't mention near enough.

Things I Am Eternally Thankful For That I Don't Mention

1. My sister-in-law, Jane. Do you know how much I love this lady? She is a good friend and a real person. I can tell her pretty much anything and she gets it. She sometimes seems to be the only person who knows what my life is like....so i love her!

2. 70 degree days. I love 'em. You can open the windows and make everything fresh.

3. Pumpkin. Okay, so not everyone loves the flavor of pumpkin. But I can honestly tell you that I have not found ONE item containing pumpkin that I do not like. Thank you God for pumpkin.

4. Scrapbooking. It is calling me these days. Seriously. I love it. I am not the best at it, but I don't really care. I'm not out to impress anyone with it. It is for me and my family, and they love every stinking thing I make. :)

5. Morning hugs. I love waking up in the morning and getting hugs from my family. It is the perfect way to start every day.

6. The smell of burning leaves. I know...weird. But nothing spells autumn to me like the smell of burning leaves. Which brings me to.....

7. Autumn. Absolutely my favorite time of year. (Did I mention pumpkin? See how they go hand-in-hand?) Football, Wearing Hoodies, Warm Enough to be Outside......get the picture?

8. My niece, Kimberly. This is one great kid. First of all....she is always happy. Really. Always giggling. Secondly she is a giving person. She is always thinking of others. I could really hang with this young lady, but that would be totally embarassing for her. You know, hanging with your old aunt. But I really do adore her!

9. The sound of my washer and drying running. I know....again, weird. But in some odd way it makes me feel productive. Sometimes it even encourages me to clean MORE! The horror!

10. Reading blogs. Especially the blogs of my friends. It makes you feel like you don't lose contact with people.

I am finished with my senseless post. I hope that today you sit down and feel thankful for 10 different things you normally don't tell anyone about.