Friday Fragments

} Thanksgiving day has come and gone - not much excitement this year since the family has gotten into an attitude of "Well, if she doesn't call me then I'm not calling her." So that left three of us to eat Thanksgiving day lunch together. It was nice, but a sad scene truth-be-told.

} The temperature DROPPED yesterday. It's getting into that season where it can look beautiful out, you get all excited to spend some time in it only to have your hopes dashed when you step out and get frost-bite. Time to adjust mentally to ice and snow temps! No walking around the lake for me.

} Took my truck to get looked at this week. He's leaking. Lots. But to his defense, he's got over 280,000 miles on him. It's the power steering pump, O2 sensor, and PCV valve. Basically $700 worth. The service people were almost beaming with pride, "Christy, this truck has been awesome for you! How many more miles do you think he can handle?" I think we're setting some records around there. And as long as the body holds up - he could have a future in truck pulls! (It's a real popular body style to get pimped-out for the truck pulls - he'd be in redneck heaven).

} I have now done something I can say I did at least once in my lief - I joined all the crazy people at 4 AM on Black Friday this morning. My mom wanted a camera and I wanted a sewing machine - so with my circulars in hand, off I went to Kohl's as my first destination. Unbelieveable is all I can say. I thought waiting in the unemployment line was long and arduous - it has nothing on the line I saw at 3:45 a.m.!!!! Not my thing really, so I passed on Kohl's. Then I just went all-out and went to Wal-Mart. KNOWING how crazy people are there. But one store didn't have any sewing machines and with the way they had "lines" set-up I couldn't figure out how to get back to even see the cameras. So I got my few grocery items and went on. I'm hungry at this point - try finding a McDonalds actually open at 4:30 a.m.! I managed to get to another Wal-Mart to get a camera for mom at a really reasonable price, but alas, sewing machines were already gone. Next year, I might get up early just to shop online and go right back to bed. But for now - I need a nap before the rest of the day happens!

Love these Friday Fragments! For more - go see Mrs.4444 @ Half-Past Kissin' Time:

Who Needs Romance?

We ALL need romance. But I think where things go wrong sometimes is that we look for that romance in the wrong places. I can remember from Waaaayy back being a 'romantic' at heart. You know, the knight in shining armor, holding out for a hero, and all that. Remember the movie, "Pretty Woman?" The ending where he realizes he LOVES her and comes for her? What girl didn't cry and want that to happen to her? But as I've grown up and gained life experience, I've discovered that stuff like that generally only happens in the movies or paperback (I've heard stories, but none of my own). And they always leave off what happens AFTER the rescue and roses.

As I was preparing this post this morning, the song "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian came on and these words stuck with me:

"To those of us who knew the pain
Of valentines that never came
And those whose names were never called
When choosing sides for basketball
It was long ago and far away
the world was younger than today
when dreams were all they gave for free
to ugly duckling girls like me... "

I am the ugly duckling...most days. And this my biggest vulnerable area.

Face it. We have been fed a line of crap from Hollywood about romance. Our perception of it has been tainted. We've been trained to view romance as actual love - and you deserve it if your beautiful, but if not you can be the quirky sidekick. And when we don't receive romance we equate it to not being loved. We place too much romantic expectation on someone else and when they fall short it breaks our hearts. We all need true love first, and romance is a natural by-product from that love that fuels the flame in a relationship.


I'm sure 99% of you are familiar with John 3:16, "For God so LOVED the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall have everlasting life..." God loves us, no doubt about that. But does he romance us?

(Adapted from "Captivating.") God's version of flowers and chocolates and candlelight dinners comes in the form of sunsets and falling stars, moonlight on lakes and cricket symphonies; warm wind, swaying trees, lush gardens and fierce devotion. This romancing is immensely personal-as if scripted for your heart alone. We have missed many of his notes simple because we shut our hearts down in order to endure the pain of life. Open your heart again to hear His whispers and receive His kisses. "...He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

Have you ever noticed God's romancing of you? Have you ever stopped to truly smell the roses, or watch a sunset (or sunrise)? Ever watched puppies at play or butterflies floating in mid-air? Ever seen a spider's web glistening with morning dew or smelled the freshness of a crisp Autumn morning? What about your favorite song? Did it touch your heart this morning? Have you let the sun warm you outside-in? Or what about the ripples of water the geese make in a lake. God just gave you moments of romance. Take a moment to thank and praise Him for it and rejoice that the Creator of the universe knows how to love you like you want to be loved.

Friday Fragments

} I worked out yesterday - for reals. The Turbo Jam lady told me I would be feeling it today, she was right. I was doing real good last week, I would walk the mile+ around the lake then come home and do 20 minute Turbo Jam workout. I actually love it. Then I just didn't do it for a few days - got lazy, busy, whatever. But yesterday jumped back on the wagon. Man, it was kicking my butt! But I did choose the more intense workout that time.

} I love my cats, don't get me wrong. But they are puke factories some days. I've researched and talked with other cat owners and the consensus is that when I cat does that, they're eating too fast. Kinda like a kid who stuffs himself with candy and food then gets on the wildest roller coaster he can find, then upchucks half-way through. I've tried various tricks: tennis ball in the food bowl - Maestro just grabs them, moves them out of the way, then starts playing with the ball, goes back to eat too much food, then throws up on the ball; giving them only a spoonful of food at a time - then they just gobble it up apparently thinking it will be their last meal ever then throw it back up; give them so much food it would take days to eat it all - they assume it's a feast, eat too much...you know the rest. So I've looked at auto-feeders. BUT - I have two cats - they can share a split bowl, but not the "same" bowl. Siblings, go figure. So I got creative! I took a Parmesan cheese container - with the flip-top lid - and wired it to their bowl so it will feed into both sides of their bowls in a smaller amount than a store-bought feeder. It took the boy less than 5 seconds to figure out if he moved the food from the feeder more would appear! Guys. This is just day 1 - so hopefully this will work!

} I'm singing in choir again! For the past four years I have been joining with a couple friends from church in a choral group to sing Handel's Messiah. I love it! I sing alto in this one because the notes that the sopranos have to hit would shatter glass! But every time we get to the Hallelujah Chorus it's as if the angels themselves are joining in.

} Has anyone seen this show, Tabatha's Salon Takeover? Oh my, what a lady! She hardly ever smiles, but she knows her stuff and doesn't take crap off anyone. She'll come into a flailing salon - take it over for a week - and get it back to flourishing. She takes charge of every part of it: business management, employees, customer service, marketing, and finally design on studio itself - it gets a makeover. It's kind of like Super Nanny and Extreme Home Makeover rolled into one for beauty salons. Oh, the drama! I think I just had it on while getting ready to leave for somewhere, but I think I'd like to see one all the way through!

} Been getting a lot of good out of getting up early and starting my day in the Bible. I ask God to join me in it, to show me something new, and He never fails to be there and teach me. I highly encourage everyone else to do the same.

} I've been staying pretty busy since I lost my day job back in July. I've gained a new marketing client and doing all kinds of other things. I heard a segment on the radio this morning about being purposeful - that life is permeated with purpose (Ephesians 2:10). Which fills me with encouragement. I may be busy - but I know in these things I do it's filled with God's work, and He will provide what I need in the process of doing His work.

Love these Friday Fragments! For more - go see Mrs.4444 @ Half-Past Kissin' Time:

Yummies!

Last night was one of my home Bible study groups - and I made dessert. I've decided making desserts is one of my cooking specialties - pizza's the other (I have a few FABulous gourmet pizzas that I SO enjoy).

These little button beauties pictured here were a hit, and has quickly risen to the one of my top slots on sugar highs. And it's so easy to make! I made these with a different flavor and added strawberries for the women's study one night. These are pinneapple-cheesecake-sugar cookies with blueberries on top. Yum!


And it's not cheesecake like you would think cheesecake. It's cheesecake flavored Jello pudding mix with crushed pinneapple and Cool Whip. LOW FAT!!!! The sugar cookies - not so much, but you can just eat the "icing" alone or on graham crakers even. But for this batch I found this fantastic recipe for sugar cookies on All Recipes.com so I made my own. And now I have extra cookies - the "icing" batch wasn't enough for all the cookies!

So, what to do to remedy this situation? I found a great caramel icing recipe and made my own caramel icing to go on top the rest of the cookies (if we want icing). But I've discovered this caramel icing would be delicious on top of an apple pie - with ice cream and caramel drizzle of course.

My belly already hurts from even thinking about all this sugar!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Angel Lush" Icing

1 package of instant Jello Pudding (flavor of your choice, I've used vanilla, banana and cheesecake so far and they're all very good)
1 can crushed pinneapple - drained
1/2 small bowl of Cool Whip

~ Drain the can of pinneapple
~ Mix pudding mix and pinneapple together
~ Mix in cool whip until all blended together - refrigerate until ready to use.


I haven't tried to freeze it yet, but it should be freezable with the Cool Whip - make frozen "lush" cookies.

I've pulled out the Imperial Cookbook from 1892 - can't wait to try some of these antique treasures! Like homemade perfume and homemade sorbet, and even soap (had to include that one for Lynn!).

Enjoy!

Life is...one big to-do list

Again, it's been awhile since I've last posted. There's just been so much going on!

• The 175th (+1) celebration concert at church consumed me for about three weeks. But it was a success! I just hate that I didn't get any pictures, but there is video! As soon as I get a chance to work on that, I'll share some bits here.


• The church youth's Amazing Race before that. That took some organizing time, but well worth it. The kids had a blast and the stories we got to hear at the end!


• Auctions and all that entails.


• Odd-jobs, and trying to drum-up business as well as cheering Bill on for a career-change.


• Friends' and family drama.


• Church goings-on.


• Pro-bono wedding video and pictures to still be done.


• Crocheting a baby blanket plus three other projects.


• Reading about 5 books - combination of business and Christian, plus one biography on Eleanor of Aquitaine (ancient royal history).


• Housecleaning - lots of purging going on with closets.


• Bible study groups - I'm a part of one mixed group, one women's group, and I think we're going to another mixed group this week.


• Personal God-time. I've made the change to starting my day with God. I sit at my kitchen table with all the windows around me and just ask God to teach me something new in His word, and He does! I get to watch the sun come up and just start the day right and that sticks with me for a long time through the day.


• Support group night - can't really count it as Bible study, but it still amazes me how real people can be in there versus in church.


• Got to have my facebook game-time.


• Then there's eating, although I can play games on the computer while I eat, or read.


• And finally - sleeping! During those weeks of working on the concert I didn't get much sleep, maybe 4 or 5 hours a night. I can proudly say I am making up for it now!

And through all that - which is nothing compared to anyone who has children - I am trying to be intentional with ministry. Basically, ministering to anyone who has a need, and that could be you. Bill and I have been given opportunities to just be servants wherever God places us, and that it simply awesome. Have you ever been in a place where you just feel blessings and "enlarging of territory" coming your way?

I'll be writing more soon enough. Thanks for visiting!

Grace & Peace to y'all!