Thankful Thursday and Food Friday -Together Again

Since I'll be away from the computer until after the weekend, I thought I would do something radical like actually posting our Food Friday recipe early. And believe it or not, I have not forgotten about Thankful Thursday.
So, since it is in fact, Thursday, let's all decide today, right now, that we will have an attitude of gratitude. To tell you the truth, I haven't had one lately. I got all out of sorts about something yesterday that alot of folks from all over the world would have loved to have been concerned about. Girl, you gotta keep this stuff in perspective I tell you. Things don't always work out like you want them to. Our domain rebels against us (you 5 Aspects Girls know what I'm talking about) but I am determined to remain focused on the blessings instead of the bumps. Sometimes those bumps look like giant mountains but God will always make a way for us to either go over it, around it or through it. I resolve to not allow my circumstances to make me bitter - just better.
So, today I am thankful for several very specific things:
1. I am thankful that my knee pain was not anything other than over extension. There was, as far as I know right now, no permanent damage. I'll just have to be super careful when I exercise and wear a knee brace. Very thankful.
2. That I get to go away for a few days with my husband.
3. That my mom is in such good health.
4. That my son made an 85 on his biology test!
5. That four brides have contacted us in the last week to discuss the planning of their weddings.

Okay, now food . . . hmmm . . . trying to decide what recipe to share today. How about TWO fun ones for Halloween - Monster Munch and Batty Bark! The Monster Munch I have kept in my house for the past month and everyone loves it so much. I've also bagged it up, tied it with raffia and given it as gifts. The Batty Bark is also a great gift for giving or would be too fun for a Halloween party or kid's party at school. Just an idea.

Happy Halloween!

Monster Munch:
Ingredients:
1 11 oz. bag regular flavor candy corn
1 11 oz. bag caramel candy corn
1 11 oz. bag chocolate candy corn
1 11 oz. bag caramel apple candy corn
1 12 oz. bag chocolate covered peanuts
2 small cans salted peanuts
1 small can salted cashews
1 19.2 oz. bag M&Ms
Directions: Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

Batty Bark:
Ingredients:
8 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup crisp rice cereal
¼ cup unsalted sunflower kernels
¼ cup dried cherries, chopped
Directions:
1. In a microwave, melt milk chocolate and semisweet chocolate; stir until smooth. Stir in the cereal, sunflower kernels and cherries.
2. On a waxed-paper lined baking sheet, spread chocolate mixture into a 12 inch x 9 inch rectangle.
3. Refrigerate until firm.
4. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Cut with 3 ½ inch bat-shaped cookie cutter.* Re-melt the scraps and cut if desired.

*I found my bat-shaped cookie cutter at Michaels for 99 cents. Yay!

Thankful Thursday

Well, I would have posted on Thursday except for the fact that I was under a deadline and I went for an little overnighter with my husband. Lest you think I forgot.

About the deadline. I've been asked to submit an article for our local wedding magazine, Soirees Southern Events. When you write for a real live publication (no offense meant to the blog), it means that your verbs must match your nouns, that they have to be the same tense (which makes me tense), that you have to have all of your punctuation in the right place and that you cannot by any stretch of the imagination, leave a participle dangling. Oh the pressure. I am not an English major which might explain why I worked right up to the deadline on this project. But, it's finished and sent to the publisher. I sure do hope she likes it and it makes it into print. Then I will be a published author. And that would be kinda cool.

After the radio show yesterday, D and I loaded up the truck and we moved to Beverleeeee. I'm so sorry . . . I just couldn't resist that. Too many years of the Hillbillies. Okay. So, we packed up the truck and headed down to Atlanta. D had a business trip; I had a pleasure trip. I got to enjoy a great dinner at Stoney River at the Cobb Galleria and the most wonderful bed and set of pillows I think I've ever laid on. He got to get up this morning and go to a meeting. I got to sleep in and leisurely work on my Bible study. I had huge plans to head over to the Barnes and Noble next door and walk up and down every aisle, but it was not meant to be. He sent me a text just as I was leaving the hotel that he was done with his meeting - three hours earlier than expected. That's okay. Because he took me to lunch at a great little restaurant called "Lime" that served fajitas and all was well with the world.

So, to the business at hand. Thankful Thursday! on Friday. Today I'm thankful for rain. I was just leaving the radio station and the bottom fell out. I'm soaked and the sweet man that walked me to my car was too. My umbrella, of course, was in the car.
I love to sleep, read, write, study, cook, and watch movies when it rains. Love it. Honestly, on rainy days I could just curl up in a chair with a good book and totally be content all day long.

If you remember, we went out on the lake Sunday night for a boat ride. I just had to smile as I thought about how that just a little more than a year ago, after several years of drought conditions, the predictions were for the lake to take seven years to come back to full pool. Seven whole years.
The summer of 2008 was brutal. Almost all of our county park's docks were closed, marinas were on dry land and the activity that usually surrounds our beautiful lake was virtually non-existent.
The summer of 2009 was some better. The lake hovered around ten feet below full pool most of the summer. Again, the predictions of returning to normal levels were dire.
Summer of 2010:
Let me just put it this way: But God. But God didn't see it that way. But God didn't listen to man's predictions. But God didn't wait seven years. But God filled our lake in a little over a year. Only God.

It reminds me of this verse in Isaiah:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts
and neither are your ways my ways
declares the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
than my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9


So life is good on our lake. It not only provides us great fun and beauty but it is a huge economic boost to our area. So rain, you just come on down. You just nourish our earth and fill our lake because, to quote one of my favorite singers, Luke Bryan . . . "rain is a good thing."

Thankful Thursday

Are you like me today and dreaming of a vacation? Today I am thankful for vacations past and future. I was looking through some old photos and these just brought back some great memories of a trip we took in 2002. All ten of us went to Europe for ten days. It was amazing.
Here I am up high in the sky in the Eye of London. I must tell you that I am not a fan of heights and wouldn't go near the edge of this thing. I saw the beautiful scenery of London quite fine sitting perched right there in the middle.

Something about this that makes me smile. It may be the all-too-familiar look on G's face that says "are you really taking another picture of me?" Oh how he loves to have his picture taken. Tower of London in the background.

Not sure about this. I'm sure somebody said wave to the camera and we followed orders. Again, it made me smile.

D hanging out with George H. W. Bush and Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of Great Britain. George and Tony are wax. D is not. (Madame Tousseau Wax Museum)

This may have been the most fascinating place I have ever been. The ruins of Pompeii, Italy.

Palace of Versailles in France.

E and G with Miss Mona Lisa. The Louvre in Paris.

Venus de Milo. The Louvre.

The family at the Trevi Fountain in Rome. (Don't know the guy on the right)

So here's to vacations! I hope you are taking a good one very soon!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for flowers and considering my brown thumb, that they grow in my yard. Flowers make me smile.

Thankful Thursday

I know. It's Friday already. How did that happen? I think between Memorial Day on Monday and then celebrating our anniversary on Wednesday, I got all messed up and just woke up today on Friday.

Today I'm thankful for God's Word. "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" - Psalm 119:105.
You might find this as fascinating as I did. Bottom line: God and His Word are so cool.


Q: What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?
A: Psalms 117


Q: What is the longest chapter in the Bible?
A: Psalms 119


Q: Which chapter is in the center of the Bible?
A: Psalms 118


Fact: There are 594 chapters before Psalms 118

Fact: There are 594 chapters after Psalms 118

Add these numbers up and you get 1188.


Q: What is the center verse in the Bible?
A: Psalms 118:8


Q: Does this verse say something significant about God's perfect will for our lives?


The next time someone says they would like to find God's perfect will for their lives and that they want to be in the center of His will, just send them to the center of His Word!

Psalms 118:8

"It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man."

Thankful Thursday

Can you believe it? I have barely posted at all this month and this is my third post today! But I couldn't let Thursday go by without a thankful to go with it.
This past Sunday after church, D and I decided we were way past due for a drive with the top down. Before I go on, I just have to tell you how amazing our church service was Sunday. Oh. My. The music was beyond fabulous and that preacher of ours can flat preach, I tell you. He wrapped up his series on Job and in some ways, I think we were all relieved. Mr. and Mrs. Job had them some troubles to be sure. But what an amazing testimony of faith. Whewee.

Anyway, during our drive we found ourselves down around the Mall of Georgia and we decided we might drop in the DSW shoes. Well, I do love me a pair of shoes and they were a-plenty at this store. This is what I came out with. Can you believe it? Look at that heel? I've worn them all day today and love them.

After that we went to the movies - the new 3-D Shrek movie. I am thankful for those days with my husband. And for a great pair of shoes. :)

Thankful Thursday

I fully realize that I get on this blog every Thursday and tell you how busy my week has been so . . . I guess you know. From 8:30 to 4:00 Monday and Wednesday I participated in the Client Assistant Training at the Care Center. One more day next week and I will officially (on paper) be ready to minister in that capacity. Whoa, yes, it's way out of my comfort zone but I'm really looking forward to it!

Tuesday, I did my shift in the hospital gift shop, then went to pick up Mother for our weekly shopping trip. We managed to get caught in the 15 minute downpour while loading her groceries. That was fun - she wore a grocery bag on her head so she wouldn't get her hair wet. I should have taken a que from her and got one out for myself. Because by the time we met our children to celebrate our son in law's birthday that night, I looked like indeed I needed a bag over my head. But the folks at Fry's Electronics and Steak-n-Shake didn't seem to care and frankly, by that time, neither did I. A fun time was had by all.

E has been holding down the fort in the WEC office this week as I was in training. I like to say that because it sounds like I might have an athletic bone in my body. Which I do not. But today we were full speed ahead preparing for a wedding this weekend in Athens at the Botanical Gardens. We can hardly wait.

We did, however, take out about 30 minutes to walk over to the courthouse to see our buddy, Butch get sworn in as State Senator. My prayers go with him that is for sure.

Look who came to my house tonight? The sweetest boy in the world. And for him I am thankful.

Thankful Thursday on Friday

Well, Thursday just blew right on by me didn't it? Please don't ever get the idea that just because I don't post on Thursday that I'm not thankful. Because, that's just not true. While I'm sure I take some things for granted, I've learned to live in the moment and to just be grateful for the gift of everyday life.

Thankful on Friday? Yes, siree. Thankful that my sweet husband finally made it back from Sin City (Las Vegas) and that the house didn't completely fall apart while he was gone. Why does that happen? Your husband goes out of town for a few days and things go wonky. I got totally freaked out by a weird repairman in my home and about that time the security system goes out. Have mercy I thought I was going to have a major meltdown. I tried to tell D about it as calmly as I possibly could when he called to check in but bless his heart, he must have heard the sheer panic in my voice. So before I had time to check myself in for an overnight stay at Laurelwood, our friend who owns the security company calls. This is what he says "I just got a call from your husband and I am on my way right now to fix your system. We will get this taken care of today for you because your husband is very concerned for your safety." Oh, thank you Lord and thank you precious husband.

Thankful Thursday!

We have exciting news! and I am so thankful that God presented the opportunity . . . (drum roll please) . . . for an OFFICE for Wonderful Events and Celebrations! WooHoo!

For the past two years E and I have worked as nomads either at my kitchen table, out of the front seat of my car and as you well know, from our "regular" table at Panera. Sidenote: we have to sit at the same table every time because of it's proximity to the plug because the laptop requires it. But on April 20th we (mostly me) were just a little worn out with our beloved Panera, needed a change of pace and met for lunch at Sweet Magnolias on the square. Just for clarification, Sweet Magnolias is located inside a larger building that has lots of great little shops called Main Street Market. Well, as I was strolling to the restroom, I saw this little office space that I immediately was drawn to. I came back to the table and told E that I had found us an office. Honestly, bless her heart, she didn't know we were looking. And we weren't, . . . until that moment. But somehow I just knew this was to be our space . . . if the price was right. And thankfully, it turned out to be just right.

The office idea has been a dream of ours that we mention in passing just every once in a while. Periodically, she and I have a "meeting of the minds" about our business just to make sure we are on the same page. Even though E and I are business partners, we are first and foremost, mother and daughter. And that relationship is far more important than any business dealings could ever be. So in order to keep that priority relationship, we just have a heart-to-heart every once in awhile about our current status as well as our hopes and dreams. You know, it just does a heart good to share your hopes and dreams with one another.

So very long story shortened just a little, we began to investigate the possibility and realized that this actually might work financially and logistically. And we got excited! And we still are! We have cleaned, painted, bought new furniture, reused old furniture, and are still not done with the transformation of this little office to make it our own. But it's getting there and we could not feel more blessed!

You know it is a funny thing sometimes. You feel like God is opening a door, presenting an opportunity and then there comes the moment of truth. When the rubber meets the road as my Daddy used to say. Do you have the faith to go for it? to take the leap with Him? You begin to have those doubts . . . is this truly from God? Are we being good stewards of the resources He has given us? Are we talented enough, smart enough, dedicated enough . . . blah, blah, blah. You know the drill. Praise Him we are all those things because of Him and the fact the if He calls us, He equips us. If it is one thing I've learned in this 50 years of living - the wildest time and most excitement I've ever had has been with Jesus. People that think that dedicated Christians live a boring life void of fun and thrills, well, they are just flat wrong. Jesus is a trip and a half. He will take you places you NEVER ever thought you would go. (like to the radio station every day at 4:45 - who would have ever thought that was in my plan??). Only God.

So, today was our very first day "in the office." And I will always remember this day in a very special way. It is the National Day of Prayer. So today, I have been pouring out my heart to God for my country, my community, my church, our businesses, my friends, my family, my husband, my children (especially my sweet boy today because he had two finals. He'll be home tomorrow night and yeah! and yeehaw! I can't wait! Sorry. sidetracked.) And the blessings of life He gives freely!

I'll leave you with this. I'm embarrassed to admit that when we began our business, I didn't choose a foundational Scripture for it. But as this new (office) door opens, we are committing it to our Lord with this verse, Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful to live in Gainesville, Georgia. Several months ago, D and I took my momma back to the town where I grew up. While I had a great childhood and loved where I was then, I don't want to be there now. I left there that weekend thanking God for transporting me through His divine plan to Gainesville. Honestly the main reason: the weather. I've told y'all before, I do not like snow and they get lots of it. Cold weather, okay. Snow, no way.

Folks, we live in a great community. Gainesville is filled with people who care deeply about making this a quality place to live. Lots of people give of their time and resources to better our little world. People give back, people care and people want the best for each other. Now, you can call me PollyAnna if you want to, but I choose to believe that. I see people everyday who volunteer hours and hours for the betterment of our hospital system; and speaking of our medical community, it is nothing less than phenomenal especially for the size of our town. I see people donating to countless non-profit organizations who you better believe are changing lives of men, women and children; churches who are truly the hands and feet of Jesus; small business owners who care about their customers and want to do the right thing; school systems that work extremely hard at bettering the education of our children; local colleges educating students from all over the world; local government trying their best to use the resources they have; little leagues teaching the value of team sports; a full lake that is not only gorgeous but infuses much-needed income through tourism. These are just a few.

Tonight I will participate in the Corporate Challenge. This is where company employees of all sizes and shapes across Gainesville join together in a common theme: "Get fit; stay fit." Well goodness knows, I'm trying. But I'm not going to be on the sidelines this year, I'm gonna be out there gettin it with the rest of them. I'll be walking with many of our employees. Several of our folks will be running it. There will be hundreds of people there who care: who care about their health and wellness, who care about their places of employment and who care about this community.

I"m thankful I can call Gainesville home.

Thankful Thursday

Good glory, how did it get to be Thursday already? I had written another post for today but then realized that whoa - it was Thursday. Since I am such a rule follower and that I do need to stick with the designated plan, I needed to stop and think about what I am thankful for today. And that didn't take long - I am thankful for God's Word.

Last night, I was privileged to sit in a class of about 50 fellow church members to better learn how to study the Scriptures. The class is called Bible-ology and is taught by a very bright, intelligent young professor of Christian studies at Truett McConnell College. He and his family are members of our church and what a blessing he was! This class was a jam-packed, hour and a half of discovering the basics of using the four-step interpretive method when studying a passage. And then how to actually take a Scripture "apart" to discover the significance of things such as repeating words, comparisons and contrasts, figures of speech, and cause and effect relationships. Very, very interesting stuff.

Ironically but so God-like, the passage that we were asked to analyze last night is my current memory verse, Romans 12:1-2. So I was all over that. To be completely honest, Scripture memory is something I struggle with. I so want to know His word and to be able to live in it. But I have to remember unless I commit it to memory, it is hard to "renew" my mind with it.

I believe that we all have a constant "thought tape" reeling in our minds. Some days we play and then hit rewind to hear the same old "thought songs" over and over in our heads. Some days we hit skip from thought song to thought song, changing our mind patterns quickly depending the the busy-ness of our day. And some days we fast forward, not wanting to think too long about anything. Our minds are constant, always playing thought patterns. So how do we take out that old thought cassette tape and replace it with a new more modern CD?
And for our purposes this CD stands for "Christ Dependency." And to get it we must memorize His Word! We must hide it in our hearts!

Today I challenge you to renew your mind with God's Word! I am so a work in progress with this concept that I'm walking right beside you. It is so worth it.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2

Thankful Thursday

Today I thankful for the clients that God has sent to our Wonderful Events and Celebrations business. So very thankful. E and I met early this morning at Panera to work and talk. We have three weddings between now and the end of May so we had lots to work on and talk about. Tonight we have what we call a "details meeting" with the bride getting married on April 24th. So we were meticulously going over the notes we already have for this event. We also revised and reworked our consultation document so as not to miss a single detail for our brides.

The funny thing about being a wedding planner is that brides don't always think they need you - until after the wedding. Then the bride and their mother, (especially the mother) practically kiss your feet. On more than one occasion, they have said to us, "you are the best money we spent" and "thank you so much, there is absolutely no way we could have done this without you" and "you made this whole process so easy." And that ladies and gentlemen is why we do what we do. Our whole goal is to take the stress of coordinating the mountain of details involved with a wedding off of the bride and her family so they can enjoy the day and then to handle those details in a thorough and professional manner.

I am going to be posting more about this subject here and on the WEC website very soon. Stay tuned!

Happy Thursday! What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

To say that I loved what I did today would be an understatement. Not one thing makes me happier than to spend the day with my children or my husband. Well, today my daughter and I had a "Girls Day." We had been trying to have our day for about three weeks and it finally happened. So today I thankful for Girl Days, and for girly things like lunching and shopping! I sure do wish my boy was closer so we could have more Mom/Son days. I do miss him terribly.

We began our girls day at TJ Maxx and that was truly a shopping pleasure. We found tons of stuff we liked and left with some fine purchases. After that totally satisfying experience, we stopped for lunch which included soup, salad and some great conversation. Stop #3 was to our new favorite store, Charming Charlie. Oh, have mercy, it is an accessory/handbag/shoe/everything wonderful dream come true. I could have stayed in there all day. And as you might have guessed we had to make a quick stop in the tiara department because this girl has always been "The Princess of Quite a Lot." (Daughter of "Queen of Everything." ) She even had a sign that hung on her door at home that declared it properly.

These are just a few of our favorite things:
I'm planning on wearing this with a yellow jacket, maybe for Easter. I also got the earrings that match it.

Emily picked these out to go with her new Easter dress which is the prettiest shade of turquoise. These are even better in real life.
Did you know that this is called a bracelet bag? and it is adorable? It's small but big enough for your phone, lipstick, and car keys. So great if you are going out for a special occasion and don't want to take your big bag. Love it. This is only a snippet of the cute things we found in this store. I would have taken more pictures but I was too busy shopping. We plan on going back very soon and I promise to take more pictures. If I'm not too busy shopping.

What I'm Thankful for This Thursday!

This Thursday I am thankful that these are blooming in my yard and that SPRING is on the way!

Thankful Thursday

I am extremely thankful for health today. D and I have been in this house together sickly since Tuesday morning. It's a good thing we like each other or we would have gone crazy by now. I'm feeling a little better but poor D is still kinda pitiful. Hopefully, he will get to feeling better soon.

Three people near and dear to my heart had surgery/medical procedures done today. Early this morning, my precious friend underwent a major and lengthy surgery in Atlanta and I just heard via email that she did great and is currently in recovery. Another dear friend's daughter underwent a procedure this morning and I got word that that went smoothly as well. Yet another precious friend is undergoing a procedure as I type. I'm hoping to hear from her soon.

So, today and everyday I am thankful for good health and for the Great Physician and Healer who watches over us.

Thankful Thursday - The Inaugural Day

So here we go – Thankful Thursday! Actually this is hard for me - you know I am a woman of many words and think I have to use them all. So for me to say one thing that I’m thankful for today in a succinct manner will be a stretch but I’ll try. I want this to be simple so if you all want to make a quick comment, you won’t feel overwhelmed by mine.

Okay, I just can’t give you one. How about a serious one and a fun one – yours can be either.

1. I am thankful that our God is a God of miracles. Please do not think for one second that He is not alive and well and working miraculous works all around us. Because He is. I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it. I believe it.

2. I am thankful for those little carrots in the bag that you get in the produce section of your locally owned grocery store (wink). They are already washed and ready to eat! I love them! Who says convenience isn’t healthy??

Okay, I’m done. Your turn.