heaven on earth

My absolute favorite ME THING….is getting my toes done! It is indescribable! I love feet! I know…most people loathe them, in fact Billy won’t even touch his own! I am so serious! When he showers he pours soap on one foot and rubs it around with the other and then repeats the other foot! Maybe that’s a little too much info for a blog, SORRY! Back to feet….having a pedicure is such a treat! Billy knows he can NEVER go wrong with a pedi gift certificate! Through the winter/NON SANDAL SEASON it’s something that I don’t do often, BUT when warm weather gets here….I love it! See, I really don’t have beautiful feet! I can admit it, it’s true! They need all the help they can get, so it is a necessary purchase. One that boosts my self image! LOL! Not to mention it is so relaxing! I can (and OFTEN do) do my own pedicure…remove old polish, trim nails & cuticles, scrub, exfoliate, moisturize, and then apply a fresh coat of polish. But I just love the way they look when THEY do it! With a cute lil design and everything…it is wonderful! This morning Billy kept Zane so that Zoe and I could go have our nails done! Ahhhhhhhh now I have purdy feet! Thank you honey!

my opinion on opinions

I remember my junior year of high school, which seems like ancient history, anyway, half way through our school year our cheerleading sponsor changed. I don’t exactly remember why, but that’s not the point of my blog. Our new sponsor set us down and had a “heart to heart”. I will never forget her little speech…well part of it anyway. She was accustomed to dealing with teenage girls and all the DRAMA that brought, so she wanted us to know right off that she wasn’t gonna deal with a lot of (fill in the blank) =) Her famous speech contained this little nugget… “Excuses are like butt ho***….everybody has one!” I didn’t realize at the time how profound that was! I have used the nugget myself but have made it a little more “G” rated…replacing the body part with BELLY BUTTONS….I don’t feel my version is as impacting/hilarious, but I use it mainly with my 2 oldest children and the other is not a term I wish for them to repeat!

Well over the years the EXCUSES in our sponsors nugget of advice could really be a fill in the blank…you know like Mad Libs (which I LOVE BY THE WAY)….it could be excuses, opinions, gripes etc.

My focus here is opinions. Opinions are like belly buttons everybody has one! It’s true! Opinions about politics, economy, style, recipes….in fact, isn’t it amazing how stressful Thanksgiving can be just because of OPINIONS…one likes nuts in a dish, the other doesn’t, one likes sweet tea (a blessing of God), the other hates it, one likes hot rolls, the other…WAIT…WHO DOESN’T LIKE HOT ROLLS??? You get the point…

So what do we do? About conflicting opinions I mean. Do we only hang out with those who think just like us? Do we only shop with those who share our same style? Do we only share a meal with those who are as “picky” as we? Of course not! I love the differences of others. Please don’t shrink me by thinking that I consent to all differences, there are things that my friends, family, and acquaintances do that I personally would not do. I have shared my concerns, in love, many times. Not in judgment, IN LOVE, but when I felt led.

That was sort of a side note…sorry, but I wanted to be received correctly.

Opinion Polls have been in the news a lot here lately. Billy and I like to watch Glenn Beck, a syndicated talk show host who basically shares his opinions daily concerning our country and its government. He has an awesome testimony to which he refers “only in America”. We are also faithful Fox News watchers. We usually drift off to sleep watching Hannity & Colmes or Bill O’reilly, and then “Fox and Friends” is what we get ready to in the mornings. But we don’t stop there. We are conservative Americans. And these programs best represent our views. But we also “venture” out…to CNN, NBC, MSNBC and others…why? To see what the main stream media has to say as well. No, we almost always do not agree with what is reported from these stations, but we value the OPINIONS of others…even if they are wrong….HAHAHA…sorry…I had to add that lil funny! Seriously, it is important to be informed, even if you don’t agree. Sometimes in order to know what you believe you must know what you don’t believe…let me explain.

Several years ago Billy and I were teaching the High School Sunday School class at our church. We were ending our curriculum and asked the students what subject they would like to discuss in the next quarter. One of our students suggested that we learn about different religions, what they believe, their leader(s), and how they differ from Christianity. WOW! That was an amazing quarter! Billy researched several religions and prepared the curriculum from scratch! We discussed the difference between an agnostic and an atheist, how these religions began how they compared and contrasted to our Faith and so forth. It was very interesting and the students really soaked up the information.

Back to my previous statement… “Sometimes in order to know what you believe you must know what you don’t believe” …..as Christians we are monotheistic (believe in only one God), and we believe that our God is the only way. John 14:6. As we studied these other religions, of which we do not follow, the students began asking questions concerning our beliefs. Why do we believe Jesus is the only way? Why are we baptized? With their whys were also “why nots”…. Why don’t we follow a kosher diet? Why don’t we accept writings said to be “holy” that aren’t contained with in the Bible?

This was an awesome, thought provoking time. Yes, we were “focusing” on other beliefs and followings, but in doing so we reinforced our own beliefs.

Some of the best conversations I have participated in have been with someone that I differ with on a subject. Both of us back and forth sharing our thoughts and our reasoning’s, and in the end feeling, alive…SHARPER…. Neither of us may budge a bit, that’s OK…it’s thought provoking! I LOVE IT!

So my challenge… for what it is worth…. don’t be afraid of the opinions of others. By hearing and knowing what you’re not, may help establish what you ARE!

Forgiveness

Don’t ya just love yard sales? Well, maybe you don’t, but I do! My mom does as well! Must be where my obsession comes from! Well, my mom came to visit a couple of weeks ago, she brought me a book that she had bought me at a yard sale…nice segue huh! I love to read Christian fiction novels. Francine Rivers is my favorite! This particular book was written by Karen Kingsbury… “Waiting for Morning”. It is a story of forgiveness. It is centered around a lady named Hannah Ryan who’s husband and two daughters were returning from an end of summer camping trip when they are struck by a drunk driver, killing the husband and oldest daughter. It is Hannah’s journey to forgiveness…it is absolutely beautiful! Come to find out this book is first in a series (Forever Faithful Series) of three, I have already visited my local public library and have book #2.

Back to forgiveness…. As a believer, our foundation begins with FORGIVENESS! It is a precious “gesture”, for lack of a better term. True forgiveness is not deserved, it is a gift! As I read the story of “Hannah Ryan” this fictional character I saw “first hand” how deathly the lack of forgiveness can be! Even though it is wonderful to be forgiven, no one wants to be on the “bad/out list”, being able to forgive, when you know that you were truly done wrong…is life changing! True forgiveness is hard, and really it has NOTHING to do with the other person! It has EVERYTHING to do with us…the individual forgiving!

I am not one of those people who thinks just because I like it ….you must like it as well. In fact, I like you being different from me, seeing things in another light and having conversations concerning our unique differences…I said all of that to say….I encourage you to read this book. I was not able to put it down, and I am finding the second one to be just as captivating!

I haven’t faced a heart ache like that of “Hannah Ryan” but I have harbored unforgiveness in my life, and have always felt an indescribable peace when I FORGAVE! Like I said before it is a gift that we give ourselves. Colossians 3:13

Oh my goodness! Zoe was invited to the most…let me find my words…looking for the most appropriate adjectives out there…PRECIOUS, ELABORATE, STUNNING, CUTEST, SWEETEST….birthday party ever! It was a Tea Party where all the little girls were to come dressed in there Sunday best. When we arrived at the “Rose Room”, a bridal banquet hall in Searcy, the little girls…referred to as Princess (fill in the blank)…were given a purse, hat, pearls, gloves and feather boas! They then mingled with several special guests….Cinderella, Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Belle, The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Alice in Wonderland and Snow White. I know! It was AMAZING! The moms were all just shaking their heads and grinning ear to ear. I think it was exciting for us as it was for our Little Princesses! They waltzed with Princesses, played group games, had their “tea” (strawberry lemonade actually) and cake. It was fun! The down side is as we left Zoe said, “mommy can I have a tea party for my birthday next year?”…..”Ummm…yeaaaaaahhhhh…” I replied….thinking maybe she will forget how HUGE this was…there were around 30 little princesses there! For us birthday parties are not as “BIG”! Carson, the birthday girl, is an only child; she isn’t “spoiled” like you would think. They aren’t an “uppity” family at all! They are a very sweet family, who LOVES to do BIG parties! Krista, Carson’s mom should so go into the Party Planning Business! She made the event a lifetime memory for many little girls! She (Krista) is a “giver”, she loved doing this for all these little girls! I know Zoe and I loved it!

When we arrived back home to our boys Zoe made her entrance, dressed in all her party goodies. She is so funny! She has no problem being royalty! She was made for it! Hahaha. She came in and began twirling in front of her daddy who whistled, ooohed and ahhhed over her! She LOVED that too!

It was a wonderful time. I am grateful to have been able to attend with my only little girl!

mommy to mommy

My baby is getting so big! For the month of April, Zane was only nursing 1 time a day, right before bed. As the month progressed the length of those feedings became shorter and shorter. The night of Monday April 21 was his last time to nurse. My baby is weaned! I know it’s harder on me than him! He basically weaned himself! I just put him to bed on the night of 22nd without nursing him and he was fine! What a big boy! He is now drinking from a sippy-cup! No more nursing, no bottles…just a big boy cup! I can’t believe it! He has 4 teeth now, well almost one of his top teeth has barely cut through the skin, he has 3 more trying to cut through….I want him to STOP! Knowing, he is the last little Pate around here, I want him to stay “widdle”. I realize that is impossible, but it has all just gone by too fast! He is such a loving little guy! When I realized we were expecting Zane, I was, to say the least, SHOCKED! I do realize “where babies come from” but, we weren’t “planning” him! Now that he is here, we are complete! I can’t imagine us any other way! He is a great caboose! What a blessing babies are!