Unwritten

"Sometimes we regret our failure to write about things that really interest us. The reason we fail is probably that to write about them would prove embarrassing. The things that we are interested us during the past week, for example, and that we were unable or unwilling to write about (the things that stand out clear as pictures in our head) were: the look in the eye of a man whose overcoat, with the velvet collar, was held together by a bit of string; the appearance of an office after the building had shut down for the night, and the obvious futility of the litter; the head and shoulders of a woman in a lighted window, combing her hair with infinite care, making it smooth and neat so the it would attract someone who could want to muss it up; Osgood Perkins in love with Lillian Gish; a man on a bicycle on Fifth Avenue; a short eulogy of John James Audubon, who spent his life loafing around, painting birds; an entry in Art Young’s diary, about a sick farmer who didn’t know what was the matter with himself but thought it was probably biliousness; and the sudden impulse that we had (and very nearly gratified) to upend a large desk for the satisfaction of seeing everything on it slide off slowly onto the floor."
E.B. White  April 26, 1930

Written eighty years ago, this essay by E. B. White is fresh and revelant today. This short essay is taken from collected essays from Writings from the New Yorker  - 1927 - 1976.  This small book sits next to my computer.  Maybe your library has a copy of this book.

Online Surveys

Why not sit on the couch, watch tv and earn a little extra fun money...I've been taking online surveys for almost a year and have earned extra money and airline miles just by sitting on my couch and spending about an hour online. It's also beneficial as a consumer, because I am able to give my input. There are many different survey sites, but here are a few of my favorites:

www.toluna.com
www.surveyspot.com
www.erewards.com
www.valuedopinions.com
www.i-say.com

bywl (blog with ya later)
dama

Miracle Grow

"Can you create a plant? Can you create a seed that will die and grow into a tree?"
"Me neither."
"Growth is a miracle. And just like the new life we see in the plants around us this spring, Jesus can grow new life in us. During the coming five weeks, we're investigating five of the things God has put in place to create miraculous growth in our lives."
http://www.southlandchristian.org/media/series/miracle-grow/

As I grow older, I've noticed that my memory isn't as good as it used to be. Therefore, I like it when things are made simpler by allowing me to take one step at a time.
I am looking forward to the new series beginning this Sunday at my church, Southland Christian, Lexington, Ky. The title of this 5 week study is "Miracle Grow... Five Things God Uses To Grow Your Faith".
Mike Breaux, who was our senior pastor several years ago, will kick start the series with "Practical Teaching", and end it with "Personal Ministry". Jon Weece, our current senior pastor, will preach the three Sundays in between. His topics are: "Private Disciplines", "Pivotal Circumstances", and "Providential Relationships".
Each week, I will try to convey the messages via this blog, so come back each week to see what this series has to teach us.
In the meantime, I will continue to cling to one of my favorite Bible verses: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see"(Heb. 11:1, NIV).
Peace and Love,
~Edie

From the heart of a friend

My Favorite Things



Thanks to Jacqueline for starting this blog. I am on the list to add to the blog this week. I have been in a flurry of activities recently and I e-mailed Jacqueline saying I had a mental block about what to write. She said to write what is in my heart.


What is in my heart is love of family. Sadly, a year ago, I lost my oldest son. I have always loved family and appreciated them greatly. With the loss of my son, I feel myself holding on to family a little tighter.


My son, Chris, blessed me with my first grandchild, Matthew, in January of 2005. In March of 2005, my daughter blessed me with my second grandchild, Taylor. At this point in my life, I discovered what I am good at being, a Grandma. To Matthew, I am Funny Grammy. To Taylor, I am Mamma. Whatever you call me, I am blessed with two grandchildren who teach me something new every day. Matthew is much like his Dad. He has a great sense of humor, is a bit mischevious and has the most infectious laugh you could ever hear. Taylor is much like her Mom, beautiful, girly, filled with song, and like her cousin, humorous and mischevious.



I have struggled with the"why's" of losing my son too early in life. I have turned to my favorite Bible verse,



Ecclesiastes 3:1-7

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

I wish this Bible verse could have comforted Matthew when he asked God to send his Daddy back. We work with him, trying to explain, but it will take time for him to learn about God and his plans.

One of many of my favorite moments with my grandaughter was when we were taking a walk. She said, I feel it in my heart. I asked her what she felt. She said, I feel the wind and the warm. Great to see a five year old appreciating life's simplest pleasures. An hour later she asked me where boogers come from. Well, she is five.

Yesterday, I found myself once again, turning to my favorite Bible verse. We all know how inquisitive five year olds can be. Taylor and I were sitting in our sun room. I looked down on the carpet to see the dreaded return of ants this Spring. I started stomping on them, retrieving the bug spray when this inquisitive five year old started asking questions....where did ants come from, how did they get here...etc. I explained that God has a purpose for every creature on this earth, that he had put them here.....well, then why are you smooshing them? Sigh, I struggle with answers sometimes. I only hope my grandchildren are with their Mom's when the question comes up about where babies come from.

May God comfort you all when you are struggling with life and the "why's". May this Bible verse be of some comfort during these times, happy and sad.

Not Usually a Cat Person...

but, I just happended to see this on yahoo buzz and thought it was cute. Click on the link and it will take you to a youtube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9NP-AeKX40&feature=player_embedded

Save A Little Extra

If you are looking at ways to save a little money, ebay.com is a great way to start. There are so many things available on ebay that are much cheaper to purchase online than in a retail store. For example, I recently purchased Frontline (flea & tick prevention) for Carson on ebay and saved almost 50%. I paid, $44.00 (free shipping) on ebay for a 6 month supply. On petmeds.com, the same 6-month supply costs $80.99.

I purchase all of my cosmetics, books, gift cards, Gus's video games, clothes, shoes, electronics, baby items for my nephew, etc. on ebay. I can't even begin to calculate how much money I've saved over the last couple of years. I do almost all of my Christmas shopping using ebay.

If you haven't tried it and want to, just let me know if you need any pointers.

bwyl (blog with ya later)
dama

XM Radio, Books, and Travel

Each week, I spend at least 10 hours traveling in my car.  While I live a short distance from  Lafayette High School, it takes about a  half on hour to commute to work. On most days, I am listening to XM Radio. In my car, I have a notepad to list books I want to read.  One of the books I discovered while listening to the XM, A Serious Call to a Devote and Holy Life by William Law. I'm still researching about William Law.  XM radio is a must for road travelers. The following is a link about William Law. 

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/innertravelers/law.html

Birds of a Feather....

Above is a picture of my two cockatiels; PearlJam and LuckyBird, in front of my granddaughter, Riley; and grandson, Luke.
My son Tony, gave me LuckyBird for my birthday 17 years ago. LuckyBird, named so due to the many times he survived attacks by a ferret, a chicken hawk, and other fatal accidents, was only 5-6 weeks old when I got him. I taught him how to eat, fly, talk, give kisses, etc. I read an article once about how the scientific community has agreed that birds have human emotions. Of course, the emotions are not easy to detect; humans emotions are readily visible... our eyes, mouth, and body posture, give away our feelings and thoughts in an instant. But birds have set beaks, their eyes focus differently than ours, they have wings in place of arms and hands, and they're covered with feathers. But I can tell immediately if either of my birds are happy, sad, depressed, hungry or angry. LuckyBird can talk, so he can communicate with me with words. Female cockatiels don't talk, but PearlJam will purr when she's happy, and depending on the circumstances, she will screech loudly when unhappy, and make other sounds that lets me know what she needs or wants.
Both birds are free to fly in the house. I don't consider them ornaments in a gilded cage, that I cover up when I want them to be quiet. I have a cage in most rooms in my house, and if they're not on my shoulders, they hang in their cages.
LuckyBird wakes me up every morning with... "I love you, LuckyBird", then gives me little kisses on the cheek; and then, "Wanna take a shower?" He won't shut up until I get up and get in the shower with him. He perches on my shoulder and lets the water splash on himself. PearlJam isn't as brave. She has to have a dish outside the tub where she will bathe. Both also sit at the dinner table with me, and will eat anything I eat. They both get upset when I put my make-up and shoes on... they know I will be leaving shortly and both start "crying" and flying around me, as if to keep me from leaving. They understand commands like "go downstairs", "get in your cage", "do you want a treat?", "wait here", and more.
LuckyBird can whistle "Lord I Lift Your Name On High", some Mozart tunes, as well as whistle a wolf whistle and the Keeneland call.
I adore my little birds, and don't know what I would do without them. They're my constant companions, and I feel very blessed that God put me in charge of these two little creatures!

My Bubby

I don't have any recent pictures of Carson, but here are two from the past. The one on the top was his puppy training graduation and the one on the bottom is the picture we saw that made us want to adopt him. When we adopted him, they told us that he would not shed, would only be 20 lbs and was a jack russell shih tzu mix. After a little over a year we realized that he did shed (alot), he would be 40 lbs and he was a jack russell spitz mix. Oh well...we love him and he is such a sweetie.

Lazy Jackson

No matter the time of day, when I come home,  Jackson greets me at the back door.  He is a sweet dog.  At dinner time, he waits under our table , waiting for crumbs.  As he has grown older, he sleeps most of the day.  His favorite place to nap, the cool hardwood floor.

Tasty Tuesday

Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

10 tablespooons fat free, less sodium chicken broth

1 cup chopped onion

4 ounces smoked ham, chopped

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

2/3 cup diced celery

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 fresh okra pods, sliced

1/4 cup water

1/2 teasooon ground red pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 ground allspice

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

3/4 pound peeled and deveinded large shrimp

2 tablespooon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1.  Heat 1 tablespoon in oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add flour; cook 1 minute or until lighly browned, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Add broth; stir with a whisk until thick.  Pour into a bowl; set aside.  Wipe pan clean with paper towels.

2. Heat remaining 1 talblespoon oil in pan over medium heat.  Add onion and ham; cook 10 minutes, stirrring occasionally.  Add bell pepper and next 4 ingredients ( through orka)  cook 5 minutes or until  vegetables are almost tender, stirring occasionally.  Add broth mixture, water, and next 6 ingredients (through tomatoes).  Bring to a boil  reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Stir in shrimp; cook 4 minutes or until shrimp are done.  Sprinkle with parsley.

Recipe from April 2010 Cooking Light

Financial Peace University

Everyone I know is feeling a financial pinch these days. Prices have gone up faster than a hiccup... everything; from groceries, to gasoline, to utilities, etc., and my income has not increased accordingly. So, I decided to take a look at my budget and make any necessary adjustments to keep up with the economy. And I didn't like what I saw.
I found out that my church was having a moderator for Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, and signed up to attend. This being my second time. The first time I attended the seminar, I was in debt and didn't know how I would ever get out of it. After semi-practicing the lessons, not only did I learn much about finances, insurance, savings plans, and tips on how to avoid emotional, impulsive, or splurge spending, but I was out of debt, including paying off my home mortgage, car, and motorcycle.
Soon, though, I went back to some of my old habits of "wanting" instead of "needing", and my finances got a bit out of control again. So, I'm back taking the class and applying the learned methods.
I can't say enough about how informative this class is. It allows me to have hope that I can still manage my finances, and stay out of debt. Now... only if I can learn to practice what I learn on a daily basis, I can be a millionaire in no time!
God commands us to be good stewards over our finances. And boy, is it ever hard to do!
Peace and love,
~Edie

Sunshine Today :)

Wow! What a glorious day! Sunshine warmed my face all day long as I rode the motorcycle along Kentucky backroads. I saw fields of daffodils, dogwoods have bloomed, and while stopped due to a road block, I even saw a hummingbird!
It's amazing what one notices while rolling down country roads without having steel all around you. Some sights I want to hold on to forever, others I would just as soon forget. For example, the horizon is visible in all directions. Sometimes a rainbow pops up, others the cloud formations are incredible.
I went by a farm on Leestown Rd., and was surprised to see a camel, as well as several bisons. What in the world is a camel doing on a Kentucky farm???
We ride wayyyyy back in the country, and the dwellings always makes me wonder who the people are that live there. Some farms are actually huge estates, with beautiful thoroughbreds grazing on the lush fields. But in the backwoods, some houses seem uninhabitable. One of these days I'm going to have to snap a bunch of pictures of these dwellings.
Tomorrow is going to be another sunshiny day, and once again I will hurry in the morning to get my work done, and then on to a new adventure!
God is good! I'm very thankful for His opportunities and blessings He throws my way each day!