tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23178148557862566312024-03-13T22:56:43.818-05:00Garden of Holinessevery home should be a garden of holinessChristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.comBlogger624125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-15824622694774421852014-02-24T13:28:00.001-06:002014-02-24T13:28:13.353-06:00Because it is Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-tea-Earl-Grey-English-Irish-breakfast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-tea-Earl-Grey-English-Irish-breakfast.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-11646278313271290792014-02-19T22:20:00.000-06:002014-02-19T22:20:44.377-06:00Wifey Wednesday: Hope in ChangeI found this sticky note on my desk. I don't know where the idea came from or if it is a quote, but I obviously wrote it down for myself as an encouragement. This is what it says:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">If you don't change, nothing will.</span></blockquote>
This maxim can apply to most every aspect of life. If things are going badly it is very rare that you can change anything but yourself and your participation in the problem. How often are we able to rewrite our job description, makeover our coworkers or our children to make the situation better? Rarely! Almost never, in fact.<br />
<br />
Most problems are only solved by a reworking of ourselves. So in any given situation we must ask ourselves:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">How can I change?</span></blockquote>
<br />
We can usually change our attitude, our actions, or both. In fact, changing our actions often leads to a change in attitude, so it is often best to focus first on our behavior. In a marriage, this is a vital piece of information to have--especially in those "for worse" moments our vows talk about. You can change your attitude by changing your behavior.<br />
<br />
Really? Yeah, really. Just try it some time.<br />
<br />
In fact, try it for simply two weeks and see what happens. Pick some little something that your spouse has asked you repeatedly to do that you've not bothered to ever do. It might be to put the toilet paper around on the holder in the other direction. It could be to brush your teeth before coming to breakfast. It might be to actually stop and listen when he's talking instead of simply pretending to listen. For two weeks, do that thing, whatever that thing is.<br />
<br />
But don't do it resentfully. Don't begrudge the toilet paper it's new position every time you have to grab it. Do the new deed generously with the intention to please your spouse. That's what I mean. Let yourself feel a bit of a thrill of generosity and good-deediness as you brush your teeth half an hour before your usual time. Pat yourself on the back for being a good spouse while you put down that iPhone and give your full attention to your beloved. Say to yourself, "See? I'm a good listener!" and then listen.<br />
<br />
You'll see in that span of two short weeks that you can power your way through the behavior change. You can feel, rather quickly, that your heart will be softened a bit toward your spouse. But, in two weeks, you won't see any real changes or any real healing in any given area.<br />
<br />
That sort of work takes time, effort, and much prayer. But this sort of change in so short a span of time should be enough simply to give you hope that in more time and with more effort things can really change. Knowing that you are the instrument and the object of the change that has to occur is truly empowering. Old habits have massive inertia and marriages can get ground up beneath them, but if two weeks can make even a small dent, just think what you and God can manage with a little more time and effort.<br />
<br />
There's a lot of hope in the fact that if you don't change, nothing will.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRYBzMJlTLWgVMoTKk0j1yqV6dogyOgk6Fx4JUuytSIvF0HAN_p" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRYBzMJlTLWgVMoTKk0j1yqV6dogyOgk6Fx4JUuytSIvF0HAN_p" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
--------------------------------------------<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2014/02/dealing-with-infertility-in-marriage/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--OfrTzyBG5I/Sx-mtT7GNoI/AAAAAAAAAEI/sLWkyakFRPg/s1600/Wifey_Wednesday.jpg" height="197" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-15929316768645977032014-02-17T15:42:00.001-06:002014-02-17T15:42:32.684-06:00Because it is MondaySince so many of us have the day off, it's the perfect Monday for a nap!<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/biggest-bran-benefits-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/biggest-bran-benefits-.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For a more <a href="http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits/" target="_blank">scientific reason to nap, click here!</a></div>
Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-42675193184548059772014-02-14T15:31:00.001-06:002014-02-14T15:31:41.928-06:007 Quick Takes:The Devil and the Details<br />
--1-- The Podcast Is Up<br />
<br />
I swear I'm going to have to stop talking about the occult. Blogtalk Radio and Facebook are starting to SPAM me with how-tos for Satanism. Next week will be about putting your gifts from the Holy Spirit to good use among other things. I rebuke thee, SPAM! Get thee behind me computer cookies!<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="370" src="https://player.cinchcast.com/?show_id=5942793&platformId=1&assetType=single" width="400"></iframe>
<br />
<div style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;">
Listen To Religion Internet Radio Stations with <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/deeper-truth" rel="nofollow">Deeper Truth</a> on BlogTalkRadio</div>
<br />
--2-- The Devil in the Ordinary
<br />
<br />
As promised on the show, here's <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2014/02/the-devil-in-ordinary.html" target="_blank">the website for Father Dwight Longenecker's piece about possession</a>. He asks us to ponder if demon possession is rare or if it is more common than we know. It's a very interesting piece.
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/files/2014/02/pacino-300x128.gif" height="128" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Al Pacino in Devil's Advocate</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
--3-- Happy Valentine's Day<br />
<br />
This is the anniversary of our regularizing our marriage in the Church so it is a special day for us. We went out for breakfast this morning with all the kids and my parents. It was Mr. Baby's premier appearance at a real sit down restaurant. All was well, the waitress was charmed (and well tipped) and the day adequately feted. To top it all off the owners hired a troupe of singers to serenade their customers. They sang "Love Potion Number Nine"! It was so hard not to sing along!
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.deepertruthblog.com/blogsite/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_2903.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="IMG_2903" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-3229" src="http://www.deepertruthblog.com/blogsite/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_2903-300x225.jpg" height="225" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
--4-- I've Been Under the Weather<br />
<br />
I've been unable to shake the last cold/flu bug and have been running on half speed for the last several weeks. Last week it really caught up with me, so I took yet another unannounced break from blogging, and sought out medical assistance. I'm on anti-vitals, totally off of sugar, and am on the mend. Finally! My coffee is unsweetened for the duration. Well, now I guess I'll have to give something else up for Lent.
<br />
<br />
--5-- I'll Be Speaking at an ACTS Retreat!
<br />
<br />
In April I will be giving my personal testimony at an ACTS retreat. If you ever have the opportunity to attend an ACTS retreat, take it! This particular retreat will be for anyone who has been on a previous ACTS retreat and needs to recharge.
<br />
<br />
ACTS is an acronym that stands for Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service. Here is more <a href="http://www.actsamarillo.org/index.cfm?load=page&page=2" target="_blank">information regarding ACTS retreats</a>. <a href="http://www.actsmissions.org/" target="_blank">Go here to find an ACTS retreat near you</a>. Retreats are amazing. If you can go, you should go. You really do deserve to spend some time with God.
<br />
<br />
--6-- Speaking of Speaking
<br />
<br />
I can come to your event and speak on marriage, family life, <a href="http://gardenofholiness.blogspot.com/2009/05/my-conversion-real-quick.html" target="_blank">my conversion story</a>, and the life of a foster parent. To reach me, contact me at via email at andychrism at juno.com.
<br />
<br />
--7-- Speaking of Foster Parenting
<br />
<br />
(Yes, I did! Right up there in #6, see?) Here is my favorite prayer asking for Saint Joseph's intercession. He's the patron of foster parents, being one himself.
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://prayertostjoseph.org/st_joseph_image.jpg" height="369" width="294" /></div>
Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God. I place in you all my interests and desires. Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your devine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers.<br />
<br />
Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary of contemplating you, and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me and ask him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls - Pray for me.<br />
<br />
- See more at: <a href="http://prayertostjoseph.org/#sthash.68uqVkiT.dpuf" target="_blank">http://prayertostjoseph.org/#sthash.68uqVkiT.dpuf</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-14Rip3vRnbg/TftEZMGVUsI/AAAAAAAAAcI/9I7Y3HCie54/s1600/7_quick_takes_sm1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-14Rip3vRnbg/TftEZMGVUsI/AAAAAAAAAcI/9I7Y3HCie54/s1600/7_quick_takes_sm1.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-50305045897018306072014-02-10T06:00:00.000-06:002014-02-10T14:12:45.649-06:00Because it is Monday<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-Fezzik-rock-sword-princess-bride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-Fezzik-rock-sword-princess-bride.jpg" height="320" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From <a href="http://themetapicture.com/fezziks/" target="_blank">The Metapicture</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I need more coffee because it is Monday.Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-62069546680342076402014-02-08T13:52:00.001-06:002014-02-08T13:52:18.949-06:007 Quick Takes<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">--1--</span></b></div>
<br />
The podcast is back! It's now scheduled for Friday mornings, 7 a.m. Eastern, 6 a.m. Central, and that-had-better-not-be-the-radio a.m. Pacific.<br />
<br />
This Friday's show was on evil, marriage, and other tangents.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="370" src="https://player.cinchcast.com/?show_id=5908451&platformId=1&assetType=single" width="400"></iframe><br />
<div style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;">
New Religion Internet Radio with <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/deeper-truth" rel="nofollow">Deeper Truth</a> on BlogTalkRadio</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">--2--</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Do We See Ourselves?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.sodahead.com/polls/000647127/polls_broken_mirror_0533_579410_answer_2_xlarge.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.sodahead.com/polls/000647127/polls_broken_mirror_0533_579410_answer_2_xlarge.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Because of <a href="http://gardenofholiness.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Wardrobe%20Project" target="_blank">The Wardrobe Project</a>, I spend a lot of time talking to other women about their various shapes. It amazes me how hard it is for us to look objectively at our own bodies. I feel a blog post coming on, but in the meantime, why do you think that is? Why can't we look and just see?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>--3--</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.igigi.com/igigiscustom/shape/calc/?source=pepperjam&publisherId=21181&clickId=838065573#to_step1" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Shape Calculator</span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.frugalmom.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bodyshapes.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.frugalmom.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bodyshapes.gif" height="243" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.igigi.com/igigiscustom/shape/calc/?source=pepperjam&publisherId=21181&clickId=838065573#to_step1" target="_blank">This</a> is designed for larger women but it works for any woman. It'll give you a rough idea of your shape without using a tape measure and some advice for dressing that shape.<br />
<br />
For more advice on dressing your body shape, click through to <a href="http://gardenofholiness.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Wardrobe%20Project" target="_blank">The Wardrobe Project</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">--4-- </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://gardenofholiness.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Wardrobe%20Project" target="_blank">The Wardrobe Project</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What's Next?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>I will be researching each of the body shapes in the plus sizes. Many of you have contacted me via Facebook and email with questions specific to applying body shape information to larger sizes.</li>
<li>I will going to the store with models for the various body types. We will try on clothing appropriate for their sizes and body shapes. Then we will try on clothing that does not fit their sizes and body shapes and noting what happens. This will (I hope) help those of us who have trouble in the fitting room figure out how to fix the problems or make more flattering choices. </li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">--5--</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Creation Debate</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.catholic.com/blog/trent-horn/the-great-creationevolution-debate" target="_blank">A Catholic Answers Roundup</a></b></span></div>
<br />
My main problem with this whole argument between Christians and Evolutionists is that it is too narrow. Yes, Genesis is the creation story, but it is so much more than that. It is the first promise of Christ the Redeemer and more. It is an explanation of all that is broken in the relationship between men and women and more. It describes the consequences of sin and still more. There is an eternity's worth of depth to the entire book of Genesis. Yet, because some people want to tease us, mock us, and use Science as the tool to do so, Christians want to fight this one battle to the bitter end. Why? The secular world always hates and makes fun of us. They will always get us and God wrong. Ultimately, science can't disprove a correct understanding of God and His universe. We will always struggle to understand God, science will always struggle to understand creation, and there will always be a tension between the two.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">--6-- </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">I Like <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unequallyyoked/2013/04/oh-stewardess-theres-a-baby-in-my-plane.html" target="_blank">Unequally Yoked's Take on Children in Public</a></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTKW04kA889-C7tRYfV4pItxaYmq9j50yfPRcq6vRjigsicF5CLew" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTKW04kA889-C7tRYfV4pItxaYmq9j50yfPRcq6vRjigsicF5CLew" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Have we gone from "Children should be seen and not heard" to "Children should not be seen"? </span><span style="text-align: left;">Click here for the article </span><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unequallyyoked/2013/04/oh-stewardess-theres-a-baby-in-my-plane.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">"Oh Stewardess? There's a Baby in My Plane!"</a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">--7--</span></b></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2014/02/the-devil-in-ordinary.html" target="_blank">The Devil in Ordinary</a> </span></b></span><br />
<span style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/files/2014/02/pacino-300x128.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/files/2014/02/pacino-300x128.gif" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="text-align: left;">Read this one to the end so that you don't miss the story Lenny Kravitz shares about his father. In the movie </span><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://theconjuring.warnerbros.com/" target="_blank">The Conjuring</a></i><span style="text-align: left;">, the image of something dark clinging to the back of the girls scared me more than the Big Boo moments of demons jumping out at people. Why? Because that's the real deal.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.conversiondiary.com/2014/02/7-quick-takes-about-crazy-shoe-parties-meeting-cool-authors-and-jen-moments.html"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-14Rip3vRnbg/TftEZMGVUsI/AAAAAAAAAcI/9I7Y3HCie54/s1600/7_quick_takes_sm1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-17943971792366019912014-02-05T20:41:00.001-06:002014-02-05T20:41:30.041-06:002 Quick Cures for Your Moody Marriage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-304gRbXkmfs/S0TTXK3CfPI/AAAAAAAAAEY/KZBQSMyrVSw/s1600/wedding+rings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-304gRbXkmfs/S0TTXK3CfPI/AAAAAAAAAEY/KZBQSMyrVSw/s1600/wedding+rings.jpg" /></a></div>
Marriage has its moods over the years just <br />
like you and your spouse do from day to day. So how you feel about your marriage at any given moment is not necessarily how you will feel about your marriage down the road.<br />
<br />
That sounds like very good news if you are in the doldrums or the argue-about-everything season, and yet it sounds a bit ridiculous when you are in the warmth and satisfaction of the honeymoon season. With a marriage so new and fresh you can't imagine ever feeling anything but a happy love for your beloved. (Yes, newlyweds, we oldlyweds remember!)<br />
<br />
The takeaway here is that your feelings about your marriage will change, so don't rely on them to judge the health of it. It is perfectly normal for every marriage to have its ups and downs, even the healthy ones. A happy marriage is one that is generally happy, not specifically happy in this particular instant in time. So, newlyweds, as you transition from a newlywed to an oldlywed, don't forget this!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A-KsHxrQjcA/SnqsKREEg3I/AAAAAAAAACg/s_93WBTkiTc/s1600/brokenheart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A-KsHxrQjcA/SnqsKREEg3I/AAAAAAAAACg/s_93WBTkiTc/s1600/brokenheart.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In your own brokenness you give and receive love.<br />Your marriage is no different.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Always remember that your feelings are not the arbiter of the health of your marriage. Don't panic if you feel less enthusiastic about things from one day to the next. Marriage is one of those lifelong tasks. In fact, marriage is a vocation. As such, God is using your marriage to transform you into the person He created you to be. That takes time. That takes effort. That effort creates discomfort. Discomfort breeds discontent. Therefore if you are feeling unhappiness or worse about your marriage, it is very likely that some heavy duty work is being done in your soul. In that case, here's a couple of quick cures for what ails you:<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Stop complaining!</span></b><br />
Don't complain about your feelings to your spouse, your friends, or even to yourself. Complaining is a bad habit that we fall into and it does more harm than good. When you are complaining you are not looking to solve any problems but are instead merely trying to blow off some emotional steam. Complaining won't relieve your feelings. Instead complaining reinforces and underscores negative feelings and so increases and breeds them rather than relieving them. Complaining will only bear bad fruit.<br />
<br />
To break the complaining habit, substitute it with prayer. When you feel the urge to complain tell God you are being tempted to complain. Ask Him to help you through the moment and to transform your outlook so you can stop feeling so frustrated about things.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Start rephrasing!</b></span><br />
If you are tempted to complain to or about your spouse, it may be a sign that there is a problem. The root of the problem may not ultimately be a communication issue, but working at communication will certainly help the problem. So the next time you are discussing that particular issue you are tempted to complain about focus on what you need to hear from your spouse on this issue rather than what you need to say about it. Rephrase what you think they are saying and ask, "Is this what you mean? Help me understand what you are saying."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.ourcatholicmarriage.org/images/prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ourcatholicmarriage.org/images/prayer.jpg" /></a></div>
Both of these "Quick Cures" will help you to get outside of your own head and out into the fresher air of reality. We get so caught up with our own interpretation of facts and events that we sometimes need to step back in order to gain perspective. By transforming complaining into praying you are inviting in the heavenly perspective. You are welcoming God back into the covenant you made in His name. By focusing on your spouse's attempts to communicate you are gaining perspective into your spouse's take on any given problem. You will be surprised at how much different the situation will look like from those vantage points.<br />
<br />
If anything, God and your spouse will remind you of the love you feel underneath all those other emotions. That always helps.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>----------------------</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span id="goog_1179191373"></span><span id="goog_1179191374"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2014/02/marriage-strong-after-kids/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KSbAf-VUUb4/SvGKiDqT1cI/AAAAAAAAADY/U7vvB_SZKbQ/s1600/Wifey_Wednesday.jpg" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>This has been a Wifey Wednesday post. For an even wifier Wednesday click on over to </i><i><a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2014/02/marriage-strong-after-kids/" target="_blank">To Love Honor and Vacuum</a><a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2013/09/marital-intimacy-6-questions-to-ask/" target="_blank">!</a></i><br />
<br />
<br />Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-72620976057827533182014-02-04T18:06:00.000-06:002014-02-04T18:06:41.672-06:00SB, the Dolly, once was lost and now is found!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JST90wbDFfk/S-whDKZlqEI/AAAAAAAAAQA/aJby0tZxb2k/s1600/dolly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JST90wbDFfk/S-whDKZlqEI/AAAAAAAAAQA/aJby0tZxb2k/s1600/dolly.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SB in her prime. Though one hand is bandaged even then.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
SB, the dolly, was lost at Wal-Mart when I took my youngest daughter with me into town two weeks ago.<br />
<br />
When Sylvia asked if she could bring her in to the store I thought, "That dolly's so banged up nobody will think she's being shoplifted, so sure!" I never considered losing her, but once we did I worried she might be mistaken for a rag and thrown out.<br />
<br />
You see, this dolly has been with my daughter since...forever. A friend gave the doll to my 4 month old baby girl to help her through her mommy aches when I had to be hospitalized for two weeks. Fast forward five years and SB's hands are now completely worn away. She's faded to a beigey pink and she can no longer hold her head up. All the same she is beautiful to my girl.<br />
<br />
All parent's know that sinking feeling that hit hard when we searched through the store until we had to leave without her. I never thought we'd see Sylvia's oldest friend ever again.<br />
<br />
Over the next several days we checked in at the Customer Service desk frequently with no luck. That doll was a goner. We'd all but given up. Then the other day my husband and I stopped in just to check. There she was, sitting in the lost and found, waiting!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
My daughter was thrilled.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XKgF9aSkdD4/UvF6wuZ72xI/AAAAAAAAAwo/XvBbDyHtZ4U/s1600/IMG_2823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XKgF9aSkdD4/UvF6wuZ72xI/AAAAAAAAAwo/XvBbDyHtZ4U/s1600/IMG_2823.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So was I.Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-18426524719250606052014-02-03T06:00:00.000-06:002014-02-03T06:00:05.605-06:00Because it is Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-temperature-scale-Celsius-Kelvin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-temperature-scale-Celsius-Kelvin.jpg" height="320" width="280" /></a></div>
<br />
It is a matter of scale.Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-83684839110251937982014-01-31T20:29:00.000-06:002014-01-31T22:42:15.154-06:00Wardrobe Project: The Banana Shape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.frugalmom.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bodyshapes.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.frugalmom.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bodyshapes.gif" height="243" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Go Bananas! </span><br />
<div>
There may be more of us non-Bananas, but there is no larger grouping of any particular shape.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A study of more than 6,000 women conducted at North Carolina State University in 2005 revealed that 46% of women were banana-shaped; just over 20% were pear-shaped; just under 14% were apple-shaped; and only 8% were hourglass-shaped.--Source: <a href="http://www.calculator.net/body-type-calculator.html" target="_blank">Body Type Calculator</a></blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Your shape is defined by a waist that is less than 9 inches smaller than either the bust or the hips. You have a smaller bust and slender hips. Your arms and legs are also slender and there is not much definition in the torso. You tend to be considered long and lean.</div>
<br />
You will be looking for clothing that will emphasize your understated curves. Your job is to create the curves that your body hints at.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS_8iKtvkKcS_zgW9VZLkscJsG6ZE6NYqZfmejaTMsfzfC4eesg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS_8iKtvkKcS_zgW9VZLkscJsG6ZE6NYqZfmejaTMsfzfC4eesg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use pattern and color to make the shape you want!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>Waist Not? Want Not!</b><br />
<br />
Select waist lines below your natural waist as this will tend to make your actual waist line look much smaller than it actually is. The dropped waist flapper look, though, might emphasize matters too much. You'll need to try everything on. (See, non-Bananas? Every body has to dress her body!)<br />
<br />
Belts are your friend. Belted outfits will create a visual waist for you.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.womenshealthmag.com/beauty-style-buzz/files/2013/04/banana-republic-safari-shirtdress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://blog.womenshealthmag.com/beauty-style-buzz/files/2013/04/banana-republic-safari-shirtdress.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A belted dress with breast pockets <br />make even this monochromatic number <br />(usually a Banana no-no) worth a try on!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>The Bottom Line</b><br />
<br />
Skinny jeans are a go. Cuffed jeans are fairly safe, but steer clear of cropped pants if they over-exaggerate the long, lean line of your body. In skirts and dresses a knee length and an A-line is flattering. Remember that the character of an outfit changes with the details. Even in the "wrong" category, you may be able to carry it off because of your ability to wear pockets and pleats. Be sure to check the rear view with every choice. You don't want a saggy bottom. Ever.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.topshop.com/wcsstore/TopShop/images/catalog/02S01EWHT_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media.topshop.com/wcsstore/TopShop/images/catalog/02S01EWHT_large.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Skinny jeans will show every curve you've got!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b> Necklines</b><br />
<br />
A high neck line makes a smaller bust look fuller, as will going sleeveless. High halters, high scoops and even turtlenecks will flatter your shape. A plunging V or a sweetheart neckline will tend to make you look thinner and smaller than you are. Again, strategically placed ruffles, pockets, and color blocking will help you create volume where you want it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oahgDjTLck8/TIbrD4jAMbI/AAAAAAAACW8/-uHOPfFeGI8/s1600/turtleneck2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oahgDjTLck8/TIbrD4jAMbI/AAAAAAAACW8/-uHOPfFeGI8/s1600/turtleneck2.jpg" height="320" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A turtleneck on a Banana shaped gal is a show stopper!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>Sleeves</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
You can go long, sleeveless, puffy, flowing, short, or capped. It will all depend on how you feel about your arms. Some bananas feel more self conscious about her thin arms. Some want to show them off! It is up to you, really!<br />
<br />
<b>Shoes</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Generally, your shape can get away with any shoe. Specifically, it depends on you. Some Bananas have thicker ankles and will want a solid looking heel to balance that. Some can't pull off a kitten heel, some can. Large and clunky might work in a boot for you, but not in a sandal. Don't be shy about trying anything on. Look and see!<br />
<br />
<b>The Take Away</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Put visual volume where you want volume. Shallow Vs and higher necklines will help! Put your waist below your natural waist and tend to belt. Knee lengths are great. Skinny jeans are your friend. When in doubt, think pleats, pockets, and ruffles!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://classnfab.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/banana-elie-tahari-faux-wrap-stretch-silk-dress-248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://classnfab.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/banana-elie-tahari-faux-wrap-stretch-silk-dress-248.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gathered fabric and the bold patterning build volume strategically.<br />The waist is drawn in. The neckline is higher. <br />This is an awesome choice for a Banana!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/andychrism/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTQbCh3_pmdfRcBpHXzZLE7bGvwJvMTWMVfECi1HQAH8h6oRcOC" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
For more ideas and tips follow my <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/andychrism/banana-shape-fashion/" target="_blank">Banana Shape Fashion</a> board on Pinterest!<br />
<br />
<div>
-------------</div>
<div>
Not Your Shape?</div>
<div>
<a href="http://gardenofholiness.blogspot.com/2011/09/know-your-shape-and-why-all-this-is.html">Find Your Shape!</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://gardenofholiness.blogspot.com/2011/10/wardrobe-project-shop-your-hourglass.html">Hourglass</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://gardenofholiness.blogspot.com/2014/01/wardrobe-project-banana-shape.html">Banana</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://gardenofholiness.blogspot.com/2011/12/the-wardrobe-project-dress-your-apple.html">Apple</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://gardenofholiness.blogspot.com/2011/10/wardrobe-project-shop-for-your-pear.html">Pear</a></div>
</div>
</div>
Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-79300307765588850602014-01-31T06:30:00.000-06:002014-01-31T06:30:00.814-06:00Exorcisms, Valentine's Day, and Renovations: 7 Quick Takes<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">#1</span></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/ammons-home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/ammons-home.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Site of recent exorcism.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2014/01/25/the-disposession-of-latoya-ammons/4892553/" target="_blank">This story about an exorcism</a> got quite a bit of traction in the blogosphere this week.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">#2</span></b> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/files/2013/11/study.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/files/2013/11/study.jpg" height="299" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fr. Dwight Longenecker blogger at Standing on my Head</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2014/01/satan-is-real-read-these-amazing-stories.html" target="_blank">Fr. Dwight Longenecker wrote about it and the lessons to be learned</a>…I was especially interested in his comments on the need for Catholic intervention when dealing with evil.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>#3</b></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bishop-Dale-Melczek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bishop-Dale-Melczek.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the first exorcism<br />ever permitted by Bishop Dale Melczek.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Sue Brinkmann at <a href="http://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/?p=27534&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=catholiclisa" target="_blank">Women of Grace discussed the exorcism, too</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">#4</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/attachments/religion-spirituality/88591d1324061301-natural-disasters-satan-1292463840174538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.city-data.com/forum/attachments/religion-spirituality/88591d1324061301-natural-disasters-satan-1292463840174538.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<a href="http://www.deepertruthblog.com/blogsite/messing-with-evil-lessons-from-an-exorcism-4/" target="_blank">Here's my take over at Deeper Truth Blog</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>#5</b></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Valentines-Gifts-for-Your-Husband.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Valentines-Gifts-for-Your-Husband.jpg" height="320" width="318" /></a></div>
On a completely different note, if you need <a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2014/01/valentines-gifts-for-your-husband/" target="_blank">Valentine's Day Ideas</a>, check out Sheila's blog. I highly recommend the Dice Game. Highly.<br />
<br />
Did I say highly? Highly.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">#6</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/400x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/2/5/253.0069.PSKH_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/400x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/2/5/253.0069.PSKH_1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
In all our remodeling we have found <a href="http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/" target="_blank">School House Electric</a>. We're fantasizing about buying everything, but especially this chandelier. What do you think?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">#7 </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
There are two types of posts that I struggle with my inner critic when I am writing. I am always tempted at some point in the composition or the editing to simply move the entire post to the trash icon. Both of those posts are seemingly unrelated. One type is the ones on evil and its influence on the world. I always hesitate to discuss my background and how it has made me sensitive to such things. It is embarrassing, frankly. The other? It's my marriage advice posts. I struggle with writing those, too. I have the same embarrassed desire to just forget the whole thing. What can you make of that?</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-14Rip3vRnbg/TftEZMGVUsI/AAAAAAAAAcI/9I7Y3HCie54/s1600/7_quick_takes_sm1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-14Rip3vRnbg/TftEZMGVUsI/AAAAAAAAAcI/9I7Y3HCie54/s1600/7_quick_takes_sm1.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-83383784350078118042014-01-30T06:00:00.000-06:002014-01-30T06:00:07.682-06:00Blogging about the GrammysI'm blogging at my friends' blog again today. Before you ask, no I'm not obsessed with evil. It's just that John Benko, the founder of <a href="http://www.deepertruthblog.com/" target="_blank">Deeper Truth</a> is toying around with writing a book on the topic, so of course we've been discussing it a lot. You tend to write about what you're discussing, so there you go. Another evil blog post. This time he asked me to check out the Grammy Awards and give my opinion on Katy Perry's performance.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.deepertruthblog.com/blogsite/satanism-at-the-grammys/" target="_blank">Go check it out!</a>Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-49907690682700011192014-01-29T07:04:00.001-06:002014-01-29T07:04:37.813-06:00Marriage Doesn't Fulfill You, It Transforms You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://simplify123.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/happy-marriage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://simplify123.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/happy-marriage.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
When I was only 14 my great grandmother gave me the greatest piece of advice I ever received about marriage. She said, "You don't start being married until you threaten to go home and he threatens to let you. Then you settle in." From that I learned that it's tough, but that it's also doable. I also learned that a sense of humor about it all never hurt either.<br />
<br />
Nowadays, we have many silly ideas about marriage. We think that it is going to fulfill us, complete us, make us happy, and if it doesn't we're free to go. It may surprise you to learn marriage isn't designed for fulfillment. Marriage is a vocation, not a hobby or a real life version of a feel good summer movie.<br />
<br />
Marriage is designed to tear down all your imperfections and build you into a new being: a married person. Marriage was meant to completely transform your heart from its self centered, self serving existence into a heart who loves and serves Christ first and Christ completely via service to a spouse and then via service to the children that come of the union.<br />
<br />
We modern thinkers have forgotten that heart surgery always hurts. Always.<br />
<br />
The good news is that you can and will find all that fulfillment and happiness you are looking for. The bad news is that you won't find that person who meets your every need and completes you in your spouse. You'll find that in the Eucharist Lord and in prayer and nowhere else.<br />
<br />
What you will find in your spouse is a flawed human person. If this person is willing to hold your hand when you get that 3 a.m. phone call (those are never good) or who will scrape the ice off your windshield each and every winter, you've got something pretty good. So what if the trash never makes it to the curb on time on trash day?<br />
<br />
If you take your marriage as the gift that it is rather than the ideal that you want, you just might discover you have something everyone else is longing for: a person committed to a life with you. You are loved and you love. That in itself is a miracle. The vows you took ensure that two flawed people can manage to pull the rabbit out of the hat day after day. That's really the magic of a life long marriage: the ancient art of never ever stopping being married.<br />
<br />
My advice might not be as good as my great grandmother's, but it's this: don't expect so much from your marriage. Expect the best from God and make room for all the rest. You're a flawed person married to another flawed person. This is a person you can love and honor and serve all the days of your life because you love God so much that you'll keep your promise to Him through him.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>----------------------</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span id="goog_1179191373"></span><span id="goog_1179191374"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2014/01/valentines-gifts-for-your-husband/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KSbAf-VUUb4/SvGKiDqT1cI/AAAAAAAAADY/U7vvB_SZKbQ/s1600/Wifey_Wednesday.jpg" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>This has been a Wifey Wednesday post. For an even wifier Wednesday click on over to </i><i><a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2014/01/valentines-gifts-for-your-husband/" target="_blank">To Love Honor and Vacuum</a><a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2013/09/marital-intimacy-6-questions-to-ask/" target="_blank">!</a></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i></i></div>
Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-68044221536974642442014-01-28T14:01:00.000-06:002014-01-28T14:07:33.360-06:00Posting at Deeper Truth todayI'm posting over at <a href="http://www.deepertruthblog.com/" target="_blank">Deeper Truth</a> today about evil, exorcism, and messing with the occult. How salacious!*<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.deepertruthblog.com/blogsite/messing-with-evil-lessons-from-an-exorcism-4/" target="_blank">Messing with Evil: Lessons from an Exorcism</a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/attachments/religion-spirituality/88591d1324061301-natural-disasters-satan-1292463840174538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.city-data.com/forum/attachments/religion-spirituality/88591d1324061301-natural-disasters-satan-1292463840174538.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cue the creepy music!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
*Just kidding. The post is more scintillating than salacious, really.Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-46692852094536695622014-01-26T16:55:00.002-06:002014-01-26T16:55:33.085-06:00Because it is Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
West Virginia pops up in the 1860s due to the Civil War, but what's going on in Oklahoma in the 1890s?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-gif-Evolution-of-United-States.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-gif-Evolution-of-United-States.gif" height="199" width="320" /></a></div>
Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-12311064419645742232014-01-21T10:01:00.000-06:002014-01-21T10:01:01.282-06:00Birth Control ArticlePretty clear article. Here's the teaser to get you to click through…<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<blockquote>
Today's injunctions against birth control were re-affirmed in a 1968 document by Pope Paul VI called <a href="http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Paul06/p6humana.htm" sl-processed="1" style="color: #00709a; text-decoration: none;">Humanae Vitae</a>. <strong>He warned of four results if the widespread use of contraceptives was accepted:</strong><ul>
<li>General lowering of moral standards</li>
<li>A rise in infidelity, and illegitimacy</li>
<li>The reduction of women to objects used to satisfy men. </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Government coercion in reproductive matters. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Sound familiar?</span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Read more: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/time-to-admit-it-the-church-has-always-been-right-on-birth-control-2012-2#ixzz2r33JlSKj" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">http://www.businessinsider.com/time-to-admit-it-the-church-has-always-been-right-on-birth-control-2012-2#ixzz2r33JlSKj</a></span></blockquote>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
</div>
</div>
Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-62332083819311937412014-01-18T20:04:00.001-06:002014-01-18T20:04:55.504-06:00Making a Good White Gravy in 3 Easy Steps<a href="http://www-tc.pbs.org/food/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2012/07/julia-child-keep-calm-add-butter-602x778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www-tc.pbs.org/food/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2012/07/julia-child-keep-calm-add-butter-602x778.jpg" height="320" width="247" /></a>Texas is known for it's white gravy, so it's imperative that a transplant like me get it right. I've made gravy using drippings. I've made it using olive oil. I've made gravy since I was a little girl, and I've never made gravy like this. The buttery flavor can not be matched in my book.<br />
<br />
<br />
The trick to making good gravy, it turns out, is to preheat the milk and don't let your roux scorch. Julia Child taught me that. Here's her recipe from her book <i>Mastering the Art of French Cooking.</i><br />
<br />
This is a restaurant quality white gravy for topping mashed potatoes or a chicken fried steak. For true Texas style, add cooked ground hamburger to the gravy and serve it over drop biscuits.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">White Gravy</span></b></div>
<br />
<a href="http://img2.imagesbn.com/p/9780375413407_p0_v3_s260x420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img2.imagesbn.com/p/9780375413407_p0_v3_s260x420.JPG" height="320" width="221" /></a>2 Tb butter<br />3 Tb flour<br />2 cups of milk with 1/4 tsp salt heated to boiling<br />salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Heat 2 cups of milk with 1/4 tsp salt in the microwave or in a saucepan until just boiling. Keep at that temperature without reaching an active boil.</li>
<li>Make the roux: in a saucepan melt the butter over low heat. Blend in the flour and cook slowly, stirring until the butter and flour froth together for 2 minutes without coloring. Remove from heat. </li>
<li>When the roux stops boiling, pour in all the hot salted milk at once. Beat vigorously with wire whisk to blend, gathering all bits of roux from the edges of the pan. Set saucepan over moderately high heat and stir with the wire whisk until the sauce comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-8724177494802906522014-01-17T10:11:00.002-06:002014-01-17T17:13:23.228-06:007 Ways to Help Foster Children in Your Area<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.conversiondiary.com/2014/01/7-quick-takes-about-benedictine-beer-linkedin-fails-and-complaining-with-metrics.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.conversiondiary.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/7_quick_takes_sm1.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My husband and I have been foster parents (and adoptive and birth parents) since 2002. This past week we attended training to become teachers of future foster parents. We are so excited to pass on everything we have learned through the years and are looking forward to learning so much more. We all know that it is a Christian duty and privilege to help the neediest among us with our talents and abilities. With this post, I would like to present some ideas for you to consider helping the needy foster children in our communities.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_VxeLt5lPs/TZi6vpl1TEI/AAAAAAAAAYU/eDeY1-MJw1c/s1600/14106_110280112319356_100000121026126_274524_3961113_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_VxeLt5lPs/TZi6vpl1TEI/AAAAAAAAAYU/eDeY1-MJw1c/s1600/14106_110280112319356_100000121026126_274524_3961113_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What does a foster family look like? <br />
Just like any other family,<br />
It looks like love!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
#1 Become a foster parent!</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
Of course the very best way you could help foster children would be to become a well trained, compassionate, and enthusiastic foster parent but not everyone has that option. There are numerous reasons why you might not be able to become a foster parent, but there is no reason why everyone in our communities can't help out foster children in some way.</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
There are other ways to help foster children </div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
even if you can't be a foster parent:</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
#2 Become a respite care giver</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
If your circumstances don't allow you to be a full time foster parent, is it possible that you could become a part-time foster parent? Is your life structured so that you could take in a child for a few days on occasion? There is a tremendous need for qualified people able to care for foster children temporarily while their regular foster families are unable to. They are suddenly faced with an unexpected business trip or a hospital stay, for example. You'd think it'd be easy for any family to find child care in such a situation, via a relative or a family friend, but it really isn't. Due to the licensing and background check requirements for anyone who cares for foster children, many foster families are unable to come up with temporary alternative care. </div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
That is why there is a pool of qualified, part time people who are pre-certified and willing to step in. They go through all the necessary training and background checks to become a foster parent, and then they simply wait for a phone call from foster families in their area who need them. Contact your local child protection agency and find out more about the requirements needed to become a respite care provider.</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
#3 Become involved in annual holiday gift drives.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/2010/12/sad-girl-at-christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/2010/12/sad-girl-at-christmas.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The holidays are especially hard on foster children in care.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
Each year, local child protection agencies take down information about their foster children and present it to Toys for Tots or other organizations to ensure that needy children in foster care are provided with necessities and gifts during the Holidays. People just like you get involved by donating money, going shopping, wrapping presents, or delivering them to the agency or child. Call your local department of child welfare and see when these activities begin in your area and what you can do as a volunteer. </div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
#4 Donate, Donate, Donate<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://blog.talavera.fairfield-properties.com/files/2011/05/Clothing-Donations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://blog.talavera.fairfield-properties.com/files/2011/05/Clothing-Donations.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
When kids come into care, they often only come with the clothes on their backs (and sometimes not even that). Not only do they need clothing, all the little daily necessities of life need to be provided: toothbrushes, toothpaste, socks, underclothes, jackets, shoes, combs and brushes, hair ties and clips, diapers and wipes. Each child protection agency usually has a resource room for social workers to provide a change of clothing for a child newly entering the foster care system, so call your local office about the types of items that are needed and the procedure for making a donation.</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
Our local agency in Amarillo takes gently used items. Yours may, too. If you don't have a favorite charity that you donate your old children's items to already, seriously consider donating to your local foster care agency.</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
#5 Scrapbooking!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.penbaypilot.com/sites/default/files/2013/07/field/image/scrapbooking-group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.penbaypilot.com/sites/default/files/2013/07/field/image/scrapbooking-group.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making a scrapbook helps foster children maintain continuity.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
"Scrapbooking?" Yes, scrapbooking. Children in care need to have connections with their family of origin. They need that tangible reminder of who they are and where they came from. Even if circumstances were bad enough for them to be placed into care, kids love their mommies. They miss their home, their friends, their old class at school. Those of us involved in foster care try to keep up a scrap book with pictures, letters, and reminders of their history. Is scrapbooking your thing? Could you help a child with updating her Lifebook or could you organize a scrapbooking workshop for several children? Some children who come in and out of care need to have their books recreated and others need to get started on one. If you love to scrapbook, we in the foster care world would love to have your help! Call your local agency and offer your talents!</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
#6 Spread the word!</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
In our communities, there are people who would make great foster parents but they've never even considered the option. They've never knowingly met a foster child or a foster parent, so it has simply never crossed their mind to get involved. We need your help reaching them! Become a foster advocate. Post information on upcoming trainings on your Facebook and Twitter pages. Post this article! Talk about foster care at your church!</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
#7 Be a great parent!</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://community.ashworthcollege.edu/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-9544-14362/Happy+family+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://community.ashworthcollege.edu/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-9544-14362/Happy+family+2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Work on your marriage and keep those intergenerational ties strong!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
Finally, the best way to help children is to be the best parent you can be to your own children. Be a loving parent and raise up a new generation of loving parents. Help ensure that the circumstances that generate children in need of foster care don't exist in your little corner of the world.</div>
Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-53832628745684742672014-01-04T13:41:00.004-06:002014-01-04T13:41:55.574-06:00Household Bill Binder Filing System: I gave up files and it workedMy filing systems prior to 2013 involved file folders, filing cabinets, and boxes. Despite all my resolutions, my foreknowledge of the consequences, my various talents, and my best intentions, my system inevitably resulted in nearly empty files and overwhelmingly overflowing piles. Every March my neat inbox tray from January had morphed into a monster pile of paid bills, unpaid bills, incoming mail, warranty information, articles my husband brought home from work, receipts, bank statements, cute kid drawings, and the like.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sangbleu.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/paper-recycling-piles-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://sangbleu.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/paper-recycling-piles-photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A photographic interpretation of my desk in midsummer.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This mess would be swept into a large cardboard box at random intervals throughout the year whenever my husband despaired of seeing my desktop ever again or when out of town company was expected. Every year it was the same blasted story: after a spate of filing in January and on a good year even into February, I wouldn't file regularly and I would simply sort through and file a bunch of papers around April when the tax bug hit and around September when the desire to start the school year with a clean slate would also hit.<br />
<div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Child_scribble_age_1y10m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Child_scribble_age_1y10m.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">An abstract art representation of my old filing system.</span><br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
September 2012, after nearly 13 years of failing at filing, I looked up from my pile of sorting on the floor in my kitchen and finally admitted to myself that filing was not something I would ever do. Though I could file I tended not to file. That was simply that. I needed a new system. I needed something I would actually do. After an entire day digging myself out of my paperwork mess one last time (I vowed), I did a quick Pinterest search for something that would help me with the tendency to do this...<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j4fghhxbbRo/UO1o9zEkKQI/AAAAAAAAAng/8h802cv3cKA/s1600/IMG_2112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j4fghhxbbRo/UO1o9zEkKQI/AAAAAAAAAng/8h802cv3cKA/s320/IMG_2112.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Still not my desk from that era, but an actual pile in progress here.</span><span style="font-size: small;">(Do you seriously think I would photograph that old mess?)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I found something promising but I didn't want to make much fanfare over the new system until I actually tried it out for a year. Well, yesterday I cleared out my binder from 2013 and I am all set to begin working on totaling the exemptions for my 2013 taxes whenever I wish. This is the first time in…um…ever that I have been able to put my hands on an entire year's worth of tax exempt receipts without digging through a box first.<br />
<br />
The only variation on the system is that though I filed my medical invoices in the binder, the little medical and prescription receipts were filed away in a Ziplock baggie tacked up on the inside of a closet door. They are all there, ready to be taken out and totaled! It's January and I am not staring at a pile or a box or a mess.<br />
<br />
Let me say further that the system worked despite the fact that by August I got a bit lazy with it. Any system that doesn't spiral into disaster but continues to function relatively well even when the user doesn't follow it religiously is a system indeed.<br />
<br />
So, after a year of using it, I'm ready to share the system and a photo of my desk.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3oU5C_1jJxE/Usha88RDxMI/AAAAAAAAAwI/2SH2SHHDB64/s1600/DSCF3403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3oU5C_1jJxE/Usha88RDxMI/AAAAAAAAAwI/2SH2SHHDB64/s320/DSCF3403.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">My desk and inbox this very day!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">(I moved the inbox so you could see it.)</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Remember as you gaze upon my mess…<br />
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">I haven't really filed since August.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: center;">I haven't paid my bills yet.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">I need to enter last month's receipts into the register.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">This is as messy as it ever gets!</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br />
<div>
I would never share a photograph my desk from a year ago--in fact I never even took a picture of it--but here is my proof that the system works. Interested in looking into it? Well, here is a teaser of the page and system. Click the title to visit the blog, <a href="http://www.echoesoflaughter.ca/2011/02/absolute-easiest-way-to-track-pay.html" target="_blank">Echoes of Laughter</a> to learn more.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3 itemprop="name" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<a href="http://www.echoesoflaughter.ca/2011/02/absolute-easiest-way-to-track-pay.html" target="_blank">The Absolute Easiest Way To Track, Pay & Organize Your Household Bills</a><a href="http://www.echoesoflaughter.ca/2011/02/absolute-easiest-way-to-track-pay.html" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">...No Filing Involved!</a></h3>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"></span><br />
<div id="post-body-2424332494647445452" itemprop="articleBody" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">For years, I kept our household bills filed in file folders in a file box..... just like hundreds of other people.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Let me also confess that I have gone through periods in my life where bills were 'filed' in a grocery bag hanging on the back of the bedroom door. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Yep. Sad but true.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">I have seen many examples of how to organize & 'file' bills around blogland lately.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">But I want to share with you a </span><em style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">different</em><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> way.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> Two years ago I switched to this method...and I like it </span><em style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">much better</em><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And here's another dirty little secret about me....although I love to organize... I <em><strong>HATE,</strong> with a capital 'H', </em> filing!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.echoesoflaughter.ca/2011/02/absolute-easiest-way-to-track-pay.html" target="_blank"><img height="266" src="cid:C6D7119C-AEB7-4941-A421-BB9C13ECB87D@wildblue.com" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">I like not having to go through different files to find things or put them away.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">This system helps me avoid that!</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Let me introduce the <em>Household Bill Binder.</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It's a simple method..... it's fast and it works.</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">I just get out the binder when I am ready to sit at the computer to make on-line payments with our bank.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">And then I put the binder away. No filing!</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-36292208383116686392013-12-24T19:26:00.001-06:002013-12-24T19:26:16.367-06:00My Christmas Letter to You, Whether You Celebrate Christmas or NotDear and Precious One,<br />
<br />
God loves you with a deep and everlasting love. His is the only perfect love you will experience here on earth. All other loves, as beautiful as they can be, are only pale imitations of His true and abiding Love. He resides in your heart, caring for each precious beat of it, whispering to the inmost part of you His words of True Love.<br />
<br />
Like all good loves, He listens, too. He waits for your word, longs to hear you utter the smallest of prayers so that He can hear your desire for Him, for change, for perfection. He wants you to love Him in return. He will never force Himself upon you. He will wait for you and love you from afar for as long as you demand it.<br />
<br />
He knows how you breathe, how you feel, how you wonder. He also knows your struggles. He meets you with Mercy when you fail to live in the way that He knows is best for you. He asks you to wait for something much better than you can imagine. He sighs with your impatience and anger at Him and loves you anyway.<br />
<br />
Your life is so much more than you can even imagine. His plans for you are so far above your ideas as the Heavens are above the Earth. Allow Him, the author of your very soul, to whisper the first parts of His desire<br />
s for you in the silence of your expectant heart.<br />
<br />
I will pray each day for you, my brother, my sister in Christ,<br />
Christie Martin<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Gerard_van_Honthorst_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Gerard_van_Honthorst_001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-77364084124796933542013-12-11T20:26:00.001-06:002013-12-11T20:26:43.569-06:00Candy Making: Chocolate from Scratch Using Candy MoldsWith all our kids' allergies, we can't eat the chocolate from the stores. Our options are to spend upwards of $5 for a candy bar, live without chocolate for Christmas, or make some ourselves. Last year we splurged on the disappointing and expensive candy bars. This year I am attempting to make chocolate candy. The recipe I arrived at after much experimentation is as follows:<br />
<br />
1/4 cup coconut oil<br />
1/4 cup cocoa powder<br />
4 TBS corn syrup<br />
2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
sprinkle of cinnamon<br />
dusting of powdered sugar<br />
<br />
I simply heated the coconut oil to the melting point for about 30 seconds in the microwave and then added in all the other ingredients except the powdered sugar. I stirred the mixture until it thickened and poured it into candy molds (available at hobby and craft stores). I then froze the molds for 20 minutes in an attempt to harden the chocolate.<br />
<br />
The resulting candy was a bit bitter, so I rolled them in powdered sugar. That made them nice and tasty. They are a dark chocolate, so you have to be prepared for a strong chocolate taste. Their texture is on the soft side, sort of like a truffle. They are good enough to outshine the expensive disappointments from last year. They are going in to this year's stockings Christmas Eve.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
As you can see we're individually wrapping them in strips of foil.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c3fKgVDnCd8/UqkaXA8-SqI/AAAAAAAAAv4/S74e3qcJS9c/s1600/IMG_2655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c3fKgVDnCd8/UqkaXA8-SqI/AAAAAAAAAv4/S74e3qcJS9c/s320/IMG_2655.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Individually wrapped homemade chocolate ready for the stockings!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
After all the chocolate I ingested today, I highly recommend fooling around with chocolate recipes. If you can improve upon mine, I'd really be interested in hearing from you.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, this is the next recipe I am going to work with. It's from <a href="http://www.lovetoknow.com/member/78~sarabeth-asaff" rel="author" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">Beth Asaff</a> over at <a href="http://gourmet.lovetoknow.com/How_to_Make_Chocolate_from_Scratch">Love to Know Gourmet</a>.<br />
<br />
<h1 style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<a href="http://gourmet.lovetoknow.com/How_to_Make_Chocolate_from_Scratch">How to Make Chocolate from Scratch</a></h1>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<a href="http://gourmet.lovetoknow.com/image/103312~Chocolatemaking.jpg" rel="" title="chocolate"><img src="cid:9650724F-1D2D-47FD-AF3D-F7F6ECBA3607@wildblue.com" /></a></div>
<div id="byline" style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
By <a href="http://www.lovetoknow.com/member/78~sarabeth-asaff" rel="author">Beth Asaff</a></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
Learning how to make chocolate is an art unto itself. Gather your basic supplies and learn how to make chocolate from scratch with these simple, step-by-step instructions. Whether you decide to make <a href="http://gourmet.lovetoknow.com/gourmet-chocolate/best-truffle-recipe" title="Best Truffle Recipe ">truffles</a> or chocolate molded candies, candy making is a fun pastime.</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
Recipe for Homemade Chocolate</h2>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
Whether it's a chocolate bar or a fancy filled chocolate, the base of chocolate candy is made from cocoa powder or cocoa beans, cocoa butter, butter, and sugar. Some recipes also recommend using blocks of unsweetened baking chocolate.</div>
<h3 style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
Traditional Gourmet Recipe</h3>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
The <a href="http://gourmet.lovetoknow.com/How_to_Make_Milk_Chocolate" title="How to Make Milk Chocolate">gourmet recipe to make milk chocolate</a> requires some unusual ingredients. You may not be able to find these at the local supermarket, but most online and gourmet retail shops carry them. <a href="http://shop.chocolatealchemy.com/" target="_blank">Chocolate Alchemy</a> sells cocoa beans, roasting equipment, and other equipment needed to make pure chocolate from scratch. In general, to make chocolate from raw beans, you need to select the beans, roast them, grind them, cook them with sugar and butter, then process them for many hours before pouring, molding, and melting them again to temper the chocolate. This process can take several days, and requires special equipment to grind the nibs.</div>
<h3 style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
Basic Gourmet Recipe</h3>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
Since most people don't have several days to devote to chocolate making, the following basic gourmet recipe shaves off several days by starting with cocoa powder. Cocoa powder substitutes for roasting, grinding, and processing raw cocoa beans.</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
When purchasing ingredients for this recipe, make sure you buy the very best cocoa powder you can afford. The better quality cocoa powder will yield a richer, more satisfying chocolate taste.</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<strong>Ingredients</strong></div>
<ul style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<li>2 cups cocoa powder</li>
<li>3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature</li>
<li>1/2 cup sugar</li>
<li>2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>1/4 cup powdered sugar</li>
<li>1 cup water</li>
</ul>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<strong>Equipment</strong></div>
<ul style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<li>Heavy saucepan</li>
<li>Measuring cups and spoons</li>
<li>Chocolate molds</li>
</ul>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<strong>Instructions</strong></div>
<ol style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<li>Heat the water in a medium-sized saucepan until simmering.</li>
<li>Cream the cocoa powder and butter together into a paste.</li>
<li>Add the cocoa mixture to the hot water. Bring it back to simmering, and then remove from heat and transfer the cocoa mixture to a bowl.</li>
<li>Sift the two sugars and salt together in a separate bowl to eliminate any lumps.</li>
<li>Add the sugar to the cocoa mixture and stir well to combine.</li>
<li>Add the milk slowly and stir.</li>
<li>Pour the chocolate mixture in thin layers into molds and freeze or refrigerate until firm.</li>
</ol>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
The recipe doesn't produce tempered chocolate, it is a more firm truffle consistency. You can make it harder by substituting softened cocoa butter for dairy butter - that will give it a raw chocolate consistency (firmer than truffles, but softer than a candy bar).</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
The thinner you pour it, the harder it will become as well; thick chocolate molds will produce a fudgier consistency.</div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
Be sure to click on the <a href="http://gourmet.lovetoknow.com/How_to_Make_Chocolate_from_Scratch">llink</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> for variations and more instructions on the recipes.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-4372107312315248092013-12-04T22:22:00.000-06:002013-12-04T22:22:04.153-06:00Wifey Wednesday: Enjoy the HolidaysNothing says frantic to me quite like the Pinterest and magazine spreads of November and December. Those glamor shots of centerpieces and perfectly pinched pie crusts, ornately wrapped homemade gifts arranged artfully on a tray for the guests of a festive formal holiday party with signature drinks and home-baked gingerbread houses as decor are the peer pressure of the digital age. Even if you do manage to pull off a party mid-December, the pictures pointedly ask you, "Did you take the time to individually wrap your antique book collection with color coordinated wrapping paper to add punch and sizzle to your bookshelves? No? Well, we won't judge."<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS71d2a0PVJ0nN9HVRpDfBlLDAuc3_f5LYS8yYN6l_a-oDi6O2j3w" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS71d2a0PVJ0nN9HVRpDfBlLDAuc3_f5LYS8yYN6l_a-oDi6O2j3w" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />"Nobody breathe until I get a picture of this for the website!" </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My advice for the holidays is to remember them for what they really are: holy days. This time of year is the time we stop in wonder at the miracles of God. There was enough oil for one night and it lasted for eight. There was a moment when God became flesh. It's a wonder. Let's just wonder.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sure, it's nice to celebrate that with food. Who doesn't celebrate with food? Just remember that you and your family are celebrating with God and His larger family. Don't worry about making a perfect celebration, just make a celebration. Perfection isn't our lot in this life. Relax and tone down your menu to foods your kids will actually eat. If nobody likes turkey, serve roast beef. If nobody likes to cook, order in pizza. It's your family. It's your celebration. Enjoy it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQp3qfx1sPxEFVBICUD-GOwanVEsKHKder8YtMytmBxO5OCC6KRdw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQp3qfx1sPxEFVBICUD-GOwanVEsKHKder8YtMytmBxO5OCC6KRdw" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"So dinner's running late, at least no one <br />will see me in curl…oh, the doorbell!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you, like me, enjoy the cooking and the hours of preparation and aftermath in the kitchen, remember to factor in the fact that the baby will create a hazmat diaper, the five year old will toss a tantrum, and all the kids will want to help, dinner's going to be at 2:30 and not noon, at least one pie will be burnt, and the cousin from Wisconsin will not have the manners to refrain from criticizing the biscuits. "Yes," you'll be forced to agree, "Memaw's biscuits are better than mine." Just let it be.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That's my advice. Just let it be. No matter if half your family is down with the flu for Christmas, no matter if half your New Year's Eve guests invited their own guest, no matter if the toddler stripped down to her all-together while no one was watching and marched down the aisle at Midnight Mass, that's how this particular celebration is turning out. Just let it be. (Do redress that girl, though, it's cold out.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Relax. Have a sense of humor about it. Enjoy it. The flubs are half the fun anyway. The baby will need to be fed when the turkey button popped. Go ahead and take the turkey out and then sit and feed the baby while the meat rests. It's okay. Christ was a baby once. He's not going to mind if dinner's late. If Uncle Joe mangles the carving and there's not a piece of meat bigger than a chopstick, does it really change the fact of Christ incarnate?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Just let it be. All of this is your story for this year. You celebrated and it wasn't perfect. My family lives on the Great Plains of America, beauty here is found in the vast expanse of sky and grass or it is found in the close ups of the prairie primrose, but in between is the thistle and the goat head. You don't see those when you get real close and you don't see them when you take in the vastness of it all. If you crave perfection, think of the big picture: God incarnate, God's miraculous light. Or get in really, really close. Some years, that particular candle next to that poinsettia is as close to perfection as you can get.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQf21fbxiGvL828S7E9p4qFinALf3ZdbJjAbyCJurxlzPFCdW2j" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQf21fbxiGvL828S7E9p4qFinALf3ZdbJjAbyCJurxlzPFCdW2j" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Have a Happy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i>----------------------</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2013/09/marital-intimacy-6-questions-to-ask/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KSbAf-VUUb4/SvGKiDqT1cI/AAAAAAAAADY/U7vvB_SZKbQ/s320/Wifey_Wednesday.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>This has been a Wifey Wednesday post. For an even wifier Wednesday click on over to </i><i><a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/" target="_blank">To Love Honor and Vacuum</a><a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2013/09/marital-intimacy-6-questions-to-ask/" target="_blank">!</a></i><br />
<br /></div>
Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-990806732758980992013-12-02T05:00:00.000-06:002013-12-02T05:00:03.265-06:00Because it is Monday...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-cat-black-eyes-killer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-cat-black-eyes-killer.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Every cat, every Advent.</div>
Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-32668789001645492152013-12-01T12:52:00.001-06:002013-12-01T12:52:28.319-06:00I'm Officially a Winner!<a href="http://cfiles.nanowrimo.org/nano-2013/files/2013/11/2013-Winner-Vertical-Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cfiles.nanowrimo.org/nano-2013/files/2013/11/2013-Winner-Vertical-Banner.png" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Yay! Whew! I stuck it out!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I wrote my whole entire novel. Now it is in dire need of editing. But yay!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm going to sleep now...</span><br />
<br />
<br />Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317814855786256631.post-67870904655242304082013-11-22T16:56:00.001-06:002013-11-22T17:08:14.046-06:00One of the top ways people find my blogis by Googling the phrase, "naggity nag nag." My husband finds this so funny, he is threatening to inscribe it on my tombstone.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2317814855786256631" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ji7koJyRZU0/Uo_ewKr2WFI/AAAAAAAAAvo/FUHOCXMv3Z4/s1600/tombstone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ji7koJyRZU0/Uo_ewKr2WFI/AAAAAAAAAvo/FUHOCXMv3Z4/s320/tombstone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes, I'm still writing on the novel. I'll have to keep it light until after it's written!Christiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11721427445157839191noreply@blogger.com0