FRIDAY'S FAVE 5...late again

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Welcome to Friday's Fave Five...join us in looking for our favorite moments and blessings from our weeks. You can get more details here if you are new. Go to Susanne's site...and link up @ LIVING TO TELL THE STORY

1. DD graduated Wednesday...yeah!!! ...OH, SO bittersweet watching your 'baby' process to POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE...SURELY, I wasn't the only one standing there crying like a baby watching 'my baby'.

2. American Idol Finale. I agree with Susanne...I feel OLD. No one no one can EVER beat Michael MacDonald. Nuff said.

3. God sprouted a volunteer lily in the front yard...a CRIMSON one, nonetheless. ,He's so creative how He gives us blessings and messages. DD will be going off to college in the Fall!"

4. THANKING a REAL friend. God always reminds us to be grateful for and about our friends...so, I enjoyed getting to host BS&K while we had pedicures...she worked her little tootsies almost to the bone for our party!

God bless her, Amen.

5. Family hugs.... Oh, what can beat the hugs of a 'great niece' who God has so richly blessed with His healing and His spirit of LOVE?

I was so touched by my 'baby Katie' coming to me for a hug!

Yeah...it made my day, in addition to all the other sweet wishes from all those attending DD's open house last Saturday.

What were your favorite things from your week? Join us in looking for those blessings whether they be obvious or ones you have to look for. Let's find them and share them.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Jer. 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Blessings,

RANDOM DOZEN: calling ALL dozenettes!

Last week Liddiehad a milestone, 92 Random Dozenettes...such fun we have...Here are her questions for this week:

1. Hosting a party gives me two GREAT things...a.) getting my house CLEANED UP and b.)GETTING to SET THE THEME for the fun time...the graduation party for DD has REALLY taken its toll on me; I'm exhausted from head to toe.

2. My most memorable party was my 50th (that I thought was a 'youth counselor-spouse party') but in reality it was my surprise party...I surprised them by showing up in the house without their knowing I had come in...I surprised them all by saying "I got the time wrong again, ya'll are already eating and I'm just now walking in the door...did you start at 7?" The hostess's eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw me...they didn't get to say 'surprise' because their talking was so loud they couldn't hear hubbie's call ringing(letting them know we were pulling in the driveway). hahahaha! They celebrated the beginning of my 'jubilee year'giving me all the 'normal, over-the-hill, things: rhinestone reading glasses, a tiara, mints in prescription bottles; fans for hot flashes; and tons of my 'old pictures' sitting around the room, reminding me how I 'used to look'!

The BEST thing about my birthday this year...it SNOWED!

3. What is one thing you hope for in the after-life? Getting to finally be in His presence...WOW!

4. What do you enjoy most about sunshine? seeing it shine through the clouds forming rainbows and rays across the horizon...this is a RAINBOW standing over our church as we were coming out from saying 'goodbye' to our seniors...another reminder of His blessings for them.

5. When you attend a bridal/baby shower, do you prefer to bring your own gift or chip in with others to buy a larger gift? chipping in is certainly easier for me and gets the 'larger' items that they might not have gotten

6. Would you rather have a FREE week of having your house cleaned or all of your meals cooked for you and your family? being cleaned gets my vote...i don't have any trouble throwing meals onto the table. I keep enough in my freezer to whip up two or three dinners at any given moment, and they usually only take 30-45 mins...piece of cake.

7. What song describes your mood today? THANKFUL, Kelly Clarkson

8. What is something you received for your own bridal shower/wedding you still own or use? Used the large, silver tray my mother-and-father-in-law gave us with the coffee/tea service...dd's graduation cake sat on it during her "Romanesque Italia" party!

9. Your favorite flavor of ice cream is? BLACK CHERRY in a waffle cone from Bruster's

10. When was the last time you felt "tested?" Holding my tongue a couple of weeks ago when friends were trying to talk hubby into letting DD take her car to school in the Fall. (she's got a good driving record; FINDING OTHERS TO DRIVE HER may NOT, I prefer she HAS her car)

11. "Soy Crisps" are one of my FAV snacks in a small bag...it is DEFINITELY a food once I start eating I find really hard to stop munching." They're baked and made from soy, so they count as a 'protein'.

12. "Visitors coming to my house" is the best motivation for 'ramping up' my cleaning; it's just NOT as important as it used to be when DD was younger.

Jer. 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."Blessings,

SECOND TIME AROUND...

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THRIFTY DECORATING...SAVES SOME MONEY.

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Decorating with my various 'thrift items' was a fun way to celebrate DD's upcoming trip to Italy...

some Romanesque-type items helped capture a little mood.

The roman silver column: held a candle,

the asparagus platter held grapes,

the olive plate held spanikopita bites,

and the large turquoise/bronze candle holder held a neat pine/orange-immersed candle I had been given as a gift. It made for a rustic Roman table, I think.

It made for a wonderful day of sharing!

Jer. 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

"Blessings,

THREE STAGES of EXHAUSTION...preparing, during, & cleaning it up!

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What a week we've had...and it's NOT over quite yet.
A week ago Sunday, the junior class decorated and hosted the 'goodbye' banquet for this year's seniors...LOST/SURVIVOR were the themes. We were in the jungle with the lions, tigers and junior jungle guides.

Saturday was our BIGGEST DAY EVER in this household...we hosted an Romanesque "Italy-Awaits You" open house for DD eating many delicious goodies and BS&K's BEST punch (ginger ale, pink frozen lemonade, frozen cranberry juice). Our biggest hit: red velvet cake lollipops!

The secretary in the living room was used as our 'senior' display with memories from birth to senior year. It's overwhelming trying to thank all the people who have blessed us mentoring our kids through these years; talking, guiding, praying, giving advice..."I thank my God for every remembrance of you."

THE BEST part of our gathering was catching and having fun with friends from school, church, family and the neighborhood. And.....I got my FIRST time to hold our BabyKatie...there have been many posts about her struggle with a congenital heart defect. Well, she is now 3yo. Se ran up to me saying "Hugs?".

WOW...in the past she has been sooooo ill and very susceptible to infection as well as dealing with 'shyness' and being accustomed to 'momo', so getting to hold her hasn't been very easy. Hugs were ALL around and it was GREAT!

Some friends have moved away and we haven't seen for quite a while; isn't it great catching up and seeing how much we've changed?!!

My Praying Mamas were there serving for us during the entire event...what would I do without them?! God's blessed me with 'extra' sisters!

YES, how blessed we are! EXHAUSTION has set in...Lord, I continue needing your help getting us through the remainder of our parties, writing of cards, and attending the graduations. Thank you for being our rock when we are weak, for then You are strong!! Amen

Jer. 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."Blessings,

REPEATING...then FLASHBACK

echo, go over again, iterate, recapitulate, rehash, replay,resay, restate, retell...

whatever you want to call it...

BECAUSE...

this NEEDS to be said "again"!! Go here...

:)

THEN,

DON'T REMEMBER there being any ceremony involved...but, I did get a senior ring which is still in my jewelry box..although it doesn't fit on my ring finger anymore...now I wear it as a 'pinky' ring.

Honestly, I don't remember if I had a party or not. One of my friends had a party at her house and I remember going there.

There was lots of fun training all the "candidates" who tried out to be the next drum major. This was serious stuff, like trying out for the mascot on 'Good Luck Charlie' when Teddy puts on a ram's head. Our "rites of passage" or "passing the baton" literally took two or three weeks of training and practicing all the 'right moves', learning the 'whistle commands', verbal commands, showed prowess at writing half-time shows and good decisions as a leader. I trained two candidates and the male of the two won out in the end after try outs.

My serious award in band was "the John Philips Sousa" award...it's in my office.

My daughter's chorus did 'fun' awards one year ... they awarded superlatives for many different categories...very outlandish types of things, which elude my memory...things kind of like 'most wrong notes' hit by a soprano...'last to arrive at Spring concert'...'most creative way to repair your chorus uniform' ...the awards were drawn on paper plates and then given to each recipient.

My Mom and I sent out graduation announcements but I don't remember how many or if they included a picture. DD and I sent out about 70 total, I believe...we had a lot of people to thank for getting her to where she is!

Our Baccalaureate Service was at a local church and we were all expected to be there...if you didn't attend it, you didn't march at graduation.

Our church may have listed us in a paragraph of the bulletin on Sunday, but I don't believe they printed any pictures. We didn't have too many people at our little church.

Our church NOW is much different ...we always have a senior banquet the junior class hosts after they've spent an entire day decorating our 'warehouse'. This year they had a 'survivor/LOST' kind of theme and they turned the warehouse into a jungle, with a fire pit, wild animals and the juniors were dressed in camo/khaki/jungle helmets, etc. It was too cute and the seniors enjoyed their trip to the jungle as their parent letters were being read and their baby pictures were being flashed on the 'big screen'.

As things were being torn down and put away, there was an opportunity to REALLY enjoy the chocolate fountain...I WANT this to be my NEW TRADITION :)

My tassel originally did hang on my rearview mirror of my vw bug...but, now it is hanging on my 'drum major' trophy from Florida State University. Both items hold a place in my heart

Many cards and letters came in with cash (is that legal?). Isn't it sad my brain can't remember any of the other gifts...I bet I have them listed in my 'senior book'...that is in the bottom of one of those boxes BS&K helped me move to the basement.

Jer. 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."Blessings,

RANDOM DOZEN...Wk20

Current date info
Today's date is:	Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Week of the year:	20 of 52
Day of the year:	138 of 365

Questions	ANSWERS
1. What is one really fast, know-by-heart "go-to" meal to fix in a pinch?	Rice-a-Roni Jambalaya (low salt), shrimp, red beans, cumin and cilantro, canned diced tomatoes w/ mild green chiles
2. What is one item you won't leave home without. (Purse and license do not count.)	Distance glasses and reading glasses…yes, I HAVE to have them.
3. Where is one place you never tire of visiting?	The seashore…under an umbrella with a good book, sunglasses and my camera and a tall, cold drink taking in the sound of the waves and gentle seabreezes
4. Share one factoid of your family's history.	My grandfather had many jobs throughout the years: farmer, mailman, and saw miller.
5. Complete this sentence: "Once upon a time I ...."	…was fainting many times in a day; so I got to go to St. Joseph’s hospital at the age of 3 to have an EEG. The nurses were nuns who wore habits; I had never seen a nun before that day. It probably helped keep me occupied watching them…they seemed to glide across the floor. Anyway, they determined I had EXTREMELY low blood pressure and did not have epilepsy. I outgrew as I got older, but then later found out I had a slight heart murmur.
6. If you could win a one year's supply of anything, what would it be?	Manuka Honey…a miraculous, God-given, honey able to right my wrong digestion issues, heal skin abrasions and sweeten my tea.
7. "One quirky thing you may not know about me is ...."	bizarre, off-the-wall, weird…hhhhmmmmm: I like to eat wasabi on my sandwiches
8. You have one dollar in your pocket. What will you buy?	Probably…something at the thrift store on a Monday…it’s half price day!
9. "One thing that always makes me laugh is ...."	…getting to be with our youth and enjoying their spontaneity, especially on long bus rides.
10. What is one thing you could do today to help yourself reach a personal goal?	Have my hair cut/highlighted before 100 or so people descend on our open house so the pictures won’t look like I just crawled out from under the refrigerator…which I probably just did do.
11. What is one thing you could do today to bless someone else?	Smile and mean it
12. What is one thing you're looking forward to soon?	My yard will be getting the ‘once over’ tomorrow…and it WON’T be me doing the work. Bushes trimmed, edging, lawn cut, trees trimmed, new pine straw…getting prettied up for graduation week

Jer. 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."Blessings,

BS&K....the WORLD should know...

The WORLD should know...yes, it should...

God has blessed me with one of THE SWEETEST, KINDEST, MOST GIVING GIRLFRIENDS...WHOOOOOOO:

-unloaded books from a large box

-reloaded books into smaller boxes

-carried multiple boxes to our basement

-carried multiple vases and serving pieces back to our basement

-tied little white bows on lollipop sticks until she couldn't see straight

-washed all the pots and pans used for the chocolate and cake recipes

-helped unload yesterday's washed dish washer

-stood for multiple hours in my kitchen today, layering white chocolate onto cake balls for graduation lollipops

ANDDDDDDDD,

-she STILL loves me.

God is GOOD, ALL the time...ALL the time, GOD is GOOD!!

Yes, He ISSSSS!

Thanks again, BS&K...you're helping save me through this thing called 'graduation' and I love you more for your compassion and hard work.

:)

Jer. 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you

and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."Blessings,

FRIDAY FILL-IN & FLASHBACK FRIDAY

memes away.....

#176

And...here we go!

1. I just had _to get out of bed at 5am--i HATE waking up early_.
2. _Is confused in observing people accepting " AS_ is".
3. The third sentence on the 7th page of the book I'm reading:_"Ask My spirit to control your mind so you can think great thoughts of Me" ( JESUS CALLING by Sarah Young)_.
4. _Shopping with my daughter for clothes, or even thrifting, __ tickles my fancy.
5. I was walking _gingerly into the creeks yesterday retrieving my golf ball that mysteriously landed in the water three times yesterday_.
6. _Photographing our teens enjoying fun times_ makes me laugh!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _working the 'flower table' at our high school's chorus show_, tomorrow my plans include _picking up fresh, grilled, chicken barbecue at our Methodist Mens' fund raiser__ and Sunday, I want to _be taking many pictures while manipulating all the tissues I'll need during our senior banquet_.

How old were you when you got your first (paying) job? BABYSITTING WAS A VERY LUCRATIVE PROFESSION OF MINE BEGINNING AT 13...MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR ADOPTED A NEWBORN AND SHE TRUSTED ME TO WATCH HER FOR TWO HOURS WHEN SHE WAS ONLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS OLD. WANDA KNEW MY MOTHER WAS JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY SHOULD ANYTHING STRANGE ARISE DURING MY TIME WITH THIS ADORABLE BABY, CINDY. I WOULD KEEP HER ABOUT ONCE A MONTH SO THE PARENTS COULD HAVE A DATE.

MY FIRST REAL JOB, WHERE I HAD TAXES TAKEN OUT, WAS IN THE AFTERNOONS OF MY SENIOR YEAR. I WAS ABLE TO INTERN AT A LOCAL TEXTILE BUSINESS BEING A SECRETARIAL OFFICE ASSISTANT FOR 2-3 HOURS THREE DAYS A WEEK. IT TURNED INTO A FULL-TIME SUMMER JOB BEFORE I STARTED COLLEGE WHEN THE OFFICE MANAGER'S FATHER BECAME VERY ILL IN OKLAHOMA AND SHE LEFT ME TO HANDLE EVERYTHING.

Did you work during the school year? MY USUAL TIMES WERE FRIDAY NIGHTS OR SATURDAY NIGHTS AND NOT EVER DURING THE DAY...EXCEPT THERE WERE A FEW TIMES I WATCHED HER WHILE WANDA WOULD GROCERY SHOP.

What stipulations, if any, did your parents put on spending, saving, etc.? REGARDING MY REAL JOB AT THE OFFICE, MY PARENTS HAD PAID HALF THE PRICE OF MY FIRST CAR, A VW BEETLE, AND I HAD TO MAKE THE REST AS WELL AS PAY HALF MY INSURANCE AND ALL MY GAS. I WAS EXPECTED TO SAVE 10 PERCENT OF MY PROFITS FOR SAVINGS AND 10 PERCENT FOR CHURCH TITHES. IT WAS AMAZING HOW SAVINGS MATTERED MOST TO ME.

What types of jobs did you have before you were, oh, 21 or 22? THOSE I NOTED ABOVE FIT THIS QUESTION AS WELL. HOWEVER, I DID WORK AT A LARGE UNIVERSITY IN THEIR SCHOOL OF NURSING AS ONE OF THE SECRETARIES FOR THEIR NURSE PRACTITIONER SCHOOL, LEARNING MANY OF THE INTRICACIES OF THE NURSING WORLD AND SPECIFICITIES OF STAYING CURRENT ON CURRICULUM. THE DOCTORS I WORKED FOR WERE 'DOCTORATES OF NURSING', WHO PAVED THE WAY IN WASHINGTON FOR THE SUCCESS OF TODAY'S NURSE PRACTITIONERS. I REALLY ENJOYED BEING SO CLOSE TO THE HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT BUT NOT BEING IN THE ICKY STUFF. :)

Did you go to college or a technical/trade school? If so, did you work while you were pursuing your post-high school education? EVEN THOUGH I HAD FANTASIZED ABOUT GOING TO A FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE, I ENROLLED IN SECRETARIAL SCIENCE CLASSES AT A LOCAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL WHERE I WORKED MY PATOOTY OFF FOR NINE MONTHS. IT WAS REWARDING TO RECEIVE HONORS AND GRADUATE IN RESPONSE TO MOM AND DAD MOVING OUT OF STATE.

MY FAVORITE BUSINESS TEACHER (MS. N*) TAUGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF A FIRM HANDSHAKE AND A SMILE ON YOUR FACE, NO MATTER WHAT!

A SMILE WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LIFE LESSONS LEARNED. A PIC FROM OUR LEADERSHIP BANQUET...I'M WEARING A DRESS MOTHER MADE ME FOR THE OCCASION...I LOVED WEARING IT.

..

What were your favorite -- and least favorite, if you wish to share! -- jobs? THE JOB AT THE UNIVERSITY WAS THE MOST FUN. GREAT SURROUNDINGS...BEAUTIFUL LUNCHTIME HANGOUTS AND SCRUMPTIOUS, ETHNIC RESTAURANTS...GETTING TO MIX AND MINGLE WITH ALL THE MEDICAL AND LAW STUDENTS.

THE TEXTILE COMPANY JOB WAS MY LEAST FAVORITE...SOME 'CHARACTERS' WHO WORKED THERE MADE ME A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE (BEING AS YOUNG AS I WAS). ONE OF THE BOSSES HAD A REFRIGERATOR IN HIS OFFICE...CRANKING OUT 'TOTTIES' AFTER 5PM (MADE ME EVEN MORE UNCOMFORTABLE). I'D KEEP MY NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE AND LEAVE AS SOON AS THEY STARTED 'ENJOYING' AFTER HOURS.

What did you learn from those early jobs? TAXES WERE THE BIGGEST THING I LEARNED ... AND SO GLAD MY FAMILY TAUGHT ME THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVINGS AND PUTTING AWAY MONEY FOR THOSE RAINY DAYS OF UNEXPECTED INCIDENCES.

THRONE TIME...the BEST plan

THRONE time...

TWO THINKS 2 SHARE sent an unexpected gift of a 365-day devotional entitled JESUS CALLING Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young.

While reading today's entry, thoughts began to roll and a heart began to change.

She referenced the following two scriptures:

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus".

What is the reaction when things seem wrong? The operative word here being SEEM. We sometimes don't understand what's happening...leaning toward thinking it couldn't possibly be His plan for me to suffer. Why do I not want to look for GROWTH opportunities instead of 'wanting my own way'?

Believing His Scriptures to be my guide, they tell us to be thankful IN ALL circumstances...reaching past my pain or selfishness; claiming His victory over the evils of life.

Do I believe thoroughly (and humbly) that His plan is BETTER than mine?

When I'm not looking for GROWTH in changing my perspective, she notes it is "deifying" my desires. THAT statement REALLY got my attention. "Deifying" my desires.

Synonyms for deify are: idolize, worship, exalt...idolizing my own wants, worshiping my choices, exalting my desires. Jesus, forgive me, please. Suddenly I'm being Job, hearing God's reprimand. Here's how it went:

Job 42:1 "Job replied to the LORD: "I know you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this obscuring my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,things too wonderful for me to know."

Dear Lord, When I am like Job, putting my desires before yours...gently remind me of your Majesty, Steadfastness and Love for me. Your Plan is THE BEST plan.

Amen

Blessings,