I had a good day yesterday. My friends took me out to lunch and had 40 black balloons on the table! They were laughing at me and wanted to watch me put them all in the back of my vehicle but they were not going to help! I told them I was going to cut all the strings off and let them soar, but then figured they would shrink because it was too cold out. So after lunch I grabbed all the balloons, opened the back window of my vehicle and stuck the weights of the balloons in the back and shut the window on them! I had 40 balloons follow me home -- I have pictures which I will try to post later! I figured you only turn 40 once!
I had Bible Study last night so I took a cake to share - chocolate Cappuccino cake from Casey's Bakery! I worked so hard on it! It was very good! It was a good day.

February 26, 1968 - Thank you mom and dad for bringing me into this world, could not have had better parents! Lord, may I be a blessing to all around me today and everyday for the rest of my life!

You know it's funny how Satan will try to attack you with using lies and tricks. Yesterday I was writing mail for this weekend and my cat jumped up behind me on my chair - not so unusual for him to do so. But he started to bite my butt! - very unusual for him to do so!!!! I don't think Satan wanted me to write those letters, but he did not win! I wrote them.
The same thing is true with lies that I have been telling myself. Satan is behind it but it just takes me awhile to recognize his cunning deceitful ways!

This devotional really struck me today -- hope it's a blessing to you, too.

February 21, 2008 -(reprinted from Proverbs 31 daily devotional)

What’s Wrong with Me?
By Renee Swope
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
Devotion:“What's wrong with me?” Do you ever ask yourself that question?

Recently I noticed how many times I do. When I can’t find my keys, when I fight with my husband, when I let someone down, when I’m late for work, when someone hurts me, when I forget to do something important. The list goes on.

It dawned on me that every time I think, "What's wrong with me?" I actually tell myself that something is wrong with me. Then I try to figure out my illusive fault so I can change it. But what I need to change is the way I talk to myself.

Why? Because every time I say, "What's wrong with me?" I tell myself that something is wrong with me.
That is not what God wants me to say to myself – a woman He created. It’s not what He wants you to say to yourself, either. But there is someone who loves it when we do. He often whispers, what's wrong with you? He’s the enemy of our soul and he’s trying to convince us that we're incompetent, inadequate and all alone in our struggles – so that we never become who God created us to be.

He wants us take our eyes off of who we are in Christ and focus on our flaws; then spend our days figuring out how we can hide them. It's what he did with Eve in the Garden. I wonder if she might have even thought, "What's wrong with me?" when faced with her own inadequacies and failures. But think back to what God said to Adam and Eve. He asked them, "Who told you that you were naked?" In other words, “Who told you that something is wrong with you?"

God acknowledged that there was someone casting shame on them and it wasn't Him. He warned that they had an enemy whispering lies into their hearts, causing them to move away from Him and each other.Satan’s plot is the same for us. But we don't have to comply. Instead we can refute his accusations and lies with truth. We can stand on the promise of who we are in Christ – chosen, holy and dearly loved. We can discover and embrace our God-given design (and all the quirks that come with it), and we can accept that we are the way we are because it's all part of our "package."

None of us is perfect. All of us have strengths and weaknesses, but we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" - just the way God planned.

Lord, make me aware of the times when I am not so nice to myself. Help me recognize my self-doubt and the enemy’s accusations. I want to turn away from the lies so I can listen to and live in Your Truth. I want to become all that you created me to be! In Jesus Name, Amen.

What is joy and how does it differ from happiness? That is the question of the day. I want more joy in my life, more laughter and more happiness. I feel that I am not having many smiles lately and I am unsure why. What is my purpose? Is it to be a chief cook and launderer? And if it is can I find joy in that and be ok with that? What is it that I can do, what are my strengths and talents?
Thanks for listening to me ramble. No answers needed. Sometimes you just have to write it out to make sense of it all. Just searching...

President's Day

No school today because of President's Day and the kids only had one snow day taken off so they get to keep President's Day off. (Now they will probably have several snow days they will have to make up, it always happens that way!) It is suppose to be very cold out so not much to do. I am not sure how we will keep busy! Hopefully, we will have fun and not be at eachother's necks! Have a good President's Day!

Happy Valentines Day!

1 Corinthians 13
Love 1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.


All right, how are you loving? One of my friends from Bible study challenged us to put our name in I Cor. 13 where ever the word love is quoted from verse 4 on ... Steph is patient, Steph is kind. Steph does not envy, Steph does not boast, Steph is not proud. Steph is not rude, Steph is not self-seeking, Steph is not easily angered, Steph keeps no records of wrongs.... I wish this was all true! I am sorry Lord, but I have fallen so short of this even just today!!!
How about you? How do you measure up? I had never thought of I Cor 13 as a measuring stick for love but it is! Love well! Happy Valentine's Day

Quick!

Soliciting snowy/rainy day activities! Any suggestions welcome!

Ps 116: 1-2

We just have an awesome Lord! The more that I read his word the more that I just fall in love with Him! I ran across this verse this past weekend!


I love the LORD because he hears (meaning to hear with attention or interest)
and answers my prayers.
Because he bends down (He stretches out) and listens (to hear with attention or interest, listen to ),
I will pray( to call unto, cry (for help), call (with name of God)) as long as I have breath(my lifetime)!
Ps 116:1-2

I like the idea of God bending down and listening - what a cool picture! I think of it as an parent who needs to bend down to hear what their child is whispering to them in their ear. That's my God, doing that to me! So as your praying today, know that God is stretching and bending down to hear your every word!

Stuff you have to do!

I had to get my driver's liscense renewed yesterday! I am so glad that I noticed last month that it was the year to renew - so check your dates! Even if your birthday was in January you can still renew in the month after!
Then I had to go to the dentist. I had a cavity at my last check-up, yesterday was filling time. They took an old filling out and found that the tooth under the old filling has a crack. So I need to chew on the other side of my mouth, get a cap or crown whatever it is called and get that novicane stuff again - I just hate that! I can't stand the feeling of when your face and tongue is numb! But I don't think that I have had a cavity for over 20 years! Which is pretty good! I guess if I have to have a numb face twice in a month it is not so bad....I guess.

I am not sure how to do this but I've been tagged! I was tagged by Carrie at One Family's Journey to share 7 things that you might not know about me and then tag seven more, but I don't know seven people that blog so I will just tag two!

Ok this is the hard part - seven things that you might not know about me.....

1. My dad is a Barber. He got out of the army and went to Barber school and has had that job my whole life and still works Tues. - Sat. every week.

2. One of my favorite songs is, In Christ Alone/Solid Rock.

3. At one time was going to start a business with my friend, Cindy, called C and S. This stood for Cindy and Steph or Crap and Sanity --our logo would be "We get rid of your crap and restore your sanity!" We go to each other's houses to help clean and the rule is - if you haven't used it in a year, you have to get rid of it!

4. I would like to visit the Netherlands some day, because I am also, Dutch, and I think that there is town that is named my married name. (And I heard that there is very good shopping there!)

5. My 20th anniversary is next year!

6. I will be 40 on the 26th!

7. I used to sell Creative Memories and before that Mary Kay, but at this time of year I am glad I quit selling because I don't have to have the headache of taxes!!


The rules are to link the person who sent this to you and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours. Post the rules on your blog. Share 7 strange/weird facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, linking their blog. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.





I am tagging...


1. Miriam at In His Grip



2. Carey at One Family's Journey-- even though Carey tagged me - you can read her posts!

Pictures from San Diego

This is on the Deck of the USS Midway. The deck is 4 acres if you can picture it!



The stairwells are not very big. Glenn had to duck a lot of the time just to keep from hitting his head on the top. They said the number one injury for the crew was head lacerations. Everything was so low and then being on the ship that was pitching and rolling, proved to be quite the dangerous place to be.





This was the hospital on board, but you can imagine that most of the enlisted men's bunks were just like this also except they were stationary and not on chains. There was an OR, ICU and exam rooms.
The officers had their own dining area, some even had their own private restroom and bedroom but only for officers!

This was where the Boss and the Mini Boss sat. They were like the air traffic controllers. They had a big job making sure where the planes were and who needed to land and take off. This was at the top of the tower in the background of the first picture.

This is a picture of the beach and the Pacific ocean on Coronado Island. It was pretty deserted with the temp at 57 degrees.

This was in Seaport Village a shopping area. We thought the boys would like to see a pirate!