Topless

After my last post about "Hiding the Girls" (Thank You Natalie Perfect Phrase For It). I got really concerned that this meant that I would no longer be allowed to go TOPLESS too!! I prayed about it for the last two nights and really felt God tell me that as long as it was in my car it was ok with HIM. :) Craig had spent a couple hours waxing my car. I really have a blast in my car. This post is also just meant for laughs. Thanks for stopping by.

OK God, I Hear You!!!

I started developing at an early age. I was the only girl in the 5th grade to wear a bra. A real bra, not a trainer(Sorry Guys). By the time I was in the 7th grade I was the same cup size that I am now. It hasn't mattered if I have been 150 lbs or 230 lbs they are the same size.

Needless to say my chest area has always been of interest to the opposite sex. I am no Dolly Parton but they can be hard to miss. Once in a while I purchase a shirt that the neckline is a little low or after washing it just isn't right. I don't think that they quality control necklines on shirts from Bangladesh. I think we should have a massive recall!! I'm sorry let me get to the point.

I have a white shirt. It is a fairly recent purchase. It is actually the one I am wearing in the picture a couple posts back. It is a V-Neck with embroidery around the neckline. I really like that shirt. I love white shirts and I prefer a V-Neck. I wore that shirt to work today. I was going about my morning, doing payroll and I kept looking down. And can you guess what I kept seeing???? I kept seeing all the way down my shirt to my lap. then I would hear someone whisper in my ear... Do you really want everybody to see all of you? Then I would do so some more of my task and I would look down and see the same thing and hear the voice tell me that I need a camisole. This went on all morning.

I get off at noon on Thursdays and I came home and had lunch with my husband. He though I was crazy when I told him what I had kept hearing. Then I came in the bedroom and put on a camisole and he realized that my shirt was really low cut.

I remember that I read a blog recently about modesty and covering up. I think it was on Natalie's or Cindy's but I couldn't find it when I looked for it.

I know the voice was God. He was reminding me that I am his child and he really would appreciate it if his children didn't dress that way. Just the same way I patrol Hope when she goes out.

OK God, I Hear You!!!!! Thanks for loving me and caring about me!!

Sleepovers

My daughter is 12. She spends the night at other people's houses and girls spend the night here. Most of the girls I have known since Hope was in the 2nd grade. That was when we moved here to Redding. Some of them went to other elementary schools but now go to the same Junior High. A few of them are just new to the area.

My daughter doesn't go and spend the night anywhere without either Craig or I knowing where the house is, a home phone number, a cell number for both a parent and the child if they have one and a basic walk through of the common areas of the house. We aren't looking to see if you are a slob. We are making sure that there is RESPONSIBLE ADULT SUPERVISION. Trust me if you are an adult it doesn't necessarily mean you are responsible.

It amazes me how many times Hope has asked us if someone can spend the night and we have said yes. We are expecting to at least talk to parents on the phone. BUT NO they show up out front slow down enough so they can throw their child out of their car without injury and then speed off.

Sunday Hope had asked if a girl could spend the night. She said that she had moved to Redding about two weeks ago and she is really nice. Craig and I told her Yes. So imagine my surprise when my husband and I were watching some sports and Hope comes in and says Melissa is here and her dad wants to meet you. I about fell over right there. Craig and I went out happily and met her father and her little sister he asked a couple questions actually told us when he would like to pick her up the next day and made sure we had his phone number. God bless this man!!!!!

What is going on with people in this generation? Is this normal to just kick our kids to the curb? Do we really not cherish our children? I can't imagine just leaving Hope or Ryan somewhere and not know anybody at the house. I guess I am confused, maybe this is just a California thing. Personally it is really troubling.

I call it My Project or NMFAPIMWLC

I joined His Life For Mine and a group of her friends and ministry leaders in their weight loss challenge. She decided that Mondays would be her update day. I figured I would join her with that as well.

I have still been sticking with counting my Weight Watchers Points. I absolutely love this program. I find it very easy and I love the fact that it is teaching me to eat regular food instead of expensive, prepackaged, preservative filled, microwave stuff like some other programs.

I really need to kick start the fitness part of the program. I have started doing little things like taking the stairs and taking my shopping cart all the way back to the store as well as parking further from the entrance. In a couple weeks the water fitness classes start at the community pool. I can't wait for that. I am also using it as an excuse to do nothing now. Hey at least I admit my short comings. :)

I am enclosing two pictures one is from March 29 the other is from today May 25. The best thing about the today picture is the pants I am wearing have not graced my body for over a year and I can actually sit comfortably in them.

228 pounds About 2 weeks before I joined Weight Watchers 210 pounds standing in my backyeard.

For those of you curious NMFAPIMWLC Stands For

Memorial Day

I want to take a moment and thank our troops and their families. I want to tell them that I appreciate their sacrifice to secure the freedom that my family experiences. You are all in my thoughts and prayer regularly.

Please take some time this weekend to thank a Veteran, an Active Duty Soldier or take a moment to remember our fallen soldiers. Our Heavenly Father has blessed us and this country.

I pray for you all to have a wonderful time with your families this weekend.

Country Organics

About 3 years ago I was leaving my house in the middle of the day. This was strange for me because I was usually at work. As I was backing out a my driveway I noticed this guy coming out of my neighbors garage. I didn't recognize him so I asked him if I could help him with anything. He said that every week he delivered fresh organic produce to my neighbors. That sounded interesting to me so I asked him for some information.

I am not like most women. I really am not that fond of shopping. Grocery shopping is my least favorite. The produce aisle is my very least favorite. So while most people that sign up for this service do so because it is organic. I signed up because I would no longer have to set foot into the produce department.

Soon after I started receiving my box the owners sold. The new owners have since become really good friends of mine. They have 4 beautiful children. They are a wonderful Christ following family. They home school their beautiful children. They pray for me all the time. I love them. So if you want to check out their services head on over to their website Country Organics.

For you out of towners, Do you have anything like this in your home town?

Hope's Bad Day

Robin is covering some behavior and discipline issues this week on her blog. The timing is perfect.

My sweet daughter Hope got herself into a situation at school on Tuesday. It was very hard for me to not step in and "fix it" or whisk her away from the turmoil. I was at work and I received a text message from Hope. She wanted me to come and pick her up at school. I asked her "When and Why?" It was only 9 am. I was really confused. She sent me another text message explaining that yesterday (Monday) she told (aka tattled) on the "most popular" boy in 7th grade because he flipped off the math teacher behind her back. So this boy ended up getting suspended from the math class and his parents grounded him for 6 months. So when she got to school Tuesday it all started. The other kids at the school had started calling her names and basically were just being mean to her. She kept texting me, begging me to come and get her. Craig and I talked about it and we didn't think that was the best thing to do. If she would have gone home then they would have just had something else to tease her about the next day.

It broke my heart. I never want to see my kids get picked on or be upset. I mean I am a mommy I want to protect them from the bad stuff. I also felt that Hope needed to learn to deal with the ramifications of her actions. I am not saying that what she did is wrong but she needs to know the consequences to her actions. I did pick her up when school was over and I brought her the biggest chocolate shake with whip cream I could find. She looked so strong when she walked up to the car, I was proud of her. Her head was held high and her back was straight. As we drove down the street I asked her what really happened and it all came flowing out...the story and the tears. She had made it all day without tears. My peanut is so strong!!

When she went to school today the kids pretty much left her alone and things are basically back to normal. I also think that she learned a lesson about weighing the pros and cons of a situation.

I wonder how many times I have put God in the same position. How many times have I done something and then begged him to deliver me from it? How many times have I not really thought something through knowing that God was on my side and could make everything ok?

OUCH

I knew it was coming. Matt Lauer just warned me the other morning. He said that gas would be $4.00 a gallon before we knew it. I swear honest engine this gas station was selling regular unleaded for $3.99 yesterday. Why did Matt Lauer have to go and tell them too?

I am not even near the Bay Area or Los Angeles. It is more than likely even higher in those places. So all I could think of to say was OUCH and Thankfully my little car gets really good gas mileage!

The Wall

I have hit a wall. I can’t climb over it. I can’t break it down. I have literally spent the last week just sitting at the bottom of it staring up at it. It is huge and intimidating. I wish I could say that I didn’t know who was responsible for it. Unfortunately I built it.

First I dug the footings. Then I added the rebar to reinforce it. I followed that with a 5 sack concrete mix. As the concrete set, my wall became my obstacle. It took me a week of stupid selfish thoughts about not being good enough to build it. I spent the next week as stated above pondering it.

I really hadn’t realized that it had become evident to anybody but me. Until 2 people in my life made separate comments. One of these people sees me regularly, talks to me daily and claims that I am a mentor to her. She stated that I don’t seem as excited about church as I have been in the past. The other person is a regular commenter on this blog. The comment just said that it was good to see me back.

I think that the hardest part about hitting the wall is I am not going through anything traumatic, stressful or challenging. I just don’t know my next step. It is like I have been trained for the basics and I have used them. Now I need to know the more in depth things to continue my journey but I either haven’t received the training or am not confident enough in my own knowledge to accept that role.How do awesome writers like Heidi, Hope, Kim, Natalie, Cindy, Robin, Deleise and so many others always tie normal life back to our Savior? I really feel like that kid that is in solitary confinement that is spoon fed a little and only let out for an hour in the courtyard a day.

So as I sit here looking up at my wall and wonder what is next? I ask of you my readers to please correct my interpretations and help me see the Word as you do. I am not promising to bend but I am promising to listen and contemplate with an open mind. I think that aside from the wall the biggest factor is that I may not understand something in the way it is meant and will suffer worldwide embarrassment. I am open for that.....So Correct and Explain Away.

The good news is that when I stopped looking at how tall and big the wall was and started looking around I realized that when I built it I only built it 10 feet long. (Robin Do I get activity points for walking around it?)

My Memoir in 6 Words

My Friend Hope tagged me. She had a birthday and a beautiful blog makeover. Be kind and visit her if you haven't already. She has an awesome heart for God and a great way of putting things. I'm supposed to write my memoir in 6 words. So Here Goes........

BROKEN BUT BLESSED BY HIS GRACE

Scooter aka Proof My Husband is a Sucker

My husband's name is Craig. He is a wonderful husband and a great father. He is the kind of man that deposits his whole paycheck in the bank, comes straight home from work and spend tons of time with his family. He loves sports both to play and watch. He is a neat freak and wants his yard and home to look a certain way. He isn't vain or conceited. He would never ask anybody to do something that he wouldn't do himself, except for childbirth.

Craig works very hard. He is a maintenance supervisor for a man who owns a few mobile home parks. One aspect of his job is to trap feral and abandoned animal that are lose in the parks. My husband has never had a problem with this part of his job. He takes animals weekly to animal control. He says it sucks but there is nothing he can do about it. I did a post awhile back about my pound puppy. Midas is just one of our pets. We are animal lovers but are realistic as to how many we can have. So we have 2 dogs, 1 cat and 1 yellow spotted geikko. Until Monday night that is.

My husband came home with Scooter. As you can see from the picture above she has had no problems adjusting to life here. My husband is a dog person so imagine my surprise when he came home with this sweet cat. She really is precious. The part of the story that cracks me up the most is that appearantly he has had her hidden in his shop at work for a week trying to find out where she came from. He disarmed the motion detectors in his shop so that she wouldn't set off the alarm.

Meet Scooter living proof that my husband is a sucker, I mean softy!!!


Side Note--Kim the roller coasters were great!!!!

Mother's Day~Friday Outings~Health Update

Happy Mother’s Day to all of You Amazing Women!


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This weeks Friday Outings is a little far from home but still in California. We are traveling to Santa Clara (About 4 hours South) this weekend to ride roller coasters and attend Spring Celebration at Great America.

Spring Celebration this year is featuring Switchfoot, Kutless, Barlow Girl, Red and Family Force Five. I can’t imagine a better way to spend Mother’s Day weekend then Awesome Worship and Roller Coasters!!!


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As far as my health.....I had a follow-up with the neurologist today and my brain is good. I even got to see the side by side comparison of the new MRI and the 2005 MRI. My other doctor did a battery of neck x-rays. The x-rays show disc degeneration as well as some bone spurring in my neck. I believe that we may do and MRI on my neck but I just need a break. I am on a few meds that seem to keep me pretty even and help with the headaches and aside from a small patch all feeling has returned to my head. My personal belief is that the Lord healed me. I walk out of that neurologist’s office the first time being told that I had an auto immune disease, just not sure which one. I walk out of there today and was informed that my brain and everything in it is all normal and actually quite healthy. All of my prayer warriors and my faith have banished that from me. I will take a little bone spurring and loss of disc over MS, Lupus, Graves Disease, ALS, Fiber-myalgia any day!

Faith and Encouragment are my Spiritual Gifts. I'm claiming them!

Project Update!

I figure since I am blessd enough to have a group of people that tell me how beautiful I am and that "I do have ridiculously skinny friends." (Thank you Deleise, I have a special place in my heart for you!!!) I figured I owed you all an update. As of today I have lost........7 whole pounds and 2 ounces!!!

Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement! I really do love you all!!

Jesus Is Still Working On ME~~I Pray!

You know that when you ask Jesus into your heart and life that the hard work begins. The process can be slow for some things and some sins you can lie down and never look back on them again. Some people you walk away from and others you run to and tell them about this glorious change in you. You lose some of your past mentors that were mentoring you in bad things and you gain new mentors, angels, that help lead you down the path that you have chosen. The path of peace, love, eternity and also some pain and strife.

You go through your days casting the old you aside and working to be more like Jesus. You want the change to be instant. You want everyone to see that halo over your head. You want everyone to see how great your life is with Jesus in it. But it doesn’t happen that fast. At some point you may even get discouraged and think that you haven’t learned anything. You may think that you aren’t trying to walk Jesus-like you are just a sinner wearing a mask.

Then one day down the road you are sitting somewhere and something happens. Something that would have triggered bad behavior in the past with you. You notice that it doesn’t affect you the same way. For a few fleeting moments you see Jesus in the mirror instead of your face. You become filled with joy and love. You have done it. You have, if even for just this instant, shown the world around you that Jesus is in you!

It is these small milestones that start to add up and create the new you. The person that shows love, compassion, grace, humility. Soon you realize that you are pretty strong in your Love Walk. When you started you were all sinner now you are Jesus’, still a sinner but redeemed.

These last couple of days I have been struggling with the person that I use to be. I am a very in your face, call it as I see it person. The Lord has been working with me on this for longer then I care to admit. I need him to work extra special hard right now. Because sadly I really am having the hardest time holding my tongue. Unfortunately for me I am pretty good at being blunt, vocal and scalding with my mouth. I will even admit that there was a time where the hurt I caused didn’t bother me because I was stating the truth. The only reason that I admit to this particular shortcoming is that I haven’t had any issues for the last couple years. Now I have two friends that are being beaten up on but other people and I really want to rip those people to shreds. So I am praying for Jesus to continue holding my tounge.

Try MEANDERS

A few weeks ago, Kim challenged us to look around the blogging world. Click on blogs we have never read and see where it takes us. That is basically how I found all of you in the begining so I am not to bad at it. I actually think that I have compiled a nice list of blogs that are not only inspiring but fun. So I took Kim's suggestion and clicked clicked clicked. I found a couple new people that I have been reading.

Today I went to "meanders" and was slightly wowed by his post called SAVED!(from myself...hopefully)It really hit home today.

The Old and The New - Friday Outings

When you read people’s blogs you find out things about people. I posted about how one of my favorite things to do was to go to concerts. Kim responded and told me that she liked cemeteries. Kim this post is for you!

I took pictures of the oldest cemetery in Old Shasta. Most of the deaths were in the 1850s-1880s. We did find one gentleman that passed away in the early 1900s. As you can see from the pictures there is no greens keeper. All the vegetation is allowed to grow grow grow. The second set of pictures is the Northern California Veteran’s Cemetery. My Mother in Law is buried there and my Father in Law will be also. It opened just a couple of years ago. It is so peaceful and beautiful there.

Kim I really want you to enjoy these pictures!









I also want to thank you all for making me feel welcome. I can't wait to see and meet you all. Have a Blessed Weekend!!!