Something funny to share

A few funny things to share from the past 2 days:

I really know God has a sense of humor. and He really talks to me through nature. Usually He speaks to me through sunsets, beauty, etc.....but I am realizing He gives me signs through other things too..... Yesterday when I was having such a negative day. Negative attitude, bad day at work the night before, woke up late, Raymond was cranky with me, the bike broke, the vacuum belt broke, and on and on and on hahaha I said to myself, "I swear if one more thing happens..." and RIGHT when I said that...as always - I saw A BUG!! AHHHH....you've GOT to be kidding me!!! The irony of this situation won't make sense without reading my old blog entry from last year.

I shared some of my wildlife fiascos last October --- see link below -- and talked about these "bugs".... I just couldn't believe I saw a bug in this new townhome. I keep it so so clean and take care of it so it was just a God thing. I had literally not a "bug" since we moved out of our old house!! so over a year ago! But as always, when I'm having the worst day imaginable and as soon as I think to myself, "if any other little straw happens it will break my back".... as soon as I say that - I see a bug! A huge bug was on Raymond's shoe in the living room! The chances of this happening are so rare I just knew it was no coincidence. I got such joy out of smashing the heck out of that thing and putting it in the disposal. and then God and I just laughed.... He told me to chill out and breathe hehehehe :) So that was yesterday

http://therooksfamily.blogspot.com/2007/10/some-of-my-most-famous-wildlife-fiascos.html

And today...I made a fool of myself which actually happens quite often. There are always lots of workers around here - we live in a new development and they are doing construction on the new houses about 3 miles down our road in the development. And today they were actually lining our roads - so they were all out back. Raymond and Lennox and I were just enjoying this BEAUTIFUL weather outside. But all of a sudden I saw the hugest bug that I have seen since August of last year. I don't know what in the WORLD these bugs are. But they look like a moth/grasshopper but HUGE. They camouflage into whatever they are on. I asked around and nobody knows what they are. August 2007 one was on my screen and camouflaged black & white....and today there was one on Raymond's wagon, on the wood part and it was brown!

It was camoflouged on the wagon and just HUGE. so I planned my attack. I knew from my experience with these bugs as big as a small bird, that they fly and leap quick and long, so I was afraid to open the screen door for fear he would make it inside my house. So I grabbed the nearest weapon - Raymond's watering can and threw it! I definitely injured the bug but not fatally. He flew onto the siding, next to the screen. I picked up hubby's grill brush from his grill. and took a stab at him with that - and cut the screen !! NOOO Just a small cut - but so upsetting nonetheless - after this mess, I had to put a small piece of tape over that cut, so it won't get bigger.

But the bug still was alive! All of a sudden he jumped toward me and I just totally freaked. I am not necessarily scared of nature - I love nature --- but I kill bugs if I don't know what they are, or if I just don't like the way they look. but I am REALLY scared of nature being ON me. see old blog entry. I just don't like when I don't know where something is. Something being on me without me knowing it creeps me out. So I am just going nuts. Jumping, screaming, shaking off my clothes/hair. Lennox is looking at me with a confused look, Raymond thinks I'm starting a dance party so he is clapping and dancing and I'm just not finding any humor in this situation at all yet.... but then I see the bug and I'm calm again. He's in the grass and so I start throwing random toys and things at it to make it leave. Right when I ran out of ammunition, I hear Lennox's paws hitting the ground and I realize I wasn't watching him and he is now running down the street after Shadow a friend from down the road. He'll never run after something if I say, "no" he's a great dog -- but I wasn't looking to say, "no" and Shadow is his best friend! SO AHhhh now I am carrying Raymond (35 pounds) in one arm as best I can while running after Lennox and embarassingly having to pass the roadworkers who are absolutely cracking up at my dancing & screaming and antics to get this bug away from my house.

I'm so glad I don't take myself seriously and that I'm able to laugh at myself.

So I just smiled at the workers and laughed with them. I told them I was okay when they asked, and then I moved on! :) I'm so glad I could make their day. :) So after that, we went to the park, which was of course empty as predicted - even though it's like 78 degrees out today, sunny, beautiful Carolina blue skies!!!.....I fixed our bike! yay! and then I even had time to hang this in our bedroom above our computer.

It goes perfectly since my bedding is light green & light blue....and all the furniture in our house is cherry. This is grandma's...

So despite my circumstances, I am at peace! :)

Things I fall asleep giggling about

A couple silly things I wanted to post:

After Melanie had that post about Sense & Sensibility --- about a week later I got a free movie from MovieGallery, yay!!, so that is the movie I rented out! Brandon watched it with me (sort of --- I think he might have been watching it through his eyelids hehe) and I LOVED it. I can't believe I had never read it or seen the movie.

Also on my To Do list was to get new slippers - and when I went up to New Jersey my mama got me some and they are so so comfy!! :) Why do I share a picture of my slippers and Raymond's cute little foot next to me? I dont' know :) but there they are!!


BUT this is what I really wanted to post...

I get silly when I'm overtired - and the night after I watched Sense & Sensibility I was up really late. I started thinking about how I loved all the characters in that movie. The women were just soo femine, so ladylike, so pretty and sweet and just seemed so gentle to me! A type of woman that seems to be disappearing (I know many are fighting fiercly to keep this "type" around --- but it just SEEMS like they are disappearing). The social rules were just so much different "back then"...it's amazing to me how much has changed in the past century --- yet Truth is timeless and beauty will remain forever.

ANYWAY I digress as usual..... so all of a sudden just before I drifted into lala land I had this giant giggle come out.... Brandon fearfully asked, "uh oh - what has popped into your mind" hahaha.. "FORKS!" I said.."I just had the funniest thought!" and I explained to him that I had this image from the movie pop into my mind. One of the scenes where the girls were having lunch - they were so delicate even while eating...and all of a sudden as I saw this scene in my mind... my mind said, WAIT a second - I think that the way they used their forks is the way we are "supposed" to use them! They used the tines (is that what they are called?) to stab the food and then with the curve going toward their mouth - gently place the food in. That is why the curve is faced the way it is! to fit into the mouth - not to use as a shovel...WOW! Little lightbulb went off! I knew some knife/fork etiquette "rules" but I never knew the direction to hold the fork like this!

AHH does everybody know this except me!??! Am I correct in thinking that we all use forks the wrong way? How silly! Am I the only one who didn't know this? and it took me 24.5 years to figure this out!? haha I'm sure relatives on my mom side knew this (the southern side of my family haha) but I don't remember anybody teaching me!! What a funny little thing to think about. Brandon just went back to sleep leaving me to fall asleep in my giggles. We people really are funny! :)

Easter Memories # 2 (2007 & 2005)

When I was looking for Easter pictures from my childhood...I also came across the pictures from Easter last year (2007)...I always love looking at pictures from last year to see how much Raymond has changed!!!

Reading Easter card from MomMom.... boxes in the background!! We were getting ready to move!

and I came across some Easter pictures from the college years!!! Easter 2005, I made these little cheesecake Easter Baskets and we loved them! I should have made them again...

and here I am in the college house dying eggs with my Easter "basket" in the front

Easter Memories

Here are some Easter pictures I found from my early childhood. I'm sure my mom has a ton more - but this is all I could find at my house. All of these were taken at Grandma and PopPop's house of course being that we always went there during Easter time & Resurrection Sunday. The memories I have from Easter time have not dulled at all. I can smell and hear the sounds of grandma and PopPop' house during spring time as sharp as any memory I have.

That trip down to Maryland seemed so so so long! And then we finally got there and I will never forget the sound of pulling into her gravel driveway! and then racing from the car to the back steps smelling of fresh soiled shoes from working in the garden and her prune trees and the laundry hanging right there on the line. And then to see them waiting there! Oh I'd love to be able to have one of those days back for just a moment to run into their arms and give them lots of hugs and kisses and then to race all throughout her house making sure all my favorite special 'pieces' hadn't been touched or moved and were still there. The angel with the soft hair that mom recently gave me...the Charlie Brown book in mom's old room....the grand piano by the front window....the screened porch on the side...I could go on and on! I can't smell a hard boiled egg now without thinking of grandma and dying our eggs with her. I can't see an Easter bunny without thinking of her mall we used to visit where the Easter bunny always was. I can't have an Easter without thinking about her Easter grilled cheese sandwiches. I love memories!

I have so so much I want to talk about that is on my heart after our church service today -- but I'll wait until tomorrow or sometime this week. I have so many thoughts on Mary and her perspective. and so many thoughts on humiliation and embarassment....much more to come!

Happy Eastertime & Resurrection Sunday (for the 10th? haha time)

"Easter" & Resurrection Day Memories 2008

The name "Easter" really comes from a pagan figure from what I know - and christians just started to use the name Easter since our celebration of the resurrection of Christ falls at the same time of year as these pagan festivities that celebrated the goddess of spring (her symbol being bunnies - symbolic of fertility). The 2 just got intertwined since they're at the same time. But it's not like the pagan celebration is a new thing or simply the creation of commercialism --- our retailers just take advantage of something celebrated for centuries. It was created to turn the attention away from God though. These people worshipped this 'goddess of spring' which is a sin and against the 2nd commandments but that is just how the world (enemy) works though --- he does whatever he can to place distractions in our way or take our focus away from God. So I would really just love for christians to call what we celebrate... something else other than "Easter" --- to be able to separate the 2, ya know? Then there doesn't have to be any arguments or what does Easter really mean etc....

All that being said --- I believe it's totally okay to take part in celebrating God's creations of bunnies, eggs, spring and the beautiful flowers & baby animals we see! Jesus was the absolute CREATOR of fun and joy!!! He was never a condemner so I believe He would be happy to see us enjoying His creations. But I just of course never want the Easter bunny to be above Jesus - like Santa Claus should never be more of the focus than Jesus. And in our household that just won't be the case. But certainly I won't condemn anybody for not focusing on Jesus more...I'll just try to do whatever I can to live with Jesus as my focus and pray for others to do the same...we are not to be each other's judges - and really nobody knows our hearts or our intentions or what we really do in our homes except the Lord - so the judgement is left up to Him.

I have wonderful memories of dying Easter eggs with my grandma and going for Easter egg hunts and such. Easter time always reminds me of grandma.... at Easter time we always went to see grandmom and PopPop in Maryland. I loved dressing up into my gloves & easter bonnet and going to grandma and popPop's church. They loved showing us off to their friends and I just felt so special. I loved all the flowers and how they were readying their garden and all the birds she'd point out to us. I remember the smell of their garden so clear to this day. They just loved loved nature.

My mom, as I've said many times was just such a wonderful FUN creative mom. She is the best. She made my childhood such a fairy tale. On Easter we'd always have a fun way of finding our Easter baskets. She'd either hide them and then have a trail of jelly beans leading us to them. Or she'd hide them and then leave a set of rhyming clues to get us to them like a map. Some of the books MomMom sent Raymond this year for his Easter basket are so so so so cute! I LOVE them and have been reading them this week.

I love the illustrations in this book - Mrs Rabbit has 26 children - look at all of those pictures of them on her wall! So cute! :)

Here are 2 of the "Easter" cards I found and sent out. I loved these. The top one says "He sends light into the darkness"...."He makes joy from our sorrows"....."He is the hope of the world"...."He makes all things new"..Amen!

This one says... "Easter morning comes bringing with it the assurance that anything is possible to those who believe"
And today we had such a wonderful Resurrection Sunday. We went to church this morning (my father and mother in law were in town at the beach cottage so they were able to come too that was exciting!). The service was awesome. It was such a TEENy glimpse of heaven. I'm sure heaven will be exponentially more incredible than even what I can imagine - but His people gathering and praising Him and learning about Him is just so awesome. I just live for Sundays anymore! I can't wait for next Sunday as soon as I leave the church building.

After church, we came back to our house and *I* served my in laws lunch for a change instead of the other way around. My mother in law is such a good cook/homemaker so it was always intimidating to serve her but this time I really loved it! I was so proud - I tell you I used to not even be able to make spaghetti without getting all nervous and it not turning out great - but I just love serving people now. I have such joy in cooking and giving to others now! I cooked a spiral ham, deviled eggs, green beans, and antipasto salad (and my mother in law brought the rolls, and mashed potatoes)...and of course we had sweet tea for hubby and mother in law hehe .... and we had apple crumb pie for dessert - I guess it's really a fall dessert but we had it in the fridge so we ate it! I really really enjoyed everything. I was so happy that everybody liked it so good too! They even asked for recipes and took home leftovers! How exciting! :) and we used our fine china! :)

The craziest thing happened though... this really really thick bowl that had the mashed potatoes in it after dinner was sitting on the counter and literally just exploded into a milion pieces. I have never seen anything like it....I was thankful Raymond wasn't around and was walking with Peepaw outside instead. It was really scary though - I still can't figure out what happened...it was really weird. I am not sure what God was trying to say - it had to be a God thing - it was just...beyond words. It literally just shattered into a thousand little pieces. It was the thickest sturdiest glass bowl I have...crazy! (and yes I used cotton balls to get the tiny pieces like my previous post on interesting tidbits suggested).

So anyway.... although the dinner was not a priority of the day - it was very special to be together and just love one each other! I am so thankful for all I've been blessed with.

I love Jesus I love my family I love the joy He allows in this life but can't wait for my eternal home! I pray you all had a wonderful celebration of Jesus' life & death and resurrection too! May you feel Jesus love & mercy today - but more importantly EVERY day! Love!!

Bellamy Mansion

Today on our way to the YMCA I took this picture of the Bellamy Mansion.... I am blessed to be surrounded by such historical beauty and such natural beauty. I really enjoy where we live! We are right on the coast of NC and on the Cape Fear River both so we get the beachy feel and then the historic/downtown/riverfront both. I try to 'step back' a lot during my days and just soak up all that's around me. We're never in a rush really it seems so it doesn't take a lot of effort to just chill and enjoy the moments. I was so thankful to be stopped at this red light in historic downtown Wilmington to enjoy this scene in front of 1st Baptist Church. and I'm glad to for technology that I could grab my camera phone real quick to snap this picture. I believe I'm a visual person...and a naturalist - God really speaks to me through my surroundings and through nature!

Palm Sunday...eggs & Jesus

Well after the french toast, chicken parmesgan and buying Reese's eggs.... my husband's most recent request has been for deviled eggs. So for our Easter lunch together next week I will make a ham (free from Food Lion because of how much we spend there weekly! yay!), 3 color rotini antipasta salad and deviled eggs... and probably some mashed potatoes and green beans thrown in there too.

I've never made deviled eggs before though! So I am looking for a good recipe. My favorite deviled eggs usually are ones that have those tiny little pickle (?) pieces in them and then the red (is that paprika?) sprinkled on top. Looking something like this:

Pic taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabekkas/1470492340/


Anybody made these before!? Anybody have a great recipe!?! :)

I received so so many wonderful gifts for my wedding and the parties leading up to it... I can't believe how many people showered us with love and gifts.. I was so overwhelmed, and just felt so loved. One of the cute little things from the throughout the year party, that I received was this little cute egg dish:

It will be perfect for the deviled eggs.

But more important than anything I will decorate with or cook or consume...we will be celebrating our love from Jesus Christ! Our Victory because of Him!! He brings joy from our sorrow! He brings hope! He brings Light into our Darkness! He brings mercy!! He removes all chains!!!

As we approach this most precious of days... my heart is heavy -- yet so light! Heartbroken for what had to happen, yet restored because it did!

God IS indescribable! uncontainable! unchangeable!!!!

Happy Palm Sunday to you all tomorrow! Praise God for all He is! The King of Kings, the only Lord of Lords, the Restorer, Healer, Redeemer, Creator of all, my Savior!!!

Trip "home"

WE ARE SOOO EXCITED! :) We leave for New Jersey tomorrow to see my side of the family!!!!! I am SO SO SO excited for Raymond and my nephews to be able to play and to be able to have time with everybody!! Prayers please for a healthy trip full of joy! We are SO looking forward to enjoying our time up there!!! I have been trying to just not even think about it until the last minute - because I get too excited and impatient! haha

I have to admit I'm extremely sad that Brandon can't go... we hate being away from each other even for one night. It's hard!! I will really miss him a lot --- but I am beginning to learn to just focus on the positive. No matter where I am I could be missing somebody, so I just have to focus on who I'm with and focus on enjoying my time with them in that moment!

On a side note, I now officially have my first "real life" friend that is now a "blog friend" too!! Or maybe I should say I finally have my first blog friend that is a real life friend too... well I guess it's the same no matter how I say it, right!?!? I don't know, I can't really think in all my anxiousness haha!!! My point is... my friend, Karen has started a blog... go check it out...she is so funny, caring and talented in many many areas!

New Jersey 'home' here we come!!!!!! :)

Thursday 13 - # 1

Thirteen Things we'll be doing on our trip "home" to New Jersey!!!!:Only one more sleep!! 1. Playing with the family! With all of the same toys mommy used to play with when she was little!! 2. Mommie will get her 1st facial at a spa with sister and mama! 3. Raymond will get his 1st hair cut at Papa's barber he has been going to for 20+ years 4. Celebrating 1st birthday of nephew "Riff Raff"!! 5. Going to brunch at the Lafayette House, walking around the shops, and admiring the pretty ducks on the pond 6. I'm sure we'll be stopping in at The Diner for at least one meal (now famous for being on the Food Network hehe) 7. Just "being" with our loved ones!!! 8. Eating lots of Mama's homecooked meals! 9. Going to Frank's Pizzeria! Mommie's fave!! 10. Missing daddy a lot lot lot 11. Playing with grandma's kitties, Tigger and Pooh 12. Giving a LOT LOT LOT of hugs and kisses to everybody! 13. Did I mention all the meals we'll be enjoying together? haha

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