Tell me who admires and loves you, 

And I will tell you who you are.

CHARLES AUGUSTIN SAINTE-BEUVE

Have mercy on me, O God
According to Your unfailing love
According to Your great compassion
Blot out my transgressions

Have mercy on me, O God
According to Your unfailing love
According to Your great compassion
Blot out my transgressions

Would you create in me a clean heart O God?
Restore in me the joy of Your salvation
Would you create in me a clean heart O God?
Restore in me the joy of Your salvation

The sacrifices of our God are a broken and a contrite heart
Against You and You alone have I sinned
The sacrifices of our God are a broken and a contrite heart
Against You and You alone have I sinned

Would you create in me a clean heart O God?
Restore in me the joy of Your salvation
Would you create in me a clean heart O God?
Restore in me the joy of my salvation

Wash me white as snow
I will be made whole
Wash me white as snow
I will be made whole
Wash me white as snow
And I will be made whole
Wash me white as snow

Would you create in me a clean heart O God?
Restore in me the joy of Your salvation
Would you create in me a clean heart O God?
Restore in me the joy of Your salvation

“You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.”

Epicurus quotes (Greek philosopher, BC 341-270)

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

Epicurus quotes (Greek philosopher, BC 341-270)

DVD Release...

I have been awaiting the release of this DVD and you can be certain that I will be purchasing it today.  

http://www.fireproofmymarriage.com/

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. Jimi Hendrix

It's Monday again.  I cannot believe that another week and weekend has passed and now it's almost February.  Time marches on.

May you take time today to reflect upon your day, your life, your love and set forth on a path paved with peace and contentment.

Peaceful Sundays

Lamentations 3:22-24 

The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" (NASB)

Inauguration Day

The Events of the Day...

Morning Worship Service

Procession to the Capitol

Vice-President's Swearing In Ceremony

President's Swearing In Ceremony

Inaugural Address

Departure of the Outgoing President

Inaugural Luncheon

Inaugural Parade

Inaugural Ball

Presidential odes: Excerpts from former Inauguration Day poems

The Gift Outright, for John F. Kennedy, 1961, by Robert Frost

The land was ours before we were the land's.

She was our land more than a hundred years

Before we were her people. She was ours

In Massachusetts, in Virginia,

But we were England's, still colonials...

(NB from the poem Frost recited from memory, not the one he had written for the occasion)

On the Pulse of Morning, for Bill Clinton, 1993, by Maya Angelou

You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot...

You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought

Sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare

Praying for a dream.

Here, root yourselves beside me.

I am the Tree planted by the River,

Which will not be moved.

Of History and Hope, for Bill Clinton, 1997, by Miller Williams

We have memorised America,

how it was born and who we have been and where.

In ceremonies and silence we say the words,

telling the stories, singing the old songs.

We like the places they take us. Mostly we do.

The great and all the anonymous dead are there.

We know the sound of all the sounds we brought.

From 'Ars Poetica: #100. I Believe', 2005, by Elizabeth Alexander

Poetry is what you find

in the dirt in the corner,

overhear on the bus, God

in the details, the only way

to get from here to there.

Poetry (and now my voice is rising)

is not all love, love, love,

and I'm sorry the dog died.

Poetry (here I hear myself loudest)

is the human voice,

and are we not of interest to each other?

Menu Planning

I'm not sure how many of you menu plan, or how many of you are always on the lookout for great new recipes that are easy to make, wonderful to eat, and can be cooked in the crock-pot (slow-cooker) or easy to freeze. With my crazy schedule I have to plan, cook ahead and do whatever it takes to make life a bit simpler.

I have a food blog that has some of my favorite recipes and I'm always adding new ones, so if you're interested, pop by for a visit.

http://suzann-marie-recipes.blogspot.com/

Peaceful Sundays

Philippians 3:13-14

No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. (NLT)

I Don't Think I'm in the Right Place!

Today we took a trip to Cabela's which is a sporting goods store that opened several months ago not far from my house. Hubby has been wanting to go there and one of the employee's that works for us has declared this his very very favorite store ever. Even his wife loves it. So, I'm pretty stinking excited to see what all this fuss is about (as you can imagine). Then I walked in the door.The moment those doors opened I knew that I didn't belong there. That is one place that a girl like me should never ever go. There were people there dressed in overalls and plaid and loads of green. There was a plane hanging from the ceiling. They had a department called "Camo". Now, I'm NOT a hunter and I have some issues with hunting. Heck, I can't even think about the food I buy at the grocery store too much or I'd become a vegetarian. But these people are serious.
There are signs everywhere you turn that say "You know you're a redneck if..."
There are stuffed animals everywhere (and I'm not talking cute disney cuddle me stuffed either - we're talking taxidermy here people). There were guns and bows (and not for your hair) and some really lovely green camo attire. You could fish, hunt, and kill just about anything you wanted in this place.

My little Thomas was in awe. His mouth was hanging open the entire time and I feared that one of these hunter-rustic-redneck type people might try to hook him and reel him in, so I kept a close eye on him. He was loving the very fancy gun library and he loved all the taxidermy critters too. Of course the animals got more exciting when they graduated from bears and mountain cats to a rhino and an elephant - it was an entire African Safari people.

That is when it got even more frightening. They have a restaurant. Yup, a full blown, get your bib on, restaurant. Serving Elk, Venison, Buffalo, and "various other meats". My husband, who truly lacks a sense of humor, turns to me and asked if I would like to have lunch there. To which I replied, not if I was starving and this was the only restaurant for 100 miles. He chuckled and said, "I'm sure they have something you would like." Okay, people, he was serious! Of course after seeing the look on my face he realized that he was merely delirious and he should just stop talking now.

I persuaded him to please leave quickly and without stopping to see one more thing when he saw "it". Oh I am afraid and ashamed to even state this, but the man found some furniture that was so ugly it should never ever be purchased by anyone for their home. It was leather with ANIMALS printed on tapestry on the cushions. No, I'm NOT kidding. You could sit your doom-pa on a deers face. You could rest your back on a buffalo. This was just wrong. It was ugly. It wasn't right. But the man was in a testosterone coma and begged me to sit on it because he was certain it was comfortable and belonged in our family room. Okay, now I know where I live and this is NOT something that would fit in the planned decor.

I knew after hearing this and seeing the glazed over look on both hubby and my little guy's face that I had to get them out of there and fast. I was losing them. They were turning to the dark side.

Success was obtained as I swept them past the cashiers and straight for the door.

Now, this place is like a mirage in the middle of the desert. It's a gigantic building surrounded by an endless parking lot. So, I made hubby go get the car. Thomas and I waited for him inside the building.

Just as we saw my big ole truck coming around the corner I heard a little boy exclaim with utter delight, "Daddy - this place is so big they even gots a map!" Are ya kidding me here? Needless to say I let out a very tiny scream, grabbed Thomas' hand and ran for the car. We escaped, but I'm certain it was just barely.

As I received no warning about this place, I felt it extremely important to warn all of you and to beg you to warn others as well. This is one very very icky place. Do not go there and do not let your men go either.

So, do you do Cabela's?

The NOT Friday Post

Last night I was so excited that today would be Friday. Not only is it my day off, but Thomas (a.k.a. Mr. Big - the baby of the family) did not have school due to our crazy temperatures. I kinda woke up at 8:00 this morning, but the plan was to let out the dogs and go right back to bed. That's when I heard the telephone. The dreaded telephone. Now, who on earth would call me at 8 in the morning when they KNOW I don't have to get up? Even sillier, who would CHECK the phone to see who called and if they left a message (or massage as I call them). I hate the fact that I'm responsible.

So, on the phone was the boss man. He really needed me to come in to the office as we are down a guy because of a horrible car accident. So, I chugged down some coffee and tried to make myself presentable and I headed on out.

I made my way to my automobile (otherwise known as the Millennium Falcon), gave a moment of thanks to God for my heated seats and remote start, put on the sunglasses and headed out. I got on the expressway and stopped. No joke, nothing was moving as far as the eye could see in either direction. Are ya kiddin' me? Nope, no joke doll - not only are you out in this insane weather but just for fun you'll get to sit on the expressway to make your drive in "extra special".



So, I decided to check my e-mails (thank heavens for my Blackberry), send out a few text messages and e-mails and the phone rang. It was my bestest buddy Michele from Houston. She asked me what I was doing and I replied, " I am NOT going to work on my day off and as a result of this, I am NOT sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on 53 (the name of the expressway I was on). She laughed, we chatted and she went on to start her day and I crawled along at a pace that never quite reached 5 mph.

I finally got to the office and started working. Upon arriving, I did NOT realize that I forgot my power cord for my macbook so I had to manage with the charge on the battery. I was assured that I would only have to hang out for a couple of hours and then I could go home. ( I leave at 2:30 every other day). At 3:00 my buddy Michele called me and I told her that I am so NOT still at work on my day off. So, no early departure for me either.




At 3:45 I ran out the door and jumped in the falcon and took off. Thankfully I moved a bit faster then in the morning, but I was driving like a maniac because I was NOT on a mission or anything. Of course, my phone did NOT ring at that moment so my daughter could remind me that she had to be at the high school by 4:45 to cheer at the game and she did NOT need to go to Target before that so she could make a "spirit bag" for her cheer sister for competition tomorrow.

I made it in time and finally drove to Target with children #2 and #3. I did not beg my daughter to just let me handle it only for her to insist on being with. I did NOT spend close to $60 on this spirit bag for her sister and another for her stunt group. (the girl truly has no idea how to kiss a little butt). Then I did NOT pick the wrong line again where the check out gal is slow as molasses and the person in front of me has ten million items from clearance and is questioning each and every price. I did NOT lose my cool when my daughter announced that the boy who was staring at her was a geek and she doesn't talk to him at school ('scuse me sweet-pea; who are YOU to pass judgement on another living thing? Who voted YOU the coolest girl in the 9th grade?) Then, this same precious child did NOT ask me to buy her a coffee at Starbuck's when she has her OWN checking account with a debit card and has way more than enough money in her account to pay for herself.



So, I manage to escape the Target with barely a scratch, jumped in the car and headed off to the high school. Which is when my daughter did NOT tell me that she refuses to get dropped off early. I did NOT get to the bank to spend an hour accomplishing all the tasks that I needed to. Of course, I did NOT get home to get into a fight with my husband. I did NOT find the house a bit messy when each child had plenty of chores to accomplish. I did NOT spend the next hour begging someone, anyone to choose where we should order pizza from. I did NOT take one bite of the pizza and almost gag and I certainly did NOT have to beg my husband to go and pick up our Cheerleader after school.

Finally, everyone went to bed and I'm all alone for a wee bit - ah the NOT day is over. But, it is NOT over. In walks Mr 18 year old. At 10:30? On a Friday? So, he came upstairs and I asked him why he was home so early. And of course he did NOT respond by saying "Do you want the truth?" To which I of course did NOT reply, "Yes" and of course he did NOT then say that he and his buddy Victor (yes, they have the same name - two best buds with the same unusual name) were drinking and when he started barfing everywhere, he got a ride home. UGH.




So, before anything else does NOT happen (and because I do NOT have to get up extra early to fix the cheerleader's hair for competition for which she does NOT have to be at by 8:15 a.m.) I AM going to sleep and I'm going to sleep a good long while. Because I demand to have a tomorrow NOT like today.

I heart my...

It's back, my baby is back and on my lap. I'm soooo happy. Of course I realize that in just a few short months (this upcoming October) it will be time to give this little sweetie to my little sweetie and get a new model, but it will still be a sweet little mac book. I have missed it so. E-mail and internet are just not the same on my blackberry. Which is why I have told darling hubby that as soon as our contract is up, we are RUNNING to the mac store to get i-phones. It's official, I'm a mac girl. 

I'm also back in love with my very favorite product line in the whole entire world - AVEDA. I get happy just being near it. I go to an AVEDA salon, I go to the AVEDA store, I'm saving my AVEDA points for a huge spa weekend (there are 2 to choose from - one is 20,000 points and the other is 50,000; I currently have a bit over 11,000 points). So, while at the mall picking up my mac baby, I stopped in to AVEDA and stocked up on a few essentials.



Today? A day off of school for my little guy Thomas. The wind-chill was a bit too much apparently. The high school was open, but they had exams and were closed before noon. I just got an e-mail this evening letting me know that Thomas won't have school again tomorrow because of the wind-chill temps. Ya-hoo!!! Add to that the fact that the high school is also out tomorrow and there is no school for anyone on Monday and you've got yourself one happy mama. Can you say sleepin' in???? So, I didn't go to work today, I don't work on Fridays, and I don't have to work on Monday either. 5-Day Weekend!!!!! Now, if I could just figure out how not to be cold.

Other news here this week? I'm stitching, I'm reading, I've done some cleaning, I've been working and I've fallen madly in love. With whom? Andrea Bocelli. I could listen to that voice all day long. He makes my heart happy.

Not many bright spots in my world this week. I'm having a rough one. Last night and today were especially bad. I've got a lot on my mind and I almost feel like I'm at some sort of cross roads in my life where I have to do something, make a change, I don't know. But, after 24 hours of crazy crying, I know that it's time for something. Yes, probably an overshare - I know.

So, stay warm and safe and snuggle up with your favorite quilt and warm beverage and take a breather. The holidays are behind us and there is a whole new year ahead of us filled with grand possibilities.

Inspiration...

Some more photos courtesy of Country Living Magazine to inspire.

Peaceful Sundays

Isaiah 40:31 

Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (NASB)

Click Your Heels Three Times...

Cinderella is proof 

that a pair of shoes can change your life.