I'm Feeling Schizophrenic.

In 1988, I was seventeen and am pretty sure the Proctor and Gamble Corporation owes me a debt of gratitude for my part in the success of Clearasil. Stock prices went up every time I stepped inside Walgreen's.

Blemishes (a.k.a zits) were my constant companion. I can not recall a single day of high school without at least one!

By the time I was twenty-seven, I was on birth control and while pimples were a distant memory, I began seeing lovely dark patches on my forehead , cheeks, and neck. My affinity for sun worship didn't help!

Now that I am solidly in my thirties ( we've progressed from 17 to 27 to 3_...yeah), birth control of a more permanent variety has eliminated my intake of hormones, and puberty is far, far behind. I haven't used baby oil on my skin in forever, and all of my make up contains sunscreen...I promise!

So what is up with my face?!

I had to laugh OUT LOUD at my new beauty regimen. I wash my face each night with Cetaphil, and then alternate evening applications between these two products:

Mother Nature isn't being kind to me! Either that or she's got a wicked sense of humor.

We're Off To See The Wizard..

Well, not THE actual wizard. And not actually in Oz.

So...um...we're off to see the In-law's, the wonderful In-law's of Bradenton.
It just doesn't have the same ring, does it?

Ah, well.

We are heading out of here this afternoon, and should get in there about 10:30 PM. The kids are so excited I can hardly keep them out of the van! They love their Grandma and Papa.

Heck, I love their Grandma and Papa, too! I know I've mentioned it before, but it bears repeating: I have the very best in-law's ever!!

I also, have another great reason to be ecstatic about this trip. Tomorrow. 10:30 AM. Me. Bosom friend. Starbucks.

Oh, yeah, Baby!

We'll be heading back Monday morning, so keep us in your prayers, please. Our mini-van is a rolling miracle, but it needs a fresh dose of anointing every time we head out!

And, of course, travelling with two teenagers, one tween, and two preschoolers can often be something sort of a picnic. Especially when at least two of the females of reproductive age are experiencing the joys of hormonal fluctuations. I'm just sayin'!

So, pray for me, us, RedDaddy...just, ya know...pray.

Thanks!

WFMW: Pantry Organization

Okay, so my Works For Me Wednesday tip is a little boring today. However, a very good friend, who is also very intelligent, stated that she "wasn't smart enough to think of that", so maybe it will be of some service to someone ;)

My pantry is a nice sized closet in my kitchen. It is much longer than it appears, because it goes way back in around the corner. I love it! I was very excited about it when we moved in, because I've never had a true pantry.

So I began loading it up. Trouble was, things (boxes especially) kept tipping over. The shelving is of the coated wire variety and smaller items just won't stand up or tip when they get scooted around.

So, I use shoe box sized plastic bins for smaller boxes, or bags of any kind. Of course, being the organizational freak that I am, like items MUST be stored with like items (crackers, chips, tea, baking items, side dishes, candy...)!


There you go. Nothing earth shattering, but hey, it's what works for ME!

Tea Time Tuesday: Faithfulness.

The Fruit of the Tea Spirit is Faithfulness. By keeping a tea time mindset we can produce faithfulness in our lives. Here's what I mean:

We get our tradition of Afternoon Tea from the British. They are FAITHFUL to their tea time! The entire country practically comes to a halt every day at 5:00 PM.

Queen Victoria's former butler said this about her tea time routine, "Wherever Her Majesty the Queen is in the world, 5 PM signals time for tea."

Wherever she is in the world, whatever she is doing, she takes time for tea!

I'm thinking there are some areas in my life that would be greatly benefited by such faithfulness. What would my life look like if I applied some faithfulness to my devotional time with God, to exercising, to checking in on people from church, to spending personal time with each of my kids, to tell my husband how truly grateful I am for all that he does for me.

I'm not talking about getting into bondage over anything, just taking a cue from our brothers and sisters "across the Pond". If it is truly important to us, we will manage to be faithful to it!

Funny, didn't God do just that?

Miracle Grow.

**Be warned up front: I haven't blogged in a week, this is bound to be a whopper! This is also my 100th post..Yay! I'm workin' on that 100 things thing for later in the week. **

Did ya miss me? I definitely missed all of you! Thank you for the encouragement regarding my Internet fast. I did have a great time in the Lord...of course, like most things in my life, it didn't go quite as I had expected!

My blog reading, blog commenting, blog writing, blog comments responding time was sown as seed on the good ground of my family.

I would truly need to write a book to share all that God has done in my heart and life this week (and maybe I will!), but a few things stand out as monumental.

The first one was the catalyst to my bloggy break: last Sunday's sermon. Pastor preached on Jehovah Sabbaoth - the Lord of Hosts. In a nutshell, God fights our battles for us. At the end of the service, I had a very powerful moment with God in which he showed me that He would destroy my "Jericho walls" if I would stop trying to knock them down in my own strength! There have been some very formidable walls in my life lately. Walls standing between me and what has been promised to me. Walls around specific people, walls around my ministry, walls around my health, walls around my peace.

Let me tell you, folks, I can SHOUT! Just ask anyone in that service, because shout I did! The picture of those walls coming down was so intense in my spirit, all I could do was shout like the children of Israel shouted at the walls surrounding their land of promise. And just as Jericho's walls crumbled thousands of years ago, the walls keeping me out of my inheritance were left in a heap of rubble! Hallelujah! Glory to God!

As the week progressed, the Lord revealed more and more of Himself to me. On Tuesday, I spent the day writing a message that is probably the most important thing I've ever written. **If you'd like for me to come to your church and deliver it, just email me! Seriously, this thing is burning a hole in my pocket.** I honestly don't know what God's plan for it is, but I know He gave it to me as a "right now word" for the church! It's BIG, y'all.

Then came Fay. I think most of you know we live in Tallahassee. Well, dear 'ol Fay dropped about 20 inches of rain on us here from Friday to Sunday! That's a lot of rain. She just couldn't seem to get up and go.

Reminds me of the time I was late for school (very small private, Christian school) and my mom went in to the office with me, to get me a pass to class. The secretary asked why was I late. My mother replied, "Oh, I don't know, we just couldn't seem to get it in gear this morning." As I walked out toward my classroom, I glanced down at the tardy slip. In the space marked reason for tardiness, the secretary had written, "Car trouble"! True story.

So, we had much time this weekend to do nothing. On Friday, RedDaddy announced his plan for a family nap time. Only trouble was, I couldn't sleep. The up side is, this gave me the perfect opportunity for quiet uninterrupted prayer! God used the message He had given me as an outline for my time with Him. Holy Guacamole, was that some seriously productive prayer time!!

Saturday night RedDaddy and I managed to get out for a date. It was still a bit of a blustery day, but we were desperate ;) We had some discussion about our ministry future, our present circumstances, and some overall self-pity kind of whining.

Fast-forward to 11:00 AM Sunday morning. Our church dedicated it's newly renovated and much updated children's facility during the 9 AM service. In the second service the contractor/senior pastor who designed and created "Kidtropolis" preached a fantastic sermon. Get this: without any idea what Pastor had preached last week, he used the same three...THREE..passages of Scripture!

This time the message was on leaving the past behind and moving forward. I can not possibly express what it meant to me and to RedDaddy! Something happened, something in the spirit, something VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.

What used to be so confusing and convoluted, is becoming so clear. What was such a messy maze of uncertainty, is beginning to be a straight path to fulfillment! While much of it was personal, suffice it to say that yesterday was a defining day for us.

For my part, confidence is returning...actually, it is more than confidence, it is boldness. A boldness which I am not sure I have ever experienced! Based on what God is doing in my heart and life, I have a renewed confidence that I truly am an able minister of the New Testament, and my sufficiency is of God! (2 Corinthians 3:5&6) Would you pray for me as Paul asked his friends to pray the he would gain utterance and speak boldly the mystery of the gospel, as he ought to speak (Ephesians 6:19&20)?

Okay, one more thing: guess when I planted these seeds? They were seeds.

Tuesday. These pictures were taken Sunday.

I didn't do anything spectacular to them. I put them in "good ground" and Fay dumped huge amounts of water on them. I think because of the box around them, they were protected from being washed away and were "forced" to sprout due to all that water.

Do you know what water represents in the Bible? The Word of God. Let that sink in (pun intended)! Spiritual growth doesn't take long stretches of time. It does however require a heart prepared for the seed and large doses of the Word of Almighty God.

My own heart is sprouting like mad! What God has planted is finally beginning to come to life. I am convinced it is because I have weeded out everything but what He has spoken...my own personal brand of Miracle Grow. I wonder if I can market that...

Catch Ya On The Flip Side.

I'm fasting this next week. Fasting the Internet.

Yesterday was a glorious Lord's Day! God spoke some powerful things to my heart. In order to make the most of them, I've decided to be very focused on Him, His voice, and what He is doing in my life.

I'll be back next Monday, hopefully a refreshed, restored, and renewed Fuschia!

I know I'll have LOTS to share.

Oh, and this is my 99th post...you know what that means!

Have a terrific week, and pray for me, that I will obtain ALL that the Father has for me in this time of "circumcision of the heart".

I Love a Good Illustration.

This is Cinnamon. He is MY bird.


I am the one who wanted a bird. Because, obviously, I didn't have enough things to nurture and care for. The kiddos wanted a puppy...yeah, no. RedDaddy is allergic to anything with fur, so that pretty much ruled out four-legged pets altogether.


I had a parakeet as a kid. Her name was Heidi, and she lived with my grandparents. So, I guess I didn't really "have" a parakeet. But I thought of her as "mine".

I have always loved birds...cardinals being my favorite, but robins, sparrows, hawks, finches. (Not so fond of buzzards or blue jays.) Someday I'll share the story of my grandmother's "red birds" and the lessons God has taught me through them.

But today, it's about Cinnamon. He's (we actually think he's a she, but we're trying to throw RedDaddy a bone) a cinnamon cockatiel. That makes his name very original doesn't it? Too bad, I like it!

I got Cinnamon on Christmas Eve last year. I set out quickly to "tame" him. People are viewed as predators to birds, and so trust must be built. I worked very hard at that, and within a few weeks was rewarded with a shoulder buddy! He would step up on my finger whenever I put my hand out, and eagerly hopped on my shoulder to perch while I went about my day. We were buds.

Were.

No, he is still with us. But after a few months, his wings began to grow out (they had been clipped when we bought him), and he started flying into windows and the glass front of my china cabinet. He would hit so hard, I was certain he'd hurt himself. So, I decided not to let him our of his cage until we could get his wings clipped again.

Well, life kept us from taking care of that for a few months. I finally felt so bad about his captivity that I decided to clip his wings myself (with Peach's help). I had read online how-to's and watched a couple You Tube videos of it being done, so I was confident that we could handle it.


We carefully "caught" him in a towel, making sure his wings were tucked the right direction and that he was able to breathe. Peach gently stretched out each wing and held it while I did the clipping (holding Cinnamon in one hand and scissors with the other). It went quickly and well...until I attempted to "catch" him again to clip his claws.


He freaked out and I caught him by the tail, he pulled away, and a blood feather came out. A blood feather is one that is growing. The quills of blood feathers are filled with blood (much like the quick of a fingernail). Ouuuuch!


I know it hurt. I had NO intention of pulling that feather out. HE caused his own demise by not trusting me.


Hmmmm...


You know that'll preach don't you? Well, it will. And it's going to. Right now.


God desires above all else to have a relationship with us. A relationship in which we trust Him for our provision (physical, emotional, and spiritual provision). Once we enter into that relationship, often we begin to ask Him to improve us. In His wisdom, God realizes we need some clipping. He knows the things that are a danger to us, just like I knew the china cabinet posed a hazzard for Cinnamon.


But just like my bird, we get "freaked out" when He starts cutting. He's not going to hurt us! He knows what He's doing (even more than I did!). We think, "If He cuts that off it'll be painful." Or, "I neeeeed that to 'fly' like I've always 'flown' before!" And before we know it we've lost our trust in our Heavenly Father.


Not through any fault of His. Through our own fear and doubt!


You know what's sad about my relationship with Cinnamon? We are having to start all over. He will let just about anyone else hold him and cuddle with him...but not me. Even though the pain was self-inflicted, he is afraid of getting too close to me.


But, that's okay. I love him anyway. I'm in for the long haul. I'll keep trying, keep making myself available, keep giving him opportunities to realize that I have nothing but the best of intentions where he is concerned. I just want to love him.





He'll figure it out eventually, and when he does my heart will sing!

Just like God's.

Just 'Cause She's Cute!

"Look Mama, I dressed me-self!"

Drum-roll Please!

Yesterday I received two bloggy awards. Count 'em. One. Two.


The first one came from my very dear friend RhoDelta. She says I make her smile. Well, right back at ya Rho! This lady is a trip. I wish you all could meet her in person. Oh well, I guess I'll have to keep her all to myself...Yay!!



I'm supposed to tag 5 people for this one:

Connie from Texas (because she ALWAYS encourages me!)

Tonya (because the pictures she posts of her kids do, in fact, make me smile.)

Dee Dee (because I can SO relate, and that makes me smile.)

Mimi (though, she already received this award, I can't help it.)

Katherine (because we mom's of five have to stick together.)

Okay, now I'm not sure how in the world I earned this one:

Because, there's nothing Brillante about this blog 'o mine. But I'm thankful nonetheless, Jonny's Mommy!! And how am I ever going to tag seven bloggers for this one? Yikes! Ummm:

Sarah (because without her Brillante-ness our family would still be eating hot dogs and mac 'n cheese twice a week!)

Same thing goes for Alyssa.

And ditto for Crystal.

Ashley (because any college-age girl with a heart for God like hers is definitely Brillante!)

Donetta (probably already received this, but the way she touches my heart is absolutely Brillante.)

I know Queen B has already gotten this award like thirty times, but come on, her blog is Brillante...no doubt about it.

And because many of my readers (all four of you) have probably never read her blog, Stephanie's use of her crock-pot every day for a year is truly Brillante!

WOW! I did it...I picked 12 different bloggers for awards. Doesn't that qualify me for an award or something?

It's Your Turn.

I'm struggling. There's no doubt about it; I am plain and simply struggling.

My life is not an easy one. I knew it wouldn't be when I began the push for the fourth child. In fact, when the fifth child was on the way I was so overwhelmed with what that was going to mean, I cried for three weeks! Really.

Not that I'm typically a whiner. For the most part I'm a "Git 'Er Done!" kind of girl. I just knew it would be a lot of work, and I wished that we could have had a bit more time to adjust to four kids, before we had to jump right in to having five kids. (Remember #4 and #5 are only 15 months apart.)

But, I put on my big-girl panties and got with the program...and quick! You know what? It wasn't all that much more difficult to throw a couple extra diapers in the bag, make one more bottle, wash one more little body in the tub, and put one more bow on another head.

This is where I need to brag on my older two girls. Ruby and Peach stepped up to the plate in a big way when Rose and Scarlet were on the way and were tiny. THEY ROCK!! My "big girls" can (and do) babysit, cook, do laundry, clean the ENTIRE house, and help with the basic running of this household! Coral is in training, as well, and can be a great help...when she wants to be ;)

I feel like all we ever do is clean and pick up and put away laundry, and yet...it's NEVER clean around here!! I love a clean house, but I'll settle for a tidy, non-biohazardous house. I can't seem to make it happen.

We do housework five days a week: each girl has a particular room to clean every day, rotating with each other every week. So, basically, my entire house, top to bottom, gets cleaned every single week. Should be great, right? Not so great!

It takes them FOREVER to do one bathroom or to dust and vacuum, say, the living room. When I say forever, I mean three hours...seriously! And then I have to send them back to either correct or complete the job, often more than once.

I realize they are kids. But, not really. Ruby is 15 and Peach is 13 (almost 14). At their ages I was cleaning our whole house by myself and doing my own laundry. I know I sound so old when I say that, but it's true.

Here's my struggle: We need to accomplish a day's worth of homeschool, keep our home tidy and clean, take care of the little ones, prepare meals, and have time for character training (nice way of saying "discipline"), and...wouldn't it be great...have some FUN time, too.

Am I asking too much? And if not, how in this world do I accomplish this?! I am constantly finding myself caught between a clean house or educated children. Nothing like a rock and a hard place for comfort!

Then there's this: This morning I was listening to a CD message by Barbara Benton. She made a point that hit me hard: It doesn't matter what gifts God gives you, if you don't use them. She cited Solomon's later years, and his choice to not use the vast wisdom God had granted him.

Then my mind goes here: I am called to family ministry. I speak to people (women especially) about how to effectively run a family and household...Ha! I mean my email address is Proverbs4mom (the wisdom chapter, if you were wondering; you can read it at the bottom of my blog page)! So, am I just fooling myself that I have anything to give to anyone? Do I need to shut up until I can put up? Am I like Solomon; do I have God's wisdom, but lack the ability to use it?

I'm asking you, bloggers, and lurkers alike. Some of you know me personally, and some of you only have a high alititude view, but I want any and all opinions on this! Does my lack of success in keeping all the balls in the air mean I am missing something? Am I just too hard on myself, or do I have a real problem which needs to be addressed?

I am honestly in a battle of the mind over this! Part of me wants to tell the devil to shut up, but another part of me is unsure this self-doubt is actually comng from him. If you have anything at all to suggest, any words of wisdom from ones who have gone before, and encouragement from ones in the trenches, even a godly rebuke would be welcome...bring it!

**If you read this blog and have never commented, today would be a great day to de-lurk and help a girl out! (especially you there from Memphis, Tennessee :)**

Tea Time Tuesday: Goodness.

The Fruit of the Tea Spirit for this week is Goodness. Interesting, based on yesterday's post, isn't it?

It seems that everywhere I look lately I am confronted with the goodness of God. Oh, He is so wonderful to me!

Keeping the mindset of tea time helps us to focus on that goodness. The beautiful tea wares, the abundance of food, the company of friends...all of these things remind us of how ultimately GOOD God is.

Speaking of good...how about a good recipe today? These scones are fantastic with a hearty tea like English Breakfast or Earl Grey.

Cinnamon Pecan Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 TBLS granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1-3/4 tsp cinnamon

5 TBLS unsalted butter

1 cup pecan pieces

1 large egg yolk

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well. Cut butter into flour (I use my fingers) until it resembles coarse crumbs. Form a well in center of flour mixture. In a medium bowl combine pecans, egg yolk, sour cream, and vanilla. Blend mixture together just until sticky. Knead dough on floured surface for 10 turns. Form a ball and pat out to 8 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thickness. Cut circle into 8 wedges. Place wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush tops with beaten egg. Bake 10-12 minutes.

It's raining as I am writing this. What a great day for tea and scones!

I may just whip some up, share them with my girlies, and bask in the goodness of it all!

The Head and Not The Tail.

Some very exciting things are happening in our family right now!

Things I don't fully understand, things I don't have the complete picture on, things only God can see. Our ministry is coming back to life!

Oh, how I have wanted to say those words. My heart sings at the very thought!!

I know that I have not finished "Our Story", so most of you don't know what all has transpired.

Incredibly short version: We are called as pastors. RedDaddy went to Bible School for two years while working full-time (we were part-time Youth Pastors at that time also). We then moved 320 miles to a city in which we knew NO ONE. We used our own personal life savings to plant a church.

Plant as in: form a 501 (c) (3) Not For Profit Corporation; obtain, remodel, and decorate retail space; purchase all furnishings (two office suites, a conference room, nursery, kitchen, 200 chairs, and pulpit) sound equipment, office supplies and equipment, children's church materials, TV/VCR/DVD's; create and purchase all printed materials (letter head, welcome packets, bulletins, offering envelopes...anything a church uses on a weekly basis); design and purchase building signs and banners; all advertising, including a 20,000 piece demographic directed mailer.

We did all of this by ourselves physically and financially. We hired a couple as Worship Leaders from our home town, as well. We paid them a salary for a few months until he decided it would be better for all parties if he took a full-time job in the community and worked at the church part-time. While we were thankful for the relief this provided financially, we were sad to lose the help and support (though, we FULLY understood!). They resigned completely and moved back south a couple months later.

I said this was to be the short version...sorry.

Our vision was that the church would be up and running in a few months and hoped that at it's One Year Anniversary would be able to pay us a salary. (We had been counselled by another pastor who had done this successfully.)

That did not happen for us. At the church's One Year Anniversary we announced to the only other couple involved (at one time we were up to about 50 attendees) that we were going to shut it down and seek what God would have us do.

We were out of options. We had spent ALL of the money we had in the world and were going into debt, which we KNEW was NOT God's plan! When we left our hometown we had $100,000 equity in our home, six vehicles (five with no debt), and two Rolex watches...all of which we sold to pay the bills on our ministry. We went through roughly $200,000 in that year and then had no job, no ministry, and nothing to call our own.

Sounds pretty bleak doesn't it? It was.

BUT...THE LORD!!

Within two weeks we had found the church where God had us plant ourselves! Our first service there, a word of prophecy was given that was so specific to us I openly sobbed. He said that He had not forgotten us and His plan would be accomplished!

Just try to tell me that wasn't from my Father!

Six weeks later RedDaddy had a job with a godly man in the church, making a salary comparable to what he made before we moved! The Lord was doing truly miraculous things in our finances...things I can not write here (got to protect the innocent and all ;). God was also restoring us as a family. Our kids had had literally NO friends for over a year; they made good friends in our new church almost overnight! RedDaddy and I had been a bit starved for godly adult interaction, as well. Now, a little over a year later, we have more close friends than ever in our lives before.

Back to what prompted this post. Last night RedDaddy said to me, "We're coming back. Don't you think?"

Yesterday he preached both services for our pastor, who is out of town. He did an awesome job! His message was on the love of God. Specifically, the point was that God is all about having a relationship with us. He's NOT about the do's and the don't's. The Holy Spirit inside a believer is the only thing that can affect permanent change. We as Christians need to focus on the relationship with our Heavenly Father and quit trying to do all the "stuff"! We also need to disciple new believers in Relationship Building 101, not Shape Up Your Life 101 (He didn't say it that way, I added the 101 part).

Both services were very moving and were just what I believe each group needed to hear. Oh, how precious is the Anointing of God!

I had a word of exhortation, which I delivered and was received with enthusiasm.

Overall, it was a great day for the Pink family :) Hey, we were even wearing pink!

Last Monday I had the opportunity to teach some couponing and home management to our ladies fellowship. RedDaddy and I are leading a small group on Wednesday nights. And our pastor gives us many opportunities to preach and teach.

While we don't have all of the pieces in place yet, it is evident that God still desires to use us in ministry. Whew! The call is still burning strong in both of our hearts. The anointing is still in residence. Opportunities to minister are beginning to present themselves more and more frequently. And, most importantly we are growing in God as a family!

Yeah, life is good!

Whadda Ya Think?

I love it!

For the last two days, as you may have noticed, the flowers in my blog header wouldn't load. I assumed I'd have to re-upload my template.

Now, the last time I did that I lost all my widgets and such. Not that I had that much to save, but it freaked me out nonetheless! I wasn't looking forward to that kind of torture again so soon.

I decided that if I was going to re-do everything anyway, I might as well get it the way I want it. Not that I'm particular or anything. What?

Do you know what I have longed for on my blog? Besides a readership of say, over 15 people a day. Well, and other than a professional custom design.

Give up?

A three column template!

Guess what I created...and I do mean created? A three column template!

And, it's too cute!!

Yes! I! Am! Shouting! It's the little things in life, ladies, that make it all worth while.

Next up: a custom signature created by Yours Truly. I mean after giving birth five times, the fuel pump, and the garden box, how hard can it be?

Birthday Booty.

That's booty, as in "a valuable prize or gain", not BOO-TAAAAY. Nobody would want to see that!

I'm kinda missing Works For Me Wednesday, so I decided to do my own version today.

Gift-giving is definitely my love language. Which means that I love to GIVE gifts and I love to RECEIVE gifts. I just don't seem to be able to come home from a store without something for someone. It doesn't have to cost much at all; as long as it's something I think the recipient will enjoy, I'm good.

Now, can you imagine how much I love Christmas? No. You can't!

Then there is my birthday. Oh, Lordy! I love my birthday. And my friends sure do seem to love me.

Do they know me, or what? The cute pink bucket came filled with all the pink bath goodies, from Alicia. RhoDelta gave me the fantastic travel coffee mug...in pink and green...that I absolutely adore! The two-tone pink bracelet at the bottom was a bribe, I think. It came from the lady who talked me into the pie war.

Of course, nobody knows me like my bosom friend, who sent me this fuschia bracelet...with a Starbuck's gift card!

All of this was my awesome Target find! My in-law's sent me a check to shop with, which I used for my garden supplies. I went to Target one evening (all alone...oh, how glorious!) and found a really nice canvas garden bag, complete with spade, hand cultivator, pruners, and shears...all in pink, of course! On the same shelf were matching garden clogs and kneeling pad. Oh, the joy in my heart!

When I got home Scarlet wanted me to model with her. I'm particularly fond of the Minnie Pearl price tag on the hat!

The next weekend we went to Lowe's and bought all the supplies for my Square Foot Garden....which I built with my own two hands. Right after I replaced the fuel pump in my mini-van ;)

Now, if only I can get something planted in that garden!

I must say: Birthday presents from great friends are what Works For Me!

And the Winner Is...

Obviously not me!!

Yes, the boys won the offering contest in VBS. Which meant that Yours Truly got a pie in the face!

And, yes, that is my husband doing the honors.

While I knew it was coming, I tried to look uncertain and worried before the announcement:

RedDaddy, on the other hand, was cool and confident...a little too cool and confident, if you ask me:

Check out that smirk! He offered to take the pie for me, but I knew some 10 year old boys that would be on the fast track to mutiny! Seeing this picture of his face, I'm seriously considering our pastor's offer for marriage counselling!


Not to change the subject...well, actually TO change the subject:


Last night I had the opportunity to share with our Ladies Fellowship all about my couponing adventures. It was a lot of fun, as I have been getting such a charge out of saving money! These ladies seemed to catch the bug. It is rewarding to be able to help other families survive the rising costs of gasoline and groceries!


The Lord has been impressing a phrase on my heart for several months. Last night I told the ladies at Joy Fellowship that I think I have figured out what it means.


The phrase was: Loaves and Fishes. For me, it means that while it may not look like I have much, God is going to multiply what I am willing to share with others, and we will all have MORE than enough.


Be encouraged today that God is the God of More Than Enough!


(Oh, for all of you who couldn't figure out yesterday's second random thing about Fuschia: my parents were married twice...to each other!)


**Tea Time Tuesday will be back next week**

Somebody Loves Me!

It's a great feeling to be loved...especially by Mimi.

You have met Beachy Mimi, haven't you? If not, you are sorely missing out! So, go meet her already.

She tagged me for a meme. Mimi tgged me for a meme. **hee hee**

Rules of Engagement:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.

2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).

3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).

4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.

5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Six things you never wanted to know about Fuschia

1) I'm a terrible liar; just can't do it.

2) My father used to correctly tell people that I was from his first marriage, and then introduce my mother as his second wife. (Think about it.)

3) I have a serious thing for mysteries: books, movies, games, you name it!

4) I can NOT deal with chewing gum! Don't chew it, don't want to see it, and there is NO WAY on earth I can do the "Here spit it into my hand, I'll throw it away for you" thing...not for my husband, not for my kids...okay, I'm sufficiently grossed out for one morning!

5) On the other hand, while I don't enjoy it, cleaning up various bodily fluids has never been a big problem for me.

6) I am in desparate need of a vacation...just me and RedDaddy, even a weekend would do it!

All done!

Just imagine how exciting my 100 things post is going to be. I know!

Hey,

Mama Hen

Tonya

Audra

Jonny's Mommy

Sarah

Katy

You're it!

S.O.S.

Blogger is experiencing technical difficulties, which means that I am experiencing technical difficulties.

It appears that some of you, too, are experiencing technical difficulties.

In the immortal words of HSM: "We're all in this together!"

I'll be posting pictures of The Great Pie in the Face Episode of 2008, or as our pastor alternately titled it, Perhaps Some Marriage Counselling.

Stay tuned!!

**Tonya: I will read your post as soon as Blogger is back to normal :)**

More Than A Few Good Men.

I was telling RhoDelta this morning that my blogging mojo is a bit dry right now. It's not really that; I have several posts awaiting pictures which have either not been taken, or need to be emailed to me. I have several posts brewing, but just not quite ready for publication. I had a great WFMW all ready to go, but that's been postponed until mid-August.

So.

Yesterday I took RedDaddy to work. Actually, I've taken him to work everyday this week...at 6:15 AM! My get up time is usually somewhere between "when I get good and ready" and "when all the shouting begins". (Hey, I'm a homeschooler...it's allowed!)

On my way home, there was a discussion on the Christian radio station (I don't usually listen to Christian radio, specifically due to the discussion that is frequently present...I'm not a big fan of DJ's who use the microphone as a pulpit, when they have no calling to preach, no anointing to preach, and often no discernment to preach.) **Stepping down off of soap box.**

This particular discussion centered around the DJ's question, "Why don't more men WANT to go to church?" He talked about how women are typically the ones who desire to attend church, but men are not as keen on it; he shared his own reluctance to enter into worship publicly; his opinion ended with the idea that men are not as emotional, and therefore the emotionalism of church just doesn't draw most men in, followed by a story of how he was able to draw another man into a mission trip by making him feel needed.

UGH!

It seemed to me that the entire conversation (callers included) was focused on feelings. How men feel about church. How women feel about church. And ultimately how to get men to feel something different that would make them feel like going to church!

I'm not sure what to address first, the spiritual reason (which is the only reason that matters) that men don't desire to attend church, or the complete dependence of the American population to feed their emotions! **Yeah, I'm back up on the soap box. But at least I'm anointed for this!**

Let's begin with the "I don't feel like it" argument. Grow up! I mean, really. Every adult I know does things every single day they do not feel like doing. Things like getting out of bed, at say, 6:00 to, oh I don't know, perhaps take their husbands to work; things like scrubbing toilets, and wiping bottoms, and cleaning up vomit; things like working hard manual labor 10 hours a day; things like dealing with aging, infirm parents; things like selling cherished possessions to pay the mortgage!

"Oh, gee, I'll go to church if they make me feel good about it." Give. Me. A. Break.

People don't go to church because they don't want to! They don't have a relationship with God because that requires them to be honest. They don't connect with other believers because that requires accountability. They don't get involved because that would require them to give of themselves!

Making the church meeting less emotional, more contemporary, having more programs, changing the format one more time will not get more men to come to church.

Ladies, want to see more men attend church, specifically your own husband? Give him headship. Pray for him. Pray that God will reveal to him the importance of his role as the spiritual leader of his home. And then let him be the leader!

See, the REAL reason more men do not like church, is that there is a specific spiritual battle against them. Satan knows what we seemingly do not: that if the men rise up and take their rightful place in the Kingdom of God, the entire family will follow!

Think about it: how many men do you know who attend church alone, leaving their family at home on Sunday morning? Me? None. How many women come to church without their husbands?

There is a reality to the headship of the husband that contemporary America (and, sadly, the Church) wants to ignore, if not outwardly deny!

What do we, as women do to get our husbands or our neighbors to stand in their spiritual authority as the leader of their homes?

First, acknowledge the truth!

Eph 5:23
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.KJV

Next, stop fighting a spiritual battle in the flesh!

Eph 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.KJV

This one is going to have to be fought on our knees. Changing the church's programs or format will not get it done.

And finally, remember Who your God is!!

John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.KJV1

2 Chron 20:15

Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God'sKJV