My Points in Time

MORE Favorite Things 101-111

2012-01-30T20:54:00.002-06:00

Just when you thought it was safe to click on the http://www.mypointsintime.blogspot.com/ link. HA! Yes...more favorites. This could go on all year, you know.

No, really, it could.

I have been a little remiss over the past few days in writing, because I've gotten all caught up in this little website called "Pinterest" (http://www.pinterest.com/). Of course, you have to have an invitation to join (which is easy enough to obtain...OBVIOUSLY...because they let me in) and it is a little bit challenging at first to figure out. I say that only because it was a little bit challenging for ME to figure out.

The purpose of Pinterest is to take all of those really cool ideas that you used to put in a folder for later but never got around to on an online bulletin board (or 32). Each of your boards is named whatever you want it to be named (just scroll to the bottom to add new boards...this took me a week to realize...no lie) and you can edit the boards if you do something boneheaded like put "30 Ways To Get Underarm Stains Out Of Your Laundry" under recipes.

Of course, "pinning" those 30 ways was a bit well...nasty...though. To put it under "recipes" is just doubly heinous.

I have boards for many things including a couple of the ones that they originally stick on there for everybody. There is something called "My Style" which I assume is supposed to be for pinning all of those great outfits that you could put together to look cute.

Yeah, I deleted that bad boy.

I added ones for "Someday..." for wedding ideas for Jill's future "big day" although I don't see that day coming anytime soon. On one hand,..."yay!" because I can't afford it at this point in time, and I don't see anybody chasing her with gazelle-like intensity (to paraphrase Dave Ramsey). On the other hand "boo" because several in her class are either already married or headed in that general direction and there's always that nagging fear that she will one day just marry something just because it's time.

Yikes.

Anyway, I've been on Pinterest a lot (which is "pin" for like what you do to a bulletin board and "interest" like what interests you) entirely too much...so I'm trying to take a break and get back here and write a little bit.

About other things I like. Yeah, that's different.

But here goes...

101. Pinterest

Yeah, bet you saw that one coming, yes? I've already described it...but I will attempt to show you a few things that were on there this week.

Homemade Olive Garden salad dressing. (ROCK ON.)

Someone (not me...I didn't pin this one) said that this was his/her "Favorite place in Paris." Hey, what's not to like about Paris, right?

Or this? C'mon...you know it's awesome.

So, check out Pinterest and follow my boards. Or not. Chances are I'll be ripping off (er..."pinning") stuff off yours anyway.

102. Pink Carnations

I am a Phi Mu (note the use of the word AM instead of WAS) and our flower is the pink carnation. These were in the flowers at our wedding, and if I see them...I smile. I realize that a lot of people see them as funeral flowers...but me? I see them as happy reminders of a point in time when I was young, thin, and had the world by its tail. Or something like that.

103. Peanut Butter

I have been attempting to be faithful to a healthy diet for the past 18 days. Yes, I'm counting.

There have been a few times that have been difficult...and more often than not, they involve peanut butter. Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein...but it is also an excellent source of carbohydrates and fat...two of the very things I'm trying to escape.

Peanut butter is best with chocolate...but it is also very good with apples. Apples are good, yes? (FYI: Apples with peanut butter...much better.)

I have always liked peanut butter...and I'll admit that Jif Extra Crunchy is my favorite. Creamy is fine...but I need some texture. Obviously, a LOT of texture. Hopefully, peanut butter will fit into my diet someday in a way that isn't over the top crazy...but since I could actually eat it out of the jar with a spoon...abstaining is probably going to be in my best interest.

104. St. Augustine, FL Family Reunions

When I was younger (and at least once while I've been older...), I've attended family reunions in St. Augustine. My father is one of thirteen children, and when you have 36 first cousins...a family reunion is like a gathering on steroids. It was even bigger than that because the oldest cousins were having children the same age as some of the younger cousins. And so on.

With that many children being born and named...it was inevitable that some of us have the same name as our cousins. Including me. I have an older cousin named Karen Marie (I was Karen Leigh)...and since she was born to one of my Dad's sisters...she had a different last name. But we didn't win the name duplication prize...

That would go to the name "Michael" shared by my cousins Michael Augustine (Mike) and Michael Davis and my little brother, Michael (also Mike) Toner. Yes.

Many of my cousins have first or middle names after one (or more) of the original 13 children or the grandparents. Or maybe they weren't named after them at all...they just ran out of names. I suppose either theory could hold water.

In fact, my sister, Kathleen has my grandmother's name "Dorothy" as her middle name. So did my Aunt Dot, and my cousin, Marianna.

To remember who everyone was and who belonged to who...I had to memorize the children in order and taught my siblings to do the same. (Ann, Jacqueline (Jay), Dot, John, Patty, Walter, Jimmy, Eileen, Eugene (Butch), Eddie, Don, Donna (Cookie) and David). This was especially helpful with those cousins with the same name.

I loved going to those family reunions as a child...and I enjoy keeping up with my cousins Lynne, Mark, Michael, Patricia, David, and Gerry and cousins-in-law Darcy and Kristin on Facebook. Hopefully, we'll head back to St. Augustine for another reunion soon. I for one...am ready.

105. Crocheting

When I was somewhere around 10 or 11...Mr. Billy Daniel's mother taught me to crochet. I practiced and finally learned to branch out a little bit...but I still enjoy sitting down and creating something beautiful. Several years ago, I decided to crochet a blanket for everybody in the family...all in one year...for Christmas. I did it...but it wasn't easy! Especially since I was in college at the time.

Yeah, yeah, "several year ago" is relative.

I still enjoy sitting down and crocheting blankets although I do have one baby blanket that I - no lie - started in 1989 when I was pregnant with Jill...and still never finished it. I still have it...and one day I'm going to finish it.

Hopefully, it will be by the time I have grandchildren. Oy.

106. Queen Latifah

I absolutely love just about any movie that Queen Latifah (Dana Elaine Owens is her real name) is in. She just seems like one of the most real people on the screen...and what's not to love about that. She started out as a rapper...and moved into acting...and now producing. All I know...is the woman is talented...as well as a pitchwoman for CoverGirl.

And for those of you who were in the Jr. High Glee Club in Thomaston...you'll recognize that song.

107. Def Leppard

I have been a fan of Def Leppard for a number of years...but it started when I was in graduate school (1986-88). I would work all day...go to class...and would find myself up around 11:00 at night all jacked up on Diet Coke. I would turn on my Def Leppard tapes up LOUD as I was leaving AUM and would be able to sleep when I got home. I suppose just having the loud music (and the relief that the lectures were over) and some time to sing...made all the difference.

Most people don't realize that for at least part of Def Leppard's career...they have had a one armed drummer. Due to a car accident, the drummer lost his arm and developed a way of using his feet and his good arm to continue as the band's drummer. You can tell if you listen...but I love the fact that he overcame that adversity...and that the band encouraged him to do it.

Here are a few of the songs that I like the best. The first is OBVIOUSLY going to be "Pour Some Sugar On Me"...probably still played at men's clubs and in pole dancing clinics throughout the United States. (Ewww...but whatever.)

R.O.C.K. O.N.

Or this one...

Animal. Yes.

Or this attempt at a love song...

Hysteria. Ah, it still rocks. :)

Photograph...:)

Foolin'...and obviously before the accident...

Seriously...you ought to watch this one just for the 1980s cheese factor alone. I'm so serious. But I do like the song.

A few years ago, I saw the ultimate in "say WHO?" moments when I saw Def Leppard and Tim McGraw perform "Nine Lives" together. It totally rocked.

Ah, can't find the video...but here's the song. But you get the idea.

Love Def Leppard. Rock on.

108. Jelly Belly Buttered Popcorn Jelly Beans

I realize that everyone has their favorites. These are mine. Big time. I actually like most of the Jelly Belly jelly beans except for licorice and the cinnamon. If you have not tried these...you totally need to. I've also realized that I'm not alone in having these as a favorite because they sell them in a package by themselves. Yum.

109. People Who Beat the Odds

Much like the drummer in Def Leppard who continued on without an arm...I am a huge fan of people who beat the odds. It is pretty much a common thread among many of the people that I admire, and one that I never undervalue.

I love watching Special Olympics athletes compete, Cinderella teams, and people who were counted down and out coming back for an encore.

110. L'Occitane Rose Lotion

L'Occitane (pronounced LA-SEE-TAHN...at least in Birmingham, Alabama) sells some really great products, and they are mighty proud of said products as reflected in what they cost. In the summer of 2007, my sister's stepdaugher, Aurore, came over from France to spend several weeks with us. When I would go in to tell them goodnight, I would smell Aurore's lotion...and asked for it from my sister for Christmas. I still love that lotion and use it every night before I go to bed.

111. Letters and the U.S. Mail

I don't know about you...but I love getting mail. Not bills. Mail. Cards or letters that someone has chosen to take the time and expense to send me. I keep them all.

Every once in awhile when I am feeling low, I'll get out those letters and reread the sentiments. I'll laugh at the worries that I once had that are so far in the past that I am just grateful. I'll smile at the sweet words that someone who has gone on to be with Jesus has written me...and I'll feel that they are where they were here instead of where they are now.

I know that the postal service raises its rates every so often...and if truth be told...are we surprised at this? We now send our notes electronically or deliver our cards in person. We can stop our junk mail and credit card offers by calling a 1-800 number and many newsletters...and magazines...are available online.

I still make it a point to use the U.S. Mail every week on what I loosely term "Write a Friend Wednesday." I usually write whoever the Lord prompts me to write...and I hope that they enjoy getting mail as much as I do.

If that's possible.

Well, look...because I couldn't count...you got eleven instead of ten tonight...

Anyway, thank you for reading this list...and the next couple that I'll have coming over the next week or so. Those of you who are enjoying the blogposts...thank you for letting me know. It really means more than you know.

10 Things I Wish Parents Taught Their Children

2012-01-26T21:39:00.002-06:00

When I was a kid, I never doubted that I was loved...but I understood that certain privileges came with adulthood. Some households fed the children first to get them out of the way and allow the adults to eat...but that wasn't the case with me. I was given a plate and told to fend for myself. And I did.

Over the years, families have become increasingly more and more kid-centered. We've evolved from "children should be seen and not heard" to "you are not going to speak to my Princess like that" over a few generations. All of those Princesses are being unleashed on the world right now, by the way.

Can we all collectively go "O.M.G.!"

Frankly, I am not going to deny the fact that I'm a wee bit guilty. I mean, I used to bring lunch for my daughter at school every Friday for years (she was in high school), and I would have brought it to my son as well except that the school put in a cafeteria and stopped the Mommy Brigade in the foyer of the school halfway through his 9th grade year. I have bought things we didn't need (not at the level at some I've seen...but still...), paid for trips that were probably not fully desired or appreciated as they should have been, and bought cars for both of them and have paid for gas and insurance. I did most of this because it was just what we did. We really didn't think that much about it.

I thought that by not taking them for big vacations and buying everything that they wanted when they wanted that I was somehow exempt from the disdain that I held for others who were giving their 6th graders cell phones. I realize that some people do that now...but it wasn't as common back in 2002 when I was rolling my eyes.

Never mind that some of these kids were extremely involved in activities and had two separate households to keep up with because the parents had divorced. Or that I had no business whatsoever judging what other parents saw fit to do. I don't have to answer for those kids...or those outcomes.

I thought I was holding the line.

Hardly.

As my children have gotten older, I've realized that I did some things right...and some things a little less right than I'd like to admit...but I will. And it's okay. I'm still amazed at how incredibly awesome they both are. Since they are both technically adults at 19 and 22...I feel like I can render a rational assessment.

Here are the ten things that are springing to mind tonight. I'll be honest...#10 is what inspired this blogpost. I'm sure I'll overlook something obvious and include something random...but if you read this blog from time to time...you know that this is pretty much the way I roll.

10. If your child is over the age of four...teach them to get up and let an older person have their seat if an older person is standing. (If they are under four...they should be on your lap.)

Recently, I watched three pre-teen girls take the bench at a restaurant (I was waiting for a to-go order) while their mother and grandmother both stood up.

Excuse me?

I was sitting there, and I was so stunned that I got up and offered the grandmother my seat. I can only hope that the girls were paying attention...but they were probably too busy updating their Facebook timeline on their iPhone to notice.

Yeah, SEE...that whole "judging" thing comes pretty easy to me. Mercy? Not so much.

9. Unless you win a lawsuit (or at the dog track, heaven help us), inherit it, or invest well...money comes from WORK.  (Theirs or yours.)

So many parents these days want their children to have plenty of experiences growing up...from amazing trips, to camp, or mission trips. Even churches are now scheduling white water rafting trips that cost $75 for a few hours of fun or a trip to a really good concert to try to hold the kids' interest in church. Christmas is a massive explosion of consumer goods, cash, and gift cards. They live in apartments in college that have all of the amenities of home...and in some cases are even newer and better than what they grew up with because it is in a "safe" location or because that's where they want to live. Cars are purchased because "everybody" gets a new car when they turn 16, right?

Wrong. What we are doing is setting them up for a huge disappointment when they get out of college and they have to live on what they make. Unless, of course, you want them living in your basement or on your dime.

Don't even get me started on those that take longer than four years to finish college unless it is a specialized curriculum like engineering, nursing, or accounting...simply because the major was changed repeatedly. My solution to this is...take some time off...work...and then get yourself back in there and finish up. Co-op? Even better.

Our kids both went to work at age 16 because we knew it wouldn't kill them. And it hasn't. What it has done is made it possible for us to say "no" to something and give them the privilege of saving up for something they want. Shockingly, they tend to take better care of what they buy with their money.

Which is as it should be.

However, if it is money that they are taking from Mom and Dad then Mom and Dad get a chance to have a "say" in how those funds are employed...and pretty much about everything. When they pay their own way...they get to make their own decisions. Hopefully, getting away from this "input" will be one more incentive to get them out of college and gainfully employed.

8. If your Daddy doesn't like a boy you are dating, or if your Mama tells you that something about a friend makes her uncomfortable...that is not a suggestion for your consideration. Move on.

I saw the movie "Courageous" the other night...and the agreement that the Dad makes with his daughter to have input into who she dates is only for her own protection...not to keep her away from "her future husband." Puhleeze. How much baggage do women carry around because they believed a liar, a self-centered jerk or someone unworthy of them? Just because a young man pays attention to them does not mean he's worthy of their attention. Dads have an amazing "idiot radar" that God gives them when they bless them with a daughter.

And just because a girl is really sweet doesn't mean that Mama doesn't know she's trouble with a capital "T". We also know when our daughters are being "used" or if the character of the friend is highly suspect. Word gets around. We just don't always tell them what we know.

7. Just because you live in the house, does not mean that you are free from the responsibilities of running it. Someone has to take out the trash, load and unload the dishwasher and mow the grass. And that someone does not have to always be Mom and Dad.

And no...getting a maid is really not an option for most of us. Plus, if you don't want their roommates to lock them in the bathroom until they clean it because it is their turn (true story...but I'm not saying who...except that it wasn't me)...they may as well practice at home where it will be appreciated. (And probably rewarded.)

6. Dream big. Don't take the easy road.

Many kids graduate from high school and have no idea what they want to major in when they get to college. Others start out with a general idea, but the reality of professors who pick off freshmen for sport, time management problems, and the realization that they really do have to study a lot in certain majors...sends them scattering for alternatives. My thoughts?  They should spend time in high school shadowing other people through internships, work, or just following successful people around for a day.

And then when they get to the end of the road of their education...we need to tell them to think big. Don't just consider what they are comfortable with doing...think of all alternatives. Travel. Serve. Go. Enjoy. Before long...a mortgage, significant other, children and other obligations will make those things all but impossible.

5. Date nerds. They will one day rule the world.

Nerds also have less baggage, a deeper appreciation for their relationships, and a better chance of making a good living. They also know how to work for what they get. That will carry over into their relationship with your Precious.

Plus, nerds generally peak late...which is good. Often, the guy or girl who is all the rage in high school or college finds that those really were the best years of their life.

In this way, life really is somewhat fair.

4. God is real and it is possible to know Him.

The Bible can be confusing, people will always disappoint you, and the whole point of it all may not make sense. Tell them to keep seeking. He will meet them where they are. Don't forget to pray for them.

3. For the majority of your life, you are going to have to worry about what you eat.

You may as well not start them out eating chips, cookies, and fast food. You're just making it harder on them later. Better yet...get them in sports and have them join a gym when they are in high school. It will give them an incredible head start.

2. Never take people for granted.

I think that this is pretty universal...but how many kids don't get to really know some of their relatives or their parents' friends?   I love that my friend Carrie's girls always come down and sit and listen to our conversation when I am visiting. I like that my other-daughter, Lauren, calls me from time to time just to get my take on something.

I love that Jill has "other-mothers" that love her. She knows it and loves them in return. Had she not gotten to know them...she would have missed an incredible blessing.

1. Love. Just love.

There is no reason for any girl to run down another girl no matter what she may or may not have done. There is no reason for any boy to tease another boy or exclude him because he is not as cool as they think they are. There is no reason for kids to prey on the perceived weaknesses of others.

Sadly, they learn a lot of this by watching their parents.

The kids I've admired the most are those that never say anything unkind about others and treat everyone with value. They don't worry where in the "pecking order" a certain person is...they are going to love that person anyway. They aren't fake...they just believe that everyone deserves favor.

If parents taught their children only one of these things...I'd hope that it would be to love. In fact...it would change the world.

My Favorite Things 91-100

2012-01-24T21:35:00.001-06:00

As I've been doing these lists, I have been awed at how many things just pop in my mind and make it onto another sticky note that may or may not eventually be yet another list. Hope you don't mind this going on awhile...

91. L.L. Bean

I realize that "The Preppy Handbook" went out of style in say 1983, but one thing that it did do is introduce me to L.L. Bean. My stepfather, Ralph, was also an avid fan of this company that has been around for some 100 years. Just so you know, their items are guaranteed, and if you are inclined to test this...you'll find that it is true.

After being a customer for (OMGosh!) 30 years and counting...I can say that I probably always will be. I know that I spend most days "styling" in their black big girl stretch pants that are shipped free to me because they give free shipping all of the time. Of course, I got free shipping anyway because I have the L.L. Bean credit card that also gives me free monogramming and $10 coupons from time to time.

As I mentioned, I actually tested the "fully guaranteed" thing about a year ago. We received one bookbag that Jill wore out...but she had also dealt with being a bit defective from the start...so I sent it back. I included two pair of slippers that had also worn out prematurely.

All were replaced. Okay, technically, they gave us a gift card to replace them. But we did. These folks are for real.

I don't know anyone who makes a better bookbag, blanket, or pair of black big girl stretch pants than these people. You can order from them at http://www.llbean.com/.

92. Forgiveness

I realize that this is a big global concept...but it is also one of my favorites. Each of us has things that we've done that we wish we hadn't done in this life...and being forgiven is among the most wonderful things to experience. A few years ago, after a sermon at church, I made a list of people that I needed to apologize to and a list I needed to thank. I went down both of those and tried to be as faithful as I could to it. The only part I made myself promise to do once I was done...was to also forgive myself.

Some of us are carrying around garbage or "baggage" as we like to call it because someone has either dumped on us or we have just been incredibly stupid. While I am not advocating that we should just do whatever and then "let it go"...I will say that sometimes the wisest course is just to say "enough."

Enough.

Forgive those who have hurt you. Accept forgiveness from anyone who asks it of you. And most importantly...leave your baggage at the foot of the cross and forgive yourself. Life is too short to carry any unnecessary baggage. Or to cause anyone else to continue to carry theirs.

93. World's Finest Chocolate

When I was in junior high and high school, I was in the band. To raise money for our many needs...including trips, instruments nobody could afford without selling a kidney, and I'm sure many, many other important things...we sold "band candy" twice a year. It was actually World's Finest Chocolate and the name was totally accurate.

It was very tasty chocolate with almond pieces...and the wrapper always had a coupon on it that was generally worth at least part of the purchase price. Total win-win.

Yes. Just Yes.

Every once in awhile I will see a bar of World's Finest Chocolate...and if I do...I'll buy some. I mean, I used to buy a lot of what I was selling anyway.

94. Poo-pourri

A lot of you just read that and went...say who?

Okay, Poo-pourri is a product that has the following on its label: "Spritz the bowl before you go and no one else will ever know."

I was introduced to this product while traveling with my aunt, mother, and daughter to New York in December 2008. I have a hard and fast rule when there are a lot of people sharing a hotel room...and it is this..."if you need to GO go...you need to go downstairs to the lobby." I expressed this to my aunt who told me that she'd comply...but it really wasn't necessary. I didn't understand it until I got a bottle of my very own a few weeks later for Christmas.

Want to give a gift that you're fairly certain they won't have? Here you go.

As for me, I carry mine in my purse, and if I am in what can only be referred to as a "situation..." I don't worry. I have my handy spray. Trust me...it works. There are other scents including "No. 2" and a few others that I've seen made by the same company.

95. Will Ferrell Movies

Well, I'll admit that he's made a few that I can do without...but for the most part I love Will Ferrell movies. Granted, I have watched so much "Elf" in my lifetime that it is entirely possible that I may have been brainwashed by now. But I also loved "Talladega Nights" and "Anchorman" as well. I knew I liked Will Ferrell back in the day when he and Cheri Oteri were cheerleaders...for the chess team.

Yes.

Okay...you know that's funny...

But one of my favorite Will Ferrell moments was when he sang "Leather and Lace" with Dave Grohl (of Nirvana and Foo Fighters)...

Awesome. C'mon...you know it is.

96. Orbit Sweetmint Gum

I know it seems a little bit bizarre to pick out a specific gum...but this one seriously is my favorite. It tastes like peppermint...but not that cloying peppermint flavor that Altoids have...more of the kind that Girl Scout Thin Mints do. Yeah. That one.

What I like about this gum is that the flavor lasts for a really long time. I should know. I load up and then will wear out a piece of gum. I can't wear the gum out like Coach Gene Chizik (Auburn) can...but I'm close.

97. Pink

I realize that some of you reading this are thinking I mean the singer...but nope...not really. I'm talking about the color. I love every shade of pink from the palest pink that was once on my First Response pregnancy test telling me that Jill was on the way to pink that is so dark that it is a red wannabe.

I love pink. Which was really fortunate for me since I was a Phi Mu in college.

Ironically, in college, we wore red jerseys and had adopted the ladybug as our "mascot" in addition to the formal "Sir Fidel" that Phi Mu national touted. That has changed as pink has become far more mainstream than it was when I was younger. I suppose we can thank the 80s for that.

In the 70s...where earth tones and psychodelic orange and purple were a close second...pink was pretty much relegated to baby clothes, cotton candy, and Pepto-Bismol. It took MTV to really sell pink as a fashion statement...and by the time I graduated from college...pink was one of THE colors. And it hasn't been thrown from its perch...yet.

Which is, of course, as it should be.

98. People Who See More In You Than You See In Yourself

In my life, there have been people dotted along the landscape of my years drawing breath that have seen more in me than I've ever seen in myself. I had a third grade teacher that I only had half of the year because we moved mid-year from Jackson, Mississippi after my parents divorced. She realized that I was reading at a really high level and that I was blowing through the SRA Reading Labs at an alarming rate. As such, she ended up going to the fourth and then the fifth grades to keep me busy. The funny thing? For years...and I do mean YEARS...she would always remind me how smart I was. Even when I'd quit believing in myself.

Several years later, my friend, Lisa, and I were having lunch one day while we were talking about what we wanted to do that would surely be more fascinating than whatever we were doing at the time...and I told her that I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do. She told me that she saw me as a teacher...which was a shock to me at the time.

Of course, a few months later when I was offered the chance to teach banking classes, I remembered her words and thought I'd give it a whirl. That "whirl" turned into ten years of teaching banking classes to over 500 students. It gave me the chance to remind people who had been out of school for awhile that they should go back...and many did. I was also proud that one couple met in my class and ended up getting married. They now have four children (pregnancy two was triplets...with no fertility drugs) and both are still speaking to me...which totally rocks.

Recently I've had people tell me that they like to read what I write and have encouraged me to stay at it.

And so I do...grateful that they care enough to let me know.

99. Tim Hawkins

I don't know if you have ever heard this guy...but he is a Christian comedian that is absolutely hysterical. He came to our church last year and I had the pleasure of laughing uncontrollably. Hope you will as well...

Hilarious, yes?

100. Writing

This one is because it is incredibly obvious that to omit it would be incredibly lame. Plus...it's getting late.

Thanks for reading the first 100 favorites! Check back soon!

My Favorite Things 81-90

2012-01-23T22:26:00.001-06:00

Well, today I wanted to write about my daughter and how much I love her as today is her 22nd birthday. But sometimes...if you like to write a lot...you'll get a "not now" message. I've learned over time to listen to those messages and wait. So...looks like it is more lists.

Today was a little bit of a rough day. I had two different friends talk to me about what has been on my heart and I could not feel more blessed to have their counsel. Sometimes when you ask for prayer in one area...the devil goes around poking for another soft spot.

Bingo.

Anyway, here's the next list. This one was one of my favorites. Since I need a wee bit of a boost today...here it is!

81. SEC Football

Every Saturday during football season in the Fall, and any other time that there's a game on...I'm so there. I love SEC Football the way people up north love professional football. Specifically, I am a University of Alabama fan...but I also love Auburn and watch Georgia and at least one other team every year...usually Florida, Arkansas, or South Carolina. I detest LSU (sorry, William) and Tennessee, and I don't get all hyped up about the Mississippi teams or Vanderbilt. Unless, of course, they are playing any team outside the SEC.

Except Penn State. I have family there, and I give them an exemption. (RIP JoePa.)

I mean...even Dixie and Rebel give them an exemption...

Rebel and Dixie...ROLL TIDE!

Jill with JoePa

Penn State attire courtesy of my cousin, Jan

So, turn on that TV in the Fall and cheer them on. Enjoy the bands and get to know the players. Just don't go all Harvey Updike and lose your perspective. And don't set up a pool at the beginning of the season to gauge how many of them are going to end up in some kind of shenanigans with the po-po because we all know that is (unfortunately) going to happen.

Sad but true.

82. Skittles

One of my favorite "road trip" foods is Skittles. I love the original (red) and the purple bags the best...although I will scarf down the blue bag and even the chocolate ones.

Yes, I did say "chocolate." The only problem I had with them was that they all tasted the same.

Skittles aren't all one flavor...they are a "rainbow of flavors" and the main bag has red, orange, purple, green and yellow ones. I know this...because I'm OCD enough to empty the bag and then eat them according to color.

I know. I'm a bit of a snob about it, too.

In my hierarchy...red is the king, purple is the queen, and the rest of the them are just...whatever. But in the end...all are "retired" so to speak.

Okay, sorry...because they are like 100% sugar...they are on the "no-fly" list...but I did enjoy dreaming...

83. Third Day

Several years ago, I hopped a bus with the youth group at my church (Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church) and went to hear Third Day with Michael Smith and Max Lucado. Since this was technically a three-fer for me...I had no problem with three hours (or whatever it was) down there and three hours back for a two hour concert. I mean...Big Dave and I have driven 3 1/2 hours to the beach, fried ourselves (okay, just me), and driven 3 1/2 hours back in a day when we were newlyweds.

It was worth it.

Totally worth it.

First of all, Mac Powell, the lead singer for Third Day, can sing. Really sing. Not engineered in a studio...but live...he sounds just as great as he does on the CDs that I listened to on road trips (and sang to...)

See? Acoustic versions don't lie. :)

But this one is my favorite...

Amazing.

84. Christmas Lane

In my hometown of Thomaston, Georgia, each Christmas becomes a lights-fest of sorts. It started years ago when one family started putting out a life-sized Santa (his head even turned) and lit up their yard in a big way.

Soon, the entire neighborhood followed suit, and it became a magical place to drive down and see the sights. In fact, my sister made a trip to Thomaston this year so that her children could ride down Christmas Lane.

Good memories.

85. Snow

I'm sure that my friends who live with this for months every month would beg to differ...but down South we don't see snow very often. Usually at some point in time each winter, there will be talk of snow and we will all take off and buy milk and bread.

The annoying thing with snow in the South is that A) the power inevitably goes out, B) nobody knows whether to show up to work or not and C) we don't know how to drive in it.

But when it snows...and the power actually stays on...it is SO much fun. Of course, it never lasts...but frankly, that's okay too.

86. People Who Give Practical Gifts

Although I strive to be one of these people...sometimes I tend to miss the mark. I'm likely to give something that is more sentimental than practical, and people don't exactly know what to do with it. I've learned through the years to give things that can be consumed...like restaurant gift cards, stationary, or food. And folks seem to appreciate not receiving their eighth Snuggie or a statue of a skating pig that I thought was "cute." Of course, that didn't really happen...me purchasing the skating pig.

I was the RECIPIENT of the skating pig. Dirty Santa. Boo.

My sister-in-law, Melanie (who is technically not my sister-in-law anymore...but I have never been one for technicalities) gives the best gifts. She will find something practical that you can use and will get it for you. Sometimes she can even give you a gift that you didn't even know you wanted until you open it and are delighted. She's that good.

The older I get the less "stuff" I need...and the more I am into "shared experiences" like going out for a movie or dinner with friends. But every so often, I really love it when someone gives me a truly practical gift that just hits the mark...like my friend, Carrie, did last year when she gave me a gallon of Chick-fil-A diet lemonade. Rock on.

87. Calligraphy

Tonight we received a wedding invitation for a sweet couple that is getting married next month. The envelope is vanilla and is hand addressed in beautiful calligraphy. Wow.

When something is done in calligraphy it says "this is special" in a way that few things can. I am in awe of the perfection that this particular calligrapher employed and I'll be back to practicing again very soon.

I love doing calligraphy and I'm continuing to practice to keep getting better. After all...nothing says "this is special..." like a hand lettered envelope, right?

88. East of Eden

In the very earliest days of cable television, Ted Turner's Atlanta cable station WTBS, was available to us in Thomaston. Each Sunday, they would run an old movie and I started watching these intently. It was through this that I was introduced to many classic movies...and I'm not even remotely surprised that Turner Classic Movies (TCM) exists today.

One Sunday, I was watching and "East of Eden" with James Dean came on. I was all into the story...which is a modern interpretation of the Cain and Abel story. It was based on a book written by John Steinbeck of the same name and covered two generations rather than the one that was shown in the movie.

"East of Eden" was James Dean's first movie...before "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Giant." Most people don't realize that he only made three movies before he died in a car accident. But boy, did he make a mark. In "East of Eden" he played Cal...who was the modern version of Cain and Julie Harris played the girl, Abra, who was torn between the two brothers Cal and Aron.

At least Steinbeck kept the names consistent with the whole "C" and "A" theme so it was easy to keep up. That and the fact that the father's name was Adam.

I'm not kidding.

Anyway, I loved the movie...and I went and found the book. I wasn't disappointed at all...and ended up reading it several times through the years. It's thick...but it's good. Several years ago, someone got the idea to do a mini-series and cover the entire book. Jane Seymour was in that one. I saw it too...and loved it.

89. Maya Angelou

Several years ago I was watching Oprah for some inexplicable reason, and I saw Maya Angelou on there reciting her poem "Phenomenal Woman." I remember thinking to myself..."Whoa." I've enjoyed reading the books that she has written about her life and what has inspired her to write. She is my favorite poet...and I even "follow" her on Facebook. Yeah, I'm cool like that.

Here's another favorite...

Here's a little history I found on YouTube...it is only four minutes long...so enjoy...

She is a phenomenal woman. Indeed.

90. British Accents

Call me just-like-everyone-I-know...but I love to hear someone with a British accent speak. I realize that our Southern accents are somewhat charming...but a British accent? Off the charts awesome. Think Jude Law in "The Holiday." Yes. Just Yes.

Told you.

Thanks for reading tonight...as always...and for the support you've given me for the past several weeks as I've tried to keep my mind off of food and on all of the many wonderful things that I love in life. Okay, even if some of them ARE food. I still have a few more lists...stay tuned...

My Favorite Things 71-80

2012-01-22T12:48:00.001-06:00

Wow. 71-80. And I'm apparently just getting warmed up. Or something like that.

I am beginning this post at 5:39 a.m. after waking up at 4:00 a.m. with a leg cramp. Trust me when I tell you that "leg cramps" will never be listed among my favorites. Nor will cleaning up "gifts" from Dixie and Rebel in the living room, dishcloths that have soured, opossums in my garage eating the cat's food, or spiders. But they are a part of life.

And life is really what I'm talking about in these lists anyway, right?

71. Suduko

When I was a little girl, my grandmother got the TV Guide every week. There was a crossword puzzle in them that I started doing somewhere along the way, and I enjoyed those weeks that I could actually finish the puzzle with no stray marks. See, I do crossword puzzles in pen...because in my mind...there should be some penalty for putting yourself out there and being wrong. It teaches you to be more careful about reading the clues and double checking yourself.

Or it could be that I'm too lazy to get up and find a pencil. Yeah. Or that.

I also loved word search and for a while in my early banking career I did the jumble, cryptoquote and crossword puzzle most days. This was because the bank actually ordered the newspaper and they were often just lying around begging to be utilized in some fashion.

A few years ago, someone introduced me to Suduko and the many levels ranging from "easy" to "ridiculous" and I've found that I really like the ones between "medium" and "hard" but I will do an "easy" in a heartbeat. It may surprise you to learn that Big Dave prefers the "ridiculous" level because he loves numbers. Letters or anything that requires spelling...not so much.

My mother still doesn't really get the point of Suduko, but she is more of a trivia person anyway. She is uber-competitive, though, and if you get her in a game of Trivial Pursuit...know that she goes into that expecting to win. And she usually does. Unless she has a run of science questions.

If she does...it isn't pretty.

I think that the reason she runs from Suduko is that she doesn't get the point. Or it may be that it involves numbers in patterns...which she finds icky. She's a "letters" person not a "numbers" person. I suppose I'm both.

You can purchase a Suduko book at the Dollar Tree and I'd advise that you do this and keep it with you for those times that you are stuck somewhere reading the three year old dog-eared copy of Good Housekeeping...like the doctor's office...or the bathroom.

Well, hey, at least I'm honest.

72. Beautifully Wrapped Gifts

Most holidays that require that I get a gift from Big Dave...which would be my birthday or anniversary and occasionally Mothers' Day...I can assure you that it will come wrapped. Unfortunately, what it is "wrapped" in is a WalMart bag most often...fresh from his 5:00 a.m. run that he makes because he has forgotten to purchase anything before that.

I've received some mighty interesting things through the years...and about five years ago I finally just said..."You know...I think I'd like a rosebush for Mothers' Day..." or "Do you mind if we skip gifts this year?" because frankly, it probably isn't fair that I judge the effort put into the wrapping of the gift more than anything. Because in my personal estimation, nothing says, "Oh, snap! I forgot to buy her a birthday gift." more than a WalMart bag.

Except possibly a towel.

My friend, Cindy, has a relative that buys gifts and then "wraps" them in towels and blankets...and then whips them off at the last minute with a "Ta-da!" No need to unwrap...the giver has managed that for you. It's like one minute there's something covered in a towel and the next minute...well, there it is!

Hope you like it...because there is no time to pretend if you don't...or fuss with the wrapping paper so you don't have to make eye contact.

Frankly, I prefer the WalMart bag over that...but she says that he gives really good gifts...so I may have to ponder this one awhile.

The birth of the gift bag was probably a good thing...because most men can navigate those pretty well. And some of them are stunningly pretty with the fresh tissue paper all stuck in there and curling ribbon hanging from the handles. Oh, that's not what you see? Me either, most of the time. If I do get a gift bag...I will also generally get recycled tissue paper as well. To avoid this, I've started throwing tissue paper away and just keeping the bags only in a drawer.

Which means that I now have no tissue paper...and it is just bag and gift. But I suppose it's my own fault, right? I could have left that tissue paper that looked like a hamster had been marching through it for weeks in the bag. Of course, I could have.

But honestly, nothing matches getting a gift that is too pretty to unwrap. That is so obviously amazingly wrapped that you know you'll like what's inside. People just don't take the time to wrap like this anymore...but when they do...it takes my breath away.

I've determined that "gifts" is one of my love languages (along with "words of affirmation" - imagine that?) and it isn't so much the value of the gift...but the fact that someone thought enough of me to take the time to do something that they didn't have to do but wanted to do it anyway.

My friend, Judy, is a master of this. She'll put together a whole bag of little "happys" that she takes the time to tag individually with her thoughts on why that item is in the bag. I always enjoy the gifts...and the tags.

I hope that one day I will be able to master the art of wrapping the perfect gift, although my friend, Vicki, thinks that I do a good job of wrapping at Christmas. She brings me her "special gift" to wrap each year...and I'm honored that she does.

73. Heath Bars

For years, I have avoided eating candy bars...because doing so just invites all kinds of scorn from those who are either health nuts or don't want to see a bad situation get worse. But boy, do I love me some Heath bars! Toffee is one of my mother's favorite things...so growing up...these were one of the few candy bars she would allow herself from time to time.

Like mother...like daughter.

74. Highlands, N.C.

In 1989, my folks moved to Highlands so that Ralph could run the newspapers in Highlands, Cashiers, and Franklin. On our first trip up to visit them - Labor Day 1989- I fell in love with the place immediately. It is beautiful, and it is a really unique place...with minimal "chain stores" operating...and places to eat that we came to enjoy as we visited each year. But what I really loved?

How about the 70 degree temperatures in September when it is about 110 and humid as all get out at the foot of the mountain. Seriously...70 degrees. That's what I'm talkin'.

I have a photo of me standing by the "Welcome to Highlands" sign during that first trip to Highlands. I was pregnant with Jill and I looked really happy. I really was happy. Probably nauseous...but happy. I really do miss those annual trips. Not only because we had a good time, but because it just sounded so impressive. Since we weren't big vacationers (still aren't after years of private school tuition and now college)...it was a great place to visit.

The folks have moved from North Carolina with Ralph's retirement...and I haven't been that way in years. I honesty love having them closer to us, and we get to see them far more often than we used to.

But it was a wonderful run.

75. People Who Are Enthusiastic

Back in 2001, I took a Dale Carnegie class because my employer thought it would be a good idea. Several of us were run through those classes, and it ended up being a really good experience. In fact, I can still remember the first name of many of the people in the class...and I can't remember what I had for dinner last night. I'm not exactly what that proves...but let's just assume that it means that the concepts taught in the class were actually spot-on.

The course basically is a series of speeches and memory tricks that helps you interact with others well and build confidence in public speaking. The latter really wasn't my problem, because I'd been teaching banking classes for six years at this time, and standing up in front of a group of people who couldn't care less about what I had to say was really second nature to me by then.

Each week, the person deemed to have done the best speech was given a pen. Not one of those disposable numbers...but a real pen that you had to go to Office Depot and buy replacement cartridges for...and that it was worth keeping up with for the most part. One week, I won a green pen that I still have...although it is not in the best of shape. I refuse to part with it because of what it represents.

And what is that, you ask? That I was the best at something. Even if it was for one night.

The primary thing I learned out of Dale Carnegie was, "if you act enthusiastic, you can BE enthusiastic." This was driven home by standing up and reciting this over and over enthusiastically. Because Bill wasn't going to let it go until he thought we were enthusiastic enough.

So, yes, you can actually BE enthusiastic if you act enthusiastic. ANYTHING to sit down and move on. Seriously.

But the truth is...in my life...I have found that those times that I was enthusiastic about something were the best of times. The worst of times came when I had absolutely nothing to look forward to and no spark. Just like enthusiasm builds on itself...so does the lack thereof. So, as Dale (and Bill) said..."act enthusiastic...the BE will follow..."

I love enthusiastic people. Folks that get all fired up about whatever it is they are doing. There's a girl at one of the local Chick-fil-A stores here who is "all in" for Chick-fil-A. She's so enthusiastic that I've sometimes wondered if she has a caffeine IV set up behind the grill or something. But she never fails to make me smile...and I appreciate the fact that Chick-fil-A has such a cheerleader out there trying to take my order.

While I may think that they are insane or overserved...I like seeing the people at almost every SEC football game that paint their bodies the team color and splash a letter spelling out the team name on their chests. It can be 40 degrees, and some frat boy is out there in crimson with an A in front of the camera.

I think some of what I love about Tim Tebow is his enthusiasm. Likewise for anybody that I used to call on when I was in lending who just couldn't wait to show me the latest product or tell me about the plans that they had for the future. Churches that set up ministries to meet people where they are and kids coming home from mission trips all happy that they could help in some small way and grateful for everything that we take for granted here in the United States.

I love seeing a bride's eyes when she talks about her upcoming wedding or a mother-to-be who is so ready to meet her little one that she is counting the days. Find a kid who has just graduated from high school and ask them about going off to college in the Fall...or someone with a new puppy.

But if none of those things apply to you...just act like it! Borrow someone else's joy! Find one thing to get fired up about be it a rainbow, a day off, or the fact that we have freedom of worship in this country. At least in our churches. Maybe your political candidate is worthy of enthusiasm, or perhaps your child is reaching for the stars in one way or another.

Everyone loves enthusiastic people...except those who are either in direct opposition (Occupy Wall Street's enthusiasm can totally bite me) or when that enthusiasm is so over the top that everyone just wonders silently..."What is he ON?" But honestly, I can tolerate even the annoying enthusiastic brethren I come across just because I'm such a fan of enthusiasm.

So, find what makes your heart sing and share it with the world. In the process...you'll inspire, expand, and amaze others around you. Myself included.

And just in case you are wondering why I know that I took the Dale Carnegie Course in 2001? That was because an enthusiastic member of our class, Bruce, bought us all frames for our certificates. I hung it in my office for several years. I still run into him occasionally around town...and he is still amazed that I remember his name. Yep, that Dale Carnegie stuff works.

76. Scrapbooking

I have been a scrapbooker since 1-18-1996. I know that some of you are wondering how I know that...but my friend, Peggy, who was the consultant for that party gave me an invitation that she sent out and I kept it for years before relegating it to a box somewhere. I started doing family albums, and through the years I have done roughly thirty albums.

Just so you know, that equates to about 2,700 scrapbook pages. That's a lot in that it takes close to half an hour to do each one.

Digital cameras have introduced the concept of digital scrapbooks...and a lot of my friends have converted to this having tired of lugging around boxes of paper, stickers, and everything else to various crops. For those of you who know not what a "crop" is...well...it is primarily a place where you go to be with other scrapbookers and attempt to gather ideas while you work on your scrapbook. What actually happens at the crop varies from scrapbooker to scrapbooker in terms of productivity...but most would agree that this time is...for lack of a better term...therapy.

By the way, I don't know any of these people. Thank you, Google images. But you get the point.

77. Fox News

I remember growing up and going on these long car trips during the summers we spent with my father and stepmother. This was in the days before FM radio (some of you are going...say who?) and we'd drive through various states listening to music on the radio while I sat perched looking over the back front seats totally unbelted. Which now that I think about it...was really stupid because he almost always got a speeding ticket. It was like the various law enforcement folks had a description of his car and would just radio on ahead that he was passing through. Could have been his beard...or some huge conspiracy...but it was probably because he was...um...speeding.

At every hour on the hour, he would stop and hush us so that the could listen to the news. I would want to use that opportunity to change stations and find something tolerable...but nope...it was the news. This was also the man who read the paper every morning before he'd have a conversation with you, and who made me watch the Watergate Hearings the summer that I was twelve (not that there was any option since they were on all three networks) because I might learn something practical about how the political system worked by listening to how it didn't. What I actually learned is that PBS wasn't carrying the hearings, and I watched a lot of Sesame Street, Zoom, and Lilias, Yoga, and You. Oh, and every word to Elton John's Greatest Hits.

I think he intended that whole "learn something" business to translate to..."never vote Republican." In fact, he refused to eat at McDonald's when we were traveling because McDonald's gave money to the Republican Party. Or something like that. I grew up thinking that Republicans were awful creatures that messed up network TV for an entire summer.

Until I heard Ronald Reagan speak.

Call me a rebel, but at 16, I went to work at McDonald's, and I own stock in my self-directed IRA in...you guessed it...McDonald's...among other holdings. And to the great dismay of the majority of my family...I'm a conservative...which means that I'm going to vote Republican most of the time. In fact, I can flat guarantee that I will for the foreseeable future thanks to President Obama, Senator Harry Reid and (thankfully ex) Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But enough about all that.

Big Dave and I watch Fox News...not because we're mindless gelatin filled skulls...but because we finally found a news channel that presented a story and let you make up your mind how you feel about it. Does it lean to the right? Possibly. But at least it puts both sides out there...good, bad, or indifferent. This is most assuredly not the case with most of the other networks.

But then again...that's just my opinion. You are entitled to yours. And yes, Lisa, I still think you hang the moon even though we pull different levers. You are in good company with the majority of my family.

Except for Big Dave and my kids. God bless 'em.

78. Violets

I may have lost some of you on that last one...but if so...ah...what can I tell you? How about that I'm pretty crazy about violets. I don't care what color they are...I just adore them!

A few years ago while scrapbooking in the community room of a local grocery store, I ventured out for some reason (probably a snack) and found a cart full of violets that were being clearanced out. (Is "clearanced" a word? If not...let's pretend it is, shall we?) I bought all of them...and gave them to various members of our scrapbooking group because I already own at least a dozen violets of my own because I cannot seem to pass them by if I see them on sale somewhere. Like ever.

Good thing it isn't kittens that I'm just compelled to have to take home, isn't it? Especially since I'm allergic to cats.

Anyway, the ladies of the group have managed to provide excellent homes for those sad little violets...and every so often I'll get an e-mail, text, or photo of my "grand-violets." Which totally rocks.

Several years ago (and I'm going to say about 14 or so because Jill was about eight at the time)...she and I joined the Montgomery Area Violet Society. All of this because I wanted to learn how to care for violets. I ended up with 45 different ones at one time, but I never could master rooting them or growing a new one from a leaf. You can do that, you know.

"You" is the operative term here. Because I can't do it. Which, I suppose, is why it is a good thing that I'm into rescuing violets instead of propegating them. I think I'm doing enough if I keep them alive and get them to a good home.

I love violets because my grandmother always loved them and had them in her home. She'd excitedly show me the blooms if one happened to be showing off while I was visiting. Hers never seemed orderly (the way I was taught to do them in the Montgomery Area Violet Society) but they seemed happy enough.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

79. My Birthday

I don't care what anyone says about not liking their birthday...it is just supposed to be a special day. I know that I've always enjoyed mine...and have been most appreciative of other people who have made a production (be it mini or epic) out of it each year. Oh, and why not?

Beats the alternative.

80. Publix

I realize that I'm probably more exuberant about the whole grocery store experience than the average bear, but Publix is really more than a grocery store to me. It is a place where I feel like they want my business. Well, except, perhaps, for the girl with the braids in the deli (who is still employed there because I just saw her yesterday) who thought I was trying to get free food by complaining to the manager.

I didn't ask for free food. I just asked the manager to please have the rotisserie chicken that was being advertised actually available for purchase. After the second time I went by at 5:30 and saw no chicken there...I thought...hmmm...maybe management needs to get on this. So I did what every good customer would do...I very politely mentioned this to the manager.

He thought giving me a free chicken would make up for my inconvenience. And it did.

Except that the very next day...same thing. I went back and mentioned it again. The girl with the braids was talking to another customer talking about people trying to get free food by complaining.

Excuse me?

Anyway, I went right back there and told on her. She said she wasn't talking about me but she totally was. The second time I was with the manager was to find out when the chicken would be ready...NOT to get another free chicken. Hey, even I have my standards.

We're fine, now, though. I don't buy from the deli if she's working...and she doesn't roll her eyes when I pass. At least I haven't caught her yet.

Other than that...every experience I have had at Publix has been good. I love the lady who does the cooking demonstrations and the guy in the seafood department always speaks. I am in there so dang much that most of the cashiers and bagboys know my face and one of them hadn't seen me in awhile and actually hugged me in the produce department a few weeks ago.

I'm not kidding.

Anyway, I like that you can buy one of something instead of being stuck with two on the "buy one get one free deals" (like Winn Dixie does) and that most of the time what I need is actually in the store. They are a little bit more proud of their meat than I would like for them to be, but when I buy it...it is good. The deli tastes like something from a restaurant and not like it came from a grocery store deli (also like Winn Dixie).

So, carry on, Publix, and keep on doing what you're doing. Personally, I think that you totally rock.

I still have some more lists...and I'll probably take a vacation tomorrow because I have something else that I want to write. Thanks, as always, for reading!

My Favorite Things 61-70

2012-01-21T20:50:00.001-06:00

You know how it is when you purchase a new car...and even though you think you are oh-so-original in your purchase...every other car seems to be the model you just bought? Yeah. Well, just so you know, when you sit down to think of your favorite things...you'll start writing about something and that will spawn something else that wasn't on one of the other umpteen lists...and before long...you've gone from 1 to 21.

It is a bit like Pinterest, frankly.

You hear the word "Pinterest" and you say to yourself..."Self...you need to be up on things and hip and all of that...find out what this 'Pinterest' business is before you end up out of touch and behind the times..." And so you get an invitation, figure out how to install that ridiculous "pin it" button (because in spite of a YouTube video that walks you through the process like you are in second grade...it still took me getting Brian in here to get it to work and I'm somewhat tech-savvy), and then you...

Do...what...exactly...? I knew not. So, I stuck a few things on a few boards and looked around a bit, but I never got all hot and heavy into it because I still didn't quite "get" it.

Until today.

I think you have to see something that inspires you...or you have to have a purpose for being on...OR you can go to lunch with a bunch of ladies who direct your attention to the "search" box to the left that you had previously ignored.

Yeah, that whole "search" thing made it all make a whole lot more sense to me.

So, today, I've been pinning stuff on weddings all over my board. Not that Jill is anywhere near walking down the aisle (although she turns 22 on Monday...and I was 22 when I got married...)...

Still...I like to plan, dream, and start paying attention to what is going on out there in the do-it-yourself (or DIY for those of you who are totally into acronyms...I get enough of that at work as I'm a banker) world. I also just like passing through and admiring what other people are doing ahead of me when I don't have a dog in the fight, so to speak. Plus, my friend, Beve's daughter, Courtney, is getting married this year as is my friend Carrie's daughter, Caroline. I'm going to get the Cliff's Notes on weddings from them.

In the meantime...I'm still thinking of favorites...and here we go...

61. Homemade Biscuits

Yeah...I came out of the box with that one, huh? It is one of my favorite things precisely because I cannot do this. I've tried since I was a teenager...and with one exception (after which I quit)...my biscuits taste like the ingredients...not like a biscuit. They tend to be heavy, hard, and crunchy instead of buttery, soft and edible.

Every so often, I just love to go to Hardees or Cracker Barrel and have a biscuit as God intended. When I was young, my friend, Pam's mother, Becky, could turn out a pan of biscuits with little to no effort. They were amazing.

I worry about the future of homemade biscuits because everyone is all anti-carb (myself included right now) and microwave-happy. MeeMaws don't make biscuits like they used to for Sunday lunch...and I'm afraid in a generation or two...we're going to think that biscuits come from the freezer section at Publix. My family already thinks that.

So, if you are offered a homemade biscuit...enjoy it. It is on the endangered species list, I'm afraid.

62. Playing Jacks

Years ago, I used to be all into playing jacks with my friend, Dee. She was left handed and better at it than I was, but we played this game for hours growing up. I wonder sometimes in this technology-driven, kid-centric society if games like jacks ever get played anymore. They may have gone out of style with the hula hoop, ping-pong, punching balls, Big Wheels, Play-Doh, and that paddle with the ball and elastic string that we played with for fifteen minutes before we tore it up.

Of course, our mothers located said paddles and used them as weapons of mass destruction (minus the "m", of course) along with wooden spoons, hairbrushes and switches. Or maybe that was just MY house.

Not too long ago I saw a set of jacks and entertained purchasing them. They felt lightweight and flimsy...and it made me sad. But what makes me happy is the hours I spent trying to beat Dee and get all the way through without messing up. It is kind of like bowling a 300 game...you just keep at it in the vain hope that you will one day persevere.

And sometimes you actually do. Which rocks. Totally.

63. Peacock Feathers

I was born in 1963, which means that I spent my childhood in the 60s and early 70s. You know...the era of the most gosh-awful fashion EVER...avocado green, harvest gold, and burnt orange appliances...and earthy things...like peacock feathers. I have always liked the blue and green together and was delighted that my sister, Lara, had peacocks roaming around the grounds at her wedding venue in November 2010.

Back in the day, it was some serious decorating to have a vase of peacock feathers somewhere around. But then again, this was also the era of shag carpeting...so...um...whatever.

A few years ago, Vera Bradley came out with a pattern called Peacock that I just loved. In fact, I bought it for friends and for myself.

See? Way better, yes?

64. Mashups

You know how you just love a song...and then someone figures out how to blend another song you like with it to create something entirely new? In my opinion, rap music has been pretty smart about doing that ever since I can remember. You'll remember this musical gem...

Which includes...if you recall...part of this song by Queen...

Or how M.C. Hammer's "Can't Touch This" had riffs from "Superfreak"? Yeah.

But the mashup is actually two separate songs mixed together to form something entirely different...which totally rocks. Like this...

"We Will Rock You" by Queen and "Back In Black" by AC/DC.

Or Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive"? Absolutely!

Green Day and Oasis? Uh huh.

Or the MOST unlikely...Rick Astley and Nirvana. By the way, why yes, that IS Dave Grohl of Foo Fighers wearing out that drum set. Rock on.

65. France

I do realize that we are all different, and that many people like to limit their exposure to French culture to French fries...but I'm in love with France. Part of that reason is because part of my heart is there in the form of my little sister, Linda, and her children Alex and Tara as well as my brother-in-law, Eric and children Thibault, Aurore, Amaury, Benjamin, and Engie. They live about two and a half hours from Paris...in a castle on property that has dwellings back from the 1200s. The 1200s!

Eric is the great-great-great grandson of Georges Clemenceau...the Prime Minister of France during WWI.

Cool, huh?

In 2006, Jill, Brian, the folks, a boy Jill was dating who had just graduated from high school and my aunt ended up in France for a visit. To say that it was amazing is an understatement. We saw the "Mona Lisa" at the Louvre. Saw "The Thinker" at the Rodan Museum, the Eiffel Tower, and Impressionist paintings at the Musee' d'Orsay.

66. Rachel McAdams

I am not judging her acting ability because I'm not in a position to do that...but I can say this...if Rachel McAdams is in a movie...I'm probably going to like it. I mean...who can beat that performance in "The Notebook"?

Or "Wedding Crashers"..."Morning Glory"..."Sherlock Holmes"..."The Hot Chick"...and "Mean Girls." Soon, she will be in "The Vow" with Channing Tatum. Did you read that? CHANNING TATUM.
Yes. Just yes.

67. Pedicures and OPI Nail Polish

I was in my 40's before I sat down in one of those magical massage chairs, set my feet in a warm whirlpool and swore I'd go every month if I could. Well...I haven't been able to do that...and I'm reminded of this when I actually DO go by the little man who tells me..."You come in more often. Feet crusty."

Yes. Crusty feet. Me.

At first I was mortified by this...but then came to understand that everyone my age is told the same thing as they bring out the cheese grater and scrape off a layer or twelve of crust. I get over my mortification, however, when they put that hot towel on my legs. Talk about awesome! Wow.

After that, they paint my toenails with a color like "My Chihuahua Bites," "Bubble Bath," or "You Don't Know Jacques" by OPI. I don't know if it is pronounced "O-pee" or "O.P.I" but...it is the only nail polish I use. I normally just bring my own to the salon so that I can fix what I will inevitably do the second I walk out of the salon.

Works for me.

If you are male and reading this...you need to go out right now and purchase a pedicure for your significant other. If you are female...take yourself on to the salon, girl. You totally deserve it.

68. People Who Have Your Back

In this day and age, it seems that people are more self-centered than others-centered than ever before. I know plenty of people who put others first...but as a general rule...times have changed. Isn't it nice when someone has your back? When something is said and you are defended because a person is more determined to tell the truth than to fit in?

Awesome, isn't it?

During the junior high years, girls have a way of tearing into each other...and sadly, the mothers join right in. It is worse for those with pretty daughters or high achievers. The level of jealousy is just breathtaking and the lengths that some girls and their mothers will go to is actually quite shocking. So shocking to me, in fact, that I crept silently away and made friends with the "boy moms" in my daughter's class because not only were they judgmental...they were fun! They are still among my closest friends...and yes...they have my back.

Not only my back...but my daughter's. She grew up with "other mothers" who loved her and taught her that it is not only possible...but wonderful...to have female friends. Trust me when I tell you that if you attend her wedding one day and you see several women being escorted in and noted in the wedding program...you'll know how much it meant to her.

As for me...I already do. I also know that if you are my friend...I have your back. Count on it.

69. Goodnight Moon

The other day, my friend, Bette, mentioned "Goodnight Moon" in an e-mail to me. We worked on a scrapbook page long ago...and apparently something reminded her of it so she wrote me. This book was one of the two books that Jill demanded as a little girl as part of her bedtime routine. Never mind that we didn't actually have to read it because we had both committed most of it to memory.

I don't know if I could recite it all...but I do know that it begins..."In the great green room...there was a telephone...and a red balloon...and a picture of...the cow jumping over the moon. There were three little bears...sitting on chairs..." and so on.

I cannot tell you how much I love this book. But honestly...I don't know if it is the book that I'm so enamored with or the rememberance of the smell of her hair, the weight of her little body in my lap, or the raspy little girl voice that read along with me. Possibly all of the above.

If you have little people in your life...buy this book. And enjoy that special, precious, sweet, wonderful time.

I know I did.

70. Dave Ramsey

Although this has been on my "list" for several days...one of my Facebook friends and her fiance' are currently in Atlanta listening to the master of "living like noone else...so that one day you can live like noone else" - Dave Ramsey.

He has a daily radio show, has written books, and has developed a program that helps people get out of debt. I don't know about you...but I'm a fan. A big one. Not only of Dave...but of debt-free living.

I'm a fan of it right now...but I'm not living it. But I am headed in that direction. Big time.

Thank you for reading this list and for encouraging me to write more! I love that you have my back.

My Favorite Things 51-60

2012-01-20T21:12:00.003-06:00

Today was one of those days that I needed to wrap myself up in thinking good, happy thoughts and remembering all of my favorite things in life. Why? Because my body is at war with my brain over the lack of carbohydrates, it rained most of the day, I stayed in through lunch because I took a longer time yesterday (and, okay, because it was raining) and it is something like 70 degrees outside in January.

January should be cold. And most years it is. But this year it is mild and freaky...which means that the mosquitoes will be bad in July and it will probably snow in April. Boo.

Anyway, here's the next ten on the "favorites" list for those of you who are reading...and for those of you who are wondering when the madness will end...let's just say...

Eventually.

Until then...

51. Tiffany Blue

I have never been a huge fan of jewelry for myself...I do love the color of the box that something fabulous comes in at Tiffany's.

Some people love what is in the box...but apparently I am more in love with the actual box. Or the color, at least.

52. People Who Are Fit

Several years ago - before I just gave up and went headlong into obesity, I took step aerobics. I really liked it because of all of those years of dance classes (which meant I could count) but it didn't require any special skill like Zumba does these days. I know that a lot of people seriously love Zumba...but I think that we've already established that my body refuses to move like that. I have never been much of a kickboxer, either...because I hate the whole mime-punching thing. I look ridiculous doing mime...just so you know.

Like that's news, I'm sure.

Anyway, the instructor (and my friend), Jodie (who should know that I was convinced at times that the "die" in her name was by design), kept me on that step and in that class for years. It was a badge of honor to survive one of her classes...and I tend to do better when there is a challenge. But to keep coming back...I have to also believe that I have a snowball's chance in Hades of surviving the class. Jodie was a master at making it difficult enough to make me stick with it...but not so hard that I required medical assistance (although sometimes it was close).

My friend, Susan, is extremely dedicated about exercise, and she is probably the same size she was in high school...even after three kids. She encourages other people to work out...but she has never, ever made me feel as though I am closer to Jabba the Hut than Billy Blanks. Oh, you don't know what I'm talking about?

Jabba

Billy

Any questions? I thought not.

My friend, Katrina, who has "looking fabulous" as her superpower, has a program that she developed that is called BoxMania. And while there is no way I will stick a toe in that class until I lose ~~50 75~~ a gazillion pounds...not that I'm counting the pounds, you know...I am awed.

53. Free Tickets

Because I am somewhat of a total cheapskate, I don't ever buy tickets to much of anything. If I ever do, it is because I am seriously interested in doing something because I usually tend to wait until it is far too late to do anything about it. It's quite the vicious cycle.

Over the years, we have been blessed by friends who have tickets to a football game, baseball game, a concert, or a play...and I've enjoyed it immensely each time I've gone. But if you ask me to actually pay for the tickets...I tend to morph into that character from Popeye who is wanting to put off paying for that hamburger.

Seriously? This actually explains a lot...

This paying for tickets aversion has also carried over to airline tickets as well. I've been planning a trip to see my sister, Linda, in France for...um...six years...but I have more than enough points...the trip is booked...and I'm headed out (with Mom) on September 2nd (Lord willing).

Cost? $82. Rock on.

The cool thing is that I am super-excited and have even more incentive to get this weight off. I mean, I am SO not asking for a seatbelt extender. Not that I've ever had to...but I suppose there's always the chance that it could happen. Perhaps I should be like those people that put a picture of them in a bathing suit on the refrigerator...except in my case...it would be a picture of a seatbelt extender. Yikes.

*insert scream*

54. Tailgating

I don't know about you...but tailgating is one of my favorite activities. Jill has been at the University of Alabama for the past few years, and our very kind friends, Neal and Diane, have invited us to visit their tailgate when we are in Tuscaloosa. Because of the "we don't buy tickets" thing that I've already explained...we would drive for 2 1/2 hours to Tuscaloosa, find somewhere to park, walk about a mile, help them set up the tailgate, have fun for awhile, see Jill for about 30 minutes, head out about an hour before the game (or 3:30...whichever came first) and drive 2 1/2 hours home. Why? Because we like tailgating.

Obviously.

We've gotten to see kids who have graduated or those still at the University...friends that we don't see often enough...and have had the joy of meeting a lot of new friends. We've even had family up there when my second cousin, David, who was a student at Penn State, came to the game and brought his friends.

Cool, huh?

So, tell me that there's a tailgate and I need to bring spinach dip...and I am so there.

55. Sunrise Out My Back Windows

I live in the thriving metropolis of Pike Road, Alabama...about ten miles from Montgomery...but actually that is difficult to really determine because the actual city of Pike Road is a patchwork quilt of communities all within a twenty mile radius of me. I think that's right, anyway. All I know is that we have enough citizens to have our own school system and that my property taxes are going up to pay for it...which after a lifetime of tuition payments to a private school in Montgomery doesn't bother me at all...

No, I'm not bitter...although I could be. I actually voted for the school system. Have to think about my property value, you know.

Where was I? Right. Sunrise.

Our lot is on five acres and in the backyard is a pond that we share with several of our neighbors. Our neighborhood was once a cow pasture, I think, because the only trees we have are those Christmas tree looking evergreens and scrub trees like mock oranges. We've put in some tea olives and gardenias in addition to the plants around the house, but there is this big expanse of nothingness after the pool that is just the perfect viewing place for stars at night or an amazing sunrise by day.

And God shows off most mornings...which totally rocks.

I actually have pictures...but I can't currently locate any of them. Kind of reminds me of my friend, Bette, whose husband had an epic fail in the delivery room...and so there are no pictures of her youngest. Guess I'll do what she did in her scrapbook and put...

PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE

Except her page was super-cute.

56. C.S. Lewis

When my children were in school (and if truth be told...I actually still do this...) I used to read whatever they were reading so that I could intelligently critique their papers. Actually, sometimes it was more like...intelligently compose their papers...but whatever. In the 7th grade, when Jill was supposed to read "Kim" by Rudyard Kipling during the summer...well, I read it too. It was so incredibly awful that I actually went up to the school to let them know that having a book - however classic - with an opium den and prostitution in the first fifty pages might be just a little beyond what 7th graders at a Christian school need to be spending their summer vacation enduring. It was so awful that I actually read the book to Jill while she laid on the bed staring at the ceiling...trying to comprehend what I was saying. Sadly, so was I.

Worst. Book. Ever.

But one of the other books that she had to read was "The Screwtape Letters" (I think) and she had to do a biography on someone from an approved list...and we found the book on C.S. Lewis first. I read that book, too.

And was enthralled.

I ended up reading everything that C.S. Lewis wrote including the Narnia books that I had somehow managed to miss growing up including "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." How can a granddaughter of a librarian who read everything imaginable miss that one? Well, I missed "Little Women" too. And most of the books I was assigned in high school...although I did go back and read all of them when I found "Classic Books" at 2/$1 at WalMart and caught myself up after all these years. I found that I liked "Jane Eyre" and "The Scarlet Letter" as well as "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" and "Wuthering Heights." That's actually how I got into "Pride and Prejudice" and the other Jane Austen novels. Up until then I had read Steinbeck, Seventeen Magazine, and Tiger Beat.

Not necessarily in that order.

C.S. Lewis is so impressive to me as a reader because there is NO WAY you are going to speedread through anything he writes. Not going to happen. I do tend to speed read...so at first this was a little disconcerting. Later on...I saw how absolutely amazing what I was reading was to my spirit...and I savored his way with words in his adult works...and was awed by how he could take it down a notch for the Narnia series...without missing the richness and depth present in his more complex works.

I don't know if you have read anything by C.S. Lewis or not...but he was a contemporary of J.R.R. Tolkein...and was just an amazing person if the biography I read is to be believed. And I think it is.

57. Weight Loss Success Stories

Part of what I love in any given fitness magazine...are the weight loss success stories. Sometimes there is an issue of People Magazine dedicated to people who are half the size they once were...and I always am inspired by their stories. In fact, one day, I hope to be one of them.

58. The Smell of Movie Popcorn

Although keeping this as a favorite is going to make #56 a little more difficult to say the least...but I love the smell of movie popcorn. Okay, not when it is burnt and nasty...but when you enter the theater and are assaulted by the most wonderful aroma of gold-plated popcorn. Yes, I realize it isn't actually gold-plated...but I do know that the theater is mighty proud of it by what they charge.

Years ago, I was at a showing of "Amistad" in a packed theater...when I set my popcorn down when I was through inhaling the majority of it. The guy next to me leaned over (amid all of the naked people on the ship that was mortifying enough) and asked "You gonna eat that?"

Yes, I gave him my popcorn.

I drew the line at the drink.

59. People Who Are Thrifty

One of my friends, Tracy, is one of those people who hunts a deal down like a lion chases a gazelle...and he comes up with some of THE most amazing deals ever. I don't know how he does it...but he does throw me a bone every now and again so that I can try to find a deal for myself. But, you know that scene in Star Wars where Obi Wan Kenobi is trying to teach Luke Skywalker something...and he's a bit dense...well...it's kind of like that.

But I've learned about FatWallet, the benefits of my American Express card and what credit card offer will give me a gazillion points that can be cashed in to buy a first class ticket to circle the globe twice for $75. Or something like that.

There is nothing wrong with being thrifty...in fact...it is a character trait that I've tried to instill in my children in this day and age of iPhones and Ugg boots. My kids shop on the sale rack, have no problem with hand-me-downs, and they know how to save up for something they want. I figured that with Jill...some guy is going to be really grateful that he has a wife who isn't demanding that he buy her everything that her Daddy can on his starting salary...and with Brian...that he is trying to get through college debt-free.

Future son-in-law and daughter-in-law...you're welcome.

I use coupons, check http://www.fatwallet.com/ (already listed as a favorite...) for bargains, and resell the kids' books on Amazon the second that the semester is over. Why not? It isn't as if we have a money tree in the back yard.

I personally believe that trying to get the best deal you can is being a good steward. Not taking advantage of people or finding loopholes in the "system." But to do the best you can with what you have...and to be happy with whatever that is.

60. Romans 12

My favorite chapter in the Bible is Romans 12. Most everyone has read part of it...but it honestly gives you a blueprint for life that just makes incredible sense. Here it is:

A Living Sacrifice

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Okay, that whole "heap burning coals on his head" thing seems a little extreme...but it really isn't...and it works. I've tested it. Just like everything else in the Bible that asks to be tested.

Thanks for reading tonight...and I hope I'm not wearing you out with these posts. I still have several more lists...so until tomorrow...

My Favorite Things 41-50

2012-01-19T21:53:00.001-06:00

One of the great things that has happened out of this writing is that I have become so appreciative about all of the things in life that make me happy. Why shouldn't we? I mean...it is January...the weather is either freezing cold, raining, or unseasonably mild most days, there isn't a whole lot going on after the busyness of November and December...and the majority of us are either on a diet, struggling with a new exercise program or trying to make some other major change because we've resolved to do just that.

Hoping against hope that this is the year that it works and that we are the conquerors we know we can be...although we look down at the water under the very thin ice we're walking on and we're like. Oh. Wow. Yeah.

Just strap on a life jacket (scripture) and keep on walking. For me...that is Hebrews 10:35-36 "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised." I am trying not to focus on the words "rewarded" and "what He has promised" and more on the "confidence" and "persevere." I hope that someday down this path I can shift focus and celebrate that paradigm shift.

Until then...I'm writing another list. I know! I have so many favorite things! Isn't it great?

41. Fireworks

Every 4th of July of my adult life I have tried to find a fireworks show. Some years were successful...and others were just an entire day of ridiculously hot followed by an absurd traffic jam on the way home from wherever. But during those fifteen or so minutes...OH...I love (to the third power) it! I sit in awe and try to imagine a John Philip Sousa march playing in the background as I thank God for letting me live in a country where I can sit on a blanket (or a tailgate...it varies from year to year) and enjoy a free (most years) fireworks show with people I love.

Yeah...exactly like that.

Last year was a bonus year. Not only did I get fireworks on the 4th of July...but on a Friday night in May. We were at the rehearsal dinner of my other-daughter, Lauren, and her husband, Tyler, on the top floor of a building in downtown Montgomery. As the dinner was over, we all went outside to the veranda and watched the fireworks show that was going on at the Montgomery Biscuits (seriously...that's the name of the team) stadium. It was awesome...and so appropriate to celebrate their upcoming marriage with a fireworks show. In fact, Jill has said that she'd love to have fireworks at her wedding.

Um. Yeah. Okay. Moving on...

42. Marching Bands

Well, all of that talk about marches got me thinking about marching bands. I was in the band in high school....playing clarinet. I actually was a majorette my junior and senior years of high school, and that was really a lot of fun, too.

The Majorettes...We Rocked...Enough Said...:)

Just so you know if you have never been in band...there is nothing hotter on earth than a band uniform. And I don't mean "hot" in the positive sense, either. Our high school had ROTC, so the military band (of which I was a member my freshman year) had to play marches over and over for various functions. Despite numerous warnings...one or more of us almost always "locked our knees" which just means that we passed out. I actually never did...but I thought about it. I figured if it would get me off of that field playing the same march over and over...

Part of the reason that I love college football so much is the bands. Professional football just seems to be lacking something...and I'm pretty sure that it is the bands.

(I see all of you Auburn people rolling your eyes...so here's yours...)

(Better? Good.)

Anyway, the point is...a marching band adds so much to the atmosphere of a football game. The time and dedication that the band kids put into those shows is amazing. Trust me on this.

Back in the day, we changed the "show" in high school every week. That doesn't happen as much anymore. Now they perfect one or two shows and go with them for the year. I truly hate that...in that not only do I tire of seeing the same show every week...but we learned how to do amazing things out there with very little practice on a wing and a prayer. Most weeks, we got a thumbs up from our band director, Mr. G, which was miraculous now that I look back on it.

Seriously.

43. Gardenias

In my backyard, there are currently three gardenia bushes. There used to be four...but Big Dave had other ideas as one was beginning to encroach on practically everything back there...but that's okay. The other three produce a magnificent volume of blooms every May. Gardenias were the favorite flower of my sweet Gammy, who died in 2004. Since then, my bushes bloom in May and in August, the month of her birth.

44. Kickball

When I was in elementary (or grammar) school...I loved playing kickball. There is no other game that I've ever participated in that I felt like I was more fun...except possibly Monopoly. The problem with kickball is that it has its season in one's life. You start playing sometime around the first grade and are forced to retire in the fifth grade. Sad, but true.

I remember playing at East Thomaston School and getting on base...hoping that I could round the base to home. With my poor (read that: slow) response time...I could manage a ball as big as a kickball (and later...a basketball)...where the tennis ball was too small for me to chase properly. The fact that the one photo I have of me at tennis camp gave me a few clues: I was wearing knee high white socks with Keds tennis shoes with my hair hanging in my face. I mean...who does that? Answer: Me.

Thought I was exaggerating? Sadly, not.

But I wasn't talking about tennis, was I? Let's just summarize it this way...kickball...good. Tennis...not so much.

45. Tervis Tumblers

I don't know if you have ever owned one of these or not...but if not...you probably should. The Tervis Tumbler is a cup or mug that is just short of amazing. No, it doesn't clean your house for you or automatically fill itself. But it is as awesome as it can be just short of that.

No, I'm not a distributor. Just a seriously happy customer. Want your own? Wait until they go on sale...but until then..you can see them at http://www.tervis.com/.

46. Pretty Stationary

One of my favorite things in life is pretty stationary. When I was a little girl, I received stationary as a gift...and I started writing letters to people. I have always loved getting mail and I found that often when you wrote people...they'd often write you back. I had a pen pal for a number of years...but I told her that her brother wasn't cute (and I was totally lying) because I thought that all girls hated their brothers. What did I know? I didn't get a brother until I was twenty.

I am still a big letter writer...and I love writing letters when the Spirit moves me. Being able to do that on pretty stationary...just makes me happy.

47. Charles Spurgeon

Several years ago, being the bargain shopper that I am, I was in Lifeway in the sale section. I was going through one of those times where I was reading what equated to a book every few days...and so I went into Lifeway hoping to find something to feed the beast, so to speak. Although I have started reading fiction again these past three years...I went for a solid ten year period reading virtually nothing but Christian self-help books. This was during that period.

I picked up a book written by Charles Spurgeon and it looked interesting...so I bought it and took it home. I enjoyed it so much that I went back a week or so later and bought another five or six and read through those. At no time, did I ever turn the book over to find out anything about the author...I was just engrossed with what I was reading...and I enjoyed it very much.

And then one day it occurred to me to find out something about this "new" author that I was so fired up about.

Turns out that Mr. Spurgeon died in 1892. Of course, I've been told that if I were Baptist (I'm United Methodist)...I'd have KNOWN this. Ah, whatever. I'm still a fan.

Such a fan, it turns out, that I bought a book of his quotes by topic on eBay a year ago. I love the way the man wrote. Here's a few quotes:

A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. No one is so miserable as the poor person who maintains the appearance of wealth.
A sinner can no more repent and believe without the Holy Spirit's aid than he can create a world.

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.

Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us.

By perseverance the snail reached the ark.

Giving is true having.

(These quotes were from http://www.brainyquote.com/.)

Anyway, if you love to read...check out some of his books. They almost always have them on the bargain rack at Lifeway. And what a bargain they are...

48. Southern Living Magazine

I love getting my Southern Living magazine in the mail each month. I usually am tempted by whatever is on the cover...which, unfortunately, this month is "caramelized banana pudding." Too bad I won't be trying that recipe. *Sigh*

I love reading the articles about what is going on all over the South...although their view of "the South" is a lot more broad than mine is. It is okay, though. I like learning about Maryland and Texas too.

Although I usually read a magazine from page 1 forward...with Southern Living, I go directly to the back. That's because Rick Bragg writes a column called "Southern Journal." According to the notes here, it says that Rick is "...a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and author of several best-selling books, including "The Most They Ever Had" and "The Prince of Frogtown." I love the way he writes...and I end up reading his column first and then a second (or third) time at another point in time.

Southern Living was one of the magazines that my Gammy took years ago...but I was too young to fully appreciate it. I've apparently grown up...because I seriously enjoy my Southern Living!

49. Crowe's Chicken Nuggets - Troy, Alabama

Since I've covered two of my favorite eating establishments in Thomaston, Georgia, I thought I'd skip over to Troy for a shout-out. When I was in college in Troy from 1983-85, I ate at Crowe's about once a week. I loved the chicken nuggets...and still do! When we go to Troy or to the beach...it is necessary for me to purchase these and bring them back to my son...who is also a big fan.

So, if you go to Troy...stop on in...the tea is really good too.

50. Hugs

Growing up, I wasn't really much of a "hugger." I hugged family and close friends, but didn't really feel the need to greet new people in this manner. Boy, has THAT changed. One of my favorite things in life is a good old fashioned hug. I love it when I see a kid that I've watched grow up come and greet me in this manner or when I see someone I don't get to see nearly enough. I think the older we get, the more we need physical touch...or maybe I just like hugs and I'm just throwing excuses on the wall to see if one sticks.

Ah, why not.

Although I do understand that some people are not naturally comfortable with this type of expression...I will also say that I've seen others converted. Primarily Yankees.

No offense to my Yankee friends who might actually read this.

It's just that down South, we tend to believe that we are all connected somehow (and we usually will figure it out eventually if we are)...so we greet you like family...with a hug. We might have known you fifteen years or fifteen minutes...it matters not.

I find that I can discover a lot about a person in the way that they hug you. Some people are comfortable with the side hug and others go full front bear hug. Me? Just depends on the situation. But I will tell you that I can tell if I like someone or not by the way that they hug me. It is kind of like the handshake of the South.

One of the boys Jill dated didn't mind being hugged because apparently his Mama raised him properly. The best thing was that he'd wait until you let go and never seemed to rush you. Granted, I only hugged him for about three seconds at a time...but I remember this. Weird? Others acted like they'd rather hug a cobra...and the feeling was, unfortunately, mutual.

I just hope that my future son-in-law is a hugger. He'd better be.

Anyway, hope that you are still reading...and that you are ready for another installment. It has kept me out of the kitchen...and that's exactly what I'm trying to do.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

My Favorite Things 31-40

2012-01-18T20:44:00.001-06:00

There's a couple of you that probably thought I was kidding...more favorite things? Oh, but yes. A thousand times yes. Okay, more like actually couple hundred or so...but if it keeps my hands and mind busy...and introduces you to a new concept (or not)...well, it's worth it, yes?

Most of the things that I am attached to - which is different from my favorite things, mind you - are because someone mentioned it at some point in time. Why wouldn't you ask a friend for referrals for doctors and dentists, recommendations for restaurants and movies or ideas for redecorating or party planning? Answer: you wouldn't! So, maybe in counting my blessings...you are thinking about your own. Maybe in putting my favorite things on a list...you are seeing something that you haven't thought about in awhile...or you may take for granted a little bit. Or not.

So...here's the next 10 for your reading pleasure (I write that assuming that someone is reading this other than me.)

31. Dancing

Well, believe it or not...I am a HUGE fan of dancing. I love to see people who know what they are doing actually moving in a manner that does not resemble a frog in a blender. Not that I have anything particularly against that...I mean...I married Big Dave and that's the way he moves unless it is a slow dance.

So, we slow dance only. And that's okay.

But, here's a visual "snack" of some of my favorites. I don't watch "Dancing With the Stars" because the whole premise annoys me and there is usually someone on each season that gets on my last nerve. Not the case with my mother, though. She knows exactly what is going on...and it makes her happy...so, ah.

The Troy Phi Mus - Homecoming 2011. ROCK ON.

Or how about this...

If you haven't seen "The Evolution of Dance"...well, you totally need to. It's hilarious!

Or my all-time personal favorite...the Alabama State University Stingettes...

Seriously...how can you not want to be able to move like that? As for me...alas, no. Ask some poor Modern Dance instructor in Troy, Alabama in 1982 that gave me an A because she felt sorry for me.

Modern Dance. I'm so not kidding.

32. Babies

I'm sure that this is fairly generic but I love being around babies! I love to try to make them smile, not cry, and enjoy entertaining them. It is very difficult to have a bad day and let it follow you home when you are in the presence of a little one. Yes, I know that being up at 2 a.m. is no picnic...but NOTHING makes me feel happier than holding a baby as a general rule.

Fortunately for me, we have had a steady stream of "little people" in the family since my sister kicked off the second wave in 2005 with Alex. On the Mixon side, I have Jacob and Noah. Serious cuteness. Serious.

33. Daffodils

My birthday is in March, so each year, I know it is about time to be blowing out candles when I see the daffodils start to pop up everywhere. I believe that it is also the "official" flower of the month of March...although they call it the "jonquil" in some things I read. Frankly, I'd check, but obviously cannot because Wikipedia is "blacked out" for the evening. Such is life.

Granted, here in the South, where it can snow in April and it might be 75 degrees in January...the daffodils occasionally get confused and start blooming at some other random time. However, how can you not smile when you see those bright yellow flowers dotting the roads and neighborhood? I know I can't resist them.

Several years ago, my friend, Kim, photographed daffodils for me and framed them as a gift because of my affinity for them. I enjoy that photograph every day.

34. Clean Sheets

I really love getting into bed at night when there are clean sheets on the bed. And ironed pillowcases. Pure heaven! I realize that the ironed pillowcase thing is more or less unnecessary in this day and age of permanent press...but I do it anyway. When my grandmother's house was cleaned out, I ended up in the linen closet hoping that I could find a set of pillowcases that would remind me of home. I found more than a set...I found the motherlode.

I iron them because my grandmother did. And actually, it was probably sweet Ethel who did a lot of that ironing. But it reminds me of home...and so I do it. On nights when life is just too much, it is nice to just change the sheets and drift off on a freshly ironed pillowcase.

Awesome.

35. Rush Limbaugh

Okay, I may alienate a lot of you with this one...but what I am doing at some point in time between 11-2 CST is listening to Rush Limbaugh. I'm a conservative...and I've found that Rush presents conservatism in a way that makes perfect sense to me. No, I'm not easily led, and yes, I do get alternative opinions. I just happen to find his show entertaining and informative.

I will admit that it took me awhile, though. When he said things like "with talent on loan from God..." I thought he was being the epitome of arrogance. Far from it. He realizes that all of us have God-given gifts, and he's pretty sure that his is talking on the radio every day for three hours. Most people I know are well aware of their gifts...be it singers, writers, or artists. You just...know. So, because he says it in a way that rubs folks the wrong way...he's wrong.

Hardly.

Anyway, I like the guy. I like the fact that he sticks to his principles. I like that he's crazy about his wife, Kathryn, and his dogs. I even like his tea (http://www.twoifbytea.com/). We've ordered several cases including the regular sweet tea and the diet blueberry tea. It is expensive...but it is awesome. My sister, Linda, who voted for President Obama in the last election - on an absentee ballot - from France - was a big fan of the tea.

Maybe she won't drink the "conservative kool-aid" but she will drink Rush's tea. So there's that.

Seriously...the tea's good.

36. People That Go Beyond the Call Of Duty

One of my favorite groups of people are those that go beyond the call of duty. There the ones who actually visit you in the hospital or show up with dinner for your family. They send you notes to encourage you and offer to keep your dog while you go on vacation. They not only do what you ask...they do it beyond your wildest dreams.

You ask them for something and they give you that and more. They do you a favor...but they've already thought ahead to details you hadn't even mulled over yet and handled them. The job that you needed help with? Well, they'll help you through that and then say, "What else can I do for you today?"

Wow, yes?

I have always been impressed when I have been the recipient of someone going all-out. I feel so incredibly loved! Recently, we were invited to watch a football game with friends (one of the bowl games during the holidays) and we were treated to a perfectly cooked steak, and an absolutely out-of-the-ballpark with joy experience. I'm still smiling about it...and it was weeks ago.

37. The Song "December" By Collective Soul

You know how you have about a dozen songs that you'll listen to at full volume whenever they come on the radio randomly? Well, here is one of those. It is in my top three favorite songs...and chances are...you've heard it. You just didn't know that "December" was the name of the song. Here it is...

See? You've heard it...right? Cool.

38. Rainbows

I know...who doesn't love rainbows? One minute you'll be driving down the road...and the next minute you are consumed with the notion that there is a rainbow to your left. I don't care how many times it happens to me...I always feel like God is giving me a kiss on the forehead when I see a rainbow.

I realize that the rainbow has been used for various groups over time...but the one that I associate it with is the Walk to Emmaus. Although I have not been involved in the local group of late, I really enjoyed the experience and think about it from time to time when I see a rainbow in a book.

But when I see it in the sky...I know that things are about to get better. That God is promising just that.

39. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Unless you have a particular peanut butter allergy or chocolate/peanut butter aversion...these totally rock. I grew up calling them "Reese-ee cups" as opposed to "Reese's cups" but whatever. People used to call me "Kay-run" when I was growing up...and I've forgiven them for it.

Mostly.

Anyway, if you want to blow 100 calories on something worth it...grab one of these. "One" meaning one cup of the two in the package. I know...bummer. Personally, I like the little ones...by the handful.

Or I did, anyway before I swore off sugar. By the way, this is the one thing that I honestly tried aversion therapy with to see if it would work because there are several things that I will no longer consume because aversion therapy normally works. In this case...um...no. It didn't. At all.

Oh well.

40. Free Shipping

I don't know if you order online a lot or not...but there are two things that totally rock my world...a great deal and FREE SHIPPING. I love that L.L. Bean offers it now...and I'm far more likely to buy when this is part of the deal.

My recent deal-of-the-century was getting two boxes of 500 business envelopes from Staples for $3 a box...with (you guessed it...) FREE SHIPPING. I paid $6 for 1,000 envelopes...and they delivered them to my door.

Can we say "Rock On!"? Of course we can!

Thanks for reading tonight as I've kept myself away from the kitchen. Other than a serious wish that I could eat a handful (or bushel) of Reese-e cups right now...I'm fine. Check back tomorrow for My Favorite Things 41-50.

And, as always, thank you for reading!

My FavoriteThings 21-30

2012-01-17T20:08:00.000-06:00

Seriously, people, I am on a roll. Being the Princess of Overkill like I am...I have several more of these lists. Oh, who am I kidding? Several? The term "several" implies seven or eight. I have twelve. And I'm not done. Of course, you may be done...and I'll respect that...but in my quest to keep my hands and mind busy and away from the pantry/refrigerator/freezer...I'm writing.

My alternative is cleaning. So...I'm writing. Seriously.

21. Free Stuff

Years ago, when I actually still could stand in front of a Coke or vending machine without intense feelings of guilt, I used to love it when that little spirally thingy would "accidentally" drop two of something instead of whatever it was that I'd paid for. This didn't happen often, but it was really cool to get an unexpected surprise. Today I love getting free samples, gift with purchase, and things that are no longer wanted by the original owner. I am old enough to understand that nothing is truly "free" in that somebody has to pay for it somewhere...but I do love it when I'm the recipient. This is probably one of the reasons that Big Dave and I are so thumbs up on Costco...the samples. Never mind that whole "membership fee" thing.

22. Photo Albums

When I was a little girl, I enjoyed looking at photo albums and school annuals of my mother and grandmother through the years. I'd imagine them as little girls and looked to see myself in their faces. I still enjoy looking at the photo albums of friends and seeing trips, weddings, and new babies. Time passes so quickly that we hardly have time to notice...but those photo albums are the permanent reminders that we had an awkward stage, were once thin, or we can use them to remember our natural hair color.

Oh, maybe that's just me.

Anyway, what do we do when we go through most of the vitally important passages in life? We drag out the photo albums. Most graduations and rehearsal dinners include a slideshow...and we watch them knowing that time truly does fly. Too quickly.

23. Italian Food

Now, do know that I have moved beyond Chef Boyardee...but if you ask me what kind of food I'd choose out of all alternatives? Italian. Preferably a little hole in the wall place that has really super-good homemade Italian food. It is the absolute best. Of course, I won't be eating Italian food until sometime in 2016...but whatever.

24. Refrigerator Art

I am currently looking at a very beautifully colored pictures done by my little French artists, my nephew, Alex, and niece, Tara, that are on my refrigerator. One of the pictures has balloons and hearts and the other is a meticulously colored jester. Both reflect the respective artists and make me smile to see them. The days of having my refrigerator lined with artistic creations was over sometime in the 1990s, but I've recently become the beneficiary of refrigerator art that I love so much that I even have two pieces at work to the left of my computer monitor.

25. Fall

While I love the cold weather of winter (especially Christmas), the beauty and warmth of Spring, and the gorgeous azure blue skies and green, green grass of Summer...I love Fall. Granted, we only have Fall for about two weeks each year...but you know what I'm talking about, right? The leaves are turning colors and the sky is so blue that it looks photoshopped. The temperature is perfect...not too hot and not too cold...and somewhere in the background I hear an SEC football game. Add wings on the grill and an occasional breeze with the scent of tea olives...and I'm happy. Very happy.

26. People You Can Depend On

In this life, there are people you can count on...and there are people who you can COUNT ON. Those people who you don't even have to ask...because they are already in the kitchen cleaning out your refrigerator and making you a bowl of soup. People who say they'll do it and actually do. Who will offer their time to make your life a little brighter and who you can show your true self to because they don't scare easily. In my life, I have a lot of family that I can count on...but one person that I know that I could call from jail and he wouldn't even question it...is my stepfather, Ralph.  And just in case you're wondering...NO...I've never placed that call...thankfully.

He is the person that I like to talk to when I am feeling bad about myself and I need someone to remind me of who I am. He never judges...but tells me things like "I always knew that you could do anything you set your mind to." I mean...doesn't everyone need someone like that?

I know that I try to be a person that others can depend on...and I try very hard not to take their trust lightly. I believe that it is biblical for your "yes" to be "yes" and your "no" to be "no" and so that is what I try to do. But I'm not perfect. Not even close. And when I'm not...now you know who I call...

27. The Smell of Fresh Paint

Those of you who know me know that I have absolutely no business whatsoever anywhere near paint. I can't paint according to Big Dave, and I'm fairly certain that I have no artistic ability in this arena. Other than one picture that I painted that looks somewhat like it was supposed to...I'm pretty pitiful.

But I do love the smell of fresh paint. To me, the smell of paint means that something is refreshed and renewed. It is comforting...and it also means that Big Dave has worked me into his to-do list somehow.  Both of those are win-win, yes?

Over time, I hope to be able to make some peace with paint...so that I won't feel so awkward and unworthy when I am dealing with it. But in the meantime...I'll just enjoy the smell of newness. Works for me.

28. Miracles

In my life, I have seen many tragedies, but I've also witnessed many, many miracles. In fact, I smile at every pregnant woman I see...because I know that she is participating in a miracle as she awaits the birth of her new baby. I have seen lives spared, watched families pray children out of dire situations into life, and even watched two friends raise a son who is a miracle child.

His miracle is that he was saved by a perfect match in the bone marrow of his older sister. She was three years old at the time.  He is now in the 6th grade...and she in the 9th.  Miracles.

I know that God shows up in a big way sometimes...but other times in ways that only we see. The decision that you struggled over only to find out that you made the right one years later. The lump that is benign. The series of events that brings a person into our lives that we cannot possibly imagine living without. The fact that we wake up every morning and are blessed beyond measure.

Miracles. Everywhere.  You just have to open your eyes and your heart to see them.

29. Big Chic Fried Chicken

If you are from Thomaston, Georgia, you know of what I speak...but if you are not...you can only imagine. The. Best. Fried. Chicken. On. The. Planet.

Seriously. Trust me on this.

The funny thing was...I really began my love affair with Big Chic with the fries.  The steak cut fries that they'd stuff into a small white bag for the bargain price of $.75. Okay, that was back in 1981...but fortunately...not much has changed taste-wise. If you want one of my top 5 favorite meals ever...Big Chic chicken filet sandwich with mayonnaise, mustard and extra pickles...with fries...and a large sweet tea. Slaw optional.

Yes...Big Chic is at least partially responsible for making me a big chick. Pun intended.

30. Long Term Friendships

One of my favorite things is that I have a lot of friends that I've been friends with for years. We may not see each other often...but I still love spending time with my friends and enjoy catching up with them from time to time. My high school friends and I have been to dinners, a weekend in Warm Springs, GA, and a trip to Panama City, FL. The funny thing? It doesn't matter that we went to school together thirty years ago...or that we might have not been the closest friends. We were together then...and we care about each other now.

My friend, Dee, is my oldest friend. She is six months younger...so I've been her friend her entire life...and she's been mine since she was six months old. Our mothers were friends and so were our grandmothers. That's possible to do in a small town, you know. I have friends I went to grammar school with (or elementary school if you aren't from Thomaston)...high school...and those that I met at my two colleges. I have friends that live up north (Jacqueline) and west (Linda) and all over the country.

I am immensely blessed.

Long term friendships are something that I think God gives us to get us through this grand adventure called life. The funny thing is...sometimes we have to grow a little bit to fully appreciate how absolutely amazing someone is. I know my long-term friends certainly are evidence of this.

My Favorite Things - 11 - 20

2012-01-16T23:04:00.001-06:00

In an attempt to keep my hands and mind busy (and therefore, not in the vicinity of the kitchen), I'm focusing on things that are my favorites in life. At least today. The list changes, you know. I mean, I've been a huge fan of mint chocolate chip ice cream for my entire life. But that was pretty much when getting an ice cream cone with exotic ingredients was a treat...not an everyday occurrence.

Growing up, we had vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry or the gosh-awful combination of the three...neopolitan. In my house, everyone would combine the chocolate and vanilla (primarily the vanilla) and the sad little strawberry would get ignored until we were desperate. We also had trips to the Dairy Queen for soft serve...or McDonald's for a sundae. I still find it a little difficult to eat the McDonald's ones, though, after cleaning those sundae machines on Sunday nights. I won't elaborate.

Getting cool ice cream normally involved either a Baskin-Robbins, an ice cream parlor, or a Howard Johnson's if we were on the road. Yes, they used to have ice cream in the HoJo, and it was good. These days, while I am grateful for Blue Bell ice cream (but not what it does to my resolve, thank you very much)...I no longer covet mint chocolate chip like I did as a kid. Vanilla is only purchased as an ingredient to go on top of something else...like pie. In fact, I'm more likely to go toffee than anything else anymore...or Publix' Santa's White Christmas ice cream every December (except that I normally have to get it in November when they actually have it in stock.)

All of this talk about ice cream feels just a wee bit counterproductive.

Moving on...

11. People That Do Impressive Things

I have friends that do wonderful things...and I have those who do things that impress me to no end. Take my friend, Michele, who counsels people in crisis, my friend, Bonnie, who teaches special needs children (although she's retired this year, she has three part time jobs in the field), my friend, Michelle, who not only bakes amazing things in her kitchen but she has just received a PhD in education (and has convinced legions of kids that she is the Queen of Zaire), and my friend, Kelley, who teaches calculus...to super-bright kids. My friends from home, Kim and Kathy, were news anchors, and my friend, Marcy, is currently a weather diva on a local TV channel. I also have a friend, Lisa, that travels everywhere and does so much cool stuff that I am just in awe, and my many friends who have done breast cancer walks, run marathons, started cancer support groups, and taken care of ailing children or parents.

Seriously, people, you totally rock.

12. Dachshunds (or as I spelled it for years..."Doxens")

I am the proud owner of a shih tzu (Dixie) and shorkie (Rebel) and probably will stick with that breed from here on out. However, my friend, Pam, has the most hilarious thuggish in-your-face dachshunds that I've ever seen. One of my favorite things is to see pictures of her dogs in various action scenes and then have the fun of "captioning" the photos. We crack ourselves up with this...and yes, we are easily entertained. Because of Pam, I will never see a Dachshund that I don't like...and I will always assume that they are up to some thuggery. Because they are.

Pam is also one of the funniest people on the planet. Which brings me to...

13. People That Make Me Laugh

Life is hard sometimes...but just when you think you're about to have to eat a crap sandwich, someone will make light of it all...and it takes away the sting. I love the people in my life who do this...and who do it sometimes without even meaning to. There is nothing more unattractive than laughing so hard that you cannot control your facial muscles (or some other parts that we won't go into here...) but I highly advise it. In fact, it is really almost mandatory, in my humble opinion. So, thanks, Carrie, Pam, Kim, and one of my favorite authors, Jen Lancaster, for making me laugh.

A lot.

14. Pride and Prejudice

Okay, I read this book about once every other year, and I watch the movie (with Keira Knightly...although I've been told to watch the other version with Colin Firth as well) at least once a month. I have no idea why. Well, maybe I do. Don't all of us want to find someone who is our perfect match? And those of us who are married...don't we love to cheer on those who aren't married yet? Why else do we get so fired up about hearing about upcoming nuptuals, how he proposed, or some sweet story related to a couple? Because deep in our hearts...we all want to be valued, pursued, and won. Maybe we're reliving our own story or cheering someone else on...it makes no matter.

And seriously? Who wouldn't be all fired up about Mr. Darcy being a great guy under all of that original conceit and being rich to boot? Come on, you all know it's a cool story. If you haven't read it...you really should unless you have serious ADD. If you do, just go on http://www.pinkmonkey.com/ or http://www.wikipedia.com/ and get the storyline. Then watch the movie.

15. Christmas

I love Jesus' birthday and everything associated with it. I enjoy shopping, wrapping, cooking, baking, visiting, singing, and even as of this year...church musical programs. Yes. Finally. I've gotten over the cantata aversion. We are a "real tree" family and my house doesn't exactly look like Southern Living...but it always looks pretty to me. The schedule is usually crowded...and I'm usually happy. And even if I'm sick as a dog during Christmas...it still is a time of wonder and joy to me. So, yay!

16. The Beach

Some of my best memories are at the beach. Primarily in the panhandle of Florida at Inlet Beach...but also at Panama City, Ft. Walton and Destin, Gulf Shores, AL, St. Augustine Beach, and even the beach in California that I visited at age 18 with my uncle. It matters not when...I'm usually super-happy to just be sitting in the sand reading a book and watching the world go by.

I have had trips scrapbooking at the beach, visiting family, attending conventions, hanging out with my high school girlfriends, and last year, we celebrated Jill's 21st birthday at my sweet friend Judy's beach house. It is a place that makes me stop and think and breathe. Some people may prefer the mountains or the ski lodge...but me? It's 100% the beach.

17. Max Lucado

If I had to pick one author that has made a huge impact on how I view the world...it has to be Max Lucado. He's a brilliant writer and the man just makes me think. I've read everything he's put out there except for the newest...but it is on my nightstand. Yes, he's a Christian writer. But he takes the everyday experiences that we all have and intertwines biblical truth through those and weaves out the most amazing books. I encourage you to read them if you never have. He's an active preacher in San Antonio, Texas, and he's the real deal.

18. Bonefish Grill

For years, Big Dave and I celebrated everything worth celebrating at Red Lobster. For the past three years...we moved the party to Bonefish Grill. The cost usually makes it only for special occasions...but we have found that the food and service are excellent for a chain restaurant. So, it makes the list just on the basis of being my favorite chain restaurant. Sorry, Red Lobster.

19. Spode Christmas Tree China

About 25 years ago, my friend, Molly, gave me a plate and cup and saucer of this pattern as a Christmas present. I didn't have enough money to just buy a set outright, so over the years, I'd pick up a little bit here and a little bit there to add to my collection. That collection has grown to a ten piece place setting with tons of serving pieces that I love bringing out and using every Christmas. I even found a shower curtain in the pattern (at 75% off at Bed, Bath and Beyond...and then I had a coupon on top of it...score!) and hand towels that take the pattern into the guest bath.

Yes. I know. Obsessive.

But the truth is...I love acquiring the pieces that come out each year. I remember who gave them to me (primarily my sister, Linda) and I love using them to set a festive table. For a decorating challenged person...having cool serving pieces makes me look like I know what I'm doing. Which, of course, is one of my favorite things in itself.

20. Piggie Park Barbecue

For those of you living in Thomaston, Georgia, you know of what I speak...but the rest of you probably don't realize that this is the best barbecue in the world. I have no idea how they get the pork so tender and chopped the way they do...and the sauce! Oh, the sauce! Anyway, I used to eat the hamburger (scrambled) until I learned about the barbecue. I never turned back...and that's not to say that the hamburger wasn't good...because it seriously was.

Enough of the food talk.

Anyway...that's my second list...with more to come. Thanks for reading.

My Favorite Things 1-10

2012-01-16T09:58:00.000-06:00

One of the funny things about denying yourself something is that it is really easy to start focusing on what you don't have. If you let that take hold in your spirit, then eventually you start feeling like all of the everyday blessings you have (and take for granted) are tired, worn out and unworthy. Oh, please. Save yourself from that!

This morning, a friend on Facebook posted pictures of his barbecue. Seriously! He is a competitive grillsman (don't know the exact wording for this and really should since my brother-in-law, Bill, is as well, but whatever) and he is proud of his craft. Where most of us put photos of our children and grandchildren on Facebook...he put his barbecue's picture on in all of its amazingly delicious-looking glory.

Incidentally, barbecue is on the "no-fly" list for me right now along with sugar and bread.

But you know what? Instead of pouting because I can't be face down in a plate of that pork...I am praising the fact that somebody somewhere is going to have some good eatin' tonight.

Good for them.

That's the attitude I have to keep to stay on the right course. To focus on my favorite things instead of what I'm giving up. I've had enough focus on giving things up. For years, actually.

So, here's the 2012 list of my favorite things. Other than #1, these are not in any particular order. Most of you who know me know that these are on the list, but you may or may not (care or) know why. I'm putting it out there anyway because I seriously need to get my mind off that barbecue.

1. God.

Although obvious, I'm not going to start any list of my favorite things without putting Him at the beginning. In the past, I have not been as bold about my faith as I now feel compelled to be. Why? Because I thought if anyone knew me and some of the things I've either done, thought, or been involved with that they'd think I was a fraud. And then I thought...if Paul could do it...so can I. I don't care anymore if people think that I need to keep my faith to myself. I refuse. I'm tired of trying to fit in, not attract notice, or wait until I get it together. Oh, please. Right now, He is calling me to be bold. So, bold I will be.

2. Tim Tebow

Want to know who inspired #1 in part? Yes. Timmy. I have been a fan of Tim's since I saw him begin playing for the University of Florida. At first, I was impressed by his athletic ability. That quickly changed to being impressed by his Christian walk. I don't care where he ends up in life...I'm a fan. A big one.

So he had issues in his first year as a starting quarterback. Give him time. I don't care if he's as talented as the pundits want him to be. I know whose team he's on...and if David could slay Goliath with a slingshot and a stone...Tim can pour them all a cup of shut up juice. I believe this.

3. Foo Fighters

I won't elaborate a whole lot about this since I dedicated ~~three~~ four blogposts to this a few months ago at http://www.mypointsintime.blogspot.com/2011/07/beginning-part-i.htmlhttp://www.mypointsintime.blogspot.com/2011/07/stuff-happens-part-ii.htmlhttp://www.mypointsintime.blogspot.com/2011/07/everything-else-part-iii.htmlhttp://www.mypointsintime.blogspot.com/2011/07/in-conclusion-part-iv.html

The truth? I just love the talent. And the music. And the band. I could do without the language. Seriously. But my favorite? Here it is...

4. My Extremely Extraordinarily Amazingly Talented Friends

I have friends who can do anything. Anything! They are painters (Nedra, Jamie, Barb, Traci and Gina), decorators (Judy and Marion), cake makers (Paige and Debbie), daylily growers (Andrea, Chrystie and Kayla), seamstresses/embroidery wizards (Sarah and Ellen), writers (Ruthie and Courtney), culinary divas (my Apples of Gold friends), and others that inspire me in many other things that they do in just the regular course of life. I have prayer warrior friends, organizers (Beve and Lisa), card-makers (Cindy), and encouragers (Bonnie, Laura, Julie, Libbie, Bobbi and Julie Ann).

Talk about blessed! Every friend I have has made my life richer. From my golden friends to my newest ones...all are a gift from God.

(Images used without permission...but I hope they'll forgive me!)

5. Health

In spite of everything I've managed to do wrong...God has blessed me with the gift of health. And what a gift it is.

6. A Loving Family

I have been married for 26 years to a wonderful man, and I have two children who have exceeded my expectations for them. I have wonderful parents...and in-laws. The extended family is loving and wonderful and supportive. I cannot be more blessed in this regard.

7. Gerard Butler and Channing Tatum

It is fun to go to the movies and enjoy watching two actors who seem normal and in Channing's case...happily married and proud of it. I am a huge fan of both...for some obvious and some not-so-obvious reasons.

(Yes, the picture of Channing is with his wife, Jenna.) Love them.

8. Coffee

I enjoy coffee. A cup in the morning and an occasional run through Starbucks to treat myself make me immensely happy. Even more fun is to get a really great barista or ordertaker at Starbucks. The guy working in the drive thru at Starbucks last Friday night (at Eastchase) made me giggle and I even dug out a tip although I'd used my debit card because he was so incredibly charming. Not flirtatious...charming. I mean...how can you not want to tip someone who says "whatever you wish." Seriously. He prepared my house blend small coffee exactly as I asked and smiled as he did it.

9. Chick-Fil-A

One of the things I'm really going to miss about my new eating program is the french fries at Chick-fil-A. However, I do enjoy a giant Diet Lemonade from time to time. Or every day. Whatever. Besides, what's not to like in seeing people move it to get you through quickly, smiling a lot, and staying "my pleasure" every other breath. I also like that this is a privately held company, Christian-based, and successful in spite of the fact that they close on Sunday. Good for them. Plus, the commercials with the cows are clever and hilarious.

Come on...you know that's funny.

10. FatWallet.com

I was introduced to this website by a friend (who can save more money than anyone I know) several years ago. Over time, I have found more deals than duds, and am always pleased with what I get. The link is http://www.fatwallet.com/ if you are interested in checking it out. Sometimes they put things on there that are a little bit weird (my most recent one in this category was the "portable bidet")...but just last night I ordered 1,000 envelopes (2 boxes of 500) for $6 shipped. That will keep Big Dave in envelopes for the entire year and then some. Rock on.

Okay, I'm feeling a lot better now and don't feel any inclination to want barbecue. What I want is to be obedient to God about this weight issue I've been struggling with for far too long. FAR too long.

I hope that you focus today on your favorite things, too. I'm putting #11 to 20 of mine on here later on. After all, I never get tired of counting my blessings!

Strongholds

2012-01-15T18:23:00.000-06:00

Several years ago, one of my obsessions led me to start a weightlifting program. I read book after book, and actually spent big dollars on magazines that touted wellness, weight training, and living an active lifestyle. I read the autobiography of Arnold Schwarzeneggar and started even using protein powders.

Yes. Me.

What you may not know is that I actually made some progress. My weight was held down with aerobics classes, and I worked really hard to try to budge the scale. Some weeks it worked...some weeks it didn't.

Over time, I got less committed to writing down everything, and the weight slowly crept back on. A few more times I've actually done this...until sometime about six years ago...I just gave it up. I've been regretting that decision ever since.

Most people have things in their lives that they classify as weaknesses or something with which they struggle. It can be as simple as an obsessive desire for chocolate or the inability to spell. Struggle is just part of being human, isn't it?

But there are struggles...and there are STRUGGLES. And no matter how strong you are...or how strong you think you are...sometimes they go from this to THIS before we even realize it.

So what do we do when we do realize it? Well, that's easy. We adjust. Right?

I mean, with my weight, that's exactly what I did. I started buying bigger clothes. Tried vegetarianism, low fat, low sugar, and Weight Watchers. I quit wearing certain items of clothing, and I quit attending some social functions. I was happier at home or with friends that I knew no longer saw what was on the outside because they were primarily concerned with the inside...or at least I like to think so.

At some point, the adjustments get more and more stringent, and the foundation of a stronghold is built. Walls of denial are erected along with the mortar of shame. Eventually, quite an impressive structure is constructed...and you find that you are standing in the middle of it...chained to the floor.

Uh-oh. Yeah.

Through the years, my family has learned not to discuss it, my friends have overlooked it, and the majority of my acquaintances couldn't care less. Kind of like the 800-pound gorilla in the room, though. I considered myself blessed that my health was holding out and I believed that people loved the real "me" because they couldn't possibly love what they were seeing. I know I didn't.

That's the thing about strongholds. They'll convince you of all sorts of nonsense. You'll be able to justify the most ridiculous behavior and you'll even hide your gifts under a bushel when we are clearly directed as Christians not to do so. I've blamed comments by a close family member, tough times in life, and even stress for living in bondage.

Because bondage is what happens with a stronghold.

According to http://www.truth.org...%22spiritually/ speaking, Paul defines strongholds as an “argument or high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God”. A stronghold is a point of operation from where Satan can keep the unbeliever captive or the believer incapacitated. See 2nd Corinthians below:"
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

And how does one demolish a spiritual stronghold? Two weapons: The word of God and prayer.

There is a visual representation of armoring the body in Ephesians 6 for spiritual warfare. Sometimes, though, we get taken captive and dragged off into a place we never intended to go. I'm quite sure that what applies to me in food probably applies to someone else in materialism or pornography. Pick your poison.

The truth is that this is a battle that we cannot...and should not fight alone. You have to be public about it and ask people to help you get through it. You have to want nothing more than to glorify God in the process.

That's where I am right now.

Yes, I wish I had taken the initiative to keep those workouts regular and taken steps to lose weight a long time ago. But you know what? There is only so much that one can do in one's own strength. We can have willpower and success and overcome some mighty nasty habits. But at the same time...when we are trying to do this AND are under spiritual attack...well, sometimes that's just a recipe for disaster.

Some people don't believe that spiritual warfare exists...and if you don't...well, that's your opinion. Personally, I believe it exists...in fact I know it. I live it. And while I take full responsibility for my poor eating choices, I also know that the level at which I've experienced issues with food have compromised just about every facet of my life.

That had to stop.

I don't know if I'll ever be the gym rat I was back in the day with my little notebook and dedication. And frankly, I don't care. What I do care about is honoring God in my food choices and in trusting Him to not let this ridiculous stronghold continue to exist in my life.

Today at church (specifically...Sunday School), the demolition team came in. They prayed over me and I trust that the chains have already been broken. God has sent someone into my life that has given me the plan I'm following, my husband and son are "mysteriously" (yeah, right) interested in healthy eating right now, and I have people who are standing by me and praying for me until this stronghold comes crashing down.

Frankly, it already has. Witnessing the aftermath is only a matter of time. I believe this.

If you see me, don't ask me anything but about whether or not I have been faithful to living as I believe the Lord intends for me to live. I'm counting the days of obedience...not the pounds. I'm not concerned about looking "good" - but I'll take feeling good. That would be a change. A welcome one.

In the meantime...please keep praying...and I'll keep trusting God. For those of you who don't understand all of this or think that I may be just a little nuts with all of this sugar deprivation...just know that while that might be somewhat true today...this boldness to be speak the truth is the answer to prayer.

And for that I am very grateful.

Testimony

2012-01-13T20:29:00.001-06:00

I am a blessed woman. I know this because my life has included a family that loves me, the ability to have done most of what I set out to do in life, and friends that have been sent to remind me that God loves me too. My family pretty much has to love, like or tolerate me. My friends chose to...which, of course, totally rocks.

God adopted me into the family of faith when I was ten years old at a Pat Terry concert at the First United Methodist Church in Thomaston, Georgia. I begged my mother for the money to pay for an album and she gave it to me. I played it often and remembered that night. I don't remember the exact day, unfortunately. Getting the album was actually a big deal because I didn't ask for a whole lot except at my birthday and Christmas...but this was different. I was different. I went home and said my prayers on my knees outside my bed for the first time although I'd said "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep..." for years. My mother didn't know what had gotten into me and told me to get up and get into bed. I did. And over time, not really having a clue what to do with what was going on on the inside and being completely unable to understand much in my King James Version Bible (although I realize that it is the preference of others...and no judgment here...) I pretty much rocked along.

Then the teen years hit. And the narrow road became an interstate. In Atlanta. At rush hour. But when I look back on now...God kept me out of some serious trouble...but gave me enough of it to realize just how close to the ledge I was when I look back on it.

I'm eternally grateful that I didn't jump. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

When I was 22, Big Dave and I married and we were still about as clueless as two young people could be. Of course, Dave was 27 at the time, and I figured he had more of a clue than I did. He thought the same thing. We did have the good sense to go to Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church because Keith Waldrop (now a pastor at another successful local church) went to the same gym and kept telling him, "see you at church!" Dr. John Ed Mathison was also doing a devotional minute on a local radio station, and Dave liked that. The only input I had was that I grew up Methodist (as did Dave)...so we thought a Methodist church was where we'd end up...eventually.

So, we started going. Sporadically. We were both in school at night and sometimes we made it...and sometimes we didn't. We finally graduated and saved up a down payment, and ended up in a neighborhood of young couples (Deerfield) in Montgomery, Alabama. Our next door neighbors were the Hands, and they also went to Frazer. We finally joined when I was pregnant with Jill in August 1989. I'm sure that I was a vision of loveliness up there in front of the congregation all massively pregnant and all.

Naturally, we went to Sunday School with the Hands, and ended up in a wonderful class taught by Bill and Joy Todd. From this class, a ladies' bible study started...and I started growing spiritually through Sunday School and the bible study. I started reading everything I could get my hands on (including the NIV version of the Bible) and watched God do miracles such as increasing my understanding and providing us with money to pay off a debt and increasing either mine or Dave's salary just before both of our children were born.

I learned that it was okay to be bold about your faith and even got over my initial difficulty of singing in Sunday School and holding hands to sing "Bind Us Together" in church. My home church was friendly...but they didn't do things like applaud or hold hands. Frazer did. It took a little while for me to adjust. Some of the confidence in the Lord that I have was developed during those years when Joy gave her testimony, sweet Jean opened her home, and Julie kept encouraging me to be more of a Proverbs 31 woman. In addition to them, friends like Jo, Wendy, Kim, Nancy, and Debbie fed me spiritually by just being who they were. I doubt that they really understand the impact that they had. They were just being godly women.

But it mattered. To me.

The Todds moved back to Birmingham, and we ended up attending a class or two before ending up in a huge class and had the privilege of learning from John Schmidt both in Sunday School and in Contemporary Worship. After John Ed retired, we had difficulty adjusting to his replacement, and even thought that we might need to make a change. But Big Dave said, "No...we're going to stick this out. We have friends and commitments here." So we did.

And then Patrick Quinn and Tim Thompson were hired.

They have been such a blessing. We're so glad we stayed.

We've ended up back in regular worship listening to Pastor Tim but we enjoy hearing Patrick preach as well. And about six months ago, two friends invited us to Sunday School...something we had not done in years. I'd kept up my reading, but we really needed some Christian fellowship in the worst way.

It took us two weeks to join. Talk about a blessing!

We are in Tom and Marcia Calendar's class now, and we have a group of committed Christians in there that are loving us and giving us the confidence to grow again.

About that growing thing...

I've been spiritually growing...but I've also been physically growing for the past ten...okay...almost twenty-three years. Out...not up. I've let misunderstandings, stress, unhappiness, and fear build a stronghold that has become quite the devil's playground.

I've been through every weight loss program that I felt decent about (Weight Watchers, First Place, and even a few visits to a doctor), exercised religiously (on at least three long term occasions) and even had some success a year ago. Unfortunately, I began to get caught up in MY success, and MY goals, and MY weight loss number. As if I could break that stronghold on MY own.

Impossible.

I have had weight issues for most of my life. It started with binge eating at age 8. Fortunately, I was so active that it didn't show much until I was in high school. A bout with an eating disorder through college kept it down, but after I got pregnant with Jill (a pregnancy that included preeclampsia and a 95 pound weight gain)...I've struggled.

First I gave up bathing suits, then shorts, sleeveless blouses, anything that had to be tucked in, the regular ladies' department, high heels, lingerie, bras with any shape whatsoever, dresses, capris, jeans, clothes that fit, suits, formalwear, and pretty much everything but stretch pants, tops that cover my hips, flat shoes and a sweater that I'm about as attached to as Linus was to his blanket.

I refuse to give up anything else. And I'm not going to scare people by being all "WalMartian" and wearing it anyway.

I don't feel good. I don't look good. And God created something for me to do in this life (because I'm still here) that I worry might be negatively impacted by the message this stronghold I've allowed in my life is screaming at every person who comes in contact with me.

Because we all know it isn't polite to mention someone's weight. Even if it is obvious that they need help.

So, I'm going back to a Kay Arthur study that that ladies' bible study group did all of those years ago about the armor of God. I'm using a visual that a Facebook friend, Lori, put on her page. Actually, I really like to see myself this way. Maybe with a little more pink, but whatever.

You see...I want God to be glorified by the demolishing of this stronghold in my life. I don't care how many pounds I lose...I care about how obedient I am being. I don't mind it being difficult...I just don't want to let Him down. I also don't care how long it takes. All of "this" didn't just jump on there overnight.

Right now, I want to honor the 10 year old girl in me who heard the truth and who has been chasing it ever since. I want to forgive the 18 year old girl who was trying on different personalities because she didn't believe the one God gave her was enough. I want to encourage the 27 year old new mother who was learning and growing with a group of women who were doing exactly the same thing. I want to love the 48 year old me who is tired of being tired, overweight, and insecure about it.

So, here we are.

I just hope that those of you who actually read this will pray for me. Not that I will be glorified...but that my obedience will glorify God. I need to be public about this struggle, because I don't think you can tear down a stronghold in your life without help. God has allowed this in my life to grow my faith...and I am taking that challenge. But you know that we have a formidable enemy that has been prowling around in my life...and I need help.

Serious help.

However, I also know already that God will be glorified through this struggle of mine. Every day that I stay on track is one less day that I am failing to be all that God intends. I know that He loves me...and I'm ready for the adventure that I am undertaking.

Please pray. And as my sweet friend Bonnie's cup (she brought it to me today to encourage me) says..."Friends love at all times" (Proverbs 17:17)...I am asking for you to help me through this as my friends.

Thanks.

On Guilt Trips

2012-01-11T20:35:00.002-06:00

As I started to write this...on January 6th...I was looking at two Santas, two snowmen, the words "Noel" and "Joy" and two Christmas trees sitting on top of my kitchen cabinets. If it is bad luck to keep your Christmas decorations up after the New Year...then this house was in serious trouble.

The rest of it was boxed up and was sitting in the family room just waiting for someone to get up enough gumption to place the ridiculous number of boxes carefully back in the attic until November...or December...or whenever I can bribe the people who can actually scurry up the ladder and drag them down for me to do so.

Oh, who am I kidding? Bribe? Seriously? Why bribe them when taking them on a little guilt trip will suffice. After all, I'd only requested that this be handled for a week. I'd done my part by boxing it up and stacking it in neat little rows. The actual activity of helping it make its grand exit up those freakishly scary little stairs that extend ten feet in the air through a hole in the ceiling in the hall...is for the boys.

First of all...I don't do ladders. Not when there are two perfectly capable red-blooded American males living under my roof. Secondly...I somehow believe that everyone ought to share in the unpleasantness around here...and quite frankly...boxing everything up was about as much unpleasantness as I cared to be involved with at the time.

Thus, the guilt trip.

I may not have traveled much...but I've got lots of stamps in my virtual passport for guilt trips. I'm a Southern woman...don't we all?

In the South, we know that everything that we do is a reflection on our families...so we try not to do anything that might cause an older member of our family to call us with something like..."Honey, I just received a phone call from Mrs. *insert name* who told me that she saw you at the game last Saturday. She wasn't sure if you saw her or not. But she saw you..."

It is at this point that you hope beyond hope that you were not doing anything you shouldn't have been doing. Or that it ended up on Facebook.

There are also versions of this for everything from weight gain to thank you notes to the mother of them all..."have you called your grandmother/mother/father/aunt/grandfather/uncle/brother/best friend from high school/neighbor who always asks about you recently? No? Well, you might want to rectify that situation because I'm going to see him/her at the DAR meeting/church/AARP meeting/lunch and I'm not making excuses for you again."

Between us, I never ever really WANTED to rectify that situation. But I did.

And I'm glad I did...because now some of them are gone and I don't have to get on the "Guilt Trip Express" to Regretsville. Eventually, that prodding turned to a deep appreciation for these folks and now that I'm grown and from time to time unappreciated myself...I am even more in awe of what drove them to love me in spite of it all.

Guilt trips are not always negative...sometimes they are just a way to jerk us back to reality...to get us off of the wide path and back onto the straight and narrow. People who love us enough to tell us to "act right" and "quit being so selfish" are doing us a huge favor, actually. We may not like it at the time...but waving that little guilt wand from time to time is usually extremely effective in teaching us how to be more loving.

Because sometimes being loving has to start with action. Doing something for someone because it needs to be done and because they are special to us means that we have to "die to self" and put whatever it was that we wanted to do on a back burner for someone else's good. We don't "feel" particularly loving, but we make a conscious decision day after day and eventually we realize that more often than not feeling follows action.

Raising children has certainly given me this perspective. When they were little and sleeping, I'd go in their room and touch their soft little faces and my heart would almost burst with the joy of the knowledge that God had entrusted them to my care. But colic, teething, toilet training, the "biting" phase, and the teen years were no picnic...I won't lie. There were times when I didn't particularly like them very much...but I always loved them. I just kept doing what needed to be done.

Including sending them on the occasional guilt trip.

I don't mean to sound flippant about that or to try to make it sound as if I believe that we should try to control or manage people by trying to make them feel guilty. Not at all. But making them hear the truth from someone that they'd rather not disappoint? Fine. Especially if I'm paying their bills. I have always tried to make sure that my standards were consistent and God-given...but sometimes I've been wrong. I haven't been fair...didn't know the whole story...or I just assumed the worst. Sometimes they felt like they had to live up to my impossible standards.

Hey, at least I had them.

I do realize that some people will send you on those guilt trips while making you think that it is all your fault when it honestly isn't. They are the kind of folks who just have to pick apart something out of some sense of superiority. I've learned to steer clear of this kind of person...and I've been quite effective at it.

But you know my favorite? How about the person who makes you know that you can be better because they are measuring up where you fall short...and they don't have to say a word. I think that this is why so many people have a problem with Tim Tebow. It isn't him...it is how they feel in comparison to someone being bold for Christ. If they aren't believers...they think it is a show and that it is ridiculous...so they mock him. Like mocking someone who is a Christian is anything new.

I have two friends that exercise religiously and watch what they eat. Their bodies don't carry extra weight...and neither looks anywhere near her age. When I am with them...they are nothing but encouraging. "You can do it!" they say. I never see a look of disdain for my poor food choices...nor do I ever feel judged. And yes, I want to be just like them. But I'm not wracked with guilt because I'm not...just the occasional twinge that I interpret as "motivation."

I try to keep it real, but from time to time I probably miss the mark. I wish I didn't, but I'm human. I want to be an encourager and an example.

Some days I just feel like a terrible warning. But I suppose that's okay, too.

I'm finishing this up several days after I started this post and I'm looking at the blank spaces where the boxes once lived. I still have my Christmas china stacked up on the buffet, so I'm not completely out of the woods yet. Big Dave has promised to fix something for me so that I can put the china in a new home...and that hasn't quite happened yet.

Oh, but it will. Trust me on this...

The Last Semester

2012-01-10T19:52:00.001-06:00

Tonight I am sitting here having just hugged my daughter goodbye so she can head back to Tuscaloosa for her final semester as a college student. I could go on about how fast it has all flown by (it has), how exciting it must be to be a student at the University of Alabama in the Nick Saban Era with winning football teams less of a sacred hope and more of an absolute expectation. Her Crimson Tide experience from 2008-12 has included an SEC Championship in 2009 and two National Championships (2009 and 2011) sandwiched between the loss of a pledge sister in the April 2011 tornado and two other sorority sisters in car accidents in a one year period. The highest highs...the lowest lows. Pretty much...life.

She has been in a wonderful sorority (Phi Mu), is friends with people I know only by name and football number, and she is getting out in the four years that we made her pinky swear she'd do. When we dropped her off at Tutwiler Dorm with something like 934 of her soon-to-be BFFs on a day in August 2008 that was so incredibly hot that I was shocked that we didn't all fall out after waiting for one hour for an elevator to the 11th floor...I never dreamed time would move so quickly.

That room in Tutwiler that she occupied was more of a cell than an actual room...but she and her sweet roommate worked on it until it resembled something that they felt was "cute" and tolerable.

Or something like that.

I've been to three years of Rush in the Phi Mu house, moved her in and out of two apartments before insisting that she make her final move into the sorority house with her pledge sisters. She loves it. I pretty much knew she would. Eventually.

And now she is on her way back to take four classes two days a week...and start beating the streets for a job that may prove to be difficult to find and oh so elusive...so that she is off of our payroll come May.

Okay, that part made me smile. A little. That "off our payroll" thing.

I think the best things in life are with us for such a short time. But time rolls on...and things change. I even heard today that the parent company that makes Hostess Twinkies is filing for bankruptcy. Not that I've personally purchased a Twinkie in years...but just knowing that they might one day be unavailable along with Concentrate cereal (Kellogg's) and any given nail polish or lipstick color that I ever get attached to...makes me a little sad somehow.

Sometimes we see the passage of time as little ones grow from arm babies to toddlers to kindergarteners. We see the kids that have hung out at our house head down the aisle. We see the puppies that we finally get housebroken and stopped from tearing up the furniture getting a little white around the muzzle. People retire...businesses consolidate...people move away.

Or we see our baby girl load up her car and head back to school for her final semester of college.

One day, I suspect that she will look back and start missing things about here that she'll fondly remember on a quiet night when she is hating her job and wondering exactly when Mr. Wonderful is going to sweep her away somewhere fabulous.  Or at least somewhere tolerable.

I'm sure that she'll find that I'm not the control freak that she sometimes accuses me of being because I try to stop her from making some of the mistakes I did...cold. It seems harsh, I'm sure...but I figure if I'm still here to write a bad review for something...that she might want to take that into consideration. Fortunately, she listens about 90% of the time. I am so blessed that she does. I know this.

Someday, she will realize all of the sacrifices that it takes to get a child here, raised, and launched, and will let me hug her for as long as I want to....something that she doesn't really see the point of today.

She's like her Dad in that way, unfortunately. But he's learned over the years to just let me hug him as long as I want and I'll eventually get enough and move on...and his life will be the better for it. Or at least easier.

But she also inherited his common sense and a sense of being a solid person. She does what she says that she is going to do and she expects other people to do the same. She doesn't play mind games because she's far too literal. She knows her place in this world (valuable) and how amazing she is because her Dad, her family, and some of my dear, wonderful friends have filled her to the brim. She knows what she should expect - no, demand - in someone who wants to win her heart (beginning with a great deal of effort...because if they aren't willing to do that...they'll never survive a marriage.) She is indecisive (a gift from my mother along with great beauty) and sometimes it takes her a few minutes to figure out if you are kidding or not (which comes across as being "blonde" sometimes...but it really isn't).  And yes, she can take it if you are...her PawPaw, uncles and cousins have teased each other so much that she's not even remotely thin-skinned. She is organized, sweet, thoughtful...and she's a planner.

Boy, is she ever.

Which brings us back to the point where we are right now. She's headed off for the last semester...and for the first time neither of us really has any idea what God has in store for her. When she was leaving high school...it was a matter of "which" college...which was easily decided. Now, there is more than what to do...it is where to live...what to pursue...and a whole host of other unanswered questions. She is going to have to make decisions and choices...and may even have to develop skill sets in negotiating and sales...just to put that marketing major she's working toward to good use.

But I've realized that what she does after this semester may or may not involve me. Perhaps she will seek my counsel...or maybe she want to figure it all out on her own. Maybe she will make plans to move somewhere far away doing something that makes her heart sing.  It could be that God will bring Mr. Right to her and he will help her make some of the choices. I honestly don't know...and I'm okay with that.

What I do know is that I trust her to make good decisions.

I have to, you know. She's almost 22...and I honestly don't want her living in my basement after graduation. Primarily because we don't have a basement.

Those of you with little people still at home...hug them tonight...even if they don't really want you to...and don't worry about their show of disdain. It's all pretty much an act anyway. If you are doing your 32nd load of laundry and feel like nobody cares if you are drawing breath...don't worry about that. God knows. He really does. Just know that it all goes so very, very quickly. I was just counting down the sixty weeks until she graduated from high school...then she did...and four more years have flown by.

Flown. By.

Time changes things...and we can focus on that unknown bend in the road, or we can trust that God is already there preparing a place. It is my hope that she will graduate this May with some inkling of what is ahead of her...but it is possible that she may not. And that's okay... it really is. She'll figure it out. Eventually.

After all, she's her mother's daughter, too.

Sometimes I Wonder...But I Always Really Know

2012-01-05T22:20:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I wonder about things that happen...the timing...the hassles...or the hilarity of something. I hear of struggles that people are facing and I cannot for the life of me think of any reason that makes any sense to my irrational little mind as to why someone has to walk through a valley not of their own making. I hear of bad news delivered from doctors, Fox News, or someone's employer. Little children are put through heaven knows what while prayer warriors in sixteen states are steadily knocking on the gates of heaven with appeals for healing. People do everything right except that one time they ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Natural disasters...a twist of fate...eyes averted for a second.

And sometimes I wonder...but I always really know...that we live in an imperfect world.

If we get all caught up in the whirlwind of what is going wrong, we find ourselves in something like the Land of Oz where nothing is as it seems and where witches and flying monkeys pretty much say it all...

Because, seriously, what is worse than flying monkeys and green tinted witches? Okay, don't make me answer that...my 10th grade picture comes to mind...

Of course, there are other bad news stories...families crumble because someone has to go find "him/herself" and cannot be bothered with things like commitments or someone else's welfare. There are break-ins and break-ups, and even some breakdowns. People expecting other people to succumb to their list of expectations, demands, or needs. The whole "if I can't have you...no one can" mentality. Bullying. People suffering every day and for what?

And although sometimes I wonder...I always really know...selfishness.

It is the root of most avoidable problems in this world. We want what we want when we want it and it matters not who gets in the way. It is also extremely difficult to recognize because most people aren't totally selfish...they are something in between.

Other times, I feel like I'm as excited as the recipient of excellent news...and I'm twirling around like Julie Andrews on a hillside in my mind...

The truth is...sometimes I wonder...but I always really know...that it is moments like these that keep me from just giving up. I'll even borrow someone else's joy and jump up and down and go "yay!" with them because it is so much more fun than giving in to things not working out the way I want them to.

Sometimes giving up seems like a far easier row to hoe. But when have I ever done anything (other than gain weight) the easy way? Answer: Never.

Lately I have been under the weather...which if you actually consider the term "under the weather" it makes little or no sense. (Of course, my 90 second internet search indicates that this term comes from rough weather on the seas and getting below deck where one is less inclined to be seasick. Sounds as rational as any, I suppose.) I've also been wrestling some mighty big alligators in my mind. A couple of them have moved on or been slayed, but not all. When I am feeling low physically, emotionally, or spiritually, those alligators seem larger than life. Couple that with Christmas let-down and sugar deprivation and you get...well...me.

Sometimes I wonder what I should do when I feel like this...but I always really know.

Pray. Hope. Trust. Expect. Love.

(And stay away from the Reese's peanut butter cups.)

I am at that place where we are shelling out the dollars for the last semester of college for Jill and looking at what she will be doing just a few short months from now. While I am beyond grateful to not have to figure out how to scrape up funds for any more semesters...I'm also having to cut those apron strings and accept that my opinion will not matter as much in a very short time and not panic as I do so. I realize that she can take care of herself, can manage her finances, has a good head on her shoulders, and has been through a pretty rigorous course of study in icky things like statistics and economics and has survived. She even did well with Rush...and that is about as stressful as it gets right there.

She is strong, growing, beautiful and smart and is going to make somebody a truly wonderful wife someday.

And lest you think that I don't worry about Brian...I do. But right now he's fine. And I'm super happy about that.

And sometimes I wonder...but I always really know that I'll eventually look back at this time and wonder why I stressed so much and trusted so little. I'll wish perhaps that I had done things just a little differently...but I'll be mostly content with how everything just somehow managed to fall into place.

Yes, I'm trusting that God has a better plan for Jill's life than even I can conceive at this point in time.

I realize that I'm waxing a wee bit philosopical tonight...and I'm probably going to read back over this and wonder why I didn't track down some B-12 vitamins and just let it go. But part of being me is putting my finger on the tender spots of my heart and trying to diagnose exactly what is going on in there.

Sometimes it actually makes me feel much better. Sometimes not.

What I know is that in less than 48 hours my girl will be headed on an adventure and then back to college for her final semester. Eventually the Christmas decorations will make it back to the attic and the laundry room that looks like a locker room will be back to its usual mundane self. And then I'll be back to missing her terribly.

That "missing her" part is something I don't even have to wonder about. I already know.

And hopefully someday she will find just the right person to walk with her in this adventure called "life." I know that he will be wonderful and will pursue her and she will know. Or at least I hope it will be that way for her. She certainly deserves it.

That is something else that I always really know.