I Really Do Not Like The Mall

I do not like the mall.

I do not even like the mall in the middle of summer when there is nobody in town.

December is a nightmare.

I went to the mall tonight.

I did not have my children with me so I thought this would be a breeze.

Wrong.

I really try to be smart. I try to plan ahead and park somewhere easy. This time I chose in front of Chuck E Cheese. Since I did not have my children, I knew I would not have to listen to "please mom, can we go".

The minute I get into the mall I get lost. It happens every time. Even when I think in my head, "turn right here, then left" I always get messed up because it is the opposite coming back out.

So this is stressful enough on a regular day to the mall.

Again it is December.

Not only do I have to try to remember which direction to go, I have to do it with all the people in the middle of the mall in those creations called kiosks, or mini stores.

These people are viscious. I had people who wanted to spray things on me, give me new ring tones and this one young guy with a french accent wanted to straighten my hair...in the mall.

I just PAID to get my hair curly again, I did not want it straightened.

All of this wouldn't have been so bad except for the fact that remember I have no sense of direction in the mall, so I had to wander back and forth several times to find the store I wanted, so I was approached by these people more than once...they didn't care, they jumped out and said "excuse me" every time I walked by.

But God is good and He does work everything together for the good of those who love Him because there is one beautiful place in the mall.

Chick-Fil-A

I went to Chick-Fil-A and I even had a coupon.

I love coupons.

I sat by myself and enjoyed my wonderful chicken and watched all the people go by, then for a moment everything was good again.

When I finished, I had to find my way out of the mall...enough said!!

A Whole New Spin on Oatmeal

I love oatmeal. I love to eat it plain. I love oatmeal cookies...but this takes the oatmeal cake...

Baked Oatmeal!!!

I got the recipe off of Alanna's blog and tried it for myself.

It is so good that I had to post the recipe...I added chocolate chips to it, just because their chocolate.

You can add whatever you want. I bet peanut butter chips would be good or raisins or dried fruit...I like chocolate!!!

Here is the recipe:

1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs gently whisked
3 cups certified gluten-free oatmeal or flaked quinoa (I just used regular oatmeal)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk

Mix all ingredients and put in a greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

It is so good, your family will love it and it smells so good when it is baking!!!!

Psalm 34

This is my very favorite Psalm.

It is my favorite because it so accurately describes my relationship with the Lord. It describes how when you seek the Lord He will answer you and deliver you from fear. (vs 4)

Verse 10 says that the lions may grow weak and hungry but those who seek the Lord lacks no good thing. We think of lions as ferocious animals, but we can be even stronger than that when we are seeking the Lord...incredible.

We are His children, when we come to Him and listen to Him, He will teach us. (vs 11)

I love verse 8 to taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Once you have tasted the Lord you want more, you can't get enough. It is like a baby who tries something sweet to eat and keeps saying "more".

We may have troubles and struggles on this earth, but God is always with us, He is always protecting and guiding us...he protects all our bones, not one of them is broken. (vs 20)

1 I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2 My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, 13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. 14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; 20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. 21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22 The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34

Comments

I love comments.

I love to make comments and I love to receive comments.

Chances are if you have a blog, I have commented on it.

If not, let me know and I will be glad to comment.

Kevin once called me "the best blog commenter ever".

I wear that title proudly...by the way Kevin, I commented on your blog that I went CAMPING OUTSIDE and didn't hear anything from you...are you ok?

The reason that I love comments so much is that it gives us a chance to share our hearts with each other. Even if we don't neccessarily agree or know each other that well...we can share.

We can also change the not knowing each other so well part by commenting.

Example, I have never really had a conversation with Mindi Greene, our newest blogger, but now that she is blogging and we are commenting, I feel like I know her better.

I love that it gives us a chance to say hi, I think your neat... or I miss you and I love you.

"Words of affirmation" is after all my love language...it is Michael's also.

Alex is touch...that is a whole other subject!!!

So many times we read other peoples blogs and like what they say and never comment. I have had people tell me "I read your blog", but I had no idea because you didn't comment!!

I say no more!!

I say if you read someone's blog, let them know. Just a simple "hi, I like your blog" will do.

You never know if that comment might be just what that person needs right at that moment.

Happy commenting!!

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

We grew up hearing that all the time.

Perhaps nice to some in theory...but impossible in reality.

This impossibility is a good thing...hard but good.

But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." Luke 6:49

'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men." Matthew 15:8-9

God wants us to be doers of the Word, not just sayers.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

I have been meditating on this a lot lately. I know that my children are watching me. They are doing what I say...but they are also doing what I do.

I notice this when I get anxious or fearful, Michael will immediately start asking questions.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

Or if I get upset about something and act out, they will respond to my behavior.

In your anger do not sin "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26-27


My children know that we are all sinners in need of a Savior, but as I grow, I want to be modeling that Savior every day.


For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Romans 2:23


I am asking God to show me His heart and my heart and where they are lining up and where they are not.


Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

In a Bible study I am doing with my sweet Nellie there was an excerpt from the book It's Always Something written by the late Gilda Radner (and yes I had to explain to Nellie who Gilda Radner was, man I felt old!!!) It read like this:

When I was little, my nurse Dibby's cousin had a dog, just a mutt, and the dog was pregnant. I don't know how long dogs are pregnant, but she was due to have her puppies in about a week. She was out in the yard one day and got in the way of the lawn mower and her two hind legs got cut off. They rushed her to the vet and he said, "I can sew her up, or you can put her to sleep if you want, but the puppies are okay. She'll be able to deliver the puppies."
Dibby's cousin said, "keep her alive."

So the vet sewed up her backside, and over the next week the dog learned to walk by taking two steps in the front and flipping up her backside, and then taking two steps and flipping up her backside again. She gave birth to six little puppies, all in perfect health. She nursed them and then weaned them. And when they learned to walk, they all walked like her.

This sums up so perfectly that our children are watching us and doing as we do.

A lost and dying world should be watching us as Christians and doing what we do.

Are we living a life worth watching?