It's that time again

Time for Friend Makin' Monday! Well, it was yesterday. Mondays are too busy for me most of the time, but I figure better late than never, right? That said, Amber once again hosted it, and this week's is regarding fall TV.

What are some of your favorite fall shows?

I actually don't have a lot fall shows that are favorites. A few of mine (E.R., Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone) have been canceled. There are many new shows I'm excited about, but I can't call them favorites without having seen them! Then there are the shows that won't start until winter (24, Lost). So, my list of fall shows is short. But, here it is:

1. Private Practice ~ I cannot wait to see what happens with Violet!
2. The Mentalist ~ I'm not sure what it is, but I just love this show! I'm bummed that it's at the same time as PP, but that's what TiVo is for, right?
3. The Office ~ My husband watches this one more than I do, but I occasionally will watch with him.
4. 30 Rock ~ Another one of my hubby's favorites. While it can be hilarious, it just doesn't usually do anything for me. I could take it or leave it. But, since I sometimes watch it with him - and since it's the last fall "favorite" - I'll leave it on the list!

And that's all! There are several new shows (The Forgotten, FlashForward, Modern Family, The Good Wife) that I'm looking forward to. Gotta fill the void left by my old - and now GONE - favorites! ;-)

So, how about you? What are YOUR favorite fall TV shows?

Book Review: One Tuesday Morning

One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first book I've ever read by Karen Kingsbury, and it was a good one to start with. While it's not some of the best writing I've ever read, the story is EXCELLENT and absolutely captivating. It also was probably the most heart-wrenching thing I have read in a VERY long time. I can't remember the last book that literally had me choking back tears through a good portion of it!

I like that it's faith-based fiction. It's so cool to have characters who do what I do in times of crisis - pray. Ask God for help. Cry out to God in desperation. And I absolutely love that it's a modern-day redemption story. While it had a happy ending for some characters, the endings for others was absolutely heart-breaking.

I did find that the story was a little predictable. Even before the events in the South Tower occurred, I knew who'd survive. I don't know if that was the intent, but there was enough foreshadowing that I couldn't miss it. My only other problem was an inconsistency in the plot. Throughout most of the book, the little girl named Sierra is said to be four years old. But, at one point shortly before the terrorist attacks occur, the narrative says she's "age five." I can't decide whether that's a small error or a big one. But, it's an error nonetheless.

That said, I already have the sequel, Beyond Tuesday Morning, in my possession and will be starting it shortly. I look forward to seeing what's next!

View all my reviews >>

Click here to purchase One Tuesday Morning (September 11 Series #1)

Book Review: The Case for Christ

The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a very, very good book. I almost gave it four stars. I think that, for me, it's because I've been a Christian for as long as I can remember. I didn't really need logical proof of Jesus. I know Jesus, and this just backed it up for me. But, the amount of archeological and historical evidence backing up what I've always known to be true is astounding. That is why I decided on five stars. To see this all written out, the evidence in black and white, right there on the page. It makes me want to perhaps read more of the reference books listed. Not because I need proof - I don't. But because it's just fascinating.

If you've ever believed something in faith - meaning, having no concrete proof, but you still believe - you might get what I'm talking about. You know something, but have no way of proving it. Until you stumble upon something that gives you some hard-to-ignore evidence. For me, it was seeing that SCIENCE can back up a spiritual, eternal truth. Just amazing.

I fully intend to read a couple more of Lee Strobel's books, especially The Case for a Creator and The Case for the Real Jesus. I cannot wait to see more evidence to back up what I've already known to be true!

I highly recommend this for anyone and everyone. If you're a long-time Christian like I am, this is an AMAZING book to read. It's exciting and just mind-blowing to know that the New Testament has been highly researched and mostly determined to be an accurate historical record! If you're not a Christian, I urge you to read it. Try to have an open mind. I think you'll be amazed by what you learn.

View all my reviews

Click here to purchase The Case for Christ

So pretty

I think I am finally completely done with the graphic parts of my blog redesign - I think I am. The final touch (not counting text tweaks I'm planning) is my button.

Isn't that pretty? In my sidebar is a spot where you can snag it to use, if you feel so inclined!

Speaking of my sidebar, there's also a widget for earning money for charity. For now, I've chosen DonorsChoose.org, which helps classrooms in need. It costs you (and me) NOTHING. Just click on the box and take the fun survey! (It is fun, I promise. I just took one about which new Melrose Place character I am most like! LOL)

Testing

I have a beautiful new signature I wanted to test. Yes, it's one more thing done by The Cutest Blog on the Block! They do AWESOME work. I'm almost done with the design part of the blog redesign. After that, I'll be tweaking font colors and sizes - something I can do without help! ;-) Thanks for your patience - and feedback - as I slowly make this transition!

Disappointed

I finally have my BEAUTIFUL banner up! :-) The wonderful ladies (at least I spoke with a lady) at The Cutest Blog on the Block made it - and my background - just for me! I absolutely LOVE both and am so happy with how they turned out! :-)

I still have to tweak my colors and stuff. Just haven't had a moment to do it yet. But, that will be soon. I've moved my items in the sidebar around, and removed a few things. Overall, I'm satisfied. I was hoping to add a really neat animated label cloud, but I cannot get it to work! :-( I'm so sad. I know I've added the coding where it needs to be, but apparently I'm missing something. It comes up blank. (And, yes, if yours works and you think you can help me, PLEASE DO! I have no pride! ;-) ) I am trying to let it go. I'm generally happy with my blog - I think it is absolutely GORGEOUS now - and I'm trying not to let one defeat get to me. Still, it'd be nice if I could figure out how to make it work!

Friend Makin' Monday: Fall Favorites

Friend Makin' Monday is again hosted by Amber. This week's question is all about fall. 

What are your favorite things about fall?

First and foremost for me is football! Both on the professional and college level. LOVE me some football!

Second for me is the beautiful fall foliage - especially where I live. By the Mississippi River, where there are bluffs and hills galore. The scenery is GORGEOUS!

Also, I really enjoy Halloween. I don't dress up, but it's fun to dress up the kiddos and see them have a blast! Plus, what's not to love about free candy! LOL

And Thanksgiving! Can't leave that one out. It's one of my favorite holidays.

Finally, the end portion of fall brings two of my favorite days: my birthday and my son's birthday! While we're both December babies, both days occur before the technical first day of winter (December 21 or 22).

So, what about you? What are your favorite things about fall? If you blog about it, please post a link in the comments here so we can find you!

Book Review: Baby Proof

Baby Proof by Emily Giffin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I first started reading this book, I wasn't liking it. I wasn't hating it, either, but I found the main character someone I just couldn't like and couldn't take seriously. But, as I read and the book progressed, I was able to see Claudia growing and changing. Her growth made her someone I could at least be interested in, although I'm not sure I could say I actually liked her. But, I liked the story - her growth, her family members' growth, and even her best friend's growth. That's one thing I like about this book - the characters are well-written and not shallow.

I considered giving this three stars, but settled on four because of the way the characters grow and develop. I think that, while the subject of the story is something I just cannot relate to, it is very well-written and handled in a way that makes it a good read. It had me hooked pretty early in the book, which is always a good sign. I wanted to see how Claudia ended up feeling about things. I wanted to see if she'd change her mind or be stubborn. I hoped there would be a happy ending. Plus, I liked it a bit more than I'd liked Something Blue, and I decided that warranted a higher rating.

All in all, Baby Proof is a good read, but definitely not Emily Giffin's best work.

View all my reviews >>

Click here to purchase Baby Proof

Time for Change

A few weeks ago, my husband and I met up with a friend from college. This man also happened to graduate from high school with us, but we didn't really "travel" in the same circles. Somehow he and my husband became friends in college (we all went to the same school), and even were roommates for a year. This friend of ours also was a groomsman in our wedding. He and his wife just had their first baby, while we've now had three.

Originally, I thought this meeting was just going to be my husband and our friend, but was called last-minute to find out our friend would like to meet our kids and say hi to me, too. I don't know why, but I immediately was embarrassed - even before meeting up. Embarrassed by how fat I've gotten. How out of shape I am. Three babies in less than 4.5 years is hard on the body, but my youngest is almost two. Some women are back in shape by the time they go back to work - I'm not one of them. Some women found breastfeeding helped them lose the weight - again, I'm not one of them. Some women lose the weight after weaning their child - once again, I'm not one of them. I'm the heaviest I've been (non-pregnant) ever in my life. And I'm not happy about it.

The prospect of meeting with our "old" friend was a bit of a wake-up call. I realized how ridiculous it is that I am embarrassed of myself. I realized how horrible it is that it made me realize how much I hate what I've become. I realized that something has got to change! It is time for me to work to lose this baby weight. Time for me to stop making excuses for myself. Time for me to slim down and feel better about myself.

I have since signed up with MyFitnessPal to help me log my daily food intake and exercise - as well as get some ideas as to what I need to change (aside from the obvious eat less and exercise more). I was shocked to see the number of calories I took in that first day - over 3,000! Since then, I've successfully cut back to no more than 2,000 per day. The eventual goal is to aim for 1,500 calories per day. (I started out trying for 1,500 but was STARVING, and decided it was too much too soon.) So far, I have lost roughly 3 pounds - seems to be the average when taking daily fluctuations into account. I'm proud of myself for that, but this is HARD. Very hard!

I never was a big eater before pregnancy. Pregnancy taught me to appreciate food in a way I'd never done previously. It broadened my still-narrow horizons, and helped me learn to like foods I'd never liked before. Problem is, once my body was done being pregnant, it seemed to still want the same quantities of food. My body seemed to forget how to fuel itself under normal, non-pregnant (and non-breastfeeding) conditions. So, right now, I'm working on cutting back. I have foods I really like, and I tend to overindulge. So, I am now working on allowing myself the foods I love, but in limited quantities.

The other major cutback is my daily Dr Pepper intake. I LOVE my Dr Pepper. It is my coffee. But, that first day of logging what I eat, I couldn't believe how much of my calorie intake was from the Dr Pepper. I decided I had to cut back. Since then, I've had no more than one can of Dr Pepper during the course of any given day. It's amazing the difference from that alone. Not in the weight loss, which so far is minimal, but in how I feel. To my surprise, I actually have more energy now. I have less gas - a LOT less gas. And I think I even have less of my GERD. Who knew such a small, seemingly insignificant, change could make such a huge difference!

At this point, I'm trying HARD not to get discouraged. These things take time. Losing weight slowly, while less gratifying, is better. People who lose the weight more slowly are more likely to keep it off. At least that's what I've heard. So, I thought that maybe I should write about it. For one, it helps keep me accountable. It also can help motivate me.

Speaking of motivation, I have made a list of the reasons for my decision to lose this baby weight. They are:

• I want to wear my wedding and engagement rings again.
• I want to look good again.
• I want to feel good about myself.
• I never want to be embarrassed by my size again.
• I want to wear normal clothes - no more plus sizes.
• I want to be healthy.
• I want to be a good example for my children - especially my girls.
• I want to please my husband - and make him proud of me.

So far, I've lost only a few pounds. But, it's enough that I can happily say that I'm lighter than I was at the end of my first pregnancy. While that doesn't seem like much, it's a big deal for me. Next up is to get down to my pre-Natalie weight. I know I can do it. I plan to reward myself, but I haven't yet decided how. Maybe I'll get my hair done - new style, new color(s), etc. We'll see. I have time!

If you care to follow my progress, I have added a button to this blog (right now it's at the bottom of my sidebar) that says how much weight I've lost. Hopefully I'll have double digits in there soon!

Google Sucks

I never thought I'd see the day when I say that, but I'm ticked. Ever since they acquired FeedBurner, I've had nothing but problems. My feed doesn't display correctly, and I have no idea how to fix it. Their troubleshooting comes up with issues, but I haven't the slightest idea how to go about fixing these issues. Check out my blog's feed, and you'll see what I'm talking about. I've been trying unsuccessfully for quite some time now to figure this out. And, there appears to be NO WAY to contact support about this! I am ticked - and considering ditching the product altogether. The reason I have it, though, is primarily so people can subscribe by e-mail. That works - I know it does. I've tested it. And twitterfeed works, too. But, if I try to view my site's actual FeedBurner feed, I get nothing.

While I use lots of Google products - AdSense, Blogger (obviously), their search engine, Gmail, etc. - I am just fed up. Unfortunately, when everything's working properly, I'm a Google fan. And, really, I don't see that changing. BUT, I don't particularly appreciate the lack of support. If they're going to kill FeedBurner, then do it already. I just wish they'd allow for e-mail subscriptions built into Blogger.

Book Review: Beyond Road's End

Beyond Road's End: An Alaskan Journey by Janice Schofield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. I honestly wasn't too thrilled about it. I signed up for it because the description sounded a little interesting, and I figured "why not?" Were it not for Goodreads, I never would've glanced at this book twice.

That said, I was surprised. It actually held my interest - and the latter half I just kept wanting to read, find out how it all ended. The last part covers the Exxon Valdez oil spill - which I remember vaguely from my childhood. Reading a local's account is heart-wrenching! That whole situation saddens me to this day, and now it will more than ever before.

I now find myself much more interested in actually visiting Alaska. While I'm not one for cold, I now think I'd like to see it first-hand. I suppose I could go during the summer months. Anyway, this book made me actually want to see Alaska - whereas before I just thought it'd be neat to see.

All of that said, I must say that the characters are a bit - how shall I say it - eccentric. There's talk of listening to voices and spirit forces and whatnot. Being as this is a memoir, I have to take it at face value. It's not something I'd do - or care to do - my life, but to each their own.

I actually wanted to give this book 3.5 stars, but that's not an option - so, four it is. It was an enjoyable read. Anyone even remotely curious about Alaska likely would enjoy it.

View all my reviews >>

Click here to purchase Beyond Road's End: Living Free in Alaska

I'm getting there

I have my blog in a condition I can live with - overnight. I'll be back to fix things like colors and photo borders/margins sometime tomorrow. My husband is working a super-long day tomorrow, though, so it might not be until after the kiddos get to bed. Anyway, thank you for your patience as I - once again - strive to make my blog as much ME as it can be! :-)

Under construction - again

In case you haven't noticed, the site is currently under construction. I have long found designs by The Cutest Blog on the Block to be absolutely GORGEOUS. I recently decided that I wanted something by them that matched my current color scheme. So, I decided to pay for a custom background. They gave me three to choose from, and that was a TOUGH call. Their designer is AMAZING. I chose my favorite, which you now see here.

As you can see, I feel the need to tweak other things to make this background show as beautifully as possible. So, I'm tweaking margins, widths, etc. Of course, I completely forgot about using my test blog for this - which is why I'm making this post. I apologize profusely for the current discombobulated state of things around here. I have decided to finish my tweaking over on my test blog, and will fix this ASAP. Please bear with me!

As an aside, I'm considering purchasing a header/banner to match the background. They do an excellent job, don't they?

Yeah, I know, it's Tuesday

But, the ONE week I stop looking for Friend Makin' Monday, it's back! LOL Figures, huh? But, I figure, better late than never, right?

Apparently, it's going to be hosted by Amber for a little bit, while Kasey takes a break. Lord knows I can understand that! Thank you, Amber, for taking it on! So, here I go.

1. Do you cook every night?
Nope. My wonderful husband cooks most nights.

2. What kind of laundry detergent do you use & why?
I use Tide HE. Because it's what my washer needs.

3. Do you do laundry every day or loads at a time?
LOL This is a loaded (pardon the unintentional pun) question! I often end up devoting a day or two to getting laundry done, but I'd like to do one load every day. Now that school's back in session, I think I can get that habit going - FINALLY!

4. How often do you eat out per week?
TOO much. It varies from week to week, but we definitely need to work on this!

5. Where do you usually eat out?
Drive-thru: McDonald's, Culver's, Sonic, Jimmy John's
Eat-in: Chili's, Village Inn, sometimes Culver's

6. What is your favorite retail store?
♥Target♥

7. What's your favorite thing to drink?
Dr Pepper, but I'm working on drinking it less and drinking more water.

8. Do you take vitamins? What kind?
I should, but generally don't. Occasionally, I'll take one or two of the kids' gummy vitamins when giving them theirs.

9. What percentage of the household chores to you do?
I'm honestly not sure. DH does cooking, washes dishes, vacuums (most of the time), and deals with the outside stuff. I generally do most of the rest of it.

10. Do your children do chores? {Or will they, did they, etc}
A little bit. Abby feeds the dog, helps feed the cats, helps us clean when we ask, puts away her own laundry. The other two, not so much.

11. Do you go to church?
No. It's been a LONG time. It's not that we don't want to go - it's getting there that's the problem.

12. Do you have a housework schedule?
No, but perhaps I should create one. Maybe I'd actually get stuff done around here!

13. Do you keep a working budget?
No. We're horrible about that. We keep saying we need to make one, but so far haven't.

14. What do you do at night as a family?
Dinner, hang out (outside when it's warm), watch TV when there's something we all like

15. How do you prepare yourself for a new week?
I don't really, except trying to get the laundry finished over the weekend.

16. What do your mornings look like?
Abby and Grant are getting up between 6 and 7 most mornings. I get up with them. Get myself dressed, tell Abby to get dressed, get Grant dressed. Make them breakfast. My husband drops Abby off at school on his way to work, and I drop Grant off at school about 45 minutes later. Natalie is our wild card. She sometimes wakes with the other two, sometimes wakes when we're eating, other times I have to wake her before leaving with Grant. Those times, she eats after we drop him off.

17. What time do you get up in the mornings?
By 7.

18. What time do you go to bed at night?
I'm working on getting to bed earlier. Nowadays, it seems to be between 10:30 and 11:30.

19. How do you manage all of the paperwork that floods into your household? {bills, school work, magazines, ads, etc}
I have a filing cabinet I use for school stuff and other such things. I have what I call my bill book for bills - it's a 3-ring binder with pocket folders inside. Each folder is for a month. There's a sheet of paper with a grid of due date, payee, amount due, amount paid, date paid, check number (or online transaction). Other papers - well, we're trying to figure out a good system for those.

20. How do you keep your household organized? {calendars, charts, etc}
Mostly calendars. I rely on Google's calendar - I would forget most things without the e-mail reminders!

I've been thinking

A friend of mine on Vox recently posted regarding the whole health care debacle. Basically, the CEO of Whole Foods wrote an editorial opposing the current health care plan(s) being pushed by our nation's leaders, and offering other ideas. While this isn't the purpose of my post, I will say that I like what this man has to say. And, as such, I posted a link to his piece on my Facebook page. (And now I get to the point.) My sweet sister posted something to the effect of, "Let's ask the owner of Trader Joe's what he thinks, too." To that, I responded, "Spoken like a true liberal," or something like that.

Since that exchange, I've been thinking. And recently it occurred to me that she - and likely many others - are ignoring this man's suggestions simply because of who he is and what he does! People who consider themselves open-minded won't even give these ideas any consideration because of their source. SERIOUSLY? And you call yourself open-minded? If there's a really good idea (not necessarily this one, but in general), does its source really matter? Does the fact that a CEO of a successful company came up with the idea make it a bad idea? And, if the source does matter, then perhaps we should disregard anything (concerning health care) put together by members of Congress (and/or the President)! I mean, really - I would daresay that most (if not all) of these people aren't any more qualified in regards to the health care industry than the CEO of Whole Foods.

Perhaps we should be asking people who work in the health care industry. See what the top dogs in that industry say would help lower costs and make health care something to which everyone has access. And, really, I think even people in the health insurance part of this industry should be included. After all, they're often blamed for the high costs of health care in this country. Perhaps they can also provide some valuable insight to how the system currently works. I highly doubt anyone in Congress knows how things work in this regard. Perhaps we should tap into the knowledge of those who are in the trenches. After all, no one understands the way things work as well as someone who's right there in the center of it all!

My nerves got the best of me

Today was my son's first day of preschool. I was a nervous wreck. Generally speaking, he doesn't separate from me very easily, so I was dreading a tear-filled good-bye. Apparently, that's not what I should've been worried about.

I have to get Grant there at about 8:30. I was very nervous - heart palpating, breathing shallow, slight shake. (There's a lot more to this than me just being worried about preschool. He has a speech delay, and was evaluated in June for Autism. Praise God, no Autism, but I get the feeling the school's not 100% convinced, hence my nerves!) It was very lightly raining - kind of a drizzle or sprinkle. You know, one of those times you'd wish it'd just rain and get on with things!

Anyway, we pull up, and parking is hard to find within a couple of blocks of the school. That displeases me, as we're running a tiny bit late and I have to lug my 22-month-old around, too. I spot a pretty long spot right in front of the school, where only parallel parking is available. (You can see where I'm going with this, can't you? If not, let's just say I don't normally do parallel parking ...) Having no other real options, I attempt to take the spot.

Bear in mind that this is a narrow street, and there's a full-sized school bus on my left. The spot I want is the second car in, so I have to maneuver with very little room around another car. That did not go well. As I'm pulling in, I hear the alarm go off on the car in the spot behind mine, followed by a scraping sound.

I muttered an F-bomb under my breath as I realized what that meant. (And, I must say, I'm quite proud of myself for keeping it so the kiddos couldn't hear it!)

First things first, I gotta drop the boy off. So, I get out and get the boy out of his seat, then proceed to the other side of the van - the side with the damage - and check it out briefly. Surprisingly, no dent or major damage - just scratches! Praise God, as it could've been MUCH worse! So, I get Natalie out and we head inside.

Grant shows me just how ready he is for preschool by dropping my hand the moment we enter the building. I was surprised - but happy. It must mean he's at least comfortable in the building! (He attended speech therapy there last spring, and we were there last night for the open house.) We go to the cafeteria, and he's fine. He was a little reluctant to let Natalie and me go, but his teacher held him and showed him the HUGE indoor playset they were going to be using in a few minutes. While he remained reluctant to let us go, no tears were shed!

Back outside go Natalie and I. The car I scraped is still there. I go look, and it's really not bad. Just the front driver-side fender, really. Unfortunately, though, both vehicles have scratches. Definite scratches. So, I wait with Natalie in the car, hoping the owner of that car comes out soon. (Natalie was a little upset by leaving "Dude" - her pet name for her brother - behind.) When they finally do come out, they get in the car and don't even notice anything. I feel EXTRA bad, because she is in tears - apparently her child didn't have as easy a drop-off.

After looking things over, I give them my insurance info. Come to find out, we have the same agent - hopefully that somehow works in our favor. (Thankfully, we did avoid involving the cops.) I apologize profusely, fighting back tears. We finally go on our merry - er, not-so-merry - way and I freak over how my husband will handle it. Our renewal is coming up in a couple of months - how will this affect our rates? He's gonna kill me!

You'd think that after being married to the man for 11 years I'd know him well enough to know I didn't have to be so worried. He was fine and understanding. Just told me to call insurance and get it settled. He closed with "Just don't make it a habit, OK?" LOL He made me laugh - I should've known he'd do that. That's his thing - breaking stress by making me laugh.

Pick-up time was at 11, and I decided to leave early in hopes that we get a better parking spot - with less trouble. It worked out. When picking Grant up, he was doing just fine. Didn't seem upset or anything - slightly concerned (probably wondering where they're going now), but not upset. I had to call his name a few times before he heard me. He was all smiles when he saw me. On the way back to our car, we ran into his teacher, who said he did great. When asked, he says he had fun, and when we ask what he did, he says "Play with friends." That makes me smile. Perhaps he most enjoyed playing with his peers, rather than his older and younger sisters - must be a nice change of pace.

As for the car, I took it in for an estimate - which was just shy of $1,800! Shocked me, especially since I was told the other car only had about $300 of damage. Thankfully, we have a low deductible - only $100. I also learned it'll take THREE DAYS! Fortunately, we also have rental-car costs covered. Praise God for insurance!

Now, I just pray our rate doesn't increase too much. This is our first accident of any sort in 11 years. Hopefully they take that into account!

So, I've learned a few things today:

• Yes, my son will be OK without me.
• There's a reason I generally don't do parallel parking.
• While expensive, car insurance is DEFINITELY worth it!
• I have an amazingly awesome, caring, understanding, and sweet husband. (Well, I already knew that - just needed a reminder.)
• There's a reason I generally don't do parallel parking. (Yeah, I know, I already said that - but it's worth mentioning one more time!)
  

One Man's Trash

It's that time of year - time for garage/yard sales. I'm impressed by the devotion that some people have to religiously go through the garage/yard-sale circuit. Wake up early, hit the sales as soon as they open, and walk away with great deals. I've never had much luck, so I don't really go to any very often. Plus, honestly, I prefer to be my stuff's first owner. I guess it's the snob in me. LOL

The problem I have with these activities is more the behavior of those attending the garage/yard sales than the sales themselves. I live in a community that has alleys, and almost everyone on the block has their garage back there.

Perhaps you can see where I'm going with this.

If you like to go to garage/yard sales, and you find one in a community that has alleys, please keep the following in mind:

• Do NOT block the alley. I cannot believe I even have to say that, but you would be surprised by how often it happens!
  
• Do NOT park in front of others' garages. Not even if you're only planning to stop in for "a moment." NEVER DO THIS.
• Do NOT drive fast in the alley. Many of the neighbors likely have children - or pets - who might suddenly appear.
• DO be mindful of the other residents. You know, the ones who aren't hosting a garage/yard sale. If not for their sakes, do it for the sake of the sale-holder, so they don't piss off their neighbors!
  

Heck, some of these could be applied to garage/yard sales in non-alley communities, too. Some - what seems to me - simple common courtesy and thoughtfulness is all that's required.

Tweet! Tweet!

I found a nifty new thing on how to add an easy re-tweet button into my Blogger posts! (You know, those nifty buttons that've popped up all over the place lately.) It was on Blogger Widgets, and can be found HERE. It took me a little bit to find the code to place it after, because one important thing is missing. When you go to edit html, make sure you check the box that says "Expand Widget Templates" - otherwise you won't find the right spot! And just like that, it works! :-) Happy blogging!

Freedom In Christ

I recently received a Tweet wherein someone called the idea of true freedom being found through Jesus ironic. I responded, asking why she thought that. Her response (in summary) was questioning how there's freedom in following a bunch of rules out of an ancient book - or something like that. Anyway, I've been pondering that for quite some time now. How do you explain the freedom found in Christ to someone who hasn't experienced that freedom? Better yet (or should I say worse?), how do you explain that to someone who clearly doesn't even believe and who considers the Bible merely ancient literature? I asked some of my friends over on FROGs how one goes about tackling this, and the responses I got where interesting. Some were that there are rules in all facets of life - just being part of society, there are rules to follow. One I got was a reminder that in the Bible it says that the Truth is foolishness to those who don't believe - or something like that. So, to me, that means we might have better luck explaining this freedom to the walls.

I think I have been pondering this subconsciously (incubation is one of my FAVORITE tricks the human brain has mastered) for a couple of weeks now. While I still don't have an idea how to explain or describe this amazing freedom, I did have a bit of a breakthrough regarding rules in general.

I know that the familial relationship mirrors that of the God/Man relationship. We have the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Ghost), which is represented by the marriage (God, Husband, Wife) - all three separate but the same. Then we have mankind (God's children, all created by Him) and Earthly children (a product of the marriage, created by Husband and Wife). The connection between the two doesn't stop there. Now that I am a parent, I can see that so much more clearly than ever before.

God gives us rules, just as we give our children rules. God does everything He can to train us, just as we do our very best to train our children to survive - hoping they do more than that, and THRIVE - in this world. This is not done to spoil our fun or to take advantage of us, just as we don't give our children rules to be mean or ruthless dictators. No. We give our children rules and teach our children the way we do because we love them and we want to protect them. THAT is why God gave us all those rules in that old book! These rules aren't to spoil our fun. They aren't to control us. They aren't to deprive us of living life to the fullest. Rather, they ARE in place to protect us. Because He is God, He knows what certain actions and choices can cause to happen. He knows all about cause and effect - and He knows how best to avoid the less-desirable effects by not committing certain causes. We, too, try to keep our children from experiencing the less-positive side of life by teaching them and giving them rules.

Once these rules are broken, oftentimes the effect cannot be stopped. While someone might be able to get away with something for a time, wrongdoing always comes to light - ALWAYS. It might take years, it might take decades, it might even take a lifetime, but it WILL come to light. Heck, sometimes some wrongs aren't discovered until after someone passes. I don't know why the discrepancy for who and what gets found out when, but I do know that everything becomes known. Everything. Often, the effects of such acts are punishment in and of themselves. So, while people might think God is punishing someone, chances are they're reaping the results of some past action. I think mistakes our kids make also sometimes are best punished by letting the consequences be what they are - to ignore the temptation to shelter them from the consequences of their actions. For me, it goes against everything inside me to let my child suffer even the slightest, but how will they learn if they never see what happens next?

Back to my original thought. Freedom in Christ. Knowing that God has these rules in place to protect me makes it a LOT easier for me to follow these rules. Just as I know better than my kids in many cases where experience is the best teacher, God knows better than I do in EVERYTHING. Perhaps I should be a model of obedience for my children to follow? Perhaps if I can show them that while I believe myself to be intelligent and a decent human being, I know God's knowledge and understanding surpass mine, then somehow I can use that to reach them. Maybe I can explain my obedience and choices to them in a way that they will understand, using this analogy. Clearly, this is something that will have to wait until they are older, as I doubt a preschooler and a toddler can grasp this concept. I'm not so sure my first-grader could, either. But, perhaps if I start to SHOW them what true obedience is now, it'll be an easier lesson to teach when they're older. Something tells me there's only one way to find out, and that is by doing.

How does all of this make me free in Christ? (Man, I'm good at tangents, aren't I?) Well, if I follow the code of conduct (for lack of a better term) He has given me, then I am free! I'm free from the consequences of poor choices. I am free from the wages of sin if I live a life following the example set by Him. I am free from everything that comes with not following His will: pain, suffering, loss - the list goes on and on. If I can figure out how to get my flesh in line with my heart and my spirit, I've got it made! I can live a truly free life! And if not, well, hey - at least I know I'll be COMPLETELY free in the afterlife!

Book Review: Nyphron Rising

Nyphron Rising by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another absolutely riveting installment in The Riyira Revelations series! We are now halfway through the entire series, and I cannot wait to see where it's going. Once again, Michael J. Sullivan did not disappoint. There was suspense, humor, action, treachery, and even a tiny bit of love thrown in.

I found that I was able to guess what was going to happen in a couple of instances. I suspect that it was not a problem with the story, rather a familiarity with Royce and Hadrian. This being the third book about these central characters, I feel like I "know" them and can guess what they're thinking. I think that is why I was able to figure out what they were going to do a couple of times. This speaks volumes of Sullivan's abilities as an author. To have characters that readers can learn so well is pretty impressive. They are well-rounded and very consistent from one installment to the next.

Getting back to Royce and Hadrian, I loved the exchange while they were imprisoned in Hintindar. I thought Hadrian's revelation regarding Royce was touching.

The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, and I do wonder what "the truth" is and whether Royce and/or Hadrian learn it in time. I will be waiting impatiently to get my hands on the next book in the series to see how this all plays out!

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