Thursday, January 28, 2010
I did it!
Look whose 5
3 Amigas!
Special Friends
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Changes
Project Life " (January 17-23)
Friday, January 22, 2010
Devin & His Wipey Case
Thursday, January 21, 2010
AWARDED
ADDICTED
AQUARIUM
ADDICTED
OK let me explain why you see a baby mattress on my TREADMILL....lol...I was babysitting my nephew Devin on Saturday and thought since he was on a feeding tube that I would have to lay him somewhere where the cord would not get tangled up, so I thought well I am not using my treadmill, it's collecting dust so might as well use it for something else...lol..but i didn't end up using it for the baby b/c he took over my bed and Auntie let him. lol. so on Sunday my little ones thought it was the coolest thing and started jumping on it holding on to the treadmill handles and then while I was on the computer I found them laying on the mattress addicted to their Nintendo DS playing all quietly. Look at Micah sucking his thums...my little ones are too much....too funny..this is an awesome picture. Sunday 1/17/10
Thoughtful Thursday
I stopped to think about this situation. Why dont we follow the driving rules and not block driveways?
Then I thought if that was me in the driver's shoes and she did not let me go ahead, how would I have felt?
I would have probably said, "Stupid Lady" (I am being honest).
After i let this young girl pass I felt good because how are we suppose to show others the Love of God if we act in foolish ways, for instance if i had not let her go by, when in reality i should have not blocked the intersection. What would she have thought? You never know what someone is going through, what if she was having a bad day and just the smallest thing like me letting her through changed her day. WOW!
So I leave you with this:
Do you think you are dishonoring God when you do not follow the smallest rules, for instance blocking intersection when you are at a light?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Why?
So you will see more blogs from me in the coming days. So far starting last week I have taken a picture everyday of what is the "spot light" of the day. Just like Joy said, i missed a few in the beginning of January but have made it a point to capture a picture every day. I always have my little purple camera and my IPhone with me.
So enjoy and if you get annoyed by all my blogging then just delete me as my friend on facebook. No hard feelings. lol
These are memories for me and my family.
I AM SPOILED
Look who came to visit Auntie
Surgery
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Open House
Proud Mom
Monday, January 18, 2010
Lessoned Learned.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Love Dare-Day 3 Love is not selfish
We live in a world that is enamored with "self." The culture around us teaches us to focus on our appearance, feelings, and personal desires as the top priority. The goal, it seems, is to chase the highest level of happiness possible. The danger from this kind of thinking, however, becomes painfully apparent once inside a marriage relationship.
If there were ever a word that basically means the opposite of love, it is selfishness. Unfortunately it is something that is ingrained into every person from birth. You can see it in the way young children act, and often in the way adults mistreat one another. Almost every sinful action ever committed can be traced back to a selfish motive. It is a trait we hate in other people but justify in ourselves. Yet you cannot point out the many ways your spouse is selfish without admitting that you can be selfish too. That would be hypocritical.
Why do we have such low standards for ourselves but high expectations for our mate? The answer is a painful pill to swallow. We are all selfish.
When a husband puts his interests, desires, and priorities in front of his wife, that's sign of selfishness. When a wife constantly complains about the time and energy she spends meeting the needs of her husband, that's a sign of selfishness. But love, "does not seek its own" (1 corinthians 13:5). Loving couples- the ones who are enjoying the full purpose of marriage-are bent on taking good care of the other flawed human they get to share life with. That's because true love looks for ways to say "yes".
One ironic aspect of a selfishness is that even generous actions can be selfish if the motive is to gain bragging rights or receive a reward. If you do even a good thing to deceitfully manipulate your husband or wife, you are still being selfish. The bottom line is that you either make decisions out of love for others or love for yourself.
Love is never satisfied except in the welfare of others. You can't be acting out of real love and selfishness at the same time. Choosing to love your mate will cause you to say "no" to what you want so you can say "yes" to what they need. That's putting the happiness of your partner above your own. It doesn't mean you can never experience happiness, but you don't negate the happiness of your spouse so you can enjoy it yourself.
Love also leads to inner joy. When you prioritize the well being of your mate, there is a resulting fulfillment that can not be duplicated by selfish actions. This is a benefit that God created and reserves for those who genuinely demonstrate love. The truth is, when you relinquish your rights for the sake of your mate, you get a chance to lose yourself to the greater purpose of marriage.
Nobody knows you as well as your spouse. And that means no one will be quicker to recongnize a change when you deliberately start sacrificing your wants and wishes to make sure his or her needs are met.
If you find it hard to sacrifice your own desires to benefit your spouse, then you may have a deeper problem with selfishness than you want to admit.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I truly want what's best for my husband or wife?
- Do I want them to feel loved by me?
- Do they believe I have their best interests in mind?
- Do they see me as looking out for myself first?
Whether you like it or not, you have a reputation in the eyes of those around you, especially in the eyes of your spouse. But is it a loving reputation? Remember, your marriage partner also has the challenge of loving a selfish person. So determine to be the first to demonstrate real love to them, with your eyes wide open. And when all is said and done, you'll both be more fulfilled.
"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3)
Today's Dare
WHATEVER YOU PUT YOUR TIME, ENERGY, AND MONEY INTO WILL BECOME MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU. IT'S HARD TO CARE FOR SOMETHING YOU ARE NOT INVESTING IN. ALONG WITH RESTRAINING FROM NEGATIVE COMMENTS, BUY YOUR SPOUSE SOMETHING THAT SAYS, "i WAS THINKING OF YOU TODAY"
What did you choose to give your spouse?
What happened when you gave it?
I woke up this morning and left a little early to go buy my husband coffee. I went back home and set it by his night stand. He heard me come back in and asked if I forgot something, I said no, i just wanted to drop you off some coffee. i kissed him and said I love you. "
He was shocked...he probably is still going into shock. lol......
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The Love Dare-Day 2 -Love is kind.
Kindness is love in action. If patience is how love reacts in order to minimize a negative circumstance, kindness is how love acts to maximize a positive circumstance. Patience avoids a problem; kindness creates a blessing. One is preventive, the other is proactive. These two sides of love are the cornerstones on which many of the other attributes we will discuss are built.
Love makes you kind. And kindness makes you likeable.
When you're kind, people want to be around you. They see you as being good to them and good for them.
The Bible keys in on the importance of kindness; "Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. so you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man" (proverbs 3:3-4) Kind people simply find favor wherever they go. Even at home. But "kindness" can feel a little generic when you try defining it, much less living it. So let's break kindness down into four basic core ingredients:
Gentleness. When you're operating from kindness, you're careful how you treat your spouse, never being unnecessarily harsh. You're sensitive. Tender. Even if you need to say hard things, you'll bend over backwards to make your rebuke or challenge as easy to hear as possible. You speak the truth in love.
Helpfulness. Being kind means you meet the needs of the moment. If it's housework, you get busy. A listening ear? You give it. Kindness graces a wife with the ability to serve her husband without worrying about her rights. Kindness makes a husband curious to discover what his wife needs, then motivates him to be the one who steps up and ensures those needs are met- even if his are put on hold.
Willingness. Kindness inspires you to be agreeable. Instead of being obstinate, reluctant or stubborn, you cooperate, you stay flexible. Rather than complaining and making excuses, you look for reasons to compromise and accommodate. A kind husband ends thousands of potential arguments by his willingness to listen first rather than demand his way.
Initative. Kindness thinks ahead, then takes the first step. It doesn't sit around waiting to be prompted or coerced before getting off the couch. The kind husband or wife will be the one who greets first, smiles first, and forgives first. They dont require the other to get his or her act together before showing love. When acting from kindness, you see the need, then make your move. FIRST.
Jesus creatively described the kindness of his love in His parable of the Good Samaritan, found in the Bible-Luke, chapter 10. A Jewish man attacked by robbers is left for dead on a remote road. Two religious leaders, respected amoung their people, walk by without choosing to stop. Too busy. Too important. Too fond of clean hands. But a common man of another race- the hated Samaritans, whose dislike for the Jews was both bitter and mutual- sees the stranger in need and is moved with compassion. Crossing all cultural boundaries and risking ridicule, he stops to help the man. Bandaging his wounds and putting him on his own donkey, he carries him to safety and pays all his medical expenses out of his own pocket.
Where years of racism had caused strife and division, one act of kindness brought two enemies together. Gently. Helpfully. Willingly. Taking the initiative, this man demonstrated true kindness in every way.
Wasn't kindness one of the key things that drew you and your spouse together in the first place? When you married, weren't you expecting to enjoy his or her kindness for the rest of your life? Didn't your mate feel the same way about you? Even though the years can take the edge off that desire, your enjoyment in marriage is still linked to the daily level of kindness expressed.
The Bible describes a woman whose husband and children bless and praise her. Among her noble attributes are these: "She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue" (Proverbs 31:26) How about you? How would your husband or wife describe you on the kindness meter? How harsh are you? How gentle and helpful? Do you wait to be asked, or do you take the initiative to help? Dont wait for your spouse to be kind first.
It is difficult to demonstrate love when you feel little to no motiviation. But love in its truest sense is not based on feelings. Rather, love determines to show thoughtful actions even when there seems to be no reward. You will never learn to love until you learn to demonstrate kindness.
- What discoveries about love did you make today?
- What specifically did you do in this dare?
- How did you show kindness?
How did your dare for yesterday go? For me i got home and instead of thanking my husband for hemming my pants, i complained and said , "you didn't do it right, not the right stich"..after saying that I caught myself and said, "it's ok", "thank you"....i wanted to punch myself in the face for saying that. it is so hard to do this, when you dont stop and think about stuff before you say it. Later that night I thanked him again, and thanked him for being my husband. He was silent. So i guess i shocked him.
What happen to you?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Love Dare-Day 1 -Love is patient
Love works. It is life's most powerful motivator and has far greater depth and meaning than most people realize. It always does what is best for others and can empower us to face the greatest of problems. We are born with a lifelong thirst for love. Our hearts desperately need it like our lungs need oxygen Love changes our motivation for living. Relationships become meaningful with it. No marriage is successful without it.
Love is built on two pillars that best define what it is. Those pillars are patience and kindness. All other characterisitcs of love are extensions of these two attributes. And that's where your dare will begin. With patience.
Love will inspire you to become a patient person. When you choose to be patient, you respond in a positive way to a negative situation. You are slow to anger. You choose to have a long fuse instead of a quick temper. Rather than being restless and demanding, love helps you settle down and begin extending mercy to those around you. Patience brings an internal calm during an external storm.
No one likes to be around an impatient person. It causes you to overreact in angry, foolish, and regrettable ways. The irony of anger toward a wrongful action is that it spawns new wrongs of its own. Anger almost never makes things better. In fact, it usually generates additional problems. But patience stops problems in their tracks. More than biting your lip, more than clapping a hand over your mouth, patience is a deep breath. It clears the air. It stops foolishness from whipping its scorpion tail all over the room. It is a choice to control your emotions rather than allowing your emotions to control you, and show discretion instead of returning evil for evil.
If your spouse offends you, do you quickly retaliate, or do you stay under control? Do you find that anger is your emotional default when treated unfairly? If so, you are spreading poison rather than medicine.
Anger is usually caused when the strong desire for something is mixed with disappointment or grief. You don't get what you want and you start heating up inside. It is often an emotional reaction that flows out of our own selfishness, foolishness, or evil motives.
Patience, however, makes us wise. It doesn't rush to judgement but listens to what the other person is saying. Patience stands in the doorway where anger is clawing to burst in, but waits to see the whole picture before passing judgment. The Bible says, "He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly" (Proverbs 14:29)
As sure as a lack of patience will turn your home into a war zone, the practice of patience will foster peace and quiet. "A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but the slow to anger calms a dispute" (Proverbs 15:18). Statements like these from the Bible book of Proverbs are clear principles with timeless relevance. Patience is where love meets wisdom. And every marriage needs that combination to stay healthy.
Patience helps you give your spouse permission to be human. It understands that everyone fails. When a mistake is made, it chooses to give them more time than they deserve to correct it. It gives you the ability to hold on during the tough times in your relationship rather than bailing out under the pressure.
But can your spouse count on having a patient wife or husband to deal with? Can she know that locking her keys in the car will be met by your understanding rather than a demeaning lecture that makes her feel like a child? Can he know that cheering during the last seconds of a football game won't invite a loud-mouthed laundry list of ways he should be spending his time? It turns out that few people are as hard to live with as an impatient person.
What would the tone and volume of your home be like if you tried this biblical approach: "See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is goof for one another" (I Thessalonians 5:15)
Few of us do patience very well, and none of us do it naturally. But wise men and women will pursue it as an essential ingredient to their marriage relationships. That's a good starting point to demonstrate true love.
This Love Dare journey is a process, and the 1st thing you must resolve to possess is patience. Think of it as a marathon, not a sprint. But it's a race worth running.
THE FIRST PART OF THIS DARE IS FAIRLY SIMPLE. ALTHOUGH LOVE IS COMMUNICATED IN A NUMBER OF WAYS, OUR WORDS OFTEN REFLECT THE CONDITION OF OUR HEART. FOR THE NEXT DAY, RESOLVE TO DEMONSTRATE PATIENCE AND TO SAY NOTHING NEGATIVE TO YOUR SPOUSE AT ALL. IF THE TEMPTATION ARISES, CHOOSE NOT TO SAY ANYTHING. IT'S BETTER TO HOLD YOUR TONGUE THAN TO SAY SOMETHING YOU'LL REGRET.
- Did anything happen today to cause anger toward your mate?
- Were you tempted to think disapproving thoughts and to let them come out in words?
Saturday, January 9, 2010
New year's resolution!
January 2010...The start of a new Year.
Wow! 2010 is here already and it is already the 9th day. What has happen so far in your life in 2010?
- We celebrated bringing in the new year at home. I was sick with the cold and was stuck in bed and was asleep by 10 p.m.
- My Awesome Nana made Menudo for all of us...so we were off to her house.
- I was feeling better New Year's Day and had a lunch date with Sister Deb and Stephanie. We went to eat at Montana Mike's and then to a movie, "It's complicated!". Awesome and Funny Movie. Advise you to go and check it out.
- Sunday was church...great message by Pastor Jr.
- Back to work on Monday and was a long day since I had been out of work for close to a week. I stayed at work until 8 p.m. to get caught up.
- Tuesday....ugghhhhh I start school along with a long day at work.
- Wednesday..another long day at work until 8:30 p.m.
- Thursday...back at school then home to see the Texas game...which I felt really bad for McCoy....but I loved his message at the end. GOD was in Control.
- Friday....I thought it would never come. I went to visit my nephew Devin. I had not seen him in over a week and was missing him. He went to the doctor on Monday and guess what he is now 10lbs ...Good Job...Devin...Gain that weight.
- And today Saturday....2 parties back to back...Addie Boo and Jewel both turned the BIG 1. And now as we speak watching "Da Boyz kick the eagles butt"...