My "smoothe" little girl

Every once in a while I like to go to a restaurant called Tropical Smoothies. Boy are they yummy!! They are low fat and they serve sandwiches and soup along with their yummy smoothies. It is a little more costly than other places and so I only go about once a month. Maybe twice...depends on how bad I'm craving one.

They have all kinds of flavors...Kiwi Quencher, Peanut Butter Paradise, Tropical Collates (sp) and Sunny Day, just to name a few. I always get the Kiwi Quencher. It is the absolute best.

Well today I bought one and brought it home. I can't hardly drink them fast because my brain freezes after 2-3 sips and I get a blasting headache for about 30 seconds. So it takes me a while to drink one. I got home with this one and Katie wanted a drink. The little rug rat stole the smoothie from me!! After she got started on it she wouldn't let me have a drink. She would plop down on the floor and do her little pucker-up cry and make all kinds of sad sounds until I gave it back to her. She would then start drinking it and laugh. As soon as I would ask for a drink, down on the floor she would go again and start her little scene all over again.

Now you can say whatever you want. Babies are not dumb. They know how to get their way and under any other circumstance I probably would not have given the smoothie back to her. But you know how you just have those moments when they just look soooooo cute and you just want to laugh at them? This was one of those times. The cup is almost bigger than she is and she was so funny, I couldn't help myself.

I grabbed the camera so that you could see her drinking "her" smoothie. And if you are ever in South Florida, you have to try a smoothie.MMMmmmmmmmmmm!!! They are delicious!!

Treasures - both physical and spiritual

Today was a wonderful day. I went to a Women of Worth retreat and I was so thankful I had found time for it. The speaker was Sarah Fry along with some of the ladies from our own church. Sarah was amazing!! I had never heard a speaker who was so able to explain the Bible and biblical concepts the way she did. Some one who wasn't a preacher that is. She was really good. I gleaned so much food for thought from her words of wisdom.

She talked about being good stewards of our time and about living for Jesus in the real world. Sometimes we set our standard too high. We make our expectations way out of sight until we get so discouraged and just want to give up. Sarah reminded us that we are not perfect in body. We are human. There will be frustrations in our lives and we will not always walk a perfect walk. She also reminded us that we should fill our minds with the good things of God. To carry scripture around with us and say an encouraging verse every day. She made me feel like I don't have to worry about what other people think of me, but rather to focus on what God thinks of me. Am I pleasing to Him? Those kinds of things.

Sarah also told us about the Bear and the Duck. So cute!! :):) The duck was so clean and perfect and the bear was laid back and didn't worry about a messy house but focused on baking to give as gifts. She told us that we were either the duck or the bear and could be an extreme duck or bear. I guess I would be the bear in the sense that my house is never spic and span. I don't even spring clean. Bet that got your attention!! :):) Yet I worry what others will think if they see my house and go away and talk about me. Yet at other times I feel like the duck who has everything clean and sparkling (and that is very seldom) and when bear came over she made him take off his shoes and put newspapers under his feet while he had a brownie. I don't mean to come across like that and I guess it's because I have worked so hard to clean the floors (tile takes a lot of time if you have a whole house full of it) that I just want to enjoy it for a day or a few minutes. You know what I mean. I just have to do better in this area.

She talked a bout gossip and what a terrible tool it is for Satan to use against us. How much it hurts to have someone talk about you and ruin your influence. I had to stop and think that my influence will always be with me and I don't want it to be tarnished. Rather I want people to know that I cherish my reputation and would never do anything to harm it. I want to remember that there are other people who feel the same way that I do and not gossip about them. To tell tales on someone and spread hurtful things to everyone we know is not Christ like.

One thing that I really appreciated was Sarah's point about all of us being beautiful in God's eyes. Even though others may see our flaws and our disappointments, God sees the beauty He has created. We are made in His image. How can that be ugly?

She also focused on our devotions and the time we spend with the Lord. I fail miserably in this area. I am so busy that to get that extra 15 minutes of sleep every morning is so easy to do. But I have to find time for God. If I don't, I will die spiritually. If it's just 15 minutes a day, I have to do this. She gave us some schedule sheets and I started each day out with devotions. I'm really going to focus on taking that time to pray and read and to meditate on the Word. If you want to pray for me I would appreciate it.

Now for the physical treasures!! You've all heard the saying "One mans' junk is another man's treasure." Well I thought I found some treasures today. Not that I am saying that the ladies brought junk. Please if you read this blog don't be offended. I thought everything was so nice and well taken care of. And no these items were not "junk." :):) Any way, I was really pleased with what I found.

What we did was to have a silent auction. If your participated you got a number and then you would go around to see everything that was on the tables and if you find something you like you put your number on the list along with a bidding price. It's like no one know who bid for what. The first thing I saw was this crystal bowl. I absolutely love crystal!! I have several pieces, some of them antiques, that I love. I had to have this bowl...isn't that awful??? Any way, I kept going back every little bit to make sure that no one outbid me...lol. In the end I won this beautiful bowl (thanks to whoever brought it.)

Then I saw this lamp and just fell in love with it. I don't know if I will ever use it but I went home and put it directly on top of my computer desk (I have a high backed desk with shelves) so the girls couldn't break it.

I went on around the table and found these picture frames. I love Boyd's Bears and this one was actually a Cottage Collectibles but they look very similar. I just fell in love with this frame and I intend to put my girls pic in it.This frame is absolutely beautiful. The picture doesn't do it justice. I am going to put one of our family pictures in it.

We also were supposed to bring a purse that we wanted to trade for another purse. I found this purse that I like really well....

I thought it looked really springy...is that a word? Any whoo, I ended up getting this purse (thank you whoever brought it) and bringing home the purse I had taken because no one chose it.

So that's what I did today and I really had a great time. Tom stayed home with the kiddos and mommy got to go be with other mommy's. What a relaxing time.

Maybe I could do this every Saturday....hhhmmmmmmmm!!!! :):)

New friends and a broken cell phone

Things come in pairs but it's so nice when one is a good thing. We had our very good friends, the Peters family, to move down from Ohio. They were wanting to relocate to a place where they could be in a Christian community, have a good school for their kids and hopefully find decent work. You don't always find everything you are looking for, but they were fortunate.

Brian Peters has been Tom's lifelong friend. Since grade school. They have done everything imaginable together. Tom was really excited when he found out they were for sure coming to live at Hobe Sound. They had been here several times to visit and fell in love with the area. Especially the ocean. They spent numerous hours playing at the beach in the sand.

Brian is working for Waterblasting doing training for a new position. Tiffany is a home maker and home schools the boys. The Lord willing they will be in HSBA next fall.

I met Brian and Tiffany over 7 years ago and since that day our friendship has grown. Tiffany and I have so much in common and I am thankful to have friend like her. They have 4 children, Darren, Brandon, Ryan and Kimberly. They are great kids.

So for all of you who live in the Hobe Sound area please give the Peters family a warm welcome. You won't be disappointed!!

Welcome to Hobe Sound Brian, Tiffany, Darren, Brandon, Ryan and Kimmie. We love you!!

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Cellphones are such an awesome invention. I feel so much better when I go somewhere if I know my phone is with me and I can call for help if I need it. Everyday Katie plays with my phone. Tom is forever telling me that she is going to break it. I just keep on letting her play with it. It keeps her entertained when I'm on the computer. So far she has never broken the cell phone.

But guess what? Yea, you guessed it. I was riding my bike two days ago and I had it in my pocket. These were deep pockets too, but it didn't matter. The phone worked its way to the top of my pocket and fell out onto the concrete. The top of the flip part is broken and if you move it wrong, you will turn the phone off. I was so frustrated. GRRRRRR!!!! Why in the world did that have to happen?

So now I am looking for a new phone. Something really rugged. That a baby can't break. Ha Ha!! Now you know that cell phones are kid proof but not Mommy proof!!

Easter Fun

The girls looked so nice in their dresses on Sunday. I took some pictures of them in the house before church because somehow between leaving the house for morning service and returning to the house from morning service they seem to get really disheveled. I haven't quite figured out how going to church can do that to a kid...lol. We had about 25 here for Easter dinner and then the children got to hunt for eggs. I think we hid around 160 eggs for them to find. Some of them had money in them while others just had candy. The kids thought it was a great big race and they took their starting places and when we said go they ran like scared rabbits. They had a lot of fun. Patricia gets so excited about running with everyone, she forgets to look for the eggs...lol.

Easter and Christmas are about the only time we buy special clothes. The rest of the time is out of pure need or watch them go naked. I really liked these because they were on sale and looked just as nice. Here are some pictures of the egg hunt.

Patricia and Darren running like mad to get to those eggs first. Mommy and Katie (you can barely see the top of her head) took is slow. We were too full of yummy Easter dinner to run...lol.

Brandon Peters finding treasure in the sand box. I see an egg hidden from Brandon. Can you see it?

I'm not sure if Ryan is after eggs or if he's getting ready to attack someone. I see another egg in this picture. Do you see it?

Everyone counting out their treasures. They sure had fun.I hope you had a wonderful Easter day. God bless.

Happy Easter Sunday!!

If anyone told me that I would have to go before the Roman soldiers and be beaten, spit upon, whipped, scourged, my hair plucked out, hung on a cross for something I had not done, I can promise you, I would have ran in the opposite direction just as fast as I could go!!

On this Easter Sunday, I am so thankful that our Lord, Jesus Christ, was willing to die for my sins. He was bruised for my iniquity. The chastisement of my sins were upon Him and with His stripes I am healed! No one had to force Him. He didn't have to be bound up and drug to Pilots hall. He went willingly with love for the very people who were nailing Him to that old rugged cross to die. And even while on that cross He took the time from His pain and agony to welcome another sinner into heaven.

There is no other Savior like Jesus. I praise Him for redeeming me and for giving me hope that I can spend eternity with Him throughout the endless ages. I praise Him that He saw me, the sinner that I was, and was willing to pick me up, set my feet on the right path so that I could make Heaven a reality in my life someday.

This Easter I want to focus on Him. As someone else has already said, His death on the cross was gruesome and so sad, but He did it for me and you. Let's not feel sad and sorrowful because Jesus died on the cross, but rather be joyful that He took our sins upon Him and that He has made provisions for His people in heaven.

He is not in the grave!!
He is not defeated!!
He has the keys to death, hell and the grave!!
He ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father to make intercession for you and for me!!
We do not have to bow our heads in shame!!
We are heirs to the heavens and to the King of Kings!! I don't ever want to be ashamed of Him. He has done so much for me!!

It's not about bunnies and eggs and new clothes for church. Those are fun in their place. Easter is about the Savior of the world who died for lost sinners. Lost sinners like I was and you were. He came and redeemed us and we can know that our sins are forgiven!!

I pray each of you have a wonderful Easter and that the true meaning of this day will be on your mind and hearts throughout the day. And not just today but every day.

We are a forgiven people with the blessed hope of eternity in heaven!!

Thank you Father for sending your Son to take away my sins. Thank you for the gift you gave to me!!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone. So sorry I have been so long in writing on here. I have been really busy and lazy. We've all had the "bug." We've hacked and coughed, froze and sweated, ached and sneezed and snotted. You name it we've been feeling it. This week we started all over again. Both of the girls are coughing and have runny noses. Now I'm taking it again. This is not a sob story. I'm just explaining why I haven't been on here as much as before.

A friend of our took these pictures before he left to go home to Ohio. I thought I would post them for everyone to see. The girls are getting so big. Katie loves the camera. She likes when the light flashes. There was no persuading her to laugh. She is so much fun.
I think that Patricia was having fun too. She is so ornery. She loves to play outside and she gets black. She is growing too. She turned five on Feb. 25th. So hard to believe.
Well it's late and I must go. I will try to get back to posting more regularly. Take care and God bless.