LOVE IS....

Here is my Love is...contribution today. I watch the moon because when it is full we get so many grumpy, crabby and unpleasant folks passing through the medical specialty office where I work! So here is a moon I enjoy seeing. Even as a kid I thought about this moon in reference to a cookie! There are some awesome crescent shaped cookies that are dipped in powdered sugar! Ah...my Sweets and I like to watch the moon rise and the sun set. It makes you secure your faith in God because nothing could be bigger or better or smarter than Our Awesome Creator! Check these verses because they back me up 100%! They are a few more favorite verses that I love to reflect on. Isaiah 40:22 , Job 26:10, Job 26:7
Please visit Marydon and Sherry and join us for this fun meme.

SPIRITUAL SUNDAY: FOOD FOR THOUGHT

                                           TENNESSEE

A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg , TN.

One morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant,

 hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they

noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to

 table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his

 wife, 'I hope he doesn't come over here.' But sure enough, the man did come over

 to their table.

 'Where are you folks from?' he asked in a friendly voice. '

Oklahoma ,' they answered.

 'Great to have you here in Tennessee ,' the stranger said..

 'What do you do for a living?'

 'I teach at a seminary,' he replied.

 'Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I've

 got a really great story for you.' And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair

 and sat down at the table with the couple.

The professor groaned and thought to himself, 'Great .. Just

 what I need....another preacher story!'

 The man started, 'See that mountain over there? (pointing out

 the restaurant window). Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy

 born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place

 he went, he was always asked the same question, 'Hey boy, Who's your daddy?'

 Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the

 same question, 'Who's your daddy?'

 He would hide at recess and lunch time from other students. He

 would avoid going in to stores because that question hurt him so bad. 'When he was

 about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go in

 late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, 'Who's your daddy?'

But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast that

 he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd.

 Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher,

 not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him,

'Son, who's your daddy?'

 The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in

 the church looking at him Now everyone would finally know the answer to the

 question, 'Who's your daddy?'

 'This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and

 using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the

 following to that scared little boy..

'Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see

 the family resemblance now, You are a child of God.'

 With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, 'Boy,

 you've got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.'

 'With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and

 walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again.

Whenever anybody asked him, 'Who's your Daddy?' he'd just tell them , 'I'm a Child of God..''

 The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said,

 'Isn't that a great story?'

 The professor responded that it really was a great story!

 As the man turned to leave, he said, 'You know, if that new

 preacher hadn't told me that I was one of God's children, I probably never would have

 amounted to anything!' And he walked away..

 The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the

 waitress over & asked her, 'Do you know who that man was -- the one who just

 left that was sitting at our table?'

 The waitress grinned and said, 'Of course. Everybody here knows

 him. That's Ben Hooper. He's governor of Tennessee!'

 Someone in your life today needs a reminder that they're one of

 God's children!

 'The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God

 stands forever.  ~~Isaiah

 YOU'RE ONE OF GODS CHILDREN 

I was pondering what to post for Spiritual Sunday today and than a friend sent this e mail to me. I had to share it.

I am not condoning having children out of wedlock but I was a single parent many years ago. I know lots of wonderful women that were single mother's too. It hurts when someone makes a rude comment about us. I hate to hear trash talk anyway and when someone makes a rude remark about "that one had a baby before marriage" it really upsets me. I recently heard some people in the work place talking about a patient who "was" a single parent". I was shocked. Talk about meddling in someones privacy! I think sometime you have to really "live and let God". 

I do get angry when I see people take advantage of the welfare entitlements but many of us raised our children without a mate   Some still do. But I am talking about good hard working people making the best of a situation no one ever wants to see their own child in. I remember having my daughter many years ago and my boss caring for me and treating me with dignity and respect. I remember she said I owned her an explanation in regard to the situation I was in simply because she signed my paycheck. Otherwise she said, you have to talk with the Lord about it! I did and later a good phamily friend and Catholic priest told me the same thing, trust God and do not worry about what others think. I still chuckle because ultimately the Mother of Our Lord was a single teenage girl when she was called to become His mother. It is just a little food for thought and now please visit Charlotte and Ginger and thank these beautiful ladies for hosting our weekly soul nourishing Spiritual Sunday. The encourage I have here is amazing and knowing each one of you is absolutely priceless.

A PINK HEALTHFUL DRINK!

Good morning! I am probably the last person to post my pink Saturday but I think about pink all week long! Today I am showing you a healthful drink for your morning start! we had a Jack LaLanne juicer. It is great but it puts out so much pulp we hate to waste it! So we upgraded to the Montel Williams Living well juicer. I am showing how easy it is to create a breakfast drink that is full of good healthy things! Take a handful of pretty fresh strawberries and snip off the tops. Wash them well and add them to the juicer with three oranges that are peeled. Then drink heartily. It is a yummy tasty treat and good for you!
Now visit Beverly and tell her thank you for hosting our Pink Saturday posts. You can visit so many great Pinkies out there.

Cheers!  I wanted to add a quick note here! Please stop by Linda's and join her fun giveaway.  She is a doll and you will love her blog.

At Last A Photo Shoot of Roxie!

Finally photos of Roxie! Hannah and Rebekah were on the town for Valentine's Day and they took the first and last photo. Photo one is Hannah with Roxie. Photo two is Roxie showing off her pink sweater. Photo three is Roxie modeling her fashionable warm sweater. Photo four is Rebekah with Roxie.
Now that you have seen this pampered princess at our house come join Angela at Tuesday Show and Tail. It is a fun meme sharing our feathered friends, furry friends and talkative fun friends. Come join us soon.

LOVE IS....

This is Sweets and me. Always reading together. I am rushing out the door. A bad weekend with some viral crude evidently. I had to wait for the guys to deliver my new dryer. That is our excitement today.Now off to work for me and you please go visit Marydon and Sherry and please come join our Monday Love i...fun!
Have a terrific day!

Steelworks Museum of Pueblo Colorado

My father and father-in-law both spent many years working at the C F and I. My dad was a head roller in the rail mill and my father-in-law had been a guard there. I miss those two wonderful men dearly and thank my Pueblo friend Yvonne for sharing this with me.

GALATIANS 6:1-10

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fufill the law of Christ,"

I need to ask for prayer. Normally I send all my requests through Ginger and Charlotte bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/ but I want to quickly mention that I need prayer for Jackie. She is my daughter's former co worker and she is dying from alcoholism. The medical diagnosis is cirhosis of the liver. She has been given thirty days,her sister wonders out loud if she will live ten. My daughter is so sad, she was very good friends with Jackie because they worked today. Jackie is close to my age. But she has said she did this to herself and she is now ready to meet her maker. In fact at the hospice where she is receiving care she has asked for a priest to visit her. I get so choked up. It is very sad. Jackie was a fun person and I suppose I did not realize the extent of her drinking. I image she did it most of her adult life. It is a tragedy because her heart is so big. She loves people and she is a nice, decent lady. Please remember her in your prayers
. I was in Wal-mart one morning before work. This is 7 :00 A.M. people. I turned up an isle  telling myself what I came there for. A young Hispanic woman approached me. She looked so odd. Rail thin and the look in her eyes was just plain weird! She asked me if I knew Father God! I responded yes and than asked if I knew Mother God! I said I had my own belief and turned away. She starting rattling off some cult church she attended as if she had been personally programmed. It frightened me. In fact I thought of mentioning it to a manager who walked by but decided to quickly pay and scat! Later that day I was at the motor vehicle office. A black couple walked in, about my age, and the lady had a bible, a true gift of God in her hands! I decided to tell them my story. It was wonderful to share with them because they were such kind Christians and the lady said I should have shouted the name of Jesus and proclaimed Him throughout the store. But she also noted how sad that someone so eager to know the Lord could be so terribly mislead.

I thought today was a good day to tell my little story. I am not sure if I would have handled it differently. It is funny how you can be caught off guard. So I thought about this verse, another favorite of mine and I remember seeing it engraved in my parents marriage certificate. You know the beautiful ones from days long ago? This verse is written there and many times I turn to it. I hope today you will share Jackie's burden and the burden of this unknown girl and remember them wholeheartedly with your prayer time.
I was at the motor vehicle office a few weeks ago.

How About Some Pink Lemonade?

Pink lemonade is a great long, cool drink! I could use some right now as we are having a beautiful sunny day. But alas, the cool and rainy weather is moving forward. Sigh...

So how about a cheery cherry lemonade cake to match? Sounds yummy.
Now scoot over to Beverly's and join the pink fun. I will post my cake recipe here:

Ingredients

Cake:

Butter for coating pan

1 box white cake mix (18.25-ounce)

3 tablespoons pink lemonade drink powder

3 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Frosting:

1 pound confectioners' (powder) sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened

3 tablespoons frozen pink lemonade concentrate

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated

Cooking Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper; set aside.
For the cake, in a large bowl, stir together the cake mix and lemonade powder. Prepare the cake batter according to the package directions, using the eggs and the oil. Stir the lemon zest into the batter. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the centers of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minuets. Carefully turn cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the frosting, beat together the confectioners' sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in the remaining ingredients until combined.
Transfer one cake to a cake stand or large platter. Using an offset spatula spread the top of the cake with a layer of frosting. Place the second cake on top of the first. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of both layers.
Makes 10 - 12 servings.
This is a recipe from the Deen Brothers, sons of Ms. Paula Deen.

This is the final result of the Deen brothers cake. My first image was just too pretty to pass up. Come join me and share a slice with some frosty cold pink lemonade.

Catching Up With My Swap Partners

Please visit Francie at http://thescentedcottage.blogspot.com/. She was my swap partner in the wonderful teacup exchange. She gave me the most amazing gifts pictured here. My violet teacup with matching saucer and lots of fun tea treats to choose from. I love it all. I had a terrible day and the weather was cold and icy. I found this package waiting for me. It made me smile. Let's thank Sharon http://faithhopecherrytea.blogspot.com/ for hosting. She did a great job pairing us together. I enjoyed meeting Sharon as well as Francie. I just wish I had snapped a few pics of the treasures I sent Francie's way. Please go visit here soon.
I want everyone to know how much I treasure the wonderful friendships here.
Stop by tomorrow. I still have swap treats from November/December to post. It is a good thing Barb and Parsley know me and my laptop/camera woes.
I love to show off all my sweet treasures and see yours too. Come visit again.

GOOD MORNING TO ALL

Life can be so difficult. Instead of enjoying my Valentine on Monday my son Nick and I were struck down with migraine pain. Finally feeling better today! We both trudged into school and work so that made it even more difficult. But last night my sweet twin Sharon called me. She had taken the day off for the cancer surgery of her dear cousin. Prayers please. It was fun talking with her. I am not a great phone person, I do it all day long at work and it gets tiresome. But when you have a friend and you connect it is like puzzle pieces filling the empty spaces. Sharon will listen to my gripes. She is a liberal, I am a conservative. We have agreed to disagreed. She is my twin. She thinks I would kick her to the curb for her biological sis Tory but never! Although Tory and I are so similar in our personalities I have to love 'em both like my own sisters. This year Sharon and I celebrate 24 years of a wonderful friendship. She is a doll.
Then my Sweets took me to the Texas Roadhouse for a belated Valentine Day dinner. We sat in a crowded noisy area with a huge birthday party going on. I was so struck by the love of that tremendous phamily. That my friends is what this crazy mixed life is all about.
Now pray for Stephanie. She is the wife of my doctor. She is currently on a climb at Mt. Kilimanjaro. She said to me on Monday before she left, "Anne, pray for me. Spread the blog word. I need all the prayer I can get." She is climbing with a group to spread the word about human trafficking. Enough said. Wish her a safe journey. She has a hubby and three babies (6),(4),(2) here at home.
Pray for Hannah. Her lil doggy Roxie has a vet appointment today. Just shots but still it hurts Hannah to see that lil thing cry. She is a whooping 3 lbs. Wow!
We were having some car problems currently resolved. So keep praying for this phamily.
I am trying to get back into the swing of things. Come visit me on Pink Saturday and Spiritual Sunday. I am way behind and will post for Tuesday Show and Tail , Love is..., and more.
Love everyone so much. Have a terrific day.

Ephesians 6:18 (New International Version, ©2010)





18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

The Face of Love

I used to be like this then....... I met a girl........... She was like this...... Together, we were like this........ I gave her gifts like this........... When she accepted my proposal, I was like this..... I used to talk to her all night like this........ And at the office I used to do this...... When my friends saw my girlfriend, they stared like this.......   And I used to react like this...... But on Valentines Day,  she received a red rose from someone else like this....... And she was like this….. And I was like this….. Which later led to this..... I felt like doing this.... I started doing this.... GIRLS!!!!

 My niece Kate found out she is having a baby girl! My niece Karla, Kate's mom, said the baby was doing gymnastics while they were watching her on the ultrasound. I could not resist posting this. Isn't it the truth? Then again, this could be girls writing about boys! Happy Valentine's Day!


I hope you will go back a few posts and see my other holiday inspired posts with Pink Saturday, Love Is..., Spiritual Sunday and such.

What Love Truly Is....

A group of 4 to 8 year- olds were asked "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca- age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy-age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne ans they go out and smell each other." Karl age-5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your french fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy-age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri-age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny- age 7
"lov is when you kiss all the time. Then you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss." Emily- age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby -age-  (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend you hate." Nikka -age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt and he wears it everyday." Noelle -age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy -age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare- age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine -age 5
"Love is when mommy sees daddy all smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris-age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann- age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an imagination) Karen -age 7
"Love is when mommy sees daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark- age 6
"You shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you really mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. when his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

Please join Charlotte and Ginger at Spiritual Sunday and thank them for this encouragement for each one of us. They do an excellent job of hosting.

1 Corinthians 13 (New American Standard Bible)

1 Corinthians 13

The Excellence of Love

 ¹If I speak with the ^(A)tongues of men and of ^(B)angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a ^(C)clanging cymbal.  ²If I have the gift of ^(D)prophecy, and know all ^(E)mysteries and all ^(F)knowledge; and if I have ^(G)all faith, so as to ^(H)remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
 ³And if I ^(I)give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I ^(J)surrender my body ^[a]to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
 ⁴Love ^(K)is patient, love is kind and ^(L)is not jealous; love does not brag and is not ^(M)arrogant,
 ⁵does not act unbecomingly; it ^(N)does not seek its own, is not provoked, ^(O)does not take into account a wrong suffered,
 ^6(P)does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but ^(Q)rejoices with the truth;
 ^7(R)bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
 ⁸Love never fails; but if there are gifts of ^(S)prophecy, they will be done away; if there are ^(T)tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
 ⁹For we ^(U)know in part and we prophesy in part;
 ¹⁰but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
 ¹¹When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
 ¹²For now we ^(V)see in a mirror dimly, but then ^(W)face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also ^(X)have been fully known.
 ¹³But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is ^(Y)love.

Happy Valentine's Day to all.

A House Warming Gift From My Peep

Welcome to Pink Saturday. Finally I can put up pictures with my blog posts! This is a big deal for me! My peep" Sharon sent us this awesome house warming gift. It is a set of salt and pepper shakers from Lenox. The yellow chick and pink bunny are the classic "Peeps". If you know me, you know I L O V E peeps! Sharon use to send them to me at Easter. But she has expanded her gift giving of this marshmallowy, sugary sweet treats to Halloween and Christmas. I thought they were an ideal Pink post today! Go visit Beverly and then stop by some fun pinks this week. I would like you to visit "Sweet Sherry". She is one awesome pink gal with so much fun at her glittery, motion activated blog posts! She has something for everyone. Go say hi and tell her I sent you! Hugs to you this Pink weekend. With lots of Love is.. and pink hearts too.

When you are done go visit Marydon because she and Sherry both participate in these fun meme's. Happy Valentine's Day all!

The Gang is all Here

Hi everyone! With temps dropping to ten below zero tomorrow I am snuggled into my electric blanket early. I am just learning the new laptop, a pretty HP and I am getting around it easily. I just have not had time to load pictures so if you follow me you can get a mental image of the pets here.
Boots has been here the longest. This "fat" cat was born on our wedding anniversary and he is getting to be an old fellow. He will turn 11 this year.He has a "Got Milk" moustache on his black and white body. Bandit is the black and white rat terrier that our son Jeremy bought when our black lab Shadow died tragically in a hit and run accident in 1999. The little odd fellow Bandit is getting gray but he still delights us with his kind heart and endless love he shares. He often hobbles about, rather well, on three legs. His right back leg may be getting a bit stiff with old age but he is remarkable. Here comes Rose. This pert gray tabby turns 6 years old in March. She was going to be destroyed and our son Nick begged us to take her in. This silly kitty thinks Roxie the chihuahua is her sister! More about Rox later. Rose acts like a dog and comes when you call her name and whistle for her. She is a classic beggar too. Smokey in an American patriot. Born on the Fourth of July he turns three this year. He is a "Scobby Doo" sort of guy but super smart and kind hearted. He watches over Stella. She is about three too, in August. A former abused girl we gave a home to. Stella loves stealing treats from the others and she is always watching Smokey to make sure he is watching her. Roxie is Hannah's little chihuahua. She is a spoiled princess wearing a wardrobe to rival a real princess. She and Rose often hang out thinking they are sisters!
I will keep you posted and get photos up this weekend. Meanwhile visit Angela our hostess for Tuesday's Show and Tail. She is wonderful to share all her own stories with us too.

LOVE IS....PINK SATURDAY

I am getting ahead of Valentine's Day just a tad but I am an avid fan of Love is...the sweet cartoon that makes me smile each time I look at one of those sweet little faces of love. So today for Pink Saturday I am sharing this one with you. I am not sure love is a weapon but that Cupid's arrow can led you straight to the heart of your Sweets like it did for me! Please come join us and stop byBeverly's to thank her for her weekly support of this fun meme. Then visit other pinkies. It is always such a fun filled pink surprise to visit each person who takes the time to share their pink love with us. Happy Pink Saturday to everyone!

I am linking this sweet Love is.. with Marydon at http://blushingrosetoo.blogspot.com/ and SHerry http://countrywingsinphoenix.blogspot.com/.

Here is a Valentine quotes to make you smile!
"I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon." Author Unknown

"Q" is quietly the snow falls...

I received a wonderful Christmas from a dear blogging friend Iggy at http://intenseguy.blogspot.com/. He said the card reminded him of me and my Alphabe Thursday posts. So I borrowed a line from that sweet card, it is an Alphabet card about Christmas. I am sharing this today with you and Jenny. Please bare with me until I can get my new laptop set up (hasn't arrived just yet) and get my new camera to work in peace and harmony with the computer.
Please visit Jenny and visit all the participates at Alphabe Thursday too. Enjoy these  pics I borrowed from my November 2009 file. They are my photos.