"Mom, you're my dream come true"

I wanted to share a little story that I had heard at work a while ago.

I was working at the grocery store, piling up the apples and the corn, when I heard a voice behind me. A little girl and her mother shopping amongst the fruit and veggies, she says, "Mom, you're my dream come true". "Oh?" says her mother, "and why is that?" 

"Well, you're my favorite because you're buying me blackberries"

I couldn't help but look up and smile at the little girl.

"Yep, blackberries are my favorite!" Now mom had noticed I was listening in on their conversation and shoots me a wink and replies, "Well I thought I was your favorite"

The little girl says, "well you are! Because you're buying me blackberries" 

Oh the little things that warm out hearts. Moms especially! The things they do for us without hesitation, be it making us our favorite supper, doing a load of our laundry (even when we are 22), giving us a hug when we need it most, or something as simple as buying us blackberries. :)

This post is a little late for Mother's Day, but remember there is never any harm in telling Mom on a Tuesday afternoon, "Mom, you're my dream come true"

Empty Places

~~~~~~~~~~

The days'd begin at the foot of the bed
We'd wake, and through the house we'd tread
Out to the kitchen, with the thought in mind
To the garden to see what we could find


We'd check it everyday
In the early light
 To see what had been there during the night


Around to the deck
To watch the rising sun
In our place with coffee cup in hand
Our day had now begun


I watch you as you nap

In your place by the stairs

Thinking 'bout your early years
Oh how mischief was your flare!


Do you remember the place
where that puddle was?
So proud to find it...
All full of mud.


Or the spot were you'd hide
After snatching up a cake
Or the day you got your mama's bread
Too tempting not to take


What about the coffee table
That spot you held so dear
Where you'd still place your head
Though it couldn't fit your rear


Though the most important place
The one that's set apart
Is the spot you have inside my heart

Now I walk around the house, the yard

Searching different spaces

 Expecting to see you in these spots

Your places

The places where you'd play

And the ones where you'd lay

Just passing the time away

These places now sit empty

your spots now lay bare

Though I still look for you

Your no longer there

You blessed us with your life

You blessed us with your smile

You blessed us with your time

Even though so short a while

You have a new place now

 In the yard beneath the tree

Watching over your garden

And your family.

~~~~~~~~~

. 

~A Few Pictures From Today~

Today was full of picture taking with senior pics, prom, and other random ones. Here are a few of my favorites I got...

This is my brother (Stephan) and his girlfriend (Anna), two wonderful people in my life.

Makes me wish I had a prom, homeschoolers don't have those. lol

It looks like Kristie and Marcus are already dancing, but no, they were admiring their shoes. :D

Sisterly love. 

The studly gents!

But this is my favorite of all the ones I took today, I also had fun editing this one too. :) 

LOVE THIS!! :)

Witchcraft and Wizardry: A Dangerous Fascination

Harry Potter, Edward Cullen, Jacob Black, one must simply turn on your TV or walk into a local Barnes and Noble to see these names and faces plastered everywhere. Vampire movies being filmed as fast as they are being released. "Mediums" on TV. They've certainly "cast a spell" of wonder and fascination upon the world, and children/young adults in particular. This blog post might make a few people upset, but I think this issue needs to be addressed, the issue is... that these things, such as Harry Potter, Twilight, etc, come from witchcraft, and that witchcraft is evil.

But why you may ask, like many people I know, friends, coworkers... "why is it so bad"? "it's only a book." "it's not like it's real or anything"

~~~

Yes, it is a book, and the storyline of Harry Potter never really happened. But witchcraft and sorcery is however, real. Since Biblical times there have been those who "Inquire of the mediums and necromancers who chirp and mutter" (Is. 8:19 ESV). And "He (Saul) broke faith with the Lord, in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance." 1 Cron. 10:13.
"Did not keep the command of the Lord"? What is His command, does he have something to say about it? Yes indeed He does!!

Here is what God says:
“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you." (Duet. 18:9-12) Clear enough? 

But, you may ask, what does this have to do with things such as Harry Potter or Twilight, or Lord of the Rings for that matter? Now, I have not read the H.P. series (the first book I have, long time ago before I was a believer however), but I have read the LOTR books. Now, both have the same basic story line, good versus evil, giving ones all, fighting for what is right. But from what I've seen and read, there seems to be a difference in the underlying tone of the two;
Both do deal with darkness, a sense of evil that is shrouded with a force that is not meant to be tempered with. LOTR has it's wizards (Gandalf, and Saruman), they have a pivotal role, but their magic, I would argue, doesn't share the significant role as the magic does in Harry Potter. Harry and his friends have to go to school and make wizardry their life, (for the first few books of the series). They become indoctrinated with it, and it becomes who they are. The LOTR story does not revolve around "those who practice divination; sorcerers", but rather the destruction of something (the Ring) that was made by an evil being, who was actually called a necromancer in  "The Silmarillion", (by J.R.R. Tolkien).
"Do not turn to mediums or necromancers, do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them, I Am the Lord your God" (Lev. 19:31). We should not seek out those who practice these things, that which glorifies it; I believe H.P. does this, not in a way so blatant as saying, read these books and watch these movies to defy God, but in a devious, less obvious way. By making it "okay" because they are using it for good. (And to be clear, reading them or watching them won't send you to hell, it is bad when it becomes prevalent in your life, talking about it continuously, and when it becomes such a focus and fascination, that is when it becomes wrong and sinful.) Even Gandalf knew when the weakness of himself, his sinful nature you could say, when it goes too far and what happens when it does consume you.
"No!" cried Gandalf, springing to his feet. "With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly" His eyes flashed and his face was lit with a fire within. "Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself. Yet the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire to do good. Do not tempt me! ... the wish to use it would be too great for my strength" (The Fellowship of the Ring, Ch 2)
Now if you are a Believer and you have read these books, do you find yourself placing yourself in the roles of the characters? Glorifying it? Does it consume your thoughts and your time? Or do you say, "do not tempt me!" and pull away?...

Linking with spiritual sundays

A Silly Picture

My friend Benjamin sent me this picture one day right after I started blogging, he like many other people thought the name was "Chicken in a Fedora" which it does upon first glance, this picture made me smile and giggle. :)

For the Love of Strange Medicine

One of my favorite singers, and quite possibly one of the best ever, in my opinion, is Steve Perry. Most people know him from his time spent as the lead singer for Journey. If you know me, you know I love this man's voice. plus just look at him... 

 p.s. nice hat Steve ;)

 ...sigh....*cough* anyway...

He also did a couple solo albums, Street Talk, and For the Love of Strange Medicine. On the latter, he wrote a song sharing the name of the album title. The message of this song is one in which every human being can relate too, whether through admitting it or not...

We all have something in our lives that we love to do, a hobby, a pastime, an enjoyment. But when does that enjoyment become something more then it should be? It begins to take up all of our time, and money. All our focus has become consumed in this one treasure we refuse to give up. We hide it from the rest of the world, "Far inside the dark room, behind all the walls, underneath the concrete, Heaven starts to fall". At what point does a simple game of cards turn into a gambling addiction? "Rollin' dice remember"  At what point does simple pleasure become obsession? "What promises regret?"

~~~

Christ has a few things to say about this subject familiar to all of us... Idolatry. First of all what is idolatry? Dictionary defines it as follows: 1. the religious worship of idols. 2. excessive or blind adoration. 

What does He say about it...

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Do not have any other gods before me.You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God." Ex. 20: 2-5

Though we have a God who is always faithful and fulfilling to our every need, we still seek out fixes to our temporary desires. These desires, though ever tempting and somewhat fulfilling, they will always fail us. Why? 

1. They are not real, and have no life or saving grace to offer: 

"Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it". Habakkuk 2:19

2.  When put up against the Holiness and Righteousness of God they will perish:

"They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish." Jeremiah 10:15

 ~~~~~~

"Some are believers, some don't know, they're lost and alone. Some are deceivers, their souls been sold, for the love of strange medicine"

Have we been sold to the promise of a false idol, strange medicine that only poisons? "Little children, keep yourselves from idols" 2 John 5:21. And also, "Don't Stop Believin'"... in the one who is Holy above all else.

Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies

Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies

These cookies are uber easy and really yummy! 

 

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter

2 (3 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened.

2 cups of sugar

2 cups of flour 

3/4 cup of chopped raspberries

1 cup of white chocolate chips 

Cream together cream cheese and butter, mix in flour and sugar. Then add in chopped raspberries and chocolate chips. Place on baking sheet, and put in oven, bake at 350 for 15 min. let cool and enjoy!

~~~~~~~

An easy dessert with these...

Ok to made these even more awesome, all you have to do is add a little vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, raspberry sauce, and fresh raspberries. The only reason there are no raspberries in this picture is because someone ate them all before I could use them ... -_-

Oh well, it was still very good! :)

 

As the name suggests..

Well, as the name suggests, I am a chick who wears a fedora. I have several hats in general, 17 last I counted, and 5 of them the classy fedora. I wanted to do a little research on my favorite lid, and this is what I found..

The origin of the name "Fedora" is from the Russian word "Fedor" and the Greek word "Theodoros" which means "gift of God".

The hat itself got it's name from a French play that made its debut in 1882 called haha, "Fedora". The play's character Princess Fedora Romazova wore one atop her head, and soon after which started a fashion among middle to upper class women, and men.

In the Prohibition Era, the 1920's to 1930's, was when the Fedora truly made it's mark, becoming very popular thanks to Gangsters such as Al Capone. Where it has gotten the nickname "the gangster hat". Other famous men such as Frank Sinatra, and Humphrey Bogart gave the Fedora it's "big break" and the hat made it's way from starting out on the stage, to the big screen of Hollywood. During this era the Fedora was primarily worn by men, and remained a popular part of male attire until the 1960's. 

~~~~~~

By the early 1970's the younger population began to forget the fashion of their father's and grandfather's to sport a newer hat... the baseball cap. So it took a back burner with the "youngins", while still remaining among the older generation, who where use to the hat.

~~~~~~

Certain performers did keep the fashion going during this lull, Indiana Jones...

 

and Michael Jackson..

..Just to name a couple.

~~~~~

It finally did made a comeback in the 2000's, becoming fashionably "cool" again, especially among the younger generations, sporting them with skinny neon jeans that already come with holes and tears. Artists, such as Justin Timberlake, Brittany Spears, and Bruno Mars wear them when singing concerts and performing in front of crowds of millions. 

I am quite happy that they did make their way back to cover the heads of  us chicks (or roosters for you gentlemen). And hey, who knows what else will find it's way returning to our closets, I hear rumor of leg warmers, big hair and neon... ;)



The Hope of Dogs and Humans

Did you ever wonder what a dog thinks? What goes through their mind from day to day? I, like many other humans have frequently pondered this.
We all have looked at our pets expressions and voiced what we think their thoughts are... A simple "hello", or "And where have you been all day?", or "can I have a bite?" It makes us laugh and feel comfort to place human emotion upon our adopted family members, but I believe they do have them.
They feel joy, when their favorite people come home from an outing; when they find their favorite toy. Frustration when they must stay inside when the dog next door is clearly getting too close to the fence line; And when the man in the big truck with the swan on it comes to the door unannounced. But the most common emotion they feel, hope.
They hope for a pet or a "good girl" when they look at their masters with admiration. Hope, when they begin to smell the meal being prepared in the best room of the house. Hope, for a piece of that meal to make it's way off your plate to the floor with out you noticing. ;)
The hope in the eyes of a dog is clearly seen when taken a moment to pause and look into those awaiting faces. Another question comes to mind; do we also live with this same hope?
Not the hope of a treat or a pat on the head, but the hope we have in our Master? The hope of hearing the words "Well done, my good and faithful servant". The hope of seeing Him in His glory? Do people see the hope in our eyes, just as well as the hope in a dogs?
When you think about it hope of a canine and a human has similarities, we wish for praise, affection, love, and maybe a bite of that cake, but there is one difference that needs to be noted.
Disappointment, the dog may get passed up for a pet, the bowl left empty once or twice. BUT, we will never have to face this disappointment in our Master! He will not forget about us, our hearts will not be left empty, or wanting. He is a faithful and loving God, who will never forget His children.
"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace, gave us eternal encouragement and good hope" 2 Thessalonians 2:16
So the next time you look at your dog with those puppy eyes full of hope 'saying' "can I have a "bite?", remember that though similar, our hope is of a different kind, hope with the encouragement of a never - failing, faithful, loving God.


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