I was bestowed this wonderful award from a dear blogger friend of mine, Wixy @ Wixy's Gone Bananas! Thank you so much!! I am honored!
I want to pass on this award along to a new found blog. She has blessed me so much in the past few weeks. Thank you Ruthie!
I was not raised singing hymns at church. I remember the first time I heard this I sobbed. It is so powerful. I hope you have time to listen.
Make sure you go to the bottom of the blog and turn off the music before you listen!!
Melanie
I actually am cheating a bit in that I did not write my own list for today. I found this list of things from this website (click here). It is hilarious!
Things to do when you're bored ~
Blink wildly and then close your eyes really tight for an interesting light show
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes)
See a variety of blobs, stars and flashes. Try to make out shapes and see if your subconscious is trying to send you a message (perhaps that funny shape is saying, 'send all your money to urban75.com'?)
See how long you can hold a note
(Amusement Potential: 4-20 minutes)
Not that much fun, but it sure passes the time. Play with a friend, or try to beat your own personal best. Inhale deeply and then try and make a noise for as long as you can. Earn extra points for making your partner laugh or ending on an amusing note.
Try to not think about penguins
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes)
This is especially hard, because by trying too much, you remember what you were trying to avoid thinking of. If you try too little, you end up thinking about penguins anyway.
Use your secret mind power
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)
Pick a passing by and try to use your mind power to command them do something, like drop their bag or knock into someone. The law of averages dictates that sooner or later one of your mind commands will come true, so you can convince yourself that you really have super human powers and waste even more time trying them out.
Pretend you're a robot
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
Walk down the street with mechanical movements, adding 'zzzzzt' sounds with each motion. Pretending to have a motor broken in, say, your left hand can add at least 30 seconds more entertainment.
Scratch yourself
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
Go ahead, scratch yourself now. Even if nothing itches, go ahead. Doesn't that feel pretty good?
Rate passers by
(Amusement Potential: 10-15 minutes)
Secretly award passers by marks out of ten as you go along, offering (unsaid) expert criticism over their clothing, hairstyle and footwear choices.
Repeat the same word over and over until it loses its meaning
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
Pick a random word out of a magazine and say it aloud to yourself until it becomes a meaningless set of noises.
Pinch yourself
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
What is pain? Why is it unpleasant? There's nothing physical about it - it's all in your mind. Plus, after pinching yourself for awhile, boredom will seem nice next to being in pain.
Try to swallow your tongue
(Amusement Potential: 1-2 minutes)
There's not much to say about this one. It is possible, but really stupid.
Pretend to be a car
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)
Make appropriate revving noises in your head as you walk along and add a racing commentary as you pass strangers in the street. Use blinking eyes as indicators for extra authenticity.
Make Star Trek door noises
(Amusement Potential: 1-2 minutes)
Stand by an electric door to a bank or something and make that silly "Scccccccchwop" sound heard whenever people popped on to the bridge to hang with Captain Kirk.
Look at something for awhile, shut eyes, study after image
(Amusement Potential: 2-5 minutes)
Another great time waster. It takes about 30 seconds of staring to create an after image, and the image is then viewable for about the same length of time. Fun to combine this one with pushing on your eyes.
Get yourself as nauseated as possible
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)
Best achieved by looking straight up and spinning around. Try to be so dizzy you can't even stand up. This is also entertaining due to the "makes boredom seem a lot better" effect (see "Hurt Yourself").
Invent a weird twitch
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)
Adopt a bizarre twitch (e.g. flicking your head irregularly, twitching with eye or busting out sporadic cough noises) and try it out when you go shopping.
Make a low buzzing noise
(Amusement Potential: 15-30 minutes)
Hours of fun in libraries! Keeping a totally straight face and looking nonchalant, make a low pitch humming/buzzing noise and see who reacts.
I listed more than 13 ~ I could not resisit. Have fun! LOL
I had no idea what to post today. I have taken lots of pictures that would make wonderful posts but they are stuck on my camera. My computer does not have the software to pull it up from my USB cable...or I just have not figured out how to do it...which is entirely possible!
I have a ton of laundry calling today. *sigh* One job that I never can say is completely done. A lot of jobs around the house are like that.
It finally rained yesterday. It is getting so dry around here and our lawn is struggling. In Florida...rain means humidity. In Colorado..it cools everything down and there is a fresh, clean feel in the air...here..it becomes a sauna.
Beverly Hillbillies ~ the Beverly Hillbillies were banned in my home growing up. It was considered, "brainless" TV and a waste of time and brain cells. My mother was famous for always making sure all our books and TV watching were either educational or classics. Call me silly..but I have gotten into watching it once a day...they are all new to me!!
Have a fantastic Wednesday!
Melanie
Psalm 27
14Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.
These are a couple of my most favorite verses. It comes from David, a man that knew and experienced a lot of hardship through his life. The bible says that he was a man after God's own heart. Why? I believe it was his faith..his unwavering faith in the goodness of God. If you read Psalms...it is amazing. He will write at length of his problems..but in the end it is ALWAYS God will deliver me..God is my strength..God is my help..God is at my right hand...ready to save.
When you have problems...do you wallow in your sorrows or through your tears do you say what David said? God is my help, God is my salvation, God is at my right hand, God will deliver me! Do you wait..and expect goodness to come to you? I think we so often believe goodness for others..but when it comes down to me...myself..I..the confidence is not so strong.
I have gone through a lot in my life and I can say I have never been disappointed or angry with the Lord. I do not understand things..I do not understand all the whys..but such is life. I do not have to know. I have always waited, expected and seen the goodness in God in my life.
Melanie
Woo-Hoo! I got my Elliptical! Here is a picture of my machine. I think I told ya'll that I was looking for one. After deliberating on joining a gym or buying this we felt that with the way gas is and just finding time to go to a gym this was a great alternative.
I got it a few days ago and have done 30 minutes everyday. I hope to move it up to an hour...but right now this is a good start. My leg with my healing knee is going to get strong!!
I have it set up in my room in front of our itty bitty TV..(no kidding..itty bitty). I can watch HGTV and get a workout. It is great!!
Melanie
My big, huge, ginormous project this weekend is painting my dining room table. I have primed it with Gripper..so no sanding necessary...and painted it a cool blue...now I am taking an ebony, dark stain and painting that on it and rubbing it off to make a very cool finish. Thank you, P and K, for the great idea!! I have just finished and it is beautiful. I may do another coat to get the finish I really want..but it is pretty much done.
My dining room table is huge. With all three leaves it can seat 20 people comfortably. I know, because I did it a couple of times. :) As I refurbished my piece it reminded me of the story behind this well loved table.
A few years ago..I hosted Christmas dinner. At the time I had a beautiful antique table. It was very small though. I would have my family over and we would squish everyone in like sardines. As I looked around during that meal, I thought..."Lord, I really need a bigger table.". That was it. No begging, no crying...simple. A few months later I was at a garage sale down the street from our house and the lady had this dining room set for sale. It was $250 dollars with six chairs. Really, it was a great deal..but we could not afford it. I struck up a fun conversation with her and after that day we would wave when we would go by and maybe stop for a chat. About three or four months go by. One day she comes to the door and asks if I was still in need of a table and chairs. I said, "yes, yes!". She said, "The darndest thing...I have tried to give that set away to the Goodwill twice and they never show up to pick it up. This morning I was praying and having my devotions and I saw your face and a thought...Go give that table to her." (I am crying right now just thinking of this.) God gave me my table and he worked through a saint of God.
I think so often we expect a huge miracle. He does do the miraculous..but I find in life He likes to use people..obedient people. What do you have in your hand that you could give to help someone? How much stuff is stuffed in your garage that you don't even know is there or you are waiting for who knows what to happen.."just in case" stuff. How often does someone come to you for prayer about something and you know that you could be the instrument to bring release and help to this person..but like a good Christian..you ignore that thought and say..
"I will pray for you." People are in need. Listen..listen..if you have two of something and you are speaking to a friend and they are looking to buy one..and you have one that is being unused..give it to them. LISTEN!! Be sensitive...you will find that if you do there are many ways to be a blessing to someone!! Many!! I give stuff away all the time. It is fun..but also I believe it pleases the heart of God.
Withhold not good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it. Proverbs 3:27
Melanie
My children love tuna. The way they like to eat tuna is exasperating to me. They pull out the can....squeeze out the water...and eat it with the tiny forks I have for appetizers. No Mayo, no relish, no bread, no tuna fish melts, no cheese, nothing. I have tried to feed it to them in a variety of ways and have struck out. In the end, the favorite is.. Just tuna..in the can. If anyone walked in after everyone got their can I swear it would look like I was feeding a bunch of cats.
I just read the following though ~ Eating fish once or twice a week can help reduce your risk of heart attack as well as help protect you against stroke, lupus, kidney problems, prostate and colon cancers, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis. If you are looking for quality protein and quality fat, fish is hard to beat. ~ So children...Great news..in the can or not...it is good for you...and you are actually, probably, eating it far more healthier than your Mom!
Melanie
Words ~ I like words.
I was reading a blog, Seek Him First, and there was a post on Bible translations. I use either the NKJV or the Amplified bible. I like to use the NLT and KJV on the side and I have a monster Strong's concordance and smaller size that I use as well for Greek/Hebrew and study. I really cannot stand the NIV version for a variety of reasons.
It interests me how strong we get on bible versions. There are almost cults out there..like the KJV cult. Just kidding...*giggle*.. No offense intended...but really it does get that weird. I think as an older Christian I do need to pick well...and when I disciple different ones I do tend to recommend the NKJV or Amplified versions. I am not a stickler though. If they want to read the bible and it is the NLT or even the Message bible..Praise the Lord!! I guess they could even use the NIV version...ack!
I would LOVE to hear your opinion! What do you think?! You won't hurt my feelings...
Melanie
| What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta. | |
| The Midland | |
| North Central | |
| Boston | |
| The South | |
| The Inland North | |
| Philadelphia | |
| The Northeast | |
| What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz | |
When I was a kid a favorite treat was to make homemade ice cream. We had the one you had to churn by hand. All the kids couldn't wait to take their turn. There is nothing like a warm summer evening and the sun never setting till after nine that made being a kid WONDERFUL. I remember playing capture the flag or tag in my bare feet till late in the evening. Then going to bed with all the windows open and tossing and turning because it was just too warm. Then by mid morning it would cool off just enough that I would be searching for the sheets to cover me up.
The other evening we got out the ice cream maker. Nope..not a crank by hand.
But you still get to put the ice in it with the salt and hear the churning outside. We got a bunch of chairs and friends and sat around while the kids played all around and made ice cream. I am a vanilla fan, usually, but I found a recipe I could not resist ~ CHOCOLATE MOCHA ~ chocolate and coffee..OMGoodness!!...YUMMO! It tasted like something you would buy at the store...I swear..cross my heart hope to live!! Forget the no sugar diet stuff..*snarf*
I will be trying out lots of recipes this summer. Hopefully we will have our church over with several ice cream makers...fun stuff!! Do you have a favorite recipe?!
Mocha Ice Cream
Prep Time: 35 Minutes Ready In: 35 Minutes Yields: 20 servings
INGREDIENTS: 2 1/4 cups sugar 3/4 cup baking cocoa 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules Dash salt 3 cups milk 4 eggs, beaten 4 cups half-and-half cream 2 cups heavy whipping cream 3 tablespoons vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS: 1. In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa, flour, coffee and salt. Gradually add milk and eggs; stir until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon and reaches 160 degrees F, about 15 minutes. Refrigerate until chilled. Stir in the remaining in the remaining ingredients. Fill ice cream freezer cylinder two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2008 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 5/12/2008
Melanie
I had a wonderful Mother's Day. My family bought me some new perfume. My favorite: Glow women by J Lo. It is so nice to smell pretty! I also got to go to Khol's and pick out a couple new outfits. That is always a treat! I found four shirts for $3.00 each, bermuda short for $10.00, and a cute dress with a pretty sweater for $16.00. Fun!
Well ~ I better get my day going. School, grocery store, and the post office are in my future. I ran out of coffee so I need to go get my staples..lol. Be blessed on this beautiful Monday!
Melanie
