My Alice In Wonderland Tea Table

Our Table

Every year our women ministry has a tea party kick off for the fall ministry schedule... This year I co-hosted a table with my friend Valerie... It's nice to have creative friends.. Well we decided to go with the Alice in Wonderland theme.... Valerie is a whiz at embroidery - she made the cutest Alice napkins... and the table cloth had the queen of hearts and other cards... Valerie also made embroider hand towels.. simply elegant and beautiful.. I made the flower centerpiece... The competition was fierce .... Of course there wasn't a so -called competition.. we're Southern Baptist women..... we are always loving.... and generous with praise.... but you know... I was feeling it.... the competition monster.. and it was fun....

The Competition...... at least some of the 15 or so tables...

Over the Top Award

I won a very cute Blog award from one of my favorite bloggers - Together We Save be sure to visit this site for some incredible reading and incredible deals... Love love to visit Together We Save!
Here are the rules for the Over the Top Award:


USE ONLY ONE WORD!

It’s not as easy as you might think.
Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on.
It’s quite tricky to use only one-word answers!
Once you have filled it out ~~~ be sure to pass it on to 6 of your favorite bloggers and alert them that they have been awarded! Have fun!

1. Where is your cell phone? table
2. Your hair? gross
3. Your mother? unassuming
4. Your father? Heaven
5. Your favorite food? everything
6. Your dream last night? shhhh
7. Your favorite drink? tea
8. Your dream/goal? contentment
9. What room are you in? Office
10. Your hobby? games
11. Your fear? heights
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Bahamas
13. Where were you last night? Floats
14. Something that you aren’t? outgoing
15. Muffins? none
16. Wish list item? peace
17. Where did you grow up? California
18. Last thing you did? read
19. What are you wearing? scrunchie
20. Your TV? Off
21. Your pets? trouble
22. Friends? close
23. Your life? constant
24. Your mood? stressed
25. Missing someone? sister
26. Vehicle? Toyota
27. Something you’re not wearing? watch
28. Your favorite store? Target
29. Your favorite color? Yellow
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? days
32. Your best friend? Christ
33. One place that I go to over and over? club
34. One person who emails me regularly? clients
35. Favorite place to eat?outside

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And now I am passing this Award on to six wonderful bloggers who I enjoy so very much. Who bless me daily and I am happy to have met in blogger land.... have fun.

Propeller Head Mom

Heart 2 Heart

Ramblings of a housewife and Mommy

Diary of a Sad Housewife

Oh Sew Good

Mom's Mutterings

Have fun and I look forward to reading your answers!

Crispy Tacos

Crispy Tacos
Serves 12

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 large tomato diced
1 small yellow onion diced
1 head iceberg lettuce
1/4 lb jack cheese grated
1/4 lb cheddar cheese grated
1 doz corn tortillas
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening

In a medium pot place chicken and enough water to cover the chicken, add salt, garlic, and cook over medium heat until tender.
Drain water, shred chicken, and set aside. In a skillet, add 1 tbsp of shortening, onions, tomatoes and cook until tender over medium heat.
Add chicken and simmer for 5 minutes, set aside.
Warm the tortillas over a a hot skillet, fill the chicken mix into the taco. Continue filling remaining tortillas.
In a large skillet add rest of vegetable shortening and heat over medium/high heat. Add prepared tacos and brown on each side until crispy.
Place tacos on paper towels to drain oil.
Add lettuce, cheese, and serve....

Stop Complaining.... Do Something About It!

One of my biggest pet peeves is people complaining... Complaining about their spouse... their kids, their weight, their work, their lack of work, and the list goes on..... I know I have been guilty of complaining on more than one of these topics.... okay let's me honest - I've complained on every single one of these topics... But I still can't stand to listen to it... even if it's coming out of my own mouth....

The world has become one big complaint..... No one sucks it up anymore.... Instead of complaining people - do something to better your circumstances... Sitting on your butt won't make it happen... Telling everyone how much your life sucks... doesn't do it either.... Take action... I have an Uncle - Uncle Kenny.. We were talking one day and his words of wisdom have stuck with me many years later.. This is what he said: "How are you feeling right now? Are you feeling good? Can you walk, talk, and move... then get out and do something that makes you happy... and if you can't be happy then make someone else happy... cuz you'll surprise on how good it feels to make someone else happy" We were talking about my cousin Mary V who was suffering from cancer and Uncle Kenny was trying to explain to her that she had to grab the good moments and make them count....

If your spouse and kids are driving you insane - find the cause and take care of it... talk about it.. be proactive... You might be surprised that - through communication and kindness you might find some happiness... Complaining just builds it up and makes it worse....

There are a lot of people without jobs right now and it is a very difficult time.... It is very easy to be sucked into the "feel sorry for me" mode.... It is very easy to give up.... But that is when you MUST be the most strong... Two years ago when my husband was laid off after 23 years with him company - he came home in a state of shock.... he did not know what to do with himself... in many ways he was looking to me for answers.... That is not the type of person my husband is.... After of week of letting him walk around the house in a daze.... I got in his face and told him to snap out of it.... We're a team - let's get you a job.... We were blessed - he found a job in less than 4 months... We were blessed - I believe because we were proactive - we helped to make it happen... God blesses us when we make efforts.. He doesn't want us sitting around complaining about the lack of a job... because we are taking away His Glory.... we are not showing our complete trust in Him...

So, Kelly's Ideas for the day - is get up and do something... If you need to lose weight - eat the right food today.. move your body today... Tomorrow start all over again.. If you need a job - call people you know, go to employment agencies, list yourself on job search engines, and make something happen... Stop complaining.... Breathe in ..... Breathe out.... and thank God for loving you and wanting to bless you in a Big way.....

Patrick Swayze - Good Bye

I remember the first time I saw Patrick Swayze on the big screen... I was just out of high school and on a date... We were at the drive in... and the movie was Red Dawn... It was a movie about a young group of kids defending themselves against foreign invaders on American soil.. Patrick played the leader of this gang of young misfit rebels... I thought he was amazing...
A few years later - I met him once again as Johnny the sexy dancer in Dirty Dancing... I very much wanted to be his Baby.... I would have been happy to sit in any corner with him..... His dancing talent was incredible.... His muscles even nicer....
In the movie Ghost - I discovered the art of pottery.... The unchained melody scene will forever be burned into my brain... geez.... Been trying to have my husband reenact the scene for years.....
Today, Mr. Patrick Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.. He fought a difficult battle and he remained a gentleman throughout his ordeal.... He was surrounded by his family in his passings. Today is a sad day indeed.
God Bless you Patrick - You Will Be Missed.

Last Weekend Of The Summer

Hard to believe that this was the last weekend of the summer... We decided at the last minute to go up to our cabin in the mountains to get away for the weekend.... also a great place to go to get out of the heat and all the Southern California fire smoke...

On the way there - we saw the most incredible cloud formation - looked like the mother ship was landing....



The drive up the mountain was beautiful - reminded me of the The Song - The Long and Windy Road...



We ran into a group of boys ending their mountain exploration - looked like a bunch of little army men... love it


We had a great time - stopped at an authentic Mexican food market and bought - enchiladas, burritos, tortillas, ceviche, guacamole, salsa, and ton more stuff - that was dinner for night one.. The next morning, Dusty whipped up his famous mountain cabin breakfast... (he only cooks in the mountains) - eggs, bacon, and biscuits...




We took a boat ride around the lake - beautiful..





We left happy and relaxed and came home to: laundry - shopping - housework...



It was nice while it lasted........

Does Anybody Hear Her... See Her??

It is very easy to get comfortable in your clique of friends..... at home and at church... One of the things that Jesus teaches us is to reach out - go outside our boundaries - reach the ones who are lost... the ones who need Jesus.. who need someone to hear them..... Remember that Jesus went looking for that one lost lamb? All of us matter.... the lost and the found..

One thing that Christian people... Christian churches need to do is break away from judging others.. we need to break away from staying in the confines of our comfort zone... we need to break away from just spending time with only Christians because they already know God... know Jesus... we need to break away and see the ones searching....

Christians should be the most loving people... we should be.. but that is not always the case. There is backbiting - gossip and negative attitudes and bad behavior.... and to the person who does not know Christ - our hostility can speak loud and clear.... But when a person treats others with true kindness and love through the Holy Spirit - a person will see Christ's love....

This song below by Casting Crowns reminds me so much of my life as a young woman... reminds me of many of my friends... it reminds me of many young men and women I see today.. We need to look at them with love and compassion and not turn our back on them.. We need to reach out - talk to them.... show kindness... We need to love like Jesus loved...

I challenge you today - to smile at a stranger.... to say hi to someone you don't know - walk up to a new person in Church and introduce yourself... if you don't go to church - I challenge you to go....

Kelly's Ideas #43

My name is Kelly and I am a blogaholic.... Seriously - TV has become a thing of the past when I can surf blogger world and find some great ideas - so today for Kelly's Ideas #43 - I am going to share some of the things I have found - learned - enjoyed.

Did you know that there is a site that gives you free stuff? Seriously - I have tried it and the stuff my friends is really free Click on the link right here => Free Stuff, Freebies & Free Samples There's beauty freebies - food freebies - baby freebies - coupons galore - and did I mention the stuff is free....?

One of my favorite places to shop is Amazon.com - ask my relatives - a gift card for Amazon.com is a standard Christmas present - Amazon offers tons of different things. Did you know that you can partner with Amazon? You can sell different items on your site - and Amazon handles the transaction - everything. You make a percentage of the sales. I love shopping for used books... but there are tons of other things from music - electronics - clothes - books... What I really like is the fun widgets... click here to sign up it's free and it can make you a little bit a money

Did you know that you can write about a product on your site and make money? I have written a few reviews for blogsvertise and they pay you - again not a ton of money but hey - it's something and it's fun..

Did you know that I have two (2) other blogs I write? Come visit Amazing Salvation and I've Become My Mother. Writing has always been a passion of mine and blogging has been a great friend to me... In addition to writing - I read some incredibly gifted posts... I have lost count of the writers I follow... There are several women that inspire me to be a better person... a better mother.. better wife.. and better follower of Christ.. I want to highlight only a couple for you today - I promise many more will follow..

Kat from Heart to Heart - Kat is amazing. She has a heart for the Lord and brings joy to my day daily.

Jo from Diary of A Sad Housewife. is one in a million and she just cracks me up with her passion and loyalty...

Stephanie at Steph in the City she always has a interesting post that makes you step back and think... I love that.

RCubes at Off the Beaten Trek this wonderful woman works in a prison as a nurse - she brings compassion and love to the men that are seeking it.. She is incredible...

Mari at 365 days - She has the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen - a true talented woman of faith...

I hope you have fun with some of the ideas and come visit my other blogs and some of my friends - you'll be happy you.....

My September To Do List

My To Do List for September..

1. Have a mom and daughters day - hair and nails -
2. Get a massage - just a "me" day.
3. Cook most nights because my husband and kids like my cooking.
4. Spend time in the morning - thanking God for my blessings.
5. Help a friend in need in secret
6. Get two (2) new clients.
7. Go away for a weekend.
8. Spend more time with my mom
9. Spend more time with my husband
10. Spend less time with the kids - they'll be in school....sigh
    
11. Start my Christmas shopping
12. Find 7 tea settings - for my ministry tea party
13. Read my Bible more....
14. Do as many acts of kindness I can do
15. Set a loving example for my kids

In today's busy world it is so very easy to forget the important things in life... The most important things... my relationship with my Heavenly Father and my relationship with my family... I need to make our time together count....

Last Days of Summer In The Pool

Enjoy the backyard - the last days of summer..

Kara's dive


Nikki's dive



Nikki having her lunch.



Charlie and the girls enjoying the pool.



The summer vacation ends next week - yeah for me... and yeah for them too - even though they will not admit it.....