Cindy's Place

2012-01-21T20:12:00.002-05:00

He did it AGAIN! Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos brought home the win against San Diego last night! (November 27). The team overcame the struggling Chargers 16-13 in overtime in last nights game. Bringing the Bronco to a 6-5 - winning four straight games. Tebow carried the ball 22 times for 67 yards giving him the record for the most carries in a game since 1950. According toSTATS LLC.

Known for his strong faith in Christ and his routine of thanking God after every touch town, kneeling in prayer after every game which seems to grate on the nerves of not only some fans who are offended by his faith but other players in the League. Former Denver Quarter Back Jake Plummer has said that although he praises Tebows ablilities he would like his successor a lot more if he publicly praised Jesus Christ less. According to an article in USA Today.

I love how Tim responded to this critisim from those who seem to take issue with his very public displays of faith. Via ESPN's First Take, he said in part: "If you're married, and you have a wife, and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only say to your wife 'I love her' the day you get married? Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and every opportunity? And that's how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ is that it is the most important thing in my life. So any time I get an opportunity to tell him that I love him or given an opportunity to shout him out on national TV, I'm gonna take that opportunity."

I find it so interesting that it is perfectly acceptable for celebrities to get up and thank God for awards, or thank God for their blessings in public and it doesn't cause a stir but if you thank Jesus Christ and use his name in a prayer or give him any credit or glory people become offended.

Why do you think that is? I'm not asking because I don't know, I do know the answer. Jesus himself even told us people would be offended by him and some would even hate him. (Matthew 24:8-10)And in turn will hate his followers.

Logically this makes no sense to me. Jesus did nothing but love people, help them, teach them good from evil and give all he had, including his life. Regardless of whether or not you believe in God or the Bible, historically Jesus was a real live person who walked this earth, who was crucified by the Romans at the insistance of the Pharisees and according to a vast number of witnesses rose from the grave.

Now why would anyone be offended, logically speaking by his name? The name of someone who showed the world what true unconditional love really was? The name of a man who spent his days going from place to place reaching out to those others considered unlovable or unforgiveable by most, showing them love and compassion? The name of a man who did miracles, fed thousands and taught about the ways of God?

When you try to find 'logic' in something that has a completely spiritual cause you realize logic will not suffice to provide you with the answer. So you have to ask yourself if you are offended by the name of Christ, why is that?

I admire Tim Tebow and I believe it is because of his very public faith God is blessing him. He makes it known his abilities are given to him by God, and he is very open about letting the world know Jesus Christ the only Son of God is his savior.

Jesus tells us that if we deny him before men he will deny us before his Father (God). He also said that we are blessed if we do NOT deny him and are not offended by Him. "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Luke 7:23.

So again, the question is if you are so offended by the name of Jesus Christ ask yourself why!

Tim Tebow’s Witness | jamesrobison.net

2011-12-16T10:39:00.000-05:00

Tim Tebow’s Witness | jamesrobison.net

How FanBox Can Change Your Life

2011-12-13T14:15:00.001-05:00

I love to blog obviously or I wouldn't be here. I am a member of FaceBook, MySpace and Twitter. OK so I don't blog on Twitter but people who follow me on Twitter can click on links to my blogs.

In August I joined a new site called FanBox! At first I was thinking to myself, "Why would you become a part of yet another social network or blogging site? You don't keep up with the ones you are already a member of lately".

Before joining FanBox I spent most of my time on Facebook, of course I still spend time on FaceBook just not near as much as in the past.

OK let me back up just a little by telling you how I found FanBox to begin with. One day I received and email from my dad that asked me to check out this site called FanBox. At first I was going to ignore it, but then figured if it was from my dad it is probably something I should check out since he doesn't normally send things like this. So I clicked on the link. FanBox Knowledge Revolution

I read the information on the page and out of curiosity joined. Now I have to tell you I have been to a lot of sites that say you can earn for blogging so needless to say I was very skeptical. But because my dad had sent me the link and I liked what I saw I decided to give it a try.

I simply started by blogging, uploading pictures of my beautiful grandson Kellen and checking out what other people were blogging about. I had decided I was not going to think about the earning part of it and decided not to participate in the Ad creation feature for awhile to see what happened.

I was assigned a Success Coach. His name is Ryan Page and he explained to me how the Ad creation worked, that it is always best to let your 'earnings' mature and to reinvest what I make in running the Ads. He also sent me some great teaching links to those who have been on FanBox awhile.

People like Johnny Cash (no relation to the singer by the way), Jenny Lee, Arlene, Zoe and others. I began to read how FanBox worked, what kinds of things to be mindful of when writing blogs, creating Ads and such.

An interesting thing began to happen. I actually began getting email notifications that I had made some money. It was only a few cents here and there from people reading my blogs, but hey I didn't honestly expect that.

After about a month I noticed I had over $200 in my 'bank' from people just reading my Blogs. That was without investing in or creating any Ads for my posts.

Still I have to be honest, I was skeptical about the whole thing, how could this possibly be for real especially considering I did not invest any of my own money because I am was not in a financial position to do so! Plus I am a very cautious person when it comes to anything having to do with money and there are so many scams out there you have to be very discerning.

Anyway, I decided to reinvest the earnings and began creating Ads for my Blog posts. At the time I didn't understand how the whole click rate, Ad cost and earnings worked but hey at that point it was not something I was going to worry about just yet. I was just curious to see what would happen.

I began to see earnings showing up on an almost daily basis, like I said they started out just a few cents at a time and eventually it was a couple dollars at a time. I have just continued to reinvest in creating Ads for my Blogs as well and venturing out to create a few Ads for those Blogs that I found very interesting or that I felt could really benefit others to read. Mostly they have been blogs that give tutorials or teachings on how to create good Ads, how to use the new Knowledge Investor tools and how to write a good blog.

To date (since I signed up in August) I have earned over $800. And the greatest part about this is a portion of the money I earn goes to a charity I pick! Is that awesome or what? I have decided to have a portion of my earnings go to Shelters for Abused Women and Children.If you have read any of my previous blogs you know why this charity is important to me.

FanBox is a global community of people who are working towards and reaching their goals and helping others to do the same. It's about giving people hope in a world that is reeling in a bad economic downturn. It is about learning to write better, giving others the tools needed to grow as people, teaching them to have hope through setting realistic goals and giving them encouragement when they need it.

In the short time I have been on FanBox I have had the pleasure of becoming a Success Coach. Which means I get to help others learn how to become successful at writing blogs that will entertain, teach and motive other people, creating Ads that get attention and continue to Invest in the knowledge of others willing to share what they know and have learned throughout their lives.

FanBox is a unique and accredited Social Network that's ulitmate goal is to help people help other people! Whether you are just looking for a great venue to share your ideas or opinions, a place to meet some truly great people from around the globe or are looking to earn a from your knowledge - FanBox is the place to be!

One more thing, I believe everything happens for a reason. After I had joined FanBox and had been here a few weeks I sent my Dad an email telling him how cool this site is and thanked him for sending me the link to join.

He told me he did not remember sending me any link to the site and didn't have a clue what it was. I think my finding FanBox was what I like to call "A God Thing" for me. If the link to this site had not been from my Dad I would never even have clicked on the link nor taken the time to give it a try. God knew this so in His infinite wisdom He knew how to get me here.

I feel really blessed to have not only found this amazing site, but to have met some truly caring and great people in the process. Not to mention I am having a blast working with some truly dedicated and talented people who have for a very long time worked selflessly to get FanBox up and running and tirelessly continue to improve it and make it something that is helping a lot of people world wide!

So if you are looking for a truly unique Social Site that not only allows you to meet great people but find some hope in a struggling economy and get paid in the process...FanBox is the place for YOU!

Tim Tebow Man of Faith

2011-11-30T18:30:00.001-05:00

I wouldn’t consider myself an avid sports fan, however I do love a good NFL football game. And last nights game between the Denver Broncos and the NY Jets was definitely worth watching if for no other reason than Tim Tebow!

I was incredibly impressed by this young man last night. Not only did he basically win the game for his team, against the odds according to all the so called ‘experts’, not once did he take credit for the win or even for his talent.

During his interview after the game the commentators kept asking him how he felt about bringing the win for his team, and how he felt about what he did. It was like they were trying to hard to get him to take the credit. But this young man, who is a Christian continually answered those questions by saying he is a blessed man.

The very first thing he did when he sat down was to give glory to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You don’t hear that very often today, someone who has seemed to defy the odds give the credit and glory to God first and foremost.

When he made that 20-yard touchdown to win the game in the last 58 seconds of the game, this young man dropped to his knees thanking God. My son tells me this is completely normal for him and is one of the things he is known for. I think in today’s world awesome! After the game he and several other teamates as well as a couple of the Jets knelt down to pray and give glory to God. Again something my son tells me he does after every game, win or lose.

During his interview he continually put the emphasis on the fact they are a team and it was and always a team effort! Not once did he place himself above his teammates. He talked about having faith and believing in yourself and your teammates, believing you can do it and working hard. “We believed as a team”, Tebow is quoted as saying.

I have seen headlines today that are calling the Bronco’s win a miracle. To that I say - you are most likely right! When a man lives a life submitted to the Lord, giving him glory and honor in all things, he will be blessed, which in turn will be a blessing those around him. “A faithful man will abound with blessings” Proverbs 28:20

There are many who have had some very negative things to say about this young man, when asked about that he simply said he doesn’t worry about it or focus on it.

I told my son last night as we were talking about the game and this young man, the reason there are those who try to tear him down or don’t like him probably stems mostly because he is a Christian and he has no problem stating that clearly and often.

He stands on his faith and is not afraid of what people think. Jesus says, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. John 15:18-19

It is so nice to see a young man like this who has integrity, humility and faith. It shows there are still a few sports figures out there who really are trying to be a good role model to those kids out there who look up to these guys. And even the adults who in today’s world need some good role models.

October with Kellen

2011-11-06T23:21:00.000-05:00

Little Owl

Kellen's pumpkin

Not too sure about the lion

Pointing at the Lion

Most handsome little man

On the carousel with Grandma

Loves to make wishes...OK so he just likes blowing on the dandelion

Not liking the ears

Trick or Treat?

Riding in style

With his 'brother' Booker

Love his smile!

Illogical Logic

2011-09-10T14:50:00.000-04:00

The mind is an interesting and confusing thing. This mechanism called denial is difficult to understand. People seem to have this uncanny ability to not see what they don’t want to see, and only see what they chose to see. I know it sounds confusing, but that is because denial is confusing.

Because I have lived too many years of my life with and around addicts as well as people who have an illogical logic you would think I would understand how the process works. I don’t!

I mean truth is truth, even for those who say there is no such thing as absolute truth, by saying they are sure there is no such thing as absolute truth they prove it does indeed exist. You cannot say there is no such thing and in the same logic say you absolutely believe it to be true! Get my point?

OK back to truth and illogical logic. Logic tells you that using drugs or drinking and driving is dangerous and can lead to a path of bondage, addiction, jail and even death.

Illogical logic says that only holds true for “other” people. And you are the exception. If I had a quarter for every time I have heard someone say, “I can stop any time I want.” I’d be rich. I was going to say if I had a penny for ever time but in today’s economy that wouldn’t make sense. J

I am using addiction as the example because addicts are famous for being illogically logical. I have watched this season of Celebrity Rehab and every week - I listen to what Dr. Drew tells his patients, most still just don’t seem to “get it”. What really astounds me is watching an addict in denial watching a show like Celebrity Rehab or Intervention and making comments about how messed up those people are, never being able to see that a whole lot of their behavior is the same!

But the same form of denial and illogical thinking holds true for many things in a person’s life.

The alcoholic who says they are not an alcoholic because they are not homeless and out on the streets. They manage to hold on to a job or they are not getting completely wasted every single day, therefore there is no problem. Yet every time they drink they lose control and wreak havoc in the lives of those around them. It makes no sense to me why someone would keep doing the very thing that is causing the problem. Illogical!

Logic says if you have gotten more than one DUI you have a problem.

Again I am astounded at people who have gotten more than one DUI and then think nothing of drinking and driving again. Or worse someone who gets high on some other substance and illogically tells him or herself it’s different and OK to do because it’s not “drinking and driving.”

Logic says lying is wrong and if you lie- people will begin to distrust you not believe you even if you might be telling the truth. Illogical logic cries, “Why don’t you believe me- just because I have lied a few times (or more than a few times) before? You should still believe me now.”

Denial is simply illogical logic. Saying another person is bad because they do something when you yourself are doing the same thing is denial. Minimizing your own actions because they are YOUR actions is denial. Acting as if you are being persecuted or accused of something unfairly when in fact you are doing that very thing is completely illogical.

I know your probably thinking what IS she rambling about? I look around me and see the state of our society and it scares me!

I see kids today having no respect for authority or for adults in general. People refuse to accept responsibility for their own actions.

When there are consequences for wrong doing or making bad choices - people blame it on everything but their own foolish choice. It was the horrible childhood, it was a bad break, it was the spouse, and it was just bad luck. Someone spills a hot cup of coffee on themselves and it’s the restaurants fault.

A child lies, disobeys, disrespects or whatever and then when there are negative consequences it has nothing to do with their behavior it’s all just because the parent, the teacher, the police are being unfair or are out to get them.

A person gets a DUI and it’s not because they were drunk- it was because the Cop was being a jerk. Of course it didn’t have anything to do with the fact you were in fact driving while drunk.

The husband or wife who loses their family because they continue to use drugs, or drink or cheat or be abusive - But it’s not their fault, the spouse or family just didn’t love them unconditionally or were not supportive or made them mad.

A parent lies, and then doesn’t understand it when their child lies. Logic tells us children learn what they live! They learn by example not what you tell them.

Then there is general illogical logic. Example - faith to me means you trust God in everything and knowing He will take care of you no matter what is going on. Faith is trusting regardless of what it looks like. When I tried to explain this to a couple of people; one who is no longer in my life, their reply was, “So what you are saying is I can just walk out into the street in front of a speeding car and God will protect me. “ My reply is - Really does that sound logical to you?

If you deliberately walk out in front of a speeding car you’re going to get clobbered! God himself tells us there are consequences to foolish choices. Actually now that I think about it, that kind of explains their rational when it comes to some of their choices!

The one who is no longer in my life, continued to use drugs, but because they were prescription drugs it was OK. Add some alcohol and some weed to the mix also. Knowing this behavior is dangerous is pretty much the same as throwing yourself in front of a moving car and expecting God to keep you from getting run over!

But that’s not faith, that’s foolishness! And it’s testing God which we are NOT supposed to do. If something is wrong it is wrong no matter whom you are. If something is dangerous it is dangerous no matter whom you are! That is Logic! Illogical logic says you are the exception to the rules.

There is a saying common in addiction programs; it says “to continue to do the same thing over and over expecting different results is insanity!” And that does not hold true for addiction alone.

Again I just don't get it, I don't understand and it is in all honesty making me crazy! Maybe I am the crazy one? Hmmmmm.....Nope...I don't think so!

My Newspaper Years

2011-08-28T19:23:00.000-04:00

There are times like the last couple of days when I just feel like writing something, yet seem to be unable to focus on just one thing. With so many things going on in the world and in my family trying to narrow down one subject can be impossible. I have always seemed to get "inspired" in the middle of the night but have decided getting up at 2 a.m. just isn't something I want to do now.

I use to work at a weekly newspaper when I lived in California. I loved that job, I learned so many things about newspapers, and how they are put together, although 15 years later I'm sure it's a lot more technically advanced than it was. We use to lay the paper out by hand, printing the editorial stuff, the photos and the advertisements. Each piece was laid out on boards in the back of our office, headlines were measured and placed, and all content was laid out before us. Each person in our small office was responsible to proof all copy. The more eyes on it the better usually. If someone missed a mistake chances are the next person looking at it would find it. Although there were a few times mistakes were missed.

We had a New baby section, Obituaries section, Engagement and wedding section and a Police Report section. The last one always seemed to generate phone calls from people who had been arrested or the family members of those arrested, calling to complain and in a few instances make personal threats against our Editor or our entire staff. It did make for some exciting times, well maybe exciting isn't the appropriate word.

One week when everyone was exhausted from trying to meet our deadline, I walked into the office to open up as was my routine. The answering machine was loaded with message, not usually a good sign. Apparently our graphics art/photographer placed the Obit headline over a Birth announcement! Not good! We of course apologized and then gave the family a quarter page birth announcement to make up for it.

When I got the job at the paper, which was called "The Lincoln News Messenger", I had not worked in about 10 years. I had been busy raising kids and four years of that time was when we lived at the Cabin. I had just recently learned to type and work with word processing programs. When we had moved to Lincoln, Ca I had read the local paper once or twice but thought it was kind of wimpy; meaning it at that time was mostly fluff news. Anyway, on one of the days I had bought the paper I decided to check out the classified section. There was a help wanted ad for receptionist at the paper. I decided what the heck I'll apply and see what happens. At the time I really needed a job because my husband at the time worked seasonal and had drug addiction issues so we needed the money.

I applied and got called in for an interview. The Publisher at the time was Stacy, I met with her and the then Editor Ellen. (I think that was her name). They asked me how fast I could type and then why I wanted the job and why I should get the job. I told them I had always wanted to work at a newspaper, that I would be a hard worker, learned things quickly and would be a loyal employee. They asked me to type up a small classified ad and then print it. Because I had just learned Microsoft word I had no problem remembering how to print. What threw me was I did not know the printer was in the back of the office so when I hit print I thought I had done it wrong..lol Stacy told me months later that the reason I got the job was because out of all the people they interviewed I was the ONLY one who knew how to print!

Stacy told me they would like to offer me the position but that I should know what the job actually entailed first. I would be responsible for typing up and proofing classified ads, answering the phones, helping to proof editorial copy, enter subscribers into the data base, make some inside sales for display advertising, making deposits, and helping with the paper layout on Tuesday evenings to get the paper off to the printer by Wednesday morning for Thursday's delivery. I was also responsible for measuring the advertisement versus editorial content on Thursday mornings to determine cost of postage for the papers that were mailed out. A paper has to have a certain percentage of advertising in relation to editorial content.

At first I thought, wow can I actually handle all this? But then I decided OK if the good Lord allowed me to get this job then He knows I can handle it, and if He knows I can handle it, then I can handle it. Stacy told me I would start the next morning, which just happened to be Tuesday, deadline day. As we were walking into the office that morning Stacy told me she hoped I was not offended by swearing but Tuesdays were pretty crazy and I would probably hear quite a bit. I told her, "no it doesn't bother me". I mean I had a husband who was a truck driver and had a horrible mouth!

She was not kidding about the language that flew through the office that morning! It was crazy but incredibly interesting to watch them all work. My job that first morning was to make sure they were not disturbed while they were getting the paper together, especially the editor. I was also told to make sure anything that came over the fax machine was priority because there were display adds coming from the graphics department of our parent paper that needed to be proofed and if needed corrected.

It was pretty exciting. It was also pretty stressful at times. Like I said the police reports usually brought a few threats sometimes of a lawsuit, which there was no leg to stand on because arrest reports are public information, and occasionally we or I should say our editor got a couple of death threats or threats of violence.

I was employed at the News Messenger for four years, during those four years I learned almost every aspect of getting out a local paper. I added to my job description taking occasional photographs, writing a column once in a while, inside and outside sales for special insert features, I covered a City Hall meeting, did the "man on the street" column and photos and got to be pretty good at the whole manual lay-out of the paper. By the time I left four years later that aspect was gone and it was all done by computer along with every body that had originally worked there when I started.

I loved Stacy, she was an awesome person and a great boss. Because my self-esteem was so low at that time, which is pretty common when you have been in an abusive marriage for 10 or 12 years, I was terrified of making a mistake! I just knew the first mistake would find me unemployed.

I had been there a few weeks, Stacy had shown me how to measure ads and briefly went over the cost per inch as well as how to determine the cost of running an ad for a period of time. Display ads were sold by inch whereas classifieds were sold based on work count. Anyway, I was a lone in the office one afternoon and a customer came in. He was actually a repeat customer who was already familiar with how things worked. He asked me to give him some pricing on a display ad he wanted to place. I told him Stacy was not in the office and I was very new at doing this type of thing. He insisted I try to figure it out for him because he was in a hurry. I measured out the size ad he would need and told him what I thought the cost was, I also told him I did not know how accurate it was and that he really needed to talk to Stacy before we did the ad. He kept insisting so I wrote it up and took the order. When Stacy got back I told Stacy about the order she looked it over and I had seriously under charged the guy. She had to call him back and tell him we would not do the ad for that price. She was more irritated with the man who placed the ad because he knew what I told him wasn't correct but thought he could get away with it. I thought for sure I was going to be fired!

After Stacy got off I told her how sorry I was and that I had tried to explain to the guy I was not sure about what I was telling him. All she said to me was, " Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and you F---ed up, just don't do it again." That was all she said. I was thinking wow...she didn't fire me. Working there had a huge affect on helping me overcome my insecurity and low opinion of myself. Everyone in our office was supportive of one another and more than willing to help and teach me whatever I showed interest in learning. And I was interested in learning EVERYTHING!

My Little Kissy Face

2011-08-07T12:33:00.000-04:00

Kellen is growing so quickly. It's hard to believe he is going to be two in a couple months.

He talks up a storm, we may not always know what he is saying, but he does so it's OK. Although he is learning words very quickly.

It was so much fun spending two weeks in Indy recently. The last week we were there I got to take care of Kellen for the week instead of him going to Daycare. I had a blast!

He is so much fun now. He has the most amazing smile, although he has always had that. He blows kisses and gives hugs. There is nothing better than getting a hug from a little one especially when it's their idea.

I taught him to say, bye bye see ya...it's so cute when he does it. He of course already knew bye bye but the see ya part was new. He is so expressive in his facial expressions, his mannerisms and even attitude.

He loves to be outside. Every morning one of the first things he would do would be to go to the front door and say outside. Then he would go to where all the shoes are and start trying to put a pair on so he could go outside! Playing in his little pirate ship pool is one of his favorite things to do outside. Although he usually insists on having someone sit in the pool with him.

I was wondering how Kellen and Maggie would get along, they were buddies in March when Kellen spent a couple weeks with us. It took a little while for Maggie to settle down enough but a few days before we were ready to leave, they once again became buddies.

It's interesting to watch Kellen and Maggie grow and change over the months. Puppies and kids are a lot alike in that respect. Each month brings something new and exciting in their personality and expressions.

I'll be spending a couple weeks in Indy watching Kellen while his mommy and daddy are on vacation. I won't be taking Maggie though because with Kellen's two huskies it would be just too much work. But I plan on having a blast with my little Kissy Face. I can't wait to see what changes have taken place between now and October.

Every time I spend time with Kellen I always remember to thank the Lord for the miracle of his becoming part of our family. He is such a blessing to all of us and a true testament of the love of God for us.

Maggie Meets Booker and Fritz

2011-08-05T15:46:00.000-04:00

Maggie and Fritz

Perfect pose

Checkin each other out

A moment of calm

They look like they would be best friends..but not really!

Maggie wants a hug

Let's play Fritz

Do you like me??

We spent two weeks at Sarah's, it was Maggie's first road trip. She actually did pretty well on the more than five hour drive. I was excited to have her meet Booker and Fritz, wondering how she would do and how they would accept her.

It took over a week before Booker quit trying to pounce on her, and not in a good way. Once I started paying more attention to Booker he seemed to become less jealous and a bit more accepting of Maggie.

Fritz and Maggie became friends, which is probably because Fritz is two years older than Booker and a bit more mellow.

Maggie's First Road Trip

2011-08-01T16:24:00.001-04:00

I took Maggie on a road trip to Indianapolis a few months ago where she got to meet her 'cousins' Booker and Fritz. She actually did great on the five hour trip, although not sure I would want to do it very often.

It took a few days for her and the boys to get to know each other, and eventually her and Fritz became buddies. Booker...not so much!

Our New Family Member

2011-06-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

Five Weeks

Two Months

Four Months

For the last few years my husband has been wanting to get a dog and I have said no. My reasoning to him was this: Unless we can afford to get shots, vet bills, and licensing it is not fair to get a dog. Not to mention not having a fenced yard. I also know how much responsibility is involved with getting a pet. Time it takes to house train, leash train, etc. and having to worry about what you are going to do with the dog if you decide to go on any overnight vacations.

I have had more than my share of dogs over the years, not to mention having worked in an Animal Shelter a few years ago. I have seen too many people get pets without counting the cost, and not just financially, of having a pet. People who do not research what kind of dog or any other animal that would be a good fit for their family and their lifestyle. All breeds of dogs have different temperaments, excitement and energy levels. Some require more patience and work than others. Some are great with children and some not so much.

As you can see, I eventually "lost" the battle. Not that I am complaining, Maggie is a great puppy and I love her to death! She is smart, entertaining and of course incredibly stubborn!

My step-daughter came to live with us last June. She was not doing very well living with her mom, failing school, not coming home when she was suppose to, talking back, and beginning down a road of negative friendships. Carie was 12 when she got here. Her 13th birthday was in February and of course she said the ONLY thing she really wanted for her birthday was a puppy! Just the excuse my husband needed to begin insisting it would be great to have a dog again especially now that we are buying the house and can actually have a pet.

For months before Carie's birthday the topic came up, and she kept saying she wanted to get a puppy. I told her and her dad the same thing: we can't afford a puppy right now, we don't have a fenced yard, and it's a lot of responsibility.

She talked to her Grandmother in California and told her all she wanted was a puppy for her birthday but I kept saying no and her dad sort of said no. I don't know for a fact, but I am pretty sure her grandmother told her daddy (her son) he should get his daughter a puppy. Because it wasn't long after they had both talked to her on the phone they kept trying to talk me into it.

Finally, a couple of weeks before her birthday I told them both, "Fine, I have expressed my concerns about getting a puppy and I am against the idea right now, but we all know you are going to get one anyone. So here is the deal, I WILL NOT be the one responsible for cleaning up after it, not in the house and absolutely NOT outside." Every time in the past when we have had pets I have ended up being the one that has done the majority of the cleaning up after, caring for and playing with. That was NOT going to happen this time.

On the way to look at some puppies a friend of my son had, I again told my husband, "You better count the cost of having a dog. I will be watching Kellen (my grandson) in March and I will be going to Indy to pick him up and to take him home. The puppy is going to be completely your responsibility when I am gone. You better make sure you have money set aside to get her all her shots, her licence and to get her fixed." (We were pretty sure we were going to get a female pup.) Of course my husband said, "I know I know. It will be fine don't worry about it." Yeah....right I thought to myself!

So we ended up deciding on Maggie, she was from a litter of six puppies. The mom is a brindle pit and dad is a boxer. Although everyone who has ever seen Maggie has thought she was a lab. The vet said it is possible her daddy is not the same daddy to the other pups in the litter. I did not know there could be more than one dad to a litter of pups!

I was a little concerned because the puppies were just five weeks old and most pups are not taken away from their mom until they are at least six to eight weeks old. But they had already taken away from mom, the owners (irresponsible as far as I am concerned) put the pups on dog food and stopped letting mom nurse them. Which is probably one reason Maggie even today wants to suck on my husband and son's thumb. (Which of course they have let her).

I asked the vet about this and she basically said it won't hurt anything but do they really want to be letting her do that when she's an 80lb adult dog?? Because whatever behavior you allow when they are pups will carry over into adult age. I've never let her suck on my thumb and she knows its not an option. My husband, yeah he still lets her so does Chris.

Any way, of course because I am the one home all day I have ended being the one that had to clean up after her during the house training days. She flat out refused to go outside with all the ice and snow on the ground. I actually have a video of her going out to the first step then turning around and running directly back into the porch! But then she was not even six weeks old and it was only 15 degrees outside so couldn't blame her there.

I will give my husband credit for one thing, he did actually get up on the middle of the night with her. I tried to tell him she was going to be just like having a new baby, and just like human babies puppies wake up to eat and go to the bathroom every couple of hours. Needless to say he was pretty tired in the morning when he went to work. No I did not feel the least bit bad for him. I would simply say, "I told you to count the cost" before getting a puppy!

We began watching the Dog Whisperer and have faithfully been watching and trying to really follow what he says. I have to say I love that show and am amazed at the gift he has with dogs. When we first got Maggie I was a little concerned because she is part Pit bull. They seem to have a bad reputation, although I have always believed most dogs become "bad" because their owners are ignorant. However, there was still a little bit of concern. But I believe the good Lord allowed us to get a dog that would be good for our family, I believe that because once I realized we were getting a dog regardless of how I felt about it, I prayed and ask Him to please make sure we got a dog that would be a good fit for us and that would be gentle and obedient. And she will be obedient with training, she is right now to a point.

Maggie sleeps with my husband and I, another thing I tried to warn my husband about from the beginning. She is tiny and cuddly but when she gets bigger you are going to regret it. And of course he does because already she hogs the bed, and she still has a lot of growing to do!

All in all aside from the inconvenience and frustration with the rest of my family sometimes, I am glad we got Maggie. She is a real cutie and has so much personality! She is very smart and has learned to sit and lay down. We're working on walks, teaching her that she is not walking us, we are walking her! She will get it eventually.

My husband said the other night we should get Maggie a playmate...to which I answered..."I DON'T THINK SO!

Drug Addiction & Intervention

2011-02-16T12:58:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking I might need to stop watching Intervention because it really disturbs me to see people who are so trapped in their addictions they can see nothing it is doing to those who love them. I find myself getting more and more angry as the show progresses. Why do people start using to begin with? It's not like there isn't a ton of information out there on how dangerous and destructive drug use is. Even though I know most people have the misguided idea they are "different" and in destructive, and playing around with getting high could never "catch them" in addiction, it still baffles me. (Just to clarify here, I am not talking about ACTIVELY RECOVERING Addicts who are getting help and NO LONGER USING)

Yes I tried marijuana when I was younger, and one time I even tried speed, both of which I did not like AT ALL! (I was an adult before trying anything by the way). I do not like feeling like I am not in control of my actions and behavior, and when a person is using, thinking they are in control is only an illusion!

I went through my "drinking period" from age 17 to 18. No I did not drink for a whole year, just want to clarify that..LOL However once I had kids drinking was a very rare thing for me. I realize I could have had the potential to become an alcoholic, in reality everyone does if you continue to push the envelope long enough. Alcoholism ran on my mom's side of the family. She had two or three uncles who died because of it.

Getting drunk just was not worth it to me. I always had the misfortune or fortune I should say, to remember every stupid, ridiculous thing I said and did the night before the next morning. That alone was enough to convince me it just isn't worth it. Not to mention feeling sick was not something I was fond of either.

As far as drugs are concerned, I had heard "one time could be the last time" and I took that seriously. I've never really been the kind of person to think I could do whatever and nothing bad will happen. Anything can and does happen and no one person is immune to the consequences in the end. You may not die or destroy yourself right way, but if drug use continues, it WILL HAPPEN!

Our society is partly to blame for drug abuse, I mean after all have you seen all the commercials for drugs that promise to make you "feel" better? Are you depressed, take a drug. Are you feeling unhappy, take a pill or have a drink. Can't sleep- take a pill- have a drink. Can't stay awake - take a pill -drink an energy drink! It's OK everyone needs a little help now and then. But in the end how much does it really help, it doesn't fix anything all it does is allow the person to cover up or dull the emotions people do not want to feel. Emotions and feelings are part of being human, we have those things for a God given reason.

Too many people today don't want to have to feel anything negative, or deal with the issues that are root causes of making them feel unhappy, unloved or fill in the blank! Yes I know there are some people who may need medication for emotional illness, however, that does not mean every person who is having a problem should or needs to be on something. But people today want a quick fix to everything, including problems or emotional issues. People don't want to "do the hard stuff/work" required in some cases to get better. I want it and I want it now...make this go away now...just give me something to make me feel happy.

Most addicts I know, and unfortunately I have had experience with too many, are in such denial they can't see anything other than what they want. There is always an excuse, they are always the exception, and it is never their fault! And they are very good at judging other addicts behavior as horrible yet not seeing themselves in the same light.

I know addicts who actually watch Intervention and agree how messed up the people who are on the show are, how horrible it is what they are putting their friends and family through, talking about how they aren't like that, news flash...yeah you are! What you see going on in the lives of those people on the show, others see going on in your life! The pain those people are causing their families is the same exact pain you are causing yours!!!

My ex-husband was and still is an addict. We were together 14 years and during that time he continued to use, whether it was alcohol, meth or weed, and usually all three together. In 30 years he has still remained in his addiction. He has lost his family, lost pretty much everything else and has not managed to keep a job more than a few months at a time. It is sad because he really has nothing to show for his life. Yet, he continues to use! It use to amaze me at the things he would say when he was using meth. Because he was snorting it, he would say it wasn't as bad as someone who used needles to shoot it up. Or when he was spun he would try to tell me he just "had too much coffee".

What really use to flabbergast me was when he would get upset if I sprayed bug spray in the house because all those chemicals were dangerous to breath in...REALLY???? You snort chemicals up your nose and you are worried about bug spray?? And I never understood the whole, lets use meth to get wired but then drink alcohol and smoke weed to mellow out? Now that makes perfect sense...NOT!

The lying part of addiction is what makes me the angriest. All addicts lie, yet all addicts deny they lie which is just another lie...lol Yet all addicts HATE to be lied to! It is completely ridiculous to me when you know without a doubt someone is using. They look different, they talk different, they behave different and it's very obvious to those who know the person well they are using, yet when confronted they lie! Saying things like "how dare you accuse me of using, I'm getting tired of being accused of using when I'm not". Alrighty then...! Another news flash...continuing to deny it or the more you say you are not using does NOTHING to convince others your not...LOL All that does is make you look like a fool for thinking no one can tell.

Every time I watch Intervention I see these things over and over in those who are struggling with addiction, and realistically if they are still using and not getting help to stop, it's not struggling, its a battle lost and if it continues it will be a war lost which will end in death!

I know addicts who just switch from one substance to another. Regardless of what the drug of choice is, those who finally understand the concept you can USE nothing...period are those who will successfully over come their addiction! And if you actually put your faith and trust in the Lord chances of overcoming addiction are even higher!

A drug is a drug and for someone who has an addictive personality using any kind of substance WILL lead to using again. It may not happen right away but it will progress and end will lead into being trapped in addiction still.

That is one of the things I have learned by watching shows like Intervention and Celebrity Rehab, using is using and if the addict truly wants to stay clean and sober they cannot use anything! That is something they stress over and over and over to the addicts in Rehab and recovery…The other behavioral change stressed in Rehab is choosing to seek help and understanding you cannot do it alone! It is the addiction that tells you that you can!

Of those I know who are addicts, the only ones that actually have maintained sobriety are those who are refraining from any substance not just their drug of choice and are “working a program”. Getting counseling, attending meetings, having a sponsor, etc., all of these things are needed for the addict to remain clean and sober. To think otherwise is, like I said, the addiction speaking and the percentages show substantially lower the addicts chance of remaining sober/clean!

I realize addiction is a disease, however it is the only disease that can be avoided because it is brought on by a person’s choice to use a substance to begin with. I also know there is hope for those who want to be free, the first and foremost being the Lord. All things are possible with Him...you just have to make the choice!

Snow Snow Snow and More Snow Feb. 2011

2011-02-04T11:31:00.000-05:00

Well we got snow! They were labeling this as "The Storm of the Century". But I have heard from others who have lived in Michigan awhile this was nothing compared to the "Storm of '78". That must have been some storm!

I can say that in the six years I have lived here this is the most snow we've gotten in that time. And of course it would be the time our snow blower would not work...you know that whole "Murphy's Law" thing!

Aside from that it was still amazingly gorgeous once it was finished! When I got up in the morning and opened the porch door I was surprised to find the snow was actually right up to the door! And there are three steps from the sidewalk to the door.
I took this picture out the side window of the porch. I have always sort of gaged how much snow we have by how much is on the hedges. We had so much snow it was almost hard to distinguish where one hedge started and the next one began! It was awesome! It was also just a little bit chilly outside. Although not as chilly as other parts of the country, thank the Lord for that, especially since we were going to have to be out there soon shoveling the sidewalks, driveway and the cars out.

John was working his way to the back, hoping to get into the shed and give the snow blower another try. Of course with all the snow it took quite awhile to even get to the shed, and of course once he did the blower still refused to work.
It was tiring but believe it or not it was fun to shovel...for an hour or two anyway! After that it began to get annoying...LOL I mean, come on, THAT is a lot of snow. It also made me feel bad for those around the country who actually got more than we did! We were going to just shovel what we absolutely had to, leaving the T-Bird surrounded by the mountain of snow. (above picture on the right). However, once we got the front steps done John found a note inside the screen door from someone who was interested in buying it for the motor. The front end was totalled last year so it's just been sitting. SO John had to shovel around it anyway so the person interested will be able to check it out.

Once we finished most of the front walk, I of course had to take a picture of the wall of snow and how the front yard looks. I love the trees down the street covered in snow. It is so beautiful! I love the way it looks with snow on the trees and the ground, for the first day or so it makes everything look so pure and clean!

Our driveway doesn't seem THAT big until of course it's buried in two feet of snow! Add to that the wonderful mound of snow the plows always seem to push in front of the driveway and you have a couple hours of shoveling just in that area alone!

Carie got her first real taste of what it's like to live in Michigan during the winter months! Just when she thought she was going to be able to stop she found out she wasn't done yet! At one point, like 15 minutes into shoveling she told me, "This is tiring!" Can I go in now?" To which I replied, " Welcome to Michigan winters! Nope, you are going to help us get this done, and I can guarantee you are NOT the only kid in Michigan outside shoveling snow right now!"

Up until now she has been living in Washington state with her mom, they don't get quite the kind of winters we experience here in Michigan so I think she was pretty surprised, but does like the fact they had two snow days this week on top of not having school on Monday, she scored pretty good, only two days of school all week! That part she is liking, the shoveling, not so much! LOL

Christmas with Kellen & Family 2010

2011-01-24T12:38:00.000-05:00

I decided it was time to post some new pictures of our little man. Christmas was a lot of fun with Kellen now that he is a little over a year old. When I look at him it is so hard to believe the pain we all experienced until the wonderful day his adoption became final. No matter what happens in our lives, I will always have the blessing of Kellen to remember and remind me of the love and grace of the Lord. He is a miracle working God.

So when times get tough or the trials come along, there is and always be a peace and hope, knowing NOTHING is impossible with God.

What Faith ISN'T

2011-01-08T14:12:00.000-05:00

Faith isn't constantly seeing only the worst case scenario nor is it constantly complaining and whining about your circumstances or the "bad breaks" that happen sometimes.

Faith is not speaking negative words into your life always going on and on about how things are messed up or haven't gone the way you expected them to. Saying things like "it's just my luck" or 'nothing good ever happens to me". There is no such thing as luck and if you truly look at your own life in comparison with those around you who in a lot of instances, have things a lot worse than you do, you just might find reasons to be thankful instead of constantly complaining and feeling sorry for yourself.

Jesus said if we have food and clothing we should be content with that. Being content doesn't mean you don't strive to improve things in your life it does however mean being thankful for what you do have and not constantly complaining and worrying about those you don't!

It's really easy for some people to look at their circumstances and accept little responsibility for them, blame circumstances or others for things that go wrong. Things like spending money on things you don't really need then finding you don't have enough to take care of the things you do!

The Lord will always provide enough for your needs (if you are truly living for him and not yourself). In most cases it is not that He has not provided or can't be trusted to provide it is more that his provisions have been spent foolishly on things a person wants. Lust is not just about sex, the lust of the eyes is also about meeting your desires right now even if it means doing so will harm someone else, your finances, and even your relationship with the Lord or others. It's about selfishness...I want what I want right now, I deserve what I want because...(fill in the blank).

It takes no faith to go asking people to borrow money, or knowing if you tell the right person you are in a predicament that person will give you want you want.

In the Old Testament the nation Israel ended up wandering around in the wilderness for over 40 years because they not only disobeyed the Lord they continually whined and complained about everything. God provided their daily food miraculously, only as much as they needed when they needed it. What did they do? Had the nerve to complain they were tired of having the same thing everyday.

God miraculously delivered them from Egypt...what did they do? At the first sign of trouble they again whined and complained and said they would rather go back to the bondage God had just delivered them from. Even after all the Lord had done the people still had no faith! Still constantly complained, worried and grumbled about everything.

The Lord has said the power of life and death is in the tongue, words are powerful and we will get what we speak forth.

Proverbs 18:21 "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit". If we continue to speak for negative and worldly words we will speak into our lives those things. BUT if we speak the words of God into our lives, believing what HE says about us and about our lives we will recieve the good things he promises us. If we choose to take ALL our cares to God instead of always going to people, if we choose to listen to God and not what mere man tells us, we will see a marked difference in our lives.

We recently watched "The Book of Eli" an awesome movie by the way. Anyway, the premise of the movie revolved around the last surviving Bible in the world and Eli was the one chosen to protect it and get it to safety so it could be reprinted and shared with the world again. However, the vilian of the movie would stop at nothing to get this book..why? Because as he put it, "there is power in the words of that book" unfortunately he wanted that "power" so he could rule over everyone, not understanding what the true power is. The love of God when we surrender our lives over to him to serve others and not ourselves.

Ulitmately what we speak into our lives is what we will get! It's the whole reaping and sowing rule. I am NOT saying if you "think positive" you will have everything your heart desires and nothing will ever go wrong and you will be happy all through life. that is a misguiding doctrine that prosperity preachers tell people. One that leads people to lose faith the first time something doesn't go the way they want it to. That is not what the bible teaches and it is not what Jesus teaches.
There is power in the word of God, and there is power in our words and thoughts. It is why God tells us to mediate and speak HIS words. "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you." and "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Kellen's First Birthday!

2010-11-18T11:59:00.000-05:00

Not sure what to do at first

He figured it out!

It is so hard to believe our little man is a year old already. The time has flown by so quickly! He has become quite the little character. Full of smiles and good humor. He likes to give kisses, which I absolutely love! He's been walkin for a few weeks now and gets around pretty good. I can't wait until he starts talking.

When Kellen gets older he is going to realize just how special and how loved he truly is. There were almost 100 people at his first birthday party. Family and all those who prayed for him before the adoption process was completed. Prayed and hurt during that month of his being taken, when we all believed he was lost to us. Not knowing how he was, how he was going to grow up and feeling so confused that the Lord would have allowed that whole situation to happen as it did.

But God had a plan and I for one am very thankful things turned out the way they did, even though that month he was gone was beyond horrible. That pain and sorry turned to unspeakable joy the day he was returned to his mommy and daddy. "Joy comes in the morning".

Seeing him grow is such a blessing, even though I cannot be there as often as I desire being four hours away. But even then I am grateful for the amounts of time I was able to spend with him from the day he joined our lives, left us and then returned for good.

I truly count myself as being blessed to have been there the day he came home from the hospital, spending the first two weeks of his life with him and his parents. Being there when he was taken was even a blessing because I was able to pray for him, hug and kiss him and try to believe no matter what happened he would remember us. Being there when he came home for good, spending the first week or two back again was amazing. It was almost as if he had never left even though he was gone for a month. He came back and adjusted as if nothing had ever happened.

It is amazing how many lifes my little Kissy Face touched from birth until now. So many people we able to witness first hand the mighty power of God and his blessings and love. I am so thankful we were allowed to go through this experience, although I probably would not have said that back in April. That seems so far away now.

I look forward to seeing what the next year brings, to seeing him grow and learn. Praying he will always know just how loved he is and how special he is and just how much the hand of God is upon him!

Our happy little man!

Parenthood and Boundaries--living with Tweenagers

2010-10-08T10:42:00.000-04:00

Do you know where your kids are? Unfortunately there are some parents, who don’t, and what makes it worse, they are not concerned about that. It is all well and good to give kids freedom, but with freedom comes responsibility. A concept that seems to be forgotten in today’s society.

I want to know where my kids are; even my adult kids let me know when they leave and usually where they are going when they leave. (Referring to the two that are living here) They let me know, not because they have to, as adults they can do what they want and they are responsible for their own choices. They let me know out of consideration at this point. Chris is always telling me he wants to let me know just in case something happens to him, because you never know what can happen, it’s also one reason why he always says “I love you” when he leaves. He’s lost a lot of friends suddenly and unexpectedly over the last few years, so he understands the concept of anything can happen at anytime.

Now with Carie, (I Love you Sweetie) who is not quite 13 yet, we expect her to tell or ask us if she is going to be going somewhere. She has come to stay with us for a time from Washington. Carie is an awesome young lady, she is smart, funny and very smart, (even though sometimes she doesn’t think so or acts like she isn’t.) Since she has arrived here I have heard from a lot of people what a great kid she is, how friendly and helpful, always happy and smiling. She jumped right into the student ministries at church, volunteering before Impact even started to help with the set up and clean up. Since school has started she is getting pretty much all A’s and B’s, in the majority of her classes. She is great about doing her homework as soon as she gets home and for the most part, (aside from the normal hormonal attitudes sometimes) is a very good kid. (By the way she really hates being referred to as “a kid”…sorry Carie.)

Her dad let her know before she arrived we were probably going to be stricter about certain things than she might be use to. She and I had a conversation before school started about certain boundaries. She told me when she makes friends we probably won’t see her much because she will be gone all the time. I told her I didn’t think so! First of all homework will be done before she goes anywhere. Secondly we want to know where she is and who she is hanging out with. (“Bad company corrupts good character” 1Corinthians 15:33)

The boundaries were set at that time. You don’t leave without asking or letting us know you are leaving, you will not be out after dark, we want to know who your friends are and you will not be spending the night with any friends unless we first meet their parents. The consequences of breaking boundaries were explained. If you leave without asking or letting us know where you are going, you will be grounded. It is not safe for a girl her age (or any teenager) to be out wandering around alone especially after dark. (Of course now she is saying we didn’t have this conversation.)

Last Tuesday one of her friends came over, she asked if they could go outside. I said sure. A few minutes later I went out to see what they were doing and they were NO WHERE to be seen. About a half hour or so later, her friend’s father showed up and wanted to know if his daughter was here. I had to tell him, “I have no idea where the girls are, they left without saying anything”. She had told her dad she would be here when he came by to get her. Needless to say I was not happy and neither was her friend’s father. He told me if he found them he would send Carie home.

I emailed Carie’s dad at work and let him know she had taken off without asking or say anything. He said she is grounded when she gets home and to let him know when she does get home. If it was after dark she was going to be even more grounded!

A little later she came walking through the door. She stopped and just kind of stood there for a second, I guess she was waiting for me to yell at her. I didn’t say anything, so she opens the conversation with “I’m confused”. Apparently her friend’s dad told her she was in trouble before she got home…LOL

SO I calmly told her, “You’re grounded! You left without saying anything about leaving” Her reply to this was, “But I asked you if we could go outside”.

Honestly I was a bit amused that she would really think by feigning confusion or ignorance it would get her out of being grounded.

“You asked if you could go outside, you did not ask if you could leave”, to which she said, “But I asked you if we could go outside, the park is outside”, “Seriously??? Going outside and going to the park are two completely different things! Yes technically the park is ‘outside’ however, you did not ask if you could GO to the park, you asked if you could go “outside”. After a minute of her trying to convince me she did not understand WHY she was in trouble I finally told her, “Look, I am not going to debate or argue the point with you, you are a smart kid, you know the difference between simply going outside and leaving to go to the park, your grounded, end of discussion!”

By the way the park is not just around the corner from our house, it’s not really far but it is also not out our front or backyard. Just saying cuz apparently distance is suppose to make a difference. If I don’t know where you are, distance has nothing to do with it.

Bad things happen and all too often it happens to kids. If she hadn’t come home, I would not have known where to look for her. If something did happen we might not know about it until it was too late to prevent it. Maybe in part, because Christopher lost a friend when he was young I am more aware of the possibilities of something terrible happening.

His parents thought he was home in bed, and the police show up at their door telling them their son is dead. It was a horrible tragic thing to hear their son, who they thought was home, was dead. Yes I know it’s a little different scenario but the concept is the same.

As a parent you cannot always assume nothing will ever happen to your kids! It is foolish to take for granted that when they are gone, they are OK or not in danger. (Which is one reason I pray for all my kids daily) To many parents take for granted their kids are immune to anything bad happening to them, or their kid will always know what to do or make safe choices. I am not saying as parents we should be over protective, however, using some common sense and setting reasonable boundaries are a must with kids! And just a note on this, it is a proven fact based on surveys taken by kids, that kids, even though they complain and get angry, in reality want their parents to set limits and boundaries because it reinforces the idea that their parents care enough about them to set limits.

God expects us as parents to be more concerned with the welfare and training of our children than our own comfort or convenience. The bible has a lot to say about raising kids, and the main point in what He does command us to do involve setting boundaries, setting consequences when those boundaries are crossed and making sure your kids know you love them enough to have rules that are set to protect and teach them to make positive choices. We are also expected to train our children to be responsible for their own actions and choices, not blaming bad choices on situations or other people.

That also includes, like it or not, taking a stand on who your child can and cannot hang out with or be friends with. “Bad company corrupts good character”. (If the Good Lord says it then it is true and we have to pay attention to it.)

In today’s world there seems is this attitude that if you had a bad childhood, or had something tragic happen in your life, you are not responsible for your choices or behavior when they are wrong because, “I can’t help my reaction/actions because it was the way I was raised or because I was hurt in my life”.

This whole blame game began way back in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, Adam blamed God saying “it was the woman you gave me” and Eve blamed the devil, “the serpent deceived me.” That didn’t work for Adam and Eve and it doesn’t work for us, well at least not in God’s eyes. Unfortunately it does seem to work if you are a criminal and claim your environment or your upbringing is the cause of your choices.

We are all responsible for our own choices, and as parents, until your child is 18 you are responsible for their choices to the extent it is your job to teach your child to make good choices and to obey the rules. We have to teach our children that for every action there is a reaction, for every choice there is a consequence good or bad. “What you sow you collect, in other words, if you sow good choices you collect good consequences, if you sow bad choices you collect unpleasant and sometimes even deadly consequences.

We are all expected to obey the laws of the land, if you break the law there are consequences. (Unless of course you get a liberal Judge and ACLU takes your case…just saying.) There has to be respect for authority and if you don’t teach your children this when they are growing up, chances are they will become irresponsible selfish adults who believe they can do whatever they want to whoever they want because it’s their ‘right’. And if something bad happens, well, just blame it on your upbringing or someone else.

Kids make mistakes, we all do. It is part of life; the key is to learn from those mistakes. In order to learn you have to be corrected. If you don’t tell your when child something is wrong how will they learn the difference between right and wrong? And if they know what is right and still choose to do wrong, what does it teach her or him if the wrong does not have consequences? It is the same concept when it comes to other things, a good example is spelling. If you don’t correct your child’s spelling how are they going to learn to spell something the correct way? We all learn by correction, believe me I know, the Lord corrects me all the time when I do something wrong or incorrectly! And I am thankful for that…no really… I am!

This whole foolish ideology, yes I said foolish, that says if you tell a child they have done something wrong or tell them they cannot do something well, or if you correct your kids you are going to damage their self-esteem has done more harm than good!

We have a generation of people who are prideful and arrogant. Believing they are owed something just for being born. Thinking the world revolves around them and that truth is relative to what you choose to believe. A great example is, some of the people who audition for American Idol! Because they have been lied to by family members or friends who didn’t want to “hurt their feelings” they believe they have talent and even when professional music industry people who KNOW talent tell them they are not talented, some contestants get really angry and hateful crying about how the judges don’t know what they are talking about. That is pride! And that shows a complete disservice from their family and/or friends who have chosen to tell these people what they want to hear instead of correcting them in love with the truth.

You can uplift and encourage people you love without doing it by being dishonest. You can and should build up your child to know they are special because God created them to be, that they can do almost anything they put their mind to if they work at it. However not everyone has a talent or can develop a talent for absolutely everything they might want to do. That is just a part of life; each of us has been blessed with different skills, talents and gifts. That does not mean anyone is any better than anyone else it simply means the Lord created each of us to be different. And in the end that is a good thing. So to end “Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Good or bad training is in the hands of parents! What they learn now they will live as adults.

Our Little Man Is Gettin Big!

2010-10-05T12:12:00.000-04:00

One of his new expressions

Gettin ready to walk!

9 Month picture

Loves to clap

Religous Intolerance & Racism

2010-09-22T07:52:00.000-04:00

I recieved a friend request from a guy who apparently was new to Facebook. I don't normally accept requests from people I don't know, however I decided I could always just remove him if he became problem.He seemed to be new to Facebook I figured what the heck, why not!

Once I accepted the request I went to his page and noticed he was Muslim, which perplexed me since it's pretty clear from my page I am a Christian. I decided I was not going to remove someone just because they don’t “believe” the way I do, and who knows maybe the Lord could use something I say to open this man’s eyes to the truth of who God really is and maybe lead him to Christ. Ya never know right? And to be honest a small part of me thought, “Well if I remove him from my friends list now that I know he is Muslim it could be said I was just being “racist” or “intolerant” of another’s faith.

So I sent him a message telling him I was curious as to why he wanted to be a “friend”. He sent a message back saying he needed a friend and was lonely. My first thought was, "yeah OK now that sounds like a “pick up line”...LOL. He also told me he was going to be visiting the US in three months, that he is from Turkey and speaks little English. In the next message he explained he would be visiting Chicago, Grand Rapids, Greenville, Belding and Lansing. To which I replied…I can understand wanting to visit Chicago, and even Grand Rapids or Lansing…but Greenville and Belding are not exactly tourist spots! He didn’t respond to that part of my message. (Does it make me a racist to wonder what this guy is up to?) Considering the current mood in the world and knowing how extremist Islamism’s goal is to kill anyone who will not accept their religion and how much they hate Americans, I don’t think it makes me a racist, simply cautious!

The next message I received he asked me if “I love Allah (God)”, telling me he very much loves “Allah (God)”. It took me a couple days to reply.

I did not want to be offensive or judgmental so after praying about it decided to reply with, “I love the Lord God more than anything and His son Jesus who is my Lord and savior, who died in place of the sins of the world so anyone who calls on Him can have an intimate and personal relationship with God :-)"

He proceeded to remove ME from his friends list! Which is fine, however considering all the talk in America right now that says if you are against the Mosque at Ground Zero, or you vocalize any concern about Muslims in this country who are extremists, you are labeled a “hater” and intolerant, and if you happen to be a Christian who is against the Ground Zero Mosque or concerned about terrorists living in America you’re not just labeled a hater or intolerant your almost in fact “demonized”.

As far as building that Mosque so close to Ground Zero… it has nothing to do with religious intolerance or infringement of freedom… If some whacked out Methodist, Catholic, Baptist or any other religious group attacked the towers it would be just as much of an outrage to let them build a temple, church or “community center” in that area!!

How is it that those who are Christians, followers of Christ, who believe Jesus is who He says He is, and know God is a God of love and does not tell us to kill those who refuse to accept him are called the haters?? Yes there are those who claim they are Christians yet they completely ignore what the Lord teaches about loving ALL people, and have used God as an excuse to be hateful to others, even murdering those who do not “believe” in God.

We are told to hate the sin, NOT THE SINNER! A good example is the Pastor who said he was going to burn the Koran…Dude...... really? Show me in the Word of God where it tells you to behave as those you disagree with??? An eye for an eye was Old Testament we are to live under Grace. Apparently you don’t know Jesus very well because He tells us to pray for our enemies and do good to those who spitefully use us! Not burn their religious books. (see scripture below).

Jesus himself said he came not to condemn the world but to save it! “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” John 3:18

“And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.” John 12:47

The martyrs in the Christian church died standing for their belief in Jesus Christ…not dying in the process of killing others in the name of God or to “earn” entrance into heaven. God DOES NOT tell us to kill others, and especially not because they refuse to accept Him. In fact we CANNOT “earn” heaven! It is a free gift!

We are saved through faith- “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” Ephesians 2:8-9

You cannot earn your way into heaven…especially by breaking the commandments and teachings of Jesus! “Love your neighbors as you love yourself!”

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do GOOD to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Matthew 5:42-44.

Why anyone would want to embrace a “religion” that is so full of hate or one that requires you to kill another to gain entrance into “heaven” is beyond my understanding. And why anyone would reject a God who loves us so much that he gave his only son to die in our place, a God who tells us to do good to others, to love one another, a Savior who tells us to lovingly lead others to Him……NOT demand or coerce with threats of death to bow down to Him is even more so beyond my understanding!

Intolerance is always yelled the loudest by those who are the truly intolerant. Those who are truly the racists are those who call anyone who disagrees with them a racist.

I am not intolerant-I have yet to remove anyone from my friends list who disagrees with my views on anything whether it’s politics, religion or lifestyle and I am definitely not racist…have you seen the pictures of my beautiful Grandson? J

And it DOES NOT make me a racist because I disapprove of President Obama and his agenda for this country! I am sure he is a nice man who loves his family - however he is just another Politian who said what he had to say to get elected and is now doing the opposite of what he “promised”.

By the way, why is it so many seem to have forgotten - our President is half white? I would say focusing ONLY on the fact that his skin color is black- is the real racist attitude! I’m just sayin!

Ready For Heaven

2010-07-17T17:44:00.000-04:00

Why would any true follower of Jesus Christ fear death? This makes little sense to me in light of the promises of heaven given to us by him. Paul tells us ;

"For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee." So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord". 2 Corinthians 5:4-9

I am not afraid of death, although I do have to admit I am not thrilled with the idea of the pain depending on what kind of death one experiences. But the idea of leaving this world and all it's suffering, evil and heartbreak is a longing within my soul. There are times, like when I see the horrible things going on in the world, the evil that is reigning in the lives of most today, I pray for either the Lord's return to come NOW or for him to just bring me home. I do however know that in a way that is selfishness, only in the perspective that maybe, just maybe my remaining here might serve in someone one being lead to Jesus and saved from hell.

Some might say, but Cindy don't you want to stick around and see your gorgeous Grandson grow up? Or see your daughter and son in law continue to grow as they face being parents? Don't you want to see the salvation of your two youngest children? (not saved yet). Don't you want to be around when your beautiful stepdaughter graduates and becomes a doctor some day? (This is what she says she wants to be). Or don't you want to see your boys maybe get married and have families someday?

Of course I want to experience these things, but I guess I am a bit unorthodox in the way I look at life. The way I see it, being in heaven with the Lord does not mean you miss out on special things like this, I think you have a front row seat and get to see the wonderful outcomes without having to see the struggles to get there for your family.

Time in heaven is not like time we are use to experiencing. From my understanding we will be allowed to see everything from beginning to end once we are with the Lord. He will answer all questions, show us all the good that will come out of the things that seemed so awful while we are here. Jesus last three words on the cross are always on my mind. "It IS FINISHED".

The sacrifice he made for our sins, the reign of sin in our lives demolished (if we chose to live through him)...it was all accomplished by his willingness to take the sin of the world upon his shoulders. Receiving upon himself our judgement and consequences. He paid the price WE owe/owed.

After saying all this, I do have to say sometimes living here can really suck. Watching people continue to make the same stupid choices and never seeing the truth of what God is trying to show them. I think that is the most frustrating part...that and watching people bring about suffering and trouble because of their own rebelliousness.

Watching people who continually misuse the Grace of God to not change their choices or behavior. Knowing the answer but also knowing they will not listen or "hear" the truth. Being able to just leave here and see the final outcome without having to be witness to what may be the hard things they have to go through before they "get it" would be so awesome!

But in the end, there is an appointed time for each of us to remain here, God does not take us any sooner or later than is already in his plan for our lives. So for now I will praise the Lord for his mercy and grace. For helping me to keep my eyes on Jesus..who is the author and finisher of our faith.

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-3

2010-07-02T10:11:00.000-04:00

Kellen with Uncle Jason

It's Official

2010-06-17T23:25:00.000-04:00

Today my little Kissy Face legally became Kellen Alexander Mitchell, son of Sarah and Matt Mitchell!! The adoption was finalized today.

It's been a very long seven months, and a roller coaster ride of faith and emotions for everyone, but thank the Lord it's done and no one can come and take away our miracle baby again. There is a peace inside knowing this process is now complete, and even though up to this point it has been joyful, heartbreaking and then joyful again it's been worth any of the heartbreak for a time to say in the end this IS my Grandson, not just in my heart but legally and officially. The scripture "Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:6 is completely appropriate and full of meaning now. The "night" lasted for five and half weeks but the "morning" is here for good filled with inexpressible joy!

I still remember the night they brought Kellen home from the hospital, so little and so precious, that smile he gave me the first time I held him that completely melted my heart and caused me to fall in love with him in an instant.

It's funny because when I first thought about the idea of adoption, I kind of wondered if the love I would feel for that baby would be instant like it is when a child comes into your life the "old fashioned" way or if it is something that would grow over time. I found the answer to that the minute I held him.

Honestly I was not sure how I would feel when Sarah and Matt finally brought their new son home, I even wondered if I would be able to just completely accept an adopted grandchild the way I imagined I would should they have been able to conceive a child. Now I cannot imagine loving him more than I do. I have said this before, but the moment I held him I knew I not only loved him, but that he was the child God ordained to be a part of our family.

Even though he was taken for a short time, deep inside I knew and still believed Kellen was born to be Sarah and Matt's son. It is the reason he was conceived and the reason he was born. God has great plans for our little man, of this I am sure. I was confused and afraid to speak that out loud when he was first taken and in the weeks in between, because it made no sense for the Lord to allow that to happen.

However, as usual because we don't see the "whole picture" of course it didn't make sense. I do believe now that in part, Kellen being returned to his birth mom for those weeks and then returned back to Sarah and Matt showed a lot of people, including I am sure some unbelievers and/or skeptics the mighty power and grace of God. It brought a lot of people to their knees in prayer for the situation, for Kellen's safety and welfare, for Sarah and Matt, and for the rest of our family. God performed an awesome miracle through all this. In fact it was not just one miracle but many miracles throughout the seven months leading up to today.

I know it's been a huge spiritual journey for my faith, a realization that no matter what happens the Lord never leaves our side, he may allow unpleasant things to pass into and out of our lives, but there is always a higher purpose. We can make a choice during those times to either choose to love and live for him because He is God and Lord no matter what happens, or we can choose to turn our backs and hearts from him when he works in ways that allow us to hurt for a time, only "loving and living" for Him only when we get what we want and don't have to experience any pain or trials.

Some scriptures come to mind that say, focus on the things unseen and not those things seen...what happens here on earth is temporary but after that it is eternal and forever. The trials we may endure for a time will pass, there is a much bigger picture involved, one we cannot and may not see until we reach heaven. (My paraphrase) Unlike us the Lord already knows the beginning, the middle, and the end. Nothing comes as a surprise to Him and He alone knows not only the ultimate outcome, but the affect of each and every situation for each and every person on the planet.

Something you do today that you think might be inconsequential might in fact be the thing that positively (or negatively) affects the course of another person’s life. It's pretty amazing and scary when you really ponder just what that means.

Does your faith and love for the Lord stand even in the midst of hurt and trials? That speaks volumes to those who have any contact in your sphere of living. Do you only praise and continue to follow the Lord when things are going your way and you are not experiencing any trials? Those things are the things that can turn others away from God instead of towards Him.

Through all of this I have never even considered walking away from Him, I had doubts about whether or not He was listening to certain prayers or that He would do miracles in other people’s lives but seemed to not be willing to do “this” one for our family. But I not stopped loving Him or believing in Him, He sent His only Son Jesus to suffer and die for me that I might have eternal life and to put it into perspective, there is nothing I could go through while here on earth that could even compare to the pain and suffering Jesus went through when He took not only my sins upon himself but the whole worlds, paying the penalty each one of us deserves. And just as Jesus was resurrected and is at the right hand of his Father, I too have that to look forward to…and THAT is forever and ever…what happens here…that is just dust in the wind in comparison.

So in the end it’s official…Kellen Alexander Mitchell is now and forever more my Grandson and the Lord God my God still reigns!

Our Little Man Is Home

2010-05-29T15:55:00.000-04:00

Wonder of Wonders-Miracle of Miracles!

2010-05-21T00:03:00.000-04:00

Kellen is back home with his mommy and daddy! The Lord just did such an amazing miracle and I feel like Peter must have felt when he denied Christ three times!

We were all so crushed when they took Kellen away, and very afraid to even consider there would be a chance we would get him back again. A few weeks later when the kids called me and said there might a slight chance they would get him back, (see previous post) I would not even allow myself to believe it would happen.

For a couple weeks that thought was always in my mind, but because I had put so much faith in his not leaving to begin with I would not allow myself to even consider it a real possibility. I knew God could do anything, but my heart would not allow me to open up to THIS happening. Even when I would get that still small voice telling me Kellen will come home, I refused to listen, telling myself it won't happen.

A lot of whether or not he came home was going to be contingent on if his birth dad showed up to the hearing and the judge's decision. Or if he didn't show up, would the judge once again give him yet another chance.

I had stopped praying specifically and have just been praying for the Lord to keep Kellen safe, loved and taken care of, and for God's will to be done whatever that might be.

Sarah called me that Monday, May 17th to let me know the hearing was at 11 a.m. and the lawyer was going to call them after it was over and let them know what happened. That day was incredibly restless for all of us, just waiting, yet again.

When I got the call from Sarah telling me they were getting Kellen back I was in disbelief. The dad did NOT show up at the hearing so the judged dismissed the case! At that point they did not know when exactly they would be getting him back or how it was going to work. Later that day Sarah called to let me know Kellen would be coming home to them that night!

Even then as much as I wanted to be excited, I knew until he was in their arms I was not going to relax. They needed me to come up to Indianapolis because neither of them could take anymore time off from work, having used it all up when they first got Kellen. And they no longer had Day Care lined up.

Kellen's other Grandma came by picked me up and Kellen's two grandmas headed up to see our little miracle grandson once again! I am totally blessed to be able to spend some time here watching my little Kissy Face boy so he can transition to being back home.

He has gotten so tall in the five weeks he's been away from us, and reached some of his six month milestones, things like being able to get his foot into his mouth :-)

Just as Peter must have felt when that rooster crowed for the third time, I felt Tuesday when I held Kellen after five long weeks of his being away from us. I felt shame for denying Christ by allowing circumstances dictate my faith. For not taking God at His word when he told me from the start this child was created and ordained to be my Grandson.

In the months leading up to April 8th I stood firm in believing Kellen was created by God to be a part of this family. And in retrospect, there were times I think the Holy Spirit was telling me that Kellen would be leaving for a time, but I did not recognize that as being from the Lord. Instead I just ignored it and did not allow myself to consider any possibility it could be anything other than my own doubt.

So when that DNA test came back and the next day they took Kellen away from us I was confused, and even felt a little bit betrayed. (see previous posts).

During the little over five weeks Kellen was gone, I again believe I was hearing that "still small voice" again telling me Kellen WOULD be coming back to us. Honestly I think I knew it was the Lord but because it hurt so much to lose Kellen the first time, fear kept me from even wanting to believe it. None of us wanted to experience that horrible pain again! So every time I had that thought Kellen will return, I rejected it.

I am so very thankful our Lord is so full of mercy and grace towards us, even when we waiver or deny him for a time. His will is His will and His plans are His plans...nothing will stop them..because after all...He is God!

I will blog more about this later on but because I have the privilege and the blessing of getting up in the mornings to take care of our little miracle boy for a few days, it's not so easy to stay up too late :-)

Thank you Lord for showing your mighty power through all this! I know it has touched more lives than we even can imagine. Glory be to God for He IS worthy!

Cindy's Place

Tim Tebow’s Witness | jamesrobison.net

How FanBox Can Change Your Life

Tim Tebow Man of Faith

October with Kellen

Illogical Logic

More Stories of the Paper

My Newspaper Years

My Little Kissy Face

Maggie Meets Booker and Fritz

Maggie's First Road Trip

Our New Family Member

Drug Addiction & Intervention

Snow Snow Snow and More Snow Feb. 2011

Christmas with Kellen & Family 2010

What Faith ISN'T

Kellen's First Birthday!

Parenthood and Boundaries--living with Tweenagers

Our Little Man Is Gettin Big!

Religous Intolerance & Racism

Ready For Heaven

It's Official

Our Little Man Is Home

Wonder of Wonders-Miracle of Miracles!