Touched by an Angel

I used to watch it with my mom when I was little. Now, that we are almost done with our TV, I am choosing what I get to watch on the computer and Touched by an Angel popped into my mind.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the first episode. It was on television for 9 years (amazing! in this secular society). Here is the episode I watched if interested (the first episode), but not the first part (this is part V) I intend to watch many more episodes.



There are some AMAZING moments, this was my favorite!! I am going to leave it up on Oscar's computer and hope he gets interested.



Anyways, when looking at the credits, I saw the executive producer's name: Martha Williamson, and decided to look her up.

Here is a video from her. She puts up two (I believe a week) on Believenet.com

Edward Thomas

Oh, our little E.T.

I'm feeling some love for him today. He is so loyal, smart and dependable. Love this boy. **Also I am experimenting with One True Media. :)

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

God Bless this Mess

I started writing this post this morning while preparing for my college roommate to come visit (Kyla). I've seen signs in homes that say, "God Bless this Mess," but could never relate to it like I could this morning.

My home in no way or form meets my expectations or ideals for a put together, perfectly clean home. It is, however, home. And while it is tempting to stress about it, I chose this morning to take a deep breath, be thankful for what I have and realize she's coming to see me, not my apartment.

While searching for a "God Bless this Mess" sign, I came across a youtube video by Sheryl Crow who made a song of the same name. I related to parts of it.



Kyla and I walked to the library to return some books, then came home to eat some homemade banana pudding. We also sat outside with the kitties. Then, I went to work and she went on her way. Some perfect time together. :)

Work, Clean, Play, Love

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Need to BURN this into my memory and live, live, live it!!!

Welcome to the Team

Oscar started his Basketball team yesterday and it was sooo much fun!!

I thought it was going to be outside (for some reason) so I brought a baseball hat, towel to sit on, changed out of my dress, etc.........but OF COURSE it was in the gym at a local school. Good thing Oscar threw away our old lounge/beach chair, because I was going to bring that too!!

It was fun. Really Really fun! His team was the underdog (at least in my mind). None of them had EVER met before. When we showed up there was 8 people from the other team practicing and then one man on our side (the creator). So, we waited for about 10-15 minutes and there were still only two people on our side. What is going to happen??? I worried. But, Oscar was just smiling and practicing away. Then comes our next guy. He goes to practice and shoots and SCORES, shoots again and SCORES and again and again and again. Six times in a row before he missed one.

By the way, at this point I was the only one on the sideline to cheer for anyone. There were 10 chairs set up. It is 2 minutes from when the game is supposed to start. And a couple more guys show up. One who brought his girlfriend (who I made friends with). That's 5 boys, we've got enough to play!!

It was sooo much fun. Our team WON!!! They were winning the whole game, except the first 4 points. I don't even remember the score. But, I got to cheer for them and it was exciting and I was proud of Oscar and just REALLY happy for him that he got to do this. Maybe next time, I will get a group picture.


**ps. This week my goal is to run outside for 15 minutes 3x a week (I can do longer on the machines). Next week, maybe I'll do 20 minutes 3x a week. :)

Inspirational Fridge Message

Ran at my mom's house this morning. I got some great perspective on where I live now and where I came from. Very interesting.

But, the most interesting thing I saw this morning is a 8x11 piece of paper on the fridge. Held up by kitty and dog magnets, it says in large bold print:

REMEMBER THAT THIS ISN'T ABOUT PERFECTION, IT'S ABOUT PERSISTENCE.

THINK OF THE 13TH VERSE OF PHILIPPIANS, CHAPTER 4, "I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME."

YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CHANGE YOUR DESTINATION OVERNIGHT, BUT YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR DIRECTION OVERNIGHT.

A piece of wisdom from my dear mom. After writing this, I just went on an almost two hour long walk with her. I am thoroughly impressed. On our walk, we came across an old woman who my mom often sees. She is very old, looks around the age of my Grandma who is 92. She has a stooped back and walked very slowly with her dog. My mom says hi to her and she says, "my back hurts today, but if I don't walk, I won't be able to move at all. You can't give up. You've got to keep moving."

Sooooo, here's some inspiration from my good old home town. This in itself was worth the drive. :)

They Come A' Knocking at Your Door

Jehovah Witnesses came to our door today. Actually, I opened my door because it is so beautiful out and they were there.

They looked so nice. I would have offered them a water bottle or something, but we don't even have water bottles anymore. I could offer them a Sobe bottle filled with water. :)

I kind of cut them off short and told them that I am Christian, non denominational and that I have knowledge of their faith and didn't agree with certain aspects.

I don't think I was rude. I ended up feeling bad about it. I would have liked to talk to them about their faith, but I didn't want to be mean by telling them all the lies in their church history or things that were changed in their version of the Bible.

And I didn't know what to do. We used to have a book about how to approach Biblical conversations with Jehovah Witnesses, but I guess we sold it a while back when we were selling all our books.

mmmm. oh well. I guess I will pray for them. Hopefully I will be more prepared for another day. I think there are a lot of excuses I use for why I didn't invite them in and talk to them. And none of them are legitimate. sigh.. right?

And Cheski we will have to chat about your last comment. Not this moment. But soon. :)

Enjoying Life

Why do we make it so hard on ourselves? There is so much to love about life, yet I feel we often ignore the good only to focus on....the bad? Not necessarily. But ourselves, most definitely.

How much do we miss out on because we are so wrapped up in ourselves. So much joy comes from giving. We miss out on a lot when we don't make that part of our lives.......

I am so grateful for my husband!! He is whipping me into shape. Which is good because I have officially gained some weight. I hadn't wanted to step onto the scale, but did so this morning and yup, I'm back up to my high school weight. (gasp) your high school weight, how horrible!!! I know, right? Except this is the "not muscular, gained flab" weight.

I already knew because of how my body looked, but its official. Anyways, I will be staying away from the scale for awhile. I just want to focus on getting healthy and my weight has very little to do with that (for me at least.) I'll probably go down at first and then back up to where I am now. My goal is for me to be at this weight, but with muscle, not fat. If that makes any sense. Pretty much my goal is to be healthy. I like that goal. :)

I ran for 15 minutes straight this morning. I felt good about it. :) I'm looking forward to doing some 5ks this year and in 2010. Its the perfect length for me to be goal-oriented about, have fun, and still get in with plenty of time to cheer for Oscar in the half or full marathon......

I sat outside for over an hour with the kitties this morning. It was wonderful!! I read my Bible and they ate grass, chased bugs and looked around taking in the aromas of the outside world. Our neighborhood feral cat came out to watch. I kept an eye on my kitties to make sure they would be nice. He just watched for a few minutes then walked away. I ran into the house to get his food for him and placed it away from our kitties. He ate it all. He/she is very afraid of humans, but our complex as a whole is adopting him. Oscar and I are not the only ones who feeds him. I know of at least 3 of us. But he is still skin and bones. Beautiful kitty though and getting less and less afraid of us. I LOVE it!! Just hope he doesn't give my babies any diseases.........

Can't wait to get rid of the TV. We haven't figured out exactly how yet. It has sentimental value for Oscar. Oscar has had it since high school, and knows how to use all the settings. He told me to sell it on Craigslist. But, I dw much moneyon't know ho we would get for it $20, $40, it's so outdated. I should just do it. That is after I get my new digital camera...........


Anyways, the next step after losing the TV, is minimizing online time. Goal = checking only two times a day, writing my ehow article and DONE!! That is the goal. Writing on my blogger, is of course ok as well.

Off I go to attempt to finish my ehow article and wow my supervisors at my job.

Have a beautiful day!!! Filled with appreciation, love, and praise.

Me and My Mom

I love my mom so much!! We've had a rocky past, but she has always, always been there for me. For big things and little things. I talk with her almost every day, sometimes more than once (sometimes even more than twice.) She is my #1 choice of person to talk to on the phone. She can comfort me like very few can. She is an extremely kind and loving person and I don't think her family gives her credit for that (especially my sister).

I found something today that just warmed my heart. It was my mom's SparkPeople profile page. So, Sparkpeople is an online community of people trying to lose weight. It is an excellent resource and works as a support group. Once in a while I check my mom's page (because she has recently become very active on it). What I found was just beautiful!! I am so proud of my mom and so happy for my mom!! Here are some posts from what people said on her homepage. (pretty much exactly like a Facebook profile page).

"Thanks for checking up on me. I'm really trying but it's just so hard when you fall back into some of those bad habits. Stop by and give me a swift kick anytime you feel like it. I can take it. Not only that...I need it." - 9/4

"the team wouldn't be the same without you!" - 9/2

"The quality of my life is so much better now that I have learned to be positive...I love reading your posts. It brings a smile ot my face every day." - 9/2

"its people like you who make the days of people like me" - 9/2

It is nice to know that she is touching peoples lives and truly being appreciated!! She deserves that appreciation.

Here is a picture of my mom from her early/mid 30's.


Ok, I just keep posting on here. But, here are some quotes from my mom's blog (yes, on SparkPeople). I love it. It gives me insights into her as a person, not just a mom.

"I had a picture of my life and it most likely was unrealistic but I fell short. Some things can't be undone. I have owned up to all I can think of. I have asked forgiveness of all I can think of. I just don't think I have forgiven myself. I just can't seem to live up to my own expectations of myself. That is a shame."

"Will I ever get to be somewhat "buff" before I die. Even a 90 year old buff lady."

"Never give up or become a victim. You are guaranteed to lose if you give up. Winston Churchill was right, "Never, never give up." It works if you work it."

"It may take some of us longer to reach our destination, but that is not failure. Failure is falling off the wagon and never having the courage to get back on now matter how many times we fall off."

Have you ever........

squeezed someone so tight that you feel the strength draining from your arms?

Have you ever had a parent ask you to adopt their child?

Have you ever considered it?

Have you ever spent 50 minutes using breathing techniques to calm down a very mad/sad 17 year old?

Have you ever heard someone speak their first words?

Have you ever directly taught someone to say their first words?

Have you ever tried to teach someone the difference between my and your, and when they didn't get it continue to try to teach them for 3-4 months?

Have you ever seen a child go from no future to promising future because of your work?

Have you ever been tempted to treat your husband like a four year old - just because it is so much fun to talk that way?

Have you ever started singing, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" in the shower?

I have. Above and More!!!

I love my job. It is a difficult job, and one which makes me want to go to work and stay home at the same time. Sometimes I feel like I don't make difference, other days I do. Today, I DO!

"Money, Money, Money

must be funny, in a rich man's world." (sing to Mamma Mia tune, soundtrack below.)



So, I liked our talk yesterday, Cheski. I think, we can feel so trapped by money which is so the opposite of what we want to be. It got me thinking. Which is always good. And to some extent, the lyrics above hit on some truth that we feel sometimes.

Just for perspective, I thought it was a REALLY REALLY REALLY good time to share a family announcement!!!

Oscar and I are officially sponsoring a child through Compassion International.

We had them pick a child who had been waiting the longest and who really needed a sponsor. We got Bryan Jesalen Campoverde Lema.




















I have no idea why he was waiting long for a sponsor because he is ABSOLUTELY adorable. Unlike World Vision, Compassion International gives directly to the kiddo, not the community he/she lives in.

Anyways, to him............we are rich men!!! Just because of our currency and where we were born.

More perspective.............. The Zambia Project

We can feed one orphan in Zambia two meals a day for an ENTIRE year for 38 US dollars. WOW!!! We are definitely in a rich man's world. We are sooooooooooo rich. And we lament not having clothes, cute apartment, whatever your specific want/need is and we can feed an orphan for entire YEAR with only $38.

I feel so blessed not only for all the comforts that we have, but because our currency is so high that we can help others. Yes, I feel like I have a much better perspective now.

Matthew 6:24 - No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

I think the closer we get to God, the more free we will find ourselves from financial stresses.

Keep Bryan Jesalen in your prayers!!!!

*MWAH*

Attractive DIY Kitty Condos

Does it compare to the beautiful kitty condo we bought? Nooooooooooot really? Will it look beautiful in our home and be less bulky. possibly. Could it truly be functional as well. Maybe.

Here are the ideas I have found for Kitty friendly DIY furniture/kitty condos.

ahhhh.........................

Seriously? Seriously.

The Dutchtub is about fun and physics, so it heats up a good time in a most unexpected way. Cold water, or even snow, goes into the tub and gets sucked through tubing heated by a wood fire. The hot water flows back into the tub and voila, you've got a party. It takes about two hours for all the water to be cycled through, but you can use that time to shell shrimp. The Dutchtub is designed for cooking over the fire while relaxing in the warm tub. And it's designed for maximum portability. Empty, it's light enough to be moved from place to place for an outdoor party anywhere. With a young, outdoorsy, party image and a hip and vibrant color palette, the Dutchtub is every bit the wish-list toy for weekend warrior urbanites. But even though this tub is sans fancy water jets or even electricity, its price tag is full force. Expect to pay about $5,700 plus delivery.