The elf game

I read something in a magazine today about "elfing" someone. It sounds like a wonderful way to spread holiday cheer, and something fun to share with your family.

Apparently there are several ways to play this little game. One family I read about "elfed" their target every night for the 12 days before Christmas. Another, had been elfed with a bag full of treats left at their door. This was the poem they found with their bag:
The air is cold, the time is here,
Time that is to spread some cheer.

This bag of treats is yours to keep,
Holiday spirit on the cheap.

To give is better than to receive,
I hope this helps you to Believe,

An “elf” brought this to you and yours,
Now it’s your turn to darken doors.

First, hang the Christmas clings for us to view,
That way we know “who got you”

Next, the task is fairly simple, see,
Just deliver some goodies secretly,

Include some clings and trinkets of your own
To a friend or stranger’s home.

Don’t forget this instruction sheet,
So the others know to treat,

I hope you have a Merry Christmas
And a very Happy New Year.

would love to hear more elf poems and ideas. I think it would be a fun way to share the holidays with friends.

a surprise

In the past few weeks we have had a stray cat hanging around our yard. It's a pretty kitty- black and white with long hair. Very pretty.

But this cat is not friendly. Maybe because we weren't friendly to it. I don't know which came first. But this black and white kitty growls at us from inside our bushes, and it chases Bill and Bambi away from their food.

We have seen what Bill and Bambi can do to other woodland creatures they have harvested, and I can't believe that they are scared of this other cat.

Handsome and I have shown our children a side of their parents that they have never seen. I have chased this cat with a dish towel. (more therapeutic than you might think)
Ken has thrown things at it with vigor that is normally reserved for killing spiders or bugs in the house. Neither of us have been successful at running this cat off.

So now we are up to last night. Little Bear found a tiny black kitten inside our playhouse. Can you imagine the excitement of a little girl finding a teeny tiny kitten in our playhouse? She was elated. She picked it up put it outside where the mommy black and white cat was waiting.

We have been somewhat responsible kitty parents. We had Bill and Bambi fixed last year. With that, Bill told me that this black and white kitty was named Billie Jean.

Handsome and I went outside to see how many others there might be. So far we think there is only the one, however unlikely that seems. The little kitty did have its eyes open and was walking, but it was so tiny, it was hard to for it to climb over clumps of grass.

I picked it up, and it immediately stopped crying. It's solid black, with a little white on its face, and has white feet. Pretty cute.

Then we saw the momma kitty under the playhouse growling at us still, so we put it back.

Ugh. Now what?

This morning when I asked Little Bear to feed the cats, I told her to put some more food for Billie Jean in another dish far away from the others. I heard myself saying "We need to feed the black cat now because she has a baby."

She came in bouncing around, so excited about the new little friend that has come into our lives. "Mommy, are you trying not to like the little kitty?"

"Yes. I am."

"Well, I'm not trying not to like it. It's cuuute!"

Enter lesson from the Holy Spirit. One that I need to learn, but my daughter has already mastered: Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27

And it means feeding stray cats who have kittens in your yard.

Tweeting

I have had grand notions of blogging and sharing with all three of you who read my blog, the randomness that enters my head. However, given that I received such a fine education on the Plains, I tend to get a little wordy. (But not too wordy. Omit needless words. These are the leeches that infect the pond of prose.) Yes, I failed JM 101 the first time, and I took it again, and thus memorized half of The Elements of Style

There I go, off on a tangent. Told you I failed it once, and have since had two children. I am happy to get dressed in the mornings.

Anywho- Long, lengthy witty fun blog posts ain't happnin, yet I still have these thoughts that I want to share. Maybe only a sentence or two- Maybe in 140 characters or less...

Therefore, until my boy is potty-trained, I will tweet. But under a pseudonym. Told you I was a journalism major. I had a poster of Mark Twain in my room in school with some of his greatest quotes.

I have determined that the pseudonym on twitter is necessary, because I have friends on Facebook that I don't really know. These are maybe Handsome's co-workers, or moms I have met in carpool, or church members who look to criticize my husband's work on staff and therefore judge him by his wife's quirky status updates.

Anyway, I will share my new Twitter name with only you who know me, or folks that don't know me- Not those that don't really know me.

My boy

My boy should be potty-trained by now. He's almost 3. However, he ain't havin' it.

We've put bad guys (broken crackers) in the potty, and told him to "shoot" the bad guys. That didn't go well. Lots of TT and toddler spit all over the potty as he used his hands for guns instead of my weapon of choice.

This morning, I was changing his diaper. It was a dirty one and I had just gotten him all cleaned up, and I notice that he's looking at me with the sweetest look I have ever seen. It was like he was in love, and I was the most beautiful thing in the world to him. He was staring at me, for several seconds.

I smiled, and touched his sweet cornsilk hair, and said something sweet to him in my most loving, gentle, mom-of-the-year voice. He grinned a little grin, and I noticed that that little stinker was peeing all over himself. No diaper, just open air. All over the changing table, and his shirt. So much for that mommy love I thought he was feeling.

Summer breeze...

It's hot as blue blazes. I can't stand it.

I really don't care what I wear right now, as long as it's somewhat cool and I don't embarrass my husband. I pulled out a pair of capris for today, and got all nostalgic. Right after Abbie was born and my official maternity leave was ending, Handsome took me shopping for new "work" clothes that I would need as a stay-at-home mom.

One of my favorite pieces were some army green capri drawstring scrub pants. (Could I BE more frumpy?) I remember thinking just this morning, "Wow, I've had these for a long time, there seems to be a tiny little tear in the back there, it should be fine for just one little errand."


Flash forward a few hours and a couple of squats later, and it's 10th grade homeroom all over again.

I had a bottom locker back then, and I might have gone through a sassy phase where I bought some zebra-print underwear, one of which could have been red. That morning, I walked from one end of the hall to the other, through the senior hall and lots of first bell traffic. When I sat down in homeroom, something didn't feel right, and I cleverly backed out of Mr. Kidd's room down to the Home Ec department where I borrowed a needle and thread.

Same feeling came over me today when I hopped back in my swagger wagon. There was a little more leather touching my hiney than should have been. Upon further research, I deduced that a major wardrobe malfunction had occurred.

This time the only seniors that saw me were a few grandmas in the little store I was in. Oh well. Who cares? I can laugh at myself a whole lot easier than I could back then. And if I can make you laugh too, my job is done here. Now going to look for new uniforms.

Candyland After Dark

The audience is quiet. There's a new player to the game this time, and folks, he's a wild card. His name is Boodreaux. He's a rule breaker for sure. We will have to watch him.

Our junior player tonight has a bit more experience, and is showing tremendous promise for the future. My friend, I think will hear a lot more from Little Bear here at Candyland After Dark.

Then we have Mama Bear. Mama Bear has moved down to Candyland competitions now. We saw a darker side of her personality when she ventured into the Risk circuit, but we are proud to have her here at Candyland After Dark. Colors, candy and gingerbread men. Yes, Mama Bear is going to be a regular at CAD for years to come.

Our competition is now under way.

Our rules state that the youngest player begins each game. That means Boodreaux. Boodreaux is at a disadvantage, as he thinks every color is green, but it appears that a few turns at Candyland, he definitely knows orange now.

The Little Bear's first turn is only a single color. She doesn't move very far in her first turn.

Mama Bear takes her first turn, the moves on to help Boodreaux. He's doing great folks. He seems to be recognizing yellow now.

After several turns for each player the game had been progressing nicely. Little Bear was way ahead of the pack, when she drew a Princess Frostine card. Friends, this is the first character card we've seen tonight. Little Bear is really showing her inexperience now. She seems to be extremely excited about this princess card, until Mama Bear shows her how far back she must go on the Candyland trail to find Princess Frostine's candy cane. Folks, we have a star player here. She's not disappointed at all, she's just so excited to have that princess card.

The family has been able to avoid Lord Licorice tonight. We haven't seen anything from him so far. However, Little Bear did pass through Gramma Nutt's woods during several turns. She held her breath and is not showing any allergic reactions right now.

Friends, it's just not Little Bear's night for Candyland. Mr. Mint has pulled her back for an ice cream, and she had some setbacks with a blue gumdrop.

Boodreaux is not a contender, as he has been allowed to play by newcomer rules. It looks like Mama Bear will be the first one to make it to King Kandy and his yard full of skittles.

Tune in again soon folks for another episode of Candyland After Dark.

Abbie's plan

I am dictating for Abbie:

Mommy- I have a plan for if we get tied up. One person who has the longest legs has to sneak into the kitchen and open the drawer that has all the knifez in it and cut the rope. If Ethan is with us, he can fight. Drew can't. Just Daddy and Ethan. Me an Drew- somebody has to wiggle over to us and cut off our ropes. We need to practice that. After the bad guys are dead, well, if they are not really dead, they are just feeling bad or are asleep, we will just call the police and make them apologize.

Goose and Grace

So Handsome came home this evening with a haircut. I swear the voices in my head started singing the doxology. It would suit me if he would get his hair cut every two weeks, but he doesn't see the need for it. Well, it had been way past two weeks since his last haircut, and I was contemplating making bows to match his clothes.

So back to the haircut. I think really short is cute. This one is a little shorter than normal, but it looks nice. Bless his heart, he's starting to be a little self-conscious of his receding hairline. He cannot comprehend that he married a woman who thinks bald is cute; someone who has mourned Goose and Dr. Greene equally and often. Handsome is not even bald, just receding. He's cute to me no matter what.

It all reminds of me Christ's love for me, and how I find it hard to accept sometimes. He loves me no matter what, yet I still feel unworthy. I suppose if I am worthy to die for, I am worthy to love. It's still hard to imagine. I'm going to work on that.

Lost

So I started watching Lost. Tonight. I thought it would be fun to try to follow along. Here's what I have gathered so far:

• Hagrid has decided to stay on the island with Jack. Maybe they will open a restaurant.

• The Hobbit grew up, became a rock star and hooked up with a blonde girl.

• Desmond has run off to be in the next Indiana Jones movie.

• The lesbian doctor who used to be with Kerry on ER is now bouncing between Big brother and Long-haired-cop guy.

• Hagrid must have brought a lifetime supply of hair products with him on his trip. How in the world did he get that past homeland security?

• I think they are going to find Gandalf.

• I think I might be a bit leery of another plane ride.

• Did that pilot say his name was Sully?

• I hope they all get home in time to see the finale of DWTS.

• It's Dr. Xavier. They are going to start a school for mutants.

• Apparently some folks on the island have been sneaking off to shave.

• I see dead people.

• Those cane poles are a booger to kill. My grandmother had tons of them in her backyard once.

• Hagrid's girlfriend used to be a crazy person on the Guiding Light.

• With as many followers as this show has, I think many of them could remain confused on how to avoid being "Lost." I wouldn't expect a secular show like this to share the gospel, though they did skim over some metaphors like living water and light. All that to say that I am thankful that I don't fear death, as many on the show did. What comfort comes in knowing the Love that is waiting for me on the other side, when it's my time.

chicken salad

I made chicken salad today, and it turned out great if I do say so myself. Here's the recipe:
3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (see earlier post about chopping zee chicken. Come over, bring your chicken, we will talk and chop)
2 boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup of sweet salad cubes (I start with half a cup, but I always add more plus some extra juice to taste)
1 apple (chopped, again you need me or stock in Kitchen Aid to make this.)
1/2 chopped pecans
couple dashes of salt and pepper
mayo to taste, I like less mayo, you might like more. I would have added grapes too, but they weren't at my "buy" price this week.
stir it up and chill
Yum.

myspace

I have this picture of me that gives me great joy. We'll talk more about it later. It's from a couple of computers ago, so the only place I could remember to find it was on my myspace page.

I wasn't as cool on myspace as I am on facebook. (You can stop laughing now.) On myspace, I had 11 friends. I think 7 of them were my first cousins.

I haven't used myspace in a couple of years. As a matter of fact, I think the last time I did anything with it was when I was pregnant with Handsome Jr. three years ago.

I had gotten an email from Classmates.com saying I had a message from someone trying to contact me. Turns out the cowboy I dated in college was trying to get in touch with me to apologize for turning our little romance into content for a country song.

He denied it, but I still think he was at the "making amends" part of a 12-step program. Probably a new one just for cowboys who are fresh out of their Wranglers and Ropers having given mommas all over the world even more reasons not to let your babies grow up to be cowboys.

So when I accepted his apology, I spiffed up my myspace page with the very best pictures I could find of me, Handsome and Little Bear. Then, told him about my page. Is that healthy? I think maybe it's not, but I was pregnant then. And the whole thing played out like a soap script. Who really gets contacted by old flames who want to apologize? Nobody I know unless they live in Genoa City or Salem.

That little anecdote gets me back to what started this whole thought. Here's the picture:


See, tonight on the way home from my parents' house, the children and I watched a couple episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard. I climbed in the back of our swagger wagon and watched it with them. It was pure joy. I can't wait to tell you more about it.

Yee-Ha!

Saturday night

Squeals from the bathroom,
Tag-team power-wash, soap in the eyes, water on the floor,
Clean pajamas, Tinkerbell and Buzz,
Get the tangles out, brush teeth,
Snuggle with Mommy, mini-mani before bed, clear with gold sparkles,
Tricks with Daddy, hope they don't twist their arms too bad,
Last-chance snuggles with Mommy,
Pull a blanket over our heads, call it a house,
Review the day, what was the best part?
Time's up, it's time for bed,
Duboo Mommy, off with Daddy for an evening serenade,
Good night Mommy,
Daddy's shoulder makes her drowsy instantly,
Prayers at her beside, beneath a princess canopy.

a quarter teaspoon

You and I might bump into each other today. And you might say, wow Em, your hair looks great. And (sniff sniff) is that a new perfume?

Well, it's not that I've happened on the latest styling product or a nice new fragrance for spring. It's sudafed. See, Handsome Jr. has the snots, and he hates taking medicine. Even the pleasant-tasting and aromatic sudafed. We've switched back to the baby syringe to give him medicine. Handsome Sr. gave him some cough medicine in his sleep last night, and he took it fine. Not so this morning. He fussed, but I had gotten all but the last quarter teaspoon in him, and I was feeling gutsy. Decided to power-squirt the last bit in his mouth when he opened it to protest.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. I clearly saw the palette of his tongue. Then, like something out of a 3D movie, I saw the purple fluid flying back at me, into my hair and all over the pillows in my bed. Can't believe how much that little quarter teaspoon splatted everywhere.

I know you are thinking, "Why doesn't she just wash her hair?" No way. Not today. I washed it yesterday. So today I'm due my alternating good hair day. (That's how my hair rolls. Wash it one day, it's cute the next. Lather and repeat.)

I slept better last night knowing that I was going to have a good hair day today. I woke up joyful as I greeted the morning today, knowing that I would have to shave my legs, but as for the hair, I was set. No problems today. It's your good hair day. Oh well. Guess I will settle for the next best thing. A grape hair day.

Sharing the magic...

Okay, so I've told you about how much I love my food processor. It chops, purees and blends in the blink of an eye, literally. I feel so strongly about the powers of my food processor, that I've pondered hosting demos, just to show my friends how cool it is.

But, doing it this way, I don't have to put makeup on.

Now I can use this chicken in a casserole, chicken salad, or freeze it for later. How easy is that?

Thank you, Ray Don!

"Yes, you can give him a message. You do take shorthand, don't you? Good, we take it in the South too. Anyway, just tell him that I have been a Southerner all my life, and I can vouch for the fact the we do eat a lot of things down here... and we've certainly all had our share of grits and biscuits and gravy, and I myself have probably eaten enough fried chicken to feed a third world country - not to mention barbecue, cornbread, watermelon, fried pies, okra, and... yes... if I were being perfectly candid, I would have to admit we have also eaten our share of crow, and for all I know - during the darkest, leanest years of the Civil War, some of us may have had a Yankee or two for breakfast. But... speaking for myself and hundreds of thousands of my Southern ancestors who have evolved through many decades of poverty, strife, and turmoil, I would like for Mr. Weaks to know that we have surely eaten many things in the past, and we will surely eat many things in the future, but - God as my witness - we have never, I repeat, never eaten dirt!"


Dixie Carter has passed, but Julia Sugarbaker will live forever.

The pattern is full

So letting the kids watch Top Gun in order to encourage my own love of planes into them was a negative. Too many bogeys. So, we watched it on mute for a while. They liked that okay, but it's not the same.

My boy is all about airplanes lately. The Air Force Thunderbirds were at Maxwell AFB a couple of weeks ago, and since then, we've been flying our hands, shampoo bottles and a few hot wheels all the time. Each one propelled by toddler spit.




So, when I went to Wal-Mart today, I strolled through the clearance aisle. I found some little plastic jets for $.50, and the kids loved them, and the spit flying began again. FWWWHYY Mommy!!

Best two quarters I have spent in a while.

And- special note: My Top Gun DVD has an option to watch the movie in French. All the action and music, but no...French.

Gotta run, time to buzz zee tou-wer.

Thanks to Billy Pope for your pics of the air show- I swiped them off Facebook.

Greatest Hits

We have a potty closet, and Abbie likes to sing while she's in there. Her latest hit, "Stand By Me," which she learned from the latest muppet video on you tube.

loaded mashed potato casserole

I am going to take this to my next family get together, and my mom had better duck. This one is "slap yo' momma good."



* 1 Bag Ore Ida Steam n' Mash Cut Red Potatoes (I got the garlic ones)
* COOKING SPRAY
* 2/3 Cup(s) EVAPORATED MILK canned
* 2 Tablespoon(s) BUTTER
* 4 Ounce(s) CREAM CHEESE softened
* 1/2 Cup(s) SOUR CREAM
* 2 Teaspoon(s) CHIVES dried
* 3/4 Teaspoon(s) SALT
* 1/2 Teaspoon(s) PEPPER
* 1 Cup(s) CHEDDAR CHEESE shredded
* 1/4 Cup(s) BACON real crumbles

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray 9- x 9-inch baking pan with canola spray.

Microwave Steam n' Mash Cut Red Potatoes according to package directions. In medium bowl, mash cooked potatoes, milk, and butter. Stir in remaining ingredients, except shredded cheese and bacon, until well combined. Spread mixture in bottom baking pan; top with cheddar cheese and bacon crumbles.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve hot.

How many lost people know you?

Jesus. Salvation. Heaven. Love.

2 Peter 3:9 says "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

That phrase, "not wishing that any should perish" is all over me. My husband and I have been reminded of that phrase painfully over the years. It doesn't say, "not wishing that anyone Emily likes should perish," it says "any." That covers everybody. Even that person who grates on me worse than any in the world.

So the human side of me loses a battle. Again. Again as I try to let Christ grow in me, and fill me up from top to bottom, I have to recognize that He doesn't want anyone to perish. He doesn't want anyone to not be in genuine real fellowship with Him.

Ken told me once that God has lessons for us. Ways that He wants to teach us. If we fail to learn the lesson, He'll just give it to us again. And again. And again. (For me, it gets less fun the more times He has to teach it.)

My lessons are often people. Sometimes, it's people who chap my hide. And guess what? if I fail that lesson, I get another one who chaps my hide even worse.

There was this one. There was a person with which Ken and I shared something precious. Imagine that this something precious was a cup. This cup was the only thing that could hold the Living Water. We shared this cup with someone else. We could have it. So what if we did? What if we took the cup away from a lost person?

We, who live by the Fountain, could take the precious cup from a lost person, leaving them without anything that would offer them Living Water.

We had to put our own wants away, and remember that God doesn't want anyone to perish. That every detail between now and then didn't matter. He doesn't want anyone to perish; to be without Him, and we are to be about showing Him to others.

So now, I will drop the metaphors, and shoot straight. What if you are the only Christian in someone's life? What if you are the only person who reflects Christ to them? How are you showing them Christ's unfailing, ever-present, died-on-the-cross-for-you love?

What if you left, and took the Light with you?

What the hell?

Pardon my strong language. I don't normally talk that way. At least not any more. I mean, not out loud. Not where anyone could hear me.

That's one of the many things that they Holy Spirit is cleaning up in me since I have committed to follow Christ, and accept the gift of His grace for my sorry self.

I do still appreciate a well-placed expletive in a movie. Not the gratuitous kind that are just vulgar, but take sweet little red-headed Ron Weasley. Bloody hell. Cracks me up every time.

So in the last few weeks, I have visited many doctor's offices. I've explained to each of them my symptoms, and they all agree; I'm depressed.

What the hell?

I shouldn't be depressed. I have a wonderful husband. Precious healthy children. I am fortunate to be able to stay at home with them, and be a part of every bit of their little lives. I have lovely friends. People who are beautiful on the inside and out. Why the hell am I depressed?

Hell that's why. Hell came into a perfect world and stained it forever. It came into a place where love and peace abound, and poked holes in it.

So after seeing all the doctors Blue Cross would let me, I have come to realize that none of them can help me the way the true Physician can. Hell is my problem, and only Heaven can help me. With that, I am renewing my commitment to my quiet time with Him. I have to begin my day fresh with His Word on me, so I can fight off the Hell that will come during the day.

Being human in a fallen world, there are parts of me that are really broken, and I do take medicine for it. This medicine helps restore my being to it's original state, as I was created by my Creator.

With that, I am improving every day. It's still hard, and the memories of my "blue days" are still quite fresh, and who's to say there won't be another one, but for today, I am happy.

Taco Melts

I found this recipe through a newsletter I get from Pillsbury. It sounds great.

A tender, flaky biscuit wraps around your favorite taco fillings in an easy, flavor-packed hot sandwich.
Prep Time: 40 Min
Total Time: 40 Min
Makes: 8 sandwiches
INGREDIENTS:
1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix
2/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef, cooked, drained
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated biscuits (any variety)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican cheese blend (4 oz)
1 cup sour cream, if desired
Grands!® Taco Melts
User Rating: full starfull starfull starfull starhalf star
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. In medium saucepan, cook taco seasoning mix, water, 1/2 cup of the salsa and cooked ground beef until thickened.
3. Press each biscuit into 6-inch round. Fill each with taco mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese. Fold dough over filling and press to seal. Place on greased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 9 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with remaining salsa, cheese and sour cream.
NUTRITION INFORMATION:
1 Sandwich: Calories 370 (Calories from Fat 180); Total Fat 20g (Saturated Fat 8g, Trans Fat 3 1/2g); Cholesterol 50mg; Sodium 1470mg; Total Carbohydrate 32g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 6g); Protein 17g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 8%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 15%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 2 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Medium-Fat Meat; 2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Doughboy Tip:
If you're watching fat grams, use reduced-fat sour cream or reduced-fat or fat-free plain yogurt instead of regular sour cream. To complete the menu, add a crisp green salad of romaine lettuce topped with fresh orange slices drizzled with your favorite reduced-fat dressing.

Mere Christianity

I won't say that I'm hooked on Facebook, but I use it a lot. It's neat keeping up with people; old and new friends, both far and near.

So recently I "friended" a former co-worker I hadn't talked to in 10 or more years. He's a He and back then he was cute. Okay, so I did have a little crush at some point. But, as we got to know each other better, the little crush fizzled. We did get to be good friends though. We can talk more later about my theory on men and women being friends.

Back to the fizzling crush. He wore black t-shirts. As much as I tried to rebel against everything I thought about black-t-shirt people, it just wouldn't stick. Did you have black-t-shirt people in your high school? They wore band t-shirts. Please don't assume that I don't love the hairbands. Oh, I do. And AC/DC rocks. But the clientele who chose to purchase and then wear band t-shirts in the 80's and 90's gave me the heebs. So anyway, thinking that I could have been wrong in my assessment of black-t-shirt people, I got to be friends with one at my first job out of college.

The guy was intelligent, funny and woefully lost. At that point in my life, I was growing in my faith, but I was not at a maturity level to be able to share much about it, and certainly not able to defend it well to a person who had spent much longer deliberately trying to disavow God.

I told him I was a Christian, but at that point in my life, I didn't know how to defend my faith well. I'm sure to him my being a Christian was akin to others being Alabama or Auburn fans.

So now fast-forward 10 years or so. Found him on facebook, as he is also friends with some other former co-workers of mine that I keep in better touch with. He still seems to be as lost as ever. Have I grown enough to be able to bear a stronger witness to him?

Gulp.

––> Talk to husband.
That's part of my theory on men and women being friends. Personally, I won't let myself have a male friend that I wouldn't want Ken to be friends with too. I do think Ken and this guy could carry on a decent conversation, though they would never cross paths in the real world. We talked for a few minutes, and I bumbled through my thoughts on this. He got sleepy and went to bed.

–––> (By the way, those little arrows are my notations for what I believe to be direct quotes from the Holy Spirit.)

––> You should suggest a book for the black-t-shirt friend to read.
––> Mere Christianity. That would be good.
––> Hello um, Em. You've never read Mere Christianity. And you made Ken clear out the bookcases in the corner of your bedroom to make room for your craft supplies, so the copy that he has is at the office.

Ken has some huge bookcases in his office that were stinking empty! Meanwhile, he's hogging a bunch of room here at home with a bunch of books that he's already read.

––> You still haven't read that book, and you can't really suggest it to someone if you haven't read it yourself. I'll show you where you can find the book online and read it there.

So He did. I read the first chapter of Mere Christianity tonight online. Here's a quote that I liked. Will share more later. thanks for listening.

If we do not believe in decent behaviour, why should we be so anxious to make excuses for not having behaved decently? The truth is, we believe in decency so much--we feel the Rule or Law pressing on us so--that we cannot bear to face the fact that we are breaking it, and consequently we try to shift the responsibility.

Drew speak

Abbbbbeeeeeeeeee! Yook.- Dearest older sister, might I call you attention to something in this general direction.

Backeyes- Those who have chosen the dark side.

Duboo- I love you

Goopy- Mickey Mouse's mystery friend.

Fuzzy- beloved blue blanket, required for all sleep and many boo-boos.

Rabby- beloved giraffe blanket

Chocky- The kind of milk he likes.

T-too- Thank you.

Issue, Mommy- Bless you Mommy.

Mommy, issue!- Help there's snot all over me.

Ty-wee- He's my buddy. His mommy calls him Tyler.

Dabis- Ty-wee's brother.

what's for dinner?

I found this website years ago, and I love it. www.kraftfoods.com. It's a great site for quick dinners, snacks and party ideas.