GratiTuesday - *UPDATED*

It's Tuesday so you know it must be time for GratiTuesday where I give a little shout out to the Lord for something which I am wicked grateful.

Today I'm going to post about my "mama".

Mama and I haven't always been close. We had the ups and downs that normal girls and their moms have.

When I was a teenager I moved out and decided I could do it on my own.

I can, but I don't wanna.

I'm grown now and I still like to "need" my mama.

Actually, she raised me to do it all on my own. I'm a smart girl and I know I can do it.

But I love my mama and I want her around.

I like her to visit. She's smart. And funny.

And when I'm hurt or sick. I still call her.

When I'm sad. I want my mom.

When I'm alone or confused. I call my mom.

I'm grateful God made moms and I'm especially grateful He made mine.

Now call your mama and tell her you love her.

Do it.

And if you don't have a mama. Call mine. She'll love to hear from you.

You know why?

Cause she's a mama, silly.

I love you mama. You're my best friend.

Honestly?

Okay, I need your honest opinion.

And if you're a trolling around and have arrived at this blog, I want your opinion too.

Dink.  Come on.  

Mom.  Log in and leave a comment.  Please.  

Cassandra, I know you're going to leave a comment.

Okay.  So when you make all your cards by hand you have to think ahead a little and you have to start making them months ahead.  

Right, Janelle?

So last year I made all 50 cards the exact same but by the time I was done, I hated the card.

Hated it.  I was so sick of Sage Shadow and Chocolate Chip I couldn't stand it!

So this year I'm thinking I'll make a few different cards and I tried a few out yesterday.

This is my first "try".

Do you like this one?

Be honest.

Oh, and if you decide you like it try to pretend you didn't see it...cause you might get it for Christmas!

Funny Friday

You won't think this is funny unless you regularly watch Mythbusters on Discovery Network.

I bet you already knew that.

Cards and A Sad Story

Here are a couple cards I made over the weekend.

E L MO

A card of loves.

Monday I went to the eye doctor for a routine eye exam and guess who needs readers? 

Yep.    That's right.  Me.

I'm 31 and I need readers. 

How stylish. 

Maybe I could get a fashionable chain to wear around my neck so that I don't lose them or sit on them.

What do you think?

It's a sad day when I don't want to shop, isn't it?

Works For Me Wednesday

It's Works For Me Wednesday over at Shannon's again and for the love of Pete I'm going to share one of my shopping secrets with you people. Do you promise not to tell?

Mypoints.com

That's right. I click thru.

We all know I have a little shopping addiction and I like to get my money's worth. Therefore, everytime I shop online I first visit this website and locate my store. Then I earn points for every dollar I spend. Later I can switch those points for real money.

I know, it seems to good to be true. Right?

So I'm shopping :)

AND

I'm earning points :)

It's a win-win situation.

Maybe next time I'll tell you how I NEVER pay full price.

GratiTuesday

It's GratiTuesday so you know it must be time for me to give a little shout out to the Lord for something in my life for which I am wicked grateful.

I am grateful that God trusts me to care for such medically fragile pets.

At first, when Rajah became paralyzed and the bills started to mount into the tens of thousands I said to the Lord, "Why me?"  I didn't understand why God was punishing me.  I was angry with God.

Then, when Divita was diagnosed with Addison's Disease (among other things) and I faced years of very expensive medical treatments all over again I asked God again, "Why are you punishing me?"

It was only a few months ago that I realized this isn't punishment at all.  This is a gift.  God knows that I can be trusted to care for Rajah, Divita and now Bruiser like no one else can.  He knows that my love for animals far exceeds what most humans can comprehend and I know He plans for these animals to wind up in my care.  

For that I am so grateful.  Not to mention the love I receive in return makes my heart sing.

Amen.

A Book Review - Kinda

Since I had a little extra time over the weekend, I thought I'd share some thoughts with you about The Shack by William Young.

A very sweet friend dropped The Shack on my front porch.  The note inside said, "You've got to read this.  Call me when you're done!"

I could almost feel the intensity of her words.  I'd never heard of the book and right from the start, I knew it wasn't my normal kind of read.  

At all.

But I love my good friend and I was intrigued.

And so I read it.  Every single page in only 2 days.

Here's the synopsis from the back of the book:

Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness.  Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, ostensibly from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.  Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare.  What he finds there will change Mack's world forever and quite possibly your own.

In a world where religion seems to grown increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?"  The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him.  You'll want everyone you know to read this book!

After I read the very last page and closed the book, I called my friend and we talked about this unusual book.  And since we had some questions, we Googled it.

Well.  That is when I discovered that The Shack is a pretty controversial book.  Some churches are teaching it in Sunday School while others are calling it blatant heresy.

Now, let me just say, I'm not taking sides.  I'm not going to give my theological opinion on this work of fiction.  

I'm just not that smart or dedicated.

Here is my two cents:  I picked up the book and I read it.  I'm glad I read it before I was aware of all the controversy surrounding it.

First of all, this is a book of fiction.  I think if people are looking at it as a Biblical guide, they will find fault.  

Secondly, the first 5 chapters are VERY hard to read.  Prepare yourself.  It won't be easy.  

I understand the mystery surrounding it, but it made me really think about what I believe about God.  And I'm glad I read it.

The bottom line for me is while I didn't agree with every word in The Shack, it did challenge my faith and stir my heart to know God deeper.

And in my book, that's a good thing.

Funny Friday

My husband says there are three types of people in this world.

1) Those that can count; and

2) Those that can't.

He's not funny, but this is:

Stampin Out Loud

Tuesday was my friend Laura's birthday. When I asked her what she wanted to do for her special day she asked me to take the day off of work and spend the day with her (in my jammies) and having a Stamping Extravaganza!

So that's exactly what I did.

These are the cards I made in between impromptu baking and snacking!

A card for Carl's upcoming Master's Graduation. A card because I liked the paper.
A card for Grandma's 80th birthday (cause I love her cookin!)
A card for DMIL's birthday. Agh.
A card for my friend Nikki who just found out she's pregnant!!!

Works For Me Wednesday

It's Works For Me Wednesday over at Shannon's again. Since I still have a cold this may not be anything that the rest of the world isn't already doing, but it works for us.

Menu Planning.

Not only does this practice save time, we have been able to cut our grocery budget in half. Apparently the aimless wandering around the market and the last minute meal planning was costing us much more than we realized.

Simply, every Saturday morning Hungry Husband and I sit down and talk about what we'd like to eat every night for the following week. Then we plan out the list and head to the market.

It helps us save on unnecessary mid week trips where we grab "just a few snack items" that inevitably go bad before we eat them.

Not a fancy plan, nor a great invention, but it definitely works for us.

GratiTuesday

It's time for a little shout out to the Lord, so you know it must be GratiTuesday, where I can be vocally thankful for something in my life.

I was all primed and ready to write about my recent cold and sing praises to my new drainage tubes that prevented a painful ear infection.

Well, that post isn't going to happen.

I have an ear infection.

A doozy.

I thought about calling this post "Janessa and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" but that doesn't invoke feelings of thankfulness and praise, now does it? (But it's a fun title so don't be surprised if you see it later)

Therefore, I'm about to put an incredible amount of spin on this day and try to show you that I can find something to be grateful about if I try hard enough.

I'm also going to try and do it without creating a marathon blog post.

I'm not sure I mentioned it here, but I have talked about my tubes many times. I guess I was a little misinformed about the purpose of my "tubes" because I thought I got them to PREVENT ear infections.

Isn't that your impression of drainage tubes? To drain the infection?

My bad.

Of course my ear infection started on Friday night, you know, because the ENT office was closed and my ears are very aware of my ENT's office hours.

Monday morning, before I even sat down at my office I called my Dr's office and got the LAST appointment they have available for the day. THE LAST APPOINTMENT.

Two O'Clock.

Did I mention it was the LAST APPOINTMENT they had that day?

Feeling very grateful for the last appointment I got everything done at work left my office at 1:45, making sure I'd make it to the Dr's office in plenty of time. I certainly didn't want to miss my opportunity to let Dr. ENT know how displeased I was that I have an ear infection with drainage tubes, for Jebus sake.

Well guess what? The military was playing war and the base was locked down.

For an hour.

One ENTIRE hour.

No one comes in.

No one goes out.

Did I mention that two o'clock was Dr. ENT's only opening for the day?

Did I mention my ears hurt?

Guess who showed up an hour late to her appointment begging for forgiveness and antiobiotics?

Tail tucked between my legs. Me.

Turns out I had a malfunctioning tube that only one person in the entire office could fix and guess what day she works.

That's right.

Monday.

And today is?

Monday.

So I am eternally grateful to Dr. ENT for allowing me to be late for my appointment and then for Ms. Garfinkel and her "Monday only schedule" (whatever that's about) for fixing my clogged up, malfunctioning, brand new drainage tube and preventing me from another week of pain while I wait for her to return on her regularly scheduled Monday.

Oh, and while I was in the waiting room I saw this.

I've had plenty of ear infections in my day but I'm pretty sure I've never looked this dead.

Is that not the scariest looking sick kid you have EVER seen?

Funny Friday

Quick Question

When you're sick, your brain has free time.

Mine came up with this:

Why do I have to refrigerate left over frosting in a can but I don't have to refrigerate the cake that I frosted?

One of life's bigger questions, no?

Can you help me with with this one please?

Works For Me Wednesday

It's Works For Me Wednesday again over at Shannon's and this week I had to ask my husband for help.  I have disconnected head (a cold) and seriously couldn't think of ANYTHING that Works for Me!

He told me that I do something he's never seen anyone do before so I'm going to share it.  Hopefully it's an original!

I make a lot of gravy (i.e. Marinara Sauce) from scratch and it's messy.  

Really messy. 

It has to boil for hours so sometimes the sides and bottom of the stock pot have sauce burns on them.  The kind you can soak and soak for hours and they never come off.  

I also do some serious baking once a year or so and my pans get burnt "yuck" on them as well.

Here's the fix:

Fill the pan with hot water and toss a fabric softener sheet in it over night.  The next morning just wipe it out.

Wah-lah.  No more burnt on anything and the pot shines like new.  

Just make sure you rinse it well before you put it away.  No one wants to eat Bounce flavored Marinara.  Mmmmmm k?

GratiTuesday

I typically remember that it’s Tuesday after I post, which means that I forget that I can do a GratiTuesday post, a post where I can give a big old shout out to God about something going on in my life.

For some reason, I'm having a hard time being grateful today. I have a wicked migraine (again) and the "new guy" at work is making me crazy. I feel helpless and overwhelmed as well as full of anxiety and frustration. I'm trying hard not to lose it.

So today it’s for mercy and grace that I’m extremely thankful, not to mention God’s excellent sense of humor. When God says that He’s got it, I'm sure He does, even if I can’t see it.

Fun Things

Here are some fun things you can do on a weekend, you know, if your husband is busy watching football and you are bored.

1. Go to your craft room and create a fun card for your Brother-In-Law's 25th birthday.  Try not to think about the fact that he is 25 and will not appreciate the time and effort you put in to the card.  Cringe when you realize he will likely throw it away since there won't be any money in it.

2. Start to clean out your hall closet.  Then become obsessed with labeling and organizing the closet until it looks like this:

3.  Shop online for hours ordering anything and everything that appeals to you knowing your husband has credit card use notification programmed on his BlackBerry.   Smile when you realize hungry husband will begin receiving messages on his phone regarding said shopping and will immediately want to spend time with you.

Funny Friday

Works For Me Wednesday

So today is another WFMW over at Shannon's and instead of saying what works for me I'm supposed to ask for advice.  

I wasn't prepared for this.

How could I be prepared to ask for help when, clearly, I think I know everything?

So I'm going to tell you a little story about my obsession with snack cakes.  

If you feel like you should be helping others with their problems, fashion or otherwise, head over to Shannon's and give her a hand.  

So, a few weeks ago I purchased some Hostess Ding Dongs at the grocery store.  Despite my disappointment that they no longer come in a the foil wrapper, I tried one anyway.

And, honestly?  Not really a fan anymore.

I don't know if the folks at Hostess have changed the Ding Dong recipe, but I found them to be drier than dirt.  Once I bit into that faux chocolate coating, the inner cake just fell apart.  I did something I never thought I'd do and threw away the rest of the box.

Mainly, because I knew, at some point, PMS would set back in and I'd eat the whole box in one sitting, all the while thinking how dry they taste, but who cares because they're chocolate?  I must have it.

I hosted my own snack cake intervention.

Then, at some point last week, a friend mentioned the Twinkie.  MMMMMMMmmmmm.  Twinkies.  Although I'm not usually a fan of the non-chocolate anything, it sounded pretty good.

So while I was at Costco last week, guess what I bought? 

That's right, baby.  The Twinkie.

I had barely gotten them out of the trunk when I opened the box.  The first thing I noticed is that this actually an oily residue on the inner plastic of the Twinkie wrapper.  This does not bode well for the amount of trans fats contained therein but likely does wonders for the moisture content.

I opened one and waited for my reaction.  It tasted like white bread covered in butter and sugar and it left some sort of residue on my tongue.  I threw the Twinkie in the trash immediately.  My tongue had an oil coating that would rival the Exxon Valdez.

Let me say I have NEVER turned down sugar in the history of the universe.  So for now, the house of Bottolfini?  No longer fans of the Hostess Snack Cake.

It's a sad day.