A Woman's Beauty

I usually wash my hair in the moning then blow it dry. I have a 50-50 chance that it will look good. I don't usually do much to it other than using the blow dryer. It was raining outside and I knew even blowing it dry was a waste of time. Too much moisture in the air. It was going to be a bad hair day.

I found this really nice devotional about women. I liked it so much, I wanted to share. Even the scripture and prayer at the end are uplifting. .

A Woman's Beauty

Contrary to what we get told by our culture and the media, the beauty of a woman is not in the outer appearance. We are forever bombarded with products that are supposed to make us more beautiful – as if we are not beautiful the way we are. Creams to either hide or eliminate wrinkles, hairstyles and dyes to color our hair to hide the ‘grey’. Make up that masks our real faces, and jewelry & clothing to make us more attractive.

None of these really matter. They’re not wrong in themselves, but our attitude behind it should not be in the need of these things to make us more attractive. If we are concerned with the way we look, and care more about grooming our outward, it may be that we are discontented with who we really are. God wants us to be concerned with the inside – the real us. This is where the real beauty is. Having a pretty face, a perfect figure and all the accessories that go along with it, means nothing in the light of eternity. It only reflects the culture we live in, and I think that culture needs to be challenged. After having my daughter (after 3 boys), I noticed the kinds of toys available to ‘girls’. A lot have to do with ‘Beauty’ & ‘Glamour’. I had to ask myself, what kind of message is this sending?

I believe we need to get passed being overly concerned with our outward appearance, and concentrate more on what’s inside. Allow the Holy Spirit to beautify the inside. For when we have God’s beauty inside, it reflects on the outside – and then we won’t need the creams and make-up to make ourselves beautiful. We will have the natural beauty of a Godly woman, and that beauty is eternal

.-M.S.Lowndes

Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain , but a woman who reverently and worship fully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!

Proverbs 31: 30

Lord may I reflect your beauty

The beauty of a Godly life

And to care not about what’s on the outside

But rather on what’s inside-

M.S.Lowndes

The Nephew

I got a phone call last night from what I though was a very late telemarketer. It was long distance and usually when I get a call I don't recognize I simply don't answer it. Something told me to pick it up this time. Boy, am I glad I did. It was the nephew. I was tickled pink. He's in Iraq serving our country.

The best part of this is he has tried to call "his Aunt Dee before and I wasn't home but he kept trying until he got me. He's really thoughtful like that.

He sounded really tired. Their eight hours later than we are so when he called it was about five in the morning. I felt special.

I ask him if he got a package that was sent and his answer was, You me the 131 boxes of Girl's Scout cookies. Nooooooooo, but I'm glad you got enough cookies to share. He said they receive approximately 3-5 hundred packages a day. My answer was, there should be a couple more from us.

I know he believed he was doing the right thing by joining the service but last night he was hard pressed in believing. He sounded different. He said he was really tired. I can't even wrap my mind around want he is going through on a daily basic.

I tried to life his spirits. He wasn't buying it. His wife is expecting their first child and he won't be hope until it is three months old. The baby is due in May. He won't be home for a visit until August. My heart goes out to him.

Everyone who reads this, please take a moment and pray for the wonderful young men and women, and my nephew, who are fighting this war to ensure our freedom.

A Prayer from Ps. 17

Almighty Father, show our servicemen and women

Your unfailing love in wonderful ways.

Save them with your strength

Guard out troops as the apple of Your eye

And hide them in the shadow of your wings

Amen.

----Psalm 17:7-8

The Search Was On........

I came home to my blog tonight to vent my frestrations about what a tuff day I had. My frame of mind was not where it should have been to make a positive post so I decided to go visit my regular reads before posting. By the time I got back to my blog I had a renewed look on my day. Is that anything like counting to ten before you say something you will regret? Hmmmm.

I've always been told that working in the kind of job I have takes a special person. Most days, I don't feel that way. Today wasn't one of them. The day was just plan nuts! Lots of thorns. Was it a full moon, again? I didn't think so. Part of the problem could have been we were down two staff members and up five consumers, bringing the totals to about 10 to 1, when it should have been 5-6 to 1. I was glad to put the work day behind me.

Besides, it was a beautiful day and I didn't have to go to class and was looking forward to getting outside to work in the yard. Boy, does my yard need some TLC. I still had lots of tree limbs and the like littering the yard and was looking forward to get them cleaned up. I spent about an hour and a half working outside. I felt I was making some real progress. Then It Happened. Something really stupid. Are you ready?......

I was trimming the tree behind the shed when I through a limb over the fence into the compost pile. Now I had done this what, a hundred time this even alone. But.....the last limb, while throwing it, brushed my face and took my glasses with it, OVER THE FENCE. I froze. My mind was buzzing. I didn't want to step in any direction, just in case the glasses didn't go over the fence, but were laying at my feet. I looked but, needed my glasses to find my glasses.

I stood there looking over the fence for what seemed like 30 minutes but was probable about 10 minutes. I started to worry about what I would do if I didn't find them. And how much a new pair would cost. And the trouble of finding time for an eye exam........and on and on.

I decided I wasn't going to get upset about this. What were my options. My daughter and granddaughter were at a bible study. They were out. My son in law would just be getting home. If he didn't have anything else planned, he would come if I called. I called but got no answer. My mind continued to be a buzz worrying about what I couldn't do without those glasses. I called my daughter's cell, (she still had 10 minutes before her bible study started) who ensured me my son in law was home, try again.

After explaining my situation and how stupid I felt, he promised to come ASAP. I was worried that the day light wouldn't last. I continued to look, hoping I would find the glasses before he got here, but that didn't happen. He came and within five minutes he was able to locate them in the rubble, on the other side of the fence. The blessing was that they were found quickly and without a scratch on them. It could have been much harder. I was so relieved. What a great son in law. So patient. Always willing to help. I think I thanked him too many times but I was never so glad to see those glasses.

My grandson and I kicked a ball around while my son in law adjusted the seat on a big wheel for the little guy. When they left, there was still some day light left, but I was done outside for the day.

I came in and made some really good Chicken and Rice Soup. Nothing like Chicken Soup to make it all better.

I don't have a recipe for the soup. I just added until I thought I had enough. The ingredients I used were:

Chicken Rice Soup
Two cut up, stewed chicken breasts, (I cooked the other day)
The broth from the chicken plus 2 cups of water
1/2 a pack of frozen mixed vegetables, (I used oriental)
3/4 cup of rice
parsley, salt, pepper, sage. celery seed. touch of garlic.

I simmered about 30-40 minutes. Yummy!

The soup was a good way to end a ruff day. I froze a couple servings for when I am too busy to cook. I might even take some for lunch tomorrow.


Closing Quote: If your day is hemmed with prayer, it is less likely to unravel.

Cherry Cobbler Recipe

I posted the other day and said I would be back with more recipes. I found this recipe on the Internet a couple months ago and have made it several times with different cake mixes. It turns out really well and easy. You can't get any easier. If you like cherries, and are limited on time, you'll love this. There's only 4 ingredients.

I call it cobbler, they call it dump cake...........you decide.

Cherry Cobbler aka Tropical Dump Cake

1 -21 ounce can cherry pie filling
1-20 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
1-18 ounce of box yellow cake mix (I like white cake better)
1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup melted butter

Grease 9x13x2 baking dish

Dump into baking dish and spread or smooth in this order" cherry pie filling, undrained pineapple, dry cake mix. Arrange pieces of butter (1/4 cup) on top

Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over cake mix.

That's it! Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Let me know what you think.

Snoring Cat...Z z z z z z .......

Okay, so I'm sitting at the computer reading my regular blogs, that I haven't taken the time to read in the last few days due to trying to visit as many of the new blogs as I can from the blog party. Then I hear loud snoring. Now I know there isn't anyone else here but me and the cat, and I wasn't sleeping. You go it, it was the cat. But where was he?.......

Now what you have to understand about my cat is, he doesn't purr. Never has. My brother had him for almost a year before I got him. Apparently he was an abused cat before being taken in by my brother. He used to flench when you put your hand out to pet him. Still does sometime if he doesn't know the person well. He runs and hides if anyone comes to visit. Sometimes If not for hearing him sneeze, you wouldn't know he was around.

I know, back to the snoring. Usually when I am on the computer, the cat is up on the desk batting at my fingers as I type or he is trying to lay on the keyboard and help me move things around I didn't plan on moving. Sometimes he sleeps.


I heard the snoring and the cat wasn't on the desk. He wasn't under the desk. He wasn't even on the back of the chase lounge. There weren't very many more places to look. He had to be near to hear the snoring so clearly. I looked everywhere. Or did I.........




I noticed the closet door was open every so slightly. I opened the door and thought I would see him there but didn't. Then I turned around and the bag of fabric scraps and stuffing on the couch started moving. I nearly jumped out of my skin. The cat, Charlie, was in the bag so far it was hard to see him. I ran for the camera. Too cute.

Just 3 Words meme

Found this on Decipher the fog and thought it looked like fun. The rule is that you can only answer in 3 words or less.

1. Where is your cell phone? in my purse
2. Boyfriend/girlfriend? I need one???
3. Hair? dark brown, straight
4. Your mother? lives across town
5. Your father? died in 1982
6. Your favorite item(s)? computer, crochet, books
7. Your dream last night? don't usually dream
8. Your favorite drink? cold diet pepsi
9. Your dream guy/girl? Don't have one
10. The room you are in? the den
11. Your fear? loved one dying
12. What do you want to be in 10 years? out of debt
13. Who did you hang out with last night? Safy class mates
14. What are you not? a handyman / gardener
15. Are you in love? with my grandchildren
16. One of your wish list items? Vacation, Florida Keys
17. What time is it? six twenty two
18. The last thing you did? read daughter's blog
19. What are you wearing? sweater, corduroys, socks
20. Your favorite book? My Grandfather's Blessings
21. The last thing you ate? chicken, potatoes, oranges
22. Your life? busy, happy, full
23. Your mood? quiet, calm, relaxed
24. Your friends? love them all!
25. What are you thinking about right now? Where's the cat?
26. Your car? toyato matrix 2004
27. What are you doing at this moment? reading this blog
28. Your summer? better than winter
29. Your relationship status? with family, good
30. What is on your TV screen? ch12 evening news
31. When is the last time you laughed? twenty minutes ago
32. Last time you cried? Sunday, extreme makeover
33. School? Love to learn

Not as easy to answer in only three words as you'd think but it was fun. Feel free to participate - just leave me a comment so I can come visit!

The Blue Rose Devotion

My friend from Oregon sent this to me. I thought it it fitting for several reasons. I like roses, not necessarily blue, and I work with mentally challenged adults. This is a little exaggerated in describing the handicapped individual, however, the message is a good one. Special needs individuals are often misunderstood or overlooked. They are people too, with very valid feelings, and yes, much like children. But a child of god just the same. I found this very moving.




The Blue Rose

Why do I always have to be the one that starts to do laundry and there's no detergent?
I guess it was time for me to do my "Dollar Store" run, which included
light bulbs, paper towels, trash bags and Clorox.
So off I go.

I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies, and headed for the checkout counter
only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a young man that appeared to be about
sixteen-years-old.

I wasn't in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize that I was there.
This was when he waved his hands excitedly in the air and declared in a loud voice,
"Mommy, I'm over here."
It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged, and also startled as
he turned and saw me standing so close to him, waiting to squeeze by.
His eyes widened and surprise exploded on his face as I said,
"Hey Buddy, what's your name?"
"My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother," he responded proudly.
"Wow," I said, "that's a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but my name is Hal."
"Hal like Halloween?" he asked.
"Yes," I answered. "How old are you Denny?
"How old am I now Mommy?"
he asked his mother as she slowly came over from the next aisle.
"You're fifteen-years-old Denny.
Now be a good boy and let the man pass by."

I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny
for several more minutes about summer, bicycles and school.
I watched his brown eyes dance with excitement because,
He was the center of someone's attention.
He then abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section.

Denny's mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me
for taking the time to talk with her son.

She told me that most people wouldn't even look at him,
much less talk to him.

I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said something.
I have no idea where it came from,
other than by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

I told her that.... There are plenty of red, yellow and pink roses
in God's garden,However.... "Blue Roses" are very rare
and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness.

You see, Denny is a "Blue Rose"
and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart
and touch that rose with their kindness, then they've missed a blessing from God.

She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked,
"Who are you?"

Without thinking I said,
"Oh, I'm probably just a "daffodil or maybe even a dandelion,"
but I sure love living in God's garden..

Luke 6:37
Judge not, and you will not be judged;
Condemn not, and you will not be condemned;
Forgive, and you will be forgiven

God Bless.

A Little Bit of Everything

I am having a great time working my way through the different blogs at the blog party. I hope the name continue to be posted for a while. I have only made my way through about half of them but hope to be given the time to get through more. I wish all I had to do is blog and read blogs but we all know that isn't possible. The price is too great when we ignore our house and family and the chores that go with them.

Some of the sites I have visited say they are new bloggers but you would never know it by the sight of their blogs. They have several blogs, pictures, lots of links. You can sure tell who has done their homework before posting and those who have the time to put into making a great blog. I'm lucky if I get to post a couple time a week.

I loved reading the blogs about the women who blog about their children and the funny experiences they have making their way through a day. And the ones who have the same interests as I do. Or the one that have you rolling on the floor with their humor.

There should be a prize given to the two women who initially started this party a 5 minutes for mom. What a fantastic idea!. All us new blogger have been give a way to find new people. Heck, I visited people from Russia, Canada, and England! How cool is that? I also found several right here in my own community.

A big happy birthday to my family members. March is a big birthday month for us. My brother's birthday was last Sunday on the 4th. We all went dinner and had some good old fun reminiscing with him. My daughter's father in law's birthday is Tuesday, the 13th. Happy Birthday Larry. And my beautiful daughter Andrea's birthday is Next Monday, the 19th. I'm still waiting to hear what she wants for her birthday. I love celebrating birthdays. It gives the family another change to spend some quality time together.

I spent some nice quality time with my grandson last night. He gets cuter every day. My girlfriend and I played scrabble and he was on my team. He was content to placing the letters on the stand then going back to playing with his cars at my feet. When I got new letters, he again placed them on the stand. He continued to play long after we quit. Surprisingly he was able to recognize a lot of the letters. He ended up spending the night and the first thing he wanted to do when he woke up was play scrabble (his way). Go figure!.

The church service was good today. The minister talked about stepping up and offering service in the church without waiting for the minister to ask, when you know the service is needed. She gave several good examples. !. If your not happy with the way the youth are being served, step up and not only offer concerns but offer assistance and ideas to help. 2. It's easy to complain about something, it's not so easy to step forward and do something about it to make it better.

Our church may be small but it is a very caring congregation who reaches out to help each other. Keeping in mind, it is easy to become self contained. I think our church takes that next step and reaches out into the neighborhood.

I found some cool recipes I'll post next time.

May we continue to work on being more like God wants us to be. Good Bless.

The Ultimate Blog Party

Hi and welcome. I’m glad I was invited to the party. I’m a fairly new blogger, a little over five months, and I’m still trying to fine my style, of blogging. Right now, I am usually all over the place. I look forward to meeting a lot of new blogger with many of the same interesting I have. I already know there are a lot of really nice people out there. I have had the pleasure of meeting some of them.

Before I go any farther, let me first say, if you find an extra key stroke or two on my post it’s my cat Charlie’s fault. He sits up on the desk at the top of my keyboard, monitoring every stroke. Sometimes adding his own.

My name is Darlene. I have one beautiful daughter, two awesome grandchildren, (who have grandma wrapped around each of their little fingers) and a really caring son in law. I have lived in the same city all my life. I am second oldest of six and only keep in touch with a couple of my siblings. I am very close to my daughter and family. I consider quality family time more important than breathing. I have a very strong faith and believe we should all do our part in helping each other out in this increasingly difficult world we live in.

I work as a program specialist (aka: Activity Director) with Adult MRDD consumers. I like to think I make a difference in the lives of the people I serve. My job is very stressful and busy and not at all like I expected when I took the job.. I have the kind of boss everyone DREADS. The consumers and other staff are what keep me there. Not to mention money to pay the bills.

My hobbies are in no particular order: The computer, my house, crafting, crocheting, sewing, reading, taking care of my cat Charlie, community service projects and spending quality time with family, especially my grandchildren (God really should have given us them first) .

My blog, I’m Thankful For The Thorns is my way of wading through this world we live in, making the best of what is given to me. Sometimes we get the rose without the thorns. Sometimes we get the rose with the thorns. And sometimes we get only the thorns. As long as God is our center, we can work our way through the thorns and enjoy the beauty in the roses.

If you want to read the history behind the name of this blog, look in my October 2006 post. It’s a nice story and I was quite touched by it.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit. Feel free to leave a comment. Come again real soon.

God Bless.

Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

Well I started out trying to do something nice. I called my brother and offered to take him to his favorite restaurant for his birthday. The dinner was really nice. The company great. We both left the restaurant feeling kinda full and even a little sick. Later that evening we realize we both came away with a touch of food poison. Thankfully it didn't hit my brother as bad as it did me. His birthday isn't until tomorrow but you only get one birthday a year and it would suck to be sick on your birthday. I was up all night feeling really ruff. I laid around most of the day.

I was all better by the time the grands got here a 6. I so enjoy spending time with them. They put life in this house like nothing else can. We did dinner, individuals choice. We watched Peter Pan (one of the little guys favorite movies), played restaurant and had a splash party in the BIG bath tub. They both got a little carried away with that but why not. Then watched Gordy while playing with clay until mom and dad got home. Yep. A good time was had by all.

Didn't get many chores done today, but there is always tomorrow. The laundry is done and the bills are paid. At least that is something.

I mentioned a broccoli recipe in a post and was ask to put it in my blog. Thanks Barb at chelseamorning@blogspot.com for asking.

BROCCOLI-CHEESE-RICE CASSEROLE

1 c. rice or 1 sm. pkg. minute rice
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped onion
1 (12 oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli
1/4 c. butter
1 (8 oz.) jar Cheez Whiz
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mushrooms, sliced; optional

Cook rice; saute onion and celery in butter; add cheese, soup, and broccoli with rice and onion/celery butter. Put in greased 9 x 13 casserole pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

*If you don't like the Cheez Whiz any cheese that melts easily works fine. I like using Cheddar

Enjoy.