Helping my Mom

Well friends... After two days of packing we are still at it today. My mom has to be out of her current house in 36 hours and we are wrapping and packing things at a whirlwind pace. Who knew there was so much stuff? I bet my house has more staff than I think too.
How timely, after my last post about helping one another with those dreaded hard and dirty jobs. Whew!

I'm grateful for your posts and they are fueling our efforts. Keep them coming and each post will be entered in a drawing for a goodie gift bag. The drawing will be sometime next week, so tell your friends and keep the posts rolling in.

In the meantime, I'm being summoned back to the job at hand.

Happy Thursday

Helping Another Sister

Hi friends,

I'm so enjoying my clean floors and windows thanks to my sweetest friend Lynn Cowell. Hopefully, our home will be back to "normal" after the painters come and go next week.

Lynn's gift of help was such a sacrifice of her time and I was more than blessed to have her here. As I mentioned at the end of my last post, I've been thinking about how we do help or don't help out our sisters on a regular basis. Now before you bite my head off, I know we are all more than busy and our schedules are filled to over flowing. Everyone has more than they can handle on a daily basis, so stepping in to lend a hand sounds overwhelming at best.

And that's my point. Each one of us could use a helping hand from time to time.

So here's my idea and I'd LOVE your input.

I think it would be great if we and three of our bestest girlfriends could commit to helping one another once a year.

Now, I'm talking about your very bestest girlfriends who know that your house is not always clean and don't care. The girlfriends who've seen you without make-up and don't care. The girlfriends who know you can't cook and don't care. The girlfriends you can call at the drop of a hat and are there for you. The girlfriends who love you just the way you are, without the judgement.

That's the easy part, the next part is more difficult for some of us.

It's humbling ourselves and asking for help.

I'm talking about the ugly, dirty help we all need but are afraid or too proud to ask:

Things like:

Cleaning out closets or an overflowing basement.

Organizing our "stuff"

Washing windows

You add to the list...

Ideally, it would be great if all four friends were present to lend a helping hand each time, that way the work could get done quickly and there would be lots of opportunity for fellowship.

So what do you think? What can you add to my idea and how can you improve on it?

I can't wait to hear from you on this.

There just might be a goodie bag give away... Hint Hint!

My sweet friend...

Hi friends,

Check out my sweetest friend Lynn Cowell. Lynn came to my house today to help me clean floors and windows.

Is she the greatest or what? Here she is in her cleaning tiara; you can't see her glamorous pink rubber gloves, but she looked just too cute while cleaning (Glamorous gloves and a tiara are the standard cleaning uniform at my house).

Not only did she help me clean, her presence was like chocolate to my spirit. How wonderful to fellowship with a precious sister while working together.

Stay tuned for more on the subject of ministering to one another. In the meantime I hope you enjoy the weekend!

Where's Your Focus

Happy Wednesday Friends,

I recently read a devotion by Chuck. Swindoll and it was a wonderful reminder to refocus my attention. Not always an easy proposition for someone with ADD, but a necessary opportunity for growth.
I've edited things and pulled together some of the highlights and lessons I'm taking to heart today.
I hope they minister to you too.

When money is our objective for happiness, we often live in fear of losing it, and that can make us paranoid and suspicious.
When fame is our aim, we become competitive just in case someone steals our spotlight, and that makes us envious.

When we allow power and influence to drive us, our focus turns inward toward serving self, which makes us arrogant.
Wen we allow possessions to become our god, materialism becomes our focus and we adopt the mantra "More is never enough", and that makes us greedy.
All these pursuits are in direct opposition to contentment and joy.

Only Christ can satisfy, whether we have or don't have, whether we are known or unknown, whether we live
or die.
The New Testament in Modern English, J.B. Phillips's paraphrase, reads:
"For living to me means simply 'Christ,' and if I die I should merely gain more of him.
Wen Christ becomes our central focus, contentment replaces our anxiety as well as our fears and insecurities.
So let me ask you friend... Where's your focus today?

Home Again!!!

Hi friends,

Thanks so much for all the encouragement these last few weeks. We have indeed moved back into "Smokey Joe's", I mean our house. LOL!!!

Tom just could not take one more day at the hotel so we moved home a few days ago.
Can I just say how great it is to be home? I had no idea how very much I missed our nest until we were forced to leave. Who knew living in a hotel would not be a glamorous experience?
Don't get me wrong, it was nice to be in a cool and clean place, but it just wasn't home.

Any who... we are home and the air scrubbers arrived yesterday. Yea!!!!!!
Within the next 5 days, my house should be smelling just like it did before the fire.
Does that mean my house will smell like roasted veggies and steak, since that's what my house smelled like before the fire. HA!!!

These air scrubbers are amazing. They are supposed to take in the smelly air and pump out fresh air. I don't know the mechanics behind it. but I'm sure the professionals would not use them if they did not work.

Here's my song of the week. Hope you enjoy it.

Almost Home

Hi friends,

It's Day 8 of the fire displacement and can I just say we are more than ready to be back in our home. Washing out your unmentionables in the bathroom sink has lost it's glamor and sleeping in a double bed after our king size bed at home is exhausting. Last night I slipped out of bed and slept sitting up against the wall so Tom could rest better.

Tonight, I think I'll make a pallet on the floor and sleep there.

IF the power company installs a new power meter and IF the power company turns on our power on Thursday, there is the tiniest opportunity that we may be home in 6-7 more days. If not... it could be as long as two more weeks.

Dorothy was right...

There's no place like home

There's no place like home

There's no place like home.

Contest and Deadlifts in Dresses

Hi friends,

We interrupt the fire displacement to bring you a bit of fun.

My friends Amy Carroll and Karen Ehman have a fabulous opportunity for you.

Do you teach a small group or speak to full arenas? It really doesn't matter, because all we God-girls who desire to make Jesus famous want to make our messages clear, sharp and effective.Amy Carroll and Karen Ehman have teamed in Next Step Speaker Services to give individual support, encouragement and feedback to speakers in any setting. Next Step Speaker Services can help you with:

Message Development

Message Evaluation

Creating Compelling Marketing Ministry Organization

So check out the Next Step Speaker Services website which includes a place to subscribe to

a free weekly speaking tip.

Amy or Karen would love a chance to curl up in a cozy chair with some coffee and chat with you about your next step in speaking ministry.

Also, don't miss the opportunity to win a free service of your choice with a value up to $195 if you subscribe or fill out a survey!!

Now, onto a bit of more fun.

Josh and Kelsey hosted a House Warning Party at their new house this weekend and everyone was asked to dress in 80's attire.

Here are a few pictures of the ladies doing dead lifts in dresses. The weight was only 95 pounds, so everyone was able to participate.

Enjoy!!

Holly aka Madonna looking fabulous!

Steffie aka Princess Leah handles things beautifully.

Carmen aka Madonna is so pretty in Pink.

Tina Turner sparkly and shiny

This Ain't Nothin'

Hi friends,

We have been so blessed by all your phone calls, emails, texts. God continues to meet our needs over and above our wildest dreams. Remind me to tell you one example about Tom needing mouthwash and a belt.

This Song by Craig Morgan has been stuck in my brain since Tuesday night and I think it sums things up perfectly.

Remember....This Ain't Nothin'

My House IS ON FIRE!!!!!!!

Hi Friends,

A million thanks for all the prayers and offers for lodging and food.

Yes, our house did experience a fire last night but can I just say that I believe with EVERY fiber of my being that Jesus set my house ablaze to save our lives. REALLY!

A plumber was installing a new outside faucet and in the process the interior wall of our garage caught fire and quickly spread to the ceiling.

Thank goodness I have big Greek nose and smelled wood burning one story above the fire.

Long story short, the Lord used my big Greek nose to lead me to the problem. The problem was the builder of our home 25 years ago laid an electrical line on top of a water line. When the plumber heated the faucet to attach it ot the ine, the line heated up burnt the electrical line and started the fire.

We are all fine and the clean up and restoration has begun.

Hopefully we will be back in our home within 2-3 weeks.

It's amazing how quickly smoke travels, because we have soot and smoke damage on all three floors of our house.

Thank you Jesus for saving us and our home from total destruction.

The fire chief said we would have not survived had we gone to bed and I ignored the Lord's leading to the garage. At first glance we thought the garage door motor was on fire, little did we know there were flames only inches from where we were standing.

THANK YOU JESUS AND YOUR ANGELS!!!!!!!

On another note we cannot thank State Farm insurance enough for taking care of EVERY detail.

If you don't have State Farm for your homeowners insurance I would highly suggest you get them (This was an unpaid commercial from a REAL customer).

From what destruction has Jesus saved you?

Labor Day

Hi friends,

Happy late Labor Day! I hope you had an opportunity to rest, relax and get some refreshment over the long weekend. Did you spend time with family and friends or did you just chill out with a good book or a movie? Maybe you hosted a cookout or perhaps you attended one.

Our day off was more exciting than we had anticipated, but it was still time away from the office.
Tom spent the morning mopping up a flooded garage as the water filter broke spewing water all over him in the process. He was thrilled to get soaked, mop the floor and to call a plumber on a holiday. NOT!!!

Hey, I think it was a great way to get the floor cleaned. HA!
Note to self... Next time this happens it would be helpful to plan my potty break at a more convenient time, like when the water is still turned on. Broken water filter and flooding causes all the water in the house gets turned off for hours. Enough said.

After the flood was cleaned up Tom and I went to Josh and Kelsey's house for some hole digging bulb and monkey grass planting and some mulching. I either love these kids to pieces or I'm delusional, cause yard work is NOT on my list of favorite things to do. HA!!!
You see, I don't much care for bugs or snakes or the other vermin I mean God's outdoor creatures. Thankfully, the Lord knows that and miraculously moved His outdoor creatures for the afternoon I only saw one spider.

I can hardly wait for all the bulbs to pop up in late winter and early spring.

Look what they will be watching for.

Anyway, that's how we spent our holiday. Now it's your turn to share.