"A Blog by Steve" Revisited

In honor of my man's birthday today, I decided to repost this blog from 2007. If you did not have the privilege of reading it then, you are in for a laugh.

Enjoy!

October 2007

Mary Beth showed me a blog the other day asking the question, "Who Wears the Pants in the Relationship?"

OF COURSE, in my marriage I have always worn the pants... (right honey??).

This was reinforced this last week.

My wife and I were folding laundry... getting me ready for my upcoming trip. As she was hanging my pants on the hangers she suddenly exclaimed... "HEY, these are my pants. I have been looking for these."

An immediate feeling of dread and humiliation overwhelmed me as I informed my lovely, gracious wife.... "I WORE those pants this week!"

Brianna and Mary Beth, in an ever so loving and sympathetic way, BURST into uncontrollable laughter, rolling to and fro on the bed...throwing out these thought provoking questions...

"Didn't they fit differently?

YES...I am wearing MY khaki pants!

"Weren't they too short?" (YES...my wife's inseam is longer than mine!)

"How could you NOT know, Mr. Fashion Man?"

With much chagrin and embarrassment, I replied...."Well, I did wonder why my wallet didn't fit into those little back pockets....

AND I didn't remember having any Khaki pants with a HOOK instead of a BUTTON!...

and it did feel like I needed to pull them up OVER my stomach instead of sit BELOW it!"

Of course, it came on the heels of watching an episode of Season 3 of The Office which included this scene...

"Michael: Pam, would you please tell Darryl that this is not a woman’s suit.

Pam: O my, that’s a woman’s suit!

Michael: There were these huge bins of clothes. And everybody was rifling through them, like crazy. And I grabbed one. And it fit. So I don’t think that this is totally just a woman’s suit.

Pam: It has shoulder pads!

Kevin: Who makes it?

Michael: Um, MISSterious. And it is mysterious, because the buttons are on the wrong side. That’s the mystery. And I did wonder why there were NO BACK POCKETS!"

So, now you know. I wear the pants in our relationship.... but they are MY WIFE'S!

Are You Wearing Your Heart on Your Face?

This is one of my favorite pictures of my kids from about 11 years ago.

It got me thinking about the old adage, "Are you wearing your heart on your sleeve?"

I never really understood that in my shallow thinking mind... wondering, "But, what if you aren't wearing sleeves? Are you heartless and unfeeling?"

ANYWAY... making more sense to me is "Are you wearing your heart on your face?"

SAY WHAT?

The WORD of God says this in Proverbs 27:19 - "As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man."

I believe our face is a reflection of our heart. My husband always says my eyes speak VOLUMES! My lips can be smiling... and even carrying on pleasant conversation... but my eyes are throwing flames... like it speaks of here:

Job 15:12 (Amplified Bible) - "Why does your heart carry you away [why allow yourself to be controlled by feeling]? And why do your eyes flash [in anger or contempt]."

Sometimes... my language is syrupy sweet.... but my lips are pursed in frustration or disgust... and my eyes reflect the same.

Sadness and joy -

Proverbs 15:13 says this: "A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit."

I also find this....

Nehemiah 2:2 - "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart."

When we experience fear... OH how our face... and sometimes body language can reflect that.

In Daniel 5:6 we read: "His ( King Belshazzar's) face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way."

That really makes me laugh. Call me weirdo.

I also read many scriptures that correlate "Haughty Eyes" with a "Prideful Heart."

But LOOK at what happens when we spend time with HIM... in prayer... in HIS WORD... when we let our heart reflect HIS love, HIS joy, HIS strength... no matter what circumstances we may be facing... what emotion we may be battling.

Psalm 34:5 - "Those who look to him are radiant."

Exodus 34:29 - "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai ...he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD."

Psalm 19:8 - "The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes."

I don't know about you, but I want to work on this. I want my face to emulate true radiance from being with Jesus no matter what emotional roller coaster I am riding or circumstance that is encompassing my life.

SO, tell me, what kind of heart is your face reflecting?

p.s.... I hope for Valentine's Day it is reflecting a heart of LOVE for those closest to you.

SNOW ICE CREAM! Want some?

Having RECORD BREAKING snowfall has its perks.

Snow Ice Cream is one of them.

Here is a YUMMY, simple recipe with just 5 ingredients: snow, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, milk & sugar.

THIS is thanks to my father-in-love, who while visiting from Arkansas, made it for us EVERY DAY!

Ya'll know them southern folk don't get snow everyday... so they make the most of it. And we'uns benefit.

Hubby made it yesterday for the office staff... after a freshly fallen snow. They couldn't get enough! They are making it again today for a Children's Ministries Meeting.

SO in honor of my Father-in-Love's Birthday TODAY... (Happy Birthday, Dad...) ...

Make some SNOW ICE CREAM and enjoy this smooth, creamy taste you will crave all winter.

NOW... this takes some trial and error... depending on your tastebuds.


FIRST you get one Southern Father-in-Love

SECOND - he mixes:

• 1 Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
  (the light tastes yummy too... minus a few calories.)

then add:

• Vanilla to taste... (start with a teaspoon)


• Milk to thin it... (start with 1/4 cup)
  
• Sugar... (start with 1/4 cup or less)
  

THIRD

Have your hunka hunka burning love go and cool off by gathering clean WHITE snow from the great outdoors.(save the colored snow for those 'special' people in your life.)















FOURTH






Put snow in a bowl ...



...and add some mixture.


Stir around till you like the consistency.



If the mix needs more of this or that... just add it.


If I, the culinary challenged can do this without 'set in snow' measurements, YOU CAN TOO!

Try it.

Let me know how you like it. We haven't made it for anyone who didn't LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

Then I will tell my Father-in-Love he is famous!

ENJOY!

WHAT!!!!...You did NOT?...oh YES I did!

After 44 years of virgin ears...

... I am now pierced! A gift from my son... who thought his MOM should get over her legalistic self... and join the ranks of FREEDOM.

After years of hearing me complain about clip on earrings... hurting... can't ever find any that I like... yada yada... he "encouraged" me to take the plunge.

WHY, you ask did it take me so stinkin' long?

WELL... I grew up in an era of ... "If GOD would have wanted you to have holes in your ears... they would have been there when you were born."

"If you are in that movie theater when Jesus comes back, you will be LEFT BEHIND!"

I thank the LORD that I was usually a good girl... following the rules... never gave my parents reason to worry.

However when I went to BIBLE COLLEGE I went to my first movie theater... to see the movie Rocky 3... at the $ theater... with all the Baptist Bible College students who weren't supposed to be there either. We all had an understanding, you see....

Then when we pastored our church in Mt. Pleasant, I did the evil of all evils... wore PANTS to church... not just to church but on the PLATFORM to play the PIANO!

I was getting WORLDLY... oh yes I was.

I did always wear make-up though. Not alot... but if a barn needs to be painted... you need to PAINT IT, girls!
Surely I jest... kindof... but I WOULD like to thank my parents... who raised me to love Jesus... be faithful to church... and to progress with the times... and to search within myself... sin or legalism... grace or condemnation...

Just so you know... my mom got her ears pierced at age 65... a gift from my nieces... she LOVED it... that was 4 years ago. She has been telling me to get with it all this time. She followed in the footsteps of our friend Audrey... who was one of the biggest 'opponents' of ear piercing way back in the day... who decided at age 68... clip ons were for the birds... and joined the ranks of the pierced.

I just saw my Gram tonight and she said jokingly in her Alabama lilt... "You done went out and sinned!"

MY 13 girl responded..." I am never gonna sin like that. I don't wanna go to Hell!"
(really she just thinks it will be a pain to have one more thing to worry about every day.)

We laughed.

I posted on my facebook status that "Mary Beth just got her ears pierced for the first time in 44 years."

You should have seen all the comments that generated. HILARIOUS!

AND the questions...Why DIDN'T you ever get them pierced??

Well... read the following verse...

1 Peter 2:13
Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God's emissaries for keeping order... Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.

I loved ( still love) my family... my pastors... my church. Way back when... in the mid 20th century... these were standards of the church. I respected my authorities. As those over me prayed and moved beyond these things... I, eventually, was set free as well. HA!

As I was thinking about "Freedom in Christ" I came across some great verses. Too long for this post. BUT so many times we use "FREEDOM" as an excuse to sin... compromise our values... our standards.

We need to hear from the Holy Spirit... HE needs to be our voice of direction for TRUE Freedom.

ANYHOO... all my friends and family now have it easier when buying me gifts... and hereafter, when people give me pierced earrings for my birthday or Christmas... I don't have to say, "Thanks... but I don't have pierced ears... " and then commence to see the shock and awe they exude.

One thing... I did kindof like being the 'unusual one'. Now I am a conformity (is that even a word???) ... well... those closest to me would probably beg to differ on that one.

So tell me...Am I going to hell in a handbasket for my actions?
If I am... I know alot of dangling, sparlky, hoopy, ear ring wearers who'll be right beside me.

Right Mom?

...AND We Have a Winner...

Congratulations to Kristen over at Snips, Snails, and Pigtails , the winner of my first blog Giveaway.

The autographed devotional for moms, Finding Joy by Karen Hossink at Surviving Motherhood is yours.

Kristen was selected by random drawing ...

Make sure to check back and let us know how Finding Joy spoke to your heart as a mom.

Merry Christmas every one. Celebrate Jesus.

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!! WOO HOO!!!!

I am so excited to host my first Blog Giveaway.

Karen Hossink, over at Surviving Motherhood recently released her second book. It is a devotional for mothers. I love to read Karen's blog. Her vulnerability and insight into the WORD as it relates to being a mom speaks to my heart and encourages me in this adventure we call Motherhood.

Below is a short interview with Karen about her book. At the end of the post, find out how to win and autographed copy of Finding Joy.

How did the ministry of Irritable Mother get started?

Do you want the quick answer? That would be GOD.

The longer version is this: I always wanted to be a mom, but once I had children I found out being a mom wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. In fact, there came a time when I thought my children were "ruining" me – that I could be a nice person if it weren't for them.

In time I began to understand that when my kids are grown up, they aren't the only ones who will have changed. I discovered I am growing in this process, too. And I thought, "Maybe when I have a better understanding of this growth, I'll see if I can share about it at MOPS." [Mothers of PreSchoolers]

About two years and several thoughts later God used my mentor to finally push me over the edge and pursue that MOPS opportunity. My intention was to speak at my church, and that's all. But I made contact with some other MOPS leaders and spoke for their groups, too. I think there were seven or eight that first year.

Then came my first book, and about 40 more groups each of the next two years. And now here I am in the middle of a speaking and writing ministry – so much more than I envisioned back in the spring of 2005 – and I am loving every minute of it.

You just released a new book. Please tell us about it.

It's called Finding Joy and it is a devotional for moms. (Though my husband read my manuscript and commented, "Hey, even a guy could learn from this book." I need to hire him as my marketer!)

First God showed me I could have HOPE for the future, because He is using my children and my mothering struggles to make me into the woman He wants me to be. That's what I wrote about in my first book, Confessions of an Irritable Mother.

Now God has shown me I can have JOY in the present because He is using my hard times to reveal Himself to me. God shows up right in the middle of my struggles and speaks to my heart, and those are the stories I have written in Finding Joy.

At the end of each devotion I have written a short section called "Your Turn," in which I ask questions of the reader and offer suggestions for prayer and fellowship with God. My hope is God will use this book to help other women learn to recognize His presence in the middle of their struggles – and find joy.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I am proof that Jesus lives.

A couple months ago I did some special things for my kids and I got lots of comments on my blog about what a "great mom" I am. Those comments made me laugh, and they caused me to give praise to God.

I am a broken woman. I am selfish and self-centered. I want what I want. Period. The fact that I ever think of my children before myself, the fact that I do things for them even though those things go against what I want, can only be explained by the Truth that Jesus Christ is alive and well and at work in me – transforming me into His likeness.

More than knowing something about me, I want your readers to know Jesus is real. And how do I know Jesus is real? Because I know who I am without Him, and that woman would never be called a "great mom."

Endorsements:

Karen Hossink, the self-proclaimed “Irritable Mother,” walks readers through her personal parenting moments, through which she discovers a deeper relationship with the Lord. God has used Hossink’s own children to transform her and reveal Himself to her more fully—now, through this devotional, she passes on insights and personal revelations to the reader. Walk with her to a place of prayerful introspection and deeper faith in Jesus Christ.

Ann Kroeker, Author

The Contemplative Mom (Shaw Books)

Another book releasing in the summer of 2009 (David C. Cook)

God continues to use and transform this "irritable mother" into a joyful servant of our Most High God. Karen Hossink blends real-life situations we all face in frustration as moms, and brings out the biblical correlation so we can see ourselves in relation to God. You will laugh and cry and be filled with uncontained emotion as you read.

Most of all, you will be blessed beyond measure by this true-blue best friend who is willing to spend priceless moments with you. Finding Joy is a MUST READ for all moms.

Julie Baker, Founder of TimeOut for Women! and Author

TimeOut for Holiness at Home (Cook Communications)

If you ever feel like being a mother is the best and the worst of all possible jobs, this is the devotional for you! In Finding Joy: More Confessions of an Irritable Mother, Karen Hossink reminds all of us to stop long enough to listen to God’s voice in the middle of frustration, interruptions, household noise, constant questions, and everyday chaos. This book will let you know you are not alone and will give you renewed hope and courage as you face the daily challenges of being a mom. Don’t miss it!

Carol Kent, Speaker and Author

When I Lay My Isaac Down (NavPress)

A New Kind of Normal (Thomas Nelson)

HOW TO WIN**** HOW TO WIN****HOW TO WIN****HOW TO WIN

To win an autographed copy of this book, leave a comment telling me one way you FIND JOY in being a mom... or how your mom brings JOY to you.

Winner will be randomly chosen after 6 p.m. on Friday, December 19. Please be sure and leave your email so I can contact you.

Dog + Skunk =...

On night after a family, food filled day...
hubby, son and I settled in to watch

season 6 of .

Around 12:30 a.m. parents decided it was bed time for them...

so we let our outside to do her business before turning in to insure a little sleeping in then next morning.

Hubby heard barking... went to let dog child in....

...and smelled .


Outside smell was the usual smell.

HOWEVER the odor on was
more like a toxic chemical urine spill.


The following ensued...

*cough... gag... hold breath...gasp...*

*Turn on computer... search "dog got sprayed by skunk"...

*Find this solution....

1 quart + 1/2 box +

1/2 cup + some .

*Put on .

*Scrub it into reeking dog's hair down to skin because odor gets into pores...


...avoiding , ,


, and ...

or find self with blind, deaf dog who cannot smell or taste.


*Leave on dog for 5 minutes...standing guard with hands on dog so dog does not shake above solution and saturate tired, frustrated owner...

...WHILE well meaning spouse stands near...
...donning ... making sure job is done sufficiently...offering his 'direction'.

*NEXT, beckon said spouse to "man up" and remove protective gear... and to come closer for inspection.

*THEN let dog loose to shake.


*Go to bed at a.m. after using

on dog so canine does not get sick from cold, wet fur in our penny saving, hypothermic house.


I will say this solution worked for me. Removed odor and skunk oil... made her coat soft and fluffy and brighter white.

Now almost a week later... only an occasional whiff of skunk aroma when she scratches while sitting next to you...

then is banned to floor.