It's almost NOT Tuesday!!!

Sorry, everyone. Dad had the LAST ROOM in the house done today; the carpet was ripped up, and Pergo put down. It was HIS OFFICE, so that meant NO INTERNET CONNECTION. AUGH!!!!!!!! Kenn said I was suffering from withdrawal; I knew y'all would maybe miss me, and I had bizness. :D

SO. How are you doing on your goals???? I'm all caught up with my reading, which is AWESOME. I'm having trouble this week getting to water aerobics because Kenn's working and I have to do rehearsals and meetings by myself. I'm STILL hoping next Tuesday I can go.

You're all being VERY quiet, ladies. HOW ARE YOU???

Rhonda, I'm praying for you. You've got a lot to deal with, but I know God will give you the strength. :)

Karen, how are you? How're things going?

Nancy, your church service sounds AWESOME. I miss more passionate services, although our church is rather progressive for Southern Baptist. :)

Do I need to pull out my folder, ladies? :D YOUR TURN TO REPORT!!!

Tuesday is GOAL DAY!!!!

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,

and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his saints,

for those who fear him lack nothing.

Psalm 34:7-9

Good afternoon, dear friends!!!! How are you doing today? I'm able to be up and around, thank God. He is GOOD all the time, but sometimes, I'll admit, I have a really hard time remembering that when I can't breathe from coughing. Kenn's going through it yet again, too - this is his THIRD time, and he's got asthma, so it's really difficult for him. Prayers for him would be SO appreciated!

OK, down to our GOALS. I'll confess. My golas fell by the wayside pretty much while I was sick, so I need to get back on the bandwagon and catch back up with my reading, especially. I did go to water aerobics a week ago today, and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I can't go tonight - the slightest exertion starts me coughing again. I AM planning on going on Thursday! I love my instructor, I love feeling like I've accomplished something - so I'm looking forward to CONTINUING that again. :)

So, I confessed. They say it's good for the soul. :D Who's next??? I've been printing them out as you send them to me! Sheri? Rhonda? Becky? Nancy? Let's see. Let me find my folder.... (I keep getting sidetracked! LOL!! TOO much to catch up on!!) Aha. Deby? Judy? Karen? Anyone I missed? :)

More health stuff: Well, got a phone call from my doctor's office last night. My A1c, which is the average of my glucose levels over the last three months, was a 7.0. This is MUCH better than I thought it was going to be (that averages to a 150 glucose reading average!), but of course it still needs to be lower. The thing that concerned them a bit is that my liver enzymes, which have been elevated since they started testing me, jumped some this last time. SO, I've stopped taking my cholesterol med for the next two weeks, and I'll have a liver ultrasound done when I go in for my next appointment on Feb. 6, to make sure nothing serious is going on with IT. I MEAN, when it rains, it pours. LOL! My glucose readings are awesome these days - of course, I really haven't felt like EATING much the past week.... :D But thank you SO VERY MUCH for all your prayers!!!!! Keep 'em coming, dear friends! :D

OK. That's it for me. This is a lot of typing for someone who should be resting. LOL!!!!

GOD BLESS YOU, dear one. He loves you, so very much. Be embraced by Him!!!!

See? I told you I'd be back!

This is Maggie. Isn't she beautiful? She's the reason I didn't have time earlier to blog. Maggie just turned 1, and this is one of her "I'm ONE!" photos. We took a LOT, but I just LOVED the look on her face in this one. You know what she did right after she looked at me like this? She turned around, pulled that coupon out of the top of the magazine, and took a bite of it. I was the ONLY one watching her, and she was checking to see if I was going to stop her from doing something she suspected wasn't proper. :D

Just a QUICK thought here - don't we do the same thing with God often???

OK. :) On to what I really want to talk about today: the movie we saw. The four of us went to see THE GREAT DEBATERS, with Denzel Washington in the lead role. WOW, what a powerful movie - and a powerful performance. I truly enjoyed it; it was about a black college's tiny debate team in the 1930s, and the racial tension they had to overcome. This is the kind of role Denzel should do more often, in my opinion - uplifting, challenging one's thinking and moral stand. He not only starred in it, he directed it - BRAVO, Denzel!! The movie did an incredible job of making you FEEL that racial tension, not SEEING the actual violence for the most part, but seeing the aftermath of it.

I applaud this movie on two fronts. First, as a person who passionately loves words, and the use of them - my degree's in communications, minor in English lit :D - I say BRAVO for a movie that shows the POWER of the spoken word to change opinions, challenge viewpoints, and alter people's lives for the better.

Second, this movie was about more than just racial injustice. It was about the act of civil disobedience. I won't tell you my second absolutely favorite scene of the movie, because it's the highpoint of the movie :D, but I'm HIGHLY recommending this movie for anyone who's not afraid to THINK! :) STRONG support for all thought in the movie, and not just secular support - Wiley College is a Methodist college!

If you go see it, let me know what you think. I'd be very interested!

Goal check! MammyT and Judy have checked in with me this week. Becky? Deby? Let's see. My goals so far: I'm up-to-date with my reading, I've got my Y bag all ready to go Tuesday morning, and I'm being able to spend more time with my family and friends this week already. Of course, that's also partly because I haven't been able to get creative in my studio, but.... :D I think so far, so good!

Gosh, I could go on and on!!!! Girls, do you want me to keep questions about your individual goals between you and me, or post here?

Most of you don't know me before this blog, really, which is great - I'm SO glad God's brought new friends into my life! - but one of the things Kenn and I do is an *almost*-daily devotional "thought for the day". I'm posting today's picture here, but I really want to invite you to email me or leave me a comment and let me know that you'd like to receive the emails we send. I'll put you on the list, and then you can take yourself off it any time you decide! I just feel like it would bless you - God speaks through others a lot, and what we do is take photos of His creation, and allow those photos and His Word - and, most of the time, a hint or two from us :D - to speak to you. Just let me know! :)

OK. I'm going to go put on my PJs. It's been a long day, and I have lots of work to do. :) THANK YOU for reading my book today. LOL!!! I'm SO enjoying sharing with you!

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

Happy New Year!

How did you celebrate last night? I don't want to talk about it - but we've already made plans about what we want to do for New Year's Eve 2008. :D

Don't you love this photo? I leaned out the window of our sun porch to take it. This beautiful reminder of God's love was right around the corner - I just had to look for it. Today, for instance. It's MUCH colder than it's been in the past few days, but it is BEAUTIFUL - the sun is shining, the fountain is bubbling merrily away, the squirrels are playing in the back yard. What a glorious start to the new year!

Well, today starts those "resolutions". I don't believe in them - they're not goals with deadlines, so there isn't a reason to stick with them! :) So, I've got goals for this year.

First, I'm joining with some dear friends in reading thru the Bible in chronological order. I've printed off the whole year, so I can tick them off daily. I am COMMITTED to doing this; I need to, but I haven't had anyone to hold me accountable in the past few years - so I start, then stop, and no one knows or cares. I expect YOU to hold me to it! :)

Next, I am going to make sure my time is used more wisely. I am setting up "office hours" for the photography business, so both my husband and I know when I'm supposed to be working on things for it. I'll be setting up studio time for stamping and creating, and office time for my other businesses, too. I want to get on a schedule, so I don't feel like I'm at everyone's beck and call 24/7. I need to take care of me, too!

And as my last "share" for the day, I am going to get back to going to the Y. As part of taking care of myself, I need to give my body all the tools I can for using insulin and glucose the way it's supposed to! So, I pledge to start going to the Y at least twice a week starting next week, to do my water aerobics. I enjoy them when I'm there, but it's GETTING there that can be difficult! :)

So. Do YOU want to share your goals for this year? It will help to have someone hold you accountable, I promise! Feel free to share whatever you'd like in a comment - or email me privately at pooh0612@aol.com. Let's work TOGETHER! :)

Have a wonderful day, dear friend. Look for the little piece of beauty God put there for you to find!