It's Coming...

Can you feel it? Smell it? Almost taste it? The first sign of it appeared in the stores the other day. Along with the seasonal decorations, the appearance of candy corn reminded me of it. Fall! Football games, long walks in the crisp air, blue jeans and long sleeve t-shirts, and the beautiful changing of leaves. When I stop to think of about it, it really brings about a moment of reflection and thanksgiving.

God has blessed me with so much, and I give Him so little in return. And sometimes I complain about that! Sure, decisions can be difficult at times, and not repaying evil with evil can be so frustrating - almost maddening, yet it comes nowhere near the sacrifice my Father made for me. My humaness wants to get people back or hurt others as they hurt me. However, God's example quickly puts me in my place. Think of how many times we mess up, and as long as we repent of our sins and ask forgiveness, He wipes the slate clean. Yet at times life can be such a struggle, and I know only God can see me through. I am humbled by Him and amazed he would put up with something like me!

So, as God's beautiful creation changes around you and me, I hope it serves as a reminder of God's unchanging love, grace, and goodness. And, as Charles Stanley says, "Another reason believers want to pursue God's ideal ... is God's promise to reward a life of obedience to Him. [...] Your (and mine!) behavior determines the eternal reward you will recieve." See Hebrews 11:6. "God will surely reward us for making choices that please Him." So, if you are currently struggling with how to handle a situation or how to treat a person, hopefully this will provide you with some instruction and motivation for doing the Godly thing. Happy Fall!

(Note: If you haven't figured it out already, this is Abbey. Jeff is out of town teaching a conference.)

A Bit of Home

I came home and checked the mail. Guess what was in there? Well, if you are a visual learner, you probably have already paid attention to the pictures and you know that we had a new Mississippi Magazine and the new Delta Magazine, both from our beloved home state.

Sometimes you just need a reminder of home. There are days when things go a little crazy and you just feel like you need a little home. Well, that's exactly what we got today. We got a little reminder of home. The Mississippi Magazine is one of our favorites, even though I mostly read the ads, just to see if there are any new businesses. We now have a new magazine from Mississippi, the Delta Magazine. I have not read it yet, but I plan on getting to it right after I get done pushing the publish button.

 

Faux Cooking

People at work will be excited tomorrow when they find out that I brought another one of Abbey's special breakfast surprises. They always love it when she cooks.

Instead of just sitting around and watching her cook, I took the opportunity to faux cook. You will notice my hand in the pictures. She did all of the cooking and I just pretended. Do you think that I did a good job pretending?

Today was stressful for Abbey and I so we are pretty tired this evening. 

For the 4th Sunday in a Row!

We went to Demo's after church today because we had to go down to LifeWay to pick up Abbey's car. We forgot that we left it there so we had to go and pick it up. I came home and Abbey went to Wal-Mart for groceries. I took a little nap and then (please forgive me) mowed the yard. I have NEVER mowed the yard on a Sunday and I usually get pretty perterbed at people when they do. However, I really disagree with them mowing the yard while they should be at church.

After I got out of the shower (I have to shower after mowing), we went to look at some land that we think might be good for us. The problem is that we had no idea where we were going. We rode around for a little while, before deciding we would get better directions for the agent. We ate supper at Cracker Barrel.


We came home and I began my Sunday challenge of ironing our clothes for the week. I just finished and now I am a bit thirsty. I don't really think that we have much to drink, because Abbey forgot to buy more cokes while she was at the grocery store. She is cutting apart our leader packs for Sunday School this month.
 

Home Again, Home Again, Diddly Doo!

Weekend Update
1. Abbey met me at work.
2. We park her car on the roof at LifeWay.
3. We get in the Jeep and drive to Memphis.
4. Meet the IL's (including Ava, but not Brookie - Bad Brookie!!) at Red Lobster.
5. Go home and Jeff lays on the couch, while Abbey looks at pictures with FIL, MIL sat away offering additional insights into the some skewed memories Abbey has, Ava looks for pictures to be used in the wedding.
6. We all go to sleep.
7. We all wake up (thankfully).
8. Ava and MIL go to Market.
9. FIL, Abbey and I go to the "Blue Plate Cafe."
10. We drive to Dyersburg.
11. We leave a large donation for the Dyersburg Mission.
12. We see my Uncle Bill, Aunt Betty Jo had already left to a speaking engagement.
13. We see Granny and her new Highlander (which is nicer than ours - WAY nicer and she has never even driven it.).
14. We drive towards Nashville.
15. On the way to Nashville we see a field filled with animals. Not just any animals, there were Zebras, Camels, Boars, Peacocks, Ostriches, Llamas, Dear, Another animal that looks like a Dear but it isn't, and see a sign that says Crocodiles.
16. Go to Target to pick up some "essentials."
17. Meet Wes and Abbie at Pei Wei (YUM!) where we randomly see Danny, Michelle and the girls.
18. Drive home to our house.
19. Go to bed.
20. Good night. 

Ewww! Stitches

I made Abbey cry this morning. It was not on purpose. I had to do it. She had a huge bandage over her stitches and I had to take it off in order to clean the wound. The bandage was way larger than it needed to be, so that meant a lot of skin pulling and stretching on the stitches. She was brave though. I cleaned the wound and put a smaller bandage over it. I had to take the bandage off again tonight and it didn't take nearly as long and Abbey did not cry this time. Tonight, she will sleep without the bandage, so we know for sure she won't be hurting tomorrow. 

Hey, At Least I Got A T-Shirt

Call it a sense of civic duty, call it temporary insanity, or a mild case of amnesia. Regardless of what you want to call it, just know it was NOT A GOOD idea. We had Chick-Fil-A at church tonight. It was really good. We were sitting with Manson, Heather, Marc, and Nancy. Heather asked if we were going to give blood. Feeling an overwhelming sense of "macho-ness" I immediately forgot my past experiences and said, "Sure." Abbey respectfully declined.

Heather and I went to the Bloodmobile where she went in first. She came out soon after, due to some reason that disqualified her from giving blood. I went in, they interviewed me and I sat on the gurney. After digging around in my arm for several minutes, the phlebotomist finally found a vein. I gave my blood and soon the the alarm went off that I had completed my donation. As the tech moved slowly at getting things done, I began to feel queezy.

I told the tech and she propped me up. That didn't help and so they got me a drink. That didn't help and I told them something was about to happen, when all of a sudden, everyone in the bus knew that I had eaten Chick-Fil-A for supper. Yep, I threw up. It wasn't like the last time that I gave blood and I threw up. No, this time there were about 8 people who knew me there to watch the event. Thankfully, one was able to go get Abbey. She got the car and we drove home. Of course, I was in the back seat in my skivvies.

But...I got the t-shirt.
Needless to say, I am going to try VERY,VERY hard to remember next time I feel the need to be macho to just grab and ax and cut down a tree in the woods behind our house!
This is a jar of every flavor of M & Ms that Mrs. Sprinkles got for Abbey today. Ab had a minor procedure this afternoon on her back. Maybe if she'll let me, I'll take a picture of her stitches tomorrow when I clean it and post it on the blog! She seems to be doing okay, just a little sore.

I'm Sleepy

Okay, so I am not asleep in any of these pictures. I thought that it would be good to give you all a little glimpse into what I feel like doing. I was in meetings all day so my mind was completely stretched. I didn't get done until after supper, so that meant that I had to miss our weekly date to Chick-Fil-A. Now Abbey is at a meeting, so I can't be spending time with her. Here I am now watching Big Brother All-Stars all by myself. I think that I might head up to bed in a few minutes, because I am so sleepy. I have already prepared our Sunday School lesson for Sunday, so that is taken care of. I am teaching a conference on Thursday, but I already have everything ready for that. We got a call from our realtor today, but it wasn't to tell us about an interested party, it seems she really likes our kitchen and wanted to know what color it is.

This weekend we are going to go to Memphis and Dyersburg. Ava is going to be in Memphis for market and we will get to see her and the IL's. We haven't been there in quite some time. They are all coming here for Labor Day. I'm glad. It is the first time that Brookie has been to our house. We are going to go to Dyersburg on Saturday to see Abbey's Granny and to see my Aunt Betty Jo. We are also going to be taking a lot of things to the mission! In case you are wondering, they give the best tax write-offs for your stuff. With my change from "self-employed" to regular employment, it could be a little hairy around April 15, 2007 for Landlife.

Some New Pottery

Last weekend, the Spickler's went to Tellico Plains for a nice break. They stayed in what seems to be a beautiful place, and they did a little shopping. Much to our surprise, they did a little shopping for us. They bought us these beautiful pottery glasses that were made by artisan Allen Hampton at Cross Creek Gallery (www.crosscreekgallery.com). It was an extremely thoughtful gift. They even remembered that we are blue pottery people, so they match really nicely with our colors. We have not decided where we will put them, but they are apparently supposed to be as usable as they decorative.
I really like how the artist used two-tone colors of blue. They also have really nice dimples in the sides of the glasses and have little specks of blue shades mixed in the glaze. If your ever in Tellico Plains, you should stop by the gallery. Abbey and I plan on stopping in at some point when we visit.
 

Soda Pop, Loveless Cafe, and Smellin' Watches

This morning we woke up early to go to Loveless Cafe' for some good eating. We went with our great friends, the Spicklers. We all had the country ham and trimmings. It was delicious. Everything is good there, down to the coffee. We enjoyed it immensely. Afterwards, we looked around the shops and then we went to the different shops around the cafe'. We stopped by the Loveless Country Store and got a few cold soda's out of the bottles.

While we were in the Country Store, we looked around at the little knick-knacks and so-and-so's. Those of you who know me, know that I cannot walk past things without touching them in stores. In fact, I feel guilty if I do. Anyway, I saw this canister that looked like it might have a candle in it. I opened it up and to my surprise there was a watch in it. Instead of admiring the watch and putting the top back on it, I proceeded to smell it. It was probably the best watch I smelled all day. I am not sure why I couldn't control my sniffer and prevent this silly act from happening, but it did.



We didn't do a lot today. We took our usual afternoon naps and then went to the Catfish House for supper. Abbey is cooking breakfast for our new Sunday School class (the fifth grade) that we are getting tomorrow. She decided to do a little laundry while it was cooking.
I got to cut out lots of shapes from Scrapbooking paper for one of our activities tomorrow morning. Now we're watching CSI!

1. Too Much Talk About Food or 2. What Counts as Cooking or 3. I Told Her I Wouldn't Like It

1. Abbey says that I blog about food too much. I am sorry, that is an important part of my life. Everything around us is eating. Like today, when I went out to fill up my birdfeeders with seed and realized that the squirrels which I have been seeing a lot of lately, have eaten a whole through the garbage can the seed is in. Oh well, I guess squirrels are just as hungry as birds. I guess I could blog about what we're watching on TV right now, but who wants to talk about "America's Got Talent" when you can talk about food. I do think that "Quick Change" is amazing. I mean, how do they do that?
2. I know that you are tired of hearing about "Super Suppers," but here's one more. I have never liked the way salmon smells. I have never really tried it because it stinks. Anyway, Abbey acted like she just loves it, even though I have never seen here eat it in the 8 years that I have known her. When she wanted to get some from Super Suppers, I told her that was fine, but that I would not eat any. Since she has a natural ability to forget the things I say, it did not surprise me last evening when she told me we were having salmon today. I reminded her that I wouldn't eat it, but I would just eat the sides. Anyway, she cooked the salmon for supper and I tasted it. It was exactly as I had imagined it. I did not like it . The funny thing is, NEITHER DID ABBEY! Now, our kitchen stinks too!
3. Abbey says that I never help in the kitchen, so I want to know, what exactly counts as cooking. I mean, I am always the one that grills the meat. Abbey doesn't even know how to turn on the grill. So, does that count as cooking? Abbey says that it doesn't. I realize that grilling occurs outside the kitchen, but you have to get the food from the kitchen in order to cook it. Also, you bring it back into the kitchen when you're done!

I promise to try to blog about something other than food tomorrow. 

Don't Tell Me What to Eat

I've been talking to a lot people lately about Krystal's hot apple turnovers. I love them. They are so great. they are like the old aplle pies from McDonald's. My beef is not with Krystal though, it is with McDonald's.

Who were they to decide that we should have a baked apple pie? I mean, if people really wanted to be healthy, would they honestly be eating at McDonald's? Oh yeah, I know there are people who get their fruit bowls and their salads, but think about it. If you cut an apple or fix a salad at your house, how long does it take for the apple to turn or the lettuce to wilt? Amazingly, McDonald's "healthy" menu is so healthy, that their foods last forever. My point is this, there are so many preservatives in the "healthy" stuff that it is probably not healthy anymore. So, why can't I have a friend apple pie from McDonald's?

Oh well, I am thankful that Krystal has not decided to force me to eat "healthy" apple pies.

Super Supper, Lunch, or Leftover?

You all know about Abbey's new fascination with the store, Super Suppers. For lunch on Sunday, Abbey fixed Asian Flank Steak, Skillet Corn, Brown Rice, and Buttery Rolls. It was delicious. Tomorrow, I am going to have an encore presentation of the meal for lunch at work in the form of leftovers.

So far, the food has been good, and we have eaten at home a lot more often. The corn was some of the best that I have ever had. The meat was juicy and so flavorful. Even the rice was delicious.
You may have noticed that no blogging occured. That's because I went to Columbus, Mississippi to teach a conference. It was really cool to be back in the Magnolia State. It was also really neat to visit my high school alma mater (Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science). It seemed a lot smaller than it did when I was there.

Tonight, we went ot our usual Tuesday night destinations, Chick-Fil-A and Target. We also found our new bedding set that we are going to get for Christmas, at Linens-n-Things. It is exactly what we were looking for, however, we will be saving a little while in order to buy it. 

There's a Bunny in my BackYard

OKAY, before I go any further, I must clarify something. I found the pictures of the urinals in the previous post on the internet. I did not, nor have I ever felt the need to take pictures of urinals. Now, back to your regularly scheduled blogging.


This morning Abbey cooked breakfast and when I came downstairs there was a bunny in our backyard. Since we have put the birdfeeders out, we have had increasing numbers of bunnies in our backyard. It's fun to see the extra wildlife. Our trees are now fluttering with birds in them. They really enjoy their new food source.

The other day while I was on my way to work, I saw two fawns near the end of our street. Hopefully, they will find their way to our backyard. Wouldn't that be nifty? Enjoy the pictures of the bunny.





 

Some Things Don't Mix

I've been quiet long enough. I have a problem. You may have the same problem, or you may be the offender. I am sick and tired of going to the loo, and someone being on the phone somewhere in my remote vicinity.

I mean, does anybody out there really want to talk to someone while they are "taking care of business?" I know for sure that I don't. And now, things have gotten much worse. With the advent of bluetooth technology, people can pee while talking to their earpiece. That can really through you off if you don't see the earpiece. You might think that the person is talking to you or you might fear the person is a schizophrenic and he is talking to his different personalities.

On the last occasion that I encountered a person talking on the cell-phone while answering nature's call, it was a dude who was trying to smooth things over with his girlfriend. He was trying to calm her by saying, "Don't cry, it will be alright." FLUSH, "Baby, I love you." SOUND OF SINK TURNING ON, "I've got to wash my hands, talk to you later, love you." Now, let me ask the question, do you think you know when you are talking to someone who is, let me see, multi-tasking?

If you think that perhaps it is appropriate to talk on the phone while doing your business, please contact me, and I will try to further help you see how it is not only RUDE, it is not hygenic. 

Anniversary Pottery

I apologize for two posts in one day, however, I forgot when I was posting that I had to post about the pottery. Abbey's dish is the red and black zebra-striped piece. Mine is the picture frame. We're going to put a collage of pictures from our anniversary trip in them. We had a lot of fun at the pottery place. It's a great date spot if there is anybody out there reading, who lives in Nashvegas and needs a great date with their beloved. 

Workin' at Home

Since Abbey cooked supper, I did some of her schoolwork. I typed labels and printed them for her. I even filed them neatly into a new file. Abbey has gone on an organizational marathon. She has been filing and planning for several days now. She is working on her schoolwork now, as seen below. I think that she would be a really fun teacher. She said that her students have already voted (in their words) her as the "coolest teacher." She replied, "I don't really care." Now, how caring is that for a compassionate teacher. I think she did not want to seem like she was flattered. She's got to keep her game face on, right?
As for me, I had a great day at work. I had a presentation to some people and they really liked my ideas. I can't tell you all about it right now, but it is REALLY cool, believe me!

It is really stormy here in Springfield. The rain has really been coming down. We had a delicious "super" supper and now were are watching Big Brother All-Stars. 

A Lull in LandLife

Not much going on this week around here at LandLife. Abbey started school again and I think her classes are going to be good. She is working on getting her lesson plans for next week done.

We went to church this evening. Abbey had a meeting and I went to prayer meeting, for the first time in FOREVER! In fact, the last time I had been to prayer meeting was when we went to Wedgewood Baptist when we first moved to Fort Worth. Since I have been working in the church, I have always had children's programs going on Wednesday nights.

If you read the comments, you will notice that the MIL posted a comment on the posted titled, "Duh." I would like to respond, with "everything is for sale, for a price."