This morning my husband and I loaded the puppies into the truck and headed for the Bluffs. There was a cool breeze, sunshine, and you could see Catalina in the far off distance.

My sweet hubby spent his time soaring with the seagulls while the puppies and I wandered up and down the walk way exploring trees, grass, and leaves and since it was Elmo's first adventure since having his stitches removed. I was just a little bit concerned that his scar might become sun burned.
Since I have no children he and Coco are my substitute babies and I think I may be just a wee bit over protective. My sister says I'm just plain old weird when it comes to my dogs and maybe I am but, a mother has to protect her children whether they're furry or human.

We spent most of the day there then headed home for a much needed nap.

Photo Source "Into the Wild" Website

downloadable wallpaper

The other night my sweet hubby and I took the puppies out for a drive and on our way home stopped by the video store. He had just finished reading a book titled "Into the Wild" and heard that it had been made into a movie.

It's a true story based on the life of a young man who upon completing his college career sets off on a journey to escape from the often harsh realities of life.

Before he set off on his journey he donated what was left of his college fund ($24,000) to a Hunger Foundation then left without telling his parents. He did not want to be found.

His journey took him from back East out to the West, through Mexico, and up into the wilderness of Alaska. What touched me the most about the movie was the kindness and generosity of the people he came in contact with. Everyone was willing to help him out and they were genuinely concerned for his well being.

It was the story of one young man and yet I wonder how many others lives have paralleled his. Children who run away from home never to be heard from again. What pain and agony it must cause their parents. Living with the guilt that they have failed their child in some way.

There was some nudity and foul language here and there, but in spite of that I felt it was a movie worth watching. It didn't have a happy ending but, then sometimes real life situations don't.

Meditate on these things

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,
whatever things are noble, whatever things are just,
whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and if there is anything
praiseworthy-
meditate on these things.

Philippians 4: 8

On my way to work each morning I pass a sign that has random comments about this and that. Some weeks I drive by and I think, "what is that all about!" and other weeks I think, "that's interesting."

Some weeks my husband and I have long conversations about what's been posted and other weeks we just think the sign guy is running out of great things to say.

This weeks sign was different and I've found myself pondering it's meaning quite often over the last few days.

Be careful not to confuse wealth with success!

In today's society a man or woman is usually measured by the amount of money that they make on an annual basis or the things that they accumulate over time but, all of these things are merely temporal. They can go up in a vapor of smoke.

Shouldn't a persons success be measured by the way they treat others or how they hold up in the midst of a crisis? I think so. It's what's in a persons heart that makes them successful.

Memorial Day

The above picture is of the cross that sits atop Mt. Solidad in San Diego. It was placed there as a memorial of the soldiers who have died to protect this great country and what it represents.
This cross has been the center of many court battles as there are some who view it as an object of offense and would like to see it torn down.

You can click on the picture to learn more about the case.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
"by Edmund Burke"

There is never a moment, nor any experience, in the life of an authentic Christian, from the heart of which a prayer may not instantly be sent up to God. And help will instantly come. God is not off in some remote heaven. He is not at the top of a tall steep life-ladder, looking down upon us in disinterested calm, watching us as we struggle upward in pain and tears. He is with each one of us on every part of the way. His promise of His presence is an eternal present tense - "I am with thee." So "thou God seest me" becomes to the believer a most cheering and inspiring assurance. We are never out of God's sight for a moment. His eye watches each one of us continually, and His heart is in His eye. He comes instantly to our help and deliverance when we are in any need or danger.

For further thought read: Genesis 16: 7-14

Taken from : Today, Lord, I will.

Yesterday morning the sky was a little bit cloudy but the weather man said the day would warm up to a perfect 76 degrees. Anything above that is too hot for me. So I slipped into my flip flops and headed out the door to work. As I made the 20 minute drive I could see the sun's rays penetrating through the clouds and imagined that there must be angels ascending and descending on each of them. It looked like the beginning of a beautiful day.

By noon the sky turned black and the heavens opened up to a torrential down pour. I love the rain especially an unexpected one but, my first thought was, " how am I going to make it to my car in these stupid flip flops." My car was parked about 50 feet from the building which isn't a long distance at all but, when you're not accustomed to wearing these slippery little things on your feet it can seem like a mile. Thankfully by the time I was ready to go home it had stopped and all the extra water had run off into the drainage.

This morning I woke up to the news of strange things that happened in the night. We have snow on Mt. Wilson (something that never happens this time of year) and a tornado set down somewhere in the Inland Empire that derailed a train. They say that this storm is going to last all weekend long which puts a damper on our plans but, that's OK with me. Now maybe I'll have time to finish those curtains that I started.

In returning and rest
you shall be saved;
in quietness and confidence
shall be your strength.

Isaiah 30:15

Tell me, O you whom I love,
where you feed your flock,
where you make it rest at noon.
For why should I be as one
who veils herself
by the flocks of your
companions?

If you do not know,
O fairest among women,
follow in the footsteps
of the flock,
and feed your little goats
beside the shepherd's tent.

Song of Solomon 1: 7 & 8

WARNING!
This is not my usual post!
I have something that has been bothering me
and I've decided to write it down.

I work for a non-profit CPC. Otherwise known as a Crisis Pregnancy Center. It's not a popular job and in this day and age it's definitely not politically correct. First I would like to say that we are a Christian based organization that is funded by individual donations, the occasional grant, and some loyal churches. For this we are very thankful.


Our desire is to help women make educated decisions while facing an unplanned pregnancy. We do not believe in abortion but, if a woman chooses to end her pregnancy we will not condemn or judge her for her decision but, we will be there to help her pick up the pieces of her broken heart. And many of them do come back devastated!


That said I can get on with my issue.
In order to gain awareness and support in our communities we often hold fundraisers of various types. This last week we held our 2nd annual FESTIVAL near one of our clinics.
The person in charge of making contacts did a wonderful job but, was very adamant that people not know we were a Christian based organization. It's not exactly P.C. as I mentioned before and he was afraid that if people knew who we were they wouldn't show up. Not only were they not told that we are Christian based but, they were told that we are a family clinic. We do not help families in the sense of helping families but, help women and children. We can provide free diapers, clothing, maternity clothing, formula, blankets, bottles, Dr. appt.'s, ultrasounds, and other resources. All of our services are FREE!


I printed out about 8 thousand fliers that were distributed at local schools, various organizations, and any other place that could be thought of.
The day of the festival all the vendors showed up but, only about 100 people. 100 people out of 8 thousand fliers!
As I sat there watching everything going on around me I thought, "why should the Lord bless an event that He was intentionally left out of?"
I don't think that He should and I don't think it was coincidence that no one showed up.

My Insane Life!

This weekend has been one of those insane weekends and it's not over yet.
Friday morning my sweet hubby left for his men's retreat up in the mountains and I woke up to find my friend Elmo picking at his wound. I jumped out of bed and ran him into the bathroom to see what was going on. It had started bleeding again. Since my boss was out of town and I've turned into a total basket case I decided to take Elmo in to see her vet. I decided that I trust her judgement, she trusts his, so I'll trust his too!

Elmo and I went in for our visit visit and the Dr. said it had to come out. So I left my precious Elmo at the vet and went to see "Prince Caspian" to try and distract myself. What a wonderful movie! The graphics are amazing and of course all the children were delightful. I haven't read the book in about 20 years so I don't remember the exact story line but, I thought it was beautifully done. Monday after work I'll go see it with my husband.

During the movie someone called from the vets office and said Elmo was doing fine and made it through the surgery. THANK YOU LORD! Like I said, I am a basket case.

After picking him up from the vet I had to run to the grocery store to buy cookie mix for Saturdays event..."Festival 2008!" So at 9 o'clock p.m. I'm baking cookies in my kitchen with the leaky oven and it's 92 degrees in the house. I thought I was going to die! Not to mention the fact that I had a splitting headache.

Saturday morning I wake up to my husbands alarm that's set for 4 a.m. with the same splitting headache from the night before. I had to be up at 5:00 in order to be at my friends house by 6:30 in order to be in Pasadena at 7:30. I hope I haven't lost you.
We arrive at the location a little late because I left my 2nd set of directions on the dining room table while my first set was left on my work station at work. This is my life and it is insane!

By the time we arrived I had a full blown headache that no aspirin would cure and the heat was debilitating. By the time 12 o'clock rolled around I could barely move so my gracious co-workers gave me permission to go home and that's exactly what I did. I spent the rest of my day sleeping.

It's now Sunday morning and I have a million things that have to be done.
I have a little one year old cousin who's 1st birthday is today and I still haven't purchased a gift. What do you get a 1 year old? If she were 5 I'd know what to do but, 1.

Then my husband is coming home from retreat while I'm away at the birthday party and my house is a total mess. Usually when I come home from a retreat he has the house spotless. You would think I could show him the same courtesy.
Right this second I'm thinking that I should end this post and get back to house work and all that fun stuff.

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.

This is my little Friend Elmo. He may be small but, he's very brave! Every indistinguishable sound will send him running through the house with his head flung back barking at the top of his lungs. He loves to protect his territory. Actually, I'm not sure if he's protecting or if he's saying, "I'm here! I'm here! Come play with me PLEASE!

The other day I was home when the meter guy came into the back yard while both dogs were out there. I heard little Coco running and barking towards the house but no Elmo so I poked my head out the door and there he was dancing around the meter guys feet just as happy as can be.

This is my little guy who was supposed to have surgery but he didn't.
After leaving the vet with a breakdown of what the surgery would cost I was horrified. I was given two "estimates." One was for the best possible care and the other was for mediocre care. If I wanted the best care for my furry friend it was going to cost me 1200 dollar. But, if I wanted to give him the mediocre care I'd pay only 650 dollars. OI VEY!

So I panicked and called my boss. She's an Indian woman who was a Dr. in India and came to America intending to get her liscence here but, the Lord had other things for her to do. Now she practises Midwifery and from what I've been told she's the best.
Anyway, she looked at the bill, looked at Elmo and said that his abcess was minor. She cleaned it out and packed it with her wonder antibiotic and said to keep it clean. Do I trust this woman? WITH MY LIFE! So I decided to trust her with my dog.
Elmo is doing beautifully and his wound is closing up nicely.
He hasn't missed a single creak or sound through the whole thing.

We should learn to look at the faults of others only through love's eyes, with charity, patience, and compassion. We do not know the secret history of the lives of others about us. We do not know what piercing sorrows have produced the scars which we see in people's souls. We do not know the pains and trials which make life hard to many with whom we are tempted to be impatient. If we knew all the secret burdens and heart-wounds which many carry hidden beneath their smiling faces, we would be patient and gentle with all men.

J.R. Miller (1840-1912)

I woke up this morning at 1:00 am terrified. My sweet Elmo has a giant cyst on his back that has ruptured and he has to go in for surgery next week. I woke up to the thought of, "what if he dies on the table? What if the Dr. can't wake him from the anesthesia?" I had all these thoughts running through my head and felt helpless to stop them. I laid there for the longest time falling prey to my own dark thoughts until a still small voice whispered, "Perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment." How long have I allowed my thoughts to hold me captive to my fears? I think it's been awhile but, it's time to put an end to it!

"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."

James 3:17

For the past eight weeks, LaTeaDah has been hosting a Tea themed Blog-a-Thon that I've been participating in on my other blog. Each week there's a different theme and anywhere from 15-30 participants. There's been great recipes, lots of gorgeous pictures, and plenty of inspiration for hosting your own tea.

You can click on the picture to the left and it will redirect you to her site and don't forget to stop by my Pinkie Teas Blog site while you're there (or here). I hope you enjoy all the fun tea treats!

There used to be a store nearby called Roseville and the first time I went in I saw this painting. I didn't know anything about the story of who she was but, I did know that I loved her from the moment I walked around the corner and saw her hanging there on the wall. She looked so sad and alone in her little world. I looked at the price tag and thought, "Yikes! That's a lot of money to spend on a painting." So I walked away and felt as if I had left behind a little piece of my heart.

A year later I went back into the store and she was hanging on a different wall sadly staring into nothingness but she was 100 dollars less. Still too much to spend on a painting. Every year I would go back and every year she would be moved to a new location and always 100 dollars less than the year before.

One day I drove by the store and they were having a huge sale so I decided to stop in and see if she was there. I found her hanging in a corner but she had been stripped of her beautiful gold gilt frame and reduced to 99 dollars. How I longed to take her home and hang her above my mantle but, came to the conclusion that my husband wouldn't like her. After all she is a little dark looking. Again I left feeling as if part of my heart remained there with her.

When I came home my husband asked me where I'd been so I told him about the store and the painting and that I had wanted her for years but knew that he wouldn't like her. A week later I came home from school to find a large wrapped gift sitting on the couch and immediately knew what it was. It was my painting of the Lady of Shallot. My husband had stopped by the store to look at it and left. I was right, he thought it was too dark but then he decided to go back and buy it for me because he knew how much I loved it.

She has been hanging above my mantle for the past eight years and every time I look at her I'm amazed by the depth of emotion that she stirs in me. Her story is truly a tragic one.

My husband and I stopped by a garden tour today after church. It's an annual event that is held all over Southern California. Some of the gardens are as far away as San Juan Capistrano and go all the way to La Verne.

The tour was started by a woman named Mary Lou Heard who donated the proceeds to a Local Battered Woman's Shelter. Several years ago Mary Lou died of cancer and in her honor they've kept the tour going and have also started a foundation in her name. If you would like more information on her and this years tour "click here"

We stopped at only two gardens as my hubby was hungry and wanting to stop at the Blue Frog, a delightful little sandwich shop in the Orange Circle.

The English gardens surround a darling little Craftsman style home complete with a dreamy little enclosed porch filled with beautiful rose fabric pillows and potted plants.

Enjoy the pics!

God uses the ordinary

to reveal the extraordinary