Birthday wisdom & various photobombs & selfies

April 30, 2015April 30, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

It was my birthday. My Daddy called to say he wanted to take me out. Well, you don’t have to tell me twice. We selected a restaurant. Then me & some of my other peeps met up with him. You should know everything we do revolves around eating. I don’t know if that’s a Southern thing or we just like to make sure we are doing our part to keep farmers in business.

There was this girl who was supposed to be taking birthday snapshots. However, sometimes she was taking pictures of herself. Which is ok. Because she is really pretty.

Then, there was this cutie. I don’t know what she was doing. Just entertaining herself with selfies I suppose.

Pure

Entertainment

There were some pictures of me & my honey by the lake. Hey, who is that standing on the picnic table?? What’s the big idea??

Here is another picture of us. Wait, do you see the little girl sticking out from behind my honey? She’s waving. This is what happens when you have silly kids. You will never have another good picture again.

That is unless you can get them both in the picture at the same time. Don’t they look like angels?

Then here we are again. Still trying to get a good picture. Not that ya’ll care, but the wind was blowing like a tornado was coming through. My hair was everywhere.

Here’s this guy again. Miss Neenee says she loves him a lot.

Pretty sure he loves them a lot, too.

He is always in the mood to give advice. I was telling EA that night that I had found a way for her to save her money & have $2 million by the time she retired. In which Daddy advised her:

“Don’t save your money. When you get that age, you won’t feel like doing anything. Do everything you want to do, while you are young. While you can. Anyways, $2 million dollars won’t be that much by the time you retire anyway.”

I think he was trying to get across to her this:

James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

Life is short at best. We should make sure we take care of our problems the best we can & be ready always. I also think he was trying to make sure she understood money & earthly possessions are not important. They will all deteriorate in time.

Matthew 6:19- 21 says

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Daddy has always made it clear what the Bible says about what is important. I’m glad he takes the time to tell my kids about these life lessons. Pretty thankful for my Daddy. We laugh a lot when we are together. Sometimes so much it’s hard to get our picture. And by the way, this is one of my favorites right now:

I hope you have had a great week. It humbles me to know how blessed beyond measure I am. Count your blessings. They are everywhere! Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

Easter throwback

April 9, 2015April 9, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Easter circa 1976

Easter circa 1977

I know, I know. Easter is over. I had to share this with ya’ll, though. Because, Easter is always so exciting. Especially as kids. The receiving of the proverbial Easter Basket from the Easter Bunny himself. The Easter Frocks which always were accompanied by white gloves & a hat. The coloring of the Easter Eggs. Ahhh.. it was a wonderful time.

On Easter Sunday, we always went to church & then to my grandparents house. Looking back, I can remember, one particular Easter when the weather was not very agreeable. All of the grandkids had assembled at my Mamaw & Papaw’s house after church. We ate our lunch with

Easter circa 1985. My brother in his Rico Suave phase. My cousin in her cuteness phase. Me in my homegirl big bow stage, wearing my Mamaw's dress. Sadly, not true.

Easter circa 1985. My brother in his Rico Suave phase. My cousin in her cuteness phase. Me in my homegirl big bow phase, wearing my Mamaw’s dress. Sadly, not really.

a heavy heart. How were we supposed to hunt Easter Eggs with it pouring rain outside? We must have looked pretty downtrodden.

Because low & behold Easter was not going to be terrible & disappointing!

Somebody suggested we hunt Easter Eggs in the house. Now, let me remind you, this was the early 80s. If plastic eggs were popular back then, well, we didn’t have any. I don’t know what possessed Mamaw to let us hide Easter Eggs in her house. But ya’ll, she did & we were very delighted to say the least. Because Mamaw had just saved Easter.

We hid & hunted eggs all afternoon. It wasn’t as fun as being outside, but not much of anything ever was. Anyway, a good time was had by all & that was that. Or so we thought. Fast forward about 6 weeks….my Mamaw was milling around the house & heard something back in the bedroom. Walking back to her room, she smelled the awfulest smell she had ever smelled. She got back to her room & started looking around. She could not, for the life of her, figure out what was going on. So, she started looking through her dresser, her vanity, her closet, & her chifferobe. That’s when she realized what had happened. One of our Easter Eggs had not gotten found & it exploded in her chifferobe.

Oh. My. Word. Ya’ll.

MAMAW’S UNDERWEAR DRAWER HAD A ROTTEN EGG IN IT.

Not just any rotten egg. An EXPLODED rotten egg. Needless to say, she washed & washed her unmentionables for no reason. Because the smell would NOT come out. In our family, word of Mamaw’s underwear got around pretty quickly. Each of us grandkids were sternly questioned as to

“WHO IN THE WORLD hid the egg in Mamaw’s DRAWERS drawer???”

I don’t readily recall who the final culprit was. EXCEPT I knew with ALL my heart, this time, I was not to blame for ANY of it.

The guilty party was in this group of Easter Egg hiding kids.

The guilty party was in this group of Easter Egg huntin’ kids.

Mamaw was not too thrilled to have to throw away all her undergarments. And she did declare, no more Easter Egg hiding in the house. I am QUITE sure my Papaw was laughing to himself, at all of this. He would have had to of been silently dying inside. If Mamaw would have thought for an instance this was humorous to Papaw, well, that would have NEVER done. She did not intend that she ever did anything for him to laugh at her about. But, sometimes those moments just came. Especially with us being her grandkids. So, there you have it. Reason 27 why we will never hide Easter Eggs in my house. I know, I am a mean ol’ Grand.

Here are some other thoughts for today:

Psalms 18: 1 I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
²The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
³I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.(NKJV)

We should strive to have a rock solid faith of trust & that the Lord will take care of us, no matter what. We need to remember, no matter what is going on in our lives, at the end of the day God is still in control. No matter how worthless I may feel or how dim the outlook may be, I need to forever remember I truly matter to the God of love, truth, & hope. No pain lasts forever. No evil triumphs in the end.

I hope all of you had a blessed Easter. It was overcast, for us. However, we still got out & hid eggs. The grands ran amuck. They played t-ball, too. Each of the boys had a new ball & bat. Which really didn’t matter if it were new or not. When they started hitting each other in the face & head with them, they didn’t care if that bat were old or new. It still hurt! Not much crying. A lot of “stand back” & “watch out” & “it will be your turn in a minute” was said. My little Miss Priss grandbaby played in the wagon while we were outside. All & all I would say it was a wonderful day. My Daddy came to be with us. He had preached at a local church, Sunday. He stopped by to eat & watch the kids hunt eggs. Then, as is his duty, retired home to study his lesson for Sunday night. Not before he ate a dog’s bait of the scrumptious pork loin my sweetie smoked. But, he was not by himself. We all did. Until next time I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

As much as we try to separate these two, they seem to always end up together.

The best picture of me & the grandboys. Mr. Sweetie Pants kept trying to run off, thus, the death grip I have on him.

Pretty sure this one was the same age as the grands, say yesterday. I love this face.

One last Easter throwback with my eldest & his big ol Easter Bunny circa 1999.

Credits- Our Daily Bread author Philip Yancey

Learning to trust & can I get a marshmallow peep?

April 2, 2015April 2, 2015 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

I can remember when I was little, if I was scared, I would run & hide behind my mama. This was mostly when I had maybe perhaps done something to my brother. He would chase me & I knew, if I could find mama, I would be ok. I can remember her saying to him,

” You have to be good to her. She’s the baby. You have to show her how a big brother acts.”

(This was promptly followed by me poking my head out from behind her sticking my tongue out at him.) And oh MY word ya’ll, if that hasn’t been a reality check for ME in life. Because, you know what? People aren’t always nice to me. And they really don’t care if I’m the baby or not. But my sweet mama used this tactic to try to get us to behave. I can remember her having to stand in between me & my brother & I would hold on to her just as tight as I could. I always trusted her & whatever I did, if I could get to mama, she would take care of me. No matter if I were right, wrong, or indifferent. I had that wonderful, special trust.

Do you ever have troubles? Sometimes problems arise from a wrong choice or decision that you’ve made. At other times, you don’t really have to be responsible for any of it & here it comes. Either way, problems in life are just plain unwanted. What makes an incredible difference in bad situations? How you handle it. We can be afraid, angry, disappointed, or have a multitude of emotions. We might start to ask God, “Why me? Why us? Why this?”However, we can trust, in the middle of all the heartache, that:

1. The Lord will not leave you. Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”(NKJV)

2. The Lord will take care of you. I Peter 5:7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Things may not be exactly like you think they ought to be. However, there are times the Lord takes care of us in a way we don’t understand. Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. If we only go to Him & trust Him, He will help us, period. He will NOT leave us hanging out to dry.

3. The Lord will turn tragedy into blessings. One of the worst things that has ever happened to me is my mama’s sickness & untimely death. I will Never. Get. Over. It. But you know what? God has blessed our family with deeper love for each other. He sent people to help us through our hard times. We always had someone we could depend on, around us. He has caused me to appreciate life & to remember the wonderful example my mama left for us. I realize that for 30 years, I had a precious mama. Some people don’t have that. Some folks have never known their mother or don’t have a Christian mother. I was very fortunate to have had that. I can pass along those qualities to my children & family. I have a hope that I will be with her again one day. Until then, I have got to keep on keepin’ on.

John 16:22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.(NKJV)

The Lord is always working behind the scenes for us. We just have to trust in Him. We readily accept good from Him. As a part of life, sometimes we will have to accept bad, too.

Job 2:10 Shall we indeed accept good from God & shall we not accept adversity?(NKJV)

Life goes on. Even in awful circumstances. It’s ok to grieve the loss of a loved one, to get down & depressed about an erring child, or to feel like no one has any idea what you are going through. Those are human feelings. We just can’t unpack our bags & live in the land of desperation. There are times we get stuck going through the struggles of life. Just like a big ol’ tractor pullin’ a truck out of the ditch, the Lord can send people to help. Let them. I have said it once & will say it again & again. Folks, we are all in this big ol’ mess called LIFE together. We have to depend on each other. I hope you are at a point in your life you have finally relented to this fact. It makes things so much easier knowing you have people, who care about you. Isn’t it wonderful to know we don’t have to go through trials alone? We always have the Lord there with us. He can do things for us no one else can. We just have to simply trust. Is there a struggle in your life today? Pray about it. Seek others to help you. Look to the Lord for comfort.

The psalmist David said in Psalms 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. (NKJV)

I’m not saying your problems will vanish overnight. I am saying you will be able to bear whatever it is, until things are better. You will find peace of mind. Only if you are willing to trust. God’s love never fails. We must give Him a chance to show us that. Whenever I am facing something hard in life, I have to remind myself, there’s someone out there who has a worse situation than I do. There’s always something to be thankful for. Maybe it’s that things aren’t as bad as they could be. No matter what, I have to be thankful for a loving God I can depend on. It’s hard to see the other side of trials sometimes. We just have to remember to slow down & take things day by day & trust the Lord to take care of us. In times like those, we don’t know what we need. We have to let the Lord handle our needs. He’s good at that. Just like the trust that my mama was going to make everything all better, God can do the same thing. Even bigger & better. Promise.

I am so glad you came by to visit me today. Goodness gracious, I about got too serious & heavy hearted with all of this. But sometimes it’s just that way, ya know? This Sunday is Easter. I sure hope you have your Easter frocks ready for church. My grandbaby girl is going to look so sweet. If you see her, you will be tempted to eat her with a spoon. I would discourage any of that. She has a tad of a mother hen for a mama. My Miss Neenee is ready all but the shoes. We will be getting those this week. Oh the fun! The kids & grandkids will be coming over after church. We will be dying eggs, hiding eggs, running around chasing kids, eating good food, & oh the Easter candy. There is nothing that suits me more than a marshmallow peep. Until then, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: graphicsfairy, pinterest

A shout out to my favorite stores

March 25, 2015March 25, 2015 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

I know Christmas is way over. However, I wanted to give a shout out to some remarkable merchants out there. Since I broke up with Wal-Mart or Walmart or Walmarts (as my Mamaw called it) my cash flow has been much more flowy-er. You can read about that here.

Just want to give a public & personal thank you to the following stores:

Kmart

Dollar Tree

Walgreens

Dollar General (which my Mamaw called the General Dollar Store)

Thank you, understanding merchants, for not having a maximum time you can visit your store, in a few days period. Thank you for allowing me to patronize your store every time, which seemed like I had just left your store, & then I remembered something I forgot. For the nine days I was off work at Christmas, I shopped just like it was my job. You allowed that. No questions asked. After I went back to work, one of your dear employees probably was chatting at break with a fellow coworker & said

“You know that lady we saw in here so much that one week during Christmas time? I have not seen her in a while.”

That’s because I have to face reality and go back to my real job. But thanks for not judging me.

And I can’t not say something about these folks without mentioning Kroger. Listen ya’ll, Kroger has been a life changer for me. They give you free stuff. Not just once or twice a year. Every. Single. Week. Just for shopping with them. They give you a free item every Friday. You just have to get online & download the freebie. When you check out, you give them your Kroger Card & it adds up on your ticket to be FREE. They also GIVE you in FREE UNITED STATES DOLLARS $.10 or $.20 off of each gallon of gas your purchase. That truly makes me weepy. I drove a gas guzzling Suburban for years. Only to trade into a Ford Focus that gets 75 miles to the gallon. Well, maybe not that much. But after spending my kid’s inheirtance on gas for that Suburban, it sure does seem that way. (Sorry kids. I know you thought you got all that shuttling around for free.)

And I can’t say something about Kroger without mentioning the lovely Katie at Kroger Krazy. That sweet girl just wants everybody to save money. If she lived closer to me, I know we would be tearing the Kroger store down together. Her blog is chocked full of life changing, game changing, deals. I love Kroger Krazy. Anybody that wants to do all the leg work for me, hey, we are friends for life. (Katie, you may or may not want to put out a restraining order on me right now, ha!) Seriously, this is a wonderful resource for anybody that want to save money.

My next new store to patronize & love is Dirt Cheap. Let me just say I bought a BUNCH of clothes for my Grand Baby Girl for not a lot in there. We are talking Target brand shirts for Dirt Cheap. EEEKK! I get happy all over again just thinking of it. And, too my daughter was a page for the Senate one year & got to meet the owner of Dirt Cheap. He was some sort of government official. He was a really nice man & held in high regard by his peers. I like doing business with nice people.

Some people may view my thriftiness as cheap. No, no, no. There is a difference. I seek out bargains, but will spend the big bucks when needed. As I get older, I realize, when it comes to my purchases, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. (Don’t get PETA after me. It’s just a Southern expression meaning there’s more than one way to do something.) With a little time & effort, you don’t have to pay full price for stuff. I do think it kinda my responsibility to take care of my home & the people there in. Just like the woman in Proverbs 31. I love this passage because I believe this is still a wonderful example laid out for us today.

Proverbs 31: 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. (NKJV)

If you get the chance, reading the whole passage about the virtuous woman, will truly bless your heart. (Proverbs 31:10-31) It always inspires me to be better. I have been blessed to be acquainted with some of the most wonderful virtuous women ever. My Mama, Mamaw, Mama Boyce, & mother-in-law are the ones that come to mind. They all were wonderful examples that I try to pattern my life after. My Mamaw & mother-in-law would be tickled to death to see me saving money at the grocery store. They both LOVED a bargain.

Mamaw & Mama

I hope you have gotten some use out of this little blog post today. I know I love to shop. But I don’t think I have to spend ALL my money. Until there’s another sale at the dollar store, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: walgreens, dollar tree, dollar general, http://www.krogerkrazy.com , Kroger, Dirt Cheap

Memory loss, the time change, & many other things that make you fretful at 40-ish

March 11, 2015March 11, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

It goes without saying, everybody has their ups & downs in life. I was just talking to a good friend of mine the other day about us being in our 40s. If you have not gotten to your 40s yet, let me just say IT’S NO WALK IN THE PARK PEOPLE. Things that you never really dream of or understand starts happening to you. You start to be more conscious of your over all well-being, because to be honest, it clearly becomes more of an issue.

For example, I used to could live with my contacts or live without them. I didn’t have to wear them if I didn’t want to. Now, it is a real problem if I don’t have them in. When I’m driving, luggage racks on top of vehicles start looking like a set of lights like the state troopers have. If I meet a car on the road with one of those, let me tell you how much I obey all the traffic laws. All in the name of poor vision. Could this be from being in your 40s?

Then, there is my memory. I don’t know where it goes. The other day my daughter & I were shopping. I kept saying I was going to wait to buy shampoo at Kmart because it was probably cheaper there. Miss Neenee exasperatedly reminded me several times,

“Mama, we ARE in Kmart.”

“You know I mean Kroger.” I said. Repeatedly .(May I insert here Mamaw referred to these stores as Kmarts & the Kroger. I will never forget that.)

Later on that day, we were talking & I said,

“Riddle me that, Batman.”

She said, “What does that even mean?”

I commenced to relive the torturous Riddler in Batman & how he always spoke in riddles to Batman. Then, it hit me. I could quote dialogue from movies upwards of 25 years ago, but just a short time ago that day, I didn’t know if I was in Kmart or Kroger. It’s being in your 40s.

And don’t even get me started on the time change. I don’t know why it’s so hard, but the struggle is real, ya’ll. I have a morning disorder, anyway. It’s all I can do to get up & get around. This ain’t helpin’ me none. Make the time & leave it. Seriously, enough with the time change. This must be from being in your 40s.

Digestive woes. Do you remember the Andy Griffith episode where Andy & Helen were broke up & Barney had fixed him up with another girl? They were going with Barney & Thelma Lou to Mt. Pilot to eat. They kept naming off places & Andy’s date couldn’t eat at any of them. She couldn’t eat Chinese because “Cabbage laid on her chest.” That was like the funniest thing to me. Until I got my own list of foods that have less than desirable effects. We just have a mutual understanding (me & these kinds of food that is) If I eat this, then that happens. Why? Just why? I have always had a stomach of cast iron steel up until a couple of years ago. Yup, it’s being in your 40s.

But there are some good things that come from being in your 40s. Here’s a little list (I love a list):

You don’t put up with a lot. You make a decision on what you want to take & what you don’t. Then, you plan accordingly.
You come to the reality that life is short. You begin to appreciate the loved ones you have, even more. James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. (NKJV)
After a stressful day, one begins to realize the power a Samoa (or Caramel Delight, just depends on where you are) can have over you. It just purely changes your whole demeanor. Those Girl Scouts just have my heart.
Pajama time becomes a real thing. Pajama time can start when I get home from work & given it is a weekend, can last until I go to church on Sunday. After church, back to pajama time.
You begin to have more understanding & empathy for others. Biggest reason is because you need more understanding & empathy from others. Times come when you clearly are confident enough to step back & say, “I am being ridiculous.” This is where other people’s grace comes in, for us. BOY, DO I NEED THAT! Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.(NKJV)
You know who you are, who your friends are, & know you do not have to deal with toxic relationships. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
It occurs to you, what you have is just plenty. Worldly possessions are not all they are cracked up to be.

(Matthew 6:19-20) “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (NKJV)

And there ain’t no way I am sending my soul to torment over greed & jealousy of what someone else has. I’m not sacrificing my family time nor my ethics to gain more either. You become just plain thankful for what you have. Which takes me to my last one

8. You know what’s important. You take care of that & everything else just falls into place.

On other note, my Miss Neenee had Flu B (just in time for Spring Break). She had RSV about 3 weeks ago. She’s not really gotten past all of that, until this happened. She has been around several people who have had the flu. She was just patiently waiting her turn. She’s a sweetie like that. My grandson, Mr. Sweetie Pants, had it, too.

Speaking of which, we made our very own laundry detergent, this weekend. Here he is being a big ol’ helper.

While I was snapping a couple of pictures of him, He said, “Grand, take my picture doing this.”

Such a good boy to help his Grand.

And by the way, if you want the recipe for the detergent it is below.

2 bars of soap (We used Olay Sensitive Skin, since we have some folks at home that require special attention. Like not having dry skin & recurring skin related rashes)

2 cups of Borax

2 cups washing soda

1 canister Purex Crystals or Downy Unstoppables (which I just now saw on the internet you are supposed to put the Purex Crystals directly in the drum of the washer. I don’t think it will hurt anything. I guess the smell will last longer putting it right into the washer instead of the soap dispenser. But we just mixed it in with everything else)

Grate the soap in a bowl. Measure & add all the other ingredients. Mix together. You only need ¼ cup of this for each load. It smelled so good!

Thank you for stopping by to visit with me today & read through my randomness. You make my day brighter!! Hope you are having a good week. Always remember wherever you are God it there to take care of you. Until next time, I should be going because I should be washing clothes.

The time I thought I was wrong & how ’bout them single digit temperatures???

February 19, 2015February 19, 2015 / kstrick7 / 1 Comment

The other day Miss Neenee posed this question:

“Mama, how long have you been out of school?”

I did my best mental math guess & said quickly,

“25 years.”

“Wow,” she said. And then our morning carried on with other scurrying around, trying to get ready, so that I could get her to school on time so that she wouldn’t thus again, be the only 5^th grader to ever have detention in the history of 5^th grade detention for being late. (Which is at the top of my list in my book of

“Things In Life That Are CLEARLY Ridiculous.”

Giving elementary school students detention for something they OBVIOUSLY have no control over is down right awful. What kind of people do that stuff to little kids? At no time has an elementary student, who does not live within walking distance to a school, EVER been able to get themselves to school. In my neck of the woods, someone either gets them ready & puts them on a bus or drives them in a vehicle.

SPOILER ALERT to ALL PRINCIPALS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS & ANYONE WHO HAS AUTHORITY TO MAKE RULES & HAS HATE FOR LATE PEOPLE:

Kids cannot drive themselves to school.

Thus having to be at the mercy of people who can drive & will drive them to school. Who may perhaps have a time management issue or a morning disability. Believe me people when I say mornings are hard. They just are & I declare that there is a real disease or virus or something that hits some people every morning. The symptoms of this non-fatal sickness is irritability, being disoriented, the ability to not be able to control how many times you hit snooze, & lateness. If you haven’t ever heard of it, well, now you have. You are welcome. It’s not really catching. However, for those of us that suffer from it, getting out of bed may be the worst thing that has happened to us all day. For me, this is not something new. I have been this way my entire life. Even though I know & hope I will be able to wake up daily. Still. Hard. Stuff. Don’t judge me. Just know this is the world I live in.)

Ahem! You can’t see me, but I am now stepping down off of my soap box.

To the story at hand: After I got to work, I got to thinking about it. Wait a minute. There’s no way I could be out of school for 25 years. I thought about it again. I’ve only been out of school 15 years.

Oh my WORD. (Which is evidently something I say too much because my grandson has started saying it, to my daughter’s dismay.)

I have given incorrect information to my sweet daughter, who unbeknownst will work this into every conversation she has, because 25 years is like 100 years to an 11 year old. How could I have been THAT wrong?

So, for the best part of my day, I could not get it off my mind how my wrong date of high school graduation was being put out there for everybody to know. I mean seriously. I would have to correct this as soon as I could. I thought about having a fake emergency so that I could ask the school secretary to get Miss Neenee out of class, to call me before too much damage was done. But I didn’t.

Then, it happened. Later on in the day, it occurred to me they make these where I come from.

I could just recap my accurateness of my tenure out of high school. So, 2015 minus 1990 equals…

Well, you know the rest. It was a pretty big shock to me, too. Not that I haven’t attended my 20^th year class reunion, well a few years ago. That never crossed my mind AT ALL. So, it ends up, I was not wrong at all. I am old & most days can pretty much vouch for feeling it, as well.

Is forgetfulness a bad thing? Not really. As I get older, I tend to forget how much I am wronged. I forget how to be angry all the time. I forget to let things weigh on my mind. I forget to be judgmental. (Thank you Lord, for letting me get past that one.)

The Hebrew writer said Jesus is good at forgetting, too.

Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (NKJV)

The psalmist said in

Psalms 103: 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. (NKJV)

Thank goodness the Lord is a good forgetter. That works out real well for me.

I hope you are having a wonderful week. It has been COLD here in northeast Mississippi. Pretty sure somebody left the freezer door open outside last night. It was a blustery 12 degrees at my house this morning. No Southerner is really prepared for that. Bring on spring is all I can say. Until then, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

My favorite love story & I sure hope I get some chocolate for Valentine’s Day

February 11, 2015February 11, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Valentine’s Day is just right around the corner. Do you have plans? I know lots of people celebrate their love this time of the year. I think that’s great. However, showing your love for someone should be all about how you live every day. Because you never know when the other person may be gone. Which brings me to one of my most favorite love stories of all. The one about my Mama & Daddy. I will try my best to not let this be drawn out. I will also ask your patience as I squall like a baby the whole time I am telling this.

As most of you know, my mother passed away in 2002 from complications of Multiple Sclerosis. Leading up to that, I have to tell you, she was so sick. My Daddy had some choices to make. He could either stay around & try to take care of her the best he could or he could tuck tail & run as fast as he could. Well, he hung around.

Up until her sickness, they had been that couple. You know the ones. The ones that had it all together. The ones that people went to for help. The ones that were always there to support others. The ones that loved everybody. They were “the preacher & his wife”. Don’t get me wrong. Just like any couple, they had their problems. But in the end, they were right there for each other.

My Daddy got the job as caregiver far too early. When Mama was hurting & sick & tired of it all & she would call him to her bedside to pray for her, she would say,

“Just pray. Pray for me to go.” Well, good grief. Most people would have fell apart right there at such a request.

My Daddy has always been the positive one. He would say,

“You shouldn’t say that. Just think of all the treasures you are laying up in heaven.”

Confused at where he was going with this, she replied,

“What in the world are you talking about?”

“Well, “ Daddy explained. “you being sick, has been a blessing to others. Just look at all the good deeds people have done because of you. Our friends & family are here all the time, bringing food, paying visits, calling to see if you need anything. You are helping people to store up treasures in heaven.”

With that, she said, “Then store you up some treasures in heaven & go get me a bowl of ice cream.”

Daddy would get her ready for church, pick her up, put her in the van, & push her in sitting in a wheelchair. Some Sundays when Daddy finally made it to church with Mama, he would be exhausted. But he never complained. He worked 3 jobs so that he could make enough to pay for Mama’s medical expenses.

He got up every morning & made her breakfast before he set out on his 1^st job. Not something frozen, warmed up. Homemade biscuits, scrambled eggs, sawmill gravy, bacon, country ham, or sausage & fresh brewed coffee.

Daddy learned, from Mama, how to make the best biscuits in the world. He would be in the kitchen hollerin’ how much of what needed to go in the bowl. And she would be telling him, from the bedroom, how to make a well out of the flour & put the liquid ingredients in the middle of the bowl. That’s how my Daddy learned how to make the buttermilk biscuits, I would put them up against any granny’s out there. They. Are. That. Good.

When she finally had to go in the nursing home, he went to see her EVERY day. She had fresh flowers in her room, from him, at all times. On Daddy’s request, the manager at the local Hardee’s would make sure Mama had a smoked sausage & biscuit, day or night. If anything was wrong or amiss, it was my Daddy’s name my Mama was calling. When you ask Daddy how he did it all, he will kindly tell you he didn’t have to do it. He got to do it. Mama & Daddy loved each other before she got sick. But their real love story came after she got sick. That’s when the rubber met the road, so to speak. When the cream rose to the top. That’s when it really counted. It was a true, Godly love they had.

The one God said was between a man & woman.

My Daddy stepped up, out of love & honor, for my Mama. And she let him. That’s my favorite love story.

Lord have mercy, I am an emotional wreck after all that. But it’s ok. I wanted to share it with you all. Now that I’ve bawled my eyes out, I should feel better. I hope you have a beautiful Valentine’s Day. One with chocolate & the like. I should be getting some chocolate. When I say should be, I mean hope someone gets me some because, if I don’t receive any, I will be purchasing some. Just for the comradery of it all. Here’s wishing you chocolate kisses & Russell Stover heart shaped candy boxes filled with chocolates this Valentine’s Day. Until I get my own Valentine’s candy, I will be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: http://www.mydiaryyourstory.blogspot.com,www.raleigh.corpcaterers.com, http://www.diyready.com

Reba sings & the storms of life

January 28, 2015January 27, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

I was driving along in my car, listening to my radio. A song by Reba McEntire came on. The longer I listened to it, the more I liked the message. It just spoke to me. You know things just do that sometime. You can read about how sometimes cooking shows speak to me here. Anywhoo, this song was called “Walk on”. Here are some of the lyrics:

Oh ain’t life wonderful

When everything is right

But sometimes wonderful

Can fall apart sometimes

When your troubles knock you down

Pick yourself up off the ground

And walk on, walk on

Nothing ever stays wrong that long

Walk on

Oh don’t, don’t just stand there in the storm

Walk toward the light till you find the sun

You’ll be better off in the long run

And walk on…..

Have you ever been in a storm in your life? Mama always told me this about life,

“Life is a battle. You are goin’ into one, in the middle of one, or comin’ out of one. If things are good right this minute, get ready because something’s bound to happen.”

I know she was relating to this verse.

I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Many times problems come our way, that are just out of our control. We have to go through a storm that we never created. We need to realize, like the song says, “Nothing ever stays wrong that long.” Oh, I mean, you can have a bad day, week, month, or year, but it all go away at some point. I have learned I am going to have problems. It’s all in how I handle them. How I act. How I treat others, that will make me grow in a positive direction.

Something else the song mentions is “don’t just stand there in the storm.” When troubles come our way, we have got to keep moving toward the positive. Finally, we will reach the other side. That’s where we will get some rest & be able to better help someone else through a trial. Ain’t that all it’s about? Serving others & being a light- even when your light may get dim. We have to keep going, so that we can continue to live for the Lord. Jesus will always be our security & He will always be there for us.

Psalm 9:9

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble. (NKJV)

What is your struggle today? Whatever it is, please don’t let it get you down. Keep on moving through the hard time. Before you know it, you will be on the other side of it, with a brand spankin’ new perspective. Pray for the ones who are having a hard time. There are a couple of people, that I will never get over passing away. I miss them everyday. So, take time out to remember in prayer, those who miss their loved ones. And a totally random note about Reba- when Miss Neenee was about 4 years old we would watch the t.v. show “Reba”.

One day, Miss Neenee yelled from the living room,

“Mama come here!”

With a tone of urgency in her voice I went quickly. When I got there, she was watching a video of Reba McEntire. She said in her most surprised southern voice,

“Mama, Reaba sangs!”

Funny, it never occurred to me she knew Reba as an actress & not a singer.

Thank you for stopping by to visit with me today. I have enjoyed having you here. As for me, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: pinterest, http://www.hollywoodallstarz.blogspot.com,www.famousbase.com,www.fanpop.com

Super Bowl Snacks

January 27, 2015January 27, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

The Super Bowl is this Sunday. As in this Sunday. Wasn’t Christmas just yesterday, or something? I don’t know about you, but time is not waiting around. We normally do our couch-gate thing. It usually goes something like lots of chips, dips, finger food kinds of things. And I just found out who was going to play. It really doesn’t matter. Any reason to eat is just fine with me. I have been looking around to see what will be on the menu for this year. Here are some yummy things I may try:

Well, this looks a little complex. I may not try this, this year. But I thought it was totes adorbs or totally rad or awesome sauce or whatever it is that you say now a days when something is to your liking.

How cute is this cookies & cream cheese football from http://www.getcreativejuice.com?

Chocolate covered strawberry footballs. Where do they get this stuff??

Now, that’s my kinda couchgating food.

Who doesn’t want a snack stadium at their Superbowl Party??

Whether you are a Patriots fan or a Seahawks fan, hopefully, you can find something on this post to make your Superbowl Party, well, super. I hope you have had a great week. Things have been busy around the house. Getting ready for some company this weekend. Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: http://www.closetcooking.com, http://www.skinnymom.com, http://www.getcreativejuice.com,www.babble.com, http://www.buzzfeed.com,www.mymommystyle.com

What I didn’t do this year & what I did

December 30, 2014December 30, 2014 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

How was everybody’s Christmas?? I can’t believe it’s the end of 2014. This time of the year we all begin to reflect. We reflect about the year that has past. We think about the things we did well & the things we could have done better. Here are a few things that may or may not be a complete list of how I did not accomplish everything I set out to do in 2014.

1. We did not go on vacation. Vacations take money. Having food, clothing, shelter & transportation takes money. Can I hear an amen?? Sometimes you have to think about it,

“Shall I eat crumpets on the terrace in a Parisian like setting, sipping tea from a bone china cup, with my pinky up in the air, speaking in a British accent or keep my power on at home?”

Decisions, decisions.

2. I did not get a publishing deal for writing the most empowering & inspirational blog articles. Doesn’t everyone, who has a blog, feel like one day- a major publisher is going to be scanning the blog world for awesome content & stumble upon their blog? The said publishing company will automatically want to strike a deal & sign the blogger on. From that point on, all their writing dreams will come true. You will get paid enough for your writings that you can quit your day job & sit at home in your pajamas all day long, hammering out intriguing content, & eating bonbons. What?? Am I the only one that thinks about this??

3. I did not physically assault anyone. Even though, I have been tempted to flog a few folks. Not saying that 5^th grade is hard on me, this year. My Miss Neenee takes it all in stride. However, I have had thoughts of telling off a few folks for being rude to her, embarrassing her, & humiliating her. I have exercised my ability to keep my mouth shut & control my emotions. Mainly because my husband says this is all a part of her growing up & establishing character. I however do not always see it as such. People are just hateful sometimes. And when it’s to one of my kids, I take it SUPER personal. However, I have done my level best to not become a hater, as well. And too, I don’t want to be remembered as the crazy mama. That can have a reflection on your kids, as well. Also, I am quite convinced, at this point in my life, if I give someone a piece of my mind, before long, I may actually need it back. I’m not as young as I used to be. I don’t need to be giving away pieces of my mind. Especially the parts that remember stuff. I have become quite the good forgetter. Just a thought. ***On a side note, I did not have pounding someone on my to- do list for 2014. It’s just a mention.

4. I did not do as many 5k races as I normally do. Something was always happening when the races were scheduled. I did register for a 10k & got mono that same week. So, I didn’t get to go with my race companion Jen, to it. As my daddy says,

”Those who want to find an excuse, can find all kinds.” And he’s right.

5. I did not make any major exercise equipment purchases. I really had planned to. I really had wanted to exercise more. I want to be healthier & make my family healthier. That is something I will put into action this coming year. Right now, I am all about seeing how quickly I can get my pajamas on, when I get home from work. That is all. No excuses. Refer to Daddy’s comment on #4.

Now, for the things I did accomplish this year:

1. I began couponing. Not extreme couponing, but paying attention to what I buy + finding coupons = saving money. And who doesn’t want to save money? I put the Kroger app on my phone. I can use my Kroger card & you know what? Kroger gives you free stuff. You should know every Friday, Kroger has this thing, my favorite Kroger Crazy blog lady calls Kroger Friday Freebie. You go on the Kroger website, go to coupons, & type free in the search box. Then, just download the digital coupon. Freebie Friday is a life changer. Realizing that, my old grocery store never wanted to give me anything free. Or $.10 off per gallon of gas. Oh & sometimes Kmart does double couponing. That can get pretty ridiculous. But, free stuff from Kroger? That’s the cat’s pajamas or totally cray cray. Whichever you prefer.

2. I read the New Testament in the Bible. I have done this a couple of times. Every time, I am proud I took the time to do it. I find something different, I had never considered before, with each reading. You can actually read the whole New Testament in a month with reading only 9 chapters a day. Or here is a schedule to read it in 90 days. I usually opt to do this between Memorial Day & Labor Day. Probably gonna do it again, soon. It’s so worth it.

3. I prayed. A lot. And you know what? That’s a bigger life changer than the Kroger Friday Freebie. I started judging less. Paying attention to what others were going through more. Forgave quicker. And realized more & more that being thankful is where it’s at. Everything else just kinda falls into place after that. My One Word for 2014 was Pray. That was a wonderful focus to have for this year. I sure did reap the benefits from it.

4. I became a Grand, again. My sweet granddaughter was born in March. She is such a blessing. I have loved being a part of her 1^st year of life. As chance would have it, Mr. Sweetie Pants, who is now 3, is pretty much o.k. with her being around. The only time he gets a tad disgruntled is when I keep them at the same time. He will firmly suggest I put her down. Other than that, it’s all good. He just don’t like sharing. But, that’s ok. We work it out. He gets lots of chocolate when she’s around. Unless his dad is reading this, then, I mean he gets lots of milk & vegetables.

5. I have been able to serve my family & Lord. I have been blessed with my earthly family & church family. My family is just getting bigger & bigger. I love it. I have always wanted a big family. We all get along & take care of each other. I just can’t imagine it being much better!! I am so thankful for my church family, too. I have a Bible Class that I totally adore. I cannot tell you how much I look forward to being with those kids each week. They are precious. I never take these things for granted. When my mama got sick, one of the things she missed the most was being able to serve others. For once, she was the one being served. That was hard for her. So, I try my best to realize being a servant is a privilege. I don’t have to do it. I get to do it.

So, there’s my lists. I will be working on my goals for 2015. If you know of anything I need to be doing or need to stop doing, let me know. I’m always up for suggestions. I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week. As for me, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

…Forgetting those things which are behind & reaching forward to those things which are ahead. Phil 3:13

photo credits: mymcbooks, myfrenchcountryhome,BlogSpot.com,keepcalm-o-matic, humblepiety.BlogSpot.com,aletheiaagape.BlogSpot.com