Putting Life into Perspective

Ps 8:2 "Out of the mouth of babes... " Take a moment and listen to the faith of this young boy and how he puts life into perspective; what a great reminder for all.

Levi: Our Little Man Dog

In the middle of January I finally was able to post my winter pics as a slide show. At that time Carolyn suggested I do a slide show of Levi. I have a lot of pictures of Levi so it took me sometime to retrieve them and put the slide show together. I finally located his baby pics from 8 weeks to 6 months, but have not been able to get them off the old laptop (as of yet). So for now here is Levi from 6 months to current.

Everywhere there is FOG

Driving in the fog reminds me of some of the flights I've taken across the country. Have you ever looked out the window of an airplane and watched how the wings of the plane cut through the clouds as you speed along? Well driving my car through a thick fog kind of feels like the same thing; except I am not going 600 knots, nor am I 41,000 feet in the sky.

I am not sure how much longer the fog is going to be around, but I would venture to say that we have been under a heavy fog since Monday. The fog that has set in this week, particular in the evening, has been kind of eerie to drive in. Many of the roads have no street lights, so the ride home has been dark and lonely, except for my headlights shining out on the misty vapor that endlessly seems to roll by.

For many people fog is a nuisance because it can be dangerous to drive in. I agree driving in the fog can be dangerous, but I still love to drive in it and enjoy having it around. I know, I know I am weird. The picture above was taken this morning right around 10:30am.

Winter 2008 Slide Show Has Arrived

Thanks to my sister Teri (and to Carolyn and Jackie who also offered up assistance), I was finally able to get my photos uploaded. There are 99 different photos to behold (I actually have more, but I thought this was enough). I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have. I grew up in the Midwest and I have been in a couple of blizzards and many snow storms, but never as pretty as the snow storms I went through this past December.

Sunshine All Around

Here on Whidbey Island we know that the sun comes up, but we don't always get to see the sun shine. So today, Steve and I decided to take a picture of Mt. Baker, covered in snow.

Our one picture turned into many as we drove around the countryside. This first picture of course, is us. We wanted you to actually see we had to put on our shades. By the way it is a balmy 51 degrees today. Yeah!

Next, we found a location that we thought would give us a good view of Mt. Baker. It is in the distance, but if you click on the picture you will be able to get a closer view of the mountain and countryside.

Finally, on our way back home we couldn't pass up a shot of The Straits of Juan de Fuca, the Olympic Mountains and the marine layer that was moving in off the water. If you look closely enough I think you can actually see some people and birds.

I can't help but say it over and over again, Steve and I are blessed to live on a beautiful island and we continually stand in awe of God's creation and breath taking beauty.

That's Right...Pressure Cookers for Dummies

As most of you know I recently received a new Presto Pressure Cooker from my parents for my birthday. I can report that I have actually made two good meals using this great new kitchen tool. However, last night I was given a gift from my secret prayer sister that was awesome.

Wah Lah....Pressure Cookers for Dummies. Go figure! I had no idea there was an actual book out there for those of us who want to learn how to use a Pressure Cooker. This book has a lot of recipes and other tidbits of information that will come in very handy. I can't wait to cook up another meal. Thanks Carolyn for praying for me this past month, and for all the gifts. You really did spoil me.

I've Been Tagged

This is the first time I have been "tagged". So, I am not really sure what I am doing, but my instructions stated I was to find the fourth folder in my saved pictures, and then pick the fourth photo and post it with an explanation. Then I was to tag four other people.

I wish that my fourth folder, fourth photo was a little more exciting to look at, but here it is. This picture was taken back in September of 2007 on board the Royal Carribean's "Majesty of the Seas". Steve and I were attending Candy Bouquet International's annual convention. This was the first time CBI held a convention outside of Little Rock, AR.

This picture is actually taken while our ship was departing from the Port of Miami. You can see Miami in the background and the inbound Carnival Cruise Ship, the "Fascination". When we took this picture we did not realize we caught the Civil ensign (the flag). This ensign tells you what country the vessel is based in. Do you know the country this flag belongs to?

A Blogger in the Family

It is official! My sister is now a blogger. I have been encouraging her since October to start a blog. She went back to school in September and one of her first classes she had to enroll in was English.

As we have all experienced, at one time or another, writing can be challenging. First it is the subject matter and then it is getting past the writer's block. Since blogging is a great way to journal your thoughts and ideas (fun and theraputic, too), I suggested she start to blog. Finally, another blogger in the family! Way to go sis!

Is it Murphy, Satan or God?

How many of you have heard of Murphy’s Law or have experienced Murphy’s Law? Well today, I got to experience Murphy; or at least that is what my mind thought. For those of you who may have never heard of Murphy’s Law, it is an old adage that basically states, if something can go wrong it will.

This year I set out to read my Bible daily and every day thus far, God has shown me something from his Word. In my 2009 Commitment (see post) I committed to 1) eating from God's Word and 2) exercising; specifically, exercising my faith. Anytime you begin a regiment like this one, you can plan on Satan attacking you in one fashion or another.

Finances have always been a worry for me and even when I think I have turned "all worrying" over to God; it only takes one small incident to shake up my so-called faith. Unfortunately, today was no different (1pt for Satan). I had a financial setback which caused my mood to be somber and my spirit troubled. I first blamed Murphy for the setbacks and then I held Satan liable. But a still small voice in the back of my head kept saying to me, maybe God is responsible? Just maybe, God was trying to EXERCISE my faith.

After some consideration, I thanked God for the exercise of faith and the growing pain he set before me. As I sat at the dining room table weeping over the day’s events, holding Levi in my lap, feeling helpless and knowing that there is nothing I can do to change things, I prayed and asked God to help me let go and trust in him. God revealed to me that I lack faith in trusting him completely. As hard as this was to acknowledge, I knew it to be true. All day, I kept telling myself, God is in control, I don't have to worry, he knows what he is doing; but I was still having trouble believing it. Oh how the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Thankfully, God showed me Psalm 112:7, “He (Sherri) shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his (her) heart is fixed in the LORD.” It seemed almost instantaneously that the pressure and heavy burden I was feeling in my heart, lifted.

Through my study this evening, God reminded me of Psalm 37:5 “Commit thy ways unto the LORD, trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass”. My financial setback has not gone away, but I have completed my first EXERCISE in faith for 2009: I have God’s peace which passeth all understanding.

Isn't God good?!

Windows Are Dressed for Valentine's Day

I know we just got over the Christmas/New Year Holiday, but Valentine's Day is less than six weeks away. Can you believe it?! Today my store windows were dressed for Valentine's Day. I thought you might like to see how they turned out.

The bears in the above picture is one of my favorites this season. They look like a bear, but have the wings and markings of a bee. Way to cute and very, very soft!

We are also selling other plush bears and ceramic mugs. The mugs in this picture have delightful phrases on them like: "Love", "Kiss Me Now","You Found My Heart" and many others.

Hopefully, tomorrow I will be able to get more bouquets designed and displayed. I am in the process of designing smaller bouquets for this holiday due to the economic times. So far I have been able to design bud vases that house 3 stems of candy ranging from hard candies to Ganache to solid chocolate roses. The prices are running from $9.99 to $21.99. CBI also came up with three different designs for Valentine's Day and I plan to offer them as well. They are pictured on the Candy Bouquet website ( http://www.candybouqet.com/). Well, enough blabbing on here. I just wanted to show you my new window displays.

Update: Pressure Cooker 101

The other night my mom asked me if I had used my new Presto Pressure Cooker. Unfortunately, I had to tell her no, because I had not read all of the instructions as promised. Well tonight was the night... I was determined to cook a meal in my new pressure cooker. Here is how it went:

I got the pressure cooker out and put it on the stove top and stared at it.

Then I proceeded to throw away the instructions and called mom. HELP!! After receiving verbal instructions, I started up my pressure cooker.

Here is a picture of the meat already cooked up.

See the piping hot steam, this meal is done and ready to eat.

THANKS MOM!

I'll have to admit I was a bit scared to use the pressure cooker, but I am so glad I did! This is one of the best kitchen tools ever! I just wish I had one years ago. The cooker really does cut the cook time down and it makes a delicious tasting meal.

Levi, on the other hand, was not so impressed with the cooker. Levi has been part of our household for over six years and I have never seen him shake in his boots like tonight. The boy was SCARED (and I thought I was scared)! He was shaking so much I had to send him downstairs with Steve until I was finished cooking up our meal. Mom says, he will get use to the noise from the pressure cooker. I hope so...because I am already planning our next meal.