I love Picnik, they photo editing software online! These are a few shots of the flowers in my backyard taken yesterday, I love flowers and especially the Lily of the Valley. Please take time to smell the flowers today, God is so good to give us the gift called today. Grace to you~

Happy Memorial Day to you all! As I reflect on why we celebrate Memorial Day this year, I am reminded of the sacrifice of our fellow Americans to keep our country free. I want to say thank you to all our servicemen and women on this special weekend. Thank you for working hard, fighting and dying for this great country of ours! I am so grateful for all you do and have done to keep us safe, you are truly our heroes. Thank you so much and God bless you and your families!!!!

They are dead; but they live in each Patriot's breast, And their names are engraven on honor's bright crest.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Please God continue to be with the USA~

Hello all! As I was driving to the Post Office this morning I was reflecting on what it would be like to live in another state or even another country. I truly get a kick out of the fact that our closest Post Office is in a Liquor store that also sells Night crawlers (for those of you who have little knowledge of fishing or worms, BIG earthworms). If we ever leave Michigan I will miss that you can buy Night crawlers almost everywhere and minnows (again for those of you who did not grow up fishing, tiny fish used for bait) are pretty common as well. What would I do if I wasn't certain I could mail a package, buy a cold six pack and get my Night crawlers all in one stop? I love you, Michigan, I always will!! I wonder what strange things you find in convenience stores or shops across the world? Hey, that would be a cool TV show. Have a great day~

Hello All! Well spring has officially arrived in my neck of the woods and I am truly praising God! Every year at this time the same dream is planted in my heart, I want to grow a Red Bud tree. Red Bud trees were all over the place when we lived in Missouri and when spring would begin to bloom the Red bud was one of the first to show signs of re-birth. I have long wanted to have a Red bud, so much so that we planted a tree from a local nursery when we first moved into our home here in West Michigan. It never made it through the summer, I slaughtered that thing in weeks! I have heard that Red buds are hard to grow, especially up north here. I love gardening and all God has created for us to enjoy throughout the spring and summer months. His works are truly spectacular!! Maybe someday I will have a Red bud, it will become my baby after my children are grown up. I picture myself sitting near it watching the birds, sipping tea, watching my grand kids play and praising God for creating the Red bud : ) What is your favorite thing God has made that whispers spring time to you? Spring Blessings to you all~

Hello All! I am not totally sure how to do the random number generator at Random.org. But you will just have to trust me. I just put in the numbers and pressed calculate. I think I did it correctly : ) The winner is LEAH from A Silly Little Sparrow. I did not include my comment in the count. Leah, I know where your blog is, so I will contact you soon. Congratulations and I hope you love the book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks especially to Susy Flory for donating the book to my giveaway!!! Thank you also to all who participated. I will say this book has changed my perspective about my service to God and how to be used for his glory. Blessings ~

PS: Here is the Random number generator, I tried to copy and paste it into this post : )

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:4
Timestamp: 2009-05-15 00:15:56 UTC

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the GREAT Mother's out there. Especially to my mom and my mother in law who I love so very much. Mother's really do "change the world one little heartbeat at a time". That quote is from a Steven Curtis Chapman song that I love "One Heartbeat". I use it for inspiration quite often. Being a mother is by far the most difficult job I have ever had. It is a job that never ends, you get no paycheck and the huge baggage we carry of "Mommy guilt" is often enough to break me.

All that being said it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. To hear your babies say "you are great, Mom" "I Love you, sweet Mommy"or "Mom, you look beautiful today!" (when you have just got off the treadmill) it makes it all worth it. I love each one of my children so much!!!! God has blessed me and I thank him for these little souls he has entrusted me with for this season in my life. I pray constantly that I am being a good steward with the time I have to influence these five sweet little people. There are days I feel I fail miserably, but that is why I try to listen to what is true. The truth is my kids will have issues, the truth is I am imperfect and have issues, the truth is I lose my temper, the truth is sometimes I would rather read a book or sip my coffee than play cars for the 5,000th time, but the biggest truth is GOD'S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT (2 Corinthians 12:9) for each day and I am serving the Lord by serving my children. It isn't always glamorous, but it is rarely boring or quite. If it is quite for too long every mother knows something dangerous or destructive could be occurring. That is my que to run and see what is keeping them from their usual boisterous playtime.

God is so good to us that he uses children to humble us and reveal to us our weaknesses. He is patient and shows me daily areas where I am changing and areas in my flawed flesh that need to wither and die. It is only through his strength that I can raise these children for him. Thank you God, I am a mother and I wouldn't want to do anything else for this season!! Thank you Mom and Vera, for all your love, encouragement and patience. You are both my inspirations and I so appreciate your selflessness in raising Kelly and Me! Thank you to all the mothers out there that are busy kissing away the hurts and teaching the alphabet, you truly are changing the world. God in his grace is allowing you to change it for his glory! Thank you God for making me a Mother!

The Photo attached to this post was taken before Faith, Grace and I went to out Mother/Daughter tea at church. What fun we had sipping tea, eating Petit fours and enjoying each other. It was a blessing to celebrate being a Mommy : )

God Bless you all ~

Hello All! Why are you not commenting on my giveaway? Come on people I am looking for comments in order to give this wonderfully well written book away! I am going to send you a signed copy courtesy of the Author, Susy Flory. Where are all my blogger friends? I hope you are all still out there : ) You all have until Thursday May 14th at midnight. I know we can do better than three comments, one of which is mine. Go HERE to this post to leave a comment. O.K., so I will just wait patiently................................

INTERVIEW WITH SUSY FLORY
Author of
So Long Status Quo: What I Learned From Women Who Changed the World
April 22, 2009

(Permission granted to reprint/reproduce this interview in part or in whole.)


Q. You describe your middle class suburban life as safe, boring, and predictable—like staying curled up in a comfortable couch. That sounds pretty good! Why were you so dissatisfied with your life?

A. I loved my comfy couch, and my safe life, for a long time. But at some point it became like a trap, like a safe warm cocoon that I couldn’t break out of. Do you remember when you were a kid and you longed for summer vacation? During those long hot days of school just before break you dream about summer and can’t wait for school to be over so you can sleep in, play with friends, relax, and enjoy yourself. Then summer comes, and it’s wonderful, and you get to do those things you were dreaming about, but after a while it goes on too long. You get bored, and there isn’t much of a routine or purpose to your days, and all of a sudden you can’t wait for school to start again. Do you remember that feeling? That was my safe-on-the-couch life. I yearned for something more.

Q. So what became the “something more”?

A. First, I studied a group of amazing women who changed the world, like Mother Teresa, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Mary Magdalene. I immersed myself in their lives and tried to get to know them better. Who were they? What were their lives like? Why prompted them to step out and make a difference in the world? Then, for each woman, I created a little adventure in order to follow in her footsteps and live out one of her ideals or values. So for Rosie the Riveter, I went into a metal shop and learned how to weld. For Eleanor Roosevelt, I traveled to Cuba on a secret humanitarian mission to work with children. For Mother Teresa, I went on a fast. Now that one was hard!

Q. The book’s title, So Long Status Quo, sounds familiar. Where did it come from?

A. It’s from the chorus of a Nichole Nordeman song called “Brave,” about letting go of your fear and stepping out in faith. I love this line: “I think I’m letting go…” Faith is about letting go of your plan, and trying to live out God’s plan. And His is better!

Q. So Long Status Quo highlights nine amazing women who changed the world. Of those nine, who is your favorite?

A. My absolute favorite was Harriet Tubman. She had so many obstacles to overcome. She was born into slavery. She was illiterate. She suffered a brain injury when she was young that caused her to go into a coma. She had slave catchers after her. She had no money. She worked all alone. Yet, she accomplished unbelievable things. She never quit. Even after she had been a conductor on the Underground Railroad – she led 300 slaves to safety, to freedom, without losing one – after that she became an army scout, a spy, and an army nurse during the civil war. She was unpaid, just a volunteer. When she was an army nurse she was the first line of care and would care for the soldiers lying on the battlefield. They were just lying there, suffering and in pain. She took care of them with her own money, her own supplies, and no one to really help her. She was doing it on her own. And, at night, when she would go back to her room, she would bake 50 pies; she would make homemade gingerbread and homemade root beer from actual roots she got out in the woods.

Q. She would cook and bake at night after she’d been working all day?

A. Not only that, but the next day she’d hire ex-slaves to go out and sell the food and drink in the camps. Then she would use that money to buy supplies for the soldiers. So, I was just amazed by how resourceful she was and how she didn’t give up when she didn’t have the things that she needed to take care of these guys. Even when she was an old lady, she started a retirement home for former slaves. So I just like her. I like that she didn’t quit; I like her resourcefulness. I like that she didn’t make excuses and I like that she used her own hands to help in whatever way she could, even when she wasn’t paid, even when she wasn’t welcome. I think she’s probably just about the most amazing woman I’ve ever read about in my entire life.

Q. What are some of the lasting impacts of writing the book and venturing on your journeys or adventures to change the world? How is your daily life different?

A. I think I am measuring my actions, the things I do everyday, in light of eternity. There are some things I have to do to make ends meet, pay the bills, that don’t necessarily have eternal value. But, I am measuring my life, I’m measuring my actions, I ’m measuring the choices I make in light of eternity and with a goal of lasting value.

Q. In the book you talk about the particular project where you sold jewelry for fresh water. You took an inventory of the things you owned and were surprised by all that you have. Now, have you found the clutter level climbing back up? Are you more proactive about reducing your purchases or consumption of goods?

A. After I wrote that chapter I went through my closet. And it’s not that I’m a huge shopper, but when I did count my shirts and my underwear and my shoes, it really showed me that I had way more than I thought I had, and, definitely way more than I needed. So I did give away a bunch of stuff. I think we can accumulate things sometimes for emotional reasons, almost like overeating. So my closet is on a diet!

Q. Because your book is focused on women, do you think it could be considered feminist or sexist?

A. To me “sexist” is when you elevate one sex and denigrate or put down the other, and that is not what So Long Status Quo is about. Amazing men have been written about extensively all through history, but women have not, and this book whetted my appetite for women’s history. I’m really trying to focus on a subject – women’s history – that has not been given the time and energy and passion and interest I think that it deserves.
I think a good example from So Long Status Quo is Perpetua, a Roman martyr, an educated and amazing woman who wrote her own story, who showed true heroism facing death in an arena – and no one knows about her!

Q. If you had to choose some powerful women currently impacting our world in a positive way, who might they be?

A. Catherine Rohr was a very successful stockbroker in NYC. Something happened; she felt a call on her life. She sold everything she had, and along with her husband, rented a U-Haul truck and moved to Texas. She started a business-training program in the Texas prisons called The Prison Entrepreneurship Program, and it’s been going for about ten years. She went behind bars and taught business classes to these guys who were the lowest of the low in society. She’s had tremendous success and has given these guys a chance for a new life.
Another one is Wendy Kopp. She came right out of college, an Ivy League school, and founded a non-profit called “Teach for America”. She recruits the best and the brightest students across the country to go into inner city schools and teach for a year or two, before they start their careers. A lot of them end of staying in those inner city schools because they love the kids, they love the challenge and find it very rewarding. Wendy is brilliant; she could’ve made a million dollars, but instead she started a non-profit and built it from the ground up. Wendy Kopp is a woman changing the world.

Q. What would you say to someone who is reluctant to climb out of their comfortable couch to try to make a difference in the world? Sometimes people feel like they already serve at their church, or give donations. Isn’t that enough?

A. That’s exactly where I was, before I started this journey. I don’t want to be judgmental, at all, but since I was part of that mindset, I think it’s quite widespread in the American church. We have this inner feeling that if we can give money, then that should be enough. But, there’s something very special, something you cannot reproduce by watching about in movies or reading about in book, about going and interacting with people, and serving them however you can. It’s life changing. It just doesn’t happen when you write a check or put something in the offering plate. It’s happens when you go get your hands dirty and you love people – and they love you back.

Q. So you experience their humanity, or their struggle?

A. Absolutely. You go to serve others, and to bless them, and, of course, you’re the one who is blessed a thousand times more than you ever gave. It’s from the connection with others and the joy that comes from the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. There’s just no substitute for it.

Q. To really be there…

A. Yeah, and that’s what I see with Jesus’ life. He was in the market place, he was down at the well, in the fields with people … He was down in the dust and grime of everyday life talking to people, helping people, healing people. And I think Jesus is our example. We should do the same.
Q. In your book, each chapter ends with suggestions for readers to try a little adventure on their own. Where should a beginning volunteer start?

A. I think a lot of times when you’re doing volunteer work or you’re trying to make a difference you look at what other people have done. But, I think that’s the wrong place to start. I think that you have to start in your own community, with the needs that are in front of you. Use whatever resources or gifts or talents you personally have. So if you love to knit, knit for others. If you love to create scrapbooks, if you love to cook, if you love to spend time with people, if you love to take care of children, serve others. Start with yourself and what you like to do, and then find someone who needs what you like to do.

Q. Would So Long Status Quo work for book clubs or women’s groups?

A. We just created a Reader’s Guide for small groups or book clubs—any kind of group that wants to work through the book together. It’s free and you can download it at

www.susyflory.com.

I’ve also started a blog that highlights women changing the world, both past and present.

Q. How can we become women who change the world?

A. By starting in our own backyards. And if God wants it to turn into something larger, that’s up to Him. I think if we do what we can, with the tools God has given us and the resources that we have, then who knows what can happen? Mother Teresa put it this way: “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” Don’t be the missing drop.

Today in the mail I received a signed copy of 'So Long, Status Quo' from Author Susy Flory! Thank you so much Susy!!! This book is very well written and so wonderfully challenging, you will really enjoy it. I am ready to have my first giveaway for this book, I so enjoyed reading it. I am now determined to get off my comfy couch : )

Here are the rules.

You have until next Thursday ( 5-14-09)to leave a comment about this post/giveaway. In your comment you must include a thought about what interested you about the book after reading the interview with her above in this post. If I don't know you or you don't have a blog please leave me a way to contact you. If I can't contact you I can't send the book and I do want to send the book quickly : ) If I don't get your address by 5-17-09 I will send it on to the second person. I will use the random number generator thing online. This giveaway is only to people in the United States. I think I covered everything, I don't know this is my first time to give anything away via the blogosphere. God Bless you all and happy commenting~

Hello All! I am back from K-Zoo and a fun Girl's weekend. The Bunch did great while I was away. Kel took all five to the Tulip festival in Holland, MI. Yes, he is my hero!! Any man who can successfully take five kids all under eight, pack a lunch for them all and not lose one in the mass of other festival goers is truly my HERO!! Thanks Kelly for a little time away ; ) While I was away my sister in law, Kristin, took us to The Chocolate Garden in Coloma, MI. Oh my goodness, this has become my favorite place. I have never tasted truffles this divine. Go over and check it out. You won't be sorry~

Hello All! I am headed out of town for a "girl's weekend" with my mom and sister in law, Kristin. My brother, Rick and his wife, Kristin, Live in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

We should have a great time, we will be wine tasting, antique shopping, bird watching and going out to eat. I think while out to eat I won't even need to help my mom or Kristin cut their food : )

I will miss The Bunch, but it will be only twenty four hours. The hardest part is leaving Hope! She is MY baby!! After 17 months (yesterday) of nursing her she is strongly attached to her Mommy. You must understand she also ADORES her Daddy, everyone does. But he isn't able to provide Mommy's warm snugly comfort, though. I have cleaned the house, made sure there are meals in the refrigerator that our easy for Kelly to prepare, and baked brownies. God willing they will all thrive while I am away.

Early next week I will post about my first giveaway, the book "So Long, Status Quo". I finished yesterday and it was GREAT! I am very motivated to be used of God in the little and big ways each day. I think you all will really enjoy this book. Have a great spring weekend~