Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The big reveal.....

TAAAAAA..... DAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

Here is the new hair do
short, sassy and ready for summer  :)

Here is your before shot again..


NEW View from the front


View from the left side

View from the right side

This of course is BEFORE the botox, collagen and airbrushing!!!!!!  LOL

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

I should have come with a warning label on my BUTT!

Last night will probably rank in the books as one of my favorite nights with Preacher T. 
We skipped the gym and just hung out together.  (one of my FAVORITE things to do with him.... nothing... just sit around and talk!)  We went to BW's, met a few friends and then he and I proceeded to go to a little hole in the wall, hideaway, local "dive."
T swears they have the BEST jukebox in town  ;-)
We are talking "OLD SKOOL" country!!!

So - we he played music and we talked and we danced (slow danced like high school people... don't worry - I made him keep his hands above the waist and in sight!  no hanky panky bizness!)

Anyperv....... T and I were talking about old songs.....  Stuff we listened to as children.

You wanna know what I remember being my favorite records to listen to as a child.

these were my parents old albums that I just couldn't get enough of.
(and I don't wanna hear a WORD about me showing my age.......I have a b-day coming up and I'm VERY sensitive!  SNAP!)

"Earth Angel"  Marvin Berry and the Starlighters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGuUM6LMadw

"It's MY party and I'll cry if I want to"  Lesley Gore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsYJyVEUaC4

"Big Bad John" Johnny Cash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWKGhwwVgKY

and my MOST favorite.....
"The Leader of the Pack" Shangi-Las


 
ANYONE see any patterns here in the music?
 
Anyone....
 
2 personality "foreshadowing" traits that my parents should have picked out LONG ago!  ha ha
 
#1 - ALL about ME!  ha ha 
"it's MY party"..  "earth angel"   Yeah - Ok - I want what I want, when I want it and HOW I want it!    There's nothing wrong with that!  (ah hummmm...cough cough... ) Right!! ??
 
#2 - ALL about the rougue......LOL  Johnny Cash!  Leader of the pack!  ha ha   They should have KNOWN then and there they had a little rebel on their hands!    All about the action and breakin the rules!  ;-)
 
so as we were talking about this last night - I thought to myself.......
GEEEEEEZ
my parents should have known.
They should have been prepared for my DIVA rougue chasing attitude  ;-)
Why were they so surprised when I broke all the rules???
 
I should have come with a WARNING label.
"high maintenance, independent, easily bored, rebel chasing DIVA... handle with care"
 
YUP
that's me!
 
What songs do YOU remember listening to as a child??????
Any foreshadowing in YOUR music lineup???

Monday, March 29, 2010

"Harry..... I took care of it"

YUP - I just started my blog with a quote from Dumb and Dumber.
cause that's how I roll!!!!!
You WISH you were so cool!

Samsonite......it's right there on the briefcase!!!

Anyhair - I Knooooooooow you have been on the edge of your seat all weekend WAITING to see what I would decide on the HARRY HAIR dilema....
THANKS to those of you who shared your opinion.

HERE is the pLaN!!

THE SUMMER LOOK:

(I'm going back blonde.......
it's been a while.....
and sometimes, blondes really DO have more fun!  hee hee)

the cut and color:
the front and sides will be a little longer than what's shown in this picture because I want the angle from back to front to be more drastic than what is in this picture.

THE FALL LOOK:

will be EXACTLY as this picture is posted!!!
(of course - I'll need to invest in some collagen, BOTOX and AIRBRUSHING to pull this one off!  - this girl is HOT!)
ha ha


NOW - I just need to round up the dough to PAY for the new look
AND find the right person to do the cut.......
anyone??!!!   volunteers?????
ha ha

I'll let you all know when it's done!!!
pictures included of course!!!


whoooooooo   hooooooooooooooooo
BRING ON SPRING and SUMMER!!!

Friday, March 26, 2010

EXTRA EXTRA.... Read all about it! Your votes are in!!!

Well.....Ok - they are not in YET!!!!!!!!!!!

but I need them.......

like NOW   :)

pretty please!!!!!

EVERY year about this time.......I struggle with this........
what fun new look can I rock this time?????!!!!!!
I change my hair color and style like I change underwear.....
(almost every day!  LMAO!)

Seriously...
you should go through my photo album on facebook over the years....

I'm blonde.
I'm brown...
I'm highlighted
I'm short
I'm long
I'm curly
I'm straight....

ONE THING I love is my ability to be versatile  :)
I love to change my hair.

So........this year - I'm soliciting your opinion.

First of all..........THE CUT
I have not had my hair CUT since last May.  Yes - that's right people - my ends look like da rats been chewin on em! 
Last May I got my hair cut pretty short.
The inverted bob.
(see picture)


My dilema is - now - almost ONE YEAR later, the style is not so "stylin" anymore.  it's just a long "grown out mess"

So - Do I cut back that short - ORRRRRRRRRRRR
do I leave the length I have and just shape back up to that cut???

ORRRRRRRR
do something - TOTALLY different?

*Sidenote:  I'm leaning towards just the shape up and keeping my length........beeeeecause..........if I were to have a special occasion come up.......say the PROM or something - I might like to be able to wear my hair UP!!!!!
 Short cuts are just not as easy to play with.  NO MORE pony tail at the gym.......though I CAN rock some tiny little pigtails with the short cut!!!  just nothing fancy smancy! LOL

(insert picture of my now Auburn/Red grown out mess)

Yeah - see the bobby pin to keep my long, grown out, mangled, no longer what I consider BANGS outta my face.......ohhhhhh - that's BAD :(

OHHHHHHHHHHH - PS - Did I mention we went to see Chris Knight (click his name to check him out) in Nashville?????  Yeah - that's him - in the picture.......T's ALL TIME FAV!!!!  Does anyone KNOW who he is or any of his music???  well.... if you don't - he's great and you should look him up.  Good ol' country boy  :)  Wanna hear a song - click HERE! (one of my favs!)


Anyway - back to me!
So moving on from the cut 
Let's talk color.

Typically I go blonde in the summer.
in fact - my boss tells me that's when he knows summer is officially coming.....when my hair turns!  ha ha

So I'm inserting some examples of the blonding that I might do if I go with blonde.


(insert 2 blonde pics - look at the coloring, not the hair cut...)

Blonde #1 leaving alot of my Auburn undertones
















OR Blonde #2  with LOTS o' blonde CHUNKS!!!!!!!

ORRRRRRRRR
get this..........
if I choose NOT to rock the blonde this year........

I'm KINDA in LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE with this color AND cut!!!!!!!!


Sooooooooooooooooooo
What do you think???????????????????

Anyone???

anyone..........


Help me out here.........
I'm waiting out the weekend for your votes!

So bring 'em on!!!!!!!!!

~Follow me Friday~ AND some TOOTHSOAP!!!

It's FOLLOW ME FRIDAY!!!
Go over to Friday Follow Sites and GET IN ON THIS CONTEST!


Welcome Friday Follow Friends
Every Friday visit Trendy Treehouse to link up to follow blogs and have them follow you.




The Trendy Treehouse


Here's how it works...
Add your blog link to the McLinky below ~ remember to leave your blog name under "Your Name"

Follow Trendy Treehouse !!!

Grab the "Follow Me Fridays" button for your blog ~ so more blogs can share in the fun!

Follow other blogs that have linked up ~ Comment there letting them know you are now following them and visiting from Follow Me Fridays!

If someone follows you, follow them back, It's only fair. LOL
The more you follow, the more will follow you!
It's that easy!

Blogs only please ~ No advertising links! Have Fun!
And KEEP SCROLLING past Mr. Linky for some fun contest $$$$$$ rules!!!


MckLinky Blog Hop



Supahmommy is hosting a CASH PRIZE GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!




"I LOVE TOOTH SOAP®" CASH Giveaway!Guess what ya'll? Toothsoap.com is going to sponsor a special GRAND giveaway exclusively for Friday Followers! Read on to find out how you can win one of three $100 CASH prizes and join us this Friday, March 26th to win.

Toothsoap.com " I LOVE TOOTH SOAP®"
CASH Giveaway!

Go here for details!

http://www.middayescapades.com/

Thursday, March 25, 2010

whooop whoooop.... Bloggity Blog MAKEOVER!!!

GIVEAWAY: Blog Makeover

Are you ready to give your little corner of the web a new look?

Well today's your lucky day!

You too can win your very own Design by Amber!
This fabulous blog makeover giveaway includes:

Install
Background
Header
Button
Signature
Sidebar Titles
Navigation
Favicon
Custom Post Divider
2 or 3 Column (or split sidebar)
Social Networking Icons
Numbered Comments
Post Title Icon
Your Choice of Title Font
Plus Matching Twitter Background

A $90 value can be yours free! iStock & Digi-kits not included.

You will need to run over and visit Meeko FABULOUS
and follow all his instructions to enter!!

{actually - GO VISIT MEEKO - but don't enter......
cause I wanna win DANGIT!!!}

Meeko says "Amber was a pleasure to work with! She had an infinite amount of patience for me too."

If you wanna check out some of her work....
run over and visit her too!!!
Tell them BOTH that I sent you!!!!!!!!!!!!
(maybe it will get me BONUS ENTRIES!!!!!!!)

HERE is a link to Ambers design blog!

now go on.... Go say HI!  =)


How do you go about winning one of these fabulous blog makeovers???
You have to GO VISIT MEEKO!!!
Giveaway ends on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. PST (Meeko Time). Winner will be chosen by a random number generator. Comments not meeting requirements will be deleted. The winner will be announced on Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 12:00 p.m. PST (Meeko Time).

YO Tweeps!!!!!

Supah's Yo Tweeps Twaffic Exchange!


DIRECTIONS:
To play along and increase your twitter twaffic do the following:

1. Click on my (Supah's) twitter Icon above. Follow me first of all!
(yeah yeah - everyone already follows SUPAH... come follow MEEEEEEEEEE!)  *wink wink*

2. MAKE A BLOG POST LIKE I am doing. Copy and Paste these directions.

3. Go to Supah's blog and grab the YO Tweeps Twaffic Exchange Button. Put him in your post.

4. Put a twitter icon / link on your blog post like I did. It should directly link to your TWITTER PROFILE.


5. Now make sure you go back to Supah's page and LINK UP THERE!!!!

6. Visit some other #YOTweeps linkers on the list.

7. Follow them if you choose and shout out to them on twitter that you are following so they can instantly follow you if they're on. (Follow their blog as well if you're interested.)
Example:
@tamig30 #yotweeps I'm following!

8. If someone follows you JUST reciprocate. It's that easy.

What a GREAT and fun way to increase your twitter twaffic AND pick up some new blog followers too!
HAPPY little FRIDAY!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Pour your Heart Out


I'm linking up with Shell today over at things I can't say.
This is a first for me - so bear with me....
been kinda emotional this week so there is NO TELLING where this post will take us!
HA!

Here are the Rules:

Write a post from the heart.
Something that has been weighing on you.
Something you feel passionately about.
Something you've been wanting to talk about.
A cause, a memory, a belief, a world view.
Anything.

Grab my new button for your post and link up!

Warning from Shell:
I hate that I even have to say this, but, whether you are participating or just reading, please keep in mind that the people linking really are sharing something from the heart. So, please, BE RESPECTFUL. We might not agree with each other, but we can all accept someone's right to have a different opinion than we do and NOT attack someone because of this. Play nice. :)


****

For those of you who don't know this about me, I'm a single mother to a teenage boy.
His father and I were never married and in fact split within weeks of baby Z being born.  His father has essentially been non-existent aside from visitation time at HIS convenience.
It's always been me and Z. 
Period.
 
Recently I read a post over at Leigh v. Laundry regarding whether or not she wanted more children (to try for a girl to be specific).
It was truly truly a post from the heart...and it made me feel brave enough to share my thoughts on the subject.
Actually - they are not thoughts - they are questions......that I have yet to answer.
 
My son will be 15 in May.  15.  I can hardly believe it.  There are days when I just sit back and let the years wash over me.  I can't believe how fast the time has gone.  Being that I was 18 when Z was born, we have essentially grown up together.  Me because I HAD to... and him because... well - he's been the man of my house since he was born!!  As time passes, I get more and MORE freaked out.  I look at his sweet little innocent face right now and I truly fear for him to get older.  Yes he's had some great years as a child - but at the same time, there are days when I feel like having him at such a young age required so much unfair maturity out of him, that I feel like I robbed him of some of his carefree childhood!  =(
At the same time, with it being just me and him - he has wanted for nothing.  The child IS definitely SPOILED to the core.  Some days I worry that the REAL world will run him over when he gets out on his own....  and that scares the CRAP outta me for him.
 
BUT - here is where my issues come in.
Being that I'm {almost} 34 - and NEVER been married, people ask me ALL THE TIME......"Do you think you will have more children?"  When Z was little, I always hoped that I would.  I hoped that my Prince would finally come and we would have children together and Z would fit right into the fairytale.
But now - he's 15.
and i'm {dreading} 34.  and STILL not married.
Thus ensues the question.....
 
DO I want more children?
 
YES - there are days that I think back to how hard life has been being a single mommy.  I never had a daddy at home to help with feeding or changing OR celebrating milestones in Z's life.  No one was there to hold my hand before, during or AFTER child birth to tell me..... Yes Tammy - everything will be ok.  No one kissed me and told me how beautiful I was or how LUCKY we were.  I missed all the intimacy and closeness of watching our child grow together.  So YES - there ARE days that I long to experience all of those things with someone.  I feel like I was somehow cheated of all those things.
On the flip side though - I'm one of the strongest most independant women you will ever meet.  I love my baby boy and everything that came with him.  Baseball.  Basketball.  Race Cars.  Wrestling.  His first home run!  All those things I got to experience with him.  I wouldn't trade them for the world.
 
There are also days when I long for a baby girl.  The frills and lace, the barbies and baby dolls.  All the things that I didn't get to do with Z.  I know I was a holy terror as a little girl, but I'm my mother's only daughter and there are just some bonds that no matter how hard you push against - you just can't break.
~I miss the daughter I may never have.~
On the flip side - did I mention I was a holy terror.  and that I was preganant at 18 and almost didn't graduate high school?  OHhhhhhhhhhh  - my poor poor mother
*Sidenote:  I PRAYED for a boy when I found out I was pregnant!*
 
There is also a selfish part of me some days that thinks "I have raised my child.  I'm done!"  Why in the world when he is 15 would I want to start ALL OVER AGAIN????????
 
Insert Preacher T
...with him comes 2 precious little girls...
so there is a part of me that thinks this could be God's way of giving me the family that I wasn't able to have on my own.
And most of the time - I feel so blessed and lucky and THANKFUL!!!!
 
However... there are still those days when I look at T and long to see a baby with OUR eyes...OUR smile and surrounded by a bond that I never had the luxury of sharing with anyone..
 
I try not to dwell on it too much because I know God has a plan and HE knows what's best.
But the thoughts of it sometimes overwhelm me more than anyone could ever imagine and more than most people will ever know!
 
So when people say  "Do you think you'll have any more children?"  I politely smile and say "ya never know?!"  and walk away wondering....

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Write-On - Bloggy Prompt with T&T Rings!

So today - I'm torn with WAY too many decisions!
post its or writing prompt?!! 
hmmmmmm....

WRITING prompt!

cuz I LUV me some  Tattoos & Teething Rings!!
I decided I would play along with her today...
hope you play along too - and go Link It Up at her page and read everyone else's stories too!  Her bad date story is HILARIOUS!

(and who knows - maybe i'll whip out some post its later too!)

Next decision was WHICH prompt to choose....

although I was tempted to do the WORST date EVER (and I will defintely still share that another time!)  I'm feeling kinda squishy and sweet today - so I chose this one:

2) How did you meet your husband/wife (or boyfriend/girlfriend)? Was it love at first sight? Did you think they were completely obnoxious? Maybe they took you on your worst date ever?

If you have ever read my blog at all - you know all about Preacher T.  I even wrote a little series about when we first started "hanging out"

Here's what you don't know.......

Preacher T and I actually went to high school together.  I know him from WAY back.  Now - I didn't really KNOW him - know him.. like that.  But I knew who he was.  I don't even know if he knew who I was.  I have never asked him that.....but should.  I sooooooooo wish I had scanned a pic to put in this blog of him in all his high school mullett glory  ;)   yep he's gonna kill me!

Anymullett - fast forward to 2009 - I would see him out around town occassionally, but never really talked.  Maybe a wave or hello, but that's about it.
 
Insert facebook.  He sent me a friend request.  Here we began chatting.  and eventually texting too.  He also began stalking reading my blog!!  ;)  Finally my girlfriends and I had plans to meet up at BW's one night to watch a UFC fight hang out.  I invited him to meet us out.  Now I had also invited several other people, as had my friends.  So it wasn't like a date or anything - just a bunch of friends hanging out.  Right?!!  He gave me the run around.... "not sure he wanted to get out that particular night... "  blah blah blah.....but he did.  Upon his arrival (this being the first time we had actually spent ANY real time together) my friends IMMEDIATELY began pushing me towards him.  "awww, you guys would be so cute together..." etc.  You know - typical girl crap! ;)    I was like nooooo.... he's not even my "type" and I'm so sure he's not interested in dating anyone - much less ME!  (didn't think I was much of his "type" either!!)  But as the night went on I learned more and more about him (he's probably one of the biggest smart-asses I have ever met in my life!  and you have to know my FAMILY holds THAT title!) LOL  so for ME - that was brownie points!  ;)    I also learned that night that he preaches.  I had NO idea until that night.  We ended up going somewhere else where one of my friends could do a little kareoke.  Preacher T and I proceeded to chat through the night.  Even at the end of the night when everyone was gone, we stood out in the parking lot and talked.  It was a VERY good night  :)  We agreed to meet up some time after that and hang out. 
 
I was all for that.......he was nice, and fun, and sweet and very easy and interesting to talk to.  So I told him to let me know when.  Shortly thereafter I received an invitation to go bowling with him and his daughter.  (or he may have even suggested that that same night - I can't remember)  You have to understand at THIS point - I really had no interest in "dating" ANYONE.  Just thought he was sweet and fun to hang out with.  (I was VEEEEEEEERY guarded in regard to men PERIOD)  We did go bowling and I met his daughter... and she was ALL ABOUT her daddy.  Soooooooo sweet.  After bowling we had dinner and by the end of the night - I have to admit - I was a bit curious to see where this would go?
 
Well after that night - (I'm leaving out the MUSHY SQUISHY details - but feel free to read them HERE {it's a 3 part series} of how we fell in love) we hung out and talked and chatted online and by Thanksgiving we were inseperable.  I fell pretty quickly for a guy when I had no intention of falling for a guy period.
 
I can tell you this - he is the yin to my yang... my soul's counter-part, everything I have searched for my entire life .......
God made him just for me  ;)
 
And now that he's here... I don't know how I did or how I would EVER live without him  =)
 
We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.
 
Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control.
 
Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep... wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends, who thinks you' re just as pretty without makeup on. One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have YOU... The one who turns to his friends and says, "thats her"....

Monday, March 22, 2010

Motivational Monday (because I need ALL I can get today!)

Well........welcome back to Monday.
I'm not real sure how impirational I will be today.
It's Monday.  It's cold.  It's raining...
but I'm trying....

So I'm going to share some (what I hope to be ) good news regarding my puppy.
If you missed the previous post, Puppy Love, my dog has a slipped disc in her back and I found her Thursday afternoon after work with no use of her hind legs at all.

When I left work on Friday - Bailey had YET to relieve herself in any way. And it had been at least 24 hours. When I spoke to Mr. Vet Friday afternoon he advised that if she had not gone by Saturday morning, we would need to put in a catheter. This is NOT what he was hoping for and NOT good news.
Friday night I went to see Chris Knight in Nashville.  (blog to come regarding the show!) When I arrived home at 2 AM - Bailey has relieved herself ALL over the place!!  LOL
now - at 2 AM, this was the LAST thing I wanted to be doing.  But I can't tell you how HAPPY I was to see the mess.
Mr. Vet had told me that the same nerves that controlled her back legs also controlled her bladder, so the fact that it was now working meant HOPEFULLY she is getting some flow back to those nerves now.  THIS is good news.

Since then, I'm still keeping her in her cage and carrying her out to use the bathroom.  She continually goes on her own now and is even now beginning to try to use her back legs.  She still doesn't have much balance and still is very wobbly when she walks.  But the fact that she is at least TRYING gives me hope.

We will continue with the daily steroids for another week, gradually tapering back off and hoping for continued improvement.  We really won't have a definite answer until the time has passed and medication is complete.  Until then, we will just keep hoping and keep praying that she continues to improve at the rate that she has been improving.

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  My son was having a REALLY had time with it Friday night.  In fact, he had an overnight field trip on the horizon that he told me he wanted to cancel because he didnt' want to leave Bailey.  With her improvement, I convinced him he should go, and we would be just fine and she would be waiting for him to come back.  I just hope I am right ...

Thanks again for all of you who left comments and have kept us in your thoughts and prayers.  I can't describe the feeling of knowing people all over the United States are thinking of us.

I just had a conversation last night with someone about how God brings people in and out of our lives for reasons....  There is always a plan, and although we don't always know what it might be, God will take care of us and he will bring people into our lives to get us through no matter how hard the situation gets. 

I truly believe this.

Just remember, while God is bringing people into YOUR life - he is also bringing YOU into someone else's life. 

Live like someone needs you.... because they do!  :)


Friday, March 19, 2010

There is a reason it's called "puppy love" - it's unconditional.

I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive. ~Gilda Radner



In May of 2002, I got my baby boy a puppy for his birthday.  We went to the local humane society and adopted.
What better gift for a boy than a puppy to grow with and be his best friend.
The baby we got was a young pit bull mix (they say with Chihuahua but I find that hard to believe)  Anyway... she had been beaten and abused and every time you bent over to pet her, she would fall to the ground for fear of being struck.


We took her home and filled her with all the love and affection a puppy could ever desire.  YES - even when she ate my shoes and tore up the carpet and ripped the linoleum out of the kitchen floor and left BIG HUGE presents in the floor for me to come home to!

She and my son grew together, and although she had a cage (where she often stayed while we were gone) her favorite place to be, has and always will be, in bed with my son.
No matter WHAT is going on with him or myself, she is ALWAYS there waiting for someone to come home.  She is also our first dog.  I never knew the love and loyalty one finds with a dog.


We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment. ~George Eliot


Yesterday, I came home from work.  Bailey had been outside in the fence all day.  The day was beautiful and I'm always so glad to be able to leave her outside rather than cooped up in the house all day.  But when I got home, she didn't run to the fence to see me as usual.  In fact, when I walked to the gate, she struggled to even get up.  As I walked towards her, I realized her hind legs were not moving.  At first, I thought (hoped) that her legs were just asleep from hours spent sun-bathing.  But when I looked in her eyes I knew something was wrong.

I immediately called my dad HOPING there was some logical explanation and that there MUST be something that I'm not thinking of..... he said he would be right over.
My next phone call was to the vet.  His tone frightened me and right about here is when I began to lose grip.  I am strong people.......I'm a fighter.  I have been to hell and back many MANY times, but right about here, I broke.  Mr. vet said he would get to the office to meet me immediately and informed me that this was likely a back injury.  In other words... even more serious than I anticipated.

My dad helped me load Bailey up into the truck and off to the office we went.  Upon arrival, we took Bailey out of the truck.  She can move mind you.  She stands with her front two legs and essentially pulls herself while her little back feet flip upside down and drag the ground.  She struggles and strains and tries so hard to move.  By the time Mr Vet arrives her little eyes are bloodshot from all the effort she is putting into walking around.

The diagnosis:  She has slipped a disc in her back.  Luckily it is not ruptured or she would be completely paralyzed with no hope for any recovery or quality of life.

The good news:  She has a chance of getting better.  She is now taking steroids which will hopefully reduce the swelling and release pressure off of her spinal cord which will cause her to regain feeling and use of her legs again.

The bad news:  Surgery would be the optimal solution, but this is not a viable option for me.  It would require a specialist in a big city with a BIG price tag.  If after a week or so on the medicine she does not get better, it likely means the damage is irreversible.... and there would be no other option other than putting her to sleep.

The waiting game:  She is under strict orders to take heavy doses of the medicine and she is under cage confinement until we get through the meds.  I have to carry her out to use the bathroom and then right back into the cage she goes.

It's awful to look into those sad little confused eyes and listen to her cry and walk away.  I know that standing over her does nothing but excite her though, so leaving her alone is the best way for her to rest and prevent rupturing what for now is hopefully not permanent.

Please oh please keep Bailey Shea in your prayers.
I know she's "just a dog" - but until you have been loved BY A DOG - you just can't understand.
My goal in life is to be as good of a person
as my dog already thinks I am. ~Author Unknown



Thursday, March 18, 2010

TMI Thursday.. all the "WTF mom!" embarassment you ever dreamed of...

So today...
since I deserted you guys last week...
I feel the need to punish myself a little.
How? you ask....
by playing along with LIVITLUVIT and participating in a little TMI THURSDAY!!!!!

TMI Thursday

Before I tell you this story....

Let me remind you - I am a single mommy to my baby teenage boy!
It has, for as long as he's been born, been just me and him  (a few roommates along the way... but for the most part - we are a team... we've battled many of life's curve balls - just the two of us
And since I was 18 when he was born, we have in some sense kinda grown up together!

BUT...I've come to the realization that one day...my poor child will probably look back over his life and be like WTF mom??!!! 
(today I'm just crossing my fingers that he doesn't read this blog!!!!)  :-/

We live in a 2 bdrm ONE BATHROOM house....so you can imagine how much privacy THAT is.  The shower has clear glass doors.  SO - there are days when I have to hang a TOWEL over the glass so that I can dry my hair while he is in the shower.......we improvise people - it's what we do!

The child is DEFINITELY NOT sheltered!

HOWEVER........
on this one particular day - I would have paid a MILLION $$$$'s for those doors to be
SOLID BLACK STEEL!

SET THE SCENE:

I'm in the shower.......
it's winter and snowing outside...
it's bedtime......
the bathroom door is closed and he is getting ready for bed.

I'm showering away when suddenly the bathroom door creeps open.
I hear this tiny little voice say, "hey mom...what's this?"
I crack open the shower door to peak out and get a better look...  I see two little arms poking through the cracked door.  A piece in one hand and a piece in the other!!!
I'm SURE my face caught on FIRE at that point.
I QUICKLY shut the shower door - as if he could see me and demanded that he "PUT THAT DOWN!"
but being the diligent little child that he is - he just kept repeating and DEMANDING an answer
"But MOM - what IS this??????"

Anyone wanna guess??????

ANYONE?!!

ever heard of a little thing called a "Silver Bullet"
look it up.   I absolutely REFUSE to put a picture here....

(YES people... that would be a VIBRATOR!  and for those of you who DON'T know about the bullet - it has a remote that is connected to the "piece" by a cord/wire.  Therefore the one piece in one hand and YES the other piece in the other hand!!!!!)
uh huh......
MY son - standing in the bathroom door holding both pieces spouting "What is this?"

Wanna know what my answer was..........
huh......
do ya??????//

A SLEEP MACHINE. 
Yes... that's it.  It's a sleep machine!
now PUT IT DOWN!!!!!

"But why was it in your bed mom?"

"WHY were you in my room child????"

his response was that he went into my room to check my tv to see if school had been cancelled for the next day.  While he was in there he saw something shiny in my bed and just wondered what it was.

By now....I'm laying in the bottom of my shower in fetal position like a scene from the Crying Game!
sheeeeeeeeeeesh

The child is STILL standing there holding it.  I can NOT get him to just put it down.

So - as any good mother would do at this point - trying to protect her young... I lie!

I proceed to concoct this elaborate story of the "machine"
I work in a healthcare facility... so I proceed to tell him that it IS in fact a sleep machine.  And it was messed up so I brought it home to work on it.  It was in my bed because when I go to bed at night - it monitors my sleep waves to tell me if I'm getting a good nights sleep!  YES!  that's it.  That is what it is and what it does and why it's in my bed!

NOW - PUT IT DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he finally did.
And I'm pretty sure it took me THIRTY MORE MINUTES to drag myself from the bottom of the shower and take myself to bed.

So after all of this...
the horror...
the trauma....
My son then proceeds to tell me why he was SO persistent in his questioning.

(AS IF I didn't feel bad enough ALREADY!)

He then tells me that he was so worried because he thought I was sick.
He thought something was wrong with me (like breast cancer - because we knew someone who had been diagnosed at that time) HE THOUGHT it was something medically necessary and I was sick.

BLESS HIS HEART!!!!

Imagine the day he comes across a picture of the "silver bullet"
and that moment that he puts two and two together!!!!
WTF mom!!!???
you think he will ever ask me about it again???
LOL

Moral of the story:  PUT YOUR TOYS AWAY!!!!!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

OMG I was MIA and taken POW!!! (by my L.I.F.E!)

HELLOOOOOOOOO
Hellooooooo
hello.....

ANYBODY MISS ME??????????

*crickets...*

Really?  NO??

*crickets.....*

I SWEAR I have been held hostage by my life!!!
no time to eat
no time to drink
no time to sleep

NO time to blog!!!!!
ahhhhhhh  (I missed post it Tuesday!!  CRAP!)

BUT the good news is.......
I'm B.A.C.K!!!

What did you do while I was gone?

Were ya sad?

Were ya depressed?

What did you DO without my uplifting motivational smiley SUNSHINE spirit all up in yo GRILL!!??!


Well - I just wanted to come RE-introduce myself.
Hi.
My name is Tammy.
I'm a blog-a-holic.
AND I sure have missed you guys!!!!!!!!!!

I'm off to bible study for now - but I have some GOOD stuff coming up!

Stay tuned!!!!!!!

PEACE OUT HOME FRIES!!!!!!!
Cya tomorrow!  :)

Friday, March 12, 2010

~ Follow Me FRIDAY!! ~

Every Friday visit Trendy Treehouse to link up to follow blogs and have them follow you.



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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Unrealistic expectations...

**REPEAT** and then some!

This is gonna be a short one because it's midnight and I have GOT to get some sleep, but I do want to throw this out there.......
I have been told on several occasions recently that I might have unrealistic expectations when it comes to dating. I was told this by male and female! And at first I was completely thrown for a loop. BUT - through a LOT of talking and soul searching with one of my girlfriends this weekend - I am now beginning to question myself.
DO I HAVE unrealistic expectations??

I'm a pretty simple girl. I'm really easy to make happy. Love, respect, trust, adoration... are those things REALLY that much to expect and ask for?
Yes - I do joke about being high maintenance, and in some respects, maybe I am, because I have waited 33 years to be LOVED! And I guess I do hope that when I FINALLY meet my future husband that there will be fireworks! and I don't mean fireworks all the time, or immediately after the first date, and I don't mean that everything has to be perfect! BUT I do mean I need that feeling in your stomach thats all butterflies and nerves but at the same time - can't wait to hear from him again - kinda feeling!
I know that love and dating is not ALL sunshine, but don't you think that in the beginning - when things are the easiest that there should be some sort of romance and pursuit and I don't know, making plans based on what might make someone else happy?

I was also recently told that "chick flix" are what give women false expectations about dating... I also beg to differ on this point. I DO know that girls get all sappy and teary eyed over movies like "Pretty Woman" and "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Wedding Date" - but I can also tell you - that I don't think that living life as a hooker and having a millionaire falling in love with you is realistic or what women expect. I don't think women expect to pay for a HOT escort for a wedding and the man fall madly in love with them. (NOW - don't get me wrong - the thought DOES cross our mind.... but it's not realistically expected!  OH the scene where he leans her up against the car and tells her to close her eyes....H.O.T.)  uhhh...yeah.... moving on.....As much as we love those movies, we KNOW this isn't REAL LIFE.
I WILL say this though : women DO expect a guy to call - ESPECIALLY when they say they will call; women DO expect a guy to make plans that involve them and are all about them from time to time; women DO expect to be treated with respect; women DO expect to be "courted". Women DO expect and deserve to be a priority!  So sure - we HAVE expectations
but what makes them SO unrealistic????

One of my favorite lines from a movie is from "Wedding Date"
Kat Ellis: You know what pisses me off? I've been spilling my guts all weekend and I don't know a thing about you.
Nick Mercer: [pause] I'm allergic to fabric softener. I majored in comparative literature at Brown. I hate anchovies. And I think I'd miss you even if we never met.

I don't "EXPECT" a guy to QUOTE wedding date to me - I don't expect anyone to actually say that they would miss me if we had never met - but I DO expect a man to feel that way about me before I choose to let him in and spend the rest of my life with him.
is that REALLY so unrealistic? :(

**I originally posted this in September of 2009.  I would like to say now......to all you single ladies out there - DON'T ever lose those "unrealistic expectations" cause they are NOT unrealistic!!! 
DON'T settle!  just don't do it!!!!!!
We do deserve to be treated with respect and adoration and to be made to feel special.  You should ALWAYS be a priority in a man's life... not just something sitting on a shelf or simply a convenience on his time.
THAT is not unrealistic!
I waited 33 years and although I did finally give up on finding someone and gave all the worry and fret to God, I NEVER gave up believing that IF God had someone for me, he would possess all the qualities that I deserve!  And guess what..... He DID bring me someone that is EVERYTHING I have ever wanted and even some things that I didn't even KNOW I wanted!!!!  {Some of those things I think I might want to trade-in later for something else!!!  ha ha}
someone will be perfect for you.... don't settle for anything less   =)

Another of my favorite quotes from a movie is from "As Good as it Gets"
Jack Nicholson looks at Helen Hunt and says "You make me want to be a better man"

THAT my friends is what love does
you just make each other better!
(Also if you missed it the first time around, I also did a post on Love v. In Love - check it out!  It's a VERY intense good post - one of my favorites!!  tell me what you think!!!)

and...ONE more quote:
from the recently released "Valentines Day"
"When you love someone, you love ALL of them, because that's the job"
LOVE IT!
You will never convince me otherwise!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Wordless Wednesday.... cause there are NO words for this one!

So I had a nice little chat with MEEKO over at The Ramblings of a Disgruntled Secretary last week.    Somehow... and I'm really NOT sure how........we ended up discussing one of my FAVORITE pics of Preacher T! 
I think I maybe somehow accidentally promised Meeko I would post the pic...
hee hee

I <3 LOVE <3 this pic!!!!!!!!!

#1 - T looks really HOT   (red is a good color for him)
AND
#2 - the picture is deceptively charming!  (*wink wink*)

...without the following words, it might not be quite so breathtaking!

So....

before you look....

know this....



THAT IS AN ENTIRE CORNDOG ON A STICK!!!!!!!!!   ;-)




YUMMY!  ;-)

Happy Wednesday!!!!!!!

**disclaimer:  this post is not in any way shape or form intended to imply any sexual connotation to him or anyone reading this post.  It is simply to give you an idea of HOW BIG his mouth is and I get to listen to it 24/7!!!!!!  ;-)
AND I don't care what you say - I LOVE this pic!  =)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Post It Note Tuesday ~Thank ya GEEZUS!~

Welcome back to Post-It Note Tuesday

I took the week off last week but I'm Baaaaaaack!!!!!!
Thank ya GEEEZUS!   LOL

Feel free to comment - or link up and post your own Post-it Notes!
You can make your own Post It Notes <> and....run over and check out Supah Mommy's post its and you can link up there!












He LOOOOOVES him some Kenny Chesney!!! 
Bwaaa haaaa haaaaaaaaa
One day I WILL provoke him enough to get his butt on here and show his face  ;-)
XOXO

Monday, March 8, 2010

Motivational Monday - giving a shout out!!

Well... it's Monday again.
I know everyone dreads Mondays... but sometimes I look at them like a clean slate.  When you have had a crappy week or a crappy weekend... you get to start over on Monday. 
It's like a do-over day!  :)

My fresh start begins with Preacher T being home safe and sound  :)   Thank God for save travels for him AND all the work crew.  He brought me a cool shot glass to add to my collection and a kick-a$$ new sweatshirt!  I had lunch waiting for him when he got back to town... so I got to spend my Sunday night with my baby.... eating and hanging out watching Family Guy!!  ha ha  What a GREAT note to start the week on.

ALSO - today... I'm committing to the "diet" and gym.  (no more DQ Blizzards!??  grrrrrrrrr!)  PROMISE!  I am DE-TER-MINED to drop some body fat!!!   Anyone have any losing body (belly) fat tips??  I guess I'm going to officially hand myself over to Preacher T... put my self in his hands.  Here's hoping that we can MOTIVATE each other in the gym and not KILL EACH other!  ha ha  (you guys MIGHT wanna stay tuned for how THAT goes *wink wink*)

What's on your plate for the week???

AND...While I'm on such a chipper note.....I want to take a minute to give a shout out to all my readers!! 
I was talking to a dear friend this weekend (shout out Detroit!!) about my blog.... I was telling him how I can't believe I am still here.  I'm notorious for starting things and getting bored with it and quitting.  But I haven't... I'm still here and still loving every minute of it.  And I have to say......your comments and bloggy love and the free therapy keep me coming back day after day.  There is nothing better than getting online and reading a post from someone that is exactly what I need to hear that day.  And vice versa... I can't tell you how it warms my heart to spill my guts over the internet and get all the love and comments back from you guys!  It just makes me smile to know that simple feelings or words from me can put a smile on someone else's face!  =)

So I just wanted to take a minute to say THANK YOU to you all for reading  :)   
and commenting  :)   
and for giving me one more reason to smile  =)

Hope everyone has a FABULOUS week!!!

Friday, March 5, 2010

Hit it and Quit it!!

The following article was submitted by my trainer David at Get Toned Fitness to a local magazine.  I know it speaks of February and Valentines Day (so it's a bit late......) BUT the moral of the story doesn't change for March. 
GET TONED!  GET FIT!  GET MOTIVATED TODAY!!!!!!!!  =)

February is the month of love for many reasons: Valentine's Day, chocolate candy, sweet(tarts), red roses, romantic dinners and of course, the beloved wedding proposal. February makes a lovely month for other reasons too: the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, the sorting out of “March Madness” and my personal trainer favorite, the weight loss plateau. Another way to explain February is pivotal, 80% of health & fitness “resolutionists” will have hit their plateau and quit losing weight by the end of the month.

Don’t let February be that month for you, to get toned and be primo for Spring Break, you must grasp the three most important components of achieving any desired weight loss or body fat percentage goal and break the weight loss plateau - hit it and quit it!

Caloric intake – be accountable for the food you eat every day. Journal what you consume until you are familiar with how many calories or “kcals” you are eating. Don’t cheat, if you won’t go write it down, don’t eat it. Each person depending upon on size, shape, fitness level and age, require a specific amount of daily kcals to build muscle mass and/or burn body fat. There is no magic diet or pill; find fresh fruits & vegetables and quality protein. Pay attention to portion sizes so that you can nourish your body and become healthy.

Caloric expenditure - yes EXERCISE!! It doesn’t have to be in a big gym or running five miles either. There are many ways to increase the total amount of calories you burn in a day. For example, walking one flight of stairs burns 25kcals, and walking briskly for 10min (total) in a day can easily burn an extra 80-100kcals. You can take it one step further and participate in organized structured physical activities with family and friends. Plan a fun day together and play sports or participate in parks and recreation, the added support and camaraderie can lead to extra effort and therefore more kcals burned in a day. The most effective way to maximize your time and effort would be to hire a health & fitness specialist that can formulate a personal nutrition and workout plan that is specific to your body type, lifestyle and be able to take in consideration bone & joint limitations and/or medications.

Variety – “the spice of life” third and most important. You can have the greatest diet and perfect workout routine and still hit a plateau and quit losing weight. The body likes for things to be balanced and in harmony, after 4-6 weeks of the same food and workout routines your body will adapt and you will cease to see results. Once you hit this plateau of no change, measure your results, make evaluations, then vary the amount/type of food & exercise you choose to do. Simple as that. If you hit a weight loss plateau, quit what you’re doing and vary it up.

By February’s end, hitting a plateau is the signal for change. Bodies that were once good at storing fat and gaining weight through winter will now become bodies that are primed to burn fat and lose weight for spring and summer. Having mental focus, family support, and the knowledge to change, you too can make February your month to love.

About the author: David has made physical fitness and healthy living a lifelong quest. He is the owner of a local fitness studio in Bowling Green. He holds a M.S. in Excercise Science from WKU and is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Wednesday Night Women's Bible Study


Well... tonight was the first night of the actual bible study.  (last week we got to know each other and I shared my testimony)  I have to tell you all, after pouring myself out last week, I was VERY anxious to get into the meat of the study this week with the women.  And I was nothing short of overflowing once we finished!

I don't want to get too "preachy" on here.... although I just might  ;-)   But I do want to share with you all a few things that I have LEARNED already and a few of the points of discussion that came up.  Feel free to share your opinions too!!!  I love talking and sharing these things... it always thrills me to get other people's points of view regarding these topics.

Sooooo... anyway....  here we go.

The topic of the study is "A woman's heart:  God's Dwelling Place"
The essential meat of the study that we are getting to is the story of the Israelites building the tabernacle in the wilderness.
This week's lessons are designed to give us the back story... the foundation if you will before we begin the actual story of the building of the tabernacle.

We went all the way back to Genesis.

NOW - I will tell you myself...I can not even COUNT the times that I have started that "read your bible in a year" thing......and you start with Genesis....chapter 1, 2, 3, 4....5.........6..............ummmm 7?  Yeah, that's how it always goes for me.  Start with SUCH diligence, then fade off into the great blue yonder... LOL  So - the point I'm making is....I have read the story of creation about 1700 times!  :)   But that didn't stop me.  I did my reading assignments just as instructed (just like a good Leader should!  HA!)

Here are the daily lessons and the interesting points that came from each:

1. An Empty Garden
This included the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden.  We all know it.  A serpant came to Eve and "tempted her" and told her that if she ate of the tree she would be just like God.  She ate.  She shared with Adam.  After this....they realized they were naked.  They were ashamed.  And they hid.  (Just as in life with us now... we are tempted by sin, we fall for it, and after its committed, we know we are wrong, and we are ashamed)  In the Garden, God shows up and calls for Adam and Eve and they hide... They know they have done wrong.  Just as today, you feel the voice of God calling at your heart... and what do we do???  Most of the time.......we run!!  WHY?!  Because running and "hiding" from God makes our sin MUCH easier to deal with.  If you aren't running with God, then who do you have to answer to for the wrong that you do?

Interesting point from this lesson....
  • If eating from this tree was a sin, and it had the potential to separate us from God, WHY did God even make this Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil?  Is THIS where we first realize that God gave us free will? 
2. A Perfect Heart
(this might have been my favorite reading)  The question is posed at the beginning of this section:  "Who am I?"  "Why am I here?"  And is answered by:  You are here for His pleasure and His glory.  Period.  We were created not because God needed us, but because he WANTED us.  Have you EVER thought about the difference between "need" and "want"?!!  I have always said this in relation to a man, that I want to be WANTED not NEEDED... well I mean ultimately you want both... but I'm just saying, you don't want to be with someone just because they NEED you to get by... you ALWAYS want to be wanted.  I never thought about this in relation to God.  God doesn't just LOVE us, but he LIKES us too!   Do you know how hard that is for us as humans??  I love my son, but there are some days when I don't LIKE him very much.  ha ha  God does both.  ALWAYS.  no exceptions.  Now go back and think of the story of Adam and Eve.  Think of God's feelings for man that he created.. and how seeing them hiding in the garden must have broken his heart.  When you love/like someone THAT much and they disappoint you.... how bad does that hurt!!??

Interesting point from this lesson....
  • I have read the story of Adam and Eve and heard it told a million times, NEVER did I realize how truly SAD it is... and how we must break God's heart EVERY day. 
Another thing that is pointed out in this lesson sin is not the product of our haves and have-nots (as we so often like to tell ourselves...."if only i had this", "if only he hadn't said this", "if only I made this much money") it is instead a product of the heart.  And the "heart is more deceitful than anything else" (Jeremiah 17:9).  Nothing is more misleading than an unsanctified heart.  Hearts easily buy into Satan's lies, which is why God wants us to love him and give him our WHOLE heart.

Interesting point from this lesson....
  • My example of this is just last week, after the very first night of bible study, Satan spent DAYS convincing my heart that I wasn't good enough to be "teaching" a bible study.  Satan filled me with doubt...and uncertainty... and fear.  I could not shake that until I gave my WHOLE heart to God and knew that I was in His will and nothing Satan could say or do could change that  :)
And finally at the end of this lesson, we are introduced to Noah.  Who is living in a time completely different from the time of Adam and Eve.  In Noah's time, the world is filled with sin and wickedness.  Yet Noah made right choices because he walked with God.  So God used him.  He saved Noah and his family and the chosen animals and destroyed everything else.  Then he made a covenant that he would never flood and destroy the earth again.

3.  A People for His Name
 This lesson tells how Noah and his family were instructed to go forth and be fruitful and multiply; replenish the earth.  They did.  But then a group of people began building a tower.  They were building the tower to heaven to glorify themselves.  When God saw this, he came down and caused them to speak different languages and he scattered them across the earth.  Thus comes the term "Tower of Babel."
God has a divine plan for each and every one of us.  It is far easier to cooperate with God than to try to fight what he has in store for us.  "We can either be part of the program or part of the problem, but one way or another God will perform His will.

Interesting point from this lesson....
  • "God's breathing a soul into Adam signed His precious Son's death certificate.  The moment the decision was made to create humankind, Christ was, in simple terms, as good as dead.  We had to have a Redeemer.  Although God grieved over people's sin, He was not surprised."  *It is amazing to me that even in creation, God had a plan.  
  • Also - have you ever noticed that God often requires us to leave our comfort zones to answer our calling?  I think this is because in situations where you are uncomfortable and scared, its the EASIEST time to just give it to God.  I will honestly tell you, that teaching this class and being so open about my relationship with Christ, has caused me to open my bible and have a closer relationship with Him than I have had in a LONG time..........ALL OUTSIDE MY COMFORT ZONE!!!!!
Think of a time when you cooperated with God by denying your will.  How were you blessed?
 
Favorite Quote from this lesson:   If you consider yourself a Christian, consider yourself CALLED! 

4.  The Original Love Story
This is the story of Abraham and Issac.  For those of you who don't know the story, God asks Abraham to pack up his son and go to give a sacrifice.  When Issac realizes that they have no lamb or animal to offer for sacrifice, he asks his father "Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" and Abraham simply replies "God will provide himself a lamb."  This is a PERFECT example of putting your faith in God and trusting him.  This is putting your trust in THY will.... not I will...  That is SucH a hard concept.  We always want what WE want, and rarely listen to what GOD wants.  
But Abraham obeyed... all the way to the point of putting his ONLY son on an alter.  (could you do that?  if God asked you?  I have an only son... and man.... I can't imagine)
BUT in the end, after seeing Abraham's faith in Him, God told Abraham to take Issac off and he provided them a ram.  The ram is caught up in a thicket by its horns.

Interesting point from this lesson....
  • This event in the Old Testament foreshadows so much about Jesus coming to die on the cross in our place.... as a reconciliation for all of our sin.  I NEVER realized all of the foreshadowing in the Old Testament that is literally linked to verses in the New Testament.  I must say that Beth Moore does an excellent job of pointing all of this out.  (I have learned sooo much already)

5.  On the Move
The story of Moses.  This lesson again was VERY interesting to me because I again learned something I didn't know.
This story of Moses prepares us finally to get to the point where God calls Moses to build the tabernacle.  We start with the family tree.  Abraham had Isaac.  Isaac had Jacob (whom God calls Israel).  Jacob had 12 sons (one of which is Joseph) and these 12 sons are who the 12 tribes of Israel are named after.  Then came Moses.  Moses was born a Hebrew, but he was born in Egypt in a time when Pharoah had ordered all baby Hebrew boys to be killed.  So Moses' mother puts him in a basket and places him so that Pharoah's daughter will find him.  Which she does and can not kill him.  She instead orders that someone be found to nurse the child... conveniently Moses' mother is chosen to do this.  Once Moses is older, he is taken in by Pharoah's daughter and raised as an Egyptian

Interesting point from this lesson....
  • Moses grows up and is out one day and sees an Egyptian making fun of/harassing a Hebrew man.  He kills the Egyptian and buries him.   The very next day he is approached by Egyptians and asked about this incident.  Pharoah puts an order out to kill Moses so THIS is where  Moses flees the land.  I had NOOOOOOOOO idea that Moses killed someone?  HOW MANY times have I read/heard this story and I didn't realize he killed someone.   AND GOD STILL USED MOSES!!!!  Do you understand what I'm saying here??  Moses KILLED someone and God still used him!  (I'm not condoning murder here guys!  LOL)  But....HOW could we EVER think we are not good enough for God to use us????  No one is TOO good that God can't break you - and NO ONE is not good enough that God can't USE you!!!  =)   How comforting  =)
The story goes on to talk about the calling of Moses to eventually come back and lead the Israelites, it talks about the 10 plagues, the 40 year wandering in the wilderness to the promised land, Moses' calling on the Mount and the 10 commandments and finally the ordering of the building of the tabernacle.

I have learned soooooo much already and we are only in the first week.  I can't wait to get into week 2.

Do you realize the price humanity paid for a taste of forbidden fruit?
We will not fully realize sin's cost until we sit at His feet. 
There had to be a ministry of reconciliation; thus Christ died on the cross for our sins.
It also became necessary for a tabernacle/sanctuary to be built to have a relationship with God.  In the old testament, this tabernacle was where God would dwell with his people.  I think this is why the bible study we are doing spoke to me......because I see that MY HEART is a tabernacle for God  :)   If I can't free my heart from hate and sin and unGodly things... how can I expect God to reside there?


If you made it all the way through this post (I'm proud of you!) - I'm curious......did you learn anything?  Did anything speak to you??