Sunday Sermon...Is it just me?

Yes, sometimes I feel like a crazy person. I will admit it. I stuff my schedule to the max and sometimes everything and everyone around me suffers. I long for days where I have nothing planned, nothing to mark off the dreaded TO - DO List and can just sit back and relax with my family.

After thinking about all that I realized what a sinful nature I have, to not make God a larger priority in my life. I have made some large strides in the Marriage, Parenting and Bible Reading arenas but an area that I feel like I struggle with is prayer. I am learning every day to give over control that I so desperately want for myself to someone who has all of my plans guided out. However, praying...I'm just feeling like it is the missing link for me.

I'm looking for tips here on this one...so if you have a foolproof method to fitting it in, please let me know the strategy.

I have been trying in the car while I am waiting for my son at school. This is about 20 minutes but sometimes I am easily distracted (does that happen to anyone else)?

So much for my Sunday Sermon. Looks like you ladies will be preaching to this choir!

James 5:13 - Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? He should sing songs of praise.

Friday Funnies...Watch Out!

Hey Hey Hey...it is Friday Funny time! If you have not participated, please head over and see Kim @ Homesteaders Heart and link up so we can see "YOUR" idea of funny!

Here is my idea of funny....watch out Santa! You never know what those pilots are doing!!!!

(PS, my apologies if you or anyone you know is a pilot, this is NOT directed personally at them)!

The CHRISTmas Award..

Well, as they say in Hollywood, the award season has begun (LOL)! I would love to thank Stacey @ McCrakensx4 for giving me a little CHRISTmas Spirit!!!

Here are the rules of this award:

You must be a true CHRISTmas lover to receive this award.
The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with CHRISTmas.
You must link back to the person who gave you the award.
You must list 5 things that you love about Christmas.

Here are the 5 (well OK..7 ) things I LOVE about CHRISTmas!

1. That a baby in a manger, would turn out to be the saviour...

2. CHRISTmas Caroling (kind of old school but I still love it)!

3. The CHRISTmas Cookies....C'mon there are like a thousand different kinds

4. Watching the kids light up that morning when they open their gifts.

5. My Dad reading the CHRISTmas story from the Bible.

6. Driving around the neighborhoods to evaluate lights!!

7. All of the CHRISTmas sales...(yes, God has to be in those sales, I just know that he puts some of those things on sale specifically for me)!!

In true spirit of the award, I am passing this onto a couple of blogging friends:

Jenny @ Hansell Happenings

Melyssa @ Life w/a Beau and a Belle

Karin @ Just Me and My Boys

You ladies can all take this award if you don't have it....by all means lets share the CHRISTmas spirit!!! ;)

Thanks again Stacey! Your really becoming a BLOG DIVA!!!! =)

Thankful Thursday - Thanksgiving

I had listed a Thanksgiving post last Thursday so I do not want to reiterate all that I am thankful
for.I'm going to take a spin on something that is a little different but still Thanksgiving none the less...I mean, we can't be too thankful can we?

1. I am so thankful that I have a job in this economy. It is a job that allows me the freedom to pick my kids up from school and to be able to fit it in when my schedule permits.

2. I am also thankful for a husband who is always willing to work on our marriage with me. We have many things that are on the right direction, but we can always use more help, so Thanks Babe!

3. I am so grateful and thankful for 2 healthy children. I can not convey my gratitude and appreciation for all the moms and dads out there who take care of children who are ill. You are truly blessed to have them in your life and I know that you believe that you have blessings also.

4. Again, so thankful for a beautiful home to live in and all of the things that our family needs (and probably a lot of things that we don't ;)

5. I am blessed to have 2 parents who help me with my children, listen when I am mad, and take my boys for 2 weeks during the summer!!!!

Now, I am just curious.....what are you thankful for? Please visit Grace Alone for more Thankful Thursday!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Potato Pimps?

Tuesday Technology Tidbit...

Since Christmas is right around the corner, I thought my tidbit for today would revolve around Gift Cards...we all love them, but here are the top 100 retailers that should assist you in making your decision about where to buy your gift cards from. Try really hard not to buy something from a store that is going out of business unless it is for yourself. Sometimes even the manufactures will VOID the warranties if the company went out of business..Buyer Beware. This happened to me with a set of J.A. Henkles knives at Linens and Things. I almost purchased them until I called the # on the back of the box and ask if they would warranty the product and they surprisingly said NO.

The # listed behind the retailer is the ranking from 1-100.

7-Eleven Dallas 29
A&P Montvale, N.J. 55
Abercrombie & Fitch New Albany, Ohio 89
Advance Auto Parts Roanoke, Va. 69
Ahold USA Chantilly, Va. 17
Albertsons Boise, Idaho 59
Aldi Batavia, Ill. 91
Alimentation Couche Tarde Laval, Quebec 31
Amazon.com Seattle 25
Apple Stores/iTunes Cupertino, Calif. 52
Army Air Force Exchange Dallas 41
AT&T Wireless Atlanta 81
AutoZone Memphis, Tenn. 57
Barnes & Noble New York 66
Bass Pro Shops Springfield, Mo. 96
Bed Bath & Beyond Union, N.J. 48
Belk Charlotte, N.C. 87
Berkshire-Hathaway Retail Omaha, Neb. 94
Best Buy Minneapolis 12
Big Lots Columbus, Ohio 73
BJ’s Wholesale Club Natick, Mass. 38
Blockbuster Dallas 64
The Bon-Ton Stores York, Pa. 92
Borders Group Ann Arbor, Mich. 88
Brinker International Dallas 77
Burlington Coat Factory Burlington, N.J. 95
Casey’s General Stores Ankeny, Iowa 70
Circuit City Richmond, Va. 32
Costco Issaquah, Wash. 5
CVS Caremark Woonsocket, R.I. 3
Darden Restaurants Orlando 63
Delhaize America Salisbury, N.C. 21
Dell Retail Round Rock, Texas 56
Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh 85
Dillard’s Little Rock, Ark. 44
Dollar General Goodlettsville, Tenn. 35
Dollar Tree Stores Chesapeake, Va. 80
Family Dollar Matthews, N.C. 51
Foot Locker New York 65
GameStop Grapevine, Texas 47
Gap San Francisco 23
Giant Eagle Pittsburgh 42
H.E.B. San Antonio 27
Harris Teeter Charlotte, N.C. 98
Home Depot Atlanta 2
Hy-Vee West Des Moines, Iowa 62
IACI Retail St. Petersburg, Fla. 100
JCPenney Plano, Texas 18
Kohl’s Menomonee Falls, Wis. 22
Kroger Cincinnati 4
Limited Brands Columbus, Ohio 34
Longs Drug Stores Walnut Creek, Calif. 67
Love’s Oklahoma City, Okla. 49
Lowe’s Mooresville, N.C. 9
Luxottica Retail Cincinnati 71
Macy’s Cincinnati 13
McDonald’s Oak Brook, Ill. 16
Meijer Grand Rapids, Mich. 28
Menard Eau Claire, Wis. 45
Michaels Stores Irving, Texas 86
Neiman Marcus Group Dallas 76
Nordstrom Seattle 40
Office Depot Delray Beach, Fla. 24
OfficeMax Naperville, Ill. 37
The Pantry Sanford, N.C. 50
PetSmart Phoenix 72
PTC Knoxville, Tenn. 30
Publix Lakeland, Fla. 15
Quik Trip Tulsa, Okla. 75
QVC West Chester, Pa. 43
RaceTrac Petroleum Atlanta 68
RadioShack Fort Worth, Texas 79
Raley’s West Sacramento, Calif. 93
Rite Aid Camp Hill, Pa. 14
Ross Stores Pleasanton, Calif. 60
Roundy’s Milwaukee, Wis. 83
Safeway Pleasanton, Calif. 11
Saks New York 99
Save Mart Modesto, Calif. 74
Sears Holdings Hoffman Estates, Ill. 8
Sheetz Altoona, Pa. 84
Staples Framingham, Mass. 19
Starbucks Seattle 36
Stater Bros. San Bernardino, Calif. 90
SUPERVALU Eden Prairie, Minn. 10
Target Minneapolis 6
TJX Framingham, Mass. 20
Toys “R” Us Wayne, N.J. 26
Trader Joe’s Monrovia, Calif. 54
Travel Centers of America Westlake, Ohio 58
Valero San Antonio 39
Verizon Wireless Basking Ridge, N.J. 61
Walgreen Deerfield, Ill. 7
Wal-Mart Bentonville, Ark. 1
Wawa Wawa, Pa. 97
Wegman’s Rochester, N.Y. 78
Whole Foods Markets Austin, Texas 53
Williams-Sonoma San Francisco 82
Winn-Dixie Jacksonville, Fla. 46
Yum Brands Louisville, Ky. 33

Till Tomorrow....

Not Me Monday...Thanksgiving Edition

Ahh here we are again..(does it seem like Mondays are coming around more often to anyone else)? I know that this weeks will be wet your pants funny and I am just getting started on reading all of them. I am ready to hunker down on the couch with the laptop for a day or two ;).

1. It was NOT me who literally went to Target 11 times this week to get various Thanksgiving items that I could not remember to put on my list. The largest culprit was the incandescent light bulbs that blew out in tandem 2 days before Thanksgiving. I must have walked into 10 stores that carried them, each time leaving with out them!!! Ahh...until I made the "Special" trip for just that (1) item that cost me $54.66...

2. It was NOT me who could NOT stick to a budget if I tried (see # 1 for proof)

3. It was NOT me who shushed my kids to the basement during the "Thanksgiving" parade...I mean isn't that a little ironic to be so annoyed with your children that you banish them to a complete other part of the house for a few moments of peace and quiet. Right? Obviously, I made up for it with my mother and I spending the better part of 8 hours in the kitchen for a 30 minute meal....I could go on forever. STOP ME..IT WAS NOT ME!

4. It could NOT have been me who somehow talked my dad into taking my youngest to see Bolt on Thanksgiving evening instead of James Bond. It is not like I wanted to go shopping or anything. That would have been so pathetic (except for those $29 Cricut cartridges at Micheal's).
5. Could NOT have been me who also said a prayer when I was in my car waiting for Michael's to open...the prayer was NOT something like this: "God, I know that this Black Friday thing has nothing to do with you, but it does have to do with me, so I am asking that you would allow me to be nice this year and not push people over if they try to get my stuff." I was trying to take the high road here...(wait, that was NOT me).

6. Again NOT me who woke up at 3:30am just a few short hours later to be at my local Kohl's store right at 4am for the 33% off boys jerseys on top of my 20% coupon making them worth the 53% I saved.

7. It was also NOT me who stood in line for about an hour at that store to only get up to the register and have to run for the bathroom like no tomorrow. I don't want to be too graphic here but lets just say that I am pretty sure I can not shop at that Kohl's anymore and me leaving my bags by the register to make a mad dash for the john was certainly NOT the most lady like thing that could have happened..(however, the alternative would have been MUCH LESS lady like)
Me and Turkey...not a good combo apparently...

8. It was NOT ME who got 50% off Coach Purses at the Outlet Mall.

(I had to end on a high note!)

Ladies, I could go on forever. But there are so many NOT ME's for this week I think I will pile a few on the note pad for next week.

What did you NOT do this week? See MckMamma for more Not Me Participants!