100th post

I seem to recall that on one's 100th blog posting, a mass amount of trivia is due to be dispensed to the unsuspecting blog reader. You, my precious friends, were spared of this fact 82 postings ago.

Your rapture must end here as I am commencing my 100 trivia facts in preparation of my 100th posting of 2008. These nuggets of news in my life will tell the story of Queen. It will be such a lively list that you might want to get some caffeine.


(waiting...)


Ok, you back? Alrighty, without further adieu:


100. I was born a very young lady in the heart of Texas.
99. I was born into a Church of Christ preacher's family. (Not to be confused with the United Church of Christ. Think bible belt, small towns.)
98. I was the baby.
97. I have two older brothers.
96. They adore me. Sometimes.
95. I moved to a new town in the middle of kindergarten, after 4th grade, in the middle of 10th grade and after I graduated.
94. I have lived in Texas my whole life, minus one short stint in Arizona.
93. In Arizona, I drank my first beer. I found it in the gutter while on a walk with my family. It was over 100 degrees outside. It was my last beer. I was 3 years old.
92. After my first beer, I never understood why everyone looked so happy on the beer commercials. Those happy people had obviously never tasted that stuff!
91. I love God's creation.
90. I will eat outside on a 98 degree day, just to experience the sights and smells of the outdoors.
89. I love to camp ... in my 38' RV with convection oven and queen-size bed.
88. I do cook my s'mores and hotdogs over the campfire though.
87. I dated King for 12 months.
86. I was engaged to King for 5 months.
85. I have been married to king for 16 years.
84. I am a selfish person.
83. I have to work hard to empathize and sympathize with my fellow humans. Even my family.
82. I have a neuromuscular condition called Periodic Paralysis.
81. God has used PP to break me, humble me and teach me empathy and compassion.
80. I have a very long way to go down this sanctification road.
79. I have hated the sight, smell and taste of bananas for 35 years.
78. After my trip to the Carribean last year, I love bananas.
77. I want to go back to the Carribean.
76. I want to recline on a chaise, in the shade, with my feet peeking out into the sunshine, the water lapping at the shore, birds calling in the air, tree frogs singing in the trees and my daughter's laughter in the air as she builds sandcastles with her daddy.
75. We have no family living within 7 hours driving distance.
74. I want to adopt children. lots of 'em.
73. God has protected my heart from obsessing over adopting, which I used to do. It is now merely a desire tucked away in my heart.
72. I love to meditate on God's Word.
71. My favorite scripture set of scripture is psalm 103, 104 and 105 with 104 being my favorite chapter on the character of God. Oh, and the entire book of Proverbs.
70. I love being a Mommy. Sometimes I stop and ask Princess to repeat my name, simply to hear the gentle ring of sweetness bound up in the honor and privilege of wearing the name.
69. I love to disciple women.
68. I love being near a swimming pool. (A clean one)
67. As you have suspected, I have a germ thing in my head.
66. I shudder when I think of all the possible germs imposed upon me when I take hold of a commonly used public item ... like a door handle or restaurant menu.
65. God preserves me when I take hold of commonly used public items.
64. I hate to be tickled.
63. Bodily fluids make me wriggle inside.
62. I love to read.
61. I used to own large, slobbery dogs. Couldn't stand little dogs or understand little dog owners. Had they no self respect??
60. I then owned large shedding cats.
59. After developing cat allergies, I discovered poodles.
58. My life is now poodle-perfect! Who knew. I'm a little dog lover.
57. I've been loved by a dachsund mutt, sheltie, border collie, lab puppies, cocker spaniel, Great Pyranees, Dalmations, beagle, a Great Dane and now ... a poodle. Cats: Bengal cats and a LARGE Ragdoll.
56. I like fast cars and one day will own a Lotus. Or atleast dream of owning a Lotus.
55. I absolutely, positively, undeniably adore rainy weather. Thunderstorms are the best.
54. My first hobby with my new husband was storm chasing for the National Weather Service. Very bonding times when you are on the wrong side of the storm and have to "core punch" through the hail to get to the other side.
53. I have more friends than I can possibly love well.
52. I adore the friends God has entrusted to me and pray for the ability to love them as they deserve.
51. My favorite times with King are ... all the times. Minus the occassional scrap.
50. I have had an Amateur Radio license which is now expired.
49. I hate visible wires. So untidy.
48. Visible wires come with the territory when you have Amateur Radio operators in the family.
47. I have considered seeking counseling for my wire hatred.
46. I love, love, love d-r-a-m-a!
45. Give me a sappy romantic movie. Three cheers for Jane Austen!
44. When I was 4-5 yrs old, I loved salamanders.
43. Now, they are sort of creepy.
42. I love cherry wood and rich colors in my decor.
41. I love to walk for exercise each morning ... outdoors.
40. I very much do not like walking indoors on the treadmill.
39. I am learning to love the taste of water.
38. I like change. I like to move furniture and change houses every few years.
37. I love to organize. Everything.
36. My labeler is my friend.
35. I even have my silverware drawer labeled.
34. King does not "Sleep With The Enemy".
33. I cried when the doctor told me Princess was a girl (at the sonogram).
32. Having only brothers, I was sure I was going to ruin a daughter.
31. I grew up a tomboy.
30. King taught me how to cook after our marriage.
29. King kept dating me inspite of the dehydrated chicken dish I cooked for him. I didn't even know I was making "chicken jerky" with my dish so lovingly entitled "Spicy Baked Chicken"
28. No wonder I didn't even place with that dish when I entered it into the 4-H cooking contest.
27. That 4-H cooking contest was my only entry into competitive cooking.
26. I love to eat.
25. I must repeat my mantra, "Eat to live, not live to eat" 'cause a Southern gal, left to herself, is gonna live to eat, my friends.
24. I am spoiled. I only sleep on cotton sheets, with 100% cotton quilts.
23. And now, I must add to my spoilage, my foam mattress.
22. King spoils me and I love him for it.
21. I waited years to become pregnant with Princess.
20. I now know God's timing is never late nor early, but right on time.
19. Sometimes, er, many times I want God to just hurry up, already!
18. Repentance is a good thing.
17. I love the book of Ephesians, Romans, Habakkuk, 1,2,3 John, Colossians, Philippians, Leviticus, Esther, Nehemiah, Jonah ... just to name a few.
16. I am embarressed that I have not had to struggle to write 83 things so far without missing a beat. I think I already mentioned that I struggle with selfishness, right?
15. I love prayer. I love to pray alone, but also love to pray with others. I especially love to pray for people who have NO IDEA that I am praying for them.
14. Princess is my best girlfriend.
13. I have relied on her fashion advice since she was three yrs old. She just has an eye for things.
12. I love to listen to sermons on my ipod.
11. Some of my favorite speakers are John MacArthur, John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Ravi Zaccharias.
10. I am a natural blonde. And I often act like it.
9. I never want to live anywhere except the state of Texas, in the USA.
8. I don't like to clean house.
7. I like to unload, but hate to load the dishwasher.
6. I've had 4 surgeries, 2 in the same year.

5. I have raised: sheep, dogs, rabbits.

4. I can imitate speech and mannerisms of others without thinking about it.

3. I cannot drive a manual transmission.

2. In my most embarressing moment: I was 18 yrs old, had been away from home a few months, was paying room-and-board to live with a single lady and I overpacked the washing machine before leaving the house one day. I came back to find her and her boyfriend cleaning up my mess. I was so embarressed, so I ... walked out and left!!!

1. I have made so many embarressing moments, but thank Christ that He redeems me from the Pit, sets my feet on the rock and puts a song of praise in my mouth (Ps 40). He has called me, elected me, redeemed me, is remaking me and has given me the joy of living this wonderful life.



It truly is a Wonderful Life!

3,467 Times

Princess, walking into my office after being tucked into bed: "Mommy?"

Queen: "Yes?"

P: "I need a different nightlight. I'm scared and the nightlight I have gives off a cold feeling. I like to sleep with my lamp on ... it has such a warm glow."

Q: "You can't sleep with your lamp on, Honey. It's too much light and your body will not go into the deep sleep cycles it needs with that much light in the room."

P: "Yeah, but I'm scared."

Q: "Oh, Sweetie. I'm sorry. You know ... If you are scared, you are not trusting Jesus."

P: "I do trust Him. I just want some warm light in the room so I will feel safe."

Q: "Honey, that's not trust. Trust is choosing not to fear when you are in the dark. Feeling safe in the light is not trust. In the light, you are trusting what you can see. In the dark, you are trusting the One you cannot see."

P: "Yeah, but what if something happens that He doesn't know about."

Q: "Impossible. He knows everything. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He made you, Princess, and He knows everything about you. Everything that happens to you, He has allowed."

P: .... (silence) In a small voice, "But what if ..."

Q: "Girlie, you can trust Him in the dark or you can trust yourself by what you see in the light. If you want to wear His name, you must trust Jesus. We cannot see into the future, can we?"

P: "No"

Q: "The future is dark to us. We have to make decisions about what we are going to do. There is no way to turn on the light. We must trust Him for the things of tomorrow. Same is true at bedtime. We turn out the lights and trust Him for what we cannot see."

(Silence ... thinking.)

Q: "How old are you, Princess?"

P: (grin) "Nine"

Q: turns to the computer and does the math on the calculator, "So 365 X 9.5 years = 3,467 nights that God has kept you safe. And yet you still have trouble trusting Him. (Smiling and winking at Princess) Three THOUSAND, four hundred and sixty-seven nights He has kept you safe. Think He will do it again tonight?"

P: (reluctantly nodding)

Q: "I know what I am asking you is hard. I hate to be afraid. I know how big the darkness can feel. He's bigger. Why don't you quote some scriptures that you have hidden in your heart as you lay there in the dark?"

P: "What if I don't know any about fear?"

Q: (begins reading from Ps 23 when Princess jumps in and begins quoting...)

P: (grinning as she says) , "I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me."

Q: "Come on, I'll walk you back to bed..."

Gitty Up

Dixie with a pink saddle, a tiny rider and some stylin' Build-a-bear clothes. May '07

Dixie ... what has Princess done to you? July '08

Dixie with Barbie. Gitty up.

MSG Migraine Day 3

I am drinking lots of water and reading labels now. I really am only guessing about the msg, but after suspecting msg, I see it seems to be a well-known trigger. The migraines are definitely related to Chinese food.

Lately, we've been eating out a lot more and frankly, as much as I enjoy eating out, I really would rather cook at home. There is no way to eat healthy while eating out. Some places will serve steamed veggies, but they are usually slathered in butter. I will have to be more vigilant.

MSG - Monosodium Glutamate

I really like Chinese food. I mean, when you get a Chinese food craving, it's almost impossible to resist.

That is, unless Chinese food causes your migraine. This is what I have deduced.

On Saturday, Princess and I went shopping and ate at the mall. Ya, I know. Nutritious. Anyway, I had rice and an eggroll. Then that night, I simply had to have my favorite Chinese Restaurant's rice and eggroll. The mall's food just made me want real Chinese food. So I had Chinese lunch and dinner. Sunday lunch I ate the leftovers. That's basically three meals in a row.

By Sunday afternoon, I was the proud owner of a migraine. I woke Monday morning at 3:30 a.m. with the onset of migraine #2. By 1:00 p.m. Monday, I was in bed with an eye mask and earplugs. By dinnertime, I could not even stand to hear Princess swallowing next to me in bed. (When mommy hurts, she is sweet enough to cuddle me.)

This is not the first time I have noticed a migraine after eating Chinese. I'm fairly certain it's the msg. Too bad. Sooo sad because my very favorite chips in the whole wide world have msg in them. Long live Nacho Cheese Doritos. Great in salads, great in chicken casseroles, great with a "sam-mich".

So, farewell my tasty friend. You are so not worth the pain. Adiu my beloved Doritos. Ciao Hot and Sour Soup. Au revoir you tiny little flavor enhancer. You will be missed and hopefully forgotten.

Adios.

Chicken Pox Update and a Belly Rub

(Trumpets) Announcing the good news: We have ceased adding new pox! Thankfully, the infected lesions have "healed" and we are waiting for the lesions to go away. Looks like it will take quite a while as she has some mightly big sores. We will begin to use Mederma on the biggest ones to keep from scarring.

I thought I might post a picture of some other child (from the internet) with chicken pox, but heavens-to-betsy! Princess is lookin' good compared to the slides I saw.

On a side note, my precious friend, Katy, is with child. Her baby shower is tomorrow. I really, reeeaalllllyyy want to go, but after praying, I feel I should refrain from going to the shower. I sent her an email to this effect and received the news today that she, indeed, has not had the chicken pox. Yikes. Can you imagine if I went and she got the pox with baby inside? Can not imagine that one. So, in lieu of a baby shower, pop over to Katy's blog and give her belly a rub! She's the cutest little mama.

Messy Update

UPDATE: It's Friday morning. It took a while, but the desk is clean. And no, I did not move the junk to the other side of the room just to take this picture. :) New file folders are in place, papers are filed and my desk positively squeaks with tidiness when I touch it. Hope it lasts...

Thursday morning: My desk is still messy. Just about the same as you last saw it.

Yesterday I had to take Princess back to the doctor as she has infected lesions from her chicken pox. What an experience this has been. Today is my first day back in the office for the entire day and I feel like it is Monday!

I will update with a picture of my clean desk ... hopefully by evening tonight.

A Messy Life

My absence from bloggy world is due to a very sick Princess. The last posting was right before the storm hit. She has what her pediatrician termed this morning, "the worst case of chicken pox that I have seen in a long time". She is m-i-s-e-r-a-b-l-e. She has so many lesions that yesterday she broke down in tears because she was so fearful. It really is disconcerting to see her body in such a state. They are everywhere and I do mean everywhere. They are so bad in her throat that we went in for a strep test this morning.


She didn't even want me to look at her yesterday. I promised her that the pictures I took would never be published and that comforted her. I really wish she would let me share them as she is a sight to make one's compassion-o-meter peg out. My prayer for her during this time is Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer."




In the spirit of all things messy, I took a picture of my desk. I never seem to have the chance to clean it up. So, here's my challenge: post your messy picture, set a goal date for organization and leave a comment for me. I am posting this picture so that you will be completely impressed when I post the "after cleaning" picture. I plan to have complete transformation by tomorrow at noon. The stack of papers on the edge of my desk nearest you is no small task ..... Pray for me.

The Only True Peace

We have a few rules regarding bedtime in our family. Once we say our prayers together, "The time for words is over." It's time to go to sleep. You know how things go ... it's not always easy to fall asleep. All the unsure, troublesome thoughts creep in after the lights go out. Because God is the only source of peace and safety, once the lights are out, you may only read the bible. Last night, Princess was scared while remembering a book she read the day before. This is how I found her this morning .... Sound asleep with her bible open beside her. Sweet peace, indeed.

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Just Good Friends?

Remember that "Gossip" game where you go around the circle whispering in your neighbor's ear what the neighbor on the other side had just whispered in your own ear?

I feel like I was in a Seinfeld episode last night. I was meeting with a precious friend at a restaurant. Friday night. Very busy place. We had a small booth just inside the door to the restaurant. Patrons would enter and stand there waiting for a server to seat them. Did I mention it was busy last night?? More than once, we had a group standing by our table while they waited to be seated.

I was having a deep and long conversation with my sweet friend and was completely oblivious to my surroundings. We were talking about my friend's struggles, ideas, and thoughts that are very vulnerable. It was fun, but intense.

At one point, I began to affirm her and who I esteem her to be. "I love you, (insert name)! You are so precious and I will always love you no matter what decisions you make." At which point, Friend, glanced up to the couple standing by our table and he jerked away and, blushing, said, "I'm so sorry! Excuse me." He walked as far away as he could, yet remained in the waiting-to-be-seated que.

Before I could understand why he had blurted out his "I'm so sorry!" and why he felt like he needed to walk away from our table, Friend dropped her head in her hands, her long blonde hair covering her face. Odd. "What caused that reaction?", thought I.

Before I could process that thought, the woman in the couple also blurted out, "Oh! I'm sorry. Excuse me." And she walked away to where her male companion was now standing.

WHAT IN THE WORLD??? Whaaaat?

And then Friend looked up and mouthed to me, "They ... they think ... they think we are ...."

G-A-S-P

I'm naive. I'm a blonde. I'm slow about stuff like that. Being the last one to catch on to the gossip game here, I realize that this man and woman had been eavesdropping on our whole conversation, which while they were standing there, was not currently about challenging my friend regarding her relationship to God. Nay. The whole segment of our conversation that they heard was the part where I was affirming my friend of her value and worth. Of her precious heart. Of my love for her.

AS. HER. SISTER. IN. CHRIST.

Sheesh. Then we both burst into laughter. And because the place was so packed, and this couple was still fairly near, we tried to continue with our conversation. That was fruitless. We were so distracted by then that neither of us could think. "What do I say?" I asked her. "Here", she said, reaching across the table and laughing, "hold my hands and tell me you love me again!"

I don't think I have ever been mistaken as having a romantic relationship with another woman. However, where we live, this is not uncommon. Less common in the area where I live, but not uncommon. I simply did not know how to respond.

What was worse, the couple was seated just out of earshot of us, but nearby the rest of the meal. I told Friend at one point, "I keep holding my hand on my face so they will see my marriage ring." To which she replied, "Oh, they just think we are married to each other! Or, that we are married, but secretly having an affair!"

See? Gossip and hearing part, but not the entirety of a conversation, is flat out dangerous. It reminds me of taking scripture that you think sounds great and not taking the surrounding scriptures into consideration. Taking scripture out of context is taking part of God's conversation to us and reacting to it, acting upon it, and not considering the entirety of what God has to tell us.
I grew up in a belief system that takes the New Testament as Truth, but anything said in the OT is "the old covenant" and has no bearing on our lives today. This is an egregious error.

The entire bible is God talking to us. "ALL scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Tim 3:16 What is useful? God's word. How much of it? All scripture. For what is it useful? Teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. Why do we need all of the scripture? Why do we need to be taught, rebuked, corrected and trained? So that as children of God we may be thoroughly equipped. For what? For good work. How much work? For every good work.

We must take the entire bible seriously and learn the character of God from Genesis to Revelation. In listening to His entire conversation, then we have the ability to make decisions because we have the Truth, the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth. So help us, God!

The Middle East

Do you watch the events in the Middle East? Do current events around the world interest you? Did you see the news yesterday about Russia? Have you been watching the direction of the Iranian leadership?

I never really cared about what was going on in the world. I am a detail person. King is a visionary person. We see the world through two completely different lenses, albeit complimentary lenses.

A couple of years ago, he urged me to begin reading a series of books by Joel Rosenberg:
THE LAST JIHAD (2002), THE LAST DAYS (2003), THE EZEKIEL OPTION (2005), THE COPPER SCROLL (2006), EPICENTER (2006) and DEAD HEAT (2008)

These books are fiction, yet based on the truths of the bible, specifically prophesy. Epicenter is non-fiction and is a book explaining the foundation for the fiction series.

Guys, this is serious stuff. I highly recommend the reading of these books. I am in the middle of Epicenter and am rivited by the fact that current events have historical roots and I am seeing scripture play out before my eyes. It definitely propels me forward in sharing the gospel and sensing the urgency of the day.

A Day In The Life...

Of Princess.

Her #1 love is horses. We have a derth of horses on the ole palace property due to the fact that King and Queen do not want to care for or pay for a horse. Alas, she is left with her #2 love ... books.

One night, King took a tour of the palace with his handy camera and photographed each spot in which he found evidence of Princess' love of books. This photo collection was taken in a span of about 4 minutes.

In my office

In the hallway, outside of my office

On the bar in the kitchen

On the island, in the kitchen

On the counter, in the kitchen

In the pantry, on top of the dogfood and beside the cheerios. Yummy.

In the car

In the living room

The new look!

Here are the "After" photos!

We were all three sick this weekend. Princess brought home lots of fun things from her week at VBS, but she also brought home a virus that was going around. Today, we are mostly all well and I was glad to have the weekend to rest. Poor King is working against deadlines again and worked the entire weekend, sick though he was.

Deadlines aside, we have to address the yard at our other house. Since we are not living there, we need to get the yard in shape to easily care for it. King hired a guy to clean out flowerbeds and level the dirt in the beds. The guy started this morning and while he was digging away, we bought lots of plants at Home Depot which will be planted in the morning. I can't wait to show you the pictures. It's going to look so different!

Here are the "before" pictures.

Last July, we took out the big cotoneasters that were in the front flowerbed. Oh, dear. I felt like they made our house look like a scene from the Munsters.

There were several large pittisporum plants that got a moldy disease and died. Living through software and Period Paralysis episodes didn't give us much time to do yardwork, so we never got around to replacing the pittisporum.

What gal doesn't swoon when her man puts a chain around the Munster bushes, downshift into 4x4 and YANK those evil bushes from the ground?!

You go, King!

Best girlfriends!

Summer days are great times to linger with the things you love. Painting and reading books are a favorite pasttime for Princess.

Keeping My Head Above Water

I'm only able to jot a note here. I'm still around, but busy as always. Sorry for the neglect of the blog. The good thing is that other things in my life are getting done even when I don't have time for the blog.

A couple of weeks ago, we were invited to a beautiful home on the lake to celebrate our friends' long marriage. The home and its grounds are being built and remodeled. It is a beautiful place! One day it will be available to rent, so keep it in mind if you want a luxurious getaway!

Over my right shoulder (to your left) is the play area and the miniature stable is beside my head. This place was so fun.
What does a girl do when she is invited to a party with swimming and has no swimsuit? She jumps in completely clothed, of course! And makes a new friend in the process! I love my daughter's personality. She can make a huggable friend in a matter of minutes.

Watching the sunset from the negative edge pool ... complete with her sundress and headband.

The young man in the picture is one of the sweetest boys I have ever met! We didn't know that the kids would be swimming, so we didn't bring a suit for Princess. Sadness ensued. She eventually came around to her old self when she found out that the owners also had miniature horses with their own minature stable. Later, hearing my conversation with Princess about swimming with no suit and no towel, this young man offered a towel if Princess needed one. Later we found out that it was his own towel. He was a true gentleman and it was a great lesson for Princess in how she should be treated by a guy. Loved it!

This is the view from the living room (below).

The living room. What a view!

This is the view from the balcony just outside of the living room. This is a negative edge pool.

My peeps. King had been on the lake all day for Father's Day.

Oh, my blog!

I really haven't forgotten about the blog. I have been busy and blogging is one of those optional items in my day. RB works for our company and is helping with communications. She is one of my precious friends and I enjoy her very much. We currently share an office ... a purple office. The colors in this house are varied and lively. King does not want to repaint, thus RB and I are embracing the purple. This is what our office looks like, with my desk being the very messy one. :)

Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy

I could not have caught this fish without my faithful girlfriend! Princess baited my hook with her "special" mixture of powerbait and wildcat blood. M-m-m-m-m! Yummy for the catfishy.

Princess took this picture of King and Uncle rescuing the fish from the hook. What sweet guys!

Whose mouth is bigger?? Say "ahhhh" little catfishy!

First Banana Pudding

Our first Banana Pudding. Princess did much of the work including cutting the bananas. Yummy, although a bit too sweet. I think I will cut the sweetened condensed milk in half next time and use greener bananas. All in all, very good!