Shelley’s Weblog

I’m done.

Not sure what I’m done with but I am definitely done with something.  I’m watching King Kong right now and the guy just said, “I’m an actor with a gun who has lost his motivation.”  I can relate.  I have often thought we are all born with a certain amount of motivation to get stuff  done and eventually we use it all it all up.  And I’ve often thought I used all of mine up in the first 24 years of my life.  Now I’m like the actor in the movie.  I’ve got a gun but not so sure about the motivation.

That could be a great country song come to think of it.  (more…)

Glass Slipper (taken from the WBRC-6 website, www.myfoxal.com)
Do you — or someone you know — have formal wear just hanging in the closet? You can donate it to the “Glass Slipper” project. It provides underprivileged students from the area with formal attire so they can participate in pageants, proms, coronations, and more with pride! If you need a dress, you must be referred by a school counselor, teacher, or principal… then a committee selects who is accepted into the program. If you would like to donate or for more information on the glass slipper project, simply call (256) 447-3087 or visit myfoxal.com.

If you’ve got a donation let me know… I’ve already put in a call. Or call them at the number above to donate! What a wonderful way to contribute to the life of a young girl! I saw this on TV a couple of days ago and couldn’t get it off my mind. LOVE IT!

I just got back from my daughter’s school where I had the wonderful opportunity to share an April Fool’s joke. Yes, I am an opportunist and birthdays are no exception!

So, after getting strict directives from my little project manager I was then on the hunt for just what to do for the third grade. Cookies, cupcakes and donuts are the usual expression of motherly love at the local elementary schools. She asked for donuts, “you know, make some chocolate, some vanilla, Mom… b/c not everyone likes chocolate and someone might be allergic!”…. but everyone likes Chinese food right? Especially picky 8 and 9 year olds? Right? I kept these thoughts to myself.

I wound up at the Chinese takeout restaurant and that in itself was quite a feat. Buying 20 empty boxes along with 20 fortune cookies… the language barrier was tough. I just kept saying, “for the children at school” and eventually I overpaid for a bunch of empty Chinese food takeout containers.

Next was the BEST place for donut holes this side of the Mississippi…Shipley’s Donuts. I took in a container and said to the poor tired fellow behind the counter (I am sure he had been there since 4am), “I need enough donut holes to fill 20 of these. You know, for the children at school.” Language barrier? No. He just looked at me like I was crazy. I said, “Oh, it’s April Fools. For the third grade. Get it??” Again, no spark of fun here, he only said (while he was trying to do the math), “how many donut holes in a dozen?” I left with 10 dozen (yes, 120) donut holes.

The teacher played along beautifully. The children were at art while I set up… I hear her out in the hall instruct them all, “do not touch what is on your desk. use your manners! be polite!” Each child had a takeout box with 6 donut holes plus a fortune cookie; it looked very Chinese-y if I do say so myself… my daughter walked in… “MOM????”

Mrs. Birdwell: “We hear Melodi loves fried rice! Don’t you Melodi? How special for your birthday!”
Melodi: “Well…um…. yes, I guess I do…” (she is really holding it together at this point, in fact the whole class is trying to keep it together.)

After singing and getting her birthday licks, the teacher says, “Let’s let Melodi open her box first to make sure she got right one. Did you want shrimp fried rice or chicken?”

She starts to open the box. Silence… then… giggles… then laughing and then, RELIEF! It was then that I was so honored to say to my beautiful first born, “APRIL FOOLS!” Poor child. An April Fool’s birthday. The class roared! Everyone opened their fortunes and got to read them aloud. What a great time! What a precious child who was willing to go along with it all. She was all smiles. It just doesn’t get much better that this.

By the way, my husband did not proof read this blog today. I will address that with him later.

thanks to Sherry over at Party of Five for this highly scientific test.

I am between delusions of Godhood and near death… and really, I do take it black. Very black.

~It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.~

I found this quote and really liked it.  I hope you do too!

Somewhere between Easter and two important April birthdays is my wedding anniversary.  It was yesterday and we found a few stolen moments among the current demands at work and home.  Along with lots of great memories of the last 13 years I’m also admiring 4 dozen red roses!  Yes, yesterday was a good day!

And just for your information, if I were a smurf, I would have to say I am married to the smurfiest guy I know.

Today I saw a Christmas tree still displayed in someone’s front window.   This was on a nice street with a good zip code… among the blooming azaleas and dogwoods there it was… a fully decorated tree.

Sort of made me feel better about all the stuff I haven’t gotten done around here!

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… Romans 8:1

Jude 24-25… To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen

Okay, these are not the traditional Easter verses you might hear today. But… have you ever had two left feet? Big mistakes? Big regrets? Are you more than a beautiful mess? ROMANS 8:1

I keep thinking, where would I be without someone to save me? Someone who won’t let me fall? Someone who sees what I am meant to be? JUDE 24, 25

Because of His resurrection everyday is filled with hope. Accept this and be in agreement with me that without the ugliness of the crucifixion we could never be presented without condemnation, without fault. Realizing this truth for myself has been a big step in my walk of faith. Matthew West’s song captures it for me perfectly. Please take a moment to watch it, read the words and believe the beauty of Easter can be true for you too (click here).

To my good friend Shannon Johnson. She started a blog and is on a roll! Way to go girl! It is lots of fun to read and she is always my “go to” person when I’ve got parenting questions. She is right on! Take a look and bookmark her page. If you’ve got kids, then http://youvegottoknowthis.blogspot.com/.

In the Bible much reference is made to tents. These folks went on many journeys, often living out of tents for quite some time. I can’t even think of putting together what I need for a trip and throwing it in backpack along with a tent and hitting the road. It gives me an anxiety attack just thinking about it. Although with my new iphone (courtesy of Mike’s gracious gift-giving abilities) I might could hack it. That thing will do just about anything plus it has google maps right on the dashboard. So in the event I did pitch a tent and got lost I would know my exact location. But I digress….

Back to my devotional today. It started out with a verse from Deuteronomy, stating that “God would go before me, to search out a place for me to pitch my tent” (chap. 1, v. 32-33). Which absolutely made me laugh because the thought of me setting up a tent is hilarious. Regardless of Bible times or the 21st century, I would be the one having trouble with that tent. I began having quite a time relating to this illustration.

Then my tent became a place… a situation… a relationship… an illness. The tent is a place where God will put you and He’ll show you where to go from there. To those of us who believe, He is going before us in everything. When we want to point and click (or in my case, lightly tap the keypad) all he’s really looking for is for his believers to acknowledge Him wherever it is he has brought us to camp. To trust Him for the places, the situations, the illnesses; and to trust that he will show us the way to go.

This really sounds too easy and hard all at the same time. Which tells me that you know you are at a spot God would have you when you simply can’t do it on your own accord. When I’m in a tough place and the only way “out” or the only way “in” is because of him then I know He has me right where He wants me to be. God is far more interest in my character than my comfort level! And I am sure that if it really were a real tent the Holy Spirit would have me setting that thing up til I got it right. Same thing applies here. Trust in Jesus, outside of what you think you can.  Set up camp, go where He leads because I know for sure that the one who created it all will get it right.