LaBellaMaison

I created a Slide Show! Check it out!

Busy, busy, busy!  I've been working on lots of stuff like this:

I am getting a head start on some of my Christmas gifts-yes Christmas gifts!  Trying to make something personal and meaningful for some special relatives/friends. 

Ernesto has passed and we are truly thankful.  We have just a over casted and deary day.  At the very least, we will be prepared next time.  Our final pre-season game is tomorrow against the St. Louis Rams.  This will make it official that I haven't been to a pre-season game this year.  I will also miss several regular season for the first time.  The life of a football coaches wife!

OH JOY

I woke up this morning from my sweet slumber............to tropical storm warnings and hurricane watches! 

Once I pulled myself from bed I finished my hurricane preparedness ( is this a word?) call from my friend/neighbor Anita.  I sprung into action. Anita informed me she had already been to Walmart at 5:30 a.m.  I guess I am slacker!!

Anita asked me....."Hadn't I read my Hurricane Preparedness Guide" that she had given me?  Well, yes I had read it; but, I was trying not to recognize reality.  I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH AN HURRICANE!!!!

However, at some point in our lives we have to be adults-EVEN IF WE DON'T WANT TO!!!!!  So I made a mental list of things to do & off I went:

Off to the Fresh Market to stock my freezer.

Cancel lunch date with neighbor visiting from Michigan.

Next, propane for our gas grill at the hardware store.  I've seen Charlie get propane-piece of cake.  I dash into the hardware store and pay for the propane-then drive around back to get my tank filled.  WRONG!!!!  There was a line of 15 people and I had to wait in the 92 degree heat.  You can probably guess who needed a shower after that!

Next, get gasoline for the generator.  Since there were lines everywhere I went home first( to use the bathroom).  Back to the gas station(for the second time in less than 24 hours).  I waited in line over 30 minutes to fill up 3 portable gas cans.  Of course I spilled gas all over the ground and on one of my containers.  Great to put in my new car.....ha,ha.

Portable air conditioner.  Did we say we needed one back in May?  Did hubby forget to get one or purposely leave this task to me?  That's a whole new story for another day. 

Anyway, I recruit my dad to go to Home Depot with me to get an air conditioner.  We arrive at the Depot and are told that they haven't had one in months.......months........My girlfriend Sheila had just purchased one at Sam's so off to Sam's we go!

Of course I don't have a Sam's membership-so that is an extra $40 bucks on top of the $325 air conditioner.  Fortunately, we met a very nice man at Sam's who helped us get this monster into our cart-and we did the same for him.  We even helped each other get these precious babies into our SUV's.

Of course the air conditioner is sitting in the back of my car waiting for Charlie to remove it when he get home.

Another stop at Publix since Sam's had run out of water.  More water and other supplies were purchased-and arrived home after 4:00 p.m.

Takeout pizza for dinner-too burned out to cook.

Started laundry-gotta get everything washed in case we lose water.

Packed up all the patio furniture and secured it in the garage. Removed all outdoor items that could be propelled during a storm.

Talked to my husband several times today.  We discussed whether we should put up our hurricane shutters.  He appeared oblivious to any inpending weather concerns.  There is a football game to win on Thursday(he doesn't have a clue).

Oh Joy-it's that time again: Football season/hurricane season!

WHAT IS TOO MUCH?

I'M DREAMING OF PARIS!!!

Today the sermon at church was interesting!  Part of the message today really hit home.  The pastor talked about how kids don't know anything about hard work-they just know the benefit from their parent's hard work(designer clothes, computers, video games, TV,dvd players, new cars, the best colleges).

He also mentioned that today's generation has a "Just Chill" attitude.  Everything is just laid back-no urgency about anything.  I know that attitude first hand.  If you ask for the dishes to be washed-they are surprised that you mean right now.  The report that is due for English class-I've got all week to do it( why start now?)  Hard work never hurt anyone and sometimes we want to do too much for our children.  Some of the following might apply:

Contact their teacher when they receive a bad grade ( of course it is the teachers fault)

Put money in their bank account when it gets too low or they "overdraft" with their debit card

Buy them a new car for their 16th birthday

Cook all their meals because they are too lazy or don't know how to cook

Help them get their first job through our contacts

Have the cleaning lady clean their room

Do laundry for them-or fold it when they leave it in the dryer

Pay for artificial nails and pedicures

Give them gas money and pay their car insurance

Pay all their college expenses including spending money

Spend $500 for homecoming attire and events

DOES ANY OF THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?  IF SO, PARENTS WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES ARE WE HELPING OR HURTING OUR CHILD EN?

MAY GOD BLESS YOU

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, superficial relationships, so that you will live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people so that you will work for justice, equality and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you will reach out your hand to comfort them and change their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with the foolishness to think that you can make a difference in the world, so that you will do the things which others tell you cannot be done.

Author Unknown

DON'T LET LOOKS FOOL YOU

THIS LITTLE SWEET ONE

ISN'T AS SWEET AS SHE APPEARS.

MS. ZOEI-I just discovered she has pulled a thread in my new rug in my bedroom and left a bald spot.  She has pulled loose strands of carpet on both of our stairwells, chewed up an unopened tampon, taken my craft products to use as toys, and shredded Kleenex in my closet in the last few days!!!!!  Not so innocent..........................but oh, so lovable.  I cannot wait until her Auntie Net gets here to straighten her out.  I won't even mention what her sister DIVA JAZZI has been up too.

QUESTION FOR THE DAY:  WHAT IS THE PRICE OF BEAUTY?  Well, I found out today that for me "An attempt at beauty" costs about $175.00."

These are today's purchase:

Now you might think this is a bit excessive?  I do-because I know this is more than grocery $$$ for a week.  But, it was only the following items:

Foundation

Powder

Foundation Brush(that I never knew existed)

Lipstick

And this my friends-is the only makeup I wear.  No wonder my personal DNA said I was had a more masculine personality than a feminine one!  I need to up my game-learn to be a lady.  But, since I only buy make-up once a year or so-I guess its not that bad.  What is so bad that I spent these $$$$'s and I still need to spruce myself up!

ARE YOU BUSY

satan called a worldwide convention.  in his opening address to his evil angels, he said,

"we can't keep the christians from going to church.  we can't keep them from reading their bibles and knowing the truth.  we can't even keep them from forming an intimate, abiding relationship experience in Christ.  if they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken.

so let them go to their church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can't gain that relationship with Jesus Christ.  this is what i want you to do, angels.  distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"

"how shall we do this?" shouted his angels.  "keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds,"  he answered.

"tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow.  persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 day days a week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles.  keep them from spending time with their children.  as their family fragments, soon, their home will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"

"over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice.  entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive - to keep the tv, vcr, cds, and their pcs going constantly in their homes.  and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays music constantly.  this will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."

"fill the coffee table with magazines and newspapers.  pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day.  invade their driving moments with billboards.  flood their mailboxes with junkmail, mail order catalogues, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotion offering free products, services, and false hopes.  keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines so the husbands will believe that external beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives.  ha!  that will fragment those families quickly!"

"even in their recreation, let them be excessive.  have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming week. 

don't let them go out in nature and reflect on God's wonders.  send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts, and movies instead.  keep them busy, busy, busy!  and when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion."

"go ahead, let them be involved in soul winning.  but crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ.  soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause.  it will work!  it will work!"

it was quite a convention.  and the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy and to rush here and there.

i guess the question is:  has the devil been successful at his scheme?  you be the judge!  friends, this message was sent to me by someone who cares and i thought i could share it with you.  please take heed of the message it brings:

b - being

u - under

s - satan's

y - yoke

are you busy?

BACK TO SCHOOL

Well, its back to school time:

The house is quiet

The telephone rings less

There is less laughter 

Fewer dishes in the sink

Less crumbs on the counter

No MTV/BET

There isn't wet laundry left for 2 days in the washing machine

One less sleeping beauty until noon each day

YES, IT'S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME

TIME TO GET SERIOUS

TIME TO:

Go to class

Meet professors/advisors

Study, Study, Study

Ask questions &  for help

Explore new horizons

Take responsibility

Be an adult

Appreciate your opportunites/gifts

The time is now!!!! 

Live your life to improve your future. 

FIND A WAY TO MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE..................

FIND YOUR WAY................

I recently stumbled on this new site: BROCADE HOME a new venture by Restoration Hardware.

Looks cool- a lot like anthropologie!  It probably will be pricey-but, I think there will be some cool stuff!!!  The site is not totally up yet-however, you can request a catalog.

MONDAY MONDAY

The weekend is over!!!  I had a nice weekend visiting with my cousin and his family from Maryland.  We hadn't seen each other in over 3 years-so it was nice to see him.  I never have spent a lot of time with his wife (Monique) so that was fun also.  Here are some fun shots I took of his two sons:

It was amazing how bright they are-they scare me.....ha,ha,ha-Nothing, yes nothing,gets past them!!!

We topped off the evening with dinner at Legal Seafood.  That was lots of fun; but, I missed the first part of our preseason against Tampa Bay.  Here's a group picture of us at the restaurant:

Monique's  mom recently purchased a home down here-so hopefully they will be visiting more often.