I am blessed beyond measure by the people the Lord has allowed to be in my life. I have many friends who are dear to me. But I have an extra special relationship with these 3 ladies. We call ourselves the court. There is a queen and 2 princessess. I leave it up to you to figure out who is who! Here is a picture of us in June of 2007 as we were leaving for Hawaii!

We had a wonderful week in Maui and only had to buy 3 new suitcases to make the trip home! It might have had something to do with the number of shoes we took with us. 43 pairs for 8 days! We were prepared, people! And, our feet looked too cute!

We have been able to travel together at least once and sometimes twice a year for several years now. Since it ususally is in the spring, we call it our Spring Fling!
But, last year and this year, it is a Summer Fling! Next week we will be travelling to Savannah ,Georgia to spend 5 glorious days in the high heat and even higher humidity! Really, Savannah is a beautiful city with much history and more importantly…wonderful shopping! Priorities here, friends…priorities! My architect has me on a mission to locate a set of antique doors or gates for our house. And The Court is all about having a mission! We gladly accept the challenge and will acomplish our task! Wait and see!
If any of my readers have any tips to share on stuff in Savannah…please do. We know about Paula Deen, and are planning to eat there. But, this is our first trip here, so we would appreciate any input.
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Now, I am compelled to mention an incidence that occured last week. You know I told you that my boys, and my husband, and my Mom all said for me to just throw away all my magazines. “No need to waste the time looking through them. There’s nothing that important in there and it will come up again in some other magazine” said they.
Being one to listen to my own drummer…I meticulously went through the more important ones before tossing. In an issue of Mary Englebreit’s Home Companion dated sometime 2007…she did a 4 page spread on…..SAVANNAH, GEORGIA ! Yes, mam, she did! And it listed all the great boutiques, and restaurants, and art galleries, and antique stores! Good thing I went back through it, huh? Sometimes my drum is SOOOOO right! 🙂

I have confessed to you before my clutter affliction. I am working so hard to change and learn to throw away the junk. However, sometimes MY idea of junk and someone else’s idea can be totally different. But, I am letting go of lots of things. One of the things I love are my magazines. And I store them in boxes according to year. I do this with Country Home, Country Living, ME’s Home Companion. I also tend to hang on to my MORE magazines. Great mag, BTW. I used to keep the Oprah mags, but since she lost her mind and lives in that alternate world with that funky looking author, I have thrown them all away! Oh, and National Geographic, too. I think it is against the law to throw those away. That’s why you see so many old copies floating around. I am donating mine to the school library.

I would like to move into our new home with no old magazines. So, I am trying to go through them all. and tear out the useful info, or home decorating pics. As I flip through, sometimes I come upon a furniture collection or an interesting store to visit. My mom and Don say to just throw them away…they are outdated. Yesterday, I ran across some divine furniture pieces. They really caught my eye. Just like what I would like to put in the new house. I looked to see what company, and it was the————-Moon Co…… Here’s where this tale takes an unusual turn.

I typed in the name, and waited, and waited some more. It was trying desperately to come through. While I was waiting, I had the strangest sensation. I felt like I needed to get up and run! (This is not a normal activity for me, and I am not even sure I remember how.) It was as if all of a sudden…I was very frightened. I chalked it up to my hormones who are trying their best to deposit me in a nice little home for the terminally confused. FINALLY! Up it pops. Before I even looked at the page, I broke out into a cold sweat. That sense of dread became overwhelming. I actually got up and went to check on Alex to be sure he was OK. As I sat back down at the computer, my heart started racing, and I was having trouble getting a good breath. I looked at the page I saw…”Welcome to———–Moon. My name is Priestess———-, and I will be guiding you through the joys of Wi*ca, today. Relax and learn about this oldest of religions, It will make you a happier, healthier, more spirit-filled person when you begin to worship the Wic*an way.”

I had unwillingly linked to a sight about Wi*ches!` There was absolutely nothing to do with furniture! Now this is not the first time that I have come upon things on the Internet by accident. Evil minds can be very tricky! But, never before had I gotten physically sick…BEFORE I even knew what it was! I actually became so nauseous, that I thought I would throw up. As soon as I got back to the computer I quickly made my exit…turned off my computer…and found a quiet place to pray.

It became so obvious to me, as I thought about it later, God was warning me not to go there. He was sending me a message…and I did not figure it out in time. I am usually pretty good at discernment. I think it is one of my spiritual gifts. I can size people up, so to speak, in a hurry. But, God did not want my eyes to even fall upon those opening words. I’ve got a lot more thinking to do on this happening…to try to discern what God was saying to me. But, this I am wondering…how many other times has he tried to get my attention? How many times has He warned me and I didn’t get the message? How many times have I walked the wrong path because I wasn’t open to hearing from Him at that moment?

I did not sleep well last night and I have been sick all day today. You could say, “Well, you were just starting to get sick yesterday about the time you were on the computer.” But, it happened to ME…and I felt these things in my Spirit as well as my Body. I know this was from the Lord. And maybe the reason I have felt sick today is that the Lord wants me to keep mulling this over until I ‘get it.’

Have you ever had a similar experience? Have you felt God warn you, but you ignored it..or just didn’t recognize it at the time? Or maybe you did heed the warning and found out later why.
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The reason some of the w*rds have le**ers omitted, is so my blog will not be linked to those words. If someone searches for that topic, my blog will not be affiliated.

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When Don got in last night, he told me they had finished the fireplace…I didn’t even know they had started! Well, the builder called this morning and said that he was getting ready to cover it up to keep the drywall dust out of it when they sanded the walls. He said that if I wanted to see it , I had better get over there…NOW!
So, quick shower, little make-up and I’m off. Friends, it is beautiful! I really, really like it. The pictures show the whole fireplace, then a close up of the stones.The floor will be the color of the tan stone, travertine, cut in random square like the fireplace.



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Then, since I was out, I went by and picked out my new glasses…and then a haircut, and now home. I seem to have picked up a little stomach bug…so, it’s rest time for me.

Several months ago I purchased this scrapbooking tool from HSN. Not that it was something that I urgently needed, but I have this thing about tools. If it sounds like something I might could use at any time during the rest of my life, it should be mine. So, this came in the mail in a few days. I got a call saying that something was left off and would be arriving soon…and it did…the feet of the monster tool. In a few more days, the “handy, matching carrying case to keep all your crop-a-dile pieces in one handy place” arrived. I figure anything this massive would be best contained in a convenient place of it’s liking.

One day last week, I found this ‘had to have’ gadget…under my bed. And it had never been opened. Out of sight-out of mind, people! So, feeling guilty that I had purchased this overgrown hole puncher and had never even examined it…or given it the proper feet…or let it rest in the ‘handy, convenient carrying case’…I proceeded to open it and inspect my treasure.

Here, my friends, is where I entered into a battle of wills with the packaging surrounding the monster tool. The plastic seemed to be of such industrial strength that I think it probably is the same material they use to build the Space Station! First, I foolishly tried to pull it open using my own puny strength! Silly girl! Then, I got a pair of scissors and started to cut my way into it…yes, I started to cut into it..I TRIED to cut into it! NO WAY that was happening! The scissors just bounced off. So, being the persistent person that I am, I went to the kitchen to get the kitchen shears. Now these are supposed to cut through chicken bones and stuff like that. And this was a shiny, sharp, new pair that I gave Don for Christmas, because he can never find the other ones because ‘someone’ never puts them back in the same place. OK…let’s get this baby out of its confining jacket. ARRRRRG! UGGGGGGGH! GRRRRRRR!
WHEW! there! I got a hole punched in it. A hole. After a short nap to regain my strength, I tackled the mighty package once more. Now if I push these scissors in the hole and then put the package on the floor and stop on the handle of the scissors, I think I may can make a cut a few inches across. There…a 2 inch gash. I’m gaining on it. But, I really don’t think stepping on the scissors handle is the best idea…what with the blood spurting all over the room and all. ‘Scuse me while I go get stitches! OK..now, I’m mad. I know all those things about letting your anger control you and how bad that is and it’s true…BUT…the only way I was going to get this opened is if I was very, VERY ANGRY! Taking the unwilling…and HEAVY…it must weigh 2 pounds!…plastic into my hands once more, I slowly, very slowly begin cutting with all my might. I make it 1/2 of the way across. I can not keep going because the edges that have been cut are beginning to cut into my wrists. I hear that is a particularly bad place to cut yourself. So, I go to the other side and punch the hole and again manage to cut across to meet the first cut. HOORAY! I GOT IT! All I have to do now is just pull it apart and get my hands on its orangey goodness finally. So, I proceed to pull…nothing happens. People…I could not, with all my might, pull the two pieces of plastic apart. I was past angry…full on MAD now! I go to the garage and get my pruning shears. Ahhh, this cuts it a little better. I just have to make a thousand snips to get down one side. Now the other. OK, my little pretty, come to Mama! IT DOES NOT BUDGE !!! I am not making this up…it DOES NOT BUDGE! It is attached by a small ribbon of the industrial strength plastic to the back of the package with a grommet. Another cut through this and
FINALLY I am able to pull the tool from its resting place. Course, it will look better when I get the blood wiped off from my oozing fingers and hands. I take it and put it in its new home. Oh, yes, it looks very happy there.

This thing looks complicated. I know I will need some instructions. But I didn’t see any in the package from ‘that very HOT place we do not want to end up in’. I look around to see if I find any. and I don’t. Huh, that’s strange…surely they included instructions. Well, I can probably find some on the Internet. I just want to take this possessed packaging and get it out of my house. WAIT! there on the bottom of the package…is another little package in the shape of a triangle…properly SEALED TIGHT just like its companion. It is orange cardboard…and the writing is in yellow…REALLY easy to read! But, those words might be important. Find a magnifying glass…stand next to the window, twist my upper body, holding one foot against the bed to keep from falling…and manage to read…IMPORTANT! READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USING!…and inside that little sealed triangle at the bottom, lie the instructions that will tell me how to use this ‘most wonderful of tools that will be the only tool I’ll ever need’ to do anything I ever would want to do with crafting!

Is this being filmed? This has got to be a joke! But, no…it’s all real…very real! And, because of the severe emotional and physical trauma I have undergone in the last hour and a half…I throw the instructions out the door, onto the deck and stomp upon them mightily, with a fierce vengeance. And, lo, they remained locked inside their cozy, protected home…laughing at me with glee and making all manner of snide remarks. Seeing a broken brick lying close by, I commence to pounding upon it with the little strength that is left in this frail body. It bends, and squishes a little…but BEHOLD! it’s seal remains intact. Fine…into the bottom of the garbage can with all the weeks garbage you go!

And I suppose that package that is torn asunder at the top and covered in splattered blood, and still holding tightly to its directions for use at the bottom, is lying in some landfill…where it will sit until Jesus comes, because it will never break down into any usable substance. And then, I think it will be cast into the lake of fire, with the other demons…a very fitting end!
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FYI—After regaining control of my senses, I decided to write the company that produces this tool and complain, in a nice, Christian way, about the trouble I had with their packaging. I also explained that I could not get the instructions out.
They answered the next day. They were “so sorry” about my difficulties in opening their product packaging. They sent me complete instruction for use. And vowed to “take into consideration” my complaints. Right.

… DUH!?!
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Public Service Announcement
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Any Questions?
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I really can not think of a time that this may apply…can you?
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Hope you NOTICED something funny! Look for the funny side of life!