Tuesday, December 11, 2018
I Don't Measure Up
I've spent my lifetime being less than, shorter than, feeling inadequate in a lot of ways. In America, if you're a woman, shoes ARE the most important part of your wardrobe. No, they're not an addition to or a compliment thereof, they are the MOST IMPORTANT ARTICLE of clothing a woman wears. The high heel has an interesting history dating back to the 1500's when Persian soldiers first wore heels to help their feet stay in their saddle stirrups during war. High heels were invented for men. The high heel waved and waned until the pin-ups girls of the 1950's. Around that time, the stiletto heel was invented concreting the relationship between women, sexuality and appearance. Today, cultural value dictates high heels are the "norm" for women in professional settings. Ironically, I was born in 1963 smack dab in the height (pun intended) of the high heel craze. I can't wear high heels. I don't measure up.
After a recent encounter of falling short of people's standards, my damaged ego appealed to God for an answer. Why don't I measure up? He showed me this comparison.
The world measures us by:
1. Appearance - Are you attractive and desirable?
2. Transportation - What kind of car do you drive?
3. Shelter - Do you live in a big house?
4. Occupation - Do you have a big job or big title?
5. Possessions - How much stuff do you own?
The world measures Jesus in the same ways. Here are the his results according to the Bible:
1. Appearance - Jesus is not physically attractive. Isaiah 53:2 states For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
2. Transportation - Jesus drove a donkey (could have been a Dodge colt, maybe). John 12:14-15 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt. Jesus drove a donkey.
3. Shelter - Jesus was born in a stable. Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
4. Occupation - Jesus was a carpenter. Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
5. Possessions - Jesus had no need of material possessions. Matthew 19:21-23 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
God revived my heart with this age-old fact, according to many,
Jesus doesn't measure up.
Jesus doesn't measure up.
The moral of this story is compare yourself to Jesus, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. If you measure up by his standards, all is well. I'm pumped there's not a mention of "high heels" in the Bible and obviously Jesus loves short people. He went out of his way to visit a wee little man named Zacchaeus.
Measured 365,
Tammy
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Family Dinner Night
I started a thing about two years ago now. Every Thursday night is Family Dinner Night (FDN) at my house. There's nine of us including me and my husband, my mom and dad, my two daughters, my son-in-law and my two precious granddaughters. We have a blast! I look forward to Thursday every week for a couple of reasons but the top reason is FDN.
I plan and cook the meal all by me little lonesome. For the past few weeks, I've been focusing on soups. The weather is a bit cooler and soup just seems to be a Fall food. Tonight we had lasagna soup. I found the recipe at A Farmgirl's Dabbles.
This is her photo. I always forget to take a picture of new recipes. Well...not always but I did tonight.
I used fusilli pasta I got at Kroger. I followed the recipe almost exactly. The soup turned out nicely. Quite delicious and overly satisfying. The guys in my fam really enjoyed it. My husband and son-in-law had seconds. My son-in-law even agreed to take some home for lunch tomorrow. SCORE! Lasagna Soup is a definite "must-try" recipe. Oh and I followed her tips on the recipe also.
Stuffed 365,
Tammy
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Our Master Bedroom Reveal
I'll only get one chance at this Florida Dream House decorating gig so I better get it right. Decide the color scheme. Plan it and execute! Push always seems to come to shove wrapping things up to move in. I'm still way happy with the results. Today, I want to share with you our master bedroom reveal.
I can never leave God out of anything I accomplish because without him, I'd never accomplish anything. If you listen to God and do what he says, he takes care of all the big stuff and especially the small! The best thing about this bedroom is five years ago when I bought our master bedroom bed for our Georgia house, God encouraged me to buy the Ashley Furniture Protection Plan. This plan covers anything that could go wrong with your furniture for five years. If, in five years, you don't use the plan to replace your current furniture, you get the money you paid for the plan off the price of new furniture. The five years perfectly expired January 2018, just in time to purchase our master bedroom furniture for Florida. His plan, not mine.
The Master Bedroom
I ended up paying around $200 for the bed and nightstands. The bed frame is a king. I used a bunky board ($80) instead of a mattress foundation to make a platform bed which is low to the ground. King mattress from Mattress Firm $700. The lamps are from Home Goods for $39.99 each. The canvases I found at Kirkland's in Canton, GA on sale, reduced from $99.99 to $24.99! The pillows are from a Belk clearance for $80. The white quilt and shams is from TJMaxx for $39.99. The storage bench is from Amazon for $105. The drawers really work. My design on a dime for around $1300.
The Master Bath
The Master Bath is small but oh so lovely and adequate. The Master Bath does not lend itself well to picture taking because it is narrow. The custom shower design on the right is from a late night Pinterest binge. It has a tile pebble bottom with a rain showerhead and custom window. You can't see the seat on the inside left. The vanity is shaker style matching the kitchen cabinets. I prefer overlap porcelain sink bowls, the sunken sinks are too hard to clean. lol The mirror is framed with the same coastal trim we used on all doors and windows painted white. Again, I will discuss paint colors in another blog post.
The double doors are our master closet. I love double doors! The bath rugs are from Bed, Bath and Beyond $24.99 each. The seahorse picture is from Rose's for $14.99. So inexpensive and perfect at the same time. I have a small linen tower holding our towels and washcloths in the right/left corner of the shower area from Walmart for $20. I couldn't get a good picture of it. The linen tower is open and provides the ultimate area where Steve can pick up a towel and washcloth without having to bend over. Bending over restricts his breathing drastically.
The small square box you see beside the toilet is a set of scales. Weighing every day is so important at the Holiday House!
Everything else you see in the bathroom, hooks, toilet paper holder, etc. were included in the house contact.
And there you have our Master Bedroom Reveal including the Master Bath. I will post pictures and descriptions of the other three bedrooms, two baths, laundry room, living room, porch areas and paint colors later. Until then, have a good one....
Loving it 365,
Tammy
I can never leave God out of anything I accomplish because without him, I'd never accomplish anything. If you listen to God and do what he says, he takes care of all the big stuff and especially the small! The best thing about this bedroom is five years ago when I bought our master bedroom bed for our Georgia house, God encouraged me to buy the Ashley Furniture Protection Plan. This plan covers anything that could go wrong with your furniture for five years. If, in five years, you don't use the plan to replace your current furniture, you get the money you paid for the plan off the price of new furniture. The five years perfectly expired January 2018, just in time to purchase our master bedroom furniture for Florida. His plan, not mine.
The Master Bedroom
I ended up paying around $200 for the bed and nightstands. The bed frame is a king. I used a bunky board ($80) instead of a mattress foundation to make a platform bed which is low to the ground. King mattress from Mattress Firm $700. The lamps are from Home Goods for $39.99 each. The canvases I found at Kirkland's in Canton, GA on sale, reduced from $99.99 to $24.99! The pillows are from a Belk clearance for $80. The white quilt and shams is from TJMaxx for $39.99. The storage bench is from Amazon for $105. The drawers really work. My design on a dime for around $1300.The Master Bath
The Master Bath is small but oh so lovely and adequate. The Master Bath does not lend itself well to picture taking because it is narrow. The custom shower design on the right is from a late night Pinterest binge. It has a tile pebble bottom with a rain showerhead and custom window. You can't see the seat on the inside left. The vanity is shaker style matching the kitchen cabinets. I prefer overlap porcelain sink bowls, the sunken sinks are too hard to clean. lol The mirror is framed with the same coastal trim we used on all doors and windows painted white. Again, I will discuss paint colors in another blog post.
The double doors are our master closet. I love double doors! The bath rugs are from Bed, Bath and Beyond $24.99 each. The seahorse picture is from Rose's for $14.99. So inexpensive and perfect at the same time. I have a small linen tower holding our towels and washcloths in the right/left corner of the shower area from Walmart for $20. I couldn't get a good picture of it. The linen tower is open and provides the ultimate area where Steve can pick up a towel and washcloth without having to bend over. Bending over restricts his breathing drastically.
The small square box you see beside the toilet is a set of scales. Weighing every day is so important at the Holiday House!
Everything else you see in the bathroom, hooks, toilet paper holder, etc. were included in the house contact.
And there you have our Master Bedroom Reveal including the Master Bath. I will post pictures and descriptions of the other three bedrooms, two baths, laundry room, living room, porch areas and paint colors later. Until then, have a good one....
Loving it 365,
Tammy
Saturday, September 8, 2018
Action!
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Friday, August 31, 2018
What Exactly is Concrete?
This may sound like a repeat from last week but no, because this week has been rougher than last! . So many downs. Very few ups. I'm writing these words from the confines of my mom's hospital room. She continues to struggle for breath due to multiple blood clots in both lungs. You know the dread you feel when a close family member has a serious illness. I'm give thanks to our gracious God she is improving slowly.
I have a couple of thoughts to share this week. Mom was visited by a hospital chaplain this morning. He asked "Can you have fun in a hospital?". He shared some anecdotal stories with us that were somewhat fun, but not as funny to me as the stories I want to retell on my parents:
- My dad was hospitalized in March after his fourth stroke. A couple of days had passed when he requested to shower. "I can do it myself" he said. I insisted we call a nurse to help him. His face lit up when a young beautiful blonde-haired nurse walked in. He quickly agreed with her help! She went to gather some bathing supplies. I asked him, "Have you ever showered with a blonde?" He giggled and said "No! But I'm about to!" His bathing experience is a standing joke at our house.
- My mom's doctor came to explain about placing her on blood thinners. He said "I want you to take Coumadin because it's tried and true." He waited for her approval. She answered him saying "That sounds good to me. I like spices!" Although she wasn't joking because she was thinking of Cumin, her reply has become a standing joke as well. The doctor was gracious and asked if he could use that one.
- Here's a couple more funny stories that are medical jokes at our house. Just click the link to read them. Sloane's kidney stone experience entitled "We had our very own Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" and Tammy's kidney stone experience entitled "Pande-"monday"-ium of Laughter".
My second thought this week involves the concrete picture. What exactly is concrete? Concrete is such an everyday term; yet do we really know what it is made of? As I was thinking about how rocky my path has been for the past couple of weeks, God caused me to visual concrete. I immediately thought Ah! yes! Concrete. I love concrete. Concrete hurts most folks' feet but it is absolutely the easiest surface for me to stand on. It is firm and solid. The non-rigid surface of concrete makes my feet and gait so happy. After a moment of sheer joy thinking about concrete, I asked why the image of concrete Lord? I looked up this explanation of concrete at www.masterconcreteservices.com. Concrete consists of Portland cement, sand, gravel or aggregate, small rocks, and varying amounts of water. These ingredients are blended together to generate a paste, which is then poured into a frame, and dries hard with time. A chemical reaction occurs between the water and the cement to create a solid foundation.
I began to ponder how you can take jagged rocks and create a smooth, solid foundation. I recalled many of my struggles during the past weeks. I felt every single problem or "rock" my feet had walked over the past two weeks. I remembered the way my feet turned over when they encountered the rocks. The twisting of my feet made my back hurt. Then God whispered, "Tammy, for every rock you walk over and get tossed here and yonder, you're making concrete. I am your solid foundation. You may have to walk over a few rocks but trust me, you'll always find your footing on my concrete." Praise Jesus! I said "God, you have the biggest concrete trucks because you're pouring it out for me all the time!"
Just like the chemical reaction with concrete, a spiritual reaction occurs between my Savior and me. He takes all the rocks, gravel and sand of my life and puts them in my frame to mold me. He smooths them all out so I can walk firmly on his foundation. The process takes a while but the end result is smooth and pretty. How firm a foundation ye Saints of Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word....That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake.
Standing firmly 365,
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