Just bc I'm vain I suppose

Here's more pics of me and my ladies at work, the birthday celebration and the sunflower arrangment I made for her present...

You've got a what? Where?!?

There's a piano in my foyer. Yes, that's what I said. I somehow became lucky enough to get my mother's piano now that she has moved from our childhood home ... and I had a space all cleared for it in my guest room which has a very Parisian theme so it was perfect. BUT, of course it cant ever be that simple! The paino won't navgiate the L-shaped hallway entrance to the bedroom so while it will fit into the doorway if I remove the door, it won't make it into the room unless I turn it up on it's side and I can't risk the damage to the Baldwin Acrosonic...





So now, plsn B kicks in and it looks like it will now be in my "lounge" area / Florida room which means I need to tint the windows back there to protect the wood, and there is not electric outlet for the dehumidifier and the brass lamp by which to read music.





It's similar to this one ... (real photos to come soon after I get it moved .... it's still sitting in my entry way so I can be reminded each moment of how I now own a piano... oy!) Anyone wanna join me in playing Chopsticks?

Happy Birthday to the new Mrs. C

Today was a coworker's bday (she just got married earlier this month too so it's been a good March!)

We like birthdays around here. I took care of the flowers (sunflowers, daisies and alstroemerias), and we had breakfast muffins with candles...

Aren't we a cute bunch? (Camera phone... ick)

Can it be? We are debt free?

The Lord owns everything and we are merely stewards of what is His. He has clear ideas on how He wants His people to function as His stewards.

I can't believe I can even say this - but today we paid off all our consumer debt (credit cards, store balances)!!!! I dont say this to brag or sound proud.... The reason I can't even believe it is because we've carried some of these debts from even before we knew each other (7+ yrs), and now by the grace of God we have been blessed to be able to pay them off. Yes, it took sacrifices, but this is a true testimony of what God does when you believe and obey.

Basically, we have been aggressive the last year about getting out from under the debt pressures that really ruled our daily lives and controlled the purchase decisions we made. We felt like creditors called all the time, that stupid decisions we made in college were going to haunt us until our kids were in college themselves. But lately, God has been guiding us to make different decisions and several things have happened to make us know this was the time to make the step and pay them all off.

This weekend our tax refund came along and (here's how God works) it was in the exact amount of our total consumer credit debts. And, top it off with our Pastor's message at church the last few weeks has been about money and the biblical principles of how to manage wealth (bc we are all just managers of what's given to us) and yesterday's message was about debt and how freeing it is to be out from under someone else's money control and we both just knew... it was time to sacrifice the "fun stuff" you can do with a tax refund (even admit we can go with lukewarm showers a little while longer to limp our busted water heater along until the cash is there to buy it outright) and together we sat down tonight at the computer and paid them off... one by one... made them disappear and it feels GREAT!

Sure, we have those other debts that are the next focus (school loans, few more car payments, mortgage) but God is so good! When you're faithful with prayer, tithes, He blesses beyond what you could ever imagine.

To read more about God's guidance for money issues please go to this website: http://www1.crown.org/library/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=262

Weekend update

Here's the update of a concert that almost wasnt. Tim was in Baltimore last week for training and of course a wicked snow storm blowed into the NE right about the time he was scheduled to leave. His 830p flight was cancelled, and he somehow got onto the last flight out... sat on the plane on the runway for 3 hours (now 1130p) and the flight was cancelled after 3 hrs of sitting! Maybe it was a blessing becase he learned his luggage wasnt on the plane afterall (blessing in disguise I guess). She he rented a car, I got him a flight at another airport and he drove 4.5 hours overnight to Raleigh-Durham! He made it home about noon the next day. He took as long a nap as he could get and then it was up for the concert.


The show was in West Palm… Chris Tomlin (www.christomlin.com) and Matt Redman (www.mattredman.com) are 2 Christian contemporary artists we're into… and they had a speaker named Louie Giglio – Tim and I saw these guys in concert last yr and the speaker in the middle talked about how vast the universe was, and how amazing that God just *spoke* and the heavens and stars and earth were created. He showed amazing actual astronomy photos and it was supernatural how small I suddenly felt listening to his speech – more awesome was how small I am and how much God really cares about me and the somewhat stupid stuff that goes on in my daily life.

He showed a new galaxy just discovered and it looks like this (whirlpool galaxy)



And at the center is this amazing black hole that looks like this… (see the cross!)


Anyways, he was the speaker again Saturday night and he kinda picked up where he left off about the universe, and the sun and how small earth is compared to the sun, and how our sun isn’t even a fraction of the size of other suns… but then he said as amazing as the universe is, if you took a telescope and turned it inwards into our human bodies you’d be equally amazed at God and his power and precision to details. He said he was told about this molecule in our bodies that basically holds everything together --- it holds our skin to our bones, holds cells together to make organs but even more amazing was the picture he put up of this stuff called “laminin”…. There are almost no actual photos of it in existence bc of how small – and he had a real magnification from a microscope, and I can only find a diagram… but check this out… the substance in our body that holds us together looks like this!!!:




Just wanted to share to encourage you in your faith, I know it did with me…

C28 -- New shirt

You have to check out my cute new t-shirt that I bought at a concert we went to this weekend. (Update coming soon on the show, the message, how Tim got stuck in Baltimore, etc)

Here's what it's about:

A transformation happens when a caterpillar comes out of its cocoon as a butterfly, as one does when a person becomes new in Christ. Both of these transformations are combined in this detailed design from NOTW. A black cocoon gives way to a brand new pink butterfly on this shirt that features the verse, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

For more clothes like this check out www.c28.com

My girls and I accepting our award

I think I posted about this... but my parent company recognized my team with a 5 star service award... don't we look happy to get the recognition? ;)

10-second update

1. Tim's travelling for a week out-of-state for a tactical medic training - and he's COLD!!! Can't wait for him to come home. I'm usually unaffected by his travels since we're pretty independent people, but this trip there is something different -- I'm not sleeping right without him and I seem to miss him more?

2. Pray for my health again --- the beginnings of the tingling is back. It just started in the last few days so I'm not really sure what it is, but it's troubling none the less. I've been in therapy consistently every 2 weeks... can you believe the accident that started all this was almost 2 years ago!

3. Got an award by my employer last week. Received the "Five Star Service" award, nominated by my peers and a former supervisor for awesomeness... Got a nice glass and marble statue, paper certificate, and a nice VISA giftcard!

4. Please keep my girlfriend in your prayers - beginnging what could be an ugly divorce. It saddens me since I was present at their wedding and saw how much love they seemed to have for each other in the four years they've been married. They have a small child and my heart just breaks for her.

5. Got the leak fixed with the sink. Still have some more home improvement stuff (washer is leaking now, microwave continues to blow fuses and it's no longer under warranty so it's not worth fixing and is cheaper to get a new one, shower doors are off the tracks, water heater needs replacing.... the joys of an older home.) But the joy of knowing that I fixed stuff, and that I made those changes to the kitchen makes me proud, so there is a trade off I suppose.

6. My mom is moving. Pray for her plans... and pray for us as we expect to inherit a lot of things that we're not sure we can accommodate/store... if you need furniture just let me know, she's parting with A LOT!

Drip...drip....drip

Ok, so I thought I was some kind of superhero after my kitchen remodel this weekend. But, sure enough, nothing is ever that easy, right? By Sunday it was apparent I had a small drip in the pipe that leads to the supply line of the sink. Not sure why b/c it's an area of the plumbing I didnt have to touch when I replaced the sink and counter... but it's there- no doubt.

So it's been several days now, we have dishes mounting that I may have to wash in the sink while I evaluate what to do. I'd hate to call a plumber to fix something I can do myself. It's a tiny drip unless I tighten or loosen the hex nut to the left or right... what's even more troubling is I'm pretty sure I turned off the water! So how can it drip and/or leak?

Ah, the joys of home ownership!

One-Day Kitchen Remodel!!!

I guess I was raised with the crazy idea that I can do anything, especially when it comes to something with my hands --- fixing things, painting, you name it. So here's my proof... my one-day kitchen face lift -- total budget= under $200.

I'm aching and sore and my friend Marla who helped is also hurting today... but you be the judge if our pain was worth it ... the results are pretty dramatic for one day and $200!

Project list:
1. New counter top (remove sink and old counter, shim and cut new sink hole, rehook-up sink, NO LEAKS!)
2. Tile window pass-through
3. Painted Walls
4. Pollyurethane stripe and pinstripe on walls
5. Hang new art and decorate/accessories


The BEFORE:






The DURING (yes that's my sink and old counter on the floor.. don't ask how long it took to bust that loose!!!):


The AFTER:





WHAT DO YOU THINK?? Leave me a comment!

Fondue Party Pics

I threw an engagement party for a girlfriend at work... check us out... a great night of dessert, cheese fondue and friends. I had her give me pics of the happy couple, so I displayed them in frames in the dining room near the fondue.

Me, Andrea (bride), Abby, Heather (who's getting married THIS Saturday), and Tiffany

Here was the spread. I did a mexican theme since Andrea's fiance is Mexican. We had queso, a cheese fondue, tacquitos, veggies and dip, white chocolate and milk chocolate fondue, brownies, and fruit. YUM YUM!

And Cooper was ready to help clean up the next day...

The Secret

Has anyone been following the buzz about this book/movie "The Secret"??? It's been on Oprah and every major web search engine and online bookseller... I must say it's a bit of a craze right now and here are my thoughts:

I'm excited that people are searching for meaning beyond themselves. And it's great that people are realizing they can change their lives with positive actions and thoughts -- but I'm disappointed that they think a book and law of attraction is *the secret*... honestly, if more people realized that God is the answer and the "secret" to a full and honorable life, we'd be in a very different world. The Secret teaches how to "get what you desire" and Christianity teaches how to receive grace and truth from a heavenly Father, and give back what you learn and receive to your world.

From wikipedia.com: The principle posits that our feelings and thoughts attract real events in the world into our lives; from the workings of the entire cosmos to interactions among individuals in their physical, emotional, and professional affairs. The film also suggests that there has been a conspiracy to keep this central principle hidden from the public.

The Secret has some underlying topics that Christians have known for lifetimes. You do bring into your world what you put out there -- if you plant seeds of unhappiness, bitterness, unforgiveness, that's what you get in return (the Biblical addage of "you reap what you sow") If you learn to trust God, not your world and not even yourself, the things you desire find their way to you -- in fact, goodness BEYOND what you can desire also finds you (what we know as blessings).

I have a real problem with some of the "teachers" of this Secret too ... one is even supposedly a preacher and a Christian, but he never once mentioned the power of God and how knowing God changes your life, your path, and you way of relating to others.

I'm torn -- I feel like I *shoud* read the book so I know how to talk with people who are reading it and be able to talk intelligently about the inaccuracies in the book, but at the same time I don't like the idea of reading something that could conflict 100% with what I believe to be *truth*... when the DaVinci Code came out this debate stirred, and our church actually did an entire series about the non-truths in that book so I think I should read it to be able to combat again any mistruths.

It's good (and bad) that people are so unhappy and desperate that they would clamour to anything, including this book/movie, to teach them something -- when faith could bless them and teach them so much more.

If you want to know the *REAL SECRET* ... check out these sites:
www.allaboutgod.com
http://www.christianity.com/WhatIsChristianity/
http://www.christianity.com/whatischristianity/1453324.aspx
http://www.christianity.com/whatischristianity/1453325.aspx
http://www.christianity.com/whatischristianity/1453438.aspx
The Way, the Truth and the Life: http://www.gnpcb.org/product/663575723066