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I got blog-tagged again. This time by Wife and Mommy. So, here goes…

Favorite food?
If I had to pick ONE style of food to call my favorite I would say Southern Home-Style. I could make a meal of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, butter beans and biscuits. All homemade, of course. For dessert, I would probably pick pecan pie. I don’t have just one favorite food, but Southern food is comforting to my very soul.

Quirks about you?
I can’t stand having water on my face. I am constantly drying my face off if there is water on it like when swimming. Something about water being on my face makes me crazy.

I have to have covers on me to sleep. Preferably more than just a sheet. So, when it’s hot that’s tricky, but I manage.

I rearrange eggs in the carton so that the carton is “balanced” when I remove eggs from it.

How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less?

I am going to ask Mickey this later and edit my post with his answer.

Any regrets in life?
You know, there are things in my life that I wish now that I had not done. But, I am blessed to know that all is forgiven. I hate to have regrets because I got to where I am today by going down the roads of yesterday. I think it’s better to learn the lessons and move forward in a positive direction than to remain hung up on regrets.

Favorite Charity/ Cause?
Lighthouse Family Retreat
The Lighthouse is incredible. I haven’t been on a retreat in a few years, but it will always be near and dear to my heart and I hope to go on another one some day.

Something you can’t get enough of?
Family time

Worst job you’ve ever had?
I worked at McD’s for a very short time my senior year in high school. It was awful. I had $10 stolen from my purse my first night on the job. It was just not a good experience at all.

What job would you pay NOT to have?
I don’t know. If God called me to any job, I believe He’d equip me for it.

If you could be a fly on the wall, where?
I always say I’d like to be a fly on the wall at preschool so I could watch the girls without them seeing me. I love watching them interact with others and it would be so cool to have that opportunity for extended times.

Favorite Bible verse right now?
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails ~ Proverbs 19:21

Guilty Pleasure?
Frappucinos from Sbux. Although today I got an iced coffee because it was free. Gotta love free.

Got any confessions?
I have accomplished almost nothing today and I don’t feel that badly about it.

If you HAD to spend $1,000 on YOURSELF, how would you spend it?
I’d update my wardrobe, for starters. I’d also get a massage, faci and pedicure. And, I’d take my husband on a fabulous overnight date night.

Favorite thing about your house?
We just love our house. We love that it has a basement/play room, a study, a family room and a nice big kitchen.

Least favorite thing about your house?
Well, the back yard is coming along, but could still use some major work.

One thing you are bad at?
I am really bad at staying ahead of housework. Or even keeping up remotely.

One thing you’re good at?
I am good at cooking.

If you could change something about your circumstances, what?
I would love to have our home be in another school district. Our elementary school is great which is nice, but our high school zone is not desirable, really. But, we have a few years yet to think about that.

Who would you like to meet someday?
Mark and Katharyn Richt

Who is your real life hero?
Mickey because he is the best husband and family provider I could ever imagine. He does so much for our family and works so hard for us. He’s amazing!!

What is the hardest part of your job?
Keeping the kids from being bored and keeping us from being in the poorhouse.

When are you most relaxed?
When things are in order at home.

What stresses you out?
Big messes which seem to be everywhere

So, if you are reading this and you have a blog…consider yourself TAGGED!!!

Per a report from ESPN, UGA mascot UGA VI passed away on Saturday, June 28, 2008 from heart failure. The Bulldawg Nation will mourn the loss of this beloved Dawg.

I remember being at the game in 1999 while UGA VI took the helm from his daddy, UGA V. It was a very cool day to be at a UGA game, to say the least. UGA V was a great dog and VI followed right in his paw-prints. He was a fine dawg, indeed.

RIP, UGA. Surely Heaven is air conditioned and has ice packs, just like your Dawg House. You’ll be missed.

I wanted to post and share two of my favorite summertime desserts. Both of these feature a lemonade theme because, really, what says summer more than lemonade, right?

Lemonade Layer Cake
from Cooking Light

Ingredients
Cake:
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
Cooking spray

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition.

Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients (2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 322(28% from fat); FAT 9.9g (sat 5.9g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.5g); IRON 1mg; CHOLESTEROL 53mg; CALCIUM 60mg; CARBOHYDRATE 54.1g; SODIUM 293mg; PROTEIN 5g; FIBER 0.5g

Cooking Light, APRIL 2002

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Lemonade Pie

2 ready made graham cracker pie crusts
1 can frozen lemonade
1 regular size tub frozen whipped topping
1 can condensed milk

Mix lemonade, whipped topping and condensed milk together until well blended. Pour into two graham cracker pie crusts. Cover and put in freezer for at least 6 hours. Serve cold.

ENJOY!

Healing Stones, Sullivan Crisp Series #1 By Nancy Rue & Stephen Arterburn / Thomas Nelson When Demetria Costanas finally confronts a fellow professor to tell him that their affair is over, it’s more than the relationship that’s finished. After a photo is delivered to the university president and her husband, she may lose her career and marriage, too! Will sorting things out with Christian counselor Sullivan Crisp help? 400 pages, softcover from Nelson.

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Kelly’s Review:

Healing Stones is one of those novels that drew me in from the very beginning and never let go. The character depth in this novel connects them to reality and gives powerful insight into their lives, faith and struggles. The turmoil and strife for resolution that the main character, Demitria, faces is intense and believable. The back stories and sub plots are also powerful and intriguing. I didn’t want this book to end. The lessons contained were so true for all of  us - even those who will never face the exact same challenges in life. The reminders of God’s infinite grace, love and forgiveness are interwoven beautifully throughout the novel.

I’m glad to know that this is a series. I wasn’t ready for this one to end and I am eager to read more. I recommend this book as a great read!!

Today Papa and MiMi (aka: my Dad and Stepmom) took Mickey, the girls and I to the Georgia Aquarium. For Mickey, Macey and me, this was a second visit and for Mariana it was a first. Mickey and I took Macey for the first time back in February (I believe) of 2006 before Mariana was born that May. We’ve been wanting to go back, but haven’t seemed to find the time. Papa and MiMi offered us this chance today and we had a fantastic family outing at the Aquarium. The crowd was pretty big, but it was still a whole lot of fun. There is just something so amazing about seeing all those fish - especially the whale sharks and the beluga whales! The girls were both in awe!!

We started out our visit to the Aquarium by going to the The 4D Theater and Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow which was fantastic!! Mariana wouldn’t wear her 3-D glasses, but the rest of us did and it was quite a show!! Macey didn’t quite seem to know what to make of it at first, but she loved it! We then went to the rest of the exhibits. One of the first things that caught the girls’ attention was the exhibit of jellies. Those are so cool even though I always dislike seeing them when we’re at the beach. I think my favorite part was going through the tunnel with the whale sharks and other fish swimming over us the whole time. Like I said, the whole experience was wonderful!!

After the Aquarium, we went out to dinner at Willy’s which was super delicious!! It was just a great afternoon and evening to spend with family. Thank you, Papa & Mimi, for a wonderful time!!

Click here for a coupon to print and take to Toys R Us to receive a free Thomas Train valued at $12.99 or less. This coupon may be used once per customer per visit, but there is no limit on the amount of times you can print it out and visit the store. This offer runs June 19-July 5, 2008 in stores only!! So, print it out and get your FREE THOMAS TRAIN before this great offer ends!!

Today I had one of those days where I worked all day on the house, but you can’t walk in any room and tell I’ve done a thing. I was on the go most all day and yet things look pretty much the same as they did this morning. How can that be?! I did laundry, ironed clothes and put them away, washed dishes, changed linens, put away laundry, straightened up the girls’ rooms and just picked up clutter in general. And, I never got finished. It was one of those days.

As I was sitting here thinking about that this evening, I wondered if that is how God must sometimes feel too. He works and works and works on me and I shamefully admit that I don’t show His work nearly as much as I should. That realization hit me this evening and really made me think. God is so good to just never give up on us, isn’t He? All the love and work He puts into me doesn’t yield much many times, but He is faithful and true. Amazing love. I will never come close to earning it, but I am so blessed to know God gives of that love so freely. So, realizing that made me feel a little bit better about my day and made me realize yet again how I need for my works to reflect His works. Sometimes we all need some humbling and I got a dose tonight.

Psalm 66
Verse 5 - Come and see what God has done,
how awesome his works in man’s behalf!

Verse 20 - Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!

It’s the final day of Disney Shopping’s semi-annual sale. They have some great items on sale AND you can get an additional 20% off with the promo code SAS20. Plus, you can get $5 shipping on orders of $50 or more with the promo code SHIPFOR5. I am so tempted to order some of their cute swimsuits for the girls. We’ll see if I can restrain myself. In the meantime, maybe some of you can scoop up some great stuff on sale.

I got tagged by my friend Sarah and now it’s my turn to answer five questions, then tag others. Sounds like fun. Here goes!!

1. Where Were You Ten Years Ago?
That was the summer of 1998. I was still living back home in Southwest Georgia, but hoping to move to Atlanta. I was submitting resumes and I drove up twice for interviews. The first interview was with a downtown law firm and I bombed it. For some reason, I just froze on the typing test. So, I was a bit discouraged. I then I got a call from a Catholic hospital in Atlanta to interview for a position there. I went for it and it the first interview was a home run! I even blew the typing test out of the water. (Yay) In August of 1998, I packed my car full of stuff and moved to Atlanta with a whole lot of dreams and not a whole lot of cash. I went to work at the hospital and gave myself until Christmas of that year to get comfortable in Atlanta or move back home. Well, I’m still here. Sure, we moved to Southeast Alabama for two years, but we’re back and this is our home. And, hey…I met Mickey at that hospital. Good thing I blew that first typing test and aced the hospital one, right?

2. Five Items on Your To-Do List Today

• Let Mickey sleep in as much as possible for Father’s Day
• Go to church
• Go to the pool
• Make dinner
• Have some relaxation time with Mickey

3. Snacks I Enjoy

• Dove dark chocolate (especially with almonds)
• Cereal
• Fiber One bars
• Raw almonds
• Ice cream

4. What would you do if you were a billionaire?

• Donate to our church and various missions
• Buy all of our immediate family their homes and vehicles
• TRAVEL all over the world
• Put in a huge new pool in our community that has “zero access” for the kids (We have a nice pool now, but I would love a “zero access” one just for fun)
• Invest

5. Places I would Live
We actually are happy right here where we are and this is definitely our home. Ideally, we would have family closer to us because that’s the only missing piece of living here. So, that would be the only thing I would change if I could make it absolutely perfect.

Last…Six Bloggers I’m passing the challenge onto…
Ali
Emily
Jawan
Merri
Renee
Shannon

And, thanks to Sarah for tagging me!

Mickey: I don’t have nearly enough time nor enough words to express how much you mean to our family. The girls and I are blessed beyond measure to have you!! When God brought us together via Divine Intervention almost eight years ago, my whole world was changed for the better. The life we have been blessed with to this point hasn’t always been easy, but it’s always been amazing. I love watching you with Macey and Mariana and seeing the bond you all share. When you come home after work each day, the way the girls lights up is a beautiful thing to see. It thrills my heart that you are so active and involved in their lives. I’m so honored that you are my husband and I get to share this journey with you. I love you SOOO much!!

Daddy - aka Papa: When I was thinking of what to write here today, one beautiful memory popped into my head first for you. It was the day Macey was born. I remember getting to the hospital to check in and finding you already there - so excited about the arrival of your first granddaughter. When I was laboring, you’d come by the end of the bed, rub my feet and talk to me. I know it had to be hard seeing me in pain even when we all knew it would soon be worth it. When I was time for Macey to be born, you got “banished” behind the blue curtain. I still get tickled when I think of you sitting on the blue birthing ball during that time. You got to see Macey right after she was born and during her first bath and I know you loved her right from the start. Thank you for loving me from the start too. Thank you for being there for me too. I love you!

Mr. John - aka Poppie: You’ve been a part of my life for over 20 years and we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but I guess that has kept things interesting. We always agree on some things like getting up early in the mornings, good cups of coffee and knowing we have the two most amazing little girls God ever made. You’ve been there for me more times than I can count and I thank you for that. The girls also thank you for the cases of “Ghetti-Go’s” from Sams. Love you!

Scott - aka PePaw: I know I couldn’t ask for better in-laws than you and Linda. You two are such an inspiration to us. You have the kind of love and marriage that is a true thing of beauty. I feel so grateful to you both for the way you raised Mickey in a home full of love and support. And, thank you for taking me in as one of your own too. Our shared love of cooking is something I treasure. I also love how we can both get Mickey’s goat when we team up on him. (HA!) Thanks so much for all you do! With my love…

Jack - aka Pop: You have been the kind of Granddaddy that every kid should have. When Charlie and I were little, there was never an adventure you wouldn’t try with us. Some of my very fondest childhood memories were made with you and Gran. We never did sink that boat in the pond, but we tried quite often, didn’t we? I’ll never forget going camping at Rood Creek and you taking us out in the boat too. There are so many more memories - I will never have a chance to list them all, but I value every one. You mean the world to me and I love you very much!

Grandpa Frank - The originator of the Frank Scott lineage. I just adore your character. You are so much fun to be around. I just truly admire your tenacity and, don’t shoot me for saying this, your spunk. You have such a zest for life that shows how much you appreciate your blessings. Mickey often speaks fondly of his childhood memories that involve you and I love hearing those stories too. We love you!

In Memory of PaPa Louie - My dad’s dad, my PaPa Louie, passed away in the summer of 1995. It’s hard to believe it’s been 13 years since he died. I wish my girls had gotten to know him because I know he would have loved them. He didn’t have a lot to say at times, but I always knew that he loved us. When Charlie and I were little, he made up a song for us about Santa having a boat that I still remember. Whenever I get hiccups now, I think of PaPa because he got them so often. I remember him taking us out on the boat at Lake Blackshear and going fishing on the dock with us. Rest in Peace, PaPa.

This is certainly not last nor least…
I thank God, my heavenly Father, for blessing my life beyond measure. I have so much to be grateful for and I thank God for looking beyond my human failure and loving me.

PS: If anyone missed my Mother’s Day post -it’s here - just click.