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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.

Since it’s Fathers Day weekend and Mickey loves blueberries, I decided to make him some blueberry muffins today. In looking through Wondertime magazine recently, I noticed a recipe which is appropriately called “The Best Blueberry Muffins.” That’s the recipe I used today and - WOW - they’re right…these are the best!! I halved the recipe to only make 12 muffins, but I think next time I’ll go all out and make the whole recipe because these are great just to have on hand or in the freezer for later. YUM! Try them, I know you’ll like them too!!

The Best Blueberry Muffins
From Wondertime magazine

Makes 24

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
16 ounces sour cream
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw)
2 tablespoons sugar

Heat oven to 375.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with muffin-cup liners. This recipe won’t work without them. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with sour cream until thoroughly combined. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt together butter and brown sugar, about 3 minutes. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then beat this mixture into egg mixture. Stir in oats.

Fold in flour mixture and then — very gently — fold in berries. Fill muffin cups about three-quarters full. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar onto the top of each muffin.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until edges are medium brown and tops are firm.

Cool for 5 minutes, then remove muffins (in their papers) and finish cooling on rack.

As I stated in yesterday’s post, Macey is going to afternoon VBS at our church this week. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the kids are encouraged to bring in various donated items for several charitable organizations in our area. On Tuesday they brought in hygiene products, Wednesday was non-perishable grocery goods and today is baby related items. Well, if you’ve ever read my blog or know me, you know I love a bargain. I definitely wanted to send Macey in with donations every day because this is a great way for her to learn about giving to others, etc. So, I clipped coupons, shopped sales and went to a wholesale club for our donated items. Check this out…

For right around $30, these are the items we donated this week:

3 tubes of toothpaste
3 toothbrushes (2 of them were in with the toothpaste tubes)
1 bottle of men’s hair and body wash
2 regular size bottles of shampoo
3 cans spaghetti sauce
2 boxes spaghetti noodles
1 bag rice
2 bags instant mashed potatoes
1 big box that contained several packages of baby wipes

Isn’t that cool?! Please understand that I am not posting this to brag in any way about our giving. Not at all. What I want to show is that giving can be done on any budget. There is so much good that can be done without breaking the bank. Clipping and using coupons plus shopping sales is a great way to make grocery dollars go a longer way. Shopping wholesale clubs is a great way to stock up on various items that are commonly used around the house as well. Remember, too, that there are always organizations that could use donations. If you ever run across great deals and you feel like donating, there is always a need. You don’t have to have big bucks to do good things, just a big heart. We can all do something and I feel blessed that we have been able to help in some small way through VBS this week.

I don’t know who originated the phrase about the “lazy days of summer”, but I’m guessing they didn’t have young children. Summer is here and it’s anything but lazy. It’s GO time. We GO to the pool…GO to VBS…GO shopping…GO to the park…GO out to play…GO to the zoo…GO GO GO!!  And, honestly, it’s wonderful. We are enjoying summer so much already and it’s only just begun.

Around here, we tend to have our mornings at home and then the afternoons turn busy. But, that is all subject to whatever plans come up, of course. This week Macey has Beach Party VBS at our church from 12:30-3:30 each afternoon, so the house is really still and quiet during that time because Mariana also naps. That’s when I try to catch some Mama time if possible. Macey is loving VBS and it’s been such a blessing to hear her come home singing the songs, telling us about her day, etc. She’ll be going to the morning session in July and I’ll be teaching her class, so that will be fun too. Mariana’s not quite old enough for VBS yet, so she’ll go to the nursery and have her fun there.

It’s been HOT here lately too. That makes for great pool days. The pool water is really pretty perfect right now. We enjoy going down there as much as we can since it’s so near to our home.

I need to find time to blog because I want to keep this site active and alive. Please bear with me as I try to find time to blog in these crazy fun days of summer.

Blessings,
Kelly